I Married the Terminally Ill Emperor - Chapter 108

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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I Married a Terminally Ill Emperor

 

Chapter 108

 

* * *

 

Late at night when the moon was waning.

 

Dahlia sat in a chair, blankly gazing at the night sky.

 

Recalling the conversation she had with the Emperor today, a gentle breeze stirred in her heart, making it impossible to fall asleep.

 

“Please have some of this.”

 

Annie, who had entered the room at some point, offered her a warm cup of cocoa.

 

“Thank you.”

 

“Do you have something on your mind?”

 

Dahlia hesitated while looking at the steaming cup of cocoa, then opened her mouth.

 

“What do you think about a man persistently asking what your ideal type is? And then saying you’re the prettiest.”

 

“His Majesty said that?”

 

Annie’s eyes sparkled as she sat down in front of her.

 

Dahlia nodded, her face slightly flushed.

 

Even though she knew she shouldn’t get her hopes up, hope kept swelling in her heart.

 

Could it be that the Emperor felt the same way she did?

 

This was her first one-sided love, and the first time a man had said such things to her, so she couldn’t figure out how to interpret it.

 

“If it were an ordinary man, I’d think he likes you.”

 

Annie spoke carefully with a thoughtful expression.

 

“Ah…”

 

Dahlia gave a dry smile.

 

The Emperor wasn’t an ordinary man. Their situation wasn’t ordinary either.

 

If she thought of it as words spoken to someone he didn’t love but had to marry soon, questions about ideal types and compliments about appearance wouldn’t be particularly strange.

 

Dahlia pushed her bitter feelings to one corner and changed the subject.

 

“The founding festival is finally over.”

 

She stared out the dark window.

 

So many things had happened since she came to the Empire under the pretext of the founding festival.

 

There had been death threats, she was going to marry the Emperor, she had come to like the Emperor, and ultimately, she had to prevent the world’s destruction.

 

But could the world’s destruction really be prevented just by getting married? Was the timing alright? She wanted to hold the wedding ceremony tomorrow if possible, but it was regrettable that their positions as Emperor and Princess made that impossible.

 

When Dahlia let out a deep sigh, Lemon, who had been grooming his feathers on the windowsill, opened his eyes wide as if asking what was wrong.

 

As Dahlia’s eyes met Lemon’s and she smiled to show she was fine, Annie’s voice was heard.

 

“What a pretty bird.”

 

Dahlia looked out the window beyond Lemon. No other birds were visible anywhere.

 

Lemon, who was on the windowsill, also turned around to check if there was a bird passing by.

 

“…Where is it?”

 

“The bird sitting on the windowsill there. The yellow color is really pretty.”

 

At Annie’s words, Dahlia and Lemon looked at each other in surprise.

 

“Annie, can you see Lemon by any chance?”

 

Annie looked startled at Dahlia’s urgent question.

 

“That bird was Lord Lemon?”

 

As Lemon’s eyes widened and he fluttered up into the air, Annie’s gaze followed Lemon upward.

 

Reading that gaze, Lemon flew to Dahlia with a tense expression.

 

“Dahlia!”

 

“Lemon. It seems Annie can see you now too?”

 

“This is bad. She shouldn’t be able to see me yet.”

 

“Why?”

 

Dahlia asked with a puzzled expression.

 

“Because that means she can see beep-beep too. They’re making me unable to speak again!”

 

Lemon looked up at the sky and got angry.

 

“Are you having a conversation with Lord Lemon right now?”

 

Annie looked back and forth between Lemon and Dahlia.

 

“You can’t hear Lemon’s words?”

 

“No. And I can’t see Lord Lemon again now.”

 

Annie looked around.

 

“Lemon appears and disappears?”

 

“Dahlia, quickly tell the Emperor! It’s dangerous.”

 

“What’s dangerous?”

 

When Dahlia asked back, not understanding what was going on, Lemon raised his voice as if frustrated.

 

“Think of something similar to me!”

 

Seeing Lemon tap his small chest, Dahlia had an anxious look in her eyes.

 

“Don’t tell me, you’re talking about Demon Beasts?”

 

Lemon couldn’t answer, so he just pressed his beak shut and nodded.

 

Dahlia’s face turned pale as she shot up from her seat.

