Your Majesty, I’m Not that Man - Chapter 10: The Harem's Upheaval (4)

Once the emperor made his decision, the process of clearing out the harem progressed swiftly. Those destined for prison had already been taken away after the Yanis incident, and two days later, those sentenced to exile on the island were loaded onto carriages.

Currently, various noble families were in the process of taking back their sons. Although some families turned their backs on their daughters for having been imperial concubines, most came to retrieve them. They likely feared the consequences of acting too hastily against the emperor’s command. Thus, only those whose journey to their homeland would take time remained in the harem. Princesses, princes, and nobles from foreign countries had to wait for messages to be delivered and carriages to arrive to escort them.

Ipherian, the prince of a fallen kingdom, stood apart, watching it all unfold. The chamberlain regarded Ipherian with a look of annoyance.

“Ipherian.”

“Ah… I was just about to head back to my room.”

As Ipherian hurriedly turned around, the chamberlain left him alone, knowing that he would eventually be forced to leave once the set date arrived.

A consolation payment had already been given to him—a sum that seemed vast to a lower noble, but rather modest from a royal perspective. Several nobles, impressed by Ipherian’s appearance and former status, even offered to become his patrons. There was always an option to go to them.

Of course, Ipherian had no intention of accepting the patronage of an imperial noble. Although the chamberlain’s recommendations were probably not from bad circles, it was not uncommon for individuals to end up in shady company after passing from hand to hand.

Sigh. So this harem is really going to be empty soon.

Before Cassion’s command, Ipherian couldn’t have imagined such a thing happening. Even when he heard the emperor would marry Lady Wendell, he had never thought it would lead to this.

It had all started because of Levinia.

Ipherian envied Levinia and wanted to see her again. Living in the harem made it impossible, but could there be another way to stay by her side? Perhaps as her guard or servant?

A servant… a servant wouldn’t be so bad.

Even though he knew it was impossible with Cassion around, imagining himself serving Levinia brought a faint smile to Ipherian’s lips.

“Ipherian, may I speak with you for a moment?”

At the sound of someone addressing him, Ipherian turned around with a curious expression. It was one of Violet’s attendants.

“What is it?”

“Our princess wishes to speak with you again…”

Strangely, there had been a few romantic relationships formed within the harem. Most were between men, but occasionally, concubines developed feelings for each other.

Violet was one such case. She asked Ipherian to accompany her back to her kingdom.

According to her, her father would quickly try to marry her off once they returned to their homeland. If Ipherian agreed to go with her, the king would grant him a minor title and arrange their marriage—at least, that was how Violet explained it.

It’s not a bad offer… but…

“Sorry. I’ve got something to take care of right now.”

Ipherian gently declined the maid’s request and made his way back to his quarters. With the servants and attendants becoming increasingly negligent, it had become easier for him to move around unnoticed.
Upon entering his bedroom, Ipherian locked the door and drew the curtains. He left one of the windows slightly open—making it appear as though he was simply airing out the room.

While contemplating what form to take, he did what he usually did: transforming into a small white butterfly and slipping into the garden. Then, he changed into a little sparrow and flew toward the Rose Palace.

Few people paid attention to a common little bird. Ipherian circled the Rose Palace, scanning the area for security. Compared to other imperial palaces, this one seemed to have twice the number of guards, with soldiers stationed at every critical point.

There’s no way anyone could escape from here under normal circumstances.

Ipherian slowly made his way toward the Rose Palace’s garden but couldn’t spot Levinia this time. It wasn’t surprising—despite his many visits to the Rose Palace, he had only encountered her once. Hiding in the grass for a moment, he transformed back into a small butterfly and took flight.

Levinia was in the drawing room. She had just finished getting her measurements taken and sat on the sofa with a somewhat tired expression. Palace maids quickly brought her refreshments and encouraged her to take a break.

Getting fitted for clothes? Must be the dress for her engagement.

Ipherian had already heard that Levinia’s engagement ceremony was scheduled for a few weeks later. Perched on the windowsill, he closely observed her expression. She looked exhausted, without a hint of joy on her face.

Curious, Ipherian leaned in to listen to the conversation between Levinia and the maids. It occurred to him that eavesdropping wasn’t exactly gentlemanly, but simply waiting in silence was far too boring.

“How about this design, Lady Levinia?”

“This fabric is imported from Gran.”

In addition to the maids offering her tea and massaging her arms and legs, three designers stood by, trying to please her. Eight dresses had already been ordered. While only two or three dresses would be worn at the actual engagement events, it was customary for high-ranking noblewomen to order four or five dresses.

This was to prepare for unforeseen circumstances—there might be restrictions on certain colors, or a dress might end up being unsuitable at the last minute. For members of the imperial family, it was standard to order even more to distinguish themselves from the nobility.

Levinia, accustomed to such things, casually flipped through sketches and selected her dresses. As the daughter of the Duke of Wendell, this was nothing new to her.

Normally, she finished these tasks quickly due to her busy schedule, but this was the first time she had taken so long to choose a dress.

Tiring.

While selecting dresses was usually enjoyable, it felt burdensome now—perhaps because her fiancé was Cassion. On top of that, neither of Levinia’s parents could attend the engagement, making it far from a typical affair.

Cassion had offered to bring them if she asked, but Levinia didn’t like that idea either.

Even if they come, they’ll only demand what they want from me.

They had always been that kind of people. Levinia suddenly thought of her parents from her past life. Although they had openly discriminated against her, they would never have used her engagement as an opportunity to impose their demands.

“I’ll take this one… and this one… and that one. Use this fabric.”

