Emperor’s Alternate - Chapter 48

It was late at night. I had thought my head felt heavy due to waking up early from a short nap, but seeing Lecan touch my forehead, it seemed like I had a fever. Maybe I should have done some basic exercises. I didn’t realize my ankle was twisted just from running. The slowly spreading pain dulled my senses.

“I’m asking, is the Empress still the courtesan to you?”

“…Outwardly, I address her as Her Majesty the Empress.”

“I’m not asking about your superficial pretenses. I told you from the beginning. Your acting skills are really pathetic.”

“The tea tastes awful, the acting is pathetic, why would you want someone like me?”

Lecan and I locked eyes for quite some time. His crimson gaze was strangely intense. Come to think of it, the horse he rode was already thrown to the monsters as prey. Lecan was a single man, and the monsters’ blue blood splattered all over his uniform.

“Are you upset because I said the tea tastes bad?”

“Upset…? Are we supposed to feel such emotions?”

“I can handle a bit of sulking.”

I couldn’t fathom the idea of being misunderstood for throwing a tantrum. Instead of engaging in this pathetic conversation, I tried to get up to return immediately, but my throbbing ankle protested with unbearable pain.

“Ha…”

“You can’t walk with that foot. And this is deep in the forest. If there were people following you, they would have become monster food by now. It would be better to give up.”

“…They’re not followers; they’re monitoring me.”

“You’re incredibly paranoid. Seeing that you don’t care whether your subordinates live or die, it was clear to me that you’re inexperienced in handling authority, and I was right.”

Lecan seemed to be referring to our conversation during the proxy exam. Back then, he pointed out that I completely misjudged my strengths and weaknesses. However, not showing affection to any subordinate was to avoid creating vulnerabilities.

I’ve been attached to her as the Empress Regent for so long, but why have I only thought of her as the courtesan? I didn’t even know the reason.

“Your Excellency.”

I suddenly spoke, as if responding years later to the conversation we had after the proxy exam. It wasn’t like I was intoxicated as I was during the ball, but perhaps it was the atmosphere Lecan created that made me feel comfortable enough to open up. Whether it was the overlapping drowsiness or the fact that, amid the pain, Lecan was now touching my forehead with a warm hand, I couldn’t tell. For some reason, I found myself pouring out my thoughts.

“I’ve never lied to you.”

“…Is that so?”

Winter of House Rotea didn’t explicitly mention it, but silence is not a lie.

“We’d all be found out if we tried to hide it anyway….”

“I see.”

“On that note, do you mind if I ask you something?”

“Something?”

If I were to step out into the world, this debacle of a hunting tournament organized by the Empress might cause quite a stir in the noble council. The issue of compensating the participants should be relatively easy to resolve, as the majority of the participants were commoner huntsmen. Except Lecan.

‘It could be dangerous if rumors or discussions about the Empress’s intentions and decisiveness surface.’

Not now.

If things got out of hand, there was a possibility of multiple issues surfacing at once. Currently, even the envoys of the Abel Empire had returned to their homeland, and communication with the support base was slow. Less than a month had passed since the Empress took the throne, and her authority was not yet stable.

I should have been more cautious.

To wrap up the situation and conclude it favorably, it was essential to generously compensate for the casualties and agree not to raise any further issues. Additionally, it was necessary to actively spread the Empress Regent’s proactive measures prepared for such days.

I didn’t think I’d have to play this card so soon, but then I’d have to make sure I had the proper precautions in place to guard against any future accidents she might cause.

Blinking, Lecan looked at me, waiting to see what I was going to say. While I was devising strategies to intertwine his political power with the Princess and considering questions that I’m throwing at him right now could be quite risky. I had to weigh the advantages between asking this question and not asking it.

However, to be honest, my physical condition has already reached its limit. It’s too painful, hot, and tiring to carefully evaluate and strategize like in a chess game. So, I must ask.

“Do you…”

Because I’m frustrated, and because I’m choking on every breath like a thorn in my throat.

“…like me?”