Chapter 30

Why did Ulysses pull such a ridiculous stunt?

To understand this, we need to go back about three hours earlier.

I entered the palace, feeling the weight of the curious and judgmental stares from the palace attendants.

‘I really didn’t want to see the Emperor again…’

As I walked down the marble floors, the sound of my heels echoed, and I let out a small sigh, though I kept it to myself. I was so distracted that I didn’t notice right away when the palace attendant leading me took a different route—not to the main palace, but somewhere else.

‘Wait a minute, this is the Crown Prince’s palace.’

The Emperor would never hold our meeting in the Crown Prince’s residence. Even if there was to be a confrontation, it made much more sense for Ulysses to come to the main palace rather than the Emperor coming here.

Something was wrong. I stopped in my tracks, my voice dropping low as I addressed the palace attendant.

“Excuse me, isn’t this the Crown Prince’s palace?”

The attendant flinched for a moment before regaining composure and answering with forced calm.

“Before meeting His Majesty, you are to meet with the Crown Prince.”

“What nonsense is that? I wasn’t informed of this. Are you suggesting I break my appointment with the Emperor?”

I used the stern gaze I inherited from my parents—one that always gave the impression of a nasty temper—to intimidate the attendant. He averted his eyes, clearly uneasy with my infamous attitude, but still repeated his answer.

“I am simply following orders, milady. Please, go inside.”

Is Ulysses trying to keep me away from the Emperor to prevent me from spilling something?

The Emperor, after all, was a man who valued his time highly. There was no reason for me to ignore my appointment with the Emperor just to entertain Ulysses’ whims.

‘If he wants to get himself in trouble, that’s fine, but don’t drag me into it.’

I had no intention of displeasing the Emperor. Turning sharply on my heel, I said coldly,

“For a palace attendant to defy the Emperor’s orders, the royal family’s standards must be slipping.”

I’ll just go report this to the Emperor directly. As I started to walk away, the door to the Crown Prince’s palace swung open.

“Wait, lady.”

Ulysses himself had come to greet me. Since he spoke directly to me, I paused for a moment but had no intention of waiting any longer than that.

“I’m sorry, but I cannot break my appointment with His Majesty. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

Just as I took a step forward, Ulysses stepped in front of me, blocking my path. He looked startled for a moment when he saw me.

“…What’s with your head?”

I had bandages wrapped around my head, courtesy of Sophie.

‘Might as well milk this for all it’s worth.’

Sophie, ever the loyal servant of an infamous villainess, didn’t hold back.

‘Not that I mind.’

The bandages were my backup plan, in case the Emperor decided to push me for anything. I could always claim I was still recovering from my injury. Crossing my arms, I gave Ulysses a cold stare and replied nonchalantly,

“As you can see, they’re bandages. Now, would you kindly step aside?”

Before I could sidestep him, Ulysses blocked my way again.

This guy? I glared at him, but Ulysses, looking more composed than usual, spoke calmly.

“The Emperor has an urgent matter to attend to. He’s asked me to entertain you while you wait.”

Ah, the Emperor… This was his doing, then.

Our self-proclaimed royal matchmaker was relentless. Clearly, the Emperor had taken advantage of the commotion at the party to try and push me back toward Ulysses, hoping to squash the rumors of our possible broken engagement. How persistent.

Despite my annoyed expression, Ulysses didn’t seem to notice as he shamelessly extended his hand toward me.

“Come inside, lady.”

“…”

As much as I wanted to leave, I couldn’t just disregard the Emperor’s order to wait. Begrudgingly, I turned on my heel and entered the Crown Prince’s palace, ignoring Ulysses’ offered hand.

Even though I’d followed Ulysses into his reception room, I had no intention of sitting down and making small talk over tea.

I stayed standing and went straight to the point.

“So, what’s your motive?”

Ulysses leisurely sat on the sofa, playing innocent.

“Motive?”

“The Emperor gave you some kind of order, didn’t he?”

Ulysses didn’t look particularly surprised. It was obvious to anyone that the situation was unnatural.

While I was eager to finish whatever this was and go home, Ulysses remained relaxed, reclining on the sofa and adding unnecessary comments.

“How’s your injury? I was quite worried.”

His eyes gleamed with a strange sense of anticipation.

Even though I was out of it, I clearly remembered Ulysses trying to catch me as I fell. He was probably hoping I’d thank him for saving me.

‘Does he think I’m just going to express gratitude?’

I played the role of the injured victim perfectly. After all, when you’re tipsy, you can easily “forget” minor details like someone trying to catch you. If he expected me to remember everything clearly, he was asking for too much.

‘Perfect excuse for a villainess like me.’

Ulysses had a slightly hopeful look, but it wasn’t like I cared. I gave him a sidelong glance, still standing, and answered sarcastically.

“How do you think I am? I’m a patient. Can you just let me go already?”

Ulysses chuckled at my response.

“As blunt as ever. You seem fine, so that’s a relief.”

“What part of this looks fine to you?”

“Your temper’s still the same.”

…I’ve just been insulted by the resident anger-management failure.

Was this what Raphael felt like when I treated him like a madman? I found myself having an unexpected moment of self-reflection.

Ulysses seemed to enjoy seeing my expression twist in annoyance and asked in a more relaxed tone than before.

“You asked what the Emperor’s intentions are. Don’t you have a guess?”

I did. But there was no point in saying it out loud. I shrugged, pretending to be clueless.

“No idea.”

Despite my snide response, Ulysses kept smiling. It didn’t seem like a psychological game—it was just weird.

