Chapter 12 Part 4
Emilio gave her an awkward smile.
“That would never happen! We were reincarnated, and we’re completely different people now.”
“But you said you started liking the empress after getting those memories.”
“That’s….”
Emilio could not bring himself to say that, before his reincarnation, he had never loved Radiel. Even now, when he thought of Radiel, he felt sorry and pity for her, but he did not find her lovable.
The only person who made his heart race was….
“Do you think you can forget her?”
Angelica asked while looking steadily at Emilio. Emilio could not answer. Since he had only just become aware of these feelings, they were still intense.
At the reaction she had hoped for, Angelica swallowed a breath and opened her mouth again. She knew she should not do this, but the temptation was strong. Her heart was pounding so hard it felt as if she could grab it in her hand.
“Then why don’t you… tell Her Majesty the Empress the truth?”
“What? That’s ridiculous!”
Startled, Emilio fumbled as if he were about to step back, nearly lost his footing, and looked at Angelica. She was still beautiful, her golden hair rippling in the wind like a halo.
“Rather than keeping those feelings inside like this, it would be better to confess that they appeared because of magic and be cleanly rejected. Then you can give up.”
“Ugh… That’s….”
What Emilio feared most was that these feelings might cause him to harm Rahil in some way. Since he was the master of the Mage Tower, that was entirely possible. After all, fighting did not only mean clashing head-on.
“Those feelings came from the dragon’s magic, so it’s all right. Her Majesty the Empress is a good person, and she will understand. She might even help you sort out your feelings.”
At Angelica’s words, his heart began to pound. A confession was a heavy burden, but it was also something that made a person hope their relationship might change because of it.
No matter how little interest the empress had in him, surely she would not remain that way after receiving a confession. On top of that, there was their previous life….
‘Could she possibly love me again?’
“If you feel burdened by the thought of Rahil finding out, I’ll keep it a secret. I can even arrange a chance for you to meet Her Majesty the Empress and confess. You can’t keep holding on to these feelings forever.”
Everything was moving too fast. It had only been a few hours since he had wondered whether these feelings for Anais had appeared, or whether he had only just become aware of them. Emilio now looked at Angelica with confused eyes. She was his friend, and she was surely saying this for his sake.
‘But….’
His feelings were definitely something forced on him by someone else. Before the dragon’s magic pierced through him, he had not even noticed that he had such feelings.
No. Had he really not known?
Emilio recalled the moments when he had brushed past Anais. Sometimes he had approached her first and acted as if he knew her. Other times, he had deliberately kept his distance from her and even spoken badly of her.
‘Rahil is my friend.’
In a different way from Theodore, Rahil was close to him. Perhaps emotionally, he might even have been closer to Rahil. Emilio’s feelings for Angelica had been weaker than Rahil’s, but they shared the fact that both of them had been rejected by her.
“…I’m not telling you to confess right now. I’m only saying this because, with your personality, I think it would be hard for you to face Rahil while carrying those feelings.”
“…….”
Emilio was the kind of person who could not keep anything inside. Even his feelings for Angelica had not stayed buried within him. He had let them spill out here and there until, in the end, he had simply poured them out. Angelica thought his feelings for Anais would be the same.
She thought that eventually, he would become desperate to speak his feelings for Anais out loud. What she was trying to do was only help Emilio confess without getting hurt.
“Give me time to think.”
Emilio said that and disappeared with magic.
* * *
The capital was still noisy with the parade, but Anais’s duties were now almost at their end. Guided by her maids, she changed into more comfortable clothes and felt relieved that there was still a long time before the ball.
The energetic young ladies and young lords had probably gone out into the streets in small groups. They would watch the parade and buy food from the temporary stalls. After more time passed, the merchants would begin preparing to open the night market, and then a different side of the capital would unfold.
‘There will be fireworks in the evening too! Fireworks… I’m looking forward to them.’
The ball would take place after dinner. Since the parade and the ritual of offering tribute to the goddess had taken place in the afternoon, this could be called a short break in between.
Most people would skip dinner while controlling their diet for the ball, but Anais was an exception.
“Now, Your Majesty. This is the food the chef prepared for today!”
The empress, who had already once fainted, had been forbidden by the imperial physician from dieting or fasting. If she showed even the slightest sign of doing so, a report would be sent to Rahil. So Anais sat down in front of the table.
‘To begin with, I’ve been having every meal with His Majesty anyway.’
Rahil was also working hard to fatten Anais up. Though perhaps because of the stress, she did not gain weight easily.
Anais looked down at the table with a subtle expression. Maybe it was just her imagination, but lately, it felt as if foods good for stamina and vitality kept appearing one after another.
Looking at the plump grilled eel and the salad decorated with bokbunja berries, Anais moved her fork. The chef’s skill was excellent today as well.
“Does it suit your taste?”
“Yes. It’s delicious.”
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