Chapter 23

23. You Seem Very Interested

The extreme tension that filled the banquet hall was gently swept away by my kind words.

I quietly lifted Meriem's chin. He raised himself without resistance and stood straight.

'It's like a colored painting pretending to be monochrome.'

The darkness unique to those who suppress their innate beastly nature and kill themselves was clinging to his bright golden eyes like a shadow.

I stared at it intently, searching every corner of his inner self.

Ah, he was a seeker.

A sanctuary. A place to return to. A warm place.

And a home.

I was more than willing to give Meriem what he needed in exchange for keeping me alive.

"Yes. From now on, don't bow your back to anyone. I won't allow it."

As I spoke kindly, Meriem's pupils trembled, unsure where to go.

It was the look I loved so much that it made my chest ache.

A wounded beast driven to the edge of a cliff, standing precariously.

I wanted to heal this child's wounds, bandage them, comb his fur neatly, feed him only the best, and shower him with affection.

'My sisters know me too well, that's the problem.'

I grumbled inwardly and held out my hand to Meriem. If he knew he was to be offered to me, he would have learned Nix's etiquette.

Meriem carefully took my hand and kissed the back of it.

He barely touched it, but even that was enough to make the boy's ears turn red.

"!!!"

The Empress has received a tribute!

And the nobles were all turned upside down by this shocking sight.

Of course, the Emperor of the Desert had only said he would 'offer' his brother, without specifying what he was to be used for. But wasn't it obvious?

He would become the Empress's official consort in the future.

His appearance and status were impeccable.

In other words, the Emperor of the Desert Kingdom had presented a consort right before the eyes of the Emperor of Nix!

Those watching were in a state of frenzied excitement at this enormous provocation.

They never dreamed that such an entertaining event would unfold.

"I heard you have a concubine too, so I don't think you'll be upset by something like this. Hahaha!"

Kalik laughed heartily, as if he felt very relieved. Helene, who was just approaching, seemed shocked once again and stopped dead in her tracks.

It seemed to be because he had specifically referred to her as a 'concubine.'

"...Helene is not a concubine, but a Saintess. I expect her to be treated accordingly."

Enrique was not a talkative person. He didn't tend to speak at length.

I knew that, but still.

I knew he wasn't one to talk much, but it was surprising that the words he chose to say after careful consideration were to defend Helene's position.

I thought there was no more room for disappointment, but it kept coming.

This time, I didn't hide my emotions. I revealed them.

I didn't say anything special. I just chuckled.

"Ah, I seem to recall hearing that there is a position called Saintess in this country."

Kalik ended his sentence very ambiguously.

Saying 'I seem to recall' instead of 'I recall' was as good as saying he had no intention of treating her as such.

Cassandra also chuckled.

"In the desert, shamans hold a very sacred position. It is believed that their sacredness and purity are maintained by staying away from politics."

Her red lips, still bearing a smile, whispered seductively.

It was very pleasing to my ears.

It meant that Helene, who was being called the Emperor's consort, was not sacred.

'Seeing her constantly taking my side and putting Helene down, it seems she wants to establish a friendly relationship with me at all costs.'

Helene was now teary-eyed.

She had always treated the Imperial Palace like her playground. Since she was favored by Enrique, she would never have been insulted like this by the nobles of Nix.

But Cassandra didn't care what Helene was.

'Being able to join hands because you hate the same person. This is also a very devilish thing.'

I walked gracefully towards Cassandra and took both of her hands.

"Now that I think about it, I haven't introduced you to the garden yet. The Night Garden is quite a sight, so how about taking a walk with me?"

"Oh my, I'm looking forward to it. It's a girls' time!"

Cassandra replied favorably and winked at Kalik. It seemed to mean, 'Don't follow us.'

"It's hard to bear my husband looking at other women besides me."

Leaving the heated room and feeling the cold air made my chest feel clear and refreshed.

Earlier, I had deliberately touched the tip of Meriem's chin to absorb his yang energy. Thanks to that, I had the strength to endure the rest of the banquet.

And the strength to have a one-on-one conversation with Cassandra.

