WMEEM Ch 4

Illusion of Solitude

His large hands cupped my cheeks and covered my ears. Yet blocking out the surroundings brought no true silence.

In the muffled quiet, another sound echoed in my ears—a rhythmic breathing that resembled the frantic heartbeat pounding in my chest back in the banquet hall. Or perhaps a distant voice calling out from somewhere unknown.

We stared at each other in the dark.

Even in the dim light, his vivid ruby eyes held no visible emotion. He simply gazed down at me.

His eyes were so mesmerizing that the thought of turning away never even crossed my mind. Was it because I had never seen ruby eyes before?

I wondered if all ruby eyes in the world were as breathtaking as his. It felt as though a single brilliant gem lit up the pitch-black darkness, stilling my thoughts.

For a brief moment, an illusion took hold—as if only the two of us existed in the world. Had he not slowly blinked, I might have reached out to touch them.

Sanity returned as I curled my fingers into fists. Being trapped in such proximity made rational thought impossible.

I raised my hands to cover his hand resting against my ears, intending to pull them away, but he remained still.

He gave a subtle shake of his head, signaling that the couple remained outside. I offered him a reassuring glance and tried again to remove his hands, prompting a quiet sigh from him.

Peering over my shoulder to assess the situation, he mouthed a warning.

[Terkan] "Not yet."

Seeing no intention on his part to release me, I lowered my hands.

His touch radiated warmth. Given his deathly pale skin, I had expected his hands to feel like ice, making the lingering heat a surprise.

The temperature between us steadily climbed. Partly due to the mild early summer night, his warmth seeped into my skin, spreading across my cheeks and ears until heat coiled throughout my body.

A gentle night breeze swept past, yet its cool touch failed to quell the stifling heat between us.

Uncomfortable with the intimacy, I shifted my gaze toward the moon. Numbness began creeping into my legs.

How long do they intend to go on?

Once noticed, the pins and needles intensified rapidly. Just as my knees threatened to give out, his hands finally left my ears.

[Terkan] "They are gone."

He stood up, and as I attempted to follow, I collapsed back onto the ground.

[Terkan] "What is wrong?"

[Celeste] "My legs are numb."

He dropped back down, inspecting my legs.

[Terkan] "Which side?"

[Celeste] "Just give me a moment."

[Terkan] "Here?"

[Celeste] "Ah!"

As his hand touched my left leg, a sharp gasp escaped my lips, and I bit my lip to stifle the sound.

Having endured the whip, such minor discomfort should have been trivial.

Just as he had massaged my swollen feet, Terkan gently worked the tension from my leg. Because he massaged over the fabric of my dress, it was far less embarrassing, though sharp pricks of pain still made me wince with every press.

[Terkan] "There is no one around. You may cry out if it hurts."

[Celeste] "This is hardly painful. I can endure a whip."

[Terkan] "Pain is still pain."

[Celeste] "..."

[Terkan] "Enduring greater agony doesn't lessen smaller wounds. Pain remains pain regardless."

I remained silent. As he said, numb, throbbing legs were still painful.

As the sensation gradually returned, I pulled my leg back, stood up quickly, and stepped out from under the shade of the tree.

When I went to brush off the leaves clinging to my dress, Terkan caught my hand.

[Terkan] "Royalty doesn't tend to such matters themselves."

He carefully brushed away the debris.

There are certainly many things royalty must refrain from doing. What, then, do they do for themselves?

Bending down, he meticulously swept away the dirt clinging to my hem.

[Terkan] "Once tonight's banquet concludes, discussions regarding your marriage will take place, even if it is late."

[Celeste] "So quickly?"

[Terkan] "Is swiftness not preferable?"

If I can leave this Calyx palace a day sooner, it would be a blessing.

Still, the sudden velocity raised doubts.

Tarega once told me that rushing through life was like wolfing down food. It inevitably led to indigestion. Bypassing proper steps always resulted in trouble later.

