Morning sunlight spread softly across the Imperial Palace.
A female messenger walked away from Fourth Concubine Neron’s residence after delivering an order from the Empress.
As she followed the stone pathway back toward the main palace, her gaze drifted toward the distant Moonveil Palace.
The abandoned residence stood unusually quiet beneath the autumn sky.
Her steps slowed.
Last night’s banquet surfaced in her thoughts.
Noble Consort Elyas had not appeared.
Strange.
Curiosity quietly stirred within her.
Just a quick glance.
No one would know.
Changing her direction, she walked toward the outer boundary near Moonveil Palace.
From a distance, she peered toward the backyard-
And froze.
A man she had never seen before was standing among rows of vegetables.
He wore simple clothes with his sleeves rolled neatly to his elbows.
His long dark hair had been tied into a tight bun, exposing the back of his neck.
A gardening tool rested in his hand while he bent casually over the soil.
No ornaments.
No veil.
No attendants.
Certainly not Noble Consort Elyas.
The messenger frowned.
Who was this?
She looked around instinctively.
Moonveil Palace remained strangely quiet.
A cold chill crawled down her spine.
Without waiting any longer, she hurried back toward the Imperial Palace.
By the time she knelt before Empress Selene, her breathing had grown uneven.
“Your Majesty…” she said carefully.
Selene looked up from her memorials.
“What is it?”
The messenger lowered her head.
“I passed near Moonveil Palace while returning…” she hesitated.
“…Noble Consort Elyas does not appear to be there.”
Silence.
“There is…” she swallowed nervously,
“…a strange man residing in Moonveil Palace instead.”
“Bring that impostor here.
Now.”
The Empress’s chilled voice commanded.
The messenger hurried away.
Selene remained seated inside the now quiet study, waiting for the guards to return.
Always a nuisance.
He will never change.
She rubbed her forehead.
At Moonveil Palace-
Elias was working in the field while Keiro watered the plants nearby.
Suddenly, Imperial guards arrived.
The Head Guard pointed toward Elias.
“Seize that impostor!”
Elias and Keiro froze.
Before they could process anything, two strongly built female guards grabbed Elias by both arms and started pulling him away.
“No!!
Where are you taking my master?!
He has done nothing!” Keiro screamed in fright.
He ran toward Elias, trying to free him.
Another pair of guards restrained him immediately.
“No!” he shouted.
“This is Her Majesty’s order.
Please cooperate,” the Head Guard said firmly.
“This is not the way to summon a Noble Consort!” Keiro yelled angrily.
“Noble Consort?” The Head Guard laughed.
“We shall see about that.”
Elias stopped struggling.
He stilled.
“Do not drag me.
I will come on my own.”
He gestured toward the guards holding him.
For a brief moment, uncertainty flickered across their faces.
Could this truly be the Noble Consort?
But what Noble Consort worked in the fields like a servant?
Especially Elyas-
The man known for vanity and luxury?
The thought quickly vanished.
They assumed he was an impostor and escorted him away.
This time without force. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
Because Elias no longer resisted.
The doors of the Imperial audience chamber opened abruptly.
Two guards escorted the captured “intruder” inside.
Empress Selene sat upon her seat, prepared to confront the stranger who had supposedly replaced her Noble Consort inside Moonveil Palace.
Her expression remained cold.
Unmoved.
Then the figure stepped fully beneath the lantern light.
Selene’s gaze froze.
The man looked utterly unlike the Noble Consort she knew.
His long dark hair had come loose during the struggle, untidy strands falling around his face and neck.
A few stubborn leaves still clung near his shoulders while traces of soil stained his sleeves and fingers.
He wore no ceremonial robes.
No silk.
No perfume.
Only a simple cotton robe loosely tied at the waist, slightly wrinkled from work and rough handling.
The sleeves, once rolled for gardening, now hung unevenly.
His breathing remained uneven from being dragged across palace grounds.
And his face-
No powder.
No rouge.
No kajal outlining delicate eyes.
No jeweled ornaments softening his features.
For the first time-
Selene saw him plainly.
Pale skin lightly touched by sunlight.
Sharp cheekbones.
Full Naturally rose-tinted lips
Dark brows.
