Chapter 19: Chapter 18

The place Ella chose was fortunately close to the Imperial Palace. She seemed to have chosen this location so that Rosaline could quickly respond to her sudden requests.

The lively pub was full of young and rowdy commoners. Its rustic aura was something that usually repelled the aristocrats in the area, which made it the perfect place for two noble ladies to meet in secret.

“James, you stay here.”

“No can do,” he answered immediately.

“Fine, you can come inside with me. Instead, please keep yourself ten steps away from me at all times. Can you do that for me?”

That was all right. James was an excellent knight who excelled on the battlefield, so he would be able to act calmly in most unexpected situations. James finally agreed, and Rosaline opened the pub’s door.

Ella was already there. She smiled brightly at Rosaline. It was an angelic smile, but it somehow didn’t feel right.

A mother’s intuition is almost always right.

Anthony’s voice rang in Rosaline’s ears. Her muddled mind cleared instantly. She moved past the crowd and sat in front of Ella. “What is this about? We’re not close enough to each other to be meeting like this.”

“We’ll be friends in the future.”

‘What the hell is this nonsense?’

Rosaline’s jaw dropped in bewilderment.

“Once I marry His Majesty, I’ll be seeing you regularly since you’re his secretary. Since we’ll be meeting often, we’ll become close.”

“Who’s getting married to whom?”

“Of course, me to Cahir . So you need to cooperate with me.”

Rosaline stared at Ella. Her confident expression was unpleasant. Her eyes glistened with greed every time she said ‘His Majesty’. Ella was a transmigrator. This meant she was different from the true heroine of the novel.

The heroine of the novel was able to heal Cahir by showing him the affection he was deprived of in his childhood and saving him from insanity. She accepted all of his flaws and gently swept away his anger. It was possible because Ella loved Cahir with all her heart.

‘Will this Ella…?’

Looking at Ella’s attitude now, Rosaline had to be skeptical. Ella and Cahir could start a dating without any real feelings and eventually fall in love, but what if the relationship failed and Ella ended up hurting Cahir. Rosaline didn’t want to cause Cahir any pain.

‘Oh, is this how a mother feels?’

Rosaline decided.

A mother’s intuition is almost always right.

Anthony’s voice echoed again. Rosaline’s gut told her Ella was bad. Whatever it was supposed to be, from now on she would allow nothing to go the way like in the original story.

‘I’m sorry, dear author, but I can’t go through with this.’

Rosaline’s eyes turned cold.

“That will never happen. How dare you speak of marrying our emperor?”

“What right do you have? I’m supposed to be his fated lover! You’re just an extra who ruined everything!” Ella shouted maliciously.

“No, it’s your own fault that you can’t marry His Majesty. It has nothing to do with me.” Rosaline’s voice was frosty, then she stood up from her seat.

“What? Say that again! What’s wrong with you?” Ella grabbed Rosaline roughly by the arm. A chair rattled and James sprang up like a snake, his dagger held next to Ella’s neck.

“James, it’s alright.”

The music stopped and everyone fell silent. A lot of people looked over to see what was happening. It wouldn’t be a good thing for people to notice what exactly was going on. Rosaline told James to put away his knife and pay attention to where they were right at the moment.

James refused.

“Please, James.”

James took his knife away very slowly, glaring. “If you dare harm the secretary, His Majesty will kill you.before that, I will end you before I die.”

Ella hairs stood on end, but she tried to pretend to be calm. James turned his back on Rosaline and Ella and signalled them to finish what they had to do.

People quickly forgot about the commotion Ella and Rosaline made, got drunk, and continued with their lives.

“I’ll tell you again by all means. You never know. I’ll make this happen no matter what.”

Looking at Ella’s shocked face, Rosaline felt a strange joy. She shook off her arm and Ella stumbled back blankly. Ella’s center of balance was disturbed, but Rosaline ignored her and moved to keep herself from falling. Ella, who had looked ridiculous while righting herself, glared at Rosaline. If looks could kill, Rosaline was sure she would be dead.

Rosaline spoke without breaking eye contact. “Could you please learn to keep your hands off of me? That is, unless you have two lives. This is the last time I will spare your life from the blade.”

Rosaline turned away from Ella and left her alone.

***

The Pasitas were distinguished contributors to the founding of the Aetheus Empire. They have served the emperor closely for generations. It was also the family that produced the most chairmen of the aristocracy.

Most aristocrats disliked Cahir or felt uncomfortable around him, but the Pasitas were an exception. When the previous emperor imprisoned Lizia, Cahir’s mother and the previous empress, in the palace, the Pasita head disagreed with the emperor and sided with the empress until the end.

“Lord Pasita, I like you very much, but I don’t want you to do this.”

“Greetings to the Sun of the Empire. I apologize, Your Majesty, but the matter is too urgent.”

The old man with gray hair had a slim waist despite his advanced age, as robust as a young man. No one would have been able to guess his age if it weren’t for the wrinkles on his face and the grey hair

“Well, I wonder what the urgent matter is at hand.” Cahir plopped into a chair without hiding his displeasure. When Cahir seemed unwilling to offer a seat to the duke, Derek pointed gently to it.

“May I sit down, Your Majesty?” the Duke of Pasita asked.

Cahir nodded roughly and Derek pulled out the seat for the duke. After a while, warm tea and sweet cookies were placed between the two.

