Your Meaning

Episode 29: Jealousy is My Middle Name II (4)

TL: thursdays

PR:  altacco

As the knights expected, the emperor was very pleased. He was so happy that his beautiful face was painted red as he smiled brightly.

Mikhail wanted to go see Dayeon right away, but today’s meeting schedule was packed as always. After finishing the urgent parts of his schedule, it was already afternoon.

The emperor couldn’t do anything about the thrill in his heart, and he headed to the lateral palace.

At this time, Daeyeon was rolling around in bed, humming a strange song that went like “Walu, walu, selu, selu” to herself.[1]

Marie didn’t understand what the song meant, but she cold-heartedly judged Dayeon as being tone-deaf.

“Did you become one with the blanket again? Do you know what time it is?”

Though the emperor had come running over without a break because he was so pleased, he still began with scolding Dayeon.

His infernal nagging, at this point, could be considered incurable.

The emperor’s aides, having been subject to the emperor’s fact attacks all day today as well, felt annoyed.

“Your Majesty, it’s too dangerous outside the blanket.”

“……You’re saying bizarre things again.”

But again, Dayeon was formidable as well.

Even if there isn’t anything special on her agenda, she should get up when the day is bright.

The aides grumbled inwardly, accustomed to the deadly diligence of the one they served.

“What did you do today?”

“I got up just now?”

Dayeon responded so blithely that the emperor started to smile.

One of his attendants quickly brought over a chair, but the emperor sat on the bed instead of the chair. It should have been uncomfortable, but Dayeon didn’t mind much and continued to roll around in bed. She looked very happy because she was wrapped in a blanket.

The emperor looked at her, even happier than she was.

In his heart, a refreshing fountain formed and flowers bloomed. A brilliant rainbow emerged and fluffy clouds covered his heart.

The emperor felt no desire to be acknowledged by anyone.

He was born as a ruler above others, and as such he did not require any further recognition. His ancestral position carried the responsibility to continue the achievements of his forefathers. He just did the tasks he was given.

However…

It was touching that Dayeon, who didn’t have a belligerent personality, defended him with all her heart. It felt like a miracle that someone like this existed.

Thank you, Herunia.

Thank you for sending such a being to this depraved world.

The emperor, who did not renounce the goddess but did not serve her either, was paradoxically forced to thank the goddess at this moment.

“You should stop acting like that to me.”

The emperor, peering straight at Dayeon, said something strange and incomprehensible.

Dayeon looked puzzled, but the emperor grinned and did not clarify.

He was already in love with her, but he kept falling even deeper.

In fact, the emperor was upset because of Dayeon. He felt bad because she didn’t quickly accept his feelings. He wanted to cast aside his mask and urge her to accept his feelings. But he was also in love with her honest and serious personality.

“Dayeon.”

Wrapped in the blanket, she looked at the emperor at his call. Mikhail gently swept his hand over Dayeon’s hair and said,

“I’m used to being criticized. So you don’t have to go that far. Don’t get upset, either. You’re the one who’ll be troubled each time.”

He only told the truth, so the emperor didn’t know why Dayeon had such a choked up expression on her face. Was loving a person accompanied by such complex emotions? Many words circled in the emperor’s mind.

I’m not someone you need to protect. I’m the one who will protect you who entered this world by yourself. Don’t try to defend me. Lean on me. Rely on me.

The emperor was happy when he heard the report, but at the same time, his heart hurt.

– But in the end, everyone was disappointed in me because they knew I was nothing. Of course, His Majesty was like that too.

She thought she was nothing, and she suffered from people’s disappointment in her.

For the first time, Mikhail realized that it hurt him too when the one he loved thought of herself as worthless. How can a person develop such selfless feelings?

These things scarred you deeply.

The emperor realized this for the first time, and he regretted the past.

He wanted to apologize to her.

I’m sorry I didn’t welcome you. I’m truly sorry I didn’t see you. I’m sorry I felt disappointed. Even without some great ability, your existence itself is beautiful. I’m sorry, and I want to ask for your forgiveness for trying to calculate and judge you.

He had despised the attitude of living without devotion. He thought that one couldn’t live like that. Those without ability were always put out of sight. At this moment, however, he realized that the value of a person was not in their ability.

Humans could not be measured in such a calculating way. Dayeon, even if she had no powers, was already worthy in the emperor’s eyes by virtue of her existence.

The emperor seemed to have had a large revelation.

Suddenly, he felt afraid of this feeling.

It was like a universe that he had never known came into being, and he was standing in that space alone. So, it was confusing and lonely.

He was swept up by an incredible variety of emotions. He was thankful, sorry, joyous, and tormented. Emotions got mixed up dozens of times in a day. He never knew before that love was accompanied by such varied emotions.

I want to save and cherish something, and I want to earnestly hope for someone’s happiness. He wanted to be with her always. He missed her. He wanted to do good by her, and he was sorry that he couldn’t treat her better. All these different forms of emotions were love.

Holding back the waves of emotion in his heart, the emperor continued staring at Dayeon. However, after so many thoughts, what came out of the emperor’s mouth was a very simple word.

“Thanks.”

The emperor’s humble statement surprised not only Dayeon but the servants around them as well.

The emperor was the highest authority. He was someone who couldn’t express his gratitude to someone without thinking.

However, the current emperor of Altius was by nature a very honest person.

“What for?”

“For showing me that I have these feelings.”

You brought me a new universe.

Do you know what this means? Do you know how happy I am right now? You’re so dense.

The emperor couldn’t express his feelings any further, and he shut his mouth.

The emperor was originally famous for being eloquent. Among the central nobles, many had been persuaded by the emperor’s eloquence to work like slaves.

No matter how hard they prepared, they were smacked around by the emperor during the cabinet meetings every time. It was to the point that they grumbled about taking some days off to learn elocution.

However, the emperor often found it difficult to shape his thoughts into words these days.

After pondering over what to say, in the end, the emperor asked a short question.

“Shall we take a walk for a while?”

“Um, yes.”

It was honestly very bothersome for Dayeon, who was buried in her blanket, but unable to refuse the emperor’s offer, she accepted graciously.

It was lucky that she did.

If the emperor’s request for a date was rejected, no one among his attendants was confident they could handle his hysterics.

Because the emperor still had a schedule to keep, they couldn’t go far and just walked through the lateral palace’s garden.

But that was enough. Something like location wasn’t important.

Dayeon felt a little shy as the emperor’s gaze was filled with such affection that anybody could feel. It wasn’t just his gaze. His love was unfiltered in the words he said, too.

“How can you be so beautiful?”

“…What part of me are you referring to?”

“Your face and your heart, everything is so beautiful. But if I had to say, your face is more beautiful.”

Shamelessly, the emperor said something that would please women.

What do we do? It looks like His Majesty has gone mad!

the attendants thought cheerfully.

Dayeon blushed. She wanted to turn the words that the emperor once said to her back to him, asking, “Are you crazy?”

However, Dayeon didn’t have the personality to be so frank, so she replied relatively modestly.

“I also have eyes and a mirror in my room. And coming from you, Your Majesty, it feels like you’re making fun of me.”

“It does? Why?”

“Your Majesty is the one who looks beautiful. Mm, to be honest, you’re the most handsome person I’ve ever seen since I was born.”

The emperor blushed again at those words and became happy. He was pleased to listen to these really irrelevant words.

“How do you speak so prettily?”

At the emperor’s words, the maids blushed with glee, but his aids looked as if their ears were rotting.

At this rate, the emperor was going to tell Dayeon that the way she breathed was beautiful too.

Love was such a terrifying thing.