Your Majesty, I’m Not that Man - Chapter 2: Not the Second Wife, but the Mistress? (5)

The summons came in the middle of the night.

A servant delivered the emperor’s order, and though Levinia was startled, the urgency in the servant’s tone left her no time to dwell on her thoughts. She quickly donned the outfit she had prepared for such an occasion and washed her face lightly.

When Levinia emerged, her face bare of any makeup, it was the servant who seemed taken aback.

“…Are you planning to go like that?”

“Will His Majesty be angry?” Levinia asked flatly.

The servant hesitated, then shrugged off the question as if it didn’t matter. “I wouldn’t know. But it’s already late, so you’d best hurry.”

The servant clearly didn’t care about Levinia’s situation beyond his duty to deliver her to the emperor. Her fate wasn’t his concern.

Following him through the dimly lit corridors of the palace, Levinia was accompanied by a handful of her maids, hastily roused from their sleep. The flickering light of the servant’s lantern cast strange shadows across the grand halls and staircases as they moved deeper into the imperial palace.

The vastness of the corridors, the echoing silence, and the coldness of the night created an eerie atmosphere. Levinia couldn’t help but feel a twinge of unease.

“It’s fine. This will be the first and the last time,” she told herself firmly.

In the original story, the intimate scenes involving Cassion mostly featured Albert. However, there had been one brief mention of Cassion with another male concubine. Cassion had a strong aversion to indifference. He hated unresponsive partners, despite his own infamous prowess.

Levinia’s plan was simple: remain utterly passive. If she didn’t react, Cassion would quickly lose interest in her. He would drop her after just one night, moving on to something or someone else.

“Just stay quiet. Don’t make a sound. Lie still until he finishes.”

Cassion’s prowess, as described in the original story, was overwhelming enough to incapacitate his partners. While it wouldn’t be pleasant, Levinia reasoned that it wouldn’t be unbearable either.

Lost in these grim thoughts, Levinia soon found herself in the main palace. Compared to the harem, the security here was significantly tighter, though it seemed to be focused mostly on external threats. Once inside the palace, the number of visible guards diminished noticeably.

“Of course,” Levinia thought, “Cassion is the strongest person in this world. Why would he need many guards inside his chambers?”

By the time she reached the emperor’s quarters, after climbing countless stairs and walking endless hallways, her initial anxiety had been replaced with exhaustion.

“Why is it so far?” she grumbled inwardly, suppressing a yawn. The trek to the chambers had sapped her energy, leaving her too tired to dwell on the dread of what awaited her.

Finally, she arrived at a grand, gold-adorned door. The servant accompanying her stepped back and nodded to the guards. The guards bowed respectfully to Levinia before pushing the massive doors open.

“Please, go inside,” the servant said.

Levinia’s maids stayed behind, seemingly prepared to wait outside until morning—or for as long as the emperor kept her.

“It won’t take all night… surely,” Levinia thought to herself, steeling her nerves.

With a deep breath, she stepped through the towering doors into the emperor’s chambers.

＊ ＊ ＊

The crackling of the fireplace filled the spacious sitting room, its warmth contrasting with the chill of Levinia’s unease. Eight imperial maids knelt respectfully before her, their heads bowed low.

“My lady,” one of them addressed her.

“We are here to assist you in preparing to attend to His Majesty. Please follow us so we may begin.”

Ah… of course. Levinia cursed inwardly. She had completely forgotten this particular scene from the novel, the one she had read about Albert’s first night serving the emperor. For a moment, she thought bitterly about how her own life seemed to be following the story’s script far too closely.

With a reluctant nod, she allowed the maids to guide her.

“As you ascend to His Majesty’s bed, you must not wear anything but the adornments provided,” one of the maids explained.

“Whatever orders His Majesty gives, you must obey without question. And remember—your voice must not carry beyond the chamber walls.”

Levinia’s face flushed as the maids calmly laid out these instructions, speaking as if reciting standard protocol. Before she could fully process the implications, they began undressing her.

Despite being accustomed to the assistance of maids and handmaids back at the ducal estate, Levinia found herself hesitating. She had been exposed in front of servants before, but the thought of this preparation, specifically for the emperor’s bed, made her feel an unfamiliar pang of embarrassment.

The maids, however, continued their work without pause, removing all of her clothing. They placed a bracelet with a single bell on her right wrist and an anklet with another bell on her left ankle.

They smoothed fragrant oil into her long brown hair, giving it a glossy sheen before sprinkling it with fine gold dust. A necklace of gold and rubies was fastened around her neck, and a golden chain belt was secured around her waist.

This… this is even more indecent than being completely naked, Levinia thought bitterly, eyeing the glinting adornments.

The final touch was an emerald-encrusted hairpiece shaped like a flower, carefully placed in her hair. Once the maids had finished, they stepped back, bowed deeply, and addressed her once more.

“Please wait in the chamber. His Majesty will join you shortly.”

So, he’s not here yet?

Levinia glanced at the ornate clock on the wall. She had left her quarters around 1 a.m., and between the walk and the elaborate preparations, it must have been close to 2 a.m. now.

