Instead of prison, even if she was placed in a remote area, it was clear that people with ill intentions would pick a fight with Mia.
"…I feel like this is too cruel, after all. If I feel this way, you both probably agree, right?"
Even Ferdinand had no objection to that. After a brief sigh, Adilot spoke.
"I'll keep watch. Follow me."
"What? Yes!"
It wasn't just Mia who was surprised by his unexpected words.
"Your Majesty? Where are you going?" Joachim asked. Adilot answered simply and turned around.
"My room."
---
Mia was hurriedly following behind Adilot. After telling her to "follow," he hadn’t stopped walking. Before she knew it, they had passed through the central palace and were heading toward the emperor's quarters.
The emperor's palace had the strictest security within the royal grounds, with entry being heavily restricted. As they got closer, the surrounding area became eerily quiet, as if even the usual daily sounds had vanished.
'…Is he taking me somewhere no one will notice and getting rid of me?' Mia hesitated, then cautiously spoke up.
"Your Majesty?"
"What?"
"Where are we going?"
"To bed."
"Together?"
"Yes."
Mia’s face went blank, then she fiercely opened her eyes.
"I’m just a watchdog to you!"
Adilot suddenly stopped walking. He turned around with a weary look.
"Mia Celestial."
"Yes!"
"Is that what you're into? Or do you not care if I'm a tyrant as long as you get something from being by the emperor's side?"
Mia blinked in confusion.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Answer the second part first."
"I don't know about getting anything, but I do want to survive…"
Mia replied honestly while nervously glancing at him. Adilot quietly looked down at her fingers as they fidgeted out of habit.
"…Are you displeased with me?"
Mia shrank back a little.
"…I don’t know why you stayed, if you’re so determined to survive."
With a sharp turn, Adilot resumed walking. After a little more walking, a large door came into view.
The door’s surface was covered in red velvet, and its golden handle was carved with the figure of a lion. It was clearly the emperor's bedroom.
Two attendants stood in front of the door, one male and one female. Adilot glanced at the maid.
"Jane, wash her."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Huh? W-wait!"
The maid called Jane bowed her head.
"Please follow me, miss."
Other maids appeared from somewhere, gently but firmly guiding Mia. In the blink of an eye, Mia found herself in a bath.
"Jane! There's been a mistake…!"
"Oh my, your skin is so soft. How do you care for it?"
"I-I don’t really…"
"You’ve got calluses on your hands. Do you do a lot of paperwork? This cream will soften them."
"Oh, thank you…"
"Do you prefer the scent of neroli or roses?"
"N-neroli?"
"I’ll apply the neroli oil for you."
The conversation flowed so smoothly, and their hands worked so skillfully, that Mia didn’t even have time to resist.
"It’s finished, miss."
"Huh."
Only after the bedroom door closed behind her did Mia snap out of it.
"Wait, wait! I haven’t left yet!"
No matter how much she knocked, the door wouldn’t open. Mia looked down at herself in alarm.
She was now wearing pajamas made of layers of delicate, fluttering fabric like butterfly wings. Barefoot. Her skin softly scented with pleasant oils.
And she was in the bedroom.
'…This situation is strange!'
Just then, a voice called out from behind her.
"Get over here. Stop messing around."
"Eek!"
Mia turned around with a tearful expression. Adilot was lounging on the sunlit bed, his silvery hair still damp and glistening as if freshly washed.
The white toga draped over his body suited him perfectly, and his toned chest muscles peeked out from the open front. Mia’s eyes couldn’t help but widen in panic.
'W-what do I do!? I didn’t expect this!'
In the novel, there had never been any mention of Adilot having been with a woman before Serenity.
He was the kind of main character in a clean-rated novel who wasn't promiscuous or reckless. He wouldn’t mistreat a woman unless she was a criminal.
That’s why Mia had followed him to the bedroom without a second thought, but now the atmosphere felt strange.
Then Adilot spoke.
"Come up here."
"…Pets aren’t supposed to get on the owner’s bed!"
Instead of answering, Adilot reached for the sword by his bedside.
"But I’m a well-behaved pet!"
Mia hurriedly scrambled up onto the bed, only perching on the very edge of it, watching him anxiously.
'If something happens, I’ll just end the Orquenia bloodline!'
Whether he knew what Mia was thinking or not, Adilot lazily continued picking grapes from a silver tray. Then their eyes met.
