Chapter 73
Chapter 73
***
Chuff, chuff, chuff, Kwanach’s lips moved here and there past the tip of my nose. My reason seemed to be melting away again.
I never knew that just hugging and kissing could feel so good. I couldn’t even imagine what a proper first night would be like.
I also continued to kiss Kwanach for a long time, but a step later hunger struck and I slowly came to my senses.
“Ummm….”
I wriggled as I lightly pushed away Kwanach’s shoulder, who was relentlessly biting down on my lips.
I didn’t actually plan to spend this much time kissing all day like this. We had gotten over the major threats while keeping Roman captive within the borders, but it was too early to be completely relieved.
I wriggled my hands a few more times to push his shoulders away and felt a deep sigh from Kwanach’s lips.
I stared breathlessly at him. Kwanach rubbed his nose against mine like a lamb and let out a low growl.
“It’s …… time for us to rest, Kwanach.”
“What happened?”
“Come to think of it, there’s quite a lot to process.”
Kwanach’s brow furrowed in a frown.
“I’m hungry…….”
“Oh.”
Then Kwanach relaxed his expression, grabbed me by the waist, quickly lifted me up, and sat me down beside him. In a few minutes I came down from Kwanach’s thighs.
“Yes, I didn’t think much. You must have been hungry.”
Kwanach bent down in the lightly rocking carriage. If he stood up straight, his head would hit the ceiling. So when he bent slightly, my eyes met the front of his lower body.
I quickly turned my head and covered my cheeks with my hands. The heat stuck to my skin.
‘He’s really, really aroused…’
As I faced the visual evidence, my sinking embarrassment was renewed.
‘When do I get used to this kind of thing?’
The act of putting my body together with someone I loved was exciting. However, the hard view of thinking that I had grown up with in a conservative environment for a long time had blocked my head.
I rubbed my flaming face a few times and cleared my throat. Kwanach sat down next to me again, transferring the light dishes he had left in the cart to my plate.
“We’ll stop at sunset. Now that you are awake, I think we should go to a nearby place to rest. When that time comes, we will be able to make the meal more grand, so please eat this first.”
Kwanach was on the verge of feeding me the food without handing me a plate. I shook my head in bewilderment.
“If you want to go without encampment for me, you don’t have to. I think we’d better arrive at the Imperial Palace early.”
“But ……”
“There is no need to slow down the schedule. I’ve spent many days in a wagon without any problems. You’ve seen it.”
As soon as I brought up the subject of dressing up as a man, Kwanach’s face darkened. The fork he was holding quickly scratched the plate.
“What’s wrong?”
“How sad I was at that moment. No, you don’t know, that’s why you’re talking about it so calmly.”
“It wasn’t that inconvenient. It was quite fun.”
Kwanach glared at me sternly.
“It’s true.”
“I’m even more upset to hear it’s true. That’s enough. I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”
Kwanach looked gloomy. He placed a thin slice of ham on top of the soft white bread. Then he poked at the food with his fork and placed it directly in front of my lips.
“What are you doing?”
“Eat.”
“I’m not a child. I’m not a patient. This is against table manners….”
“…….”
Kwanach stared at me as if refusing to retreat. Eventually my own momentum faltered and I gently opened my lips.
When I accepted the food, Kwanach’s hardened face relaxed, as if he was satisfied. It was awkward at first, but I was gradually getting used to Kwanach feeding me.
I said while thinking of the last battle before I fainted while chewing food.
“Roman. Just like that.”
“Yes.”
“When he used magic, his eyes suddenly turned red.”
“Red?”
Kwanach tilted his head as he brought some arugula to my mouth.
“Isn’t it strange? I’ve never seen such a case before. Did Roman directly confess that he was a descendant of the Pernen royal family? Oh, yeah, he can’t talk.”
“I tried writing, but there was nothing. Go to the Imperial Palace and step a little further… …I’ll look into it.”
“Since Jaxor is also keeping quiet…..I don’t know exactly what kind of person Roman is and what made Jaxor like that.”
“Now that we caught them, let’s examine them one by one.”
I nodded and accepted the cup of water Kwanach handed to me.
‘Roman and Jaxor…….’
If I could get Jaxor to open his mouth, it would reveal all of Roman’s evil schemes and the identity of those who work with him….
