“Welcome, Your Majesty. I had been waiting.”
As the Emperor entered, Marquise Lamott slightly knelt and bowed with a bright smile. The ladies-in-waiting who lined up behind her followed their master and knelt on their knees and bowed politely. The Emperor smiled and held out an arm. Marquise Lamott blushed happily, placed her hand on his arm, and the two entered the Marquise’s boudoir, shoulder-to-shoulder.
“You seem to have become more beautiful than ever before. Were you always this beautiful?”
“Your Majesty, it was only five days ago when you visited me last. What could have changed in between?”
The Emperor made a joke while walking into the Marquise’s bedroom, and the Marquise laughed adorably while lightly glaring at him as if what he said made no sense.
“It was not only five days ago, it has already been five days. Seems like it would not suffice even if We come to see you every day, but for some reason, time passes by so quickly.”
“I could not even hope for the dreamlike wish where Your Majesty would come by every day. Please just remember that, no matter how beautiful the other flowers are, sometimes I am here waiting for Your Majesty.”
The Emperor was always kind to his concubines. When in the company of a concubine, even if she was not the one who held his favor, he would treat her as if she were the Emperor’s one and only love. The woman knew well that the Emperor was such by nature and was not deceived by his sweet whispers.
The sleepless days of heartbreaking pain whenever the Emperor left for another woman’s arms, despite listening to the Emperor’s sweet nothings with sincerity, ended only after she struggled to admit the cold reality. She had no intention of repeating the mistakes of her sweet and foolish youth again.
She rested her forehead gently against the Emperor’s shoulder, whispering shyly like a young girl. The Emperor could see her thin eyelashes trembling like dragonfly wings under her round white forehead.
“We always remember where you are, Henriette. It is engraved in Our innermost thoughts how grateful We are to have a gentle and virtuous woman like you by Our side.”
He said quietly and kissed the top of the Marquise’s round head. Marquise Lamott looked up happily at the man who loved her only when she was in her arms, smiling as sweetly as an orange blossom soaked in the rain.
Since a message was sent before the Emperor’s visit, the Marquise’s bedroom was perfectly prepared to welcome the Emperor.
As they entered the Marquise’s room, small cages hanging everywhere could be seen. These cages were not real birds, but decorations with miniature birds called ‘Schibur’s Little Birds – Oiseau de Chypre’, and each passing cage contained wooden models that imitated small and pretty birds such as mountain bluebirds, rufous-tailed robins, or yellow canaries.
However, these decorations were not to be enjoyed with the eyes, but with the nose. The stomachs of the model birds were filled with various herbs and spices, so every time they passed by one, they could smell an indescribably fragrant and heavenly scent.
The aroma created by Marquise Lamott, who had a knack for perfumery, was so delicately controlled that even if several different kinds of scents flowed at the same time, one would not get a headache.
Candles were hung on each candlestick to create an atmosphere, and the bed’s curtains were replaced with translucent silk material imported from the Eastern Continent. The softly fitted silk seemed to hint at the private event that would take place tonight.
The exquisitely designed attire of the lady was exceptionally beautiful. However, putting on and taking off several paeta robes and gigantic panniers was hard labor that was impossible to do alone. Marquise Lamott could not make the Emperor do such heavy labor with his own hands, and made the Emperor sit on a long chair before she carefully crossed over to the next room.
The Emperor stretched out his tired legs and waited for the woman who left the room. When he sniffed the relaxing scent, he secretly felt drowsy, perhaps because he was especially exhausted today. However, the Emperor could not disappoint the concubine whom he was visiting after a long time, so he stretched out for a while and waited for the concubine to return.
Even compared to the previous emperors, Ebroin V was an Emperor who was generous to his concubines in many ways. Though he was a cold-blooded monarch who was so domineering that he wouldn’t let any matter go below perfection, he was particularly weak to women’s requests and was surprisingly generous even during curtain lectures.
Furthermore, even if he favored one woman more, there was hardly any disregard or ill feelings toward his other concubines. He would even visit the concubine who had lost his favor once every two or three weeks to comfort her lonely heart and spend the night with her, and occasionally send flowers or gifts to remind her that he had not forgotten her.
