Chapter 24

Yejoo's first love was taken away - Chapter 24

She didn't want to believe it.

So after getting married, she distanced herself from everyone.

Except for Daniel, who had always been kind, she kept Raymond and Wilhelm at a distance.

The reason was her marriage, and they easily understood.

So she felt relieved.

No, she had let her guard down.

She never dreamed that Wilhelm, who had the lowest affection towards her, would end up marrying Karina.

So she went out of her way to meet Wilhelm and boost his affection for her.

‘If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have gone this far.’

She only realized her reputation could be damaged by chance.

A trivial rumor that would have been ignored in the past began to circulate among the ladies and gradually grew.

The things she had always wanted to deny were starting to be revealed because of Karina.

“No. This can't be. How did it come to this?”

Everything had been perfect until graduation.

People who admired her, men who easily fell in love with her when she followed their instructions.

And the perfect bracelet.

‘I am the protagonist of this world.’

The noble and admired girl, Karina, seemed to exist to shine for her.

Strangely, she could only see the affection levels of the men Karina met, but that wasn't important to her.

She might be able to live with everyone under her control if she wanted to.

At the moment she thought she had finally made it.

She heard that Karina, who had always had her fiancés taken away, had found a real boyfriend.

“Goodness, he’s a terribly unsuitable man.”

“He’s the eldest son of a baron, stuck in some nameless village, right?”

“Doesn’t she think the previous men left her because they were too good for her?”

“Maybe this time she’s deliberately dating a loser so they won’t leave her.”

She joined in the laughter with the women who were spreading the news, but she was also curious.

The man chosen by Karina, who had always had her fiancés taken away.

Tatiana thought Karina wouldn't meet another man again.

She was curious.

To see if the affection levels and choices would appear above his head this time too.

[Hello? I’m Tatiana, Karina’s friend.]

She waited for the right moment when he was alone and, as always, used Karina’s name to gain his affection.

[Oh... Hello.]

Seeing Andrew, Tatiana was delighted.

A smile escaped her lips when she saw the affection window and choices above his head.

She felt a thrill at the new target.

Unaware of the chaos this meeting would cause.

* * *

The next day, I was woken up early in the morning.

The maids, led by Lily, took me to the bathroom.

At first, I thought I would just greet him with a proper demeanor. But after hearing my father’s story recently, my thoughts changed.

Lately, he has been staying late every day, so I asked him about it.

‘His Majesty seems to be in a whirlwind of meetings and reports every day. Since we are the ones who ultimately have to verify everything, we naturally have to work overtime. He doesn’t even sleep and works all the time.’

It wouldn’t be easy for the emperor, who governs a vast empire, to clear his entire schedule for a day. I felt a mix of gratitude and guilt towards Aster, who was making an effort to create a holiday.

So I decided to do my best to prepare.

“Is the water okay?”

“The temperature is good, and it feels nice.”

The water, infused with a slightly pungent herbal scent, made my tense muscles relax.

“These herbs are good for muscle aches. The scent is a bit unusual, but they are often used in the southern regions.”

As Lily explained, my body felt warm and my muscles relaxed.

Feeling drowsy, my eyes half-closed, and Lily laughed playfully.

“Come on, let’s get out.”

“Ugh, I want to stay a bit longer.”

“You shouldn’t stay in too long.”

After washing off the herbal water, she applied a mixture of honey and salt to my skin.

Her gentle massage on my neck and shoulders felt wonderful.

She also put a face mask on me.

“Lily, you could start a company with this.”

“Hohoho, if you do, you should model for me.”

My reflection in the mirror looked surprisingly clear and radiant. My skin had a healthy glow and felt smooth to the touch.

‘This could be a pretty good business.’

Thinking about it, the empire didn’t have a proper spa yet.

Of course, wealthy nobles could receive such treatments at home through maids, but most lacked expertise.

As I was lost in thought, Lily, who seemed used to my behavior, led me to the dressing room.

“Come on, it’s time to put on your dress.”

I was quite tired, so I chose a comfortable indoor dress. However, I didn’t want something too plain, so I wore a yellow dress decorated with embroidery and beads.

I let half of my hair down and tied the other half up, attaching a pin with several roses made of silver thread, a gift from Aster.

“Look, it’s not too much, right?”

Lily seemed more excited than I was.

Lily’s words made me look up at my reflection in the mirror. I saw a more relaxed and composed version of myself.

I quite liked it.

Actually, I was a bit excited myself, as it had been a while since I last met Aster.

“Miss, you’re here!”

While Lily was praising me, an excited maid’s voice interrupted.

Looking out the window, I saw a white carriage adorned with gold.

Since becoming emperor, Aster rarely left the palace.

Especially for personal matters. The last time I remembered was three years ago, at Andrew and Tatiana’s wedding.

“Miss, we’ll be late.”

Lily’s words snapped me back to reality. The carriage was already parked in front of the door.

“Oh.”

I was about to greet the emperor in my room. I quickly opened the door and crossed the hallway.

When I arrived just in time and stood next to my family, who had already gathered, my father’s gaze was peculiar.

“Why, why are you looking at me like that?”

“You must have missed him quite a bit, Karin.”

“What are you talking about? His Majesty is here, so of course I should be here first.”

Father’s gaze became sharp, as if he were interrogating a child who had just returned from a sleepover.

“Is that all?”

“Stop it, he’s twenty-three, and you’re acting like he doesn’t know anything.”

Mother’s nagging made Father turn away, but his expression remained stern.

They were on edge because I had almost gotten into trouble, reacting strongly even to minor issues, which made me feel embarrassed.

‘It’s my fault, though.’

While my parents were arguing again because I had run down the hallway, the door opened.

Aster, dressed neatly rather than in his usual grand imperial attire, looked a bit out of place.

He greeted me with a gentle smile, like an elegant predator.

His attitude was the same as always, considerate of my feelings, which had been weighed down by the worries of my family and friends. Just that made me feel relieved.

“Hmm.”

I was about to approach him when I noticed the butler’s gaze and stopped.

Since the emperor was visiting formally, it was proper for my father to greet him first.

However, Father didn’t move from his spot.

In the end, Mother stepped forward.

“Welcome, Your Majesty.”

“Thank you for the warm welcome. Duke, Head of the Magic Tower, and Duchess.”

Father only moved after Mother jabbed him in the ribs.

“Welcome, Your Majesty. Although our home is humble, I hope you enjoy your stay.”

Father still glared at me with a displeased expression.

Mother, sighing, led Aster.

“We have prepared a meal. I heard you don’t have any particular food preferences.”

“I generally enjoy what I can eat.”

“The dining room is this way.”

As I tried to naturally walk beside Aster, Father pulled me back.

“You should go with Father.”

“Eh?”

I was about to protest but saw the jealous look in Father’s eyes and kept quiet.

* * *

Fortunately, the dinner went more smoothly than I had expected.

Aster ate all the dishes the chef had prepared with great effort.

He especially liked the dessert and even asked if the royal chefs could get the recipe.

“It’s a relief that the food suits you, Your Majesty.”

“Thanks to you, I was able to have a meal in a relaxed atmosphere for the first time in a while.”

After dinner, we chatted over fruit and iced tea. After a while, Mother, who had been watching me, smiled and said,

“Now, we’ll leave you two to talk.”

“What? No, I wanted to have a more constructive conversation with His Majesty...!”