DMEC | Chapter 1 | Prologue

Queen Lute presented the divorce papers he received from the court. His expression, often said to be the most beautiful on the continent, was quite solemn.

“My lord… No, I formally request a divorce from Your Majesty.”

Hiding his trembling heart, Queen Lute spoke rather bravely. The Emperor, with a smile that seemed to find it cute, uncrossed his arms and beckoned with his finger. Lute blinked slowly and then sat gracefully on the Emperor’s knee.

It was a natural and expected thing between the two.

Though the Emperor had confined the Queen to the secluded palace for ten years, he had also raised the Queen for eight years. Having been imprinted by the shameless Emperor’s habits throughout his childhood, it was difficult for the Queen to reject the Emperor, even at the moment of requesting a divorce.

“My dear, have you forgotten? We have kissed and even intertwined our tongues.”

Before Queen Lute could react with surprise, his face flushed bright red. The Emperor, who laughed showing his teeth at the Queen’s cute reaction, then covered his mouth with his hand and whispered into the Queen’s ear.

“Don’t worry, my dear. Didn’t everyone, even the people, already see that? Why are you suddenly embarrassed?”

The Queen internally screamed, “Ahh!” and covered his face, then mumbled with trembling lips.

“But, according to the imperial law, ‘If the imperial couple does not consummate their marriage within ten years of marriage…,’ it says, ‘In the year marking the tenth anniversary of their marriage, they can divorce from the first day.’ I definitely saw it in the royal library.”

The Emperor looked down at the Queen, who was struggling to escape his embrace, and held him tightly with both arms. His wife, twelve years younger, was still as small and pretty as when he was a baby. The Queen’s twin sister, Loue, wasn’t as lovely, but Lute was like a small, precious fairy blooming from a flower, making him want to nibble on him more and more.

As the Emperor gazed at him with eyes full of love, the Queen’s eyes trembled as if confused.

Does he really love me and regret what he did? Will he not do it again? Can I trust him?

But soon, the Queen recalled the words of his only ally, the maid Anna, before coming to the Central Palace.

“Don’t fall for His Majesty’s tricks and have relations! His Majesty is a sly one and will try anything! But! Prince, you must know? If you end up giving your precious first experience, divorce will be impossible!”

The knight Melik, who was listening beside them, cleared his throat and stroked his thick beard as he spoke.

“But seeing how His Majesty expresses affection for the Prince… Will the divorce really be easy? The marriage was a political one, so it was easy, but for a divorce, His Majesty must also want it, and looking at His Majesty now…”

Melik stopped speaking and sighed as he looked at Lute, who was fiddling with his long hair.

“It seems difficult. The Prince is exceptionally beautiful. Doesn’t His Majesty always follow you around, saying you’re pretty? In the past, the Prince used to chase after His Majesty, but now His Majesty chases after the Prince, so in a way, you could say they’re a well-matched pair…”

“Melik, what are you talking about! To our precious Prince!”

Anna hugged Lute, who was perfectly fine, and sobbed.

“Our Prince, you must divorce quickly and become a great farmer, a great landowner as you wish! We agreed to succeed in potato farming and distribute potatoes to restaurants in the Shinsis region together! You don’t know how much money you can make by cutting out the middleman, Prince!”

Anna didn’t stop there, clenching her fists and narrowing her eyes with disgust as she spoke.

“Even the knights here, when His Majesty was interested, they only opened the door if we paid them! They made quite a bit of money from that, those scoundrels. They didn’t even eat the potatoes we gave them, but once His Majesty took an interest in the Prince, they finally acknowledged the taste of our potatoes. They’re bad people! Really!”

Anna seemed to get angrier at the knights who didn’t accept the crops Lute grew, punching the air, while Melik laughed awkwardly and then started to get angry as he thought about it, beginning to weed the field. Soon, it would be time to plant other crops.

The Queen, recalling the conversation between the two, felt increasingly discouraged. Listening to them, it seemed difficult to receive the Emperor Joel’s love for a long time.

