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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: The Emperor's Visit
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At that moment, Lellia was just calming herself down and tidying up.
*Bang!*
But the things she had just arranged by the door were sent flying as someone kicked it open.
Lellia jumped as if struck by lightning and fell flat on her bottom.
The person who had burst in with a ferocious expression was a large, well-built man.
Lellia clenched her fists, her body tense.
She feared it might be Elizabeth's younger brother, the one who had been so furious with her earlier...
*Emperor Perseus...?*
For better or worse, her visitor was Emperor Perseus.
He was alone, unaccompanied by any attendants or guards.
"..."
Perseus approached her, his expression far more menacing than that of the man she had encountered earlier.
Lellia held her breath, overwhelmed by his presence.
She had been relieved it wasn't the other man, but now she thought she might have preferred him instead.
Perseus squeezed his eyes shut as if suppressing a great force, then opened them and demanded.
"Why were you at the cabin? How dare you? How did you even find it! Did Princess Iris tell you when you were a child? That place is...!"
He trailed off, like someone deeply wounded by the desecration of something precious.
His tone and expression radiated dark emotions—injustice, indignation, grief, and hatred.
It seemed he had seen her leaving Elizabeth's cabin.
"..."
Emperor Perseus's face was so contorted with anguish and grief that Lellia couldn't bring herself to answer right away.
Anything she said now would only fuel his anger.
Perseus forced his anger down and spoke.
"That place... is not somewhere for the likes of Iris's bloodline. Answer me. Why were you there?"
His tone was resolute, leaving no room for a second asking.
Crushed by his intensity, Lellia sank to her knees and lowered her head without thinking.
*I have to be honest.*
Well, not completely honest...
"Th-there was no food... so..."
Lellia began cautiously. It was a clear fact, so it wasn't a complete lie.
"What?"
"I was so hungry... I went looking for something to eat. But I didn't steal anything! I just looked and left right away!"
In truth, she had stolen food, but she had to lie.
She was terrified that if he found out she'd stolen the food Elizabeth had preserved with magic, he might actually kill her.
It wasn't just that she didn't want to die.
If she were to die at Emperor Perseus's hands, it would be a great loss for him as well.
After all, Emperor Perseus would one day learn that Lellia was his own flesh and blood.
In the original novel, he had suffered so much even when he thought Lellia had died in an accident. How much more would he suffer if he knew he had killed her with his own hands?
This was for Emperor Perseus's sake, too.
So Lellia clasped her hands and begged. She had to survive, no matter what.
"I was wrong, but I didn't steal anything. Please forgive me, I was wrong..."
"..."
Emperor Perseus frowned, speechless. He was stunned and bewildered.
Because of food? Because she was hungry?
Only then did his eyes truly take in the space inside the tower.
Absurdly, the tower was decorated to be as cozy as Elizabeth's cabin. But on closer inspection, it was all old and shabby.
He had known this child lived in the tower, but...
*No one brings her food?*
He had never wanted to know if anyone was taking care of this child or how she was living, so he had never asked.
But he had assumed someone was looking after her. She was royalty, after all.
And yet...
The space inside the tower, though old and shabby, was tidy enough to seem cozy at first glance. It looked as though someone had been taking care of it.
There was no way this little girl could have tidied it all by herself...
And yet...
"..."
Emperor Perseus looked down again at Lellia, who was still kneeling and pleading.
The girl seemed even thinner than the last time he'd seen her.
When Raidios died not long ago, the person who had cared for her must have left as well. Had she been starving all this time?
A bitter feeling washed over Emperor Perseus, and he clenched his fists.
No matter how much he despised her mother, he was a father himself.
He wasn't so heartless as to rage at a child for acting out of hunger.
Besides, this girl was around the same age as his precious Yuriana.
The comparison made him deeply uncomfortable.
And her claim of not stealing anything was likely true.
If she had stolen something from the cabin earlier, Carius wouldn't have simply let her go.
"Has no one been looking after you since Raidios died?"
"..."
Lellia cautiously raised her head. The Emperor's voice sounded a little less angry.
*It seems he doesn't know I went to the neutral zone on Emperor Raidios's orders.*
Then again, knowing Raidios's personality, he had probably already killed everyone who knew about it with his own hands.
"...I will send someone. But if you ever go there again, you will be sent to join your mother."
With that, Perseus turned and left.
*Send me to join my mother? Hmph, as if I'd die that easily.*
Lellia defiantly scorned his retreating back.
Emperor Perseus's threat was frightening, but Lellia still intended to return to the cabin.
*Of course, I'll have to be much more careful not to get caught this time.*
She had no choice. It wasn't just about the food; she had to find a way out of the Imperial Palace.
To calm her racing heart, Lellia had to lie huddled under her blanket for a long time.
