NOVEL NEXT Episode 4
Episode 4
“The Marquis wants to take a look around the surroundings. Perhaps he wants to see something exotic. Will you permit?”
“Hmm? Well, there’s no reason not to, but Lord Elota just…”
“Ahaha! Perfect. Let’s go right away, Marquis.”
As soon as permission was granted, Verona discreetly grabbed the hem of the emperor’s sleeve so that the king wouldn’t notice. His eyebrows twitched slightly.
‘Please, don’t say anything strange in front of my father. Please!’
Verona couldn’t guarantee that the man who had been talking about nights and whatnot wouldn’t suddenly bring up the child out of nowhere.
Moreover, Verona knew very well how the Sub male lead in “The Duke’s Woman” was portrayed.
Ruthless, willing to do anything for his goals. The emperor was an unpredictable man. The only reason he didn’t suffer repercussions even when he was angry was because of the woman he loved.
Verona felt uneasy about what game he was playing, but it was even more frightening to think of her father finding out about that night’s events.
Despite being ill, her father was trying his best to find a suitable match for his only daughter. But if he were to hear that she had gone out in the middle of the night and come back pregnant, he might faint before she could even explain that it wasn’t true.
Well, she did actually intend to have a child. But she hadn’t planned to announce it in this manner, in this place.
Moreover, she wasn’t even sure if she was actually pregnant.
‘I must prevent that from happening.’
How would she explain it, saying she did it to secure a means of survival after the kingdom inevitably fell apart a year later?
She was a princess, not a prophetess. Anyway, her father probably wouldn’t believe her even if she told him.
With tears in her eyes, Verona gently tugged at the emperor’s sleeve once again.
“If I may, Your Majesty, may I ask the princess for a moment’s assistance?”
“Of course. When the princess and the marquis return, we shall host a dinner. We should all dine together before they depart.”
“Very well.”
Thankfully, the king didn’t suspect anything and sent the emperor away. Verona immediately led him outside the audience chamber.
The warm sea breeze tickled her cheeks. Under normal circumstances, she would have appreciated this peaceful time and taken a walk on the beach, but not now.
Verona dismissed the maids and knights following behind. While pretending not to notice the emperor’s curious gaze, she felt cold sweat running down her spine as she led him away.
So, Verona didn’t even notice when the emperor subtly took her hand.
“Your Majesty, there’s something I’d like to ask.”
Entering a garden with spiral stone steps leading to the sands outside the castle walls, Verona turned to him and spoke.
Blinded by fear, she didn’t notice the emperor releasing her hand and stepping back naturally.
Taking a deep breath and summoning her courage, she spoke with respect.
“I don’t understand why Your Majesty is behaving like this.”
“You should call me Carlos.”
“Carlos, I, a lowly man, did not know you were His Imperial Majesty and dared to insult you. Please don’t do this.”
Verona pleaded desperately.
She was truly scared.
The emperor, who had been a Sub male lead in the novel, didn’t want to upset the heroine. Instead of harming the duchess, he expressed his twisted feelings elsewhere.
He captured the king of Waterfall, who had sent letters opposing the declaration of colonialism, stripped him barefoot, and dragged him to the southern sea to make him walk through the salty water.
The water of the South Sea was fundamentally different from the salt-free water of the North Sea. Even the king, who was a man born of the blood of merfolk, could not withstand it and soon died.
The princess was imprisoned in the lowest part of Clarence Palace, the underground dungeon where water overflowed.
The author didn’t describe her life in detail, but it could easily be inferred from her suicide not long after that it wasn’t smooth.
Thus, the emperor, after drying up the royal family of one kingdom, mercilessly conquered the surrounding vassal states and countries.
Clarence grew into a wealthy empire with many colonies, and the emperor who led that era gained a name in blood. But regardless, it was clear that he had created a country suitable for the heroine and the duke to live in.
That emperor was laughing right in front of her.
Even if she didn’t know the names of the extras, as someone who remembered what crazy thing the supporting male lead did at the end of the novel, the emperor was truly terrifying to her.
Perhaps he was now tormenting her by making her worry about whether he thought she had tricked him that night, which might have led to her pregnant state. But it seemed like things would get worse if she didn’t clear up the emperor’s misunderstanding.
Verona cautiously spoke up.
“It’s only been seven days since that night, so we don’t know if I’m pregnant. If I have to pay the price for that one night… what do you think I should do, Carlos?”
Verona’s emerald-green eyes pleaded with him earnestly. The emperor stared at her in silence before speaking.
“I told you, Princess.”
“Yes?”
“I have no intention of letting go of the woman who took my first time.”
“…”
“I must have the princess.”
“…”
“And my child too.”
This is insane, seriously! We’re not even communicating!
The conversation was back to square one. Verona felt like crying as she sat down.
Eventually, Verona couldn’t say anything and just took the emperor for a tour of the sea. He eagerly explored various sights, seeming to feel refreshed by the exotic scenery.
