Chapter 33.
Who Spent the Night with Whom?!
The notorious third son of the Wilhelm Dukedom, Charles Wilhelm, was sleeping soundly in the Marquis Uzcal couple’s bedroom, tangled with none other than Empress Hailey.
He had begged all night long, planting desperate kisses on Hailey’s feet, and by dawn, he was completely spent and passed out cold.
Hailey, however, was wide awake and crystal clear in mind. She looked at the sleeping Wilhelm without a trace of emotion.
He had been her first love, the man who took her virginity. Once, Hailey had been blindly devoted to him.
Being the handsome third son of one of the empire’s few ducal houses was more than enough to captivate someone as vain as Hailey.
“I love you, Charles. You know you’re the only one for me, right?”
“I feel the same, my sweet Hailey.”
Because everything was new to her, Hailey had given herself to him completely—body and soul. But he, a womanizer through and through, was seeing multiple women at the same time.
He didn’t even bother to hide it. He was the one who told Hailey about Yullan.
“What? Are you saying you slept with a whore?”
Disgusted, Hailey’s face twisted in a frown.
“Don’t frown. You know how curious I am,” he replied shamelessly, kissing her cheek with that same annoying smile.
“Noble ladies may act open-minded, but they never go all the way. Yullan’s different. She takes a man to heaven and back—right to the edge of death. She’s not called the Fallen Angel for nothing.”
When she saw the dazed expression on his face as he reminisced about Yullan right after sleeping with her, Hailey’s pride took a major blow. In a burst of vengeance, she began gathering lovers of her own.
That was when she realized something: even meaningless physical encounters had their own unique thrill.
She also came to understand just how selfish Charles had always been in bed.
At the time, Hailey had believed she could conceal her colorful past from her future husband and live on pretending to be an innocent noblewoman. She had never imagined that her husband would turn out to be the lust-ridden emperor himself.
Now, thinking about the way she was bending over backwards to satisfy the emperor, she let out a deep sigh.
The morning light began to brighten the bedroom windows of the Uzcal mansion. The side door of the bedroom opened soundlessly, and Yullan entered from the dressing room, approaching the bed.
Feeling her presence, Hailey sat up from where she had been lying.
“How was he?”
“…Honestly, there’s not much more I can teach him.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“This might sound strange, but he’s definitely talented.”
Hailey stood up, brushing off all traces of the rowdy night without hesitation.
“This isn’t about talent. It’s all about how clear your objective is.”
She quickly dressed and handed Yullan a heavy pouch.
“If the emperor reacts the same way this guy did, I’ll pay you three times the promised amount.”
“You must’ve really liked his reaction.”
Hailey looked down coldly at the sleeping Charles.
Of course I liked it.
A twisted smile formed on her lips.
After just one taste of her technique, he had become completely addicted to the pleasure she gave. Even when she hurt him, he clung to her, begging desperately for more.
If I can make the emperor submit the same way… Just imagining it sent a shiver of excitement down her spine.
“With His Majesty, you have to be far more discreet. Everything Her Highness does must seem natural—like it was an emotional, uncontrollable reaction.”
Hailey nodded at Yullan’s advice.
“Don’t rush. Work him slowly. You’re shy and embarrassed, but you’re just too excited to hold back—that’s the vibe.”
To conquer the sharp and suspicious emperor, she would have to seem as though she was truly swept away by passion during their nights together. It made her want to gag, but she figured she could manage if she just imagined it was someone else.
Hailey reached out and slowly caressed Charles’s firm chest as he slept like the dead. He was arrogant and rude, but at least his body—muscular and sculpted—was worth using.
She closed her eyes, memorizing the feel of his muscles as her hands traced from his shoulders to his chest, then down to his thighs. Then, without a backward glance, she rose and left the room. Yullan quickly followed.
Charles woke up groggy, blinking as he stumbled upright. The room was empty and quiet.
“Hailey…? Hailey~~!!”
The black carriage that had secretly arrived at the Uzcal mansion in the dead of night left at dawn just as silently, without a trace.
♦♦♦
“Robbie, watch your shoulder!”
With that warning, I launched a sharp strike toward Robbie’s shoulder. He dodged quickly, but I caught him with a kick, and down he went.
“Ow…”
As Robbie dropped his sword and grabbed his ankle, I knocked his sword even farther away.
“You totally lost focus! If Master had seen this, you’d be doing 100 squats right now.”
“Ugh… I’m still tired from the trip, okay? If I were in top shape, you wouldn’t have stood a chance.”
“Yeah, right.”
Watching him refuse to admit defeat gave me a sense of deep satisfaction.
When’s the last time I beat this guy in a spar?! I hadn’t held a sword in over a year, but thanks to consistent training since arriving in Pritan, it was all paying off.
Spinning my sword in the air with a flourish, I said, “At this rate, I could actually challenge Mik when he gets back. What do you think, Robbie?”
“Pfft. Just be glad you still have your neck. You think a battle-hardened bloodhound like him would even consider you a real opponent?”
