"Understood."
Sophia hurried out of the room.
At some point the cat had jumped into Eliana’s arms and was trembling violently.
Eliana held the cat awkwardly, unsure what to do, when Hera spoke.
"Eliana, give Shushu to me."
Meow.
The cat looked at Eliana and cried pitifully.
Caught in the sudden situation, Eliana glanced back and forth between the cat and Hera.
At that moment Hera leaned forward and took the cat from her.
"Our Shushu, perhaps I have been boring you too much lately. You even play such cute tricks."
Mrrrow—
The cat continued to cry as if groaning.
Even as Hera stroked it, it trembled violently yet could not escape.
Eliana watched the scene with confusion. She could not understand why the cat was trembling so much.
A moment later Sophia returned carrying a tray.
On the tray lay a pair of golden scissors set with a large red diamond.
The moment the cat saw the finely crafted scissors, it burrowed deeper into Hera’s arms and struggled frantically.
"What is it? Didn’t you want to play a little grooming game?"
Hera slipped the ornate scissors into her fingers and firmly grasped the cat by the scruff of its neck.
Then, despite its pitiful cries, she calmly began cutting off its whiskers one by one.
Snip. Snip.
With each crisp sound, white whiskers fell softly onto Hera’s lap.
Eliana’s mouth fell open in shock.
This was abuse disguised as play.
She had heard that cats were such sensitive animals that even trimming their fur required great care, yet Hera was cutting its whiskers off so mercilessly.
Eliana forced her trembling hands to still themselves.
Meanwhile the sound of the whiskers being cut echoed through the room like background noise.
"Our Shushu looks even prettier now. There, go play by yourself."
As if finishing a game, Hera kissed the cat on the cheek and set it down on the floor.
Sophia picked up the staggering cat and asked,
"What shall we do with it?"
"So that it never wanders around again, pull out all its claws."
Hera gave the cold command, her smile completely gone.
After Sophia carried the cat away, a cry that sounded almost like a scream echoed from the next room.
"A merciless punishment displayed so openly… Is it really limited only to animals?"
To Eliana, it felt like a warning directed at her.
If you try anything foolish, this will happen to you as well.
Eliana pretended she heard nothing and maintained a calm demeanor.
But she could not stop her body from trembling with fear.
She bit her lower lip painfully.
Hera brushed the fallen whiskers from her lap and spoke in a casual tone.
"It is getting late. Let us go see His Majesty."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Although the reply sounded calm, her voice trembled violently.
Hera clearly noticed it but pretended not to as she walked forward with elegant steps.
As they passed through the long corridor, Hera quietly instructed her on what to do when meeting the Emperor.
"As you have already heard, Velkirei cannot see. Therefore you must approach him, ask permission, then take the back of his hand and place it against your forehead to reassure him."
"Yes. I will remember that."
"He is a very sensitive child. He has experienced many unpleasant things, so he can be rather gloomy."
"I see."
Eliana glanced sideways at Hera, who emphasized the point again like a mother thinking of her son.
How could she do such things without even blinking?
After all, it was Hera who had blinded Velkirei. Knowing that fact made it even more chilling.
For a moment, Hera’s hypocritical behavior reminded Eliana of her senior from university.
Someone who pretended to be kind on the surface while harboring endless malice inside.
Instinctively, Eliana felt uneasy around her.
Officially, Hera acted as though she cherished Velkirei dearly, while Velkirei knew everything yet pretended ignorance as he waited for the right moment.
The Blind Princess Who Loved the Emperor.
During its original serialization, the early romantic comedy atmosphere gradually turned bleak once Velkirei began seriously using his power.
"Such a pitiful child. Even if he is difficult, please take good care of him."
"Of course. I will serve him with all my heart."
"Good. That is how it should be."
Hera replied with a gentle smile.
Her demeanor inside the Imperial Palace was completely different from how she had behaved outside.
Outside the palace she had seemed somewhat freer, but here she acted like a benevolent Empress Dowager.
It seemed she still had no intention of revealing her plans to Eliana, instead pretending to care for Velkirei.
She would likely reveal her true intentions only after confirming Eliana’s usefulness.
For Eliana, that was fortunate. From the beginning she had never intended to take Hera’s side anyway.
She had no intention of becoming a moth flying knowingly into the flames.
If she wanted to survive, it was better to stand on the side of Velkirei, the hidden mastermind calmly observing everything from above Hera.
For now Hera might appear to be ahead of him, but eventually he would defeat her.
Eliana intended to make full use of the situation that allowed her to reach Velkirei through Hera.