Desperate as I was to leave, anxieties lingered. Facing a strict three-day deadline made this rushed choice mandatory.

I questioned whether Terkan or Batizo could be trusted.

Trust.

The thought brought a bitter smile to my lips.

Worrying about trust and hasty progress was foolish. Focusing on the realistic threat of Batizo changing his mind if delayed made far more sense.

[Celeste] "Yes. I prefer it swift as well."

[Terkan] "They may already be discussing the terms."

[Celeste] "With any luck, Raff will summon me tonight. What if he refuses?"

[Terkan] "Emperor Batizo never breaks a promise. Once he resolves to accomplish something, he sees it through. Above all, Emperor Raff's opinion holds no weight."

[Celeste] "Right."

That was true. Batizo was the absolute authority above Raff.

[Terkan] "Shall we return then?"

I nodded and stepped forward.

The stifling night air had finally turned cool.

---

Just as Terkan predicted, the marriage arrangements moved with astonishing speed.

Inside the reception hall of the Calyx Imperial Palace, facing Raff somewhere other than a dark dungeon made the impending marriage to Batizo feel real.

Before entering, Terkan had mentioned that although my presence was unnecessary, Batizo had specifically requested my attendance.

I sat at a broad circular table alongside Batizo and Raff. Terkan stood behind Batizo, while Raff's minister waited behind his master.

Quiet exchanges filled the room, punctuated by moments of suffocating tension that Batizo casually dismantled whenever Raff attempted to push back. In truth, it resembled outright disdain.

Watching Batizo, his stature grew more formidable, sparking a newfound curiosity within me.

Only the two men spoke. I listened in silence as the conversation concluded with my marriage securing a harmonious alliance between Calyx and the Kellinev Empire.

A flurry of expressions flickered across Raff's face. He smacked his lips in dissatisfaction, his brows twitching with suppressed rage. Forced smiles repeatedly gave way to heavy sighs.

[Raff] "Hold the wedding ceremony in the Kellinev Empire."

Raff subtly deflected, clearly unwilling to host the ceremony in Calyx.

[Batizo] "The distance between Calyx and the Kellinev Empire is vast, making the journey arduous. Do you intend to travel? Ah, I heard Calyx possesses an extraordinary spacetime mage. Will we see him at the wedding? And the opdin he created?"

What is a spacetime mage, and what is an opdin?

I committed the terms to memory to ask Tarega later.

Raff shook his head at Batizo's inquiry.

[Raff] "The Calyx imperial house will send a congratulatory delegation, but we will not attend in person."

[Batizo] "Failing to attend your own princess' wedding... Hard to comprehend, but if such is Calyx imperial tradition, so be it."

[Raff] "Imperial law dictates it. We ought to host a grand celebration, but it grieves me that we can't. As you know, the princess comes from humble origins, leaving my hands tied."

[Batizo] "Ah, yes."

Batizo offered a disinterested response, leaning back in his chair and crossing his legs. Disregarding basic etiquette, his casual posture caused Raff's expression to sour.

[Raff] "Thank you for accepting her without prejudice. I must apologize as well. My foolish sister; I should have instructed her better... Please take good care of my deficient sister."

Even now, Raff seized the opportunity to demean me. He even uttered words I had never heard from him before.

My princess, my sister.

How hypocritically affectionate.

Suppressing a smirk, I offered Raff a radiant, beaming smile as he looked at me with faux benevolence. It was a smile I had never shown him before. A deliberate display of pure, unadulterated joy at escaping his grasp.

Though he remained ignorant, the thought of returning to Calyx one day brought an effortless smile to my lips.

Raff glared at me, but noticing Batizo's presence, he quickly softened his gaze back into a sham of warmth.

I maintained my smile, unbothered. I would swallow every insult today. I would endure far worse if necessary. Remembering that every drop of humiliation would be repaid in full made enduring this trivial.

Perhaps owing to Batizo's presence, Raff stopped his jabs there.