When the designs of the selected dresses came together, the number of dresses was just right. The designers beamed with joy and continued bowing and fawning over Levinia.

A dazzlingly beautiful emperor, and though not as striking, a rather handsome duke—this engagement promised great things. If she became empress, it meant that imperial banquets would be held again.

Imperial banquets always led to numerous dress orders from high-ranking noblewomen and ladies of aristocratic families. For the struggling dress market, it would mark the start of a new era.

“Thank you, my lady.”

“Congratulations again on your engagement.”

With bright smiles, the designers expressed their gratitude and left the drawing room. The maids glanced at Levinia’s somewhat tired expression.

“My lady, are you all right?”

“Would you like to rest for a bit?”

Leaning against the back of the sofa, Levinia looked at them. The maids believed that Levinia preferred being alone to being surrounded by people.

“Ah… yes, that sounds good.”“We’ll wait outside. Please call if you need anything.”

The maids quietly left the room. Alone, Levinia pondered what to do. Should she read a book? Play the piano?

After some thought, Levinia decided to simply sit there in a daze. Sleeping was an option, but she had just eaten cookies, so it didn’t seem like the best idea.

Will I be busy if I become empress?

Currently, imperial power was concentrated solely in the emperor’s hands. The previous emperor, as well as his predecessor, had ruled with absolute authority.

As a result, the empress’s power was no longer as significant as it once was. Besides, Levinia had responsibilities to the Wendell family, so handling imperial affairs on top of that would be too much.

If I had to prioritize, it would be my duties as empress… but His Majesty probably won’t assign me anything anyway.

It would be a different story if Levinia insisted on taking on such responsibilities. However, she was already worn out from everything she had gone through.

Just days ago, Levinia had believed she would never have to deal with the affairs of the imperial family or the duchy again, which only made administrative work feel more dreadful.

Maybe I should leave the empire… cross the sea…

If she crossed the sea, she thought no one would pursue her. Sending people after a runaway concubine seemed excessive. Beyond the sea, there were numerous small and large countries, including the Holy Kingdom. In even more distant lands, there were unique countries only reachable after many days by ship.

But… what about the original story? There’s no news of Albert…

She hadn’t asked Cassion about him, unsure of how he would react. Regular maids and attendants were essentially Cassion’s eyes and ears. That left her with the option of investigating things herself, but the Rose Palace maids, citing her health, had been strictly preventing her from leaving her quarters.

In the original story…

Albert, who had become Cassion’s concubine to protect his entire family, was shown living in the harem. A swordmaster, he could roam the harem freely without a bodyguard, which allowed him to build relationships with many other concubines.

Among them, he became close to Ipherian, and it was also during that time that he met Theo, the prince from a distant continent across the sea.

Theo was a powerful figure, second only to Cassion. Like Ipherian, he had been betrayed and cursed, losing his ability to use mana. Theo’s followers attempted to rescue him by infiltrating the harem and ended up receiving Albert’s help.

It was around that time that Cassion realized his feelings for Albert and began tormenting him in various ways… eventually confessing his love and getting rejected… then destroying Albert’s family in retaliation…

The memory sent a chill down Levinia’s spine. She had managed to avoid that future, but it could always resurface. It was far too early to feel safe.

Albert and Cassion’s relationship completely fell apart… then Prince Theo escaped.

Theo did not forget about Albert as he escaped. The day before, Cassion had left the palace to go hunting, consumed by self-loathing after a violent encounter with Albert. Taking advantage of Cassion’s absence, Theo and his companions, with Ipherian’s help, rescued Albert.

After escaping the palace, they moved to break Theo’s curse. Knowing that the emperor would soon pursue them, Theo needed to gain the strength to fight back. To do so, they sought out the Witch’s Tower hidden deep in the Gray Forest.

However, by the time they reached it, the witch had already died, leaving only her magic behind. Albert and Theo worked together to break the magic and claim the witch’s legacy, which Theo used to lift his curse.

And then…

Knock, knock.

The sound of something tapping on the window made Levinia turn around. The drawing room was positioned to offer a view of the garden.

Huh?

Levinia’s face showed surprise as she recognized the familiar silver hair outside the window. Rising from her seat, she walked to the window. When she opened it, Ipherian stood there, smiling brightly at her.

“My lady.”

“Ipherian… How are you here again?”

Levinia looked at him in shock. Although the garden was mostly empty, guards occasionally patrolled when neither she nor Cassion were outside.

“Come inside quickly. If the guards see you…”

“Yes.”

Ipherian had timed his knock to avoid the guards’ patrols, but Levinia wouldn’t have known that. He gave her a mischievous smile and climbed through the window into the room.

After checking the garden one more time, Levinia closed the curtains. It might look suspicious if someone entered the room, but it was far more dangerous for Ipherian to be discovered.

“It’s been a while, my lady.”

Ipherian bowed elegantly and kissed the back of her hand. Levinia watched him with a curious gaze.

In the original story, Ipherian was the one who helped Albert and Theo escape. Despite having the chance to leave the palace with them, Ipherian chose to stay behind. Thanks to that decision, he later helped Albert once more after he was recaptured.

A helper character… or something like that.

He was technically a supporting male lead.

“What brings you here?”

Levinia didn’t want to treat him poorly—he was a good person. But, to be honest, his frequent visits were dangerous for both of them.

When Levinia asked with a worried expression, Ipherian hesitated for a moment.

“Our last meeting may have been our first, but I didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye.”

“Leave?”

Levinia looked at him in surprise, and Ipherian realized that she had not been informed.

“The emperor has ordered the disbandment of the harem.”

“What?!”

Disband the harem? Was he planning to shut it down entirely? What would happen to Theo?!