Now that she knew Velkirei’s preferences, it would not be difficult to behave in a way that suited his tastes.
Even if she got along with him, she could simply say she had acted under Hera’s orders.
He was an Emperor who had obtained immense power through a Demonic Contract yet concealed it because he could not fully control it.
To be honest, she had stepped onto thin ice where a single misstep could send her straight to death.
But even a worm wriggles when stepped on.
"I will survive. I will survive and prove it."
Before she knew it, they had arrived in front of a large door.
A guard stood before Velkirei’s chamber.
Although the security appeared strict, in reality they were all Hera’s people.
In other words, it was practically constant surveillance.
When the guard saw Hera and Eliana, he knocked on the door and announced their arrival.
"Your Majesty, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager and the young lady of House Mushe have arrived."
"Let them enter."
A graceful voice came from inside the room. It sounded both youthful and deep at the same time, a strangely captivating tone.
Just hearing the voice reminded Eliana that he was the most handsome man in this world, as guaranteed by the author.
It was that alluring.
Once Velkirei gave permission, the guard opened the door.
The room inside was brighter than the corridor.
Although he could not see and therefore had no need for lighting, the Emperor’s bedroom was filled with magnificent lamps.
Yet even more striking than the dazzling lights was the man standing before her.
It was impossible to tell whether her eyes were dazzled by the lights or by the Emperor himself.
The moment she saw Velkirei, Eliana murmured absentmindedly,
"…Is he a statue?"
Velkirei Owen was not human. He looked like a sculpture that a god had carved with meticulous care.
Now she understood why the author had called him the most handsome man in the world.
Her past self, who had thought, How handsome could he possibly be?, deserved to be slapped.
Velkirei and she belonged to completely different worlds.
"Of all things… why make the hidden mastermind this handsome?"
Eliana was flustered because Velkirei was far more handsome than she had expected.
Even the loose black hair tied halfway behind his head looked pure and elegant.
His hair shone like silk, and within his pale face his features were sharply defined.
Despite having long hair, it looked perfectly natural on him.
The piercing blue eyes visible beneath his long eyelashes were so clear that it was difficult to believe he was blind.
Each time he blinked, those long lashes fluttered like small wings.
"This isn’t a human…"
"Eliana, what are you doing? Hurry and show your respect."
Hera tapped Eliana lightly on the shoulder, urging her forward as she stood there blankly.
Only then did Eliana come to her senses and hurried toward Velkirei.
"I greet the Sun of the Empire. I am Eliana Mushe."
At her greeting, Velkirei extended his hand with an indifferent expression.
The gesture seemed to say that she should quickly complete the formal greeting.
Eliana hesitated briefly at his lukewarm response before grabbing his hand.
But—
Smack!
The moment her hand touched his, Velkirei startled and knocked it away.
A brief silence fell as every gaze turned toward him.
"Y Your Majesty?"
Eliana stared blankly at the rejected hand before looking back at Velkirei.
She had not even done anything yet, but being rejected felt strange.
Velkirei frowned slightly before offering an awkward smile.
"Ah, my apologies. There was suddenly… some static."
Was it even possible to feel static electricity alone?
Instinctively, Eliana realized he was lying.
"Even if he dislikes me because I came through Hera, he does not seem like the type to show it so openly…"
For now, it seemed best to let it pass.
Although she felt somewhat uneasy, Eliana forced a polite smile and asked respectfully,
"May I hold your hand, Your Majesty?"
"Yes."
Velkirei extended his hand again.
This time Eliana took it very carefully.
His hand was extremely cold, so cold that it felt as though ice were pressed against her fingertips.
At that moment she felt him flinch again.
Then he suddenly gripped Eliana’s hand tightly.
As if trying to confirm something, he kept feeling her hand repeatedly.
Startled, Eliana widened her eyes, then calmly adjusted her hold and brought the back of his hand to her forehead.
Because of that, Eliana did not notice.
The strange look that had appeared in Hera’s eyes as she watched them.
"I greet His Majesty Velkirei Owen, the Sun of the Empire."
When her hand fell away, Velkirei lowered his arm weakly.
He smiled while looking in the wrong direction, as if he truly could not see.
His eyes lacked focus.
The languid smile gave him a strangely dreamlike aura.
"It is a pleasure to meet you."
Eliana knew that his eyes had been restored after making a Demonic Contract.
So she deliberately moved into the direction he appeared to be looking and met his gaze.
Then she smiled.
She had truly wanted to meet him.
At last, she had.
The anxious time she had spent worrying about whether things would go as planned felt rewarded just by meeting him.
"It is an honor to meet you, Your Majesty."