Chapin 2
day, and since I was nearby, I got caught up in the chaos. Fortunately, he had a conscience and pulled me along with him as he fled.
To evade our pursuers, we waded through a river and hid together in a small cave. It was the dead of winter, and a blizzard was raging. With my clothes soaked, I nearly froze to death. He, being the good man he was, held me all night to keep me warm.
In his arms, looking at his face, I wondered if, should we survive, I could ask him to marry me. If he wouldn’t, I would have to enter
the palace for the imperial selection. I had no desire to walk on eggshells in the harem, scheming my way into the emperor’s favor.
The Emperor had finally decided to choose a consort after years on the throne. Countless officials were scrambling to offer up their
sisters and daughters. My parents said that after I nearly drowned, I’d damaged my brain. Not only had I lost all my memories, but i
‘d become clumsy and slow. With a mind like mine, I’d be eaten alive in the palace.
Besides, the current emperor was a notorious tyrant. He’d purged the court with blood when he ascended the throne; he was kno-
wn for his cruelty and ruthlessness. If I said the wrong thing and offended him, I could end up in his dungeons, dismembered and
left to rot.
Yet my father insisted that my fears were unfounded, that the Emperor would protect and love me, and he was determined to send mhe into the palace. Ugh, I knew he was just trying to sell his daughter for power and prestige.
An idea sparked in my mind.
If… if I was no longer a maiden, I wouldn’t have to go to the palace, right?
I grabbed the man holding me and clumsily slipped my hand inside his robes.
He looked down, catching my hand. “Don’t, Ava. Wait until we’re married.”
Married? What marriage? If you don’t touch me now, I’m going to be sent to the palace!
But that night, no matter how much I tried to seduce him, he remained unmoved.
It was infuriating! I was so angry that even though he held me, I ignored him for the rest of the night.
The next morning, we were rescued.
I saw my father arrive with a large retinue of soldiers. They found us in the cave, knelt, and addressed the man beside me as “Your
Majesty.”
I was stunned.
Later, he canceled the imperial selection. I was the only one to enter the palace, where i was crowned Empress.
Bearing the responsibility of the entire harem by myself is exhausting.
I thought, rubbing my sore waist and lower back.
It just feels like I’ve forgotten something important. But I nearly drowned, and lost all my memories. It’s normal to forget things. The royal physician said it was a side effect and prescribed me a daily medicine.
After drinking another bowl of the bitter concoction, Eric fed me a piece of candied fruit.
I sat on his lap, whining. “I don’t want to drink it anymore. It’s so bitter.” It wasn’t like I was gravely ill. I was forced to drink it at the General’s manor, and now I had to drink it in the palace. I hate it.
He looked down. “No.”
“But it’s so bitter! And taking medicine every day can’t be good for our baby. I don’t want to drink it anymore.”
He raised an eyebrow. “And where is this baby?”
We.. we do that all day and night,” I huffed. There’s bound to be one eventually. I don’t want to drink the medicine.
Eric’s refusal was firm. “We’ll talk after you have a child.”
Eric’s refusal was firm. “We’ll talk after you have a child.”
I slumped in defeat.
Still, he was only doing it for my health. This was the only thing he ever denied me; otherwise, he was incredibly good to me. We
were as loving as any ordinary couple.
The rumors about him must be false. He was so gentle.
Well… except in bed.