And striking black eyes that appeared far darker without cosmetics.
He looked younger.
Sharper.
Not fragile like the painted doll she remembered.
Nor extravagant.
Just-
Painfully real.
The chamber fell silent.
Even the guards seemed uncertain.
Selene stared at him.
Unable to look away.
For a brief moment, disbelief overtook her.
This-
Was Elyas?
Her Noble Consort?
The same man who once buried himself beneath jewels, fragrance, and elaborate beauty?
Her fingers tightened slightly around the armrest.
She had almost failed to recognize him.
And somehow-
That realization unsettled her more than the report itself.
Meanwhile, Elias stood before her with visible irritation, attempting to straighten his crumpled robe after being dragged inside.
Internally, he was furious.
Wonderful.
Gardening peacefully and now I look like a kidnapped scarecrow before Her Majesty.
“What were you doing?” the Empress asked, her gaze travelling slowly from head to toe.
“Planting vegetables in my backyard when these overzealous guards decided to drag me here,” Elias said, failing to remain polite.
Selene glared at him.
That alone made him lower his eyes.
Waiting.
“Why did you not attend yesterday’s banquet?” Her calm voice questioned him.
“I was not invited.” He frowned, confused.
Why is she asking me this?
Isn’t she the one who never wanted me there?
Selene studied his face.
His answer revealed nothing.
No guilt.
No defensiveness.
Only confusion.
“Why were you planting vegetables?”
“I wanted to eat them.”
Simple.
One sentence.
No elaboration.
“Why not take them from the Royal Kitchen?”
“I was not aware if I could take more once my current quota finished.”
Again-
A simple answer.
No complaint.
No accusation.
“Why did you not ask?” Annoyance slowly stirred within the Empress.
“Whom should I ask?”
“Anyone in the palace.
Other consorts.
Princess Lynera…” her voice cooled further,
“…or me.”
Elias looked genuinely confused.
“I was simply following your decree.”
The room grew quieter.
“I did not step outside Moonveil Palace to trouble anyone…” he continued carefully.
“And asking you was out of the question.”
His voice remained calm.
Too calm.
“I was not permitted to meet the Empress.”
He paused.
“Not now.”
His throat tightened slightly.
“Nor in the past.”
“Elyas!” The Empress raised her voice.
The chamber stiffened.
“What, Your Majesty?” His own emotions tightened unexpectedly.
“What should I do?”
His chest rose unevenly.
“Should I obey you…
or disobey you?”
“You are to act according to my orders,” Selene said coldly, anger surfacing.
“I am following your orders, Your Highness.”
He paused.
Then slowly lifted his eyes to meet hers.
A dangerous thing to do.
“I was forbidden to leave my palace and forbidden to meet you…
according to your decree.”
His voice remained respectful.
But something bitter lingered beneath it.
“And now I am dragged here to meet you…”
He glanced briefly at the guards.
“…again according to your order.”
His chest tightened.
Too many emotions.
Too much confusion.
“I fail to understand…” he said quietly,
“Where exactly have I failed to follow your orders, Your Highness?”
Silence.
The words lingered heavily inside the chamber.
Elias could not remain there any longer.
His body trembled faintly.
Not from fear.
From exhaustion.
He turned toward the exit.
Without permission.
A dangerous breach of etiquette.
But at this point-
What difference would it make?
She already hated him.
Let her hate him more.
He reached the doors and paused.
Without turning back, he said quietly-
“I shall wait for your next decree, Your Highness.”
[(Suggestion: “I shall wait for your next decree” sounds slightly sharper and more bitter than “I will wait for another decree.”)]
Then he left.
Leaving behind dead silence.
The Empress’s fist tightened around the armrest.
Your Highness?
He was right.
He had followed her orders.
So what bothered her most?
His simple, clipped answers?
His calm tone?
Or the fact that he had walked away without waiting for permission-
Without sparing her a single glance?
Author’s Note Misunderstandings are dangerous.
This chapter marks a small but important shift-not in love, not yet-but in perception.
Thank you for reading and staying with Elias and Selene’s chaotic journey.
Tell me- Whose side were you on during this confrontation?
Elias or Her Majesty?
Tell me your thoughts- Your thoughts light up my universe!
Lune5verse-