“Come on! I’m not talking about a life-or-death duel. Just a friendly match!”
Robbie had been acting irritable for a while now, and I finally called him out on it.
“What’s your deal? You’re mad because I made you spar with me the last few days? That’s unfair. I didn’t force you—you said you were happy to.”
“It’s not about the sparring!”
“Then what is it? What’s your problem?”
When I looked at him in confusion, he glared back with clear irritation.
“I really wasn’t gonna say this because it sounds petty… but you’ve been way out of line, Lea.”
He huffed angrily and continued, “You’ve been talking about your husband non-stop this whole time!”
“Me? When?”
“During lunch, for starters. You said, ‘This asparagus steak is Mik’s favorite. Oh, and he never eats cucumbers.’ Like, why would I care about your husband’s food preferences?!”
Ah… When he gave such a specific example, I couldn’t argue.
“Even during the greenhouse tour—you brought up that mythical golden rose for no reason!”
“I just wanted to show you something really rare! If you’d arrived a bit earlier, you could’ve seen it. I was just disappointed you missed it.”
Robbie sighed deeply and muttered, annoyed, “You said seeing that rose made you think of me, and then you told me your husband stomped it into the ground. How do you think that made me feel? Basically, he stomped me, too.”
Honestly, I hadn’t considered that. I was just mocking Mik for being ridiculous, not thinking how it would come off to Robbie.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think that far.”
I apologized right away. Robbie let out another heavy sigh.
“Same goes for the sparring. Are you doing this with me because you actually want to train with me, or are you just using me so you can be ready to fight your husband?”
“Don’t say that. I’m just training to get better, that’s all.”
At least on that point, I felt wrongly accused.
I only wanted to spar with Mik because I felt like I’d improved through practice with Robbie. It wasn’t like I was using Robbie as a stepping stone just to get to Mik. The circumstances might look the same, but the intent was completely different!
“Alright. I get that you’re upset, so let’s stop here for today. How about we go riding instead?”
“Riding? In this weather? My face and ears would freeze off.”
“Oh, poor delicate greenhouse flower Robbie. In Pritan, even the kids ride horses in this weather wearing just a vest!”
“Ha! Give me a break.”
Okay, maybe I exaggerated. It didn’t work on him.
“Fine, the vest was a stretch. But seriously, if you wear proper riding gear, it’s totally doable. Don’t you want to see Pritan’s famous steeds?”
That got his attention. Pritan’s cavalry had long been renowned across the northern continent for their speed and valor.
Any man would be curious to see the proud horses that supported such a legendary force.
“…Alright. But make sure you get me proper gear.”
“Of course!!”
I sent Adele to Madam Russo, the royal designer, to request a custom riding outfit for Robbie.
“You’re gonna be amazed by our purebred horses, Robbie. Just wait!”
I grabbed his hand, eyes gleaming with excitement.
“Honestly, all of the royal horses are impressive, but Bloodwind is on a whole other level. He can run for two days straight without a drop of water. His speed is just—wow! I wish I could show him to you.”
“Why not? Where is he?”
In my excitement, I forgot the warning and launched into another speech about Mik.
“Oh… Bloodwind’s Mik’s horse. So he, uh, obviously took him with—”
“Lea! You again?!”
I blinked in confusion, only to realize I had brought up Mik again right in front of Robbie.
“I’m too tired for this. I’m going back to my room to rest.”
Robbie yanked his hand away, turned, and stormed out of the training hall, clearly furious.
Damn it. What’s with him today?! I didn’t commit a crime just by talking about my husband, did I?!
But I knew better than to chase after him when he was like this. My ten years of experience told me that would only make things worse.
“Okay, then. I’ll see you at dinner. Let me know if there’s anything you want to eat—I’ll tell the kitchen.”
“I think I’ll skip dinner. I’ve lost my appetite.”
Great, he was going on a hunger strike now? I wanted to yell, but held it in. It was Robbie, after all.
“Alright. Go rest.”
I sheathed my sword and cleaned up the training hall.
Sure, I could’ve left it to the servants, but my mentor Sir Palet had always taught me to care for my own sword, and that habit was hard to break.
“Your Highness!!”
Just as I was heading to my room to rest, Colin the chamberlain came running into the training hall.
“The Prime Minister has asked that you come to the Crown Prince’s audience chamber immediately!”
“What’s going on?”
“An envoy from the Kingdom of Malau just arrived with a full tribute shipment.”
“That’s something Duke Zenon can handle on his own. Why call me?”
Colin hesitated, then answered cautiously, watching my expression.
“The Prime Minister received the goods and gave them the acknowledgment form as protocol dictates. But then, Princess Shine, head of the Malau delegation, suddenly requested an audience with His Highness Miklok.”
“Tell her he’s away!”
“Of course we did. But then she insisted on staying in Pritan Palace until he returns—and demanded accommodations.”
“She sounds incredibly shameless.”
“That’s not all. She said she already spent the night with Prince Miklok, and that gives her full rights to stay in the palace.”
“…What? Who spent the night with who?!”