While crying and dragging him to coconut groves and showing him long-lived turtles, Verona’s mind was in turmoil. Only now did she begin to realize the consequences of her escapade that night.
But it seemed too late to undo it.
Despite the pleasant-sounding sightseeing, it felt like spending half a day in hell. And as they returned, there was still one last hurdle remaining.
The king meticulously cleaned the barely used banquet hall and urged the chefs to prepare dinner perfectly.
And when she and the emperor returned, he greeted them with a smile on his face, guiding them to their seats. Verona and the emperor were seated closely together.
“Marquis Elota, it’s a pity you’re leaving after only half a day.”
The king personally poured wine and expressed his regret while filling the emperor’s glass.
“I feel the same. If I had known the scenery of Waterfall was this beautiful, I would have spared more time to come.”
The emperor gazed with interest at the overflowing wine in his golden goblet. Then the king smoothly brought up the subject.
“Since the Emperor has expressed a desire to engage with Waterfall, it would be nice if the Marquis visited often.”
No, what are you saying, Father?
Verona accidentally dropped the knife she was using to cut the steak. With a thud, it fell onto the plate, making a loud noise that caught the emperor’s attention.
Verona quickly picked up the knife again. But her fingertips were trembling slightly.
The emperor didn’t just come here out of the blue. He had clearly prepared enough room for her to respond.
“That’s what I intend to do.”
The emperor smiled brightly at the king again.
“I’ll make sure to visit again soon.”
“Oh, really? Verona seems to enjoy the time with the Marquis, so I’d be really grateful if you did.”
No, Father, please don’t say that. That man might think it’s true.
As she screamed desperately in her mind, Verona swallowed the steak with tears.
This is bad.
This is completely bad.
She should have ended up as nothing more than an insignificant royal of a mediocre country who wouldn’t even attract the emperor’s attention.
They shouldn’t have gotten so close as to have such informal conversations.
It would have been best not to meet at all, and if they somehow got entangled, they should have done whatever it took to keep their distance.
So why was she now creating a cozy atmosphere with the emperor alongside her father?
The answer came as she watched him speak only what he wanted to say and think only what he wanted to think.
This man hadn’t yet waged war, but his head was already full of bloodlust.
She remembered the epithet attached to the emperor.
‘Iron-blooded Emperor.’
It was a moniker that had been circulating within the empire even before he became a war enthusiast. It wasn’t just because of his martial prowess but also because of his personality, which didn’t heed the words of others.
Verona swallowed her tears.
She had to become someone uninteresting, no matter what.
But seeing his obsession with purity and children, she realized she was wrong.
‘Well, there’s only one answer. I have to disappear. Out of sight, out of mind.’
No matter how much she thought about it, there was no other way. She was a descendant of the merfolk, not a magician. She desperately wished she could erase memories and make everything as if nothing had happened.
But one wrong move could lead the emperor to do something terrifying.
Verona resolved to quietly fade into the background as much as possible.
“Princess…”
Yes, that’s the answer. Let’s make a plan to disappear as soon as that man leaves. If I hide for a while, he’ll forget about me.
Even if he hasn’t met other women due to focusing on conquest wars until now, things could be different now, right? If he meets other women, the problem might be neatly solved.
“Princess Verona!”
“Oh! Yes, Marquis!”
Verona, who was lost in thought and hadn’t even heard the emperor calling her, hurriedly responded.
“It seems you were lost in thought.”
The emperor smiled warmly with his eyes half-closed, speaking gently. Verona broke into a cold sweat at the completely different demeanor compared to earlier. She blurted out any excuse she could think of.
“I-I’m sorry. I was a bit thirsty, so I was lost in thought.”
“Ah, is that so, then you’ll have to quench your thirst.”
The Emperor immediately put down his glass and gestured for the attendant waiting behind to come forward.
“Bring another drink.”
“Here you go, Your Majesty.”
The attendant promptly brought a glass of alcohal as per the command. However, the emperor shook his head.
“Not alcohol, something else.”
“Yes? Oh… Yes.”
The attendant was a bit flustered but soon brought a glass of milk. The king, observing this, asked.
“You don’t like alcohol? I offered wine for no reason, then.”
“No, I do. I enjoy alcohol.”
“But why?”
“Because the princess should refrain from alcohol in her condition.”
The emperor, pouring white milk into her golden goblet as if it were the most natural thing, stated. Verona flinched and trembled. Thanks to her, the milk spilled out of the glass.
“Oh dear. It seems the glass is too heavy for the princess.”
The emperor took the hefty golden goblet away and picked up a diamond-studded silver goblet from nearby, pouring milk into it and handing it to her. He didn’t forget to gently wipe her hands with a handkerchief.
“Since you’re pregnant, drinking milk is good for you. Never lift anything heavy.”
Bending down, the emperor handed her the glass, speaking softly to her stiffened figure.