But these days, it didn’t seem like he was looking for Marquise Lamott only in the form of a simple comfort as he used to in the past. The ceremonial visits that were once every two or three weeks had been reduced to once every five days, and unusual meetings, such as inviting her to lunch or asking her to go for a walk together, had become more frequent. Similar consideration was being given to Marquise Merlin, who was also isolated, while the frequency of visits to Countess Patrí, who had enjoyed relatively high favor and affection, had significantly decreased.
The change happened so slowly that the Countess didn’t notice it at first, but recently, she seemed to have finally noticed it. While she was unable to show it due to her haughty pride, she was overly anxious because of which she tried all sorts of things to get the Emperor’s attention back to her. Unfortunately, the results were not very good.
Marquise Lamott knew what it felt like to lose favor, but nevertheless, she did not feel sorry for Countess Patrí at all. Just thinking about the way she was arrogant in front of her, who was losing his favor, there was no room for sympathy even if she was in a worse situation than now.
“Hurry up. His Majesty is waiting.”
Opportunities are meant to be seized when they come. The Emperor’s fondness for Countess Patrí had waned, but Marquise Lamott’s feelings grew impatient at the sight of the Emperor, who did not appear to have any particular feelings for any other woman. When she, who is usually calm, hastily nagged, the hands of the otherwise skillful ladies-in-waiting became more nimble.
In an instant, she took off her yellow silk robe and expensive pannier with layers of lace, untied her corset, and after working her way through all that, she then put on a single gown as light as if it would simply fly away over a soft chemise with a deep cleft for her breasts.
What followed was the elaborate grooming to reveal a natural yet feminine beauty. She sprayed subtle perfume behind her ears and on both wrists, and her hair, which had been tightly rolled up and tied, was naturally untied and fixed. Then, the pearl powder on the skin was wiped off and a light face lotion was applied. It was only then that all the preparations were completed.
She came out of the toilette room with a lady-in-waiting who followed her with a nightcap on a tray. When she came out, the Emperor was looking at the birdcage decoration beside the bed. Marquise Lamott collected those birds of Schibur as a hobby. She approached the Emperor with a gentle smile.
“What has gotten you so interested, Your Majesty?”
The Emperor looked back at her as she spoke kindly.
“I was looking at it because it smells exceptionally fragrant.”
“Does Your Majesty like that scent?”
“It is not particularly bizarre so it smells quite nice. It is fragrant but also somewhere piquant.”
“It is a scent made by mixing dried violet and iris with almond blossoms. It is a combination that I like as well.”
The Emperor nodded at the explanation of Marquise Lamott and looked at the nightingale model, housed in an elaborate silver cage with interest.
“Where did you get this bird from, Henriette?”
Marquise Lamott widened her eyes at the Emperor’s sudden question.
“You mean Schibur’s little bird? I usually order directly from an atelier that specializes in decorations. But why does Your Majesty want to know?”
“There is a friend of Ours whose taste is exceedingly rustic and does not suit the court. If We want to change that friend’s awful taste, he must be taught what is sophisticated first. He is not used to living like a refined person, so he must have never seen such a luxurious hobby in his life, which is why We thought it would not be so bad to gift it to him as an example.”
The Emperor showed profound intimacy as if the person he was alluding to was indeed his friend. After hearing that, Marquise Lamott easily recognized the identity of the other person. It was because there was only one person in whom the Emperor showed interest in this way these days.
“That is quite considerate of Your Majesty. Then please take that cage. If it is something that has attracted Your Majesty’s attention, that person will like it too.”
While the other women were competing against each other for the Emperor’s favor and affection, the person in question here was the Emperor’s favorite subject. The Marquise, not knowing how far this interest would extend, didn’t think it was a bad idea to take this opportunity to ingratiate herself with the Emperor’s close associate, and coolly offered the cage. However, at the unexpected goodwill of the Marquise, the Emperor shook his head as if it was absurd.
“There is no need for that, Henriette. We appreciate your consideration, but We refuse. Does it make sense for Us to take away your belonging and give it to someone else simply because We cannot gift that particular item?”
“It is not being taken away, it is being gifted. If it is that bothersome, then Your Majesty can buy me another cage. If not, there is another cage that caught my attention a while ago.”
She said as she offered the Emperor the quality wine she had prepared as a nightcap. The Emperor took the wine filled in a silver cup, placed the cup to his lips, and quietly savored its scent. Marquise Lamott crept up to the Emperor’s side and embraced the Emperor’s arm with both her arms. Since her slim and slender build was on the small side among women, she was only about half as tall when standing next to the strong Emperor.
