Chapter 6: If Not Curiosity… 

Eden’s breath caught in her throat. Liam’s eyes curved in amusement at her reaction. Eden called him out, half in rebuke.

“Liam. No… Your Majesty.”

Just then, the rustling of Carl’s clothing reached her ears. Only then was she able to step a hand’s breadth away from Liam. The faint smile had already faded from Carlos’s face.

“Ah, my apologies.”

Liam smiled innocently at Carlos, as if he’d completely forgotten the man’s presence. That was when Eden realized that Liam had done it all to keep Carlos in check.

Carlos glanced between Liam and Eden, his expression stiffening.

“I appreciate the gift. Enjoy your travels, Prince.”

After a brief exchange of polite farewells, Carlos stepped back, and Eden stared hard at Liam.

Tilting his head slightly, Liam let one corner of his mouth curl up in a mischievous grin. The playful glint in his eyes made irritation flare in Eden’s chest. 

She must have let it show, because he suddenly asked, “What’s with the face? Weren’t you the one who told me to drop by anytime?”

Eden tried to recall when she’d said that. Ah, she remembered now. It was the day she received the invitation from Marquis Munach. Her face flushed hot.

“That was…”

She opened her mouth to say something but pressed her lips shut again.

Looking back, this wasn’t unexpected. Nor was it a bad thing. She hadn’t gone out of her way to draw him in, and yet here he was, approaching her of his own accord.

Liam stepped slowly toward her. His black hair resembled the mane of a dark lion. His blood-red eyes fixated on her frozen figure. Like a predator knowingly stepping into a trap, he leaned close to his trembling prey and whispered into her ear.

“You’re the one who provoked me first, Edenastie.”

* * *

Eden sank into a bath of warm, scented water and closed her eyes.

Outside the bathroom, maids hurried to prepare her room. She could even hear unfamiliar palace maids, which told her one thing: word had already spread that Liam would be visiting her tonight.

‘Every noble with a daughter must be grinding their teeth right now.’

She had sent the bath attendants away and sat alone. Not even a hint of warmth remained on Eden’s face. She buried it in her wet hands. Unlike the excited energy outside, Eden was almost certain he wouldn’t touch her tonight.

She gazed quietly at her glistening body, inspecting herself as if studying a rusted statue in a forgotten square. Skin as pale as ivory, full breasts, a narrow waist, and slender ankles.

“Disgusting.”

He had once called her beautiful. Even in her past life, Liam had murmured those words while holding her. Said she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

But to Eden, she looked like nothing more than a rotting piece of meat. The feel of Liam’s lips and his body against hers came back to her with painful clarity.

Red eyes gazing down at her as she shone white under the moonlight. The hand that slowly brushed back her hair as she clung to him, desperate for affection.

—“When this is all over, maybe I’ll just throw everything away and leave.”

As if stamping a seal, Liam had left his marks all over her body, murmuring in a flat tone. Whether he’d meant it for himself or for her, she never knew.

—“Kill off all the annoying ones, and just you and me, alone.”

His hot breath tickling her ear made her eyes sting with heat. Was he serious? If only he had been…

Her fingers had clung tightly to his, their hands intertwined.

—“Someplace with no one else. Hmm?”

Looking down at her with a twisted expression, he asked the question. Tears welled in Eden’s eyes and spilled down her cheeks. As she nodded, his shadow fell thick over her.

—“Edenastie, you’re all I have left.”

If it meant coaxing her, Liam would say anything. He was the kind of man who would do whatever it took to get what he wanted. She was a fool for believing any of it, for clinging to him.

Leaving the useless fragments of the past behind in the bath, Eden stood and wrapped herself in a towel. She wiped the fogged mirror with her hand. A pair of icy blue eyes, clear and empty, stared back at her. Her expressionless face mirrored the one Liam had worn when he looked down at her. Her heart gave a violent thump.

“Shall I help you finish getting ready?”

A cautious knock and a voice at the door snapped her out of her thoughts. Surrounded by three maids, Eden finished preparing to receive Liam. Her dress was light and sheer, fluttering with every movement, subtly revealing the curves beneath. Rouge on her lips added a touch of color to her pale face.

The room was imbued with quiet intimacy, the air thick with scent, the red bedspread with its golden embroidery stretched out without a single wrinkle.

“Well done. I trust the refreshments are ready?”

