In that way, Eliana's whole body naturally fell into the shade.
"...Huh?"
"If you sit too far away, being under the parasol is pointless."
Eliana let out a small, vacant sound, and Velkirei spoke softly.
He was blind, so he was said to be sensitive in his other senses.
Of course that was probably a lie, but no one doubted Velkirei's behavior.
Sophia, who had been waiting nearby, shot a sharp look in warning.
It was probably because she had obediently sat down when the emperor told her to.
"If I refuse, the sun is too harsh—what a shame," Eliana thought, and pretended not to notice as she sat.
"Ah... thank you, Your Majesty."
"Not at all."
Velkirei smiled radiantly with his unfocused eyes.
Seeing that, Sophia's expression turned strange, and Eliana's face followed suit.
It was a smile she saw often but never quite got used to—odd in many ways.
"Um..."
She had looked at him for quite a while, but Velkirei's appearance felt new every time.
If those blue eyes ever stared straight at her, she was certain her heart would not survive it.
As Eliana dawdled in her habitual faltering, Velkirei let out a long yawn.
"I'm a little sleepy."
"Shall we go back?"
"No."
When Eliana tried to stand, he grabbed her and made her sit again.
What was that?
As she turned with a puzzled look, something heavy touched her shoulder and a cool scent lingered at her nose.
Velkirei's black hair was right beside her.
He leaned against her naturally and whispered.
"Let's stay like this for a moment."
"...."
"If you feel sleepy, lean on me."
"Oh, no. I'm not sleepy, Your Majesty."
Eliana straightened her back like a robot.
When she adjusted her posture to sit more comfortably, he said kindly,
"You may be at ease. Just leaning is comfortable."
"Yes."
Eliana relaxed her posture again.
The places that touched felt strangely ticklish.
The other maids' eyes widened, and Sophia smiled with satisfaction.
Was it his scent at her nose, or the weight pressing against her shoulder?
Unconsciously tense, Eliana kept lowering her gaze.
At a leisurely noon, while Eliana rested listlessly, Hera summoned her.
The message arrived while Velkirei had gone to bathe.
Hera's summons caused a small ripple in Eliana's peaceful day.
At the call, she was jerked back to the fact that this was a story she was in.
"I had been so used to this calm routine that I had let my guard down."
Perhaps because Velkirei, despite being the mastermind, had not harmed her, she had become even more complacent.
So far he had been gentle and did not subtly threaten her like Hera.
He simply seemed to want to get closer—a feeling hard to explain.
Maybe that was why Hera's summons alone snapped her out of her dreamy complacency and made her aware of reality.
Eliana did not assume that because Velkirei was kind now he would remain so to the very end.
In the original story, Velkirei became a merciless tyrant blinded by vengeance.
So she constantly reminded herself that he was the mastermind, but being comfortable in his presence had made her careless.
Although he could threaten her at any moment, she kept lowering her guard because he felt so easy to be around.
Hera, by contrast, was an uncomfortable presence.
Hera was someone who made her position clear.
There was a sharp blade hidden beneath her sweet words, and one could easily be cut if careless, so she always had to be careful.
She had to keep her body taut in Hera's presence to catch the signals Hera sent.
In The Blind Princess Who Loved the Emperor, after Velkirei, Hera was the one who caused the most harm.
She deceived people with her beauty and honeyed speech, slowly scheming to steal the throne.
It was Velkirei who eventually toppled that plan.
After he revealed his power, Mary's life, along with her mother's Hera, fell into ruin.
That was as far as Eliana had read.
Because she had not read the novel's ending, she had no way of knowing what became of Mary afterward.
But Mary, already broken in spirit, seemed unlikely to find a happy ending.
"Lady Eliana Mushe has arrived, Your Majesty."
"Enter."
A clear voice rang through the room and the door opened.
Eliana stepped carefully into the reception room.
Hera received her with a large black panther at her side.
The cat whose whiskers had been clipped last time was nowhere to be seen.
The beast's golden eyes fixed sharply on Eliana, and the panther drooled like prey.
It seemed to be waiting for its mistress's permission.
The thought of it enjoying hurting her made Eliana's skin prickle.
"Grrowl."
At the panther's growl Eliana flinched.
Hera stroked the animal's back softly and soothed it.
"Shh, good. That child is on our side."
"Meow."
At Hera's words the beast let out a short sound and played as if nothing had happened, then lazily yawned at Hera's side.
Only then did Eliana breathe a sigh of relief.
Thinking how the cat had enjoyed cutting whiskers last time and might take pleasure in hurting her... ugh.
She shivered.
Hera seemed to enjoy making Eliana afraid.
Behind her gentle smile lurked cruelty.
Eliana forced herself calm and approached Hera slowly, about to lift her skirt in a curtsy when—
"Let's skip the formalities between us."
Hera interrupted.
Eliana shrank at Hera's oddly friendly manner.
She still noticed the panther beside Hera but held herself steady.
Putting on a shy smile as if nothing were wrong, Eliana sat.
"Long time no see, Empress Dowager."
"Yes. How do you find palace life?"
"I'm living comfortably thanks to Your Majesty's help."
At Eliana's reply Hera's eyes took on a strange look. She covered her mouth with her finger and laughed lightly.
"Of course. Velkirei isn't as strong as your father to beat you."
"...."
That smile immediately showed its true color and took on a sinister sheen.
The words "like your father" landed painfully.
If she had been the original Eliana, she would have flinched at that remark.
Hera spoke to the oddly unreactive Eliana.
"So, how does it feel to be an emperor?"
"I... I don't know how to..."
Eliana hesitated, unsure what Hera intended by the question.
One wrong word here could be treated as an insult to the royal family.
Hera laughed and asked again.
"It's not as big a deal as you'd think, is it?"
"...."
"In this palace, many people risk their lives for that seemingly small position."
"My apologies."
Eliana bowed her head and frowned.
She could not join in belittling the position.
She had no idea what Hera was testing.
The panther's gaze remained sharp.
A maid poured fragrant Earl Grey into a cup, and Hera tasted a sip, then spoke in a relaxed tone.
"As you can see, I am above the emperor here."
"...."
"Aren't you curious why I brought you here?"
"I suppose... I don't really know."
Eliana rolled her eyes in embarrassment.
Hera suddenly burst into peals of laughter.
Eliana stared wide-eyed as Hera abruptly stopped laughing and spoke.
"You're more innocent than I thought. A count family without ties to politics, I suppose."
"My apologies."
"No, on the contrary, I like that. The child won't be suspicious."
"When you say 'child'..."
Eliana pressed for clarification and Hera answered firmly.
"Velkirei Owen. I mean the emperor."
"Ah..."
Eliana let out a small sound as if relieved.
In the Owen Empire, the relationship between Velkirei and Hera was known to be quite close.
A stepmother who stood strong against nobles trying to remove the blind emperor—such gossip made good talk among the populace.
Hera raised her eyes at the startled Eliana and asked, coyly lifting the corner of her eye,
"Do you perhaps love him?"
"No."
Eliana blurted out the answer before the question had fully left Hera's mouth, surprised at how easily her true feeling escaped.
She fidgeted, embarrassed by her quick reply.
Hera seemed surprised to receive such an immediate answer; her eyes widened.
After a moment she softened her voice.
"Then that's a relief. Do not love him."
"Pardon?"
Eliana repeated blankly, not sure she had heard correctly, and Hera's gaze turned cold.
"You're going to die soon anyway. Judge well which line is the golden line."