“It is rather beneficial to me. I am giving away something old in exchange for a new one. So you do not have to refuse, Your Majesty.”
“You are too kind.”
The Emperor eventually lost against her repeated persuasion, wrapped one arm around Marquise Lamott’s thin shoulders, and buried his lips in the nape of her long neck. The nape of her neck, which was as white as a pearl, was soft and fragrant, even without any powder.
After being defeated by her repeated persuasion, the Emperor wrapped one arm around the slender shoulders of Marquise Lamott and buried his lips in the nape of his long neck. The nape of the neck, which was as white as a pearl, was soft and fragrant, even without asking. Her delicate skin was so translucent as if the slightest touch would leave a mark, and it wasn’t just the way it looked, it was very much the truth.
Instead of this type of skin, how much force must you exert to leave such a mark on the nape of a burly man’s neck? Do I have to mount him with the intention of biting from the beginning?
Unexpectedly, at this moment, it was not the elegant body of Marquise Lamott that took over the Emperor’s mind, but the recently confirmed bite mark on Eugène’s body. The trace of another man was engraved like a brand on the trained manly body that was not very different from his own. Though he didn’t express it to anyone, the mark aroused some kind of primal curiosity in the Emperor.
Baron Amieux’s skin was as tough as it gets from the rough sea breeze and rigorous training. The Emperor had no sexual relationship with the Baron, but he knew the texture of his skin better than anyone else. Since he tapped and jabbed him many times with a bladeless sword, he had grasped the toughness of his skin and even the elasticity of his muscles.
If a mark that deep was left on his skin, the intensity of the caresses between the two would have been even more intense than that of ordinary people. It was probably different than sleeping with a woman. The Emperor had never engaged in sodomy before and guessed vaguely like a blind man fumbling around a doorknob. Both of them were men with strong builds, so when it came to embracing each other, the two would have been quite zealous without being too rough.
The imagination, which had begun to move forward, spread its branches wildly and recklessly. Suddenly, Baron Amieux became naked in the Emperor’s mind. As he had previously seen, the sleek body was firmly trained.
After a while, a dark shadow fell over the strong body, and someone with a softer silhouette than the Baron appeared and naturally overlapped with the body. Of course, the true identity of the shadow with an unusually slender and delicate outline was Prince Cyrill. The Emperor even added Prince Cyrill’s long tress of hair in his imagination, but he couldn’t imagine the most decisive part of the man and just glossed over it.
It was not as difficult as he thought to imagine the scene in which the two of them were intertwined. Baron Amieux’s body was quite familiar, and Prince Cyrill was a beauty who he didn’t have much trouble imagining without any of his clothes on. But somehow the Emperor felt a sense of alienation. He didn’t know what it was, but it felt like he was making a mistake in some crucial part.
For a moment, the Emperor pondered over the identity of this strange sense of incongruity. However, he was suddenly brought back to his senses by Marquise Lamott as she groaned lightly in his arms. Marquise Lamott lamented because the Emperor barely took further action other than sliding his lips on the nape of her neck, and so, cutely urged the Emperor with her slender arms to not simply cuddle her neck alone.
“What are you thinking of right now, Your Majesty? The one in Your Majesty’s arms right now is I, not anyone else. So do not think of anyone else, and only keep me in mind.”
The Emperor had never made this kind of mistake with a woman and was quite flustered inwardly. But on the outside, he just smiled softly without showing any such expression.
“Seems like you have a lot of concerns. Do not worry. How could We think of anyone else? We have someone so beautiful like you in Our arms.”
He picked her up and headed to bed, blowing the sweet lie that had become a habit into her ears.
Shortly thereafter, sounds of a woman’s coquettish voice and moans writhing in the pleasure of sex were heard from the bed. The Emperor hugged her passionately as if to compensate for the mistake he had made before. Marquise Lamott was extremely satisfied with his usual kind attitude and was willing to be tormented to the point of exhausting the man’s zeal, which he repeated all night long as she wished.
However, in spite of all his actions, the image of another person often came to mind in the Emperor’s mind. Sometimes it was just another person, sometimes it was ‘other people’. Even if he deliberately pushed it to the corner to avoid thinking about it, the thought crawled out as if it bore some sort of grudge and disturbed the Emperor’s focus.
