Chapter 5: Jealousy 

Eden felt a chill run down her spine when Liam’s sharp voice cut through the air behind her. She quickly turned around to find him exuding an intense, cutting aura.

He didn’t spare her a single glance, his eyes were locked solely on Carlos, glaring at him as if he meant to kill.

“Your Majesty.”

“I greet the noble man of Cherott.”

Carlos bowed politely, following the customs of Cherott. Liam’s brow twitched in irritation at the perfectly courteous display.

“You’re not truly from Cherott, are you? That must be why you dare entertain such foolish dreams.”

Liam took a step forward, muttering under his breath. His low, deliberate tone, as though biting off each word, sounded more like a beast growling than a man speaking.

Eden wondered why he seemed so agitated. He looked almost… jealous. She let out a faint, involuntary laugh, but thankfully, Liam didn’t seem to notice.

“Yes, I’m from Barkaan–”

“Barkaan, is it. It would be such a pity if you died a dog’s death so far from home. If your ears are for more than decoration, then surely you’ve heard that my patience does not last long.”

Liam cut him off mercilessly. It was a brutal and unmistakable dismissal.

Carlos hesitated, his expression subtly shifting as he looked between Liam and Eden, then silently turned and left the balcony.

Eden, still watching Carlos’s retreating back, felt Liam’s gaze turn toward her. She met his eyes. He looked like he had a thousand things to say, but without a word, he turned away.

“It’s late. Let’s go back.”

“Yes, Liam.”

“Your hand.”

When Eden remained rooted to the spot, Liam reached out, pulled her wrist forward, and placed her hand on his arm, just like he had when they entered.

Eden walked across the hall with Liam escorting her. She could feel the harsh stares of onlookers, but she ignored them, keeping her head high as she passed.

Liam easily lifted her into the carriage, just as he always did. Then he dropped into the seat, her usual seat. Eden hesitated for a moment, glancing at his face. Left with no choice, she sat awkwardly in the seat opposite him as the carriage began to move.

The air between them was thick with discomfort. Liam’s lips curled slightly, not into a smile, but a scowl.

“What did you talk about with him?”

The sudden question shattered the silence, and Eden jumped slightly, startled.

“Pardon?”

“I asked what the two of you talked about, alone out there.”

Liam ran a hand down his face, clearly irritated. Eden stifled a laugh.

Even before the ball, exhaustion had clung to him like a second skin. Now it practically masked his face. The shadows under his eyes were darker, giving him a worn, almost decadent look.

Whatever he was thinking, Liam’s face showed a restless frustration. Eden chose to stay quiet, curious to see what more he’d show her.

“We just talked. About this and that.”

“That and this, huh…”

She answered slowly, as if wondering why he was even asking. Liam clamped his mouth shut, visibly restraining his rising annoyance.

“You were there as my partner, and yet you spent time alone with another man on the terrace. Do you have no sense of propriety? Even a twelve-year-old knows what a terrace implies at a ball. Do you truly not?”

“If I embarrassed you, I apologize. But I always spend time on the terrace during these events. It just happened that someone else was there tonight.”

Liam opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it again. Even as Eden’s face filled with genuine confusion, he said nothing more. The silence returned, heavier than before.

He cracked open the carriage window, letting in a breeze. Their hair stirred gently in the wind, but neither of them paid it any mind.

It was Eden who finally broke the silence, asking what had been on her mind for a while.

“Did you dance with Lady Rosaline?”

“Well. What do you think?”

Liam leaned back with a crooked smile. His red eyes were still cold, but some of the stiffness had faded from his face. He tapped the seat beside him, as if waiting for her answer.

“I’m not sure.”

By custom, they should have danced together. That was why everyone tried so hard to invite the Emperor.

In her past life, this very ball had been the moment Liam first took notice of Rosaline. Eden had assumed this time would be no different. Liam might be reckless, but he was royalty to the core. Even if he cursed and sneered in private, he had always followed proper protocol in public.

That was also why, despite his cruelty and iron rule, many nobles still supported him.

“How dull.”

Liam gave a short, derisive snort. Eden seized the brief moment when he seemed to let his guard down.

“But I hoped you hadn’t.”

Her words were clear and deliberate. Liam’s lips twitched ever so slightly, and his eyes scanned her slowly, observing her intently. From head to toe, his arrogant gaze left a trail of cold discomfort, sending shivers down her spine.

In the smoldering heat of his stare, Eden suddenly felt like prey standing before a predator. But the beast didn’t know how deceptively small, plain, and harmless that prey was. And that it carried a deadly poison.

After a long, quiet look, Eden deliberately shifted the topic back to the ball to remind him of Rosaline’s insolence.

“I’m sorry, Liam.”

“What are you sorry for?”

His brow furrowed, puzzled by the sudden apology. Eden lowered her head, her pale hands clenched into fists.

“For causing a scene at the ball…”

“There’s nothing you need to apologize to me for tonight.”

Before she could finish, Liam cut in with a curt voice.

The unexpected sharpness made Eden lift her head in surprise, and their eyes met.

“Well, not nothing, I suppose. But what you should reflect on isn’t that.”

His words sounded soft, but his tone was cold enough to frost the air.

When Eden flinched at his hardened expression, he let out a small sigh, brow twitching. When he spoke again, his voice had softened, oddly calm.

