The Emperor told her not to expect love, but the Empress loved him enough to push away her father, who planned a rebellion to protect him. The Emperor promised to protect the Empress, but unable to bear a child and being the daughter of a rebel, the Empress eventually requested to abdicate herself. “I loved you, Your Majesty” Speaking of love for the first and last time, the Empress departed from the Emperor’s side, unaware of what the last night with him left her. * * * “If you had run away from me, you should have lived well, not in this state.” Leonard had an expression she had never seen before. Tenere stared blankly, not even thinking to tidy her disheveled hair. “Why…” Her voice faltered and didn’t continue till the end. A cold gaze swept over her and the child. Unable to withstand that gaze for long, Tenere lowered her head. As the sight of blood dripping from the tip of the sword caught her eye, her arms holding the child involuntarily tensed. “The Empress’s position has been vacant for too long.” A large hand enveloped Tenere’s cheek. It felt like a thumping heartbeat in the place where the warm heat touched. “To me, you are my only Empress.”