“Welcome, Your Majesty. I had been waiting.”
As the Emperor entered, Marquise Lamott slightly knelt and bowed with a bright smile. The ladies-in-waiting who lined up behind her followed their master and knelt on their knees and bowed politely. The Emperor smiled and held out an arm. Marquise Lamott blushed happily, placed her hand on his arm, and the two entered the Marquise’s boudoir, shoulder-to-shoulder.
“You seem to have become more beautiful than ever before. Were you always this beautiful?”
“Your Majesty, it was only five days ago when you visited me last. What could have changed in between?”
The Emperor made a joke while walking into the Marquise’s bedroom, and the Marquise laughed adorably while lightly glaring at him as if what he said made no sense.
“It was not only five days ago, it has already been five days. Seems like it would not suffice even if We come to see you every day, but for some reason, time passes by so quickly.”
“I could not even hope for the dreamlike wish where Your Majesty would come by every day. Please just remember that, no matter how beautiful the other flowers are, sometimes I am here waiting for Your Majesty.”
The Emperor was always kind to his concubines. When in the company of a concubine, even if she was not the one who held his favor, he would treat her as if she were the Emperor’s one and only love. The woman knew well that the Emperor was such by nature and was not deceived by his sweet whispers.
The sleepless days of heartbreaking pain whenever the Emperor left for another woman’s arms, despite listening to the Emperor’s sweet nothings with sincerity, ended only after she struggled to admit the cold reality. She had no intention of repeating the mistakes of her sweet and foolish youth again.
She rested her forehead gently against the Emperor’s shoulder, whispering shyly like a young girl. The Emperor could see her thin eyelashes trembling like dragonfly wings under her round white forehead.
“We always remember where you are, Henriette. It is engraved in Our innermost thoughts how grateful We are to have a gentle and virtuous woman like you by Our side.”
He said quietly and kissed the top of the Marquise’s round head. Marquise Lamott looked up happily at the man who loved her only when she was in her arms, smiling as sweetly as an orange blossom soaked in the rain.
Since a message was sent before the Emperor’s visit, the Marquise’s bedroom was perfectly prepared to welcome the Emperor.
As they entered the Marquise’s room, small cages hanging everywhere could be seen. These cages were not real birds, but decorations with miniature birds called ‘Schibur’s Little Birds – Oiseau de Chypre’, and each passing cage contained wooden models that imitated small and pretty birds such as mountain bluebirds, rufous-tailed robins, or yellow canaries.
However, these decorations were not to be enjoyed with the eyes, but with the nose. The stomachs of the model birds were filled with various herbs and spices, so every time they passed by one, they could smell an indescribably fragrant and heavenly scent.
The aroma created by Marquise Lamott, who had a knack for perfumery, was so delicately controlled that even if several different kinds of scents flowed at the same time, one would not get a headache.
Candles were hung on each candlestick to create an atmosphere, and the bed’s curtains were replaced with translucent silk material imported from the Eastern Continent. The softly fitted silk seemed to hint at the private event that would take place tonight.
The exquisitely designed attire of the lady was exceptionally beautiful. However, putting on and taking off several paeta robes and gigantic panniers was hard labor that was impossible to do alone. Marquise Lamott could not make the Emperor do such heavy labor with his own hands, and made the Emperor sit on a long chair before she carefully crossed over to the next room.
The Emperor stretched out his tired legs and waited for the woman who left the room. When he sniffed the relaxing scent, he secretly felt drowsy, perhaps because he was especially exhausted today. However, the Emperor could not disappoint the concubine whom he was visiting after a long time, so he stretched out for a while and waited for the concubine to return.
Even compared to the previous emperors, Ebroin V was an Emperor who was generous to his concubines in many ways. Though he was a cold-blooded monarch who was so domineering that he wouldn’t let any matter go below perfection, he was particularly weak to women’s requests and was surprisingly generous even during curtain lectures.
Furthermore, even if he favored one woman more, there was hardly any disregard or ill feelings toward his other concubines. He would even visit the concubine who had lost his favor once every two or three weeks to comfort her lonely heart and spend the night with her, and occasionally send flowers or gifts to remind her that he had not forgotten her.
