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“What do you mean, your highness?”

“You were walking like you were running away from me, but now, you aren’t.”

When they first began their walk in the garden, every time Lucius the First took a step, Poliana took two. But now, just as the emperor said, they were walking at the same pace.

Every time Lucius the First took a step, Poliana took a step along with him. The emperor smiled and asked, “I am not chasing you, so why were you running away?”

Poliana pouted and replied, “I didn’t run away, your highness.” When she slowed down a little, Lucius the First suddenly closed the distance and said to her, “Don’t run away. You’re only making me want to catch you.”

Although the emperor said this, he didn’t mean to catch her. All he did was to close the distance between them. His sudden move surprised her and made her trip. Thankfully, Poliana, a soldier, had excellent reflexes. She quickly regained her balance, but lost it again when the emperor yelled, “Sir Pol! That’s dangerous!”

Poliana ended up stumbling backward. Most people fall forward and hurt their noses, and although most would think this was unlucky, Poliana would’ve preferred to stumble forward than backward. Because as she did, Lucius the First caught her from behind.

Luckily, she didn’t fall into his embrace. Well, lucky for Poliana, not so much for Lucius the First. He said to her, “You walking ahead of me is dangerous. Let’s not do that anymore.”

Lucius the First squeezed Poliana’s hand, but she didn’t even have the time to be shocked by the feeling of his skin. It was because when she almost fell, she saw the windows of the building around them.

They were being watched by a huge audience! Poliana had no idea they were putting on a show for everyone in the castle!

“Your highness, look up over there!”

Poliana pointed at them in shock, but none of the people watching walked away from the windows. They were busy watching the emperor and the knightess. Some leaned out of the window and looked dangerously close to falling out. Poliana didn’t notice people were watching because she had been so focused on the emperor.

Lucius the First replied, “Yes, I can see that we have a large audience.”

“We need to make them stop!”

“Just leave them.”

“But your highness!”

“What does it matter? Both you and I live in public lives.”

This man was the emperor of this kingdom while the woman was the marquess. They were well-known figures, and they will always be watched by others closely. Normally, Poliana didn’t care about being the center of attention, but this situation was too embarrassing. To be courted by the emperor…

The emperor asked, “Is your ankle ok?”

“Yes. I’m fine, your highness.”

Lucius the First smiled and replied, “Good, good. I’m glad.” He let go of her hand and made her walk alongside him.

“But your highness!”

“You walking ahead is dangerous, so I forbid you to do it. Walking side by side is nice, but I can’t see your face this way, so let me at least hold your hand.”

“But!”

“It saddens me not to see your adorable face. Would it be better if we hold both hands and walk sideways so I can see your face?”

All she had to say was no, but Poliana’s brain froze. She could think logically. Holding one hand and walking normally or holding both hands and walking like crabs… There was no reason why Poliana had to choose one over the other, but for some reason, she contemplated.

“…”

The emperor interpreted her silence as a yes to the first option. He took one of her hand and they began to walk together. As if to make her feel comfortable, Lucius the First looked ahead. It was actually Poliana who was staring at him. She couldn’t stop looking at the side of his face. Her hand felt ticklish just because he was holding it.

This was all because of the kiss on her hand. It was because the emperor kissed the spot where the vein was connected directly to her heart. This was the excuse Poliana tried to stick to, but she secretly knew the truth. The hand he was holding right now wasn’t the same hand the emperor kissed yesterday. She was also wearing her gloves, yet she still felt like she could feel him. This sweet feeling slowly climbed up to her wrist, arm, and to her heart.

Poliana felt angry. It was Lucius the First who confessed his love for her. Poliana was supposed to only love the emperor as her sovereign while Lucius the First declared that he loved her as a woman. This meant that it was the emperor who should be feeling nervous.

Only

So why was it that Poliana’s heart was pounding so fast? It felt like her blood, once cold, was now flowing into a warm place. Her body tingled strangely.

Poliana looked down at their hands together. She didn’t like that fact he was the one holding her hand and she was following him. Although she knew this was considered rude, Poliana squeezed back. She held his hand harder than the emperor and looked down at their hands again. It felt right. It felt right for her to be the one leading. The strangely ticklish feeling disappeared. Pride filled her.

Poliana finally felt calmer. She was relaxed enough that she could converse with the emperor. When she looked up at Lucius the First’s face, she saw that the emperor was blushing subtly. He was a man in his mid 30’s and he was blushing like a schoolgirl, yet it didn’t look odd. In fact, the rosy blush suited the emperor.

‘How could a man look so beautiful?’

This was the question of the century. How could Lucius the First be so gorgeous? He was like a pretty blooming flower.

Meanwhile, Lucius the First looked down at Poliana and wondered, ‘How could a woman be so adorable like this?’ The emperor couldn’t believe how cutely Poliana was acting just now. She was squeezing his hand and looking proud of herself. Lucius the First was having a hard time keeping his cool. The two were thinking the same thing about one another.

It was obvious that they were very close. They clearly trusted each other and now, they were smitten with each other.