Chapter 18

Originally, Evelina was going to stay quiet because she had only a month left anyway.

She thought that the love she received from her adoptive parents in this life was too great. They were the ones who raised her, rescuing her miserable childhood life from a poor home. Besides, she was not even their real daughter, but they still raised her as precious as their own daughter.

Evelina was going to live like a mouse and die for the Logias couple. She was an Empress who could only be beaten. Then, even when she passed away, no matter how much the Princess and the Dowager Empress were like monsters, they would be pitiful.

She thought that if the Marquis of Logias and his daughter, whom she cared more about than her life, died like that, the grudge that caused Kaiden’s mother to die would be relieved to some extent.

She put all that together and tried to stop being beaten. But now she had changed her mind.

The monsters in the palace were people who would eat her if she let them. In addition, it was obvious that her death would also be a mockery if she died after staying still like this. What about her adoptive parents?

She was half resigned because she thought she couldn’t stop her death, but she couldn’t stand it when she thought of her parents who would collapse due to her death. Because they’re the ones who’ll still be alive.

Rather, if she achieved something and died, the Marquis of Logias would survive. Because she realized that the royals weren’t the ones to listen to appeals to sympathy.

She was struggling to keep her head above water, thinking so. By the time she was panting, something hard was touching her cheek.

“Why did you call her to grandmother’s palace? I must have told you not to call Lina like this!”

“Kaiden! How dare you do this! How did I raise you!”

Evelina ​​felt a stinging sensation from the black cloth rubbing against her forehead, perhaps because of the strength holding her.

“I grew up alone, grandmother. Do you want me to expose you here?”

“Kaiden!”

“And how dare you ignore me like this?”

Kaiden’s voice was originally low, but it was lower now. Evelina realized that she didn’t know why the hell he was upset about this. The psychopathic Emperor was angry that his grandmother disobeyed him, not because of her.

“Then do you want me to leave the girl who was drinking contraceptives?”

“Don’t call her that! How can you talk to my Empress that way!”

Kaiden’s growling voice was lower than before. For Evelina, that cavernous voice seemed to tickle her ears and made her dizzy.

“If you dare to disobey me, you should be punished.”

“I’m your grandmother!”

“I am the Emperor of this empire, grandmother.”

“Kaiden! How can you…!”

Maybe Kaiden was holding Evelina in both arms, but as he moved, the pressure on Evelina’s head decreased.

“Behead all the employees of the Dowager Empress’ Palace.”

“Kaiden!”

This time, Evelina looked up in bewilderment. She did not intend to leave the Dowager Empress or the Princess alone. But what was wrong with the servants?

She couldn’t stay still at the beheading of innocent employees, perhaps because there was a time when she was raised in a poor house when she was young.

“Lina! Are you okay?”

“Yes, I am…”

Kaiden beckoned at the knights he brought with him to take care of it.

“Th-the servants are not at fault!”

“Why are they not? It is a sin to bring the Empress here and stay still even when hearing such insults.”

“But how can the servants say it’s wrong!”

Looking at Evelina’s pale tired face, Kaiden lowered the corners of his eyes and soon softened.

“Then what do you want us to do? We cannot just let it go like this, Empress.”

Evelina couldn’t understand why he was doing this. No matter how much she calculated with her head, she couldn’t figure out why he was picking her side now.

The daughter of the enemy who killed his mother. She hated how much she didn’t even see his face until the day of the revolution.

He couldn’t have taken her side purely.

“I believe in Your Majesty’s wisdom.”

“Alright, but don’t call me Your Majesty from now on. Every time you call me that, I feel sad.”

“…”

“From now on, names or… If you call me by my nickname… I will as well.”

“I will, Kaiden.”

Evelina, suddenly gentle, was more wary of him, but she nodded her head and hugged him again. Then he patted her on the back and said.

“All the employees of the Dowager Empress’ Palace will be flogged. Women in their 30s. All men hitting 50s. And from now on, my grandmother will stand in front of the Imperial Palace every day as a sign of reflection for three hours.”