But these days, it didn’t seem like he was looking for Marquise Lamott only in the form of a simple comfort as he used to in the past. The ceremonial visits that were once every two or three weeks had been reduced to once every five days, and unusual meetings, such as inviting her to lunch or asking her to go for a walk together, had become more frequent. Similar consideration was being given to Marquise Merlin, who was also isolated, while the frequency of visits to Countess Patrí, who had enjoyed relatively high favor and affection, had significantly decreased.
The change happened so slowly that the Countess didn’t notice it at first, but recently, she seemed to have finally noticed it. While she was unable to show it due to her haughty pride, she was overly anxious because of which she tried all sorts of things to get the Emperor’s attention back to her. Unfortunately, the results were not very good.
Marquise Lamott knew what it felt like to lose favor, but nevertheless, she did not feel sorry for Countess Patrí at all. Just thinking about the way she was arrogant in front of her, who was losing his favor, there was no room for sympathy even if she was in a worse situation than now.
“Hurry up. His Majesty is waiting.”
Opportunities are meant to be seized when they come. The Emperor’s fondness for Countess Patrí had waned, but Marquise Lamott’s feelings grew impatient at the sight of the Emperor, who did not appear to have any particular feelings for any other woman. When she, who is usually calm, hastily nagged, the hands of the otherwise skillful ladies-in-waiting became more nimble.
In an instant, she took off her yellow silk robe and expensive pannier with layers of lace, untied her corset, and after working her way through all that, she then put on a single gown as light as if it would simply fly away over a soft chemise with a deep cleft for her breasts.
What followed was the elaborate grooming to reveal a natural yet feminine beauty. She sprayed subtle perfume behind her ears and on both wrists, and her hair, which had been tightly rolled up and tied, was naturally untied and fixed. Then, the pearl powder on the skin was wiped off and a light face lotion was applied. It was only then that all the preparations were completed.
She came out of the toilette room with a lady-in-waiting who followed her with a nightcap on a tray. When she came out, the Emperor was looking at the birdcage decoration beside the bed. Marquise Lamott collected those birds of Schibur as a hobby. She approached the Emperor with a gentle smile.
“What has gotten you so interested, Your Majesty?”
The Emperor looked back at her as she spoke kindly.
“I was looking at it because it smells exceptionally fragrant.”
“Does Your Majesty like that scent?”
“It is not particularly bizarre so it smells quite nice. It is fragrant but also somewhere piquant.”
“It is a scent made by mixing dried violet and iris with almond blossoms. It is a combination that I like as well.”
The Emperor nodded at the explanation of Marquise Lamott and looked at the nightingale model, housed in an elaborate silver cage with interest.
“Where did you get this bird from, Henriette?”
Marquise Lamott widened her eyes at the Emperor’s sudden question.
“You mean Schibur’s little bird? I usually order directly from an atelier that specializes in decorations. But why does Your Majesty want to know?”
“There is a friend of Ours whose taste is exceedingly rustic and does not suit the court. If We want to change that friend’s awful taste, he must be taught what is sophisticated first. He is not used to living like a refined person, so he must have never seen such a luxurious hobby in his life, which is why We thought it would not be so bad to gift it to him as an example.”
The Emperor showed profound intimacy as if the person he was alluding to was indeed his friend. After hearing that, Marquise Lamott easily recognized the identity of the other person. It was because there was only one person in whom the Emperor showed interest in this way these days.
“That is quite considerate of Your Majesty. Then please take that cage. If it is something that has attracted Your Majesty’s attention, that person will like it too.”
While the other women were competing against each other for the Emperor’s favor and affection, the person in question here was the Emperor’s favorite subject. The Marquise, not knowing how far this interest would extend, didn’t think it was a bad idea to take this opportunity to ingratiate herself with the Emperor’s close associate, and coolly offered the cage. However, at the unexpected goodwill of the Marquise, the Emperor shook his head as if it was absurd.
“There is no need for that, Henriette. We appreciate your consideration, but We refuse. Does it make sense for Us to take away your belonging and give it to someone else simply because We cannot gift that particular item?”
“It is not being taken away, it is being gifted. If it is that bothersome, then Your Majesty can buy me another cage. If not, there is another cage that caught my attention a while ago.”
She said as she offered the Emperor the quality wine she had prepared as a nightcap. The Emperor took the wine filled in a silver cup, placed the cup to his lips, and quietly savored its scent. Marquise Lamott crept up to the Emperor’s side and embraced the Emperor’s arm with both her arms. Since her slim and slender build was on the small side among women, she was only about half as tall when standing next to the strong Emperor.
