"Sl, slowly…!"
"Gulp, haah… You drink this bitter stuff well."
"It's over 40%, are you alright?"
"You seem to be drinking over 40% every day, are you okay, Your Majesty?"
Carlyle was speechless.
He was so hurt that he couldn't sleep without relying on alcohol, and the mental pressure was severe.
However, he couldn't tell Asha that directly.
He sighed softly and smiled bitterly.
"What about you… What happened at this late hour? What's the matter?"
He forced a smile, but Carlyle himself knew it would look awkward to Asha.
However, Asha was just as awkward.
"I came here because I wanted to be sure."
"Sure? What?"
Asha stared at him blankly and swallowed her dry saliva. Her mouth kept getting dry, and even after drinking alcohol, the tip of her tongue felt rough.
But Asha was a warrior of Pervaz who didn't know how to back down.
"Were you serious when you said that you love me? Think about it carefully. Once you do it, you can't take it back."
The suddenness of her question sounded strange, but Carlyle could never take her words as a joke.
"I love you."
"How long? Please tell me, even roughly, without lying."
Carlyle snickered at the request to set a deadline for love.
Only now did he notice Asha's tense lips and shoulders. It made him feel happy and affectionate.
"Until my heart stops."
"Don't lie to me."
"I wish it were a lie. In fact, I'm afraid every day."
Carlyle slowly approached Asha.
"If you go back to Pervaz, I'll probably live a dead life from then on. My heart will follow you to Pervaz, and only the shell will remain here… ."
His eyes as he looked at Asha were warm, but it seemed that sadness would soon overflow.
"I'll only say this once. I can't live without you now. If this feeling were just temporary and impulsive, I wouldn't have run to Pervaz in the first place."
There were many reasons why he should stay in Zyro and attack the Palace, but when he came to his senses, he was running to Pervaz. Begging her to please stay alive.
Asha opened her eyes and recalled when she first saw Carlyle. He was running towards her in a panic.
"I'm sorry I'm confusing you when you don't feel anything for me. But I really don't want to force you. So…"
"It's really a separate thing to love and to know the heart of the person you love."
Feeling that this was a criticism of him, Carlyle couldn't breathe.
"This is really embarrassing…"
"You don't have to be. I, who realized my heart before Your Majesty, didn't know Your Majesty's heart at all."
"…What?"
Carlyle's head was in a mess in an instant. Asha seemed to have just said something very meaningful, but he couldn't figure out what it meant. His head wasn't spinning.
"I thought I was Your Majesty's tool. The fact that you treat me kindly is just… nothing."
"Asha…!"
"Let's not delude ourselves, let's kill this feeling quickly…"
At that moment, Carlyle grabbed Asha and hugged her.
"Asha… Asha, tell me I'm not wrong. The heart you've been talking about…"
"I love you too. For a long time now."
Asha said it with determination. But Carlyle didn't react at all except to hug her tightly. It didn't even seem like he was breathing.
"…Your Majesty?"
"…"
"… say something…"
And only then did he let out the breath he had been holding.
"Your Majesty, wait a minute. If you just let me go for a moment…"
But he didn't let go of Asha.
"Just for a little while… Just for a little while like this…"
Carlyle held Asha in his arms desperately, for fear that if he gave her even a little bit of space, he would break this dream.
Seeing Carlyle like this, Asha's desperate heart also began to soften a little.
The strongest knight in the empire, looked up to by all.
The emperor of this country, blessed by the god of war and victory.
It was a little satisfying to think that even he, who seemed to have no frustration, sadness, worries or pain, was so distraught and broken because of her. It seemed like he had been as hard as she had been, and his worries seemed as heavy as hers.
"Your Majesty."
"Hmm…"
"Please reassure me."
Only then did Carlyle relax his grip and look at Asha.
In the deep honey-colored eyes gazing at Asha, there was a mixture of curiosity and anticipation.
"What do you want?"
"First… kiss me with your lips."
As soon as Asha finished speaking, he leaned in to kiss her lips as if he had been waiting.
The hot lips gently explored Asha's, then suddenly, with force, pressed against them, causing Asha to stumble back as if pushed against a wall.