“You said it yourself, you are an Okarman. Aside from me, there is no one in this Empire to whom you must bow. There is no place you don’t belong, no role you cannot take.”

Their eyes met and tangled in an unreadable silence.

The man before her felt like a stranger. Just for a moment, she felt warmth from him. And that realization unsettled her deeply. As if his stern face and cold voice were trying to tell her something else entirely.

“I’ll remember that.”

… Something that felt like comfort.

“Well said, Edenastie.”

Her eyes shimmered, suddenly filled with uncertainty.

* * *

“Aren’t the palace halls unusually noisy today?”

A few days after the ball, Eden noticed something off about the atmosphere and tilted her head.

“I heard Prince Barkaan suddenly sent word yesterday that he’d be visiting the palace.”

“Prince?”

Eden’s eyes widened in surprise. A foreign prince entering the country without her knowledge? Her large eyes filled with curiosity.

“Why didn’t anyone tell me? Help me fix my hair, just in case.”

After the war, as the Empire regained stability, talks of marriage and succession began to circulate. But Liam always brushed it off with a curt ‘Later.’ Anyone who brought it up was met with a glare colder than ice, and even the nobles eventually fell silent.

Still, the need for an Empress often arose. At banquets, or when foreign dignitaries visited, Liam would insist Eden be present.

—“Those who remain in the palace must serve a purpose. Fulfill your duty.”

Eden did just that. She read the room, picked up on Liam’s needs, and played her role flawlessly. Liam rarely said much, but he seemed satisfied with her as his partner.

When she came of age and began considering her future, Liam had shut her down firmly. 

—“Stop overthinking. Keep living as you have.”

His reasoning was blunt: it was a hassle to summon her every time he needed her. At first, Eden was hurt by his cold practicality. But now, she no longer cared.

Assuming Liam simply hadn’t had the chance to tell her, Eden quickly dressed and made her way to the reception room. To her surprise, no one stopped her as she entered the grand imperial drawing room.

Liam was sitting with his legs crossed, head tilted indifferently. Eden’s eyes widened in alarm. Such rudeness in front of a state guest?

“Your Majesty.”

Liam’s face crumpled the moment he saw her. The prince seated with his back to her slowly turned his head. Eden gathered her skirts and offered a polite bow.

“Edenastie Okarman, I greet the honored prince.”

“Yes, a pleasure.”

The voice that rang in her ears was all too familiar. Eden’s head jerked up.

“Carl!”

“Carl…?”

“Edenastie.”

“Edenastie…?”

Their voices overlapped, hers in joy, his in welcome, cut off by Liam’s irritated growl. The way they said each other’s names was far too familiar. Eden, flustered, began to pepper him with questions.

“What brings you to the palace? And wait… you’re a prince? Why didn’t you say so before?”

“I had only planned to enjoy the scenery quietly. I would have told you, but His Majesty issued a formal expulsion order before I had the chance.”

“I apologize.”

“Apology accepted.”

As the two of them exchanged easy conversation, Liam’s expression grew visibly colder. He hadn’t summoned her on purpose and now, he saw why that had been a mistake.

Tapping his fingers mockingly on the table, Liam said with a sneer,

“If your goal was to enjoy the view in peace, then by all means, do so, Prince. I’ll ensure you have free reign of the palace. I, however, have little time to waste.”

Eden’s eyes narrowed at Liam’s excessive rudeness. Usually calculating, he was behaving far too emotionally toward Carlos.

Was he seeing Julius in him? A brief smirk passed across Eden’s lips.

“I won’t take up more of your time. Before I leave, please accept a small token of gratitude.”

At Carlos’s signal, his attendants began placing gift boxes on the table. Liam glanced at them with disinterest. But one modest box caught Eden’s eye. When she opened it, her eyes widened.

“Fine tea and incense. The tea is a rare import from the East. The incense is made from a flower native to my homeland. It calms the mind.”

They were remedies for insomnia, items Eden often used during her time in Rodenberg.

“How lovely… Truly a thoughtful gift.”

As she gently touched the tea leaves, Liam’s gaze lingered on her.

“It seems you like it.”

“Yes. It’s hard to come by. I think Your Majesty will enjoy it as well.”

Eden smiled softly as she closed the box. Liam let out a faint chuckle and rose from his seat to sit beside her.

“Then it’s yours.”

He handed her the box himself. Eden, caught off guard, glanced at Carlos, who gave her an encouraging smile.

“Me? I couldn’t possibly…”

“It’s because it’s valuable that I’m giving it to you.”

His unusually gentle tone sent a chill crawling up her spine. His red eyes simmered with quiet intensity. Eden’s face stiffened instinctively. Rational thought clashed with primal fear.

Liam slowly raised his hand. The heat in the room, heavy with the scent of incense and his cologne, was suffocating. His hand brushed her cheek. When she flinched, his smile deepened. A smile thick with deliberate seduction.

Eden felt her entire body freeze, her muscles tightening like stone as she stood close to his imposing form radiating heat.

Liam didn’t look away from her. His gaze was fixed, as if trying to read even the smallest tremble in her eyes.

Then he leaned in and whispered by her ear, “Edenastie… tonight, I will come to your chambers.”

……

T/N: Look at the goosebumps on my skin, uhhh