“It is rather beneficial to me. I am giving away something old in exchange for a new one. So you do not have to refuse, Your Majesty.”
“You are too kind.”
The Emperor eventually lost against her repeated persuasion, wrapped one arm around Marquise Lamott’s thin shoulders, and buried his lips in the nape of her long neck. The nape of her neck, which was as white as a pearl, was soft and fragrant, even without any powder.
After being defeated by her repeated persuasion, the Emperor wrapped one arm around the slender shoulders of Marquise Lamott and buried his lips in the nape of his long neck. The nape of the neck, which was as white as a pearl, was soft and fragrant, even without asking. Her delicate skin was so translucent as if the slightest touch would leave a mark, and it wasn’t just the way it looked, it was very much the truth.
Instead of this type of skin, how much force must you exert to leave such a mark on the nape of a burly man’s neck? Do I have to mount him with the intention of biting from the beginning?
Unexpectedly, at this moment, it was not the elegant body of Marquise Lamott that took over the Emperor’s mind, but the recently confirmed bite mark on Eugène’s body. The trace of another man was engraved like a brand on the trained manly body that was not very different from his own. Though he didn’t express it to anyone, the mark aroused some kind of primal curiosity in the Emperor.
Baron Amieux’s skin was as tough as it gets from the rough sea breeze and rigorous training. The Emperor had no sexual relationship with the Baron, but he knew the texture of his skin better than anyone else. Since he tapped and jabbed him many times with a bladeless sword, he had grasped the toughness of his skin and even the elasticity of his muscles.
If a mark that deep was left on his skin, the intensity of the caresses between the two would have been even more intense than that of ordinary people. It was probably different than sleeping with a woman. The Emperor had never engaged in sodomy before and guessed vaguely like a blind man fumbling around a doorknob. Both of them were men with strong builds, so when it came to embracing each other, the two would have been quite zealous without being too rough.
The imagination, which had begun to move forward, spread its branches wildly and recklessly. Suddenly, Baron Amieux became naked in the Emperor’s mind. As he had previously seen, the sleek body was firmly trained.
After a while, a dark shadow fell over the strong body, and someone with a softer silhouette than the Baron appeared and naturally overlapped with the body. Of course, the true identity of the shadow with an unusually slender and delicate outline was Prince Cyrill. The Emperor even added Prince Cyrill’s long tress of hair in his imagination, but he couldn’t imagine the most decisive part of the man and just glossed over it.
It was not as difficult as he thought to imagine the scene in which the two of them were intertwined. Baron Amieux’s body was quite familiar, and Prince Cyrill was a beauty who he didn’t have much trouble imagining without any of his clothes on. But somehow the Emperor felt a sense of alienation. He didn’t know what it was, but it felt like he was making a mistake in some crucial part.
For a moment, the Emperor pondered over the identity of this strange sense of incongruity. However, he was suddenly brought back to his senses by Marquise Lamott as she groaned lightly in his arms. Marquise Lamott lamented because the Emperor barely took further action other than sliding his lips on the nape of her neck, and so, cutely urged the Emperor with her slender arms to not simply cuddle her neck alone.
“What are you thinking of right now, Your Majesty? The one in Your Majesty’s arms right now is I, not anyone else. So do not think of anyone else, and only keep me in mind.”
The Emperor had never made this kind of mistake with a woman and was quite flustered inwardly. But on the outside, he just smiled softly without showing any such expression.
“Seems like you have a lot of concerns. Do not worry. How could We think of anyone else? We have someone so beautiful like you in Our arms.”
He picked her up and headed to bed, blowing the sweet lie that had become a habit into her ears.
Shortly thereafter, sounds of a woman’s coquettish voice and moans writhing in the pleasure of sex were heard from the bed. The Emperor hugged her passionately as if to compensate for the mistake he had made before. Marquise Lamott was extremely satisfied with his usual kind attitude and was willing to be tormented to the point of exhausting the man’s zeal, which he repeated all night long as she wished.
However, in spite of all his actions, the image of another person often came to mind in the Emperor’s mind. Sometimes it was just another person, sometimes it was ‘other people’. Even if he deliberately pushed it to the corner to avoid thinking about it, the thought crawled out as if it bore some sort of grudge and disturbed the Emperor’s focus.
