When The Mad Emperor Suddenly Becomes Sweet

She recognized immediately as she examined the bird. Lucius got off the horse first and then gave her his hands. His eyes had a faint smile.

Really don’t know what’s going on.

It was the first time he brought her on scouting. She gave him her hands after hesitating a little.

Freya, after getting off the horse, quickly ran to the tree where the bird was sitting.

“It seems like it lives a free life outside like this.”

“Very free.”

Lucius tied up the horse by the tree, looked up at the bird, and quietly spoke. Freya thought that he looked a little sad while saying this.

It was Freya who turned away after meeting Lucius’s eyes for a while.

His Majesty is very weird today.

He was staring at her so sympathetically instead of coldly. As she stepped back while pretending to be doing something, Lucius stepped towards her.

Don’t come.

She didn’t want to talk to him right now.

Her heart was fluttering as they were alone. She didn’t want him to realize that. But there was nowhere to hide from him as they were in an open field.

“Stand still for a bit.”

Her feet froze as his low tone stopped her. He randomly lifted her bangs with his large hands as she was being mesmerized by his blue eyes. Freya tried to stop him by lifting her arm as it happened suddenly.

“What are you doing!”

Lucius obediently took his hand off at her shout and stepped back.

What? Why is he touching my bangs all of a sudden?

She didn’t want to hide her scar purposely but also didn’t want to reveal it.

She quickly tidied up her bangs, and Lucius didn’t say a word for a while.

It really was you.

The faint moments that showed up in his dreams from time to time were times spent with Freya. He remembered the day when she got the scar on her forehead. The thin child threw herself to protect him. How tragic he felt as he couldn’t do anything while staring at such a small back.

It wasn’t a dream.

His heart hurt as he saw the scar on the forehead, but at the same time, it started to ache. He felt like it was a token of promise between him and Freya.

On the night when Archer, Herro, and Gemini were drinking, it was him who brought Freya back to the tent.

I can’t let this happen.

I have to keep you a little closer. So that no one can see you, and touch you.

Lucius, after calming his heart a little, spoke.

“You remember our contract, right?”

“….Pardon?”

What contract?

Freya quickly patted her memory. It was written on the day of hiring her as his servant.

It’s best to be precise about this kind of thing.

He demand to sign on the paper where there were lots of words on it. She barely was able to read it, but she signed after asking Lucius each and every one of the terms as there were many words she didn’t understand.

“Why are you asking about that?”

“How was the duration of that contact?”

“One year.”

“Then how much time is remaining?”

Freya frowned as he ignored her question.

I can calculate that much since Ruth taught me.

Freya took both her hands out and folded three of them, which meant seven remained. But was there 10 months in a year? Lucius approached her and added two of his fingers.

“Now try.”

Freya folded two of his fingers and folded one of hers.

“Ah, that means nine months.”

As she smiled as she felt like she found the answer, then Lucius’s forehead brushed her face. Freya thought she touched it by accident and quickly backed off.

“Remember what you just said. That you’re my subordinate during that time.”

“….. Ok.”

But Freya didn’t really know hard words like subordinate, so she thought that Lucius was probably going to bully her during that time

***

“Mr. Herro, we’re leaving after two days?”

“So you heard the news.”

“Of course. Since I’m serving His Majesty, I hear this news earlier than anyone.”

Herro smiled strangely as Freya proudly shrugged her shoulder.

“Do you stay at the palace since you’re a wizard of the Royal family?”

“Only the Royals can live in the palace.”

“Ah, I didn’t know.”

Freya whispered softly as she really felt like this was a goodbye. Herro was friendly towards her from the beginning. Even though she experienced many goodbyes in the orphanage, she never got used to this moment.

He soon spoke as he saw Freya’s depressed face.

“What is this. Freya, you look like we’re going to be separated soon.”

“But it’s not going to be like this again.”

“You don’t know. Freya.”