I Became the Emperor’s Sleeping Pill - Chapter 58

Schedule: Tuesday and Friday

“You mustn’t go alone. If we lose contact, you’ll become invisible again.” Luigia tugged on the Emperor’s hand as he started towards a place that felt strangely off. As the Emperor looked at her, murmurs rippled through the crowd.

“Isn’t she His Majesty’s Nyxna?”

“She’s the Nyxna, but why is she holding his hand?”

“I heard His Majesty’s insomnia is so severe that the Nyxna can’t leave his side for even a moment.”

Amidst the rising chatter, Lysei looked up at Edin and Luigia gazing at each other. A faint ache pulsed in her chest, a sensation she’d thought she was past. Perhaps she was more susceptible to jealousy than she’d realized.

But the ache quickly intensified into a sharp stab as Edin pulled Luigia close, his arm encircling her waist. Lysei’s eyes widened. She’d expected hand-holding, at most, not this intimate embrace while he dealt with the dark magic.

Edin swung his sword at the empty air where the invisible building stood. The transparent dark magic surrounding it immediately turned into black smoke, dissipating into the air.

Lysei watched, her face hardening, as Edin neutralized the dark magic while holding Luigia close. She saw the black smoke appear and vanish wherever his sword met the empty air. And she continued to watch as he repeated the process, Luigia still held securely in his embrace.

The citizens, bewildered by the Emperor’s seemingly random attacks on thin air, were quickly reassured. Word spread that it was a message to the gods, a plea for the Empire’s protection, and the crowd erupted in cheers of “Long live the Sun of the Empire!”

Having successfully neutralized the hidden magical traps set by the Empress’s faction and the heretics, Edin and Luigia exchanged satisfied smiles. The sight of their shared joy sent another wave of nausea through Lysei.

***

Lysei knew her jealousy was irrational. Luigia had repeatedly confessed her interest in Zerga, even asking for Lysei’s help in pursuing him. Edin, too, had been careful to avoid any private interactions with Luigia, his Nyxna, beyond the necessary contact during the Founding Festival to perceive the dark magic. He hadn’t even allowed her into his chambers.

Edin continued to shower Lysei with unwavering affection, leaving no room for doubt. Yet, the image of him holding Luigia during the festival, dispelling the dark magic, was a persistent, agonizing thorn in her mind.

Even as she exercised, trying to distract herself, the sight of Luigia would instantly bring the memory flooding back, causing her to instinctively avoid the Nyxna.

Luigia, perceptive as ever, felt the shift in Lysei’s behavior after the festival. Hurt and confused, she confided in Zerga through her communication stone. Zerga, in turn, found himself unexpectedly consoling Luigia night after night.

Edin, too, was deeply troubled by Lysei’s sudden coldness. He, too, had been reflecting on the necessity of embracing Luigia during the festival.

“It must be because I held the Nyxna during the Founding Festival that Lysei is being cold to me.”

“Because of that?” Theor looked at him incredulously.

“You’ve had hundreds of Nyxnas draped all over you. You’re telling me a simple embrace around the waist is making her act this way?”

“You, a debauchee to your core, wouldn’t understand.”

“Debauchee? Let’s just say I’m popular, shall we?”

“…Haah, how do I fix this?”

Edin, usually quick to retort, seemed genuinely worried. Theor thought to himself, I like Lysei too, but Edin’s devotion is bordering on obsessive.

“Edin, you know…”

“Theor, are you free tonight?”

“Free?”

“Keep Zerga occupied. I need to make a trip to the Rose Palace.”

“What…!”

“This isn’t a request from a friend. It’s an order from your Emperor.”

Ignoring Theor’s stunned expression, Edin quickly added, “Just make sure Zerga doesn’t try to contact me until morning.”

***

Late that night, Lysei sat listlessly on the sofa, gazing out the window, still enveloped in the melancholy that had settled over her since the Founding Festival. Back in her world, the stars were hidden, but here, the night sky was a breathtaking tapestry of light.

Despite the vastness of the palace, home to dozens of servants, the silence was so profound that the chirping of insects outside was remarkably clear. Lysei stared at the stars, trying to soothe her restless spirit.

She’d been sitting there for some time when a wisp of black smoke materialized on the terrace. It quickly coalesced into a human form, then solidified into the unmistakable figure of Edin, walking towards her.

Lysei blinked, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. Had she been so consumed by thoughts of Edin and Luigia’s embrace that she was hallucinating?

But as Edin—or whatever it was—strode closer, stopping directly in front of her, she rose to her feet, startled. In an instant, he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into a tight embrace.

“Oof!” A strange sound escaped Lysei’s lips. Edin sighed, her name a soft murmur against her ear.

“Lysei.”

“Ed… Edin?” Realization dawned. This was Edin. Her eyes widened in disbelief.

“How…?” Bewildered and amazed, she ran her hands across his back and waist, still trying to process his sudden, smoke-like appearance.

“Touching me like that will make me…” Edin nuzzled his face against her shoulder, his voice a low, resonant rumble. Lysei gently pushed him back, looking up at him.