Chapter 2 Part 3

“Miss, are you sure you can bathe alone?” 

Olga asked as she unfastened Irina’s corset. Irina nodded, feeling a little relief from the tightness in her chest.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“But…”

“It’s okay, Olga. You haven’t had a proper rest in a while either. Go ahead and rest now.”

“I’ve rested too much. I’m bored of resting now. I’d rather be with you, Miss.”

Irina’s eyes softened at Olga’s whiny words. To Irina, an only child, Olga was like a younger sister. Seeing Irina’s smile, a smile spread across Olga’s face as well.

“I’m so glad you’re back, Miss.”

“Thank you for saying that.”

“Aw, why thank me for something so obvious?”

“Well then, I’m going to go bathe and get ready for bed. You go too, Olga.”

Irina clapped her hands lightly to ventilate. Olga reluctantly left the bathroom, unable to hide her disappointment.

Finally, seeing the bathroom door completely closed, Irina finished taking off the dress that Olga had already partially removed.

“Hah…”

The bathtub, filled with fragrant oil, emitted a floral scent. As she immersed herself in the warm water, her body felt languid. Irina leaned back in the tub and sighed deeply.

The sweet, fragrant scent tickled her nose and the shimmering water pleasantly tickled her skin. However, Irina was not satisfied at all.

Usually, she would be soothed by the bath and would find herself smiling unconsciously, but now she was on the verge of tears rather than smiling.

“What should I do…”

Irina mumbled to herself without realizing it. She thought she had finally escaped the Emperor’s clutches, but it seemed her troubles were far from over, now she was about to be tied to him in marriage. 

“I’d rather die than marry such a man,.”

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She couldn’t understand how someone could be so cruel and selfish. For Irina, who had grown up gently, the appearance of the cold-hearted Emperor was enough to shake the foundation of the world she lived in.

“Marriage? That’s ridiculous… If only it were Rumpel…”

Irina’s eyes widened in surprise at the involuntary words that had escaped her lips. How could she have mentioned Rumpel’s name at this moment?

Flustered, Irina blinked her eyes. Then, fearing someone might hear, she quickly looked around the bathroom. As expected, there was no one else in the bathroom. Irina finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Phew, me too. Why did I say Rumpel’s name?”

She was about to cool her flushed cheeks with her hands when she felt embarrassed for no reason.

“What were you saying that I couldn’t hear?”

“Ugh.”

At the familiar voice, Irina covered her mouth with both hands. Her startled eyes darted towards the source of the sound. A familiar figure was seen in her beautiful green eyes.

“Ru, Rumpel…! Uh, how did you get in here… No, no! More importantly, what are you doing here!”

Irina’s face turned red when she saw Rumpel.

Of course, it was important and curious matter how he got there, but the bigger problem was that Irina was in the bathroom and was soaking naked in the bathtub.

Irina instinctively submerged herself deeper in the bathtub and crossed her arms over her chest to cover her voluptuous breasts.

Rumpel’s eyes folded nicely at the sight. He soon spoke in a playful voice.

“Didn’t you already show me everything, Irina?”

“Wh, what…”

“If you still have something to hide, Lady, you can cover it up. But I think it would be pointless, since you’re going to show me anyway.” 

His playful tone sounded particularly lewd. Knowing the underlying meaning of his words, Irina lowered her neat green eyes and avoided his gaze.

Meanwhile, Rumpel approached her. Even though Irina felt that he was gradually closing the distance, there was nothing she could do.

Her body was naked in the bathtub, and she couldn’t call for the servants because she wasn’t sure how she would explain Rumpel’s presence if they arrived.

In the tower last time, no one seemed to see Rumpel, but there was no guarantee that would happen again this time. So, she couldn’t call for anyone recklessly. 

In the end, Irina could only curl up as much as possible in the bathtub and wait for Rumpel to approach her.

“Do you want to marry me, Lady Irina?”

“What? No, no! It’s not like that…”

Irina’s face turned as red as the beef stew she had eaten earlier at Rumpel’s unexpected question.

She knew he had heard his name, but she didn’t expect him to have heard everything she said before that.

Irina was so embarrassed she didn’t know what to do. Rumpel, who seemed to enjoy seeing her like that, slowly opened his mouth.

“Are you going to marry the Emperor?”

“No! Absolutely not! I will never marry him!”

Irina exclaimed in horror at his languid question.

Her voice was so loud that she glanced around the bathroom, belatedly checking the situation outside. She was glad she had sent Olga and the other maids away beforehand.

“But he is the Emperor. Can you refuse his command?”

“… … Even so, I won’t simply obey the Emperor’s will. I would rather die than marry him.”

Irina replied honestly.

Although she knew she couldn’t refuse the Emperor’s order at the moment, she couldn’t just give up.

She would do anything to defy the Emperor. She had to avoid becoming the wife of such a cruel and snake-like man.

“…Hmm, that’s fascinating.”

Rumpel rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Irina tilted her head, puzzled.

“What’s so amazing?”

