"Oh, it can't be! How dare I do such a blasphemous thing!"f

I hurriedly jumped to my feet and shouted.

But, I got up so hastily that I stepped on the hem of the wedding dress I was wearing, and fell forward.

​​

"Ahh—"

Although I fell unseemly, I was glad that my body responded swiftly. In front of Raniero, everything must be done quickly.

​​

How much he tormented the heroine, Seraphina, for not answering quickly.

​​

And, how many servants have lost their heads because they didn't quickly correct what he didn't like?

All answers must be made within five seconds!

'But,' 'although' and 'however' are absolutely forbidden words!

"Raise your head."

​​

I raised my head as I was told.

Even in the middle of the darkened room, there was a shining presence. With one hand on his back, Raniero tilted his head and looked down at me, then trampled the hem of my dress with his boots.

"I'll give you a chance to explain, Empress."

As he narrowed his eyes, a laugh rang inside his neck.

​​

My fingertips were cold.

At that moment, I closed my eyes tightly and shouted whatever came to my mind.

"I—I mean, I have a chronic disease of fainting with my eyes open, Your Majesty!"

"Oh... Are you shouting in front of me?"

At his words, I immediately corrected the parts that Raniero didn't like. Whisper, whisper.

"I... I have a chronic disease of fainting with my eyes open, Your Majesty."

"Ho? I had not heard of such a story when I received a letter about you from Unro Kingdom."

"That, that... It doesn't happen that often..."

Full brain power operation.

​​

My head was spinning as I scattered to find the correct answer.

"Ah, perhaps because His Majesty's presence is so intense... Maybe I couldn't stand it as a small person..."

"I see, so..."

Raniero smiled sweetly and patted my dress with her heel before finishing the sentence.

"It's my responsibility?"

Ugh! Yeah, of course. If he lets it go like that, it's not Raniero.

I put my palms on the floor and lowered my head.

That's right. The so-called 'Please kill me' pose.

​​

"If, if anyone looks directly at the sun, they will become blind... But, no one will ever say that the sun is guilty."

​​

"Oh. I see, then..."

​​

Ahh! Stop it now. No more!

I'm using up all of my wit today! What else is he going to say now?

As I lay down on the floor, almost hitting my forehead, I took a deep breath to control my pounding heart.

'Still, I'm glad I haven't received an order to bring a knife yet.'

When I was thinking about something else for a second, I could hear a voice above me again.

"Are you not going to see my face for the rest of your life because you're going to faint?"

"N, no. Of course, with pleasure, if Your Majesty allows it..."

"I'll allow it."

​​

...Pardon?

What?

​​

So, is he saying that he allows that I can't see, or that he allows me to look?

Nonetheless, my decision had to be made within five seconds.

Under the pressure and tension beyond pressing the last box of the minesweeper, I...

I chose to raise my head and stared at Raniero's face.

​​

There, he had already fallen on one knee before I knew it. He leaned slightly towards me while his hair draped over me a little.

​​

'Wah...'

He was a really handsome man, though I didn't feel any fluttering excitement at all. Because I didn't know if I made a good choice or not...

​​

At this moment, when I don't even know the future, I came to think that the original empress might have been much wiser than I thought. Right? Every moment is like the ending quarter of death. So, being able to survive for months in this crazy situation is a skill.

Seeing me glancing at him with my frozen, trembling eyes, Raniero smiled.

​​

It wasn't a smile that only raised her lips, which he had shown so far. His eyebrows curled down, as his eyes dented a little. And, even the thin lips were symmetrically drawn with soft arcs.

Had this person not been Raniero Actilus, that angelic smile would have melted me.

"Good job."

"Gasp."

"It was fun. That was a good choice. It's not boring."

"Sobs—"

​​

"Are you making that sound because of a chronic illness?"

Hearing that, I shook my head. No, it's because he said it's not a bad choice. I'm relieved that I feel happy, feeling safe now that 'I don't think I'm going to die.'

Life is very unfair. If you choose the wrong choice to raise your head or not, you might die. It's too stimulating of a thrill for me, who couldn't even ride a roller coaster or a gyrodrop in my previous life.

​​

A hand that handles swords, bows, and even axes, dug down my neck. He held my neck in his hands and made a strange act of squeezing the pulse under my ear with his thumb, before laughing as if he was happy.

If he puts strength in his grasp, I'll be strangled right away.

I trembled like I did at the wedding, thinking that it would be much better to just stand side by side in front of a lot of people.

Being alone with him is not good for my heart.

"I'll reward you for making me feel better."

I don't believe the 'reward' that someone like him is saying about. There is no such thing as a proper reward.

