1st Kiss Was Intentional - Chapter 8

It’s a night without a sound, not even a single cry from grasshoppers, so the noise is audible in the distance. It seems that people have found Carolyn and the burly man. At the same time, something flashes in my mind.

Oh, I almost forgot.

I then hurry to ask him. “You said you lured them there, didn’t you? Did you happen to see what Carolyn was doing to me?”

He nods his head.

As expected, he’s been watching me again.

I touch my forehead with a small sigh.

You’re a stalker, but you’re supposed to break the habit.

Though, let’s stop fussing for now because he saved my life for it. I then glance at him with all my might and loosen up the middle of my forehead before speaking in a rush, “I… Take me to the ballroom.”

He stares at me in wonder at the unexpected remark.

I then explain as clearly as I could while hurriedly rearranging my hair and clothes. “If I disappear from the ballroom now, people will doubt me. Then I can’t even refute Carolyn’s charge against me.”

I have to go back to the ballroom as if nothing had happened. Those who just found Caroline and the man up there would naturally consider the scene of the two fainting with them lying on top of each other as a scene of an affair. When she wakes up, she’ll deny it, and try to find me. However, what will she say when she finds me back at the ballroom?

She can’t say that she tried to manipulate me and the man to have an affair, and no matter how hard she tries to say so, she can’t prove that I was in the corridor. Carolyn will be at fault for everything about pinning the affair on me.

After have these near death experience, my mind becomes tense, but surprisingly, I make a cool-headed judgment on my own and say firmly. “Quickly.”

I clasp the hem of my dress that shines with a curious pupil red, and whispers like a request.

His eyes meet mine, and after staring at me for a few seconds, he finally nods softly, realizing that I wouldn’t back down.

After that, it happens in a flash. In the blink of an eye, and less than a minute, I am on the terrace from earlier.

As we walk down the hallway, I see the entrance to the ballroom. I then let my hair hang down and use my hands to straighten my hair. After I fix the wrinkled ribbon, puff up the hem of my skirt, I quickly leave the terrace. I have to get back in the ballroom before Carolyn comes to her senses.

Oh, right!

“Go back to my castle first.”

I’ll be in big trouble if you ever catch Carolyn’s eye while waiting for me. As a third concubine, she has the right to punish a servant no matter how much wrong she has made. Besides, given her temper, she might be desperate enough to kill him. She’s the type that gives and takes.

I can’t let the person who helped me die unjustly, so when I told him to go to my castle first, he was a little surprised. But he seems to like it very much. He then nods his head and jumps out of the terrace again without looking back.

Ack!

Surprised at the moment, I grab onto the terrace and look down. Before I knew it, there’s no trace of him left behind. Oh, yeah, he wouldn’t get hurt or anything jumping down from here.

Oh, it’s like seeing Hong Gil Dong.

I don’t know how many times I’ve been surprised tonight. The humidity from running so fast kills me. I don’t know where he learned that from but I don’t think I’ll get used to it even if I see it many times.

I quickly rush into the ballroom.

—

The carriage comes to a stop before the servant announces our arrival. “Lady Odette, we are here.”

Soon the carriage door opens, and I take the servant’s hand to carefully step outside.

“I’m sure you’ve been confused by the disturbance that happened today. You don’t have to worry about it, because the Emperor will impose strict punishment.”

“Yes, I see.”

I smile as if nothing was wrong. Then I take one last look at the servant before naturally going into the Lily Castle, trying not to look too hasty.

“Phew.”

After I entered the city and closed the door, the carriage goes away with the cry of horses galloping. Only then do I sink down with a sigh of relief.

My heart is still pounding.

A few hours ago, after I hurriedly sneaked back into the ballroom and picked up a snack as if I had been there the whole time, a knight came in at the same time as well. Because he wasn’t quiet, his presence was noticed. He then hurriedly spoke to Geppetto. It’s not necessary to explain that Geppetto’s face turned pale after hearing the report. He tried to remain calm but could not hide his blanched face. When he quickly climbed up the platform and whispered to the emperor, the emperor, who was sitting still like ice, gave orders immediately.

The nobles who were enjoying the party wondered what was going on. It was natural that the atmosphere in the hall was disturbed at that moment. Even Yuri Sina blinked with a surprised face.

Geppetto forgot to keep his voice down so once he hurried down the platform, he shouted to the knights. “Put the third concubine Carolyn Reilly in a dungeon right now!”

The bewildered and prickly aristocrats all heard the announcement and instantly became interested.

After that, it spread like fire.

As scheduled, the party did not end until dawn. The emperor remained in place until the end, but no one focused on the ball. Everyone was busy trying to find out what was going on through close friends of Imperial Palace’s servants or maids. Those who heard the news quickly were excited to spread the rumor.

