When she was left alone, Hazel looked at herself in the mirror. They made her more luxurious and also adorned beautifully than ever. It wasn’t just on her appearance, but she also had the dignity of the empress.

“Are you satisfied with it?”

As she tried to turn her head to the direction of the sudden voice, a large hand held her head and aimed it to the front. She could see Achilleon approaching her through the mirror.

Achilleon was also dressed in the emperor’s uniform. From the dazzling white uniform down to the cape that was dragging on the floor, it was a perfect attire for him. His chiseled forehead, nose ridge, and those dark blue eyes were clearly visible because his hair was pulled to the back.

Hazel had a close look at him as if she was bewitched.

The golden griffin embroidered on his sleeve as well as on his collar was magnificent.

But of course, Achilleon himself was more dazzling than all of those.

“I am… satisfied.”

She found it harder not to be satisfied seeing him. Because what he was currently wearing wouldn’t simply be converted into money.

It was given to only one person, who deserved a certain honour.

“But is what the handmaiden said true?”

Hazel asked while looking up at him. However, as soon as their eyes collided against each other gently, she lowered her head hurriedly again when his eyes seemed as if they were going to pierce her.

Instead of answering, Achilleon picked up the crown in front of the mirror and placed it on top of Hazel’s head.

“It’s true.”

The diamond-studded crown was quite heavy. But it was extremely beautiful.

“So from now, this is yours, Hazel.”

Hazel looked at herself in the mirror as if she was bewitched. Everything had been prepared. She was dressed full of dignity and elegance like an empress of the Empire.

The only place where she didn’t wear anything was on her fingers. Achilleon looked down at her empty fingers and pulled a small box out of his arms.

When she opened the box, there was a red jeweled ring that gave off a blinding powerful glow from inside. Next to it was a heavy platinum ring.

“It’s a ring that had been handed down to the empress for generations.”

Hazel looked at it with a surprised look. But something even more surprising happened after that.

Plop.

Hazel looked down at the man kneeling on one knee with his cape spread out.

“The Emperor of Demophos, Achilles Pines Demophos, proposes to the princess of the Kingdom of Land, Hazel Martina Land.”

Hezel couldn’t move even just for a bit when she saw the ring he held out onto her. It felt as if her body was stiffened and she was facing a situation that was not realistic.

“Are you going to just keep me kneeling in this kind of situation?”

Hazel quickly came to her senses when he asked in a playful tone and held out her left hand to him.

Achilleon watched silently how her hand was shaking when she pushed it out into the air and he slowly wrapped his hand around her.

After a while, her ring finger was attached with a sparkling ring when he let go of her hand.

Achilleon slowly pressed his lips over Hazel’s hand which was still trembling.

“Now that you’ve received this ring, you’d better not think about anything else.”

“…….”

“You can never return back.”

Hazel nodded her head at him who gave out warning once again.

“I swear.”

“Count in my pledge as well.”

Hazel picked up the platinum ring next to the Empress’ ring and slowly inserted it into his held-out finger.

Seeing the ring on each finger made her feel even more strange. From now it was really irreversible for her. It was both surprising and frightening.

“Let’s go.”

Hazel looked at Achilleon’s extended arm and put her hand around it softly.

The banquet hall was crowded with invited guests to celebrate the last day of the establishment ceremony. They were wondering about the emperor’s attitude who had not been seen for days.

At the same time, the murmur quickly disappeared when the emperor finally appeared. Their gaze shifted from the emperor to the woman standing next to him, and soon surprise spread over the faces of everyone in the hall.

“Today’s banquet was arranged to announce the Empress of Demophos. Hazel Martina Demophos, my only wife and Empress.”

The words that came out of Achilleon’s mouth triggered many noises in the wide hall at once.

“The only wife?”

Various voices were heard coming out among the people in the hall.

“Your Majesty, that means…”

Hazel could feel his wrapped arm around her waist tightened. It was an incomparable expression of his possessiveness. She looked through the faces of the people in the hall while being trapped in that firm arm.

Delegations from each country and those from the prestigious families of the Demophos Empire all looked disappointed. Perhaps it was because the plan to push their daughter into being the candidate for empress position or concubine had gone completely wrong.

Looking at their faces one by one, Hazel felt some euphoria boiling deep from the inside.

Especially when she met Sisef’s eyes on one side of the banquet hall, he was looking at herself and Achilleon.

He was looking at Hazel with an unexplainable look. He seemed surprised. The same look was on Lorette’s face.