What could he have been doing until this hour? Is he truly that busy?

She had assumed the emperor had deliberately summoned her at such a late hour, but it seemed she might have been mistaken.

Lost in thought, Levinia barely noticed the maids opening the doors to the emperor’s chamber. They gestured for her to step inside.

With one last glance at the maids, Levinia entered the room. The doors closed behind her with a soft click, leaving her alone in the emperor’s chamber.

All that was left to do now was wait for him to arrive.

＊ ＊ ＊

Levinia found herself struggling to deal with the uncomfortable adornments she was forced to wear. The golden chains from the belt dangled awkwardly, sliding between her thighs and making it impossible to sit or lie down comfortably. She glanced over her shoulder at the offending accessory and grumbled under her breath.

“Seriously… what kind of taste is this?”

Of course, the title of the novel she had read in her past life immediately came to mind: “The Emperor’s Debauched Prison.”

What even is that title? she thought bitterly. While she had devoured the book in her previous life, eagerly anticipating the explicit scenes, being trapped within its world was a whole different matter. She had hoped to reincarnate into a lighthearted romance, not a bleak BL novel rife with suffering and despair.

“I refused the position of empress, so maybe he’s holding a grudge. No matter. I just need to endure tonight… and then escape from here.”

As a concubine, Levinia knew she would be granted permission to leave the palace after one month. Initially, she had been worried that escaping might be difficult, but after learning about the monthly outings allowed for concubines, her confidence had grown.

Steeling herself, Levinia glanced at the ornate clock sitting by the fireplace. It was already past 3 a.m.

“At least I got some sleep earlier…”

Before being summoned, Levinia had gone to bed early, having nothing else to do. The maids had unpacked her belongings, leaving her with only the simple task of confirming everything was in its place. Still, the hour was late, and she stifled a yawn as she waited.

The sound of footsteps outside the door made her freeze.

“Your Majesty, you’ve arrived,” came a voice from the hallway.

“The lady is waiting for you inside.”

Levinia whipped her head toward the door, the bells on her wrist and ankle jingling with the movement.

“This is it. I’m about to meet him.”

Despite her earlier determination, all her mental preparation seemed to evaporate. Levinia had lived her entire life as a daughter of the Wendell family, but this was her first time seeing Emperor Cassion in person.

Neither Maxim nor Zelenka had cared enough to bring her to any imperial events. By the time Levinia was old enough to attend, the empire had been plagued by rebellion.

Cassion’s uncle, Kylon—the younger brother of the previous emperor—had staged a coup. Levinia had heard that during this time, Kylon had held Cassion as a slave and humiliated him by turning him into a spectacle at court.

Maxim, terrified of the imperial family’s infighting, had avoided court functions altogether. Zelenka, busy with her new lover, had conveniently spent those years traveling abroad.

By the time Cassion overthrew his uncle and seized the throne, the palace was overrun with assassins. For six long years, rebellions had raged, with records of the uprisings exceeding double digits. Cassion had eventually crushed these revolts by purging half the empire’s high-ranking nobles.

Unsurprisingly, the chaos had rendered imperial balls and banquets nearly nonexistent. Levinia, like many others, had missed her debutante season entirely. Her only experiences with balls and banquets were those hosted by other nobles, far removed from imperial splendor.

And so, as she sat in the emperor’s chambers, awaiting her first meeting with him, she felt an uncharacteristic wave of embarrassment and vulnerability. The provocative attire she wore only made it worse.

She wasn’t particularly attuned to subtle movements or sounds, but even she could sense Cassion walking past the maids outside and approaching the chamber.

“I… I can’t meet him like this!”

Desperate, Levinia glanced around the room for something—anything—to cover herself. Finding nothing, she scrambled onto the bed and yanked the blanket over her head, cocooning herself beneath it like a frightened child.

Click.

The sound of the door opening made her heart leap into her throat.

“Oh no!”

Too late to rethink her impulsive act, Levinia remained hidden under the blanket, frozen in place.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The soft but deliberate sound of footsteps approached the bed, growing louder with each step.

What am I doing? What was I thinking? she berated herself. Her entire body burned with embarrassment as she curled tighter under the blanket.

I should’ve escaped while I still had the chance. Why did I stay, thinking I could somehow protect the others by doing so?

The footsteps stopped at the edge of the bed. A moment of silence passed before the blanket was suddenly pulled away.

“Ah?!”

Startled, Levinia let out a small gasp as her upper body was exposed. Her wide eyes locked onto Cassion’s piercing blue gaze, framed by sharp features and hair that gleamed like molten gold.

For a moment, she was struck speechless, her mind blank as she took in his commanding presence. His beauty was both breathtaking and dangerous, like a blade forged to perfection.

“So… this is the emperor.”

She nearly forgot to breathe, mesmerized by the sight of him. But then reality came crashing down.

This man is a tyrant. A monster. If I let my guard down for even a second, it could cost me my life.

“Don’t stare! Don’t let him notice!”

Levinia quickly averted her eyes, scolding herself to stay focused.

He’s the official male lead of this world, after all. If I lose myself now, I’ll be swept away.

＊ ＊ ＊