What if Joel doesn’t love me as time passes? I’m a man, so I can’t have children. If he forgets and abandons me again… It would be hard to console myself with farming the second time. Knowing how cold he can be, am I hoping for him again? Foolishly. If I divorce, I should go back and find land to farm potatoes with my family as commoners. Becoming a great landowner was the best chance to turn my life around.

Of course, I need to divorce first.

The Emperor, as if he could see what the Queen was thinking with his small head, rested his chin on his hand and smiled as he spoke.

“My dear, it seems you don’t know because you’re a virgin.”

Lute glared at the Emperor with cold eyes at the word ‘virgin.’ The Emperor chuckled with a teasing smile. The look in his eyes seemed to say, ‘Oh, really? How admirable.’ Lute, feeling a surge of emotion, lifted his chin and spoke.

“Even as a virgin, I know everything. I’m over twenty now, so I’m an adult.”

The Queen showed a somewhat dignified face. But to the Emperor, he was still the young wife from twelve years ago. The Queen, trying to remember the Emperor’s jewel-like emerald eyes one last time, spoke.

“I formally request a divorce from Your Majesty.”

At Lute’s words, the Emperor whispered in a languid and elegant voice, as if coaxing and soothing.

“Shall we kiss again like that day?”

The Queen was firm.

“A kiss alone cannot be considered a marital relationship. According to the Supreme Court ruling, ‘Only the insertion and ejaculation of the genitals constitute a marital relationship.’ Just because we intertwined our tongues doesn’t mean Your Majesty and I have consummated our marriage, so please divorce me, Lute Synthesis, and remove me from the position of Queen. I will return to my country and live as a commoner, farming potatoes as Your Majesty wishes.”

The Emperor listened to the determined words of the Queen and replied briefly.

“I don’t want to.”

“What?”

The Queen asked in surprise. After a brief silence, the Queen asked loudly.

“Why? I said I was hurt… You hurt me!”

Lute, without realizing it, blurted out the emotions from that day. The chamberlain, who was wondering, noticed the strange atmosphere.

Haven’t they already slept together?

“No? That’s strange, you said it felt good…”

The Emperor spoke slyly, fiddling with the veil Lute was wearing. It suited him so well, but it was frustrating. How dare he ask for a divorce first? He knew Lute wanted a divorce, but he thought it was just words at first… Coming so beautifully dressed and really asking for a divorce made him laugh with amusement and anger.

He wasn’t even a man, and he lost to potatoes.

What was it about those potatoes that made him so determined to farm them? It was admirable to see his child grow up this much, realizing anew that he was an adult.

Still, the Emperor never got angry at the Queen. The Queen, before being a Queen, was a precious child he raised. How could he get angry at his child?

“Did you come to me personally to ask me to lift this veil? You could have sent the divorce papers through the chamberlain.”

The veil was a symbol of marriage. Both the wife and husband wore veils during the wedding ceremony and entered the cathedral, and according to the words of their teacher, Andelion, the marriage was consummated when the veil was lifted. It meant not showing the face of the beloved to others.

So Lute came to ask for the veil covering his face to be lifted again. If they divorced, the veil would lose its meaning. Everyone, both men and women, could see Lute’s face, not as a Queen.

“Shall I lift it?”

The Emperor asked, fiddling with the edge of the veil the Queen was wearing. The Queen looked up at the Emperor and spoke with a voice filled with determination.

“Yes. Since today marks ten years of not consummating our marriage, please lift it. I will also lift Your Majesty’s veil.”

“But if that happens, everyone will see your beautiful face… I’m getting angry.”

The Emperor said something absurd.

If they divorced, others would see, right? Isn’t that obvious? They have eyes.

As Lute looked at him with a ‘What are you talking about?’ expression, the Emperor hugged Lute and sat him on the desk. Even as the Emperor stood tall, due to the height difference, Lute had to slightly lift his head to look at him, even while sitting on the desk.

“Everyone, come in. We need witnesses.”