Despite starting rough, the kiss quickly became tender, melting Asha in its intensity.
'How could I forget a kiss like this.'
In the vast field in Pervaz, they had known since the moment they sought each other's lips that they wouldn't forget this moment until they died.
Their lips parted after a brief, lingering touch, but the air between them began to heat up.
"What next…?"
Carlyle asked, but both knew the answer.
"What do you think?"
"Are you sure about this?"
"Do not ruin the mood."
When Asha gestured towards Carlyle's bed, his grin turned mischievous.
"Hot."
Then he swept Asha into his arms.
Having the bed nearby couldn't have been more welcome. In fact, he had been the one patiently enduring, gathering all his patience until now.
After laying Asha down on the bed, she hastily pulled at Carlyle's shirt. He promptly tossed it aside.
"You look like you've been drinking every day… yet you still have a great body."
Carlyle burst into laughter at Asha's unexpected comment. He hadn't expected her to appreciate his body, but apparently she did.
"I know it's childish, but honestly… I'm so happy."
And yet, his daily training must have been exhausting. But every once in a while, amidst all the effort, he dragged his weary body to the training grounds, hoping for a night with Asha.
Indeed, effort never betrays. In any way.
"I won't disappoint you in other aspects either."
Carlyle whispered in Asha's ear as he began to remove her shirt.
* * * *
Although Giles had failed to make Dorothea the empress, it did not mean that Asha agreed to remain as the empress.
The noble families with daughters of marriageable age also agreed with Giles' opinion.
"It won't be difficult. Countess Pervaz wants a divorce anyway, so it seems like we just need to pressure her a little more."
Giles revealed important information to the nobles gathered in his drawing room.
The nobles, who learned that they were trying to catch Carlyle and that Asha was trying to leave, thought it was fortunate but also resented Asha.
"She's quite arrogant for her position."
"Well, at least she has some shame, I guess. I was worried that the country girl would get carried away."
"But I don't think His Majesty will give up easily…"
"He's mistaking camaraderie and affection for love because they suffered together. In fact, His Majesty doesn't know women very well."
TL/N: AND WHAT DO YOU FREAKING KNOW?
At Giles' words, everyone wanted to hear more about it with curious faces.
Giles, who had been dissatisfied with Carlyle's ignorance and neglect, felt his self-esteem returning at the nobles' attitude of still praising him.
"Isn't it true that attacks are more intense against someone who is perfect than someone who is flawed? That's why I advised him to make his image of liking women a flaw."
"Is that what happened?"
"Yes. In fact, His Majesty is not that interested in women. He happened to have his first experience with Countess Pervaz, but that was only to deceive the spy…"
Although it was quite disrespectful for a subject to reveal his master's private affairs, Giles, who was disappointed and resentful of Carlyle, mocked him as if he were taking revenge.
The nobles, who were egging Giles on and trying to get more information, were also able to notice that Giles's judgment was clouded.
"Anyway, at the upcoming banquet, you should all 'subtly' ignore Countess Pervaz. It shouldn't be openly rude, but enough for that woman to know her place."
Everyone agreed to Giles' plan.
It wouldn't be that difficult. After all, ostracizing a hated noble was something they had always done.
Moreover, since Asha already had no heart for the position of empress, it seemed like they just needed to show her a little bit of spice.
However, as soon as the imperial banquet began, everyone noticed that something was strange.
"His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress!"
Along with the cry of the senior chamberlain, Carlyle and Asha, who entered the hall, were quite intimate and natural.
Asha, who nodded slightly to the nobles who bowed their heads, did not seem awkward at all about ruling over others.
Moreover, the two people sitting side by side on the high table looked more like two emperors than an emperor and an empress.
The expectation that Asha would be mindful of the nobles' gazes was completely shattered.
"The chamberlains must have trained her for that. Otherwise, it would be a disgrace to His Majesty."
"I think so."
Although they were somewhat apprehensive, there was no force to support Asha anyway. Why would they be afraid of a woman with no family or collateral?
They went ahead with their plan.
TL/N: LOL! GOOD LUCK WITH THAT:/