Silence.
The emperor glanced at her chest. Then back at her face. His expression became even more confused.
"What is wrong with touching your chest?"
Aira stared at him in disbelief.
"What?!"
He tilted his head. "It's not different from a man's chest."
Aira's jaw dropped.
"..."
The emperor continued calmly. "You have two bumps that are not that different from yours. Some men also have chests that are as large as your bumps." He looked at her chest as if it were nothing unusual.
Aira's face went completely red. "THAT IS NOT THE SAME THING!"
How dare he?
How can he compare my chest to a man's? Is he trying to say her chest is like a man's chest?
The emperor blinked. "Why?"
"Because--" Aira struggled to find the words. "Because they're--"
She stopped.
Why was she having such a hard time explaining herself?
The emperor waited patiently.
"They're... different!"
"How?"
Aira stared at him. How was she supposed to explain this?!
She covered her face. "Your Majesty..."
"What?"
"You really don't understand?"
"No."
"You're telling me you genuinely don't understand why a woman would be embarrassed if someone touched her chest?"
The emperor thought for a moment.
"No."
Aira slowly lowered her hands. "You've been ruling an empire for how long?"
"Long enough."
"And nobody ever explained this to you?"
"No."
"Not even your tutors?"
"They taught me warfare, diplomacy, economics, history, and politics."
Aira stared. "And nobody thought to teach you basic human anatomy?!"
"What's that?"
"What? You don't know what human anatomy is?!"
The emperor looked at her as though she were saying a strange word. "Is that a forbidden word or a curse word?"
Aira stared at him.
"No! Anatomy is the study of the human body parts. Does anyone ever tell you that women's and men's bodies are different, and that a woman's chest isn't something to compare to a man's chest or touch? Only a pervert would do that. Grr!"
"Tsk. You're the only woman in this world, so why would I waste my time studying what's different between men and women?"
"It's important to know that, Your Majesty!"
"Tsk. Why are you making such a fuss over those bumps on your chest? If you're so sensitive about it, then touch mine too like what you did before." He said it without the slightest reaction.
What the?
Aira immediately looked at his exposed abs, visible beneath his loosely worn robe. She swallowed.
Why does he have to be topless right now?!
"Why would I do that? I'm not some pervert like you." She whispered lowly before quickly looked away.
"So your chest is considered a treasure that no one can simply touch?" The emperor answered with a slight frown.
"Yes! Only couples do that! Someone close enough to share affection with each other can do that."
"Affection?"
The emperor tilted his head. "But aren't you the one who taught me about affection?"
"W-What? When did I?"
"When we kissed. Isn't that a kind of affection?"
Aira froze.
The emperor stepped closer, causing her to instinctively take a step back. "You told me that physical affection between people who care for each other is normal."
Aira froze. "...I did, but we're not that kind of people who care for each other."
"But you kissed me."
"W-What?"
"You told me that women and men behave differently. But if there is affection, it's just a normal reaction between a man and a woman."
Aira blinked.
The emperor stepped closer. " So what exactly did I do wrong?"
Aira's brain crashed again. She opened her mouth. Nothing came out. She closed it then opened it again.
"That..." She pointed toward herself. "That was..." Her cheeks burned. "...different."
"How?"
"Because..." She looked away. "Because you can't just..." She gestured helplessly. "...touch someone there without warning!"
The emperor stared at her. "Why?"
"Because it's embarrassing!"
Aira suddenly stopped. Wait. What the hell did she just say? Did she just sound like she was embarrassed and accidentally gave him permission?
Her eyes widened. "W-Wait, it's not—"
"You should have told me earlier." The emperor's expression remained calm. "Next time, I won't touch you there without your permission if you don't like it."
Aira stared at him. She couldn't believe him. She groaned and covered her face. "I can't believe this."
The emperor looked at her for another moment. Then, surprisingly, the corner of his lips lifted slightly.
Aira immediately noticed. " Are you smiling?"
"No."
"You are!"
"I am not."
"You definitely are!"
