I Married the Terminally Ill Emperor - Chapter 18
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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 18
As she gripped her quill pen tightly in frustration, Emperor Gray shrugged his shoulders.
“Does the young lady wish to hear lies from me?”
“That’s not it, but when you say there’s nothing you like at all…”
Perhaps she had written questions in her notebook beforehand, as she trailed off while scribbling lines across the page.
“There is one thing.”
At that, she lifted her head abruptly, her eyes sparkling like stars had been embedded in them.
“What is it?”
“Here. This garden. A space where I can enjoy myself alone without being disturbed by anyone. I like this place.”
“Ah, I see. You like gardens.”
She wrote down his words in her notebook with an excited expression.
“Write ‘without being disturbed by anyone, alone’ in large letters.”
“Yes!”
Dahlia, who had been writing according to his words, suddenly stopped. Then she narrowed her eyes and met the Emperor’s gaze.
“You’re teasing me right now, aren’t you?”
“Hardly. I was stating a fact.”
A faint smile appeared on his face—not his usual fabricated smile—before quickly disappearing.
Why does he look so lonely even when talking about something he likes?
Dahlia looked at the splendid Main Palace visible in the distance, then surveyed the garden. A man who possessed something so grand and beautiful only liked this small garden.
He truly was an incomprehensible man.
Or perhaps, because he had everything, there was nothing he wanted or liked?
“Time’s up.”
At his words, she looked at the hourglass to see that all the golden sand had fallen.
This was terrible. The only thing she had learned about the Emperor was that he liked gardens.
Should she arrange for him to meet a woman who likes gardens? A woman who tends gardens? A woman who could stroll through gardens with him?
“We’ll meet again next time.”
As the Emperor rose from his seat, Dahlia hurriedly stood up as well and asked.
“Just one more thing!”
His expressionless gaze settled on her.
“What’s your favorite color?”
“There isn’t…”
The Emperor, who had trailed off, stared intently at her. After gazing quietly at her eyes for a moment, he turned around.
“Dawn color.”
Watching the Emperor’s retreating figure, Dahlia whispered with a tearful expression.
“What color is that supposed to be…”
* * *
Finding out the Emperor’s preferences had failed miserably.
As Dahlia listlessly tried to open her room door, Cole opened it for her first.
“Thank you.”
Cole smiled silently and stepped aside.
“Oh my! Miss, you’re back already?”
Hart, who had been dusting near the luggage bag as if cleaning the room, hurried over with a surprised face.
“Yeah. He seemed busy.”
“Who? The Captain of the Guard?”
“Mm-hmm…”
Dahlia trailed off and sat in a chair with a tired expression.
Lemon, who had escorted her to her room, fluttered and flew out through the room’s window.
“Take care.”
“You want me to leave?”
Hart, who had been standing nearby, asked with a puzzled expression.
“No. You can stay if you want to be here.”
“Did something unpleasant happen with the Captain of the Guard? Why do you look so drained?”
“Reading people is so difficult.”
Dahlia smiled faintly and spoke, mixing in half the truth.
“That’s true. But the more someone has to hide, the easier they are to figure out.”
Dahlia looked at Hart with curious eyes.
“How?”
“There are no eternal secrets in this world. For starters, it would be best to target the people around the person you want to know about.”
“…People around them?”
Suddenly, Dahlia’s eyes lit up.
“Hart, thank you!”
Then she stood up with an enthusiastic expression.
“Oh my, where are you going right after coming back?”
“To Elder Brother!”
* * *
As she left her room, Cole, who had been guarding the door, followed her.
“Where shall I escort you?”
“To Elder Brother Rayen.”
Cole stammered at Dahlia’s natural way of addressing him.
“I, I see. I shall escort you.”
“Okay.”
Following Cole’s guidance, Dahlia went up to the third floor and knocked.
“Come in.”
Hearing Rayen’s voice, she opened the door slightly to find Annie and Rayen together inside. No wonder Annie wasn’t visible in the room.
“Elder Brother.”
“Y-yes.”
Rayen responded awkwardly to Dahlia’s natural way of addressing him.
After hearing that Dahlia and Annie had been assigned personal maids, he had decided to drop formalities altogether.
As she entered the room, Cole slowly closed the door from outside. The escort knight had become a door guard.
Dahlia hurried over and sat next to Annie, looking at Rayen.
“I have something I’m curious about, Elder Brother.”
Rayen chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck.
“It’s fortunate His Majesty the King isn’t here. What are you curious about?”
“The people around Emperor Gray.”
“Dahlia, you’re really interested in His Majesty.”
“I have my reasons. Will you tell me?”
“Well, Emperor Gray is famous for not letting people get close to him. The closest ones would be Secretary Oreon, Captain of the Guard Ethan, and Chief Chamberlain Rosen—that’s about it. Among the imperial family, there’s Marchioness Mary Sondo. She’s the Emperor’s aunt.”
“Didn’t you say he also has a younger sister?”
“There are rumors that he doesn’t get along well with his younger sister.”
“What’s the reason?”
“There are rumors that His Majesty keeps women at a distance, so he keeps his sister at a distance too.”
“Surely not for that reason?”
When Dahlia asked back with an incredulous expression, Rayen chuckled.
“Isn’t that how rumors usually are? There are widespread rumors that our kingdom’s princess is so ugly that she doesn’t come out of the Star Palace.”
“That’s interesting. Annie, did you know about this too?”
Dahlia giggled and looked back at Annie.
Annie nodded, her expression turning cold as if she was angry just thinking about it.
“It’s such ridiculous nonsense that I didn’t even tell our kingdom’s princess about it.”
“That princess would probably have liked it, saying it was an interesting rumor.”
Dahlia turned her gaze back to Rayen.
“But why does His Majesty keep women at a distance?”
“I heard it’s because he’s too popular.”
Dahlia nodded, recalling the attitude the Emperor had shown when she first met him.
“Then how should I approach those close associates?”
“What? No, what? What are you planning to do by approaching them?”
“I want to know about His Majesty.”
Rayen and Annie simultaneously made eye contact.
The princess kept denying it, but didn’t she really have feelings for the Emperor?
If the two of them were really to be connected, the international situation would be in turmoil.
Especially Foevern’s position as a small kingdom would become awkward.
The two adjacent empires might judge Foevern to be a vassal state of the Ruusephon Empire.
Seeing the worried faces of the two, Dahlia’s eyes widened.
“I know what you’re both worried about, but it’s absolutely not that.”
“Really not?”
Rayen carefully studied her expression.
“Yes. Really not. I just wish His Majesty would quickly marry anyone.”
“Ria, why are you so concerned about the Emperor’s marriage?”
Annie stared at her with puzzled eyes.
“Emperor Gray is at an age where he should have been married long ago, yet he’s still not married and has no descendants. If something suddenly happens to His Majesty, this empire will immediately fall into chaos with civil war, and the sparks could fly to our kingdom right next door.”
At the princess’s serious answer, the two exchanged glances as if surprised.
Was this the reason the princess had been advocating for world peace?
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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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