The journey back to the imperial palace was very awkward. Aira sat quietly inside the luxurious carriage, her hands folded neatly in her lap as she stared out the window.
Normally, she would have been pressing her face against the window and asking a hundred questions. But this time, she couldn't bring herself to say anything. Because across from her sat the emperor. And he hadn't spoken a single word since they left the market. He simply sat there with his arms crossed, his posture straight, his cold crimson eyes fixed on the scenery outside.
Aira stole a glance at him. Nothing. She looked away.
A few seconds later, she glanced at him again. Still nothing. His expression hadn't changed even slightly.
Aira nervously rubbed her fingers together. Why is he so quiet? She glanced at him again. This time, she noticed the faint tension in his jaw.
Oh.
He's still angry.
Aira immediately looked away. Okay. Don't bother him. Just sit quietly.
She lasted approximately ten seconds. Then she glanced at him again. The emperor's eyes remained fixed outside the window. Aira frowned. How can someone be this intimidating while literally doing nothing?
She shifted in her seat.The silence became unbearable. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore.
"...Your Majesty?"
No response.
Aira waited.
"...Are you still angry?"
The emperor's gaze remained outside the window.
"Yes. Don't talk to me."
Aira's shoulders sank. "...I see."
Silence returned. She stared at her lap. A few moments passed.
"I'm sorry."
But the emperor still didn't respond.
"I really didn't mean to wander that far." She paused. "I just wanted to eat something."
The emperor finally turned his head slightly. "Do you want to say you abandoned your escort for grilled meat?"
Aira's lips twitched.
"When you say it like that, it sounds like it's my fault that I wandered that far."
"Are you really sorry?" He coldly glared at her.
"...Right." She lowered her head, then whispered quietly. "But the meat was really good..."
The emperor's eyes narrowed.
Aira immediately shut her mouth.
Right.
Wrong topic.
She turned toward the window again. Now that she remembered what had happened, she couldn't help but think about the handsome blond man from earlier. How can someone be that handsome?
Just imagining his abs--
I mean, no.
What am I thinking?
Compared to the emperor, he actually seemed rather kind. At least he looked approachable, unlike the grumpy emperor sitting directly across from her.
But why was the emperor so irritated with the blonde man?
Don't tell me he's jealous of someone who is just as handsome as he is?
Or...
Maybe since they live in a world with almost no women, it's not surprising that some men develop feelings for other men.
Just imagining them living their entire lives surrounded by nothing but men with six-pack abs...
That's kind of boring.
Maybe some of them eventually develop feelings for other men, just like in those BL stories where a handsome emperor falls in love with the man he initially considers his enemy.
Her eyes widened slightly.
Maybe the blonde man is actually his type, and he's only pretending to be angry because he doesn't want anyone to know.
Hehe. Maybe that's it. Aira nodded to herself.
Then she secretly glanced at the emperor. Unfortunately, he was already looking at her.
Aira froze.
"Why are you smiling?"
She quickly flattened her expression. "W-What? I'm not."
"You were."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"What were you thinking? Are you thinking of that dog?"
"Dog? No... of course not!" She quickly shook her head. "I-I was just remembering the skewer from earlier."
His expression darkened.
Aira immediately looked away.
Okay.
Definitely still angry.
Then she remembered that she still had the skewer from earlier. She quietly pulled the remaining piece from her pocket. She had somehow managed to save the last bite. She stared at it. Then at the emperor. Then back at the meat.
Maybe I shouldn't eat this right now.
The emperor's voice suddenly came from across the carriage. "Don't."
Aira froze.
She slowly hid the skewer behind her back.
"...I wasn't going to. Hmph."
The emperor sighed quietly.
For some reason, Aira thought he looked less like an emperor and more like an exhausted father dealing with a troublesome child. She suppressed a laugh. Unfortunately, the emperor noticed. His golden eyes narrowed.
Aira immediately turned toward the window. Nothing happened. Absolutely nothing. She definitely wasn't laughing at the emperor.
The carriage continued toward the palace. Eventually, the towering gates of the imperial palace came into view.
The carriage descended gracefully from the sky and landed within the palace courtyard. The moment the door opened, Aira stepped outside.
She stretched her arms. "Ahh..."
Finally.
She glanced around.
Everything looked familiar again. The marble courtyard. The towering white columns. The imperial guards standing perfectly still.
The emperor stepped out behind her.
Aira instinctively moved aside.
Before she could say anything, however, a deep voice suddenly echoed across the courtyard.
"Welcome back, Your Majesty."
Aira stopped.
The emperor also paused.
Aira slowly turned around. And then her brain stopped functioning.
A man was walking toward them from the palace entrance. He was very tall. His golden-brown hair was slightly tousled by the afternoon breeze, giving him an effortless charm that was completely different from the emperor's intimidating presence.
Unlike the emperor's cold, severe expression, this man's face carried a gentle smile. His eyes were warm. His posture was relaxed. And his clothing...
Oh. Oh no.
Aira's eyes widened.
He wore a fitted long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The fabric stretched naturally across his broad shoulders and muscular chest.
And all the buttons were undone.
Just enough to reveal...
Aira's gaze slowly dropped.
A very well-defined abdomen.
One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Six-pack.
Aira forgot to breathe.
The man continued walking toward them.
Aira continued staring.
His waist was lean, his shoulders broad, and his entire physique looked like something designed specifically to make people lose their ability to think.
Aira's mouth opened slightly.
Is this another one? Seriously? Did the gods of this world have some kind of obsession with making every handsome man look like a walking statue?
