Your Majesty, I’m Not that Man - Chapter 10: The Harem's Upheaval (3)

His strides quickened, and the courtiers and guards accompanying him hurried to keep pace. He already knew where she was, having been informed by one of his attendants: the Rose Palace garden.

Unlike the grander, more opulent gardens of the palace, the Rose Palace’s garden was known for its understated elegance. It was said to capture the charm of roses better than any other place. Cassion, however, had never truly appreciated such things.

“…?!”

A sudden, subtle sensation pricked at his consciousness, and Cassion’s pace turned into a full sprint. Something—or someone—was near Levinia. Too close.

“Your Majesty!”

His courtiers and guards called out in alarm as he broke into a run, but he didn’t look back. His sole focus was on Levinia.

“Levinia!”

Rushing past the palace corridors and into the garden entrance, he saw Levinia’s maids and guards stationed at a distance, looking startled as they noticed him. Cassion ignored their reactions entirely, his senses fixed on the faint, retreating presence near Levinia.

Bursting into the garden, he spotted her. Levinia stood amidst the roses, turning toward him with a look of surprise.

“Your Majesty?”

Without hesitation, Cassion closed the gap between them and swept her into his arms.

“Ah…”

It was only after holding her tightly that he realized his body was trembling. Levinia seemed to notice as well, her arms wrapping around his waist in a comforting gesture.

“Incredible… He even noticed Ipherian’s presence from that far away.”

Levinia understood now. He hadn’t been able to identify who it was but had likely assumed it was someone with ill intent. His reaction wasn’t just about protecting her—it was driven by a fear of losing her.

She felt a flicker of awe and a faint pang of guilt.

“That’s why…”

This powerful, extraordinary man had been shaken because of her. It was strange, unfamiliar, and oddly flattering. She couldn’t deny that a small part of her felt a sense of pride.

Levinia thought back to the day she had been brought into the palace, injured and unconscious. She must have left a profound impression on him, she realized.

“Levinia… Leni…”

His voice was low and filled with a tender warmth she hadn’t expected. Startled, she lifted her head from his chest, meeting his piercing blue gaze.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” she replied softly, her voice calm but with a slight tremor.

Cassion let out a deep sigh. The unknown presence was gone now—he’d lost track of it. Holding Levinia in his arms had drawn his focus away, and that was more than enough reason for him to forgive himself. Her safety was all that mattered.

“No… It must have been my nerves,” he muttered, as though convincing himself.

Does anyone else care for me this much?

The thought struck Levinia unexpectedly. In the Wendell estate, even Albert’s expressions of affection had always been quiet and restrained. This was different—intense, overwhelming, and entirely devoted to her.

Her chest tightened with an unfamiliar emotion.

Could I fall in love with him like this? she wondered. He had already declared his love for her, had shown her time and again how deeply he cared.

“No. This is Cassion we’re talking about.”

If only this love could burn eternal, Levinia thought, then perhaps she could surrender herself to it. But she knew all too well that flames ignited too quickly often burned out just as fast.

What if she accepted his love, bore his child, and then his passion for her faded? Could she raise a child by his side if his affection turned cold?

The thought sent a chill through her. She imagined herself, pregnant and abandoned, subjected to his indifference. Instinctively, she averted her gaze from Cassion, and his expression dimmed in response.

Levinia knew that no love was perfect. She understood that even the deepest passion could come to an end. But in Cassion’s case, the aftermath of love fading seemed especially bleak. It wasn’t just about heartbreak—it would be utter devastation.

Even an ordinary emperor’s disfavor would be hard to endure. But Cassion was far from ordinary. He wasn’t the kind of man who simply let go.

“No… He promised. He swore he would let me go gently if his love ever faded.”

But could she trust that?

She knew how fragile promises could be, how easily vows were broken. Even contracts written in ink were often disregarded in this world.

“If only you were a safe person…”

If only he were dependable, trustworthy—someone she could build a stable life with. Then perhaps Levinia could give her heart to him. But Cassion was dangerous. For someone like her, who valued security and certainty, he was the furthest thing from an ideal partner.

What if… what if I could ensure he could never betray me? she thought. If I could place an unbreakable leash on him—or, at the very least, gain power equal to his—then maybe…

Only in such a scenario could she consider taking the risk of loving him. Cassion, despite his danger, was undeniably alluring.

But if she couldn’t secure that kind of leverage, she would need to leave him before they had a child together. A clean escape, staged to look like an accident or even her death. If her “death” appeared accidental, Cassion would have no reason to hold the Wendell family accountable.

“But I can’t do this alone.”

Her position left her entirely dependent on Cassion. She couldn’t move freely, let alone orchestrate her own escape. She lacked the means to find a body to impersonate her or people skilled enough to stage an elaborate accident.

For a moment, Ipherian’s gaze came to mind—the golden eyes that had watched her so closely. But she quickly dismissed the thought.

“No, I can’t drag someone like him into this.”

Ipherian was kind and good-hearted, a man undeserving of being pulled into something so dangerous.

“Leni…”

Cassion’s voice brought her out of her thoughts, and she looked up at him. His blue eyes held a shadow of uncertainty, his usual confidence tempered by something deeper.

“Tonight… will you let me hold you?”

His words caught her off guard. Though they had been sharing a bed nightly, he had refrained from making any advances, waiting for her recovery. For a moment, she didn’t understand his meaning. Then it hit her, and her cheeks flushed.