"But I endured it because I'm the formally wedded wife. Kalik isn't a good husband, but he wasn't the type to look at women who weren't his wife. The problem is that he has many wives."

Cassandra started the conversation first.

She was currently furious about Helene.

"But how can that woman be so shameless! Attending a place like this when she's not even a wife. Only wives have the right to stand by their husband's side. It doesn't make sense for such a woman to set foot in the banquet hall."

Cassandra said everything I wanted to say, so I didn't have anything to say in particular. I just shrugged.

I, who had been walking a few steps behind, suddenly asked a question.

Today's topic.

The only word that was haunting my mind.

It was about love.

"You are in love with Bi."

"Please call me Cassandra. And... yes. I love him. There's no man as strong as my husband. I love his strength."

"What if he becomes weak?"

"I wouldn't love him. I don't love him, I love his strength. It's important to know that clearly."

Cassandra replied with a bright smile.

I smiled back at Cassandra.

She had a personality that was faithful to her desires. Her instinct to protect what was hers was also strong.

So she must have rejected Meriem just as much.

This was what it meant to be human.

People don't have only one side to them.

Humans are multifaceted, and they are good people to some, but they can't help but be bad people to others.

When I fell in love with Enrique, I came to love even those aspects of humanity.

"Thank you for being angry on my behalf. But it's okay. I don't love my husband. We're just in a political marriage."

"Hmph."

Cassandra made a very subtle humming sound.

Then she turned to me and whispered softly.

"I don't think the Emperor feels the same way."

"...What?"

"He seems very interested in the Empress."

Enrique? In me?

I blinked, not understanding.

It felt like reading an ungrammatical sentence with completely wrong grammar.

"Didn't you know? Today, the Emperor of Nix didn't look at that woman once. He was only looking at the Empress. With eyes that seemed to be searching for something."

I didn't know that.

I had too many things to worry about today.

I had to check if the banquet was going well, if there were any problems, if the food was getting cold, and at the same time, I had to attend to the guests from Quan.

In the meantime, the scorching energy of the sun was making me dizzy, and in the end, the tests that my sisters threw at me.

I was so busy taking care of all of that alone that I didn't have time to check whether Enrique was looking at me or not.

"Well... maybe he's finally come to his senses and is trying to distance himself from his concubine."

Enrique is distancing himself from Helene?

That was hard to even imagine.

If that really happened, I would be so angry that I wouldn't be able to breathe.

Because he killed me with a heart that could change so easily.

Rather, that was the situation in which I could never forgive Enrique.

"Meriem. I hope the Emperor's Dashi will be a comfort to the Empress."

Cassandra, who had stopped, turned to me and subtly revealed her true feelings.

"Actually, he was a big headache. But the gods must have known and are helping Kalik."

"I really don't know why the god of the desert told you to send him to me... but I hope the desert of death will no longer proliferate."

"Thank you for your blessed words."

The conversation we had after that was not very informative.

I felt my body temperature dropping, so I returned to the banquet hall without delay.

'Ah, I'm tired.'

I can say with certainty that this was the first time I had spoken so much since I possessed this body. It was also the first time I had stood for so long.

'I'm starting to feel dizzy...'

My head felt hot, so it seemed like I was getting a slight fever.

'But let's cheer up because we only have to endure a little longer.'

I took a long breath and entered the banquet hall.

"Ugh!"

"Oh my god. A doctor! Call a doctor! It's poison!"

"Protect the Emperor!!!"

"How dare you!!!"

But what was going on?

The banquet hall I had returned to was a complete mess, unlike when I had gone for a walk.

Some of the desert people were vomiting and coughing.

Those who were fine were surrounding Kalik in a circle and were on guard, and as soon as some of the warriors found Cassandra, they ran over and surrounded her in an orderly manner.

Barely escaping from the human wall, I tried to find Derek out of habit, but I bit my lip when I realized that he could not attend this banquet.

Ah, I feel like I need to lean on something...

It was then.

A firm arm wrapped around my waist and supported me so that I could stand straight. Leaning against a straight body and a firm chest, I slowly reopened my half-closed eyes.

A boy was reflected in my slightly blurred vision.

He had a somewhat embarrassed look on his face.

"...You were staggering."