The fact of the matter was that Lyle came to the Empressâ Palace to sleep, and Medea was hiding⊠butâŠ
âOhâ Why! We slept together! And itâs not just thatâit was fun. We did it so much! Jerk!â
Lyle trapped her in his palace under this pretext, but Medea couldnât even dream that Lyle liked her and didnât want to lose her.
âWhat was the reason? [cue: cardi b] If I promise âI wonât create a commotion from now on,â would you release me?â
He said that, but Medea had an inkling that Lyle wasnât transparent with his real purpose.
If itâs like that, why wasnât he forthcoming instead of locking her in his bedroom?
ââŠ..âŠâ
Was it about my body?
She thought about it, and no other reason came up.
He insisted on using the same bed, and when they did sleep together, he always tried to snuggle upâŠâŠ.
âItâs not bad sleeping with Lyle, butâŠâŠâ
Medea was put in a bad mood, thinking she was being used for only her body.
âIf I said that Iâd be obedient and sleep with you often, would you let me go?â
Ianâs life was in danger right now, so Medea was desperate. Even if she met Luke, there is no guarantee that he would listen to her right awayâŠâŠ.
To persuade or prepare? Time was running out.
âIf you donât relieve Lyleâs feelingsâŠâŠâ
In the morning, Medea had slapped Lyle and then proceeded to ignore him for hours afterward. Would Lyle be happy to see her sudden change in attitude now?
âMaybe heâs still angry right nowâŠâ
It had been a long while since she had dismissed Vicky. Medea, who had escaped from the parlor, beckoned her maids and sneaked up to the bedroomâwhere she found the door was open.
Lyle was sitting by the window alone.
As he sensed a presence approaching the door, he blinked out of his reverie and looked around.
âMedea.â
Surprised, Medea sensed the strange mood.
It was likeâŠâŠ it looked like he was lonely and sweetly waiting for her.
Medea meandered into the bedroom. She shut the door in case any embarrassing words would be exchanged. She didnât want to worry about eavesdropping servants.
Medea wasnât sure if it was her wishful imagination, but Lyle seemed a little nervous when she closed the door.
Medea peeked at Lyleâs apprehensive glances.
âIn the morningâŠâŠ the slap in the morning was too much. Iâm sorry, Your Majesty,â
As she spoke, Lyleâs face relaxed.
âNo. It was a mistake, so itâs okay. The handprint is almost goneâŠâŠâ
When Medea didnât continue, and they just stared at each other. Lyle eagerly approached her.
He took her hand.
And felt relieved to see Medea didnât shake him off.
âCome this way and sit down.â
âYes.â
As they sat side by side on the long sofa and staring at each other, a laugh of joy was seized in Lyleâs mouth.
Just by looking at Medeaâs face, it seemed that his feelings would burst forward.
âShall I bring the tea out?â
âNo. Everyone keeps only recommending snacksâŠâŠâ
It is the same with the maids who didnât know any other way to relieve Medeaâs stresses, so they often recommend tea and sweets.
At first, Medea liked it, so she ate it, but after a while, she got sick and tired of it.
After all, it would be best if you only ate something delicious sparingly.
âYour Majesty told me to keep my manners and act appropriately. Then you would release meâŠâŠ. Just, what manners should I specifically keep?â
âWhat?â
Lyle looked up at Medea in surprise at her inquiry.
So youâre trying to make me relax, unguarded so that you can look at my feelings?
âStay with me?â
When Lyle simply said the first thing that came to mind, it sounded like a confession.
ââI mean âbehaveâ by my side.â
âSo I just need to sit there and be by your side?â
How boring.
But it was possible if she had a romance novel in her hand.
Medea nodded. Thatâs about it!
âHow long?â
âHow longâŠâŠ.â
Lyle didnât think that Medea would be so calm. And he was thinking of keeping her by his side with an excuse. So he couldnât clearly state a time.
âUntil I feel betterâŠâŠâ
Medea started to get upset that there wasnât an exact duration.
Lyle saw Medea frown as he spoke.
âHow long exactly is that? Last time, after you slept with me, you definitely felt better and told me to stay here! What should I do to make you feel better?â
âIs the Main Palace uncomfortable?â
âI donât mind living in the Main Palace. I care about being restricted from going out and not being allowed to meet other people.â
âAre you talking about wanting to meet with the Little Duke again? Why do you want to meet him when you donât remember anything?â
As soon as she spoke about wanting to meet other people, Lyleâs face reflected his displeasure.