She swallowed. Her eyes remained fixed on him.
One...Two...Three seconds.
The man's smile became slightly amused.
Aira mentally slapped herself. Look away, Aira. This is rude. You are staring like a pervert.
Her eyes moved upward. They reached his chest. Then his shoulders. Then his face. She finally met his eyes. He was already looking directly at her.
Aira froze.
Oh no.
He caught me.
The handsome stranger smiled. A warm, almost playful smile. "Hello."
Aira's brain went completely blank.
"..."
She opened her mouth. Nothing came out.
The man chuckled softly.
"Are you alright?"
Aira nodded immediately. "Yes." Her voice came out much higher than intended. "Very alright."
The man raised an eyebrow. "Very alright?"
"Yes."
Aira nodded again. "Extremely alright."
Why am I talking like this?!
The man laughed. Unlike the emperor's rare, restrained chuckles, his laughter was warm and easy. Aira felt strangely relaxed listening to it.
The emperor, meanwhile, remained completely expressionless. "Tsk. He's not someone important. There's no need to bother yourself with him." His voice was cold.
Aira looked at him then at the man.
"Come on, Your Majesty. Don't be like that. How can you introduce me to someone like that?" The man placed a hand against his chest, a faint trace of complaint in his voice. "How can you be so cold-hearted toward your own brother? Even to some old man you know, you could at least introduce me properly."
The man then looked at her with a wide smile. "Hello. Since my brother seems to have no intention of introducing me, I'll introduce myself properly."
He extended his hand. "I am his younger brother, Julian."
Aira's eyes widened. Younger brother?!
She looked at Julian. Then at the emperor. Then back at Julian. The resemblance was obvious. Both had the same regal features. The same commanding presence. The same tall stature. But that was where the similarities seemed to end. The emperor was cold and intimidating.
Julian looked approachable, warm, and almost innocent. Julian smiled brightly.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, old man."
Aira blinked. Wait..Old man?
Oh, right.
She was still wearing the disguise necklace. To him, she probably looked like an elderly man. She was just about to reach for his hand when Julian's smile became even gentler.
"Nice disguise as an old man..." He paused. "... Woman of the Prophecy."
Aira's eyes widened. She immediately looked up at him in shock. Then she glanced toward the emperor.
The emperor's expression changed instantly. His hand shot out, firmly tapping Julian's hand away before immediately pulling Aira slightly farther from him.
The emperor's expression remained unreadable.
"You." His voice was dangerously calm. "Why are you really here?"
Then his gaze sharpened. "And what exactly did he tell you?"
Julian laughed innocently. "Who are you referring to?"
"Jacob." The emperor's voice became colder. "The dog. Did he tell you?"
Julian raised an eyebrow. "Ah. You mean Jacob Reinhart from the wolf clan?"
Aira noticed the emperor's jaw tighten.
Julian continued casually. "No. He hasn't told me anything about it yet."
He shrugged.
"I only heard rumors about the Woman of the Prophecy. He smiled. "You know how rumors are. They travel quickly, even across distant kingdoms."
Aira watched the emperor's expression. She could clearly see irritation and anger passing through his eyes as his jaw tightened.
"What do you mean?" His voice dropped. "Are you saying the news has already reached the neighboring kingdoms?"
Julian laughed softly. "Relax, Your Majesty." He raised both hands. "I don't think the enemy kingdom knows about her yet."
The emperor's eyes remained cold. "Then explain."
Julian sighed dramatically. "It's only my subordinates who informed me." He smiled. "If you've forgotten, I have an extensive intelligence network. Very little escapes my ears." He turned toward Aira. "And certainly not something as important as the appearance of the Woman of the Prophecy."
Then he winked at her.
Aira's eyes widened. She instinctively took a small step backward and placed a hand over her chest. How can someone that handsome wink at someone so casually?!
For some reason, her cheeks suddenly felt warm.
Julian chuckled at her reaction before stepping closer again. He extended his hand once more.
"Nice to meet you." His smile softened. "I've been wanting to meet you ever since I first learned about the existence of the Woman of the Prophecy."
He briefly glanced at her disguise, and his slightly golden eyes suddenly seemed to glow, as though they could see through the magical illusion and scan her entire being.
"And now that I'm finally looking at the woman behind your disguise..." His smile became warmer. "The prophecy certainly wasn't wrong." He paused. "You really are different."
Then he added gently. "..And also very beautiful, just as the legends described."
Aira froze. Beautiful?
Did he just call me beautiful?
Since arriving in this strange world, it was the first time anyone had called her beautiful. She suddenly felt strangely touched.
Now that she thought about it, the man standing before her might just be the most handsome man she had ever seen. And he seemed genuinely kind. A man like him was probably someone she could actually get along with in this strange world.
Aira stared at his hand. Then at his face. Then at his hand again. Finally, she slowly took it.
"Aira."
The moment their hands touched, Julian smiled.
"Nice to meet you, Aira." His voice was warm.
Aira smiled back. "Nice to meet you too."
For some reason, she felt much more comfortable around Julian than she did around his brother.
Perhaps because Julian actually smiled at her and said things she wanted to hear. Unlike someone she knew who seemed ready to execute everyone within a five-meter radius.
Aira glanced toward the emperor. He was watching them. His expression hadn't changed. But his golden eyes had become noticeably colder.
Aira noticed.
Uh-oh.
Julian apparently noticed too. He looked at his brother. "What's wrong, Your Majesty? You look like you could kill someone with that glare."