Chapter 125
***
Oh no, that couldn’t possibly be true. Diana pushed aside her foreboding and tried to convince herself otherwise.
That man was the Emperor. A man who had had the world at his feet since birth. He was not the sort to be stuck in some remote colony wearing a Commander’s cap.
It was simply not realistic. There was no way someone as high-ranking as the Emperor would abandon his country and reside in a place like this. Even the knights at headquarters would never have dared to imagine the Emperor would be here.
Yet, a chill kept running down her spine.
The man, gripping Diana’s shoulders as if to crush them, stared intently into her eyes. His face was perfectly reflected in her pale green irises, which trembled with confusion.
“……”
Diana got the impression that he wasn’t looking at her, but at the reflection of himself in her eyes. No, more accurately, he wasn’t looking at his own features, but at the light-filled pupils of her eyes themselves.
His rough lips slowly parted. A smile, as if the air had suddenly been let out of them, slipped from his mouth, which had been trembling as if ready to spill out words at any moment.
For a moment, it felt as though the world had stopped.
Daring not even to breathe, Diana watched as the thin layer of ice covering the man began to melt away.
Irritation, anxiety, depression, and disgust melted away, and joy burst forth like a blossoming flower. The ruthless expression that seemed capable of tearing a person apart with just a glance was transformed in an instant.
The absurdly handsome man flashed an absurd smile.
“Uh…”
Diana was so transfixed she forgot her own predicament. It had only been a week since she’d learned of the Commander’s existence, but she never expected him to be capable of smiling like this.
That he could look at someone with such tenderness in those deep blue eyes… just like an ordinary man in love…
No, Diana.
The spirits screamed from far away.
You mustn’t let him catch you!
Diana snapped back to her senses. She felt dazed, as if she’d just woken from a brief dream.
The man who had been smiling broadly at her was now scrutinizing every detail of Diana’s clumsy disguise. The moment she realized how defenseless she was, a sense of danger washed over her.
The man, who had been examining Diana from head to toe, occasionally clicked his tongue; the tone mixed into that low sound was remarkably similar to what Diana had imagined. A spine-chilling foreboding made her back stiffen.
Just as he reached out to touch her face again, Diana twisted her shoulder with all her might to evade his touch.
Almost simultaneously, the spirit that had risen from the well enveloped Diana’s shoulder as if to protect her. Empowered by the spirit’s resonance, she opened her mouth.
“I apologize, Commander.”
A distinctly masculine voice flowed from her lips.
“If you have any orders, please tell me anything.”
The man’s hand, which had just been about to stroke Diana’s cheek, froze mid-air. His eyes, which had been curved in satisfaction, once again turned sharp and cold.
“……”
A terrible silence settled over the room. Diana’s heart pounded wildly. Drowned out by the sound of her own heartbeat, she could hear nothing else in the world.
Please. Just go away.
Whether you’re a demon or a tiger, please just leave me alone.
Please!
Before long, the man took a deep breath. As if he had a great deal to say, he frowned, scanning Diana’s hair, her rough cheeks, and her thickly layered clothing. His brow furrowed. His hand twitched as if he wanted to strip away the shabby clothes covering her at once.
Diana could sense that he was exercising restraint.
Why? What was he holding back? Who did he think she was?
A crimson rage of unknown origin boiled up from the pit of her heart.
But just as she was about to scream and demand an answer, a chill ran down her spine at the thought of the voice that might respond. Diana desperately pulled herself together.
‘Don’t waver. Don’t let yourself be swayed. This isn’t Karman, and the man before me isn’t him.’
Therefore, no anger or despair could bind her.
“If you have no further instructions, I shall take my leave.”
Diana managed to get the words out. She didn’t have the presence of mind to check what expression was on her face.
“So let me go, please….”
Her fingertips trembled violently. Diana hid her hands, convulsing like aspen leaves, inside her wide sleeves.
Her head was spinning, and she kept getting chills. A ringing in her ears echoed like an auditory hallucination.
Sssshhh—. The sound of rain from that night, when she had desperately groped her way through the darkness, the storm….
“It’s dangerous. It’s dangerous there—.”
