On a dark night, Edellis finally finished checking. 

"I almost missed something important."

Then I remembered that I didn't have any gold coins. Gold coins are something important, as you may not be able to convert jewelry into gold coins right away. 

Edellis leaned over to take out the pocket she kept under the bed. But at that moment, the window suddenly opened and a strong wind blew. The heavy curtain was swaying in the wind. Her wavy golden hair that came down to Edellis waist was blown by the sudden wind, covering her eyes. As she swept her hair with one hand, a young man is seen through the curtains. Edellis was startled and tried to shout, but she was so surprised that her voice couldn't come out. 

In a hurry, she reached out to pull the bell to call the maid. But there was a big hand grabbing her wrist faster than that. It was the man who appeared through the curtains. Edellis trembled without being able to do anything, and raised her head to see the man's face. Because of the dark room and the moonlight was on his back, so she couldn't see it properly. However, eyes getting used to the darkness soon discovered his red hair and beautifully shiny golden eyes. Edellis's eyes widened at the moment she checks the man's eyes and hair color. 

"Are you, Lehan? Is it Lehan?"

"Long time no see…Are you doing fine?"

In the past, it was similar to me, but now he's taller than me and has a broad shoulders, which is clearly characteristics of a knight. Edellis was very unfamiliar with it. If it weren't for his red hair and golden eyes, she might not have recognized it. However, she had not forgotten him, enough to recognize that he was Lehan with only that much clue. 

"How have you been?"

When Edellis happily called out the name of Lehan, who is now unfamiliar, he laughed and sat down on the bed where she was sitting. She had so many things she wanted to share with Lehan. What have you been doing so far, how have you been, why didn't you send a letter, and… Can you help yourself? Eventually, Edellis, who couldn't wait for Lehan to answer, quickly continued. She didn't have much time because she was going to leave this place tomorrow. So, rather than waiting for his answer, she had to tell him what she would say.

"Lehan, remember? The promise you made to me before you left?"

On that young day, we promised. You will save me. You said you'd protect me from anyone or whatever. 

"Yes I remember, I never forget it."

Edellis expression, which had been stiffened by tension, opened up brightly when she heard him say that he didn't forget it. 

"By the way, I…Can I still keep that promise?"

"Sure!"

Contrary to Lehan's hesitant attitude, Edellis woke up in joy and hugged Lehan's neck, who was sitting next to her. After a long time, he opened his eyes amazed at the temperature of her delicate body, but couldn't lift a hand, but finally hugged her and buried his face on the back of her neck. The smell of sweet perfume mixed with the fragrance of Edellis filled his nasal passages.

"Ah!"

Edellis laughed in relief, recalled this situation and pushed him away.

"Why do you do that?"

Edellis put her hand on his shoulder and spoke urgently.

"Take me and run away!"

"Yeah?"

"Some time ago someone came. The Emperor said he would make me Empress. I don't want to be an Empress!" 

His eyes, feeling like he had the world with her in his arms, shook in confusion. Lehan, with a dark face, fluttered his mouth several times, and then took off his lips. 

"To marry the Emperor…You hate it so much."

Hate. Of course I hate it. Her goal has been to escape from the Emperor ever since she first learned that this place is in a novel, and that she is the same person as "Edellis Brill" in the novel. It's a glorious position for some, but if you become an Empress, you will be stabbed to death by the Emperor's sword. So, she promised that she wouldn't become an Empress, but would live a long, long life. 

"I want to be with Lehan, not the Emperor."

Before coming here, Lehan had to constantly think about what to do if Edellis had forgotten him. Even if he has never forgotten her for a moment, Edellis may be different from him. The thought that she wouldn't forget himself, who was merely a commoner, was a great expectation. But to say that to Edellis is not the emperor, she just wants to be with him. Lehan couldn't keep up with his indescribable emotions.

"You want to be with me."

Lehan chewed on his words, was forced to withdraw at his voice, as if holding on to something.

"Yes! Not only that! I study pharmacy, agriculture, and commerce a lot, so even if I live as a commoner, isn't it be too difficult?… Perhaps?"

She thought so, but Lehan's thoughts might be different.

'Because there's no reason for Lehan to be chased by the Emperor to save my life.'

As I thought so, I gradually lost confidence in his voice. If that's the old Lehan, he would have said that he would follow me at once without taking time to think about it. I have been away from him for 7 years already. As much as his changed appearance, I was worried that his thoughts could be different from those of Lehan I knew before. 

"I have a lot of useless stuff and gold coins that I received as an engagement gift from the Emperor, so wouldn't it be okay to live without being greedy?"

Lehan raised one hand and stroked Edellis cheeks as if adorable. Despite what he had been doing before leaving Edellis, her face, somehow embarrassed, blushed. The hands with calluses, much larger than before, were unfamiliar. Lehan touched her forehead. Like the day he left.

"It's okay to be greedy, I want to do everything for you."

"If I'm greedy, my father can't handle it. I don't intend to run away and be greedy without knowing the subject."

"To understand the subject…"

Lehan smiled strangely and wiped her red cheeks continuously. His behavior wasn't much different from before he left, but his mood was very different from then. So Edellis turned her head to avoid it and continued talking.

"Wow, anyway! Wouldn't it be easy to give up what you've been enjoying with me?"