After a brief pause, Adilot asked,
"Why did you stay?"
"Huh?"
Mia blinked, surprised by the unexpected question.
"You must’ve known that Count Celestial had fled alone long before. Did you think someone would praise you for sending everyone away and then dying by yourself?"
His cutting words left Mia blinking dumbly. She quickly arrived at one thought.
'Maybe he’s thinking about his mother, Empress Lea.'
Empress Lea had sacrificed herself so that the people of Zentaria could be accepted as citizens of Orquenia.
And young Adilot had to witness that.
It was a well-known trauma of his, even mentioned in the novel, but his current expression gave no clue to his thoughts. So Mia decided to be honest.
"It wasn’t because I expected anyone to praise me!"
"Do you enjoy throwing your life away like a fool?"
This guy…
Mia silently drew a mental line of restraint to stop herself from cursing out loud.
"How is it foolish? I did save people in the end!"
"Even if they survive, if you die, it’s meaningless."
"Something will remain, though."
"That’s just your delusion. Nothing remains from a foolish sacrifice."
His mocking words made Mia stare quietly at him. To her, it sounded like he was reproaching himself.
'He must hate the fact that he survived because of his mother’s sacrifice.'
She wanted to say something, but it wasn’t the right time yet. Carefully, she spoke.
"Your Majesty, no matter what you say, if I were in the same situation, I’d make the same choice."
"You’re not afraid of losing your life?"
Mia hesitated for a moment, then smiled.
"I am afraid. No one values their life more than I do! But that’s why I want others to live too."
"Those people won’t thank you for it."
Mia shrugged.
"I’m selfish; I just want to be called kind, so it doesn’t matter to me!"
"…"
Adilot seemed to lose his words for a moment. He stared at Mia for a long while, then let out a meaningless chuckle, released his propped-up arm, and lay down.
"They said the daughter of Count Celestial was smart... but it was all nonsense."
"I'm right here, Your Majesty."
"But..."
Adilot's red eyes blinked slowly and then closed completely.
"Maybe because you're so foolish... you don't seem all that bad..."
With that, Adilot fell asleep almost instantly. Mia was bewildered.
'Wasn't he supposed to have insomnia?'
In the original novel, curing Adilot’s insomnia was a key event that made him start to care for Serenity. The heroines of such stories often had a "strangely soothing scent" that lulled people to sleep.
So, it should’ve been natural for Adilot to struggle with sleep until he met Serenity…
Even when Mia waved her hand in front of him, he didn’t wake up.
She tilted her head in confusion.
"Is something different...?"
For a moment, she thought, 'Should I run away?' but quickly gave up on the idea. After all, there was a sword by his bedside. Adilot’s prized weapon, the legendary sword "Sanguis-Aecheon" or something like that, was famous.
'If he's just pretending to sleep, he'll cut me down the moment I try to escape.'
Since she wasn’t the heroine, it seemed best to behave for now.
"If I at least act like a loyal dog, maybe I'll earn his trust... and survive..."
Mia mumbled, yawning halfway through her sentence.
'Come to think of it, it’s been a long day for me too.'
Now that the tension had eased, drowsiness washed over her.
"I shouldn’t sleep..."
But before she knew it, Mia had fallen fast asleep.
---
Not long after Mia had drifted into slumber, softly snoring, Adilot’s eyelids fluttered open. He quickly sat up, covering his mouth in surprise.
"...Did I really fall asleep?"
He was shocked. His plan had been to pretend to sleep and observe Mia Celestial’s behavior, but he had actually dozed off.
The man who usually only managed to sleep at dawn, and now with a suspicious woman next to him—this was unbelievable. And yet, the very suspicious woman was sound asleep next to the so-called tyrant.
As she slept, Mia whimpered, her face scrunched up.
"No... I can’t eat anymore..."
"...What kind of dream is she having?"
Adilot couldn’t believe his eyes as she mumbled in her sleep, moving her mouth as if she were eating. Her pale lashes quivered with each breath, and her soft white cheeks twitched slightly.
Without thinking, Adilot poked her cheek.
"Ngghh."
Mia made a strange noise, giggled, and resumed her peaceful breathing.
"...Still sleeping... and laughing too."
Her sleepy mumblings, in the relaxed and unguarded atmosphere of the lazy afternoon, strangely softened something in Adilot’s heart. For some reason, guarding himself against such a woman suddenly felt foolish.
