Chapter 152
It was a polite refusal, but Jaha wasn’t discouraged. In fact, she barely had room for disappointment, too stunned by Madame Marie’s uncharacteristic reaction.
The woman who never tolerated the slightest breach of etiquette, who lived and breathed propriety—was now visibly unsettled. It was shocking.
“Understood.”
“Shall we conclude today’s lesson here? If you have no objections, I’d prefer to do so.”
After sipping her tea to steady herself, Madame Marie took her leave.
Alone, Jaha replayed the earlier events in her mind.
Merely addressing Rikanan by name had nearly sent Madame Marie into a fit.
From the start, he’d casually allowed her to use it, so Jaha assumed he was simply the type to permit such familiarity with everyone. But Madame Marie’s reaction proved otherwise.
Why had he granted her that privilege?
Had they grown close, it would’ve made sense. But he’d permitted it from the very beginning—before he’d even had the chance to form any goodwill toward her.
“Why?”
There’s no effect without a cause.
What exactly am I missing here?
“…Did he fall for me at first sight?”
The moment the words left her mouth, Jaha flushed with embarrassment.
Even as the words left her mouth, Jaha felt a wave of embarrassment crash over her. What kind of narcissistic nonsense was that? Yet no other explanation made sense for why he’d treat her so exceptionally.
The image of Rikanan’s retreating figure resurfaced in her mind—godlike in its beauty and poise. A man like that… interested in me?
Her chest gave a heavy thud, as if something had dropped inside it.
She’d felt flutters around him countless times before, but this was different. Weightier.
What was that? Something had just—slammed into her.
Her heart lurched into a frantic rhythm. Like a fuse lit in an instant, heat flared and raced through her, spreading through every fine nerve in the blink of an eye. It was a sensation she’d never experienced before—as if some chemical reaction had ignited inside her, or as if someone had flipped the switch on a dormant machine.
She had suspected his feelings, hadn’t she? Not long ago, she’d felt nothing much at all—so why was her heart throwing a tantrum now?
Lost in confusion, she forced herself to steady her breathing.
Rikanan was her sole lifeline in this unfamiliar world. She couldn’t afford to recklessly entertain romantic feelings.
‘If things go wrong, there’s no recovering from it.’
Breaking up meant there’d be no returning to their current dynamic. Sure, some people stayed coolly amicable, but the norm was avoidance.
Which meant: if she and Rikanan became lovers and then parted ways, she’d lose her place in this mansion. Even if he didn’t cast her out, she wouldn’t be able to stay. She’d be tossed back into the world alone, stripped of the sanctuary that had sheltered her, with not a single soul to call an ally.
Not that she planned to leech off him forever. Even if he allowed it, she fully intended to leave once she found her footing.
Metaphorically, she was still updating—downloading the data needed to survive in this world. Once the process finished and she could stand on her own, she’d walk away.
The worst-case scenario? Being discarded mid-update. That, above all, had to be avoided. It was a matter of survival. If she carelessly stepped into a romantic entanglement only for it to blow up in her face—
Well, unless all he wants is a physical relationship.
But sleeping with someone she had no intention of dating? That outright violated her principles.
After weighing everything, Jaha took a step back. Survival trumps infatuation.
“…Though, wasn’t that a terribly ungrateful thing to think?”
Ah, that remark Rikanan had made about the Emperor.
Young. Competent. A decent enough mage, I suppose.
For a subject to speak of the Emperor in such terms was blatantly irreverent. Sure, people cursed their rulers behind closed doors—but to say it within earshot of Madame Marie, who had access to the imperial palace?
Was it trust in her discretion? Or confidence that his words could reach the Emperor’s ears without consequence? Either way, it was reckless.
He really ought to be more careful.
Every life is precious, of course—but the life of a man whose beauty was practically a national treasure? Especially precious. And Rikanan wasn’t just handsome; he carried himself with a grace and presence worthy of that face.
Please, don’t let him fall out of the Emperor’s favor. That ruler was a man to be feared—cruel, ruthless. A beautiful devil, that one—
Jaha’s breath hitched.
She’d never even seen the Emperor. So why had that thought come so naturally? As if she’d met him before.
Was it all those romance novels I read about tyrants? Had they warped her perception of emperors? Even so, confusing fiction with reality was absurd. She hadn’t even read those since college.
Then—a pair of violet eyes slashed through her mind like lightning.
Terrifyingly beautiful. Hypnotic.
Before she could process them, another scene flashed past:
A room so opulent it dizzied the senses. A carpet woven with patterns dizzying in their extravagance.
“Step onto the bed.”
A flicker in her mind, like a faulty bulb.
“Do not forget your place.”
Another flicker.
“If you obey me, this pleasure will always be yours.”
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