Chapter 14: Twenty-Four Hours (2)
Splat!
The culprits were a school of fish.
As if reading Rasilia’s mind, a swarm of fish living in the canal darted toward the small boat and shot underneath it.
It happened just as Rian was pushing off with his foot to leap forward. When the fish lifted the opposite side of the boat, it flipped in an instant.
“Kyaa!”
Fortunately, the black bird flew off safely.
The humans, however, were not so lucky.
Splash!
‘Ah… I don’t know how to swim.’
As soon as she felt her body tilt, she was underwater. It was as though something sucked her in.
“Cartagena!”
“Ah, Your Majesty!”
She heard a name—not her own—called out. Instinctively, Rasilia flailed her limbs.
She couldn’t breathe. The water pressed down on her like a heavy weight. Though her body wasn’t bound, it felt tightly shackled. She needed to struggle more, but her eyes were closing.
“Cartagena!”
Just as she lost all sensation of suffocation, someone grabbed her and pulled her up.
This time, the dream was completely different.
—Here.
Golden eyes shone brightly. At first, she thought it was the Emperor.
But it wasn’t quite him. He resembled the Emperor, but his ears were pointed. In the center of his forehead was a painful-looking, still-unhealed wound.
—A gift.
—A gift?
What the Emperor-like man handed her was a red stone, smaller than an egg.
His fingernails, like the stone, were a deep red. Around the nail, transparent scales shimmered like steel.
And that’s how she knew—he wasn’t human.
—You need something to protect you while I’m gone.
She instinctively reached out to accept the stone. It was warm—and she could feel a faint heartbeat inside it.
—It’s an egg.
It wasn’t a stone. It was an egg.
—What will hatch from this?
—It’ll take the form you love most.
The golden eyes, which had felt dazzling and cold like the Emperor’s at first, now seemed different.
Tender. Gentle. Almost affectionate.
—I carved out a piece of my heart to make it. As long as you live, once it is born, it will never die. It will protect you forever.
The sweetness of his words made her heart ache.
—That’s kind of sad.
She placed a hand on her chest, as if to find the heart he had given up.
He wasn’t human, so his heart might not be in the same place—but that didn’t matter. It had to be there somewhere.
—You must’ve been in pain. It hurts me to know you hurt yourself for me.
—Pain is fine.
He placed his hand over hers.
—If pain is the price I must pay to be by your side, then I’ll endure it as much as needed.
And so she thought—
If he couldn’t escape the pain, she’d rather share in it.
“…Guh! Cough!”
She vomited up water, and finally, she could breathe.
“She’s alive!”
A large hand cupped the back of her head. A body leaned over her, pressing down with its weight. Just when she thought she could breathe again, she couldn’t.
“Your Majesty, at this rate, you’ll really kill her. Please, more gently.”
“…”
Fortunately, after Rian’s voice came through, the pressure eased slightly.
“Haa…”
Rasilia let out a deep breath.
“So… I fell into the water.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Fortunately, His Majesty pulled you out.”
Not only was she drenched, but so were the Emperor and the shadow knights.
The Emperor, soaked to the bone, was still wearing his ornate, heavy robes. His skin, wet and pale, looked unusually cold.
“You saved me, Your Majesty. Thank you.”
“…”
He said nothing. Just stared at her, lips tightly pressed.
It wasn’t the first time she’d seen him with that expression.
But this time, strangely, her heart fluttered.
‘This is strange. He looks just like…’
The golden-eyed figure from her dream came to mind.
That aching tenderness.
That softness.
That heartache.
‘But that wasn’t the Emperor…’
So who was it?
Why did the Seer dream that dream?
It didn’t feel like a vision of the future. It felt like something ancient, from a far-distant past.
“Huff, huff… Y-Your Majesty really did fall in the water…”
A crowd had gathered. The guards and attendants who’d accompanied them to the garden gate had arrived—and among them was the palace physician, dragged along by the wrist.
Panting and pale from running at full speed, the physician gasped out his words.
“I-I thought you despised boats! How did this… A-Anyway, we must move you inside. We need to warm your body quickly…”
Before he could finish, the Emperor abruptly lifted her in his arms.
“Your Majesty!”
Water streamed from her waterlogged dress as she was lifted.
“Move.”
The Emperor’s low voice cut through the murmurs.
At once, the guards parted like a tide.
“I can walk, Your Majesty.”
Rasilia pressed a hand to his chest, trying to push him away. He didn’t budge.
“Make this an exception.”
“…? An exception?”
“You don’t remember. Everything feels unfamiliar. You don’t want to be touched. Let’s set that aside for now.”
“How can I do that? It’s not like I suddenly regained my memory.”
“I almost lost you just now.”
That silenced her.
So achingly soft. So unbearably kind.
“….”