“I didn’t lie—.”
Despite her desperate efforts to hold it in, Diana’s face turned deathly pale. The past year evaporated in an instant. A sudden, shadowy vision carried her to a storm-lashed cliff. Her vision turned pitch black.
Diana kept her gaze fixed on the ground, barely breathing. No reply came from the man.
“…….”
The silence lingered for a long while.
The hand that had gripped her collar as if to tear it off gradually loosened its grip.
Taking another deep breath, the man clenched and unclenched his fist to quench his thirst.
Once his emotions had settled somewhat, he let go of Diana completely. Diana couldn’t move a single step until he turned his back and walked away.
Only after his back had vanished from view did she collapse, clutching the well. Her stomach ached, and her forehead was drenched in cold sweat.
“Ugh, ah, ha…..”
The Commander hadn’t uttered a single word until the very end, and Diana felt relieved. Without even knowing what exactly she was so relieved about.
***
From the next day on, Diana’s workload was cut in half.
The attitude of Senz Rossi and his subordinates—who had been lavishing care on Elliot while dumping all sorts of menial tasks on Diana—also changed. Senz, with a clearly displeased expression, exempted Diana from the menial chores.
“Don’t just loiter around and get in the way—go help with the chores.”
In the end, the tasks Diana was assigned weren’t organizing the storeroom or carrying heavy loads, but merely trivial tasks like placing spoons and forks on the table at the correct angle, folding napkins into neat squares, and washing wine glasses until they sparkled.
As a result, she had a lot of free time. After finishing her daily duties, Diana would take advantage of the guard shift changes at headquarters—which Elliot had told her about—to approach the vicinity of the audience chamber. However, perhaps because orders to tighten security had already come down from higher-ups, the entire first floor where the audience chamber was located was under heavy guard.
From the reduction in her workload to the heightened security, every change only added to her anxiety, but there wasn’t much she could do about it right now.
The spirits must have passed through the entrance to the Spring before Diana did. The sporadic voices of the spirits were faint, as if echoing from a great distance.
Come in quickly.
Hurry, hurry.
Once a day, she would receive an order to go up to the Commander’s office carrying a teapot and teacups.
At some point, the deputy commander had disappeared from there, and only the room’s original owner remained. Diana was so nervous that her hands would tremble every time she stood before the study door.
“If it’s really that uncomfortable, I’ll take it up myself, Diana.”
Elliot, wearing a worried expression, held out both hands. Diana, who had been about to carry the tea set up to the study, let out a faint sigh.
“No. It’s my duty. It would be best if Your Highness didn’t draw that man’s attention.”
After visiting the study several times over the past few days, Diana had discovered a few more facts about the Commander. He was definitely keeping a close eye on her.
He didn’t flash her that dazzling smile he had when they’d met at the well. It seemed he had decided to wait and see how Diana would react.
The Commander would stare at Diana with a pensive expression or scribble something on the few documents he had. Occasionally, he would knock over an inkwell or drop a book with his awkward right hand.
Whenever Diana approached to clean up after him, he would bite his lip hard or clench his fist so tightly that the protruding knuckles stood out. At times, he would stare intently, almost obsessively, at parts of Diana’s body that were difficult to conceal with her disguise—her hands, wrists, and the line of her neck.
Whenever that happened, what clearly flashed in his deep blue eyes was undeniably lust.
A passion so intense it was almost scorching—one she couldn’t pretend not to notice.
Strangely, whenever she caught that blatant gaze, a shiver ran down her spine and a tight knot formed deep in her stomach. Diana couldn’t shake the suspicion that he was meticulously tracing the contours of her naked body hidden beneath her men’s clothing.
In the end, one thing was certain. The Commander wanted Diana. She didn’t know in what form, but…
Elliot urged her earnestly.
“Ask for help whenever you feel overwhelmed. I’m here to help you, Diana.”
Diana could only manage a weak smile. After pondering something for a moment, Elliot leaned in close and whispered to her.
“It seems we’re expecting a visitor at headquarters tonight. When an outsider arrives, the internal security will naturally be focused on them. It might be a good idea to take advantage of tonight.”
***
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