She looked really surprised that she even forgot about her wide-open mouth.

A meaningful smile spread across Hazel’s mouth when she saw both of their faces.

“Your Majesty.”

Achilleon looked down at Hazel when her voice called for him. A smile spread across Hazel’s mouth when she read through his calm blue eyes filled with passion toward her.

A mighty man who wielded power all over the continent came into her arms. Having a twinkle in his eyes while looking at her. Extreme tingling and dizzying sensation ran through her body.

“Why?”

“That….”

Hazel continued while rubbing against his hand softly and went up to his arm.

“I’m tired.”

“…….”

Achilleon’s eyes narrowed as he examined her expression.

“Are you tired?”

Soon his gesture of pulling her waist and holding her was getting unkind.

“Yes.”

Hazel sighed lowly while leaning in his arms.

“I suddenly got a lot of people’s attention, and… It’s burdensome.”

Her quivering eyelashes caught his eye.

“I want to go back and rest.”

Hazel averted her eyes slightly and stole a glance toward Sisef and Lorette. The two were still standing stiffly at their place while looking at Hazel.

“If that’s what you want.”

Achilleon hugged Hazel as if he was embracing her inside his ceremonial cape. Before her sight being completely blocked, Hazel imprinted their expressions in her memory for a long time.

A king who was getting repeated bows from everyone and a man who was endlessly kind toward her. And that king was a man who didn’t hesitate to kneel at her.

That was enough. Hazel smiled at the power she had grasped.

“You must’ve been bitten by a big bug.”

Mary was checking Hazel, who was sitting with a blank face all the time when her hair was being brushed.

“Huh?”

Hazel just stared blankly at the mirror and came back to her senses once she heard Mary’s words.

“You must have been up all night. Your eyebags are darkened.”

“Is that so…?”

Hazel said while looking at the mirror. Like Mary said, there was a dark shadow under her eyes. Hazel knew the reason very well.

She had a disturbing dream all throughout the night. It wasn’t exactly a dream, those were parts of the event occurred in the past.

She ran and hugged Achilleon by herself, became the empress in front of everyone, and enjoyed that moment.

And even the expressions of Sisef and Lorette looking at both of them like that.

The whole thing was vivid. If she closed her eyes, those thoughts would come back again.

“But what did you just say?”

“Oh, that… that mark. On your chest.”

There was a vividly red swelling at the place where Mary pointed out with her gaze. Hazel’s face instantly heated up when she recalled the man who left that mark.

“Are you feeling hot?”

Mary put the comb down and fanned Hazel’s face. It was fortunate that Mary was so naive to the point that she didn’t know what this mark meant.

“No, I’m okay.”

“I should have asked the court lady to treat it as well.”

When Mary spoke worriedly, Hazel dried her hands while waving them.

“No, it’s okay as well. Why would you do that for an occupied person such as me? It’ll be gone in no time.”

“But that means you can’t wear a fine dress for a while.”

Mary said as if she seemed to be even more upset.

“Well, I’m not even going out. I shouldn’t have gone out yesterday knowing this would happen.”

Hazel said while gesturing at her ankle.

“Now that I think about it, how’s your ankle?”

“Yeah, I’m able to walk a little now.”

Hazel showed her ankle to Mary and lifted the hem of her dress. The swelling has subsided significantly and her movement has gotten quite comfortable compared to yesterday. Although it was still difficult for her to put all the weight on her feet when she walked.

“What more has happened with your already thin ankle?”

Mary sighed as if she was upset.

“It’s not like I can’t walk, so don’t be worried too much.”

“But, still.”

“Because I would be better if only I consumed my medicines properly, so please bring them here a little later.”

“Yes, I will.”

When Mary left, Hazel rubbed her ankle while recalling what had happened last night. He swooped her up like a vicious hunter as if he was on a hunt, and ravaged her on the balcony without hesitation.

Watching Achilleon act as if it was his instinct to have her, she couldn’t resist anything he did to her. She could not move, like a mouse in front of a cat.

“But next time you’re going to take these off by yourself. This mask, this clothes.”

Hazel suppressed her ears and made it seemed like she could still hear what he said.

The empress’ seat he gave to her was sweeter than anything else in the world.

The power to make everyone lie under herself and bow their hands. The confidence of the past, which had nothing to fear in the arms of the most powerful man on the continent. It was herself in the past which had nothing to fear when she was already in the arms of the most powerful man on the continent.

It seemed that the childishness was still dominating her mind at that time.