“Yes…”

Her body had recovered fully. There was no longer a reason to refuse him. Besides, Levinia had been aware of how much restraint he had shown. With a slight nod, she gave her answer.

Cassion’s piercing blue eyes brightened as he tightened his arms around her, pulling her closer. The intensity of his gaze and the strength of his embrace carried a silent promise: I will never let you go.

＊ ＊ ＊

The realization that the emperor was now with Levinia hit Ipherian harder than he’d expected. Disappointment washed over him like a sinking weight, but amidst it, he found himself replaying the sound of her voice in his mind.

“Lord Ipherian.”

It was just a name, just a fleeting moment. Yet the simple fact that she had called him by name left an indelible warmth in his chest. A strange, ticklish sensation near his heart, as if something that had been wandering aimlessly for years had finally found its place.

But this realization terrified him. Of all people, Levinia was the one person he could never allow himself to yearn for.

To make matters worse, his time in the imperial palace was coming to an end. The emperor had declared the harem dissolved. Most of the concubines, unless they were sentenced to exile or imprisonment, would soon have to leave the palace and find their own way in the world.

They had been given two months.

For most, that meant returning to their families or households. Those without such ties, like Ipherian, were to be granted a generous sum of money as compensation.

The harem was abuzz with mixed reactions to the sudden announcement. Some, like Violet, a princess from another kingdom, were relieved and excited to start a new life. Having never shared the emperor’s bed, she saw this as her chance to finally escape the shadow of the imperial court.

Others mourned the loss of their privileged position and the hope of ever seeing the emperor again.

Ipherian found himself watching these reactions with a quiet sense of detachment.

“What should I do?”

With his magic, he could go anywhere. Finding work wouldn’t be difficult, and he could fabricate a new identity as needed. Very few people in the world recognized the face of the prince from a fallen kingdom.

Yet, for someone who had longed for freedom, the prospect of leaving the palace now felt oddly daunting.

Transforming into a delicate butterfly, Ipherian flitted through a crack in the window and returned to his room. Since the dissolution of the harem had been announced, even the attendants had grown lax in their duties. Guards had been reassigned, and servants rarely bothered to keep track of the concubines anymore.

Most likely, they thought, What’s the point? These were people who would soon no longer be part of the palace.

Two months.

It was both a long time and no time at all. Ipherian sat by the window, gazing at the sky as he contemplated his next move.

He didn’t want to stay in the empire. Nor did he want to return to his homeland. Though he had forgiven those who betrayed him, the thought of seeing them again left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Still, there were a few people he missed—friends who had remained loyal even in the face of his downfall. Friends he could trust. Perhaps he could spend some time seeking them out.

And alongside them…

“It would be nice if Lady Wendell could be there too.”

He knew it was an impossible dream, but his mind wandered nonetheless.

When he had seen her on her way to the Hyacinth Palace, her face had been far from happy. She didn’t look like a woman content to stay by the emperor’s side.

And the emperor’s actions…

Cassion’s behavior was peculiar, almost desperate. Though he had claimed to have fallen for Levinia, his methods seemed designed to trap her. He had sent her parents away to distant lands, begun dismantling the harem, and appeared to be carefully paving the way for her to ascend as empress.

Yet Levinia seemed oblivious to all of it. She was being treated like a treasured guest in the Rose Palace, but in truth, she was confined.

“When does he plan to tell her?”

Was he waiting for the perfect moment, a time when Levinia would have no choice but to accept?

Ipherian knew the power Cassion wielded. As emperor, there was little he couldn’t achieve.

“Does Lady Wendell even want this?”

The position of empress was coveted by many, but Ipherian couldn’t forget the look on Levinia’s face that day—so unlike a woman who rejoiced in capturing the emperor’s heart.

“Just once more…”

He made up his mind. He would see Levinia again. He needed to ask her, face-to-face, what she truly wanted.

What if I ask her? And what if Levinia says she doesn’t want to become empress? Then what?

Ipherian sighed, fully aware of his own limitations. There was no defeating Cassion head-on. The emperor wasn’t just powerful; he was extraordinary, even among the legendary transcendent figures of the imperial lineage. Facing him in open confrontation would mean certain death.

But escaping—vanishing from Cassion’s sight? That was something Ipherian could manage.

“If it’s about evading the emperor’s gaze, I could do it.”

The thought lingered, tempting him. But as the idea took root, he laughed bitterly at himself.

His wild imagination had no foundation. His assumptions about Levinia—based on a single fleeting expression and the fact that she was confined to the Rose Palace—were nothing more than conjecture. He didn’t have any concrete evidence that she wanted to leave or that she was unhappy.

It wasn’t about rational analysis or logic. He wanted it to be true. He wanted her to need his help, to need him.

And that was when the truth struck him like a thunderbolt.

He didn’t just want to help Levinia escape.

He wanted her.

He wanted to take her for himself. To protect her under the guise of helping her flee, to shield her from the emperor’s inevitable pursuit, and to ensure she remained by his side—forever.

The realization left him shaken. Ipherian pressed his palms over his face, as if trying to hide from his own reflection.

Cassion isn’t the only one deserving of blame, he thought grimly. I’m just as selfish, just as dark and twisted as he is.

And yet, despite acknowledging his own selfishness, he couldn’t stop thinking about Levinia.

It didn’t matter if she wanted his help or not. It didn’t matter if she wanted to stay or leave. His thoughts were consumed by her. His desires burned relentlessly, heedless of her will.

He wanted her—regardless of what she wanted.

＊ ＊ ＊