"Any question you ask, I will gladly answer it."

Look at this...!

What kind of reward is this?

If my question goes against his grain, the situation may change rapidly again.

In the first place, Your Majesty. Aren't you too conscientious to hold my delicate neck like this and speak of mercy?

But, dissatisfaction must be spoken only inside my head.

My brain was steadily picking out the most straightforward questions possible.

"Your Majesty, I heard that your Majesty personally chose me... Why was it me?"

"Ah..."

For a moment, the sigh added strength to his hand. I felt like I was about to suffocate any moment, so I took a deep breath.

Slowly, I raised my eyes slightly and gazed at his face. His straight brow was slightly furrowed, and the smile disappeared.

I don't think that's a very good sign...

"It's a boring question. It's clichéd and outdated. I'm disappointed. I might get bored and go crazy while answering."

Ugh. Look at this.

"You must be happy that you've been promised my mercy. You're very lucky, huh?"

...Am I happy?

It feels like I'm on the verge of dying right now. However, if Your Majesty said so, yes, then this feeling is happiness...

I tried to control my mind not to think about anything, but my lips were trembling with instinctive fear.

Raniero slapped my neck. The pain of being beaten and the sudden air that filled my lungs made me clenched my throat and cough.

"When I said that I was going to get married, many nobles and many Kings sent portraits of their daughters. A few... There was a lot."

He lightly kicked the hem of my voluminous dress and strode towards a wide wall.

​​

In the quiet room, the sound of his footsteps rang loudly. Then, he spread his arms in front of the white wall.

"Enough to fill the walls of this room."

He stood up on the tip of his right foot and turned around it to look at me.

Again, a beautiful smile spread across his face as he continued his words.

"I ordered all those portraits to be hung on this wall. Why do you think it is?"

"Face... Is it to see the faces?"

I answered the question diligently even though I coughed dryly.

"Face? Well, you might be interested in something like that..."

He fixed his gaze on me with a picturesque smile. "I can't tell the faces of others apart. It's because they all look alike."

Well, I guess.

His Majesty is the best-looking in this worldview, though will someone else's face catch his eyes?

​​

They might all look alike, even like a squid for him.

He had never even admired Seraphina, the most beautiful woman in this world, that she is beautiful.

"Sorry, I'm sorry..."

"It's nothing to be sorry about."

​​

Saying so, Raniero looked at the wall again and tried to find something.

As he was doing that, my gaze went to the wall without realizing it. There was a small gap about five centimeters in the wall.

That... What's that?

When I was staring at the wall, bewildered, I could hear a voice behind me.

Raniero was sitting on the bed behind me.

"I sat here like this and threw a dagger."

What he said in a succinct manner was shocking. I mean, he put a bunch of portraits on the wall and threw a dagger at them...?

"Then, the dagger pierced your left eye."

Finishing his words, Raniero laughed out loud, but I couldn't do the same.

​​

I've never seen anyone choose an empress by throwing a dagger. I'm getting dizzy as I imagine the terrifying thoughts.

"Hmm... Looking back, it's a pretty interesting memory. Let me take back the statement that I might die of boredom."

I'm so fickle that I don't know what's ahead.

"Come to think of it... What is the Empress's name?"

​​

I momentarily stiffened as I couldn't remember my name for a few seconds. But, fortunately, I had not completely forgotten, my lips spit out the name slowly.

"Oh, it's Angelica Viniard de Unro."

"What do your relatives call you?"

What did they call...?

At that moment, I was in a cold sweat, trying to make it up hurriedly.

​​

"Th, They called me Angie."

Actually, I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing for Raniero to be interested in my nickname here.

"I see."

His shoe tip came under my chin. Then, he lifted my chin with his tiptoe to meet his eyes.

​​

"You look puzzled by everything. Do you know why I came into this room?"

Even though nothing happened except for my throat feeling suffocated, my mind was tattered as if riding this roller coaster dozens of times.

There was no way that I would have thought of why Raniero was here. Nonetheless, the five second rule made me unable to think deeply.

And so, I spit out whatever came to mind.

​​

"Because it's the first night...?"

As soon as I spit those words out, I wanted to slap my mouth.

​​No, what are you talking about! Do you know the first night's rhyme? Are you kidding me?

The moment when I was astonished by my own lack of thoughts,

"You know."

More dismay came from Raniero's mouth.

"Come up here, Angie."

His sweet voice commanded me.

...Did he ask for my nickname to make that order?

"The groom should take off the wedding dress on the first night, right?"

Again, the dangerous siren started to go off in my head.