“Don’t usually noble women want to become Empresses? It seems Lady Irina isn’t interested in the position of Empress.”

“I’ve never coveted something that wasn’t mine in the first place. Besides, to be the wife of such an Emperor,  I’d rather die. Rumpel, you said it yourself. The Emperor won’t give up easily. Even if I obediently become Empress, will the Emperor suddenly turn into a docile lamb? I don’t think so. Instead, I’ll probably live my whole life as if I were imprisoned, right next to the Emperor with my family held hostage.”

The mere thought of it was terrifying. Irina shuddered. Greed begets greed.

Knowing this, Irina could see her future as the Emperor’s wife.

He would probably constantly threaten the safety of her family to control her. At that time, Irina would have to move as he wished, like a puppet, with nowhere to escape.

“Your attitude is good, but nothing will change as long as he is Emperor, Lady Irina.”

Rumpel’s words pierced Irina’s heart painfully.

She knew it herself. No matter how much she struggled, nothing would change as long as he was Emperor.

Frankly, even if Irina herself were to commit suicide to escape the Emperor’s clutches, there would be nothing she could do about his clutches extending to her family.

As long as he was the Emperor. 

“…As long as he is the Emperor, then so be it.”

Irina repeated Rumpel’s words as if she had made up her mind. Her voice was firmer and more resolute than ever before.

Rumpel raised his head slightly and smiled contentedly. But Irina was too consumed by anger towards the Emperor to notice his smug smile.

“It’s as if you intend to bring him down, Lady Irina.”

“It’s not impossible. Anyway, my life is at stake, and whether I die like this or like that, dying is the same.”

She didn’t have the time or energy to consider how blasphemous and dangerous her words were. Even if she had, Irina’s mind would not have changed.

Irina smiled bitterly. She had no other choice now. Isn’t there a saying, ‘Even a rat will bite a cat when cornered’? This was exactly her situation.

Irina was the rat. The Emperor was the cat, or perhaps even more of a carnivore. Nevertheless, she had decided to bite him because she was so desperate.

“Are you sure you won’t waver in your resolve?”

Irina looked at Rumpel in response to his question. She couldn’t understand why he was asking this, but she nodded.

Even though it was a foolish idea, she wanted to tell someone about her decision. She wanted to tell someone about her rash and dangerous determination to overthrow the imperial power, because if she didn’t, she would simply collapse with the emotions that arose inside her. That’s why she told him her determination.

“Yes. For me, even wavering is a luxury.”

Honestly, it was ridiculous. Rumpel was a stranger. She didn’t fully trust him, and it was dangerous to tell him about her dream of rebellion.

And yet, for some reason, Irina wasn’t afraid. On the contrary, Rumpel seemed so satisfied that she had said exactly what he wanted. And Irina was right about that. 

“Then I will help you.”

“Rumpel, why are you…?” 

Irina’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected words.

Of course, she was grateful that someone was offering to help her, and she had been thinking that perhaps committing treason was what Rumpel wanted. But she had no idea that he would so openly offer to help her with her rebellion.

“Hmm ….. Okay, let’s put it this way, Lady Irina. You have to bear my child. I can’t let someone who’s going to bear my child become another man’s wife before that.”

Her enthusiasm had waned. She didn’t expect anything from him, but the fact that his reason for helping her was simply that she had to bear his child made her feel somewhat saddened. For a moment, she felt pain in her heart. But then, Irina quickly came to her senses and pondered  what he had said.

‘Hmm ….. Okay, let’s put it this way.’

It might have been self-justification, but the words he had used before explaining his reason felt like a deliberate setup to add some lame excuse. It was as if he were trying to make an excuse because he couldn’t tell the truth.

Having thought this far, Irina looked at Rumpel. Her reflection filled his golden eyes.

“How can you help me?”

After asking the question, Irina swallowed dryly and waited for his answer. She was grateful for his help, but Irina needed more than just words; she needed real help.

“Before that, Lady Irina, you have to help me.”

“…Is this a deal?”

“Well… rather than a deal, it’s more like helping each other.”

At Rumpel’s words, Irina looked at him with wary eyes.

Rumpel shrugged lightly and smiled lazily. It was a mysterious smile, but it wasn’t unpleasant. It was a far cry from the instinctive coldness she felt from the Emperor.

Irina wondered what the strange difference between the two was and asked.

“How can I help you? Oh, just in case, I don’t have any more children to give you.”

“Haha, of course. I know.”

Rumpel burst out laughing. For Irina, it was a sincere statement, so she was slightly annoyed by his laughter. Irina pouted and grumbled.

“Don’t laugh, Rumpel.”

“I didn’t expect you to say something like that. Lady Irina is surprising in many ways.”

“In many ways?”

“First, you suddenly say you’re going to rebel, and then you treat me like some kind of baby kidnapper.”

“I, I didn’t think that way!”

Irina, who felt aggrieved, shook her head in response. At that, Rumpel still chuckled, but then he slowly scanned Irina with strange eyes.