When she looked up, she saw his jaw tense as he clenched his teeth.
“The moment I thought you might be gone, everything else vanished. Nothing else matters. All I can think is—you’re alive and in my arms.”
“….”
“So let’s make this an exception. I don’t know anything else anymore.”
“….”
Unable to respond, Rasilia’s resistance slowly faded.
Squish, squish.
Only the soggy sound of wet footsteps echoed all the way to the Empress’s quarters.
The way back to the Empress’s palace felt too long.
Being carried the whole way, unable to breathe properly, didn’t help. She could feel every bounce, every movement—his breath was too close, his warmth too vivid against her skin. It was exhausting.
And entering the palace in the Emperor’s arms meant all eyes turned toward her in horror.
Until this Blue Moon passed, the Empress’s court was in for many shocks.
“You can put me down now. I’ll go to the bath.”
When the bedroom door opened, Rasilia spoke in a weary voice.
“You look tired. Shouldn’t you lie down instead?”
“I want to dry off first.”
“Can’t you do that lying down?”
“Then we’d have to throw out the bed.”
“So what? You’re tired.”
“….”
Rasilia stared blankly at the Emperor, who spoke as if discarding a bed was no big deal.
‘The imperial family must be very rich.’
There was no royalty like that in Dellarta.
Had there been, the gods would’ve shown them in a vision as punishment for such extravagance.
“I don’t like doing that. Please put me down.”
“Why don’t you?”
“Because I don’t.”
“Is it because you like the current bed?”
Of course not.
“…Yes. I think so. Even if I can’t remember it.”
The Emperor stroked his chin in thought, then spoke.
“Then I’ll wash you in the bath. That way we keep the bed and I don’t have to leave your side. That sounds good.”
Good? How is that good?
Rasilia stared at him, wondering if he was serious. He was.
Completely serious.
“No, thank you.”
“Why not this time?”
Did he really need it spelled out? Maybe the Blue Moon made people act… very strangely.
“There’s no reason for it. That’s the job of the palace maids.”
“Hmm… Can’t we make this another exception?”
What is he even saying?
“No.”
“…”
The Emperor’s lips twitched—but he finally set her down.
Though not without another warning.
“Don’t overexert yourself. I’ll wait here until you come out.”
“…? Shouldn’t you change clothes too? You’re soaked.”
“I’m tough. I’ll be fine.”
Like hell.
“You’ll get the carpet wet.”
“What’s a little—”
“I really like the carpet in this room. I don’t want it replaced.”
“…”
“Please go change. Then come back.”
Click.
Before he could say another absurd word, Rasilia hurried into the bathroom.
“Phew…”
Leaning against the closed door, she finally felt like she could breathe.
“It’s gotten worse.”
Even someone clueless would’ve noticed the Emperor was getting stranger. From the moment he sat by her side, pretending they had a good relationship—it had started then.
“He said it was today.”
The black bird had told her. The moon would rise today.
“So I just have to endure today. There’s still a long way till the moon sets…”
He was still saying nonsense about joining her in the bath. Could she really manage?
“No choice. I have to trust in his vow—for now.”
More urgently, she had to figure out how to take off these soaked clothes.
She couldn’t ask the court maids for help. Not after learning about the mark. She couldn’t risk another witness. She had to do it herself.
“Your Majesty.”
But the Empress had already anticipated situations like this.
Changing clothes, bathing—all were things she couldn’t do without help. And she had a secret she couldn’t reveal.
So she had chosen Marchioness Fashard.
“…? What is this?”
“I expected Your Majesty might need the bath. I’ve prepared for it. This way.”
From her practiced demeanor, Rasilia could tell—the Empress and the Marchioness had shared this secret.
“No need to be so guarded. There’s no one else here.”
“…In that case.”
If the Marchioness already knew about the mark, there was no point hiding it.
Rasilia followed her to the tub without resistance.
The Marchioness deftly unbuttoned the row of pearls down her back.
As the weight of the wet dress lightened, the Marchioness leaned in and whispered,
“You must be quite troubled. His Majesty has been keeping a very close eye—changing even your residence. Even for the Blue Moon, this is excessive.”
“…?”
“But do not worry, Your Majesty. Just as always, I’ll protect you. No one in this palace rivals me when it comes to keeping mouths shut.”
Keeping mouths shut…
Was she referring to the palace maids who had quietly disappeared?
“You needn’t worry about a thing. Just as you always have.”
She kept repeating just as always. It was clearly meant to remind her of something.
“That’s… a relief.”
Rasilia answered slowly. The Marchioness’s tone turned even silkier.
“So, Your Majesty—about that promise. The matter of Count Ieff’s inheritance—when might it be resolved?”
“…?”
The Marchioness wasn’t just someone the Empress trusted with her secret.
It was the opposite.
She was someone using the Empress’s secret.