‘Jaxor is also a man of slavery. I don’t think he’d be easy to confess under torture.’
I wasn’t satisfied with just catching Roman.
‘Diaquit Catatel…… I’ll drag my brother down with him.’
We would not be safe without a drastic embolization.
‘What is the situation in my motherland now?’
I was concerned about my younger brother, Jenner, who was still in my home country. I thought of Jenner, who had been so disappointed when I went to the Radon Empire.
He was still a young boy, but he had the grace of a prince and knew about justice. How could such a child be with Diaquit?
I was worried that Diaquit might have dyed Jenner with his evil ways.
I need to get everything back to normal as soon as possible.
To do that, I had to deal with Diaquit.
* * * *
It was the day we reached the capital after running for several days without rest. With more guards added on the way, the procession was so large that it looked like an expeditionary force.
I was mostly inside the carriage, so I didn’t know much about what was going on outside.
As soon as we entered the capital and stepped on the road leading to the imperial palace, I felt a tremendous disturbance and heat rising outside the carriage.
I tilted my head and looked at Kwanach. If it had been a matter of etiquette, Kwanach would have had to ride his horse directly in front of the procession, but he made the excuse that I was not yet stable and remained in the carriage.
The noise outside was getting louder and louder. I asked Kwanach.
“There seems to be a rush of people. Can I open the window?”
Kwanach pondered for a moment and then nodded.
I approached the window, opened the hard shutters, and gently pushed the window shut. It was only then that the scene outside came into view.
It was the people. On both sides of the procession, there was a crowd of people surrounding us. It was a huge crowd. The entire Imperial Guard had been mobilized and were in the process of holding the people back.
The children and women were carrying baskets full of dried flower petals and laurel leaves. It was winter so there were no fresh flowers. The petals were fluttering in the air, and the people were shouting at the top of their lungs.
“For the sun!”
“For the sun!”
“Emperor!”
It was as welcome as when soldiers come home after winning a war.
“Empress!”
Not only that, but I heard my own name as well. I alternately looked outside and at Kwanach, confused and unsure of what was going on. The masses cheered louder and louder as people saw us appear at the window.
Kwanach said quietly to me, looking uncomfortable.
“First of all, you should enjoy the hospitality to the fullest. That way, the people of the capital will recognize you as a true empress.”
The wedding had taken place in my home country, but not yet in the Empire. Due to this and that incident, the wedding had been postponed day by day.
The person must not be used to me yet. So I was confused by the fact that these people would be welcoming me like this, but of course I didn’t mind.
“Her Majesty, Empress Usphere!”
They shouted respectfully, my heart beating faster as I heard my name clearly in my ears.
I opened the window a little more and put my hand out to wave at the people. People’s cries were full of heat. I had never been welcomed so enthusiastically by so many people in my life.
The noisy welcoming finally ended when we entered the Imperial Palace. However, there was still the commotion of the waves of people erupting over the city walls.
I closed the window and exhaled heavily. My heart was pounding. I put my hands on my upper chest, breathed and stared at Kwanach.
“What’s going on?”
Kwanach smiled faintly.
“We are on our way back to the capital and it seems that the story is already spreading. Rumors spread faster than words.”
“What story?”
“What you did at the border. The soldiers who were with me at the time were sent ahead to the Imperial Palace to inform them of the situation, and those soldiers went to the surrounding territories to receive relief supplies. It seems that your heroic tale spread from there.”
“Hey, what do you mean heroic tale?…. It wasn’t something to be praised for.”
“How can you be so humble when you use amazing magic?”
Kwanach chuckled.
“You have no idea how amazing you looked. The soldiers talked about nothing but you the whole time. The ground split and the plants soared…… Who else could have done such a thing? You saved our lives.”
I nodded slowly in embarrassment. I was more bewildered than pleased to receive such reverence here, where I was not yet familiar.
“So the story has already spread to the capital. And I can’t believe everyone likes me this much.”
“You probably didn’t know this, but after the wanted order was issued for Roman, the capital was in a wartime atmosphere for a long time. Now that you’ve caught Roman and withdrawn the wanted order, everyone should be happy.”
I squeezed my pounding chest. My name, which the people were constantly shouting, still seemed to be ringing in my ears.
I felt like I had finally become an empress who was truly recognized by the people here.
****
*Patient guys, we’re one step closer to the bedroom 😂