 

“I need to go see His Majesty right now.”

 

* * *

 

Emperor’s Office.

 

Gray had dismissed even Ethan and was alone in his office.

 

Walking to the mirror, he took off his shirt and examined his back. The pattern had almost completely covered his back, but there was no pain like in the garden.

 

Why exactly had it been so painful in the garden?

 

Was it really painful because he became aware of his feelings for her?

 

He had accepted a life with limited time since childhood. Naturally, he thought there would be no companion in his life.

 

But as soon as he felt that he loved Dahlia, he experienced pain.

 

Love hurts? Does that make sense?

 

He would never confess to her, but his loving feelings remained the same, so why was there no pain now?

 

Questions led to more questions, but as always, no clear answer emerged.

 

In the first place, didn’t he not even know why the black mark that hadn’t appeared for several generations had manifested in him?

 

He was trying his best to somehow screw over his fate, but perhaps even this was being played by that very fate.

 

It was when Gray was hanging a hollow smile and putting his arms through his shirt sleeves.

 

“Your Majesty!”

 

Suddenly the office door burst open, and Dahlia rushed in like a charging force before stopping abruptly.

 

Her eyes trembled as if an earthquake had struck upon seeing him with his shirt buttons not yet fastened.

 

“Why, why are your clothes off- No, I’m sorry!”

 

“Aren’t you going to cover your eyes?”

 

When Gray chuckled and approached her, Dahlia shut her eyes tightly as if she had just remembered.

 

“I was so surprised I forgot to close my eyes.”

 

“I’ll let that slide.”

 

“…But it’s really true.”

 

Gray slowly fastened his shirt buttons while admiring her face that had turned red up to her neck.

 

“The reason for barging through the door without permission?”

 

“Ah! I have something important to discuss, but are you fully dressed?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Dahlia opened just one eye in a squint, then closed her eyes again upon seeing that only half the buttons were fastened.

 

“You’re not fully dressed.”

 

“I’ll sleep soon anyway.”

 

“You should sleep with your clothes properly on so you don’t catch a cold.”

 

“The future Empress has already started nagging. Fine. I’ve fastened them all.”

 

At his teasing tone, Dahlia’s earlobes reddened as she cautiously opened her eyes.

 

As he said, all the buttons were fastened. Unfortunately.

 

This wasn’t the time to be thinking such things.

 

Dahlia shook her head and looked into the Emperor’s eyes.

 

“Your Majesty, I think something big has happened.”

 

She looked directly into his black eyes with a slightly frightened gaze.

 

At this, his face also turned serious.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“Lemon became visible.”

 

“You mean that transparent bird?”

 

“Yes. Originally only I could see Lemon, but just now Annie saw Lemon too. Though she said it became invisible again shortly after.”

 

The Emperor’s expression hardened stiffly.

 

“What does that mean?”

 

“Lemon warned that there’s danger. I can see demon beasts, you know. Wouldn’t demon beasts also become visible to people’s eyes like Lemon?”

 

The Emperor fell into thought for a moment.

 

Dahlia anxiously waited for him to speak.

 

“Actually, this works out well.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

Dahlia looked at the Emperor with a bewildered expression.

 

“If people become able to see the demon beasts, we won’t have to struggle to obtain holy water anymore.”

 

“But people who see the demon beasts will be terrified. And you said that divine power has a greater effect in dealing with demon beasts.”

 

“That’s right. That’s true. But if demon beasts become visible to ordinary people’s eyes, I won’t have to take you to dangerous places anymore.”

 

The Emperor spoke with a noticeably relieved expression.

 

Was her own safety really the issue right now? Dahlia looked at him with a frustrated expression.

 

“Your Majesty… There’s no telling what frightened crowds might do. The country will fall into disorder from panic and chaos.”

 

The Emperor, meeting her gaze, smiled as if to reassure her.

 

“Preventing that from happening is the Emperor’s role.”

 

At his calm words, Dahlia found herself admiring him without realizing it. She thought she understood why he was called the greatest ruler in the Empire’s history.

 

That was the moment.

 

“Emperor Gray!”

 

Along with a knocking sound, Ethan’s urgent voice was heard.

 

Dahlia and Gray met each other’s eyes.

 

It had started earlier than expected.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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