I Married the Terminally Ill Emperor - Chapter 96

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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 96

When did she start liking him?

Was it when he caught her as she was about to fall from a tree? Cole broke his arm that time.

Or was it when he saved her from being bitten by a snake? In the end, he was the one who got bitten and suffered.

Cole appeared like magic whenever she was in danger and saved her. Of course, he didn’t seem to remember any of it.

Cole, a commoner knight who always treated her, a count’s daughter, with utmost respect.

Knowing how cautious he was around her, she couldn’t bring herself to reveal her feelings.

Because she knew that the moment she confessed, even their camaraderie of serving the Princess together would disappear and they would grow more distant.

Annie suppressed her bitter feelings and closed her eyelids again.

Should I make just one wish? Could you grant me just one more thing? Please don’t let Cole distance himself from me even if he notices my feelings.

Meanwhile, Cole quietly opened his eyes and looked at Annie sitting beside him. She was making a wrinkle between her eyebrows as she earnestly made her wish.

Since she cared for the Princess more than anyone, she must be making a wish about the Princess.

Unlike himself.

Having overheard what Hart said to the Princess, he knew the legend of this Flower Swing.

But why did the Princess send them here?

Did she notice that he secretly stole glances at the maid? He tried his best not to show it, but did the Princess catch him?

He couldn’t let the maid find out. She was someone a commoner like him could never dare to reach for. He was afraid she would distance herself if she knew his feelings.

Then her eyelids slowly lifted, and their eyes met with her crimson pupils.

“Why…”

“Shall we get up?”

Cole asked with a gentle smile.

“Oh, yes.”

As the two stood up from their seats, the event helper cheerfully greeted them.

“May happiness stay with you now.”

“May happiness stay with you now.”

The two responded with the greeting they had learned at the Night Market and left their seats.

* * *

Dahlia, who had watched the two walk away until the end, let out a long sigh of relief.

“They’re gone. Shall we head back now too?”

Dahlia pulled away from him and awkwardly looked down.

Having stayed close to avoid being caught, she was too embarrassed to look at him properly.

He silently extended his hand. Dahlia naturally placed her hand on top of his.

He intertwined his fingers between hers, locking their hands together.

Dahlia didn’t know what to do with that intimate sensation and lifted her head. Her gaze met his burning eyes.

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because I want to look at you. Is that not allowed?”

“Oh, no. It’s not that it’s not okay… It’s just that there’s no one around to see us right now, so I don’t understand why you keep saying such things…”

Dahlia whispered in embarrassment while avoiding his gaze.

The Emperor, who had been looking at her as if she were adorable, led her forward.

Dahlia followed him with her head deeply bowed. For some reason, her heartbeat sounded especially loud today.

“Welcome.”

At the sudden greeting, Dahlia lifted her face and her eyes widened as she discovered the Flower Swing right in front of her.

When did we get here?

“Why did you come here?”

“You seemed like you wanted to sit on it.”

“Me?”

“Well, who else is here?”

“Isn’t it the person who brought me here that wants to sit on it?”

When Dahlia narrowed her eyes and looked at him suspiciously, he pretended not to hear and looked at the Event Helper.

Seeing this, the Event Helper smiled kindly and spoke to the two of them.

“You two don’t seem to need the Flower Swing, do you? Aren’t you already lovers?”

“No-”

“You have good eyes.”

The Emperor, who praised the Event Helper, led her to sit side by side on the Flower Swing.

Dahlia looked at him with a bewildered expression, then glanced around and whispered quietly.

“I told you about this swing’s legend.”

“That’s why I sat down.”

“No, I mean- we shouldn’t be sitting-”

At that moment, water shot up powerfully from the Fountain behind them.

Whoosh-!

The Emperor quickly embraced her protectively.

Dahlia, with a startled face, avoided the water in his warm embrace. Her heart began racing violently again.

Just how many times was she going to be held like this? Well, it was all force majeure(?), so…

Having finished rationalizing to herself, she even nodded her head slightly.