‘He doesn’t seem smart enough to be pulling off a mind game.’

I’d heard that sometimes people’s personalities change after a head injury. Did I hit him while drunk? I doubted it, but if I had, I’d be dead right now.

Wanting to end this strange encounter, I pretended to feel unwell, clutching my head.

“Can we wrap this up? My head hurts.”

“Wait, lady.”

A chill ran down my spine. His voice was way too smooth and unsettling.

I must have hit him. There’s no other explanation for why he’s acting like this.

Ignoring my discomfort, Ulysses continued, as if rehearsing for a drama.

“Lady. When I saw you fall from that terrace, I was terrified.”

“Why?”

“I was afraid of losing you.”

I don’t have time for nonsense like this.

Even though I’m technically unemployed, I’m not wasting my time on this rubbish. I interrupted before he could spout any more garbage.

“Your Highness, just to be clear—I’m not breaking off my engagement with Raphael, and I destroyed that gaudy gem you gave me.”

His dramatic performance came to a screeching halt. He stammered for a moment before finally managing to repeat my words.

“D-destroyed…? The one I bought for 400 goldens?”

Why? As Evelyn Praviche, I have the right to destroy anything worth 400 goldens.

Sure, it seemed insane to him, but it wasn’t my job to make him understand. I reiterated my point for his benefit.

“So, let’s not waste time with meaningless conversations that’ll only make us both uncomfortable. Feel free to tell the Emperor I turned you down. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

In life, it’s best to strike first. All I had to do now was make my exit.

But just as I turned to leave—

“Wait!”

‘Ugh… How persistent can he be?’

I exhaled in frustration, my breath sending a few loose strands of hair fluttering. Without turning my body, I shot him an irritated glare over my shoulder.

“What now?”

Ulysses frowned, his thick brows furrowing as he asked,

“Do you really think I’m doing all this because of the Emperor’s orders or some gem?”

“Isn’t that the case?”

“No, it’s not.”

Then what was it? What other reason could he possibly have for pulling this nonsense?

I gave him a disgusted, confused look as I asked,

“Your Highness. Let’s not beat around the bush. Just be honest—what do you really want?”

Surely anyone would be curious. What was Ulysses up to, if not trying to follow orders or retrieve some overpriced gem?

Ulysses chuckled and took a step closer.

“I’m saying our interests might align more than you think.”

‘…As much as I hate to admit it, we do want the same thing.’

Ulysses wanted to marry Dahlia, and I wanted nothing to do with either of them. The only obstacle in the way of both of our goals was the Emperor.

Ulysses got up from his seat and walked to the window, staring out at the scenery with a wistful look in his eyes.

“Dahlia is a good woman. Kind, gentle… She makes me feel at peace. Lately, she’s been a bit fiery, but it’s all for me.”

“Oh, yes. What a lovely person. Make sure you tell Young Lady Hebe that three times a day.”

“But she’s not enough to win the Emperor’s favor.”

Before I could point out that it was his responsibility to fix that, Ulysses continued.

“Lady. There’s a word called ‘mistress’ in this world.”

‘Excuse me?’

I thought my hearing had malfunctioned. But sadly, Ulysses’ next words confirmed that my ears were working just fine.

“Marry me, lady. Even if you don’t love me anymore, the power you’d have as Empress is something no one can ignore. I’ll keep Dahlia as my mistress, and you can keep the Marquis of Celes as yours. It’s not a bad deal, is it?”

Ulysses turned back to me with a confident smile.

“W-wait. Just… wait a minute.”

“Take your time.”

Ulysses seemed far too relaxed, while I was scrambling to piece my thoughts together. My perfectly healed head was starting to ache again. It had to be stress-induced.

After a long, agonizing moment, I finally regained my ability to speak, scowling at Ulysses as I snapped at him.

“You want to marry me because of the Emperor’s gaze? After all that public humiliation you put me through?”

“I’ve realized in the past few days that you’re not as bad as I thought. Everyone’s afraid of me. I have no siblings, so I’ve never had anyone to argue with.”

So what? I knew you had no friends. With your attitude, who would want to be your friend?

“But you, lady, you weren’t afraid of me. Sure, you were a bit too harsh in the past, but not recently. When you suggested that board game, I admit I was shocked. But for once, I actually enjoyed myself. Everyone else is too busy trying to lose on purpose.”

I threw a few rounds, too, you idiot.

“A woman like you doesn’t exist anywhere else.”

Of course not. No one else has rejected you twice.

How that logic led to him thinking I’d make a good Empress, I had no idea.

Was he… Was he a masochist? Just the thought sent shivers down my spine.

Despite my obvious discomfort, Ulysses continued approaching me. I nearly panicked as I shouted,

“D-don’t come any closer! I’ll kick you again!”

Ignoring my warning, Ulysses moved until he was just close enough that my dress nearly brushed against him. Then, he slowly knelt down and pulled out a small box.

<i>Click</i> The case opened, revealing a white diamond ring—not the yellow gem he had been so obsessed with.

If I didn’t know what this meant, I’d be an idiot.

Smiling, Ulysses said,

“Marry me, Evelyn. I’ll make sure you’re treated well as Empress.”

They say when you reach the limits of your sanity, you start laughing.

‘Ha…ha…’

That’s exactly where I was.

I don’t even remember what I said after that. All I know is that when I came to my senses—

“Raphael! Help me, Raphael!”

<i>Bang! Bang! Bang!</i>

I was pounding on the door of Raphael’s mansion, shouting like a madwoman.