His absence from my wedding was cause for celebration. Though the day wouldn't be entirely joyful, I had no desire to see Raff at my wedding.

As silence settled over the room, Raff gauged Batizo's mood before ordering the cold tea to be replaced.

An attendant placed fresh saucers on the table and poured steaming tea from a kettle.

[Raff] "This tea is served exclusively to the imperial court of Garsa in the Eastern Continent. Are you aware that before Garsa, the land belonged to Hilyd? Though a century has passed since its fall to Garsa, Hilyd was an empire that inherited fairy bloodlines.

Thus, Hilydian tea masters possessed unmatched skill. Regrettably, only a handful of Hilydians capable of crafting this distinct flavor remain, supplying the imperial house solely. It was exceptionally difficult to acquire."

Raff raised his cup first, savoring the aroma before taking a sip, but Batizo remained motionless.

[Raff] "Is the tea not to your liking?"

[Batizo] "It is not that. I consume only sustenance prepared by my own empire. Even when it comes to tea."

Gazing at the cup before him, Batizo casually nudged the saucer away with a finger.

[Batizo] "One can never be too cautious."

Raff's expression hardened instantly. Though he had maintained composure all afternoon, he failed to hide his humiliation this time.

Batizo's gesture was an explicit declaration that he suspected poison in the tea—a profound insult.

I could see the stark contrast between Raff and Batizo. Though both were emperors of powerful empires, a clear hierarchy existed between them. Their tone and demeanor toward each other laid it bare.

The atmosphere grew suffocating. The minister behind Raff turned pale, and the hand Raff used to hold his teacup trembled visibly.

While worrying that their tension might spark collateral damage toward me, I chose to savor the moment.

Actually, it was entertaining. Curious to see whether Raff would swallow this humiliation or lose his temper with Batizo, I waited in silence.

Yet nothing happened.

[Raff] "How wise."

That was all he uttered.

I quietly lifted my cup, taking a sip while stealing a glance at Batizo. Though proclaimed a rare delicacy, the tea tasted of bitter grass to my unrefined palate.

Unlike the stiffened Raff, Batizo's unbothered demeanor was striking. Though his terrifying first impression had intimidated me, seeing him hold absolute dominance over Raff made him appear almost grand.

I knew his marriage to me served a hidden agenda, but he was indisputably the savior extracting me from Raff's nightmare.

This man will be my husband.

Only this morning, I had been trapped in despair within a dark dungeon. In less than a single day, my marriage to Batizo of the mighty Kellinev Empire was sealed.

I offered a silent prayer.

May you achieve your desires through me.

And through you, may I achieve mine.

May we become indispensable to one another.

---

Returning to the annex, Tarega and I sat in dazed silence for a long time.

Are we leaving? Will someone wake us tomorrow morning, declaring it all a dream?

We asked and confirmed the reality repeatedly.

[Celeste] "You are coming with me, right?"

[Tarega] "What a question, Your Highness! Wherever you go, I follow. The food in the Kellinev Empire might not suit your palate, and adapting to a foreign land will be difficult. Besides, after all the years we have shared, how could a move separate us? I intend to stay by your side until my dying breath."

[Celeste] "Thank you."

I meant it.

[Tarega] "Think nothing of it."

[Celeste] "No, I am grateful."

We embraced, patting each other's backs in quiet comfort.

I don't want to part with you either. I can't live without you.

So please, stay healthy and remain by my side for a very long time.

Gratitude toward Batizo filled my heart for allowing us to leave together.

[Raff] "Look at you two, celebrating."

Still holding Tarega, I snapped my head toward the entrance. Raff stood at the doorway, making us separate in shock.

[Raff] "The mere thought of leaving makes you giddy, doesn't it, Celeste?"

His flushed face and slurred speech betrayed his heavy intoxication.

[Celeste] "What brings you here?"

[Raff] "There is no place in this imperial palace off-limits to me."