“Yes, everything is prepared as you ordered.”

Not long after, the sounds outside the door grew more hurried. Eden swallowed hard.

“Edenastie.”

“Liam.”

The door opened, and Liam stepped in, his gaze deeper than it had been that morning. He glanced around her newly decorated room and let out a quiet laugh. Though still breathtakingly handsome, there was no hiding the layers of exhaustion on his face.

“I don’t need any attendants. All of you, leave us.”

Once the room had emptied, he sank into a seat and looked up at her. Eden silently poured him a cup of tea, then filled one for herself. Liam gave a brief nod, gesturing for her to sit.

“How’s the tea?”

“It’s… fine.”

Awkward silence settled between them. The only sound was the occasional clink of porcelain. He finished his tea quietly. Apparently not displeased by the taste, his expression relaxed.

Whether it was the calming scent of the candles or something else, he looked visibly less tense than when he’d first entered.

“You put quite a bit of effort into this.”

He gave a lazy smile. Eden couldn’t tell if he meant her or the refreshments, so she offered a suitably vague reply.

“Of course. The maids went to great lengths.”

“And you?”

As she refilled his cup, he suddenly asked again. His tone held a hint of playfulness, and Eden’s hand paused mid-pour. Liam watched her closely, as if reading her reaction.

“Of course, I did too…”

Her voice, tinged with fluster, made him chuckle softly. She mimicked his smile, brushing the rim of her cup with her fingers. His eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at her for a long moment.

Perhaps feeling stifled by the thick, warm air, he casually unbuttoned the collar of his shirt. Even that sensual gesture stirred nothing in Eden. All she felt was a creeping revulsion, as though slime were clinging to her skin. Her grip on the teacup tightened without her realizing.

Then Liam asked in a low, rumbling voice, “Edenastie. Do you know what it means for me to visit someone’s chamber?”

A quiet smile still played on his lips.

But his eyes, those red, desire-drenched eyes, were heavy and unblinking, drilling into her. The pressure he exuded was suffocating. His tousled hair, the open shirt exposing his chest, his languid posture as he leaned back with legs crossed, all of it radiated the dangerous air of an untamed beast lulled into stillness by a cup of tea.

He drained his second cup in one go, those arrogant crimson eyes watching her like a predator testing its prey.

“This late at night. Even my guards were dismissed.”

He spoke slowly, deliberately. Eden stared back, wide-eyed, hiding the icy anger bubbling beneath her calm. He brushed the rim of his teacup. As she filled it again, she answered quietly. 

“…I know.”

Their gazes locked, entwined like knotted roots. The scented air thickened around them, blurring Eden’s mind. A surreal blend of sleep-inducing warmth and knife-sharp tension filled the room, like a duel between swords under velvet moonlight.

“Can you handle it?”

There was heat in his voice, yet it hadn’t found release.

Eden said nothing, holding his gaze. A beat of silence passed. Then Liam continued.

“From tomorrow, many things around you will change. You’ll become a far more prominent candidate for Empress than you are now and be thrust into the bloody heart of imperial politics. You won’t be able to avoid the social sphere you loathe, either.”

He brushed his face lightly with his hand.

‘Why?’

That was the thought that surfaced instantly in Eden’s mind. He studied her expression carefully, as if genuinely asking for permission. Like he was… worried. Eden had believed he wouldn’t touch her tonight. That his earlier words were nothing more than a jealous swipe at Carlos.

A low-class joke meant to stir up the version of her from the past, one that had desperately tried to win his affection.

In her previous life, Liam had never touched her without reason. Yet part of her also thought, maybe he really would take her tonight. He was the Emperor. If he wanted her, nothing could stop him.

But he had asked: Could she handle it? Not just tonight, but the ripple effects this night would bring.

“I…”

Her voice faltered as she searched his face. He gave a subtle nod, as if he understood even without her saying it.

“Half of it was a joke. I didn’t like the way that man looked at you. And your reaction was amusing. But the other half…”

Liam lifted his teacup slowly. The way he savored the scent, his elegance despite his disheveled appearance, lent him an oddly magnetic aura.

“Well. Who knows? Curiosity, maybe. Or if not that…”

He reached out and refilled Eden’s empty cup. The slightly cooled tea rippled like a breeze stirring a quiet lake.

“…maybe it’s something real.”