Rumor had it that the third concubine Carolyn Reilly was caught in the act of having an affair with a man. The only witness, me and the servant, had disappeared. They were found on top of one another, which made everyone believed so.

There was no way to explain how she came to her senses and fell asleep alone with a strange man in such a remote place.

No matter what, she did intentionally pull a man in to hurt a concubine.

But I couldn’t tell him the truth.

At that time, thanks to my servant’s help, I managed to avoid a death flag.

Carolyn Reilly, however, will not live long and will be killed. In exchange for the Eternal Peace Treaty, she became a concubine, but cheating on the emperor was a direct threat to the emperor’s succession and counted as rebellion. As the third concubine, she is the daughter of an immense aristocratic family. Perhaps the rumors will spread throughout the Harron Empire.

That’ll be a ten-year imprisonment.

I trudge up to my room, wiping away my sweat. As soon as I walk up the hallway to my room, a man leaning against the door, pops out of the shadows. “You’re finally here.”

“Argh!” I scream in astonishment because I was too occupied by the previous thought. “Who, who’s there?” I ask with great tension, then I see familiar silver hair and red eyes.

Oh, it’s him.

Only then did I remember telling him to go to the castle first.

How did he know this was my room? I open the door and gesture for him to come in. Then, using the small candles that I lit up, I brighten the room and take off my jewelry and put it on the dressing table.

Ugh, I’m so tired that I just want to fall asleep like this. If I was here alone, I would have taken off my face and dove right into this bed.

I ask him through the mirror of the dressing table as I take out my earrings. “Hey you, what’s your name?”

Come to think of it, I don’t even know his name.

Beyond the mirror, he looks around the room with an interested face, and as soon as he hears my voice, he turns to me and answers, “Marquez.”

Hmm, Marquez.

That’s a good name for his bloody eyes. It’s also quite aristocratic for a servant.

“Okay, Marquez. Thank you so much for what happened today. Well, can I call you Mar?”

“As you please.”

He has a handsome face like a sculpture, and even his voice is a masterpiece. It’s a low and medium tone, but I want to keep talking to him because it’s so cool like honey on vocal cords… No, what’s this?! Is it because my senses are tiring?

As my tension eases, my eyes keep wandering. I then shake my head and slap my cheeks.

Ugh, it hurts.

Once I come to my senses, Mar is staring at me as if he’s having fun. I then look back at him in the chair, feeling stiff. He’s dressed in his black uniform with no decorations, just like earlier. “Mar, where do you belong?”

Though the alertness disappeared because he’s my lifesaver, I have to know basic information to have him by my side.

“…None. I ran away.”

“What?”

When he revealed his affiliation, I was so surprised that my eyes pop out. I was going to ask that in the future, he should courteously request to come instead of appearing out of nowhere.

Ran away? Is he crazy?

“You—are you out of your mind? Run? Why did you run away?”

“I was going to be a prisoner of war and be the emperor’s servant, but I ran away because I didn’t want to. So you have to let me stay in your castle from now on.”

Oh, my blood pressure! Blood pressure!

I grab my neck and almost fall backward. It’s like putting a tiger cub in a den to avoid the fox!

“Don’t worry. I pretended to run out of the capital. I’ll hide well.” Whether or not he knows what’s going on inside of me, Mar replies casually, while blinking shamelessly.

Of course with the enormous power I saw earlier, it’s not impossible to escape alone from the Imperial City!

So why are you really not going to run away and lying low at my castle instead?

“I’ll hide and be with you until the Emperor resumes his previous life.” Mar, who has seen my face changes dozens of times in a second, whispers as if he has read my thoughts.

I hold my forehead and breathe deeply.

Of course, my castle is a lonely place where I don’t usually get a glimpse of an ant. If there are no supplies coming from every month, it is thought to be a deserted castle. Therefore, if he stays in the castle, he doesn’t have to worry. Still, the moment I’m caught, I’ll be executed on the spot for treason!

In this novel, Toward the Star, it seems to want to kill the villain, Lydia Odette, somehow. Otherwise, there’s no reason why you’re sticking this dead-flag in!

I’m so confused as I shake my head in regret.

The emperor, who is called blood crazy, is relentless about war and nothing else.

What if they find out I hid a fugitive, prisoner of war? My goal’s to live a fine and long life, but what the fuck?! I’m going to die even quicker!

“It’s not possible. Thank you so much for helping me, but if I get caught…”

“In addition, I’ll give you protection.”

I snort my head at Mar’s abrupt remark. “…Protection?”

Note: This chapter was translated by chll51, who thankfully gave me permission to use the chapters they already translated.