“Ah…”

Upon hearing that, the Dowager Empress grabbed the back of her neck and pretended to fall down in anger. However, Kaiden smiled at the figure with a twisted mouth, then held Evelina and headed to the Imperial Palace.

~~~~

No wonder Evelina was so sober, but her heart was stuffy. She wondered if she was hyperventilating, but she was frustrated as if it wasn’t the case, and then she was getting better.

“You can sleep a little longer, Lina.”

She was very concerned, perhaps because of the warm wet cloth that wiped her face and his trembling hands. Besides, why were his hands shaking so much? She thought it was strange for him to shake like he was a wasp. It must be unpleasant to be nice to the enemy’s daughter.

Evelina opened her eyes thinking so.

“Your Majesty.”

He listened but didn’t answer. Evelina said, putting her hand behind the back of his hand, recalling her earlier promise.

“Kaiden.”

“Yes.”

“I’m alright now.”

“It’s not okay. That’s why you collapsed.”

“I didn’t fall down. And I’m fine now.”

Evelina sat down on the bed after reading his face. Then he sighed and ordered the servant in the back. Then the servant brought a tray and put the kettle, teacup, and medicine on it.

“This is…”

“I think it’s because Lina took her medicine lately. Let’s increase how often you take it from now on.”

“Yes.”

It was a red pill in the drawer next to her bed.

“How much are we increasing it to?”

“It was originally one pill every 24 hours, so now let’s change it to one pill every 12 hours.”

“Yes.”

Evelina wondered what he wanted from her. He was having a hard time to the point where he was uncomfortable even touching her. Besides, he drank four bottles of rum in the middle of the night.

That’s what he wants from her.

If the purpose is to spend the first night and throw her away, there was no way he could be this kind, right? Was she sure he was going to throw her away after she fell in love with him completely? Or did she think it would be worse to have a child and then be abandoned?

Either way, her life span was a month. There was no way to stop the heart attack. However, she was too tired to be let go like this. A mouse bites a cat when it’s cornered.

Because Evelina, once a social heavyweight, wasn’t even as vulnerable as a mouse.

“I’m so happy that Kaiden is worried about me like this.”

She said, clasping his hand. Then he pulled out his hand in amazement. Then, he hit the kettle next to him with his hand and broke it.

– Chaeng-grang!*

*TN: A term used to describe the sound of a thin metal or glass being dropped or struck lightly.

When Evelina opened her eyes wide in surprise, he beckoned to the servant in embarrassment.

“I’m sorry. It’s too… I was nervous.”

“It’s okay. I just grabbed it. I’m sorry, Kaiden.”

“No, you can just grab it. If I do this again next time, you can just hit me.”

She looked at him, wondering if he meant it. Then he quickly turned his eyes away.

As expected, it was a lie.

Evelina smiled hard at his appearance and looked at the medicine that had been cleaned up by the servants. It was obvious that there was something in this medicine. When the medicine changed, the faint headedness and dizziness became worse. In addition, her heart was beating so hard that she often couldn’t breathe.

She had a weak heart for a long time.

Maybe. Maybe the reason he’s being nice to her was to kill her? Maybe it’s  because he poisoned her that she dies a month later? But in the original, she died because of a heart attack.

“Kaiden.”

“Yes.”

“It’s the beginning of the night…”

“I have something to say about it, too.”

He beckoned his servants to get out. Then as they went out, Kaiden looked straight at her and made serious eye contact.

I wonder what he was trying to say before me. Then she suddenly remembered that this was the Emperor’s room, that she was only wearing a negligee, and that one hand was held by him and she couldn’t escape.

“I think I was too hasty at the time. A lot of things happened to Lina at once.”

“What? Oh, yes.”

“So I think my time and Lina’s time may be different.”

Evelina couldn’t avoid saying it without avoiding his eyes. It was as if avoiding the eyes would be a great disrespect.

“So I’m going to wait.”

Evelina was rather grateful if he would say so. It’s a month anyway, and a month was enough if she put it off with one excuse or another. Moreover, that month was not even 30 days away.

“I won’t force the first night until Lina allows it first.”

Perhaps because his voice was shaking, Evelina wanted to test him with a hand that was not caught by him. He was saying this to use and deceive her. But he kept talking to her like he meant it. So she reached out to his head to see what he would do.

Then, as if embarrassed, he moved away from her and let go of her hand. Evelina was convinced by his attitude. That he didn’t want her to.

“Will you really do that, Kaiden?”

“Yes, I’m not confident, but I’ll try.”

Before he knew it, he grabbed Evelina’s shaking hand and kissed her.

“We’ll sleep holding hands tonight.”