Chapter 36
Chapter 36
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: I've Got Something I Want to Eat, You See
-----------------------------------------------------------------
As long as you're alive, that's what matters.
Sara stared off into the distance with a dazed expression. It looked a little wistful. Before Daphne could say anything, the corners of Sara's mouth curved up.
"Anyway, His Majesty called you back to serve him. Is that at least a blessing?"
"......"
"So I can be with you."
Well, was it? Daphne couldn't bring herself to answer. Sara was a compassionate friend, which was why she'd helped Daphne.
But was this good for Sara?
To serve under a fellow maid—and not even a senior one like Sara, but a lowly junior maid. Daphne wasn't sure it was a good thing.
She glanced at Sara's face, but the kind-hearted woman just looked warmly friendly.
"I'm really glad to see you again."
"......"
"I thought you'd successfully escaped and I'd never see you again."
How nice that would have been. If she'd escaped all of it. That wouldn't have been so bad. Sara had been chased out of the imperial palace but could still live on somehow, and Daphne could have lived freely.
In contrast to Sara's joy, Daphne could only clutch at her bitter heart.
It was certainly good that Sara was alive. Still, Daphne had wanted to bid farewell to everyone here as much as possible. But that wish had crumbled now.
As soon as Asherad returned, he'd naturally sought her out, turning her into a dog on a leash.
Following Sara, Daphne finally arrived at the dining hall. If there was one sacred place the filthy Daphne had never entered, it was the dining hall.
It was as grand as she'd imagined. A massive table, bright red chairs. Glittering chandeliers and flowers adorning the table.
Asherad was already seated at the far end. He smiled when he saw her.
Normally, the highest-ranking person arrived last. Yet the emperor who gripped this empire sat waiting first for his "lover," a former maid.
He was truly a man overflowing with love.
"The red dress suits you like a rose. So pretty."
"......"
"My love is adorably innocent, ignoring conventions like laws."
What... did he mean it violated etiquette? Daphne looked down at her dress. Even recalling the manners she'd been taught, she couldn't tell if it broke any rules.
Then Asherad whispered softly.
"Makes me want to strip it right off."
Her back stiffened at his words. Sara—no, everyone here must have heard. As her cheeks flushed with shame, Asherad's smile deepened.
Dressing this formally for breakfast was the act of a clueless fool ignorant of high society. Asherad inwardly scorned such people.
He didn't know if Daphne had chosen the dress or if the maids had picked it out of jealousy. If the former, it had worked too well. If the latter, it was pointless.
Because Asherad wanted to rip off that seductive red gown right now. Tear the thin silk, sink his teeth into her jiggling flesh, and roll it with his tongue.
She'd chosen flashy over modest, and she pulled it off too perfectly. Black wasn't her color—not the maid's uniform that made her ordinary, but bright colors suited her frighteningly well.
"Come sit here."
At Asherad's gesture, Daphne took the seat beside him—close to him. Steam rose from the soup immediately offered as she sat.
"Eat."
Daphne hesitated before reaching for the soup. It had been so long since she'd had a proper meal.
She felt the servants watching. They were surely judging her table manners.
Daphne lowered her eyes and laid out her napkin. She quietly tilted the soup bowl outward, angling her spoon the same way.
Asherad let out a soft chuckle.
Daphne hadn't eaten properly in ages, so she hadn't had a chance to show it, but she'd been rigorously trained because of Beatrice. Even after so long without fine food, her movements were as natural as breathing.
Rather than drawing the soup inward, tilting the bowl outward to eat was a Pheneios noble custom—one of the ways to judge if the host knew noble etiquette or not.
Unaware, Daphne passed the test effortlessly.
The cream soup with mushrooms was quite tasty, so she ate quietly. Even just the soup filled her up. She left half and stopped. Asherad asked softly.
"Why aren't you eating more?"
"......I'm full."
At her words, Asherad stood, grabbed her chair, and moved it right next to his.