The faint smile on the emperor's face disappeared instantly. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Aira narrowed her eyes. "You are enjoying this, you pervert."
"I am not." Then he stepped closer.
Aira immediately stepped back. "Don't come closer."
He stopped.
For a moment, they simply stared at each other.
Then the emperor spoke. "You were staring at my brother earlier. I don't like it."
Aira's eyes widened."..What?"
Then she suddenly remembered. The six-pack. Her face heated again.
Why do his abs instinctively always come to mind? Is she also some kind of pervert? Argh, no! Definitely not!
"I wasn't staring at his abs."
She immediately covered her mouth when she realized what she had just said.
The emperor's eyes narrowed.
" So you were staring at his abs."
"No, I was just surprised!"
Aira froze.
The emperor stared at her. "You were looking at his abs for several seconds. So how was it? Was it better scenery than mine?"
Aira nearly choked.
"No! Why would you compare his abs to scenery? And I'm not comparing it to yours. Yours are..." She whispered the last part. "...without equal."
The emperor's eyes narrowed. " I see. It's good that you appreciate mine more than someone else's." He paused. "Next time, don't look at their abs. Just look at mine."
What?
Aira stared at him.
Is he serious?
Then she couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Are you jealous!?"
"Jealous? Why would I be?"
"You're jealous!"
"No."
"You're definitely jealous!"
The emperor stepped closer. Aira immediately stopped laughing. His golden eyes fixed on hers.
"Perhaps."
Her smile vanished."...Perhaps?"
His voice lowered. "I don't like seeing you look at another man that way."
Aira's heart skipped. She stared at him. For the first time since they had entered the room, there was something unmistakably vulnerable beneath his cold expression.
Aira swallowed."...Why?"
The emperor looked at her for several seconds. Then he answered quietly.
"Because I want your eyes on me."
Aira froze. Her cheeks slowly turned red.
The emperor leaned slightly closer. " And because..." His gaze dropped briefly toward her lips. "...I don't like sharing."
Aira's heart nearly exploded. She quickly looked away.
"You can't just say things like that!"
"Why?"
"Because..." She covered her burning face. "...Because you're making it impossible for me to argue with you."
For the first time, the emperor's expression softened. Just slightly. He reached out and gently tapped her forehead.
"Idiot woman." The emperor tilted his head. "Are women from your world all idiots like you?"
Aira rubbed her forehead. "Stop calling me that! And not all women are idiots! Every woman from our world is respected and considered equal to men."
"So there are dragons and wolves there too?"
"No, that's not--" Aira stopped herself.
She didn't want to tell him that her world was completely different from his, that magic didn't exist there. Dragons, wolves, vampires, and all those magical creatures were merely fictional creatures that could only be read about in novels or manga.
Well, it wouldn't hurt to lie a little, considering how arrogant this emperor was.
"Well, of course there are dragons and wolves in my world. Even vampires exist there too!"
They're all in movies, hehe.
"Vampires?" he asked, his brows furrowing.
"Why? Are there no vampires here?"
"No. I'm just surprised that even those bats exist in your world. They're very dangerous bloodsuckers, so if you ever see one, you have to run away from them. They're the natural enemies of dragons."
"Oh..." Aira didn't know what else to say.
Wow. Even vampires exist here too? Don't tell me witches and mermaids exist too?
She couldn't help but pout.
"Tsk. Stop pouting. It doesn't suit you."
A faint smile appeared on his face again.
What the...?
Aira suddenly realized something. The emperor wasn't actually angry anymore. He was simply jealous, pervert and a very bipolar man. Aira stared suspiciously at the emperor.
"By the way..."
"What?"
"You really shouldn't touch me there without asking."
The emperor nodded.
"I understand."
Aira relaxed. "Good."
A pause. Then he added calmly. "Next time, I'll ask first before I touch you there."
Aira's eyes widened.
"THERE IS NOT GOING TO BE A NEXT TIME!" Her voice echoed through the entire chamber.
The emperor simply looked at her and for the first time that afternoon...
He actually smiled.