Chapter 243 (1/2)

Chapter 243: Chapter 243

“Why are you surprised? Doesn’t everyone know that the emperor loves you a lot?”

“… Really?”

“Of course. Well, I would like to tell you that’s why I’ve given up daring to be the empress.

Even if I had wanted, the emperor would have rejected me.”

“What do you mean you have given up?”

When I tilted my head to the side, Grace said, glancing down, “One day, when I began to be seriously mentioned as the candidate for his concubine, I went to see the emperor for the first time. I was very nervous. As you were selected as his fiancee since your birth, I was so thrilled to think I could be his concubine, whose position was almost equal to that of the empress.”

Stretching her hand to touch the crest of the lion engraved on the silver mug, she continued, “However, the emperor was nonchalant. Although he greeted me politely, he just treated me as one of the noble ladies. Since I saw him with you recently, I realized quickly that you were the only one who won his heart.”

“… ”

When I was silent because I had nothing to say, she looked at me and said, “On the day you regained consciousness after you had been poisoned, he called me and said something like this, ‘As things worked out like this, the noble faction will quickly move to try to install Lady Jena as my wife, so let me have you as a protective shield. In return, I’ll give you the title of countess when he solves the matter. I’ll make sure you will lead a happy life no matter who you get married to.’ That’s what he told me then.”

“… ”

“When I asked him why he made such a proposal, he said only one thing. He said all he wanted was one woman. So, I’ve been constantly visiting him, unlike Lake Jena who was never called, so I can draw the attention of the noble faction.”

I felt like I was hit by something.

Now I realized that’s why Grace had been in and out of the Imperial Palace steadily. Did she intentionally look irresponsible as one of the concubine candidates or pretend to adore Marquis Enesil for that reason? At that time, I felt bitter after discovering that she was seeing the emperor steadily unlike Jiun, but I often tried to comfort myself, thinking that Grace’s steady visit was fortunate for the interests of the pro-emperor faction.

The more Grace said, the more agitated I was. Regardless of how I felt, however, she looked at me with a worried expression and said, “By the way, can you keep secret what I have just said to you? I was not ordered to keep it secret, but I would like to because I’m afraid I’m meddling in your relationship with the emperor.”

“… Sure, no problem.”

When I nodded, she smiled as if she was relieved, and stood up, saying she would leave now.

After seeing her off, I sat blankly on the sofa and stared into the air. What she said a moment ago kept hovering in my ears. In particular, her testimony that the emperor loved me a lot, and that he needed only one woman was ringing in my ears.

My heart was warmed up and beating hard. I put my hand on my pounding heart and bit my lip.

‘Why are you reacting like this, Aristia? The way you are acting like this these days it isn’t like you at all!’

However, no matter how hard I bit my lip, I could hardly calm down my pounding heart.

The more I tried to calm down, the more I kept thinking about him.

How much time passed? When I barely calmed down, I heard a knock on the door that broke the silence. Shortly afterwards, Baron Carot entered the room and said with a surprised expression, “My lady, your face looks unusually red. Did you have something bad? ”

“… Nothing. I’m fine. What’s the matter? Any new problem?”

“Yes. I already reported it to your father, so I would like to let you know, too.”

“I see. Please sit down first. ”

When I nodded and asked him to take a seat, the baron, who sat on the other side with a worried expression, hesitated for a moment before reaching out for the documents he brought.