It was the first time Raff had personally set foot in my annex since I came of age. Though he appeared to be without guards, his presence alone turned my limbs rigid with fear.

Tarega grabbed my hand, her firm grip reassuring me that she wouldn't leave my side.

[Raff] "How on earth did you manipulate the Emperor of the Kellinev?"

He knew better than anyone that Batizo was not a man easily swayed by manipulation. I had no idea what answer he sought.

[Celeste] "I did no such thing. He simply took a liking to me."

[Raff] "To you? Hahaha!"

His booming laughter rattled the walls of the annex.

[Raff] "The women of Kellinev are renowned beauties, yet he took a liking to a wretched thing like you? Then again, your mother was no different."

My mother.

I bit my lower lip, glaring at Raff. He was about to spout the same poisonous drivel he spewed every time he whipped me.

[Raff] "I always wondered how your worthless mother seduced my father. How the late Emperor failed to see past her plain looks... and the wicked nature beneath."

My mother had been a beautiful woman. Even setting aside a daughter's bias, her character was nothing as he portrayed. Even in my distant childhood memories, the villagers had loved her. The servants who worked under her during her brief time in the palace spoke fondly of her as well. Tarega always affirmed that Mother was a gentle soul.

Once, I had questioned if Mother was as unchaste as Raff claimed, attempting to understand his hatred. It was natural to resent a father who loved another woman and fathered a child out of wedlock.

Yet I later realized that concubines were common practice for Emperors of Calyx, a reality taught during a crown prince's education. Why Raff harbored such obsessive malice remained beyond my understanding.

[Raff] "Do you think your mother seduced only the late Emperor? She shared her bed with any man who crossed her path. Do you think you are called a fake princess simply because you carry half-blood? It is because we doubt whether you even possess a drop of imperial blood."

[Celeste] "Stop it."

I had no reason to endure his venomous insults any longer.

[Raff] "Are you commanding me?"

[Celeste] "It is late. Please leave."

[Raff] "Now that you believe you are to become the Empress of Kellinev, you have lost all sense of propriety."

He glared menacingly, stepping closer.

[Raff] "You believe you will become Empress? You have not married the Emperor yet. Do you think the nobles of Kellinev will accept a lowly creature like you?"

I was supposed to endure it. I had resolved to hold my tongue. Yet I couldn't.

[Celeste] "It matters not if I become Empress! As long as I am out of this place! As long as I never have to look upon your face again!"

His hand flew toward my face, and I braced for the blow, closing my eyes.

When no pain followed, I opened my eyes to find Tarega lying on the floor, having shielded me.

[Celeste] "Tarega!"

His full force had sent Tarega sprawling.

[Raff] "How dare a servant block my path! Is this foolish fake princess the master you serve?"

His eyes turned wild, the same unhinged madness I had seen in the dungeon.

As he raised his foot to stomp relentlessly on Tarega, I threw myself over her body.

[Celeste] "Your Majesty! Stop!"

[Raff] "If the master is foolish, the servant should at least possess some sense!"

His boots struck my back repeatedly.

It is fine, I told myself.

I had endured far worse, but Tarega couldn't survive this.

A searing pain shot through my spine as the raw wounds on my back reopened, tearing through the skin. I could do nothing except hold Tarega tightly.

Raff was Emperor, and I was merely a fake princess unable to touch even his shadow.

[Tarega] "Oh, Your Highness! No! Let go of me! Your Majesty! Your Majesty, I was wrong! Strike only me!"

She sobbed and thrashed beneath me, attempting to swap places, but I held her down with all my strength.

As his heavy kicks paused alongside his ragged breathing, I whispered into her ear.

[Celeste] "It is fine. At least it is not the whip. This is nothing to me."

Endure it.

Time passes, and this too will end. I only needed to hold out for this final trial before my departure.

Closing my eyes, I braced for the assault to resume.

[Man] " What the...."

---

If you enjoy it, feel free to leave a rating or review on Naver Series and Novel Updates.