The attendants flustered about. Ignoring them, Asherad scooped up some soup and held it to her lips.
"Eat."
Daphne glanced at his eyes before opening her mouth and swallowing it. She didn't know what he'd do if she refused.
His gaze had felt dangerously intense since earlier. When the soup rose like bile to her throat, she finally surrendered.
"I'm full."
"......"
"I can't eat anymore."
Asherad tilted his head at her.
"Full after this little? Daphne. Don't you like eating with me?"
Daphne shook her head vigorously. This time he offered bread. She ate it all.
It was far more than her usual meals. Her stomach felt like it would burst. Still, she mechanically accepted the soup he fed her.
This might be another form of torment.
Refusing would make her one who dared reject a meal with the emperor. Seeing her face darken, Asherad's lips curved up.
"Full on this? Daphne, you have to have dessert too."
He held out a plump green grape. Daphne parted her red lips and took it. The grape was so large she had to open wide.
As if struck by a sudden thought, he brushed her lips.
The tart grape juice seemed to settle her stomach. He offered another grape.
Daphne hesitated at the sight. But held to her lips, she opened wide and ate it.
Juice from the large fruit dribbled past her lips. Asherad leaned down and pressed his mouth to hers. His soft tongue grazed her lips. As if savoring the sweetness, it licked greedily, smearing stickily over them. It was a sudden kiss.
Daphne squeezed her eyes shut. He stood, placed both hands on her armrests, and kissed her deeply.
Was this what it meant to be the emperor's woman?
Doing this with maids right there, so shamelessly... Knowing she'd be a spectacle, did she have to accept it? She could guess how they'd gossip.
Daphne's gaze kept drifting to the maids.
Suddenly Asherad stood and yanked the tablecloth. Dishes and food crashed to the floor in a discordant clamor.
What was this sudden madness? Daphne swallowed hard at his eccentricity. He glanced where her eyes had been and commanded.
"Clean it up."
The maids slowly began clearing the broken dishes and food. Daphne instinctively rose to help, but Asherad pushed her shoulder down to sit.
She watched them bend over, picking up plates right in front of her.
One was the woman who'd pointed and giggled as Daphne passed. Another whispered loud enough to be heard.
They were all veterans—"senior" servants and maids—which gave it a strange feel.
Staring at the backs of their heads felt odd.
"Look here, Daphne."
At his tender, coaxing words, she turned—and he kissed her again. The servants cleared plates while they kissed.
It felt like toying with them. Even at the end of that intense kiss, Daphne couldn't focus. As the food was cleared, Asherad ordered.
"All of you, out."
A bold attendant stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, if breakfast doesn't suit, shall we prepare more?"
"......"
"You haven't eaten a single bite yet."
"Did I not just tell you to get out? Do I need such crude words for you to understand?"
The attendant paled at his eyes and gestured hurriedly. They all vanished quickly, fearing the fallout.
In the end, only the spilled tablecloth and Daphne remained in the dining hall.
Confirming they were alone, Asherad grabbed her waist, lifted her, and laid her on the bare table. His deep green eyes fixed on her—dark and murky. Daphne knew what that gaze meant.
"Now you can relax?"
He grinned and stroked her hair. Daphne was flustered by the touch. Asherad was certainly one to show servants appropriate kindness. Why had he acted like that?
Before she could conclude, he spoke again.
"Did you sleep well last night?"
"......"
"In your new room. I'm curious what you thought."
It was like chatting with a fish on the cutting board—affectionate tone. Daphne bit her lip.
"There was a mirror."
"A mirror?"
"So I could see my face."
Asherad seemed lost in thought for a moment. Not seeing your face without a mirror—that was beyond his understanding.
For a fleeting instant, she thought she'd glimpsed a human expression on him. But then his palm glided over her seductive red dress. The hand savoring the smooth texture felt scorching, like touching bare skin.
"I've got something I want to eat, but the earlier stuff was no good, you see."
Asherad smiled wickedly.