Thanks to being held by him, she didn’t get completely soaked, but she couldn’t avoid all the splashing water droplets. Water droplets that had gathered on her bangs trickled down her cheek.

The Event Helper standing nearby clapped loudly.

“Wow! Congratulations on your good fortune, you two!”

The Event Helper approached them with a beaming smile and offered them a towel.

“Good fortune?”

Dahlia asked as she accepted the towel.

“There’s a saying that couples who get splashed by the Fountain water will live happily for a lifetime.”

“Ah, a lifetime…”

Dahlia rolled her eyes to steal a glance at the Emperor beside her.

However, there was a cold aura surrounding his face.

Did the word “lifetime” upset him? They had agreed to only have a married life for three months.

Strangely, her heart, which had been beating noisily just moments ago, slowed down and began to ache.

As expected, sitting on the Flower Swing wasn’t the right thing to do. We weren’t going to become a real couple anyway.

The Emperor, who had wiped his face with a towel, stood up from his seat first. Water continuously dripped from his soaked clothes onto the ground, pooling on the floor from how much water he had taken instead of her.

Dahlia reached out to hand him her towel, but froze in place.

What… is that?

She widened her eyes in surprise and stared intently at his back.

His white shirt was soaked with water, making the Emperor’s skin completely visible through it. She should have looked away and pretended not to see, but she couldn’t tear her gaze away from his back.

Black markings covered almost his entire back. The markings looked somehow ominous, and Dahlia stood up from her seat and slowly approached him.

What kind of markings are these? They appeared to have a complex shape, but looking at the ends that stretched outward, they almost looked like wings.

There’s no way the Emperor would have something like a tattoo on his body…

Just then, he turned to look at her while shaking out his hair.

“Ria?”

Meeting her worried gaze, he immediately grasped the situation and stiffened his face while covering his back with the towel.

“Jin, on your back-”

“Dahlia.”

Dahlia was about to ask about the markings when his cold voice cut off her words.

Just being called by her real name made something surge up from within her chest.

Feeling like this dream-like time would fade away before her eyes, Dahlia unconsciously took a step closer to him.

However, as much as she moved closer, he stepped back.

Dahlia looked down with a bewildered expression and gauged the distance between herself and him. It seemed as if there was a line between them that shouldn’t be crossed.

The tingling sensation in her heart that had been there for some time changed into a sharp pain. It was just one step further away, but she didn’t understand why she felt this way.

Her purple eyes trembled as she looked up at him. She moved her lips slightly but closed them again at the Emperor’s cold gaze.

His cold face seemed to tell her not to ask anything, and she couldn’t bring herself to speak. It was as if he had returned to being the Emperor who avoided women.

“Let’s go back now.”

“…Yes.”

Dahlia slowly nodded her head. It was time to wake up from the happy dream.

* * *

“I shouldn’t have done it.”

A familiar voice could be heard. It was the Emperor’s voice, which somehow sounded regretful.

“Your Majesty…”

The second voice was also familiar. It was Ethan, the Captain of the Guard.

“I shouldn’t have fallen in love.”

Dahlia’s heart sank.

The Emperor fell in love with someone? Even though this was just a dream, was it okay for her to eavesdrop on such a secret?

She wanted to cover her ears, but as always, she couldn’t move in the dream.

The Emperor’s face was visible through the tree leaves.

If he fell in love, why did he have such a sad expression? Why shouldn’t he love that person?

That’s when it happened.

“The person you’ve been waiting for has arrived.”

Shimmering blonde hair was glimpsed between the tree leaves.

Is that person the one the Emperor loves? Ah, could the reason he’s sad be because he’s already married to me?

Dahlia slowly lifted her eyelids with a bitter feeling.

The first thing she saw was Annie’s worried gaze. She felt a soft cushion by her head.

Ah, I was having tea time with Annie.

As she forced a smile and raised her face, Annie held out a handkerchief.

“Princess.”

Dahlia absentmindedly took the handkerchief and felt tears rolling down her cheeks.

I was crying.

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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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