“Well, as you get older, you’ll lose more energy at this hour.”

“Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty.” The Duke of Pasita looked at Cahir with warm eyes. To the duke, Cahir was like his grandson. He watched him grow up ever since he was born. The duke knew that although he had a rough personality, he was warm-hearted.

“I’ll tell you what’s going on once I’ve finished the snacks.” he took a sip of tea while Cahir urged him to hurry.

“Well, Your Majesty. It seems Prince Karon is getting married.”

“What, that silly brat?”

Cahir frowned.

Azela’s son, Karon, had entered the Imperial Palace with his head held high because his mother was the emperor’s favorite concubine. Karon shared the same blood as Cahir since they were half brothers, and was the first in line to the throne if Cahir died.

“Yes, Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager is investigating the young ladies from several notable families. Don’t you know what this means? It’s time that you find a companion and get married.”

“Is that really important enough for you to come and visit me in such a hurry?”

“Of course it is, Your Majesty. I’m sorry, but the reason why the Dowager Queen was unable to push Prince Karon into the emperor’s seat was because she lacked power and Karon lacked talent.” Pasita was a loyal servant to the royal family. He felt guilty saying the prince was lacking.

“How does getting married make an idiot smarter?”

Cahir remembered something that Karon had written about him. His existence alone was like a noose hanging over his mother’s neck.

“Would it bother you to find someone to give birth to a healthy heir?”

“What?” Confusion flashed in Cahir’s eyes and quickly changed to anger.

“It may be 10, even 20 years from now, but we can’t just sit by and watch. The emperor’s direct heir will always be the one to inherit the throne over any other member of the royal family.”

A vein was visible on Cahir’s temple. He chewed out his next words. “There must be a reason for you to say this to me. I’ve been thinking about it. How do I prepare for this? Tell me, what are your plans, Duke Pasita.”

“Your Majesty must produce an heir first.”

Cahir realized immediately what he was talking about. He was being told to get married. Finding love in marriage had always been a low priority when it came to members of the aristocracy. Staying a bachelor at the age of 28 was considered very late for a member of the royal family; it’d be too late even if he got married right now.

However, he didn’t want to get married. He would avoid it if he could. He was a man who wasn’t confident in his ability to give all of his love to a single woman since his father’s blood flowed through him. He didn’t want to make another woman suffer as his mother had.

So far, he’d been offered countless marriage proposals, but none of them interested him…

“Your Majesty, you are the Sun of the Empire. Marriage is not a matter of personal feelings. There are only two things to consider: political interests and securing the royal bloodline.” Pasita bowed his head.

Looking at the top of the gray-haired old man’s head, Cahir, feeling frustrated, unfastened the buttons at his neck.

Suddenly, Rosaline came to mind.

***

Ella returned to the mansion, huffing and puffing. Her estate was a quiet but elegant place sitting right next to the capital. However, Ella had not stayed there for a long time. Instead, she bought a small house in the capital and stayed there.

“When did you leave the capital, Miss Ella? I told you the capital was dangerous. You should never go out alone. Do you understand?” Ella’s servant, Jackie, greeted her with a worried face.

Ella smiled awkwardly and headed straight to her room, saying she wanted to rest.

‘Son of a *****!’

Ella closed the bedroom door and let out a silent cry. She remembered the humiliation Rosaline had dealt to her again. With a pale face, she slid down the wall and tore at her golden hair.

The future was changing.

She couldn’t guarantee that the status, honor, and lover that belonged to her would be returned now. Fear settled in Ella’s heart.

“You can’t do this…” Ella stood up, muttering in bewilderment. She opened the drawer next to her bed. There was a box with a small lock in the drawer. She took off her necklace and opened the box using a golden keyed pendant.

Out of the box came an old book with a purple velvet cover. She patted the back of the book with a dreamy look.

It was the same book as Rosaline’s, one that she had read so many times it was practically engraved on her soul.

Ella’s heart ached. She held the book tightly, remembering the forgotten past.

She was a transmigrator as well. She transmigrated far earlier than Rosaline too.

One day she had fell asleep while feeling jealous of Ella from the novel. When she woke up, she realized that she had somehow become Ella. She had liked Cahir and wanted him all for herself, and jt was very easy to achieve that since all she had to do was follow the plot of the novel. Fortunately, she had her book and it wasn’t hard to imitate the original heroine.

“Ella” was innocent. She was always elegant and dignified. Her life had been very boring since childhood. Ella, who had grown up with loving siblings and caring parents, was timid due to being overprotected, but generally had a gentle personality and was considerate towards others.

The person who transmigrated into Ella’s body was a greedy and conniving individual. They had no problems lying and acting as Ella, so everyone was fooled.

Everything unfolded just like the novel. She got her hands on Cahir, who was happy by her side. She also gave birth to a pair of healthy twins. But that was it. That happiness didn’t last long.

Like all novels, the story ended with the two of them getting married and having children. It didn’t say what she had to do next.

In all honesty, Ella didn’t truly understand or accept Cahir’s fiery nature with all her heart. She only acted like she did because she was following the novel. However, the story, which she clung onto like a toddler, wa over. Ella no longer had a manual to tell her what to do and had to make her own choices. She was worried that her relationship with Cahir would fall apart, that she would lose everything she had gained. Ella began clinging desperately onto Cahir. From that point, her relationship with Cahir began to crumble.

It was the beginning of a tragedy.