Regretful of her body temperature that left his hand, Lehan stared at her and hugged her waist, still in his arms. 

"There is no need to give up. I will be picking you up tomorrow, so please wait."

"Actually, I was going to leave alone tomorrow night." 

Lehan sighed of relief. While hesitating that she had forgotten himself, I almost missed her. Naturally, the arms that held her felt tight.

"If you don't come by day tomorrow… I'm leaving alone. Then I won't wait for you again, got it? So, do I have to make that decision?"

Edellis grabbed his arm and said that. What she said to him seemed to be threatening. But, in fact, Edellis needed him, and her tone was quite desperate. However, even more desperate than her, Lehan nodded, vowing that he would come early.

"Don't worry, mi'lady. I will definitely come to pick you up no matter what happens tomorrow. It will be a long journey, so please rest."

Lehan laid Edelis on the bed and pulled the blanket up to her neck to cover it. He told her to sleep, but she couldn't sleep in an anxious heart and looked at him over and over again. He said he was going with her, so she felt calm, but when she was preparing to leave by herself, her heart full of anxiety about the future, which she had tried hard to ignore. If he didn't come, it'd be harder than when I thought I would leave alone. 

"Tomorrow, you must come."

"I will come to pick you up early."

Lehan's large hand covered Edellis green eyes. His warm body temperature, flowing over the darkened vision, gave her a sense of stability. Edellis fell asleep as if satisfied only after hearing the answer that he would pick her up tomorrow.

*****

Edellis was last checking what to bring with Lehan. While thinking about whether to wear comfortable clothes when running away, or clothes with lots of decorations to change for money.

"Ah, young lady!"

At the voice of an urgent maid from outside, she hid her luggage under the bed. As she pretended to embroider and asked the maid to come in, the maid opened the door, rolling her feet in a hurry.

"Now is not the time to embroider! A message came that Your Majesty is coming here to pick you up!"

"What?!"

Edellis face turned white. It was only a week before I heard the story of becoming an empress. And it was still three days left to go to the palace.

'By the way, the emperor is coming to pick you up today, when you decided to leave with Lehan… !'

Edellis quickly organized her thoughts. She knew that if she blamed the emperor and the current situation, the distance between him and herself was getting closer, but the situation didn't improve.

'Then what about Lehan? I finally met Lehan after a long time!'

Edellis, who had decided to wait until daytime today, was worried, but had to run before entering the imperial palace. Since Lehan didn't forget herself, she tried to comfort herself, saying she would be able to see him again. Already in the distance, I could see the horses rushing. Edellis tried to leave the room with a bag of comfortable clothes that hidden from under the bed next to the maid, whether she was surprised or not. However, it was faster for her father to open the door than for her to push the door.

"Ah, father."

"Ethel, Your Majesty is arriving soon, so you have to go to the front door right now."

Her father grabbed Edellis wrist and saw the bag in her hand.

"Do you want to carry that thing in front of Your Majesty? Take it down and put it on the wagon."

The maid was resentful, but quietly obeyed the order, and Edellis suddenly took the luggage she had prepared. Without anything, it was almost as if I was looking at the fire to see what would happen if I left the mansion alone. Eventually, she gave up everything and had to follow her father down the stairs and stand in front of the front door to greet the emperor. Edellis eagerly recalled Lehan's name in her heart.

'Lehan, Lehan… … please! You told me yesterday that you're not gonna late!'

But contrary to her wishes, countless horses and carriages were running to her place. And carriage that were more splendidly decorated than others were coming far ahead of her. Seeing the man on the horse fell, she couldn't believe her own eyes. A little hurriedly, the person who walked with a wide stride and stood in front of her…Because he was the person she was looking for so hard.

"Lehan!"

Edellis murmured, she almost gave up. But he came as promised. It was so nice to put her arms around his neck and bury her face on his chest, and Lehan's hard arms hugged Edellis.

"I see Your Majesty the Emperor."

She knew that the emperor had come only after hearing the hard voice of her father, Marquis of Brill. She was afraid of what the emperor would do when he saw his fiancee hugging another man. He will be angry for trampling on the pride of the imperial family.  To defend Lehan from the Emperor, Edellis hurriedly pushed him and looked for the Emperor. She was originally destined to be stabbed and killed by the Emperor, but Lehan would not have been. But what Edellis saw was his father bowing down. The knights who arrived later were also kneeling on one knee and bowing their heads as if greeting the lord.

"My wife, Edellis. I came to keep my promise. In the future, I will protect you."

Lehan said with a smile on his face without worrying about the surroundings, but she was full of confusion. The person in front was obviously Lehan, who had been looking for her last night. It was Lehan with red hair and golden eyes, with the face of her childhood remaining. 

'No, maybe not. Even if the person in front of you is Lehan, there is no way that Lehan is the Emperor.'

How to take this? Still, she couldn't accept reality.

"… I'm just asking you.

"Please speak."

Lehan smiled brightly and held her in his arms.

"You, maybe… Are you the Emperor?"

"That's right, my Edellis. May I call you Ethel?"

"It's not that important now! Are you the real Emperor?"

Lehan laughed shyly and nodded. As she looked at Lehan's freshly smiling face, she felt the blood draining from her body. 

'I can't believe this, it's ridiculous…'

Lehan returned after 7 years. Being the tyrant who kills me in the future.