The Abandoned Empress Chapter 281

Chapter 281: Chapter 281

When I received the tiara as a gift, I was very confused. I was not sure if the person who gave hope that my frozen heart might be able to revive was the old him or the current him. While I was on the horns of a dilemma, I thought I’d just hold out until Jiun ca. In the end, when I ran into him after avoiding him for almost six months, he said casually with a sigh, watching not even being able to make eye contact with him,

When I was ambushed the first ti, I told him, who rushed to to inquire about my safety, that I was sorry for borrowing the power of the temple although I knew he shunned the temple. At that ti, I thought he would be angry at the fact that I, as his fiancee, relied on the power of the temple instead of being wary. So, I apologized to him rather than thanking him when I heard that it was he who dispatched the royal knights for my security.

When I learned that Jiun also returned, I realized that all the plans I had made were useless.

It was the crown prince alone who reached out to when I spaced out, watching the late emperor who proposed making the empress while taking Jiun as the crown prince’s concubine, a notion that was also supported by the noble faction. He told he was sorry because he could not help, then promised trembling with fear that he would protect , abandoning the support of the noble faction that he could get easily.

But I didn’t make allowances for his consideration back then. I doubted him, endlessly comparing him with the old him. When he prepared all kinds of food to sound out my preference, I even asked him why he didn’t want to go to Jiun. He told with a sigh that he already gave his heart to , so he could not share it with her.

Nonetheless, I didn’t trust him. Rather I hated him, complaining that if he had been so considerate and kind to in the past, I would not have felt bitter like this.

On the day when I went to see him, wearing the dress that Carsein gave as a gift, he told , hiding his wounded feelings, that he wanted to give him a little more opportunity. He could have taken as his wife if he issued an order, but he made the request instead.

When I asked him why he took pains to win over my heart, he told that he didn’t want to carry out my duty as his fiancee. He said he just wanted to win over my heart genuinely as a man who had his heart set on , then he said he apologized to . With much more gloomy expression than mine, he said he knew I was shunning him.

“Co to your senses! You should not fall unconscious!”

“…”

“Aristia!”

I opened my heavy eyelids at his repeated calling. Sothing blue flickered in my blurred vision. I felt a sharp pain just a little while ago, but I didn’t feel it any more as my body was so weak.

I felt as if the world that had been spinning round in my head and suddenly sunk into the ground, just like the day when I lost his mind in his arms, dancing with him without knowing I was poisoned.

He kept expressing his affection for when my life hung by a thread because of the poison, when I barely got up and asked to et him. He revealed secrets and his inner feelings to , which he had never told anybody. He told about his feelings of inferiority as a child without any hesitation, and he even revealed the secret of his pedigree to , which could be his greatest weakness. He showed his great trust in by revealing such secrets, which was quite aningful for a man like him who should be on alert and wary of people around him all the ti.

Nevertheless, I doubted him. I never trusted him. It was because of my deep-rooted disbelief that I imdiately asked for the breakoff of our engagent when I heard I was an infertile woman. It was only my poor excuses that I cited the political situation as the reason for my request. I was just so preoccupied with comforting myself that I again hurt him so much.

Even though I pushed him away so hard, he kept opening his heart to . Despite the strong objection of the noble faction, he opened the royal hunting grounds for to hold a coming-of-age ceremony there. He expressed his love by sending an Orgel box. He made sure the High Priest would give blessings on a regular basis. He made a deal with Grace so I wouldn’t be ignored in social circles. And he watched silently without letting know.

But I tried to take an oath of blood just like my family used to, and he eventually exploded emotionally. He rejected the Monique family’s oath for the first ti in the imperial history of nearly a thousand years. His deep anger like an active volcano hidden in his cold and rational mind scared , and his deep kiss that I experienced for the first ti in my life blinded to the reality for a mont. I was often swayed by his repeated show of kindness. I was distressed but happy when he told he would not care even if I could not give birth to his successor.

Nonetheless, I couldn’t take a step forward in that direction. Even though I knew that he was a completely different man from the past, even though I realized that the nightmare of my past would never repeat itself, even though I knew that he loved so much. Even though I knew that as the emperor with more pride than anybody else, he loved so much that he was willing to give up everything for my love, I didn’t accept his love because I didn’t want to be abandoned again by him.

So, I kept saying sorry to him, even when he ca running to save a mont ago without caring about his broken pride.

“Your Majesty…”

Breathing out roughly, I barely spoke. I opened my eyes because I wanted to see his face, but I couldn’t see anything in my blurred eyes. Even if I tried to lift my arm as much as I could to feel his warmth, I could not. I only heard his trembling voice.

“You can’t see ?”

“Oh my…”

“Doctor! Bring the royal doctor here!”

“The Imperial Palace!”

Even if I wanted to reply, I could not say anything other than breathe out roughly.

I heard the sound of soone hastily sitting down at his urgent calling, and his desperate reply.

“… Sorry, Your Majesty. Please punish !”

“Shut up! How can you make such irresponsible remarks? Save her right now! Make her co to her senses until the high priest arrives.”

“I’m so sorry…”

“When is the high priest coming? Bring him here right now. Go and get him here right away! Any one of the three high priests will do. So, bring one of them here now!”

Shouting at the royal doctor like crazy, he hugged tight. I could feel his warmth and trembling feebly, even though my body was almost numb.