There was always a person next to the Empress so Lyle received a report on her every move, reports were coming in every time there was a change.
Medea sent off the small duke and baron. As soon as she was told her probation had been lifted she headed to the library. And now she was reading a book there.
Whatâs so good about books?
The best thing about the library was the memory of their affair. Medea couldnât have forgotten, it had been so memorable.
Lyle got up from his seat, looked through the documents he had already reviewed, sat down again, approached the window, and looked again at the performance report and the record season he had previously checked.
Time seemed to crawl at a snailâs pace.
ââŠâŠ.â
Lyle found himself walking to the door determinedly and stopped.
âYour Majesty wonât last long anyway.â
When he remembered Sidâs smirk (he denied it, but it seemed to Lyleâs eyes Sid had been laughing at him), he couldnât step out.
âDinnerâŠâŠ Letâs hang in there until dinner.â
He was wondering what kind of torture this was.
***
âIâm alone? You mean his Majesty isnât coming?â
âHis Majesty said he was busy with political affairs. He asks that you not to wait and eat first.â
At the courteous words of the servant, Medea went to her seat and sat down.
It wasnât that long ago, but she felt strange because they had eaten together every day for almost a month.
âAre you really mad? I donât think I did anything wrongâŠâŠ.â
The only thing she could think of was sexually rejecting him.
Perhaps she had made him feel butâŠâŠ didnât it work out the way Lyle wanted it to anyways? âBesides, Lyle seemed to like my reactions and rejections.â [kink alert]
âOr did I make a mistake? Something that hurt Lyleâs feelings.â
But nothing came to mind.
As she sat down and started to eat, Medea deeply pondered whether she had upset Lyle. If it had been before, she wouldnât have worried this much, but since Seiraâs appearance she couldnât help but be worried if Lyleâs heart had already moved towards Seira.
âNo, it didnât really feel that wayâŠâŠ. Every time Seira entered his eyes he frowned and looked displeasedâŠâŠ.â
Maybe hatred grew so much that it turned into love! Arghhh!
Medea, who was agonizing over the thought, wanted to tear her hair out.
Maybe she should have pretended to accept Lyleâs attentions. The thought that Lyle might have liked Seira made her incredibly nervous.
But she had no choice but to bring Seira to the capital. âTaking away Lyle, and then taking away even my dreams.âŠ. Of course, I saved Ianâs life.âŠ.â
It wasnât as if Medea didnât like Lyle. But she also didnât love him passionately so she wasnât confident in expressing her affection actively.
She knew she was being selfish by not liking him enough but also not wanting Lyle to care about womenâexcept for herself.
âIâm being a chicken [t1v: sheâs calling herself a chicken rib bone êłë„” or weak or a kind of weakness/selfishness where someone hesitates to give up even though it is of little interest to them]. No, itâs a little too delicious to call it êłë„”.â
As her shoulder dropped and she played with the food on her plate, suddenly everything became tasteless. After eating her favorite dessert Medea got up from her seat.
***
âYour Majesty, the Empress, is the temperature of the water correct?â
The voice of the maid-in-waiting came from beyond the partition where only silhouettes could be seen. Medea nodded with a deep sigh and then turned her head because she thought they might have not seen her approval.
âYes, Iâll call you if I need you.â
âYes, Empress.â
The maidens quietly left the bathroom. Although the Imperial family and aristocrats seemed to be used to being served in the bath, Medea refused to be served except when she was very tired. It was uncomfortable to be seen naked. [t1v: girl how did you survive Korean bathhouses?]
âBecause Iâm in the Empressâs Palace. Will I only be able to see him on union night?â
She didnât know why, but it seemed that everything was returning to the way it was in the past. Medea didnât even know why Lyle suddenly showed affection for her in the first place.
âI donât know why it appeared, so I canât even think about what to do about it if Lyleâs affections disappear?â
Immersed in water up to her neck, Medea sighed deeply.
She had thought it wouldnât matter to her if Lyleâs fondness came and left. But she couldnât help but feel miserable thinking that it had disappeared.
âNo, Iâd rather be comfortable, right? I will be able to sleep fitfully.âŠ. You can read as much as you want nowâŠâŠ.â
In the first place, this was the life she had hoped for. Medea had been cherished tenderly by Lyle for almost a month, so itâs highly likely that they had made a child âŠWasnât this the boring life of an Empress she had hoped for?
Oh. Suddenly, I really miss Lyle. So much.
Medea, who was squatting in the bathtub and sighing, suddenly rose from her seat.
Then she noticed something in the bathroom she hadnât detected before.
Originally, there were large mirrors on the left and right sides of the bathroom, attached to the wall. But now there was a strange massive mirror in front of the bathtub. Two large iron swans were seen supporting a giant round mirror with wings.
âWhy did you put this here in such an inconvenient location?â
Should she move it?
No, it would be too difficult.
It would be a huge undertaking to carry it because it was so big. On top of that, wouldnât the mirror break if she did something wrong?