30. Twisting Stories (1)

“Because you’ll be stuck in this room the whole time. Forever.”

His warm sunny smile made her shudder.

So-hee tried to clear her throat but she still spoke with difficulty.

“Joshua, that’s a crime. Don’t be ridiculous.”

He let out a dark chuckle as the hand holding her cheek settled on her back.

Then, he pulled her in so quickly her mind spun.

So-hee’s eyes widened when he flipped her in half a turn.

“What the hell?”

Just like that, she was lying on top of him.

She felt even more overwhelmed when she settled most of her weight into his lower body.

However, nothing much had changed despite their positions.

She was still helpless, trapped in a solid arm wrapped tightly around her waist.

Joshua grabbed So-hee’s cheek again with his left hand to meet her eyes.

“You know what, Ariad? No one would say anything if  I lock you up.”

“What?”

“The law in this Empire is neither good nor evil. A strong man only makes it.”

The hand caressing her cheek pulled her head to lean against his wide chest.

His fast heartbeats, loud and constant, resonated in her ears.

“In the past, impure and licentious tramps were executed if they were caught having an affair with other men. Unfortunately, Empress Bianca McKinley had removed that law since then.”

A languid voice resounded over his beating heart.

So-hee, who had possessed  Ariad, was a bit shaken by that.

“What do you mean? Are you going to resurrect that law again and execute cheating women?”

“Well—-”

Joshua chuckled as he watched Ariad’s face turn white.

On the contrary, Sohee’s dream of Ariad dying from execution keep repeating in her head.

“Are you going to kill me,  Joshua?”

Joshua stopped laughing.

“No.”

“Why did you  tell me?”

“I wanted you to know  that the law is on the side of the strong.”

Joshua’s fingers dug into her scalp and smoothed her hair to relieve her stress.

The delicious tickling sensation started from the crown of her head down to the tip of her toes.

Still, the anxiety spreading within her deepened and it felt like an itch that she wanted to scratch.

“If you want to defend yourself in the Royal Courts, you have to be stronger than me.  I know you can do it.”

Joshua’s advice was kind but she wanted to burst out laughing at how absurd it sounded.

How could she be stronger than him when he was at the top of the pyramid in this world?

“I am  the future Emperor.” The man continued, answering So-hee’s innermost thoughts.

The fact was nothing but common sense.

It was as easy and natural as breathing.

“I’ll give you everything you want.” Joshua pledged at Ariad.

The man underneath her was clearly abnormal.

He was a machine with a loose screw in the head.

“You must be with me at all  times.”

“What if I want to be free?”

“Are you planning to run away from me?”

Joshua finally revealed how restless his mind was.

So-hee tried to hug his waist underneath her like he did but she couldn’t.

Her forearms were only attached to each of his sides.

Joshua suddenly stopped caressing her hair.

“Don’t be afraid, Joshua. I told you I’d be by your side the whole time.” She said calmly.

Joshua’s arms tightened around her trim waist.

He pretended to be reassured, but a loud statement got stuck in a loop inside his head.

‘Even if Ariad is nice to you right now, she will still leave you as soon as she could.’

Why couldn’t he get these words out of his head?

Had he ever predicted wrongly about her?

* * *

Holding the beautifully wrapped cake box with both hands, Kelly stood in front of Ariad’s room and took a deep breath.

It was the last fruit cake Rosaline and Erica made.

It was the sweetest pastry she ever had recently and she was well aware that this might be fatal to someone.

“Kelly Eurecia is here.” The maid announced, unlocking the door.

Her two hands were tense as she held the box and all of her worries were deeply embedded in her nerves.

Should she call it a day?

“No. I… I should come back next——”

The door opened even before she could finish.

As a pair of light purple eyes stared at her, Kelly’s fingers slowly relaxed.

Her logic would always fly out of the window every time she faced this woman.

‘What do you mean, Kelly? The road will become easier with her presence.’ She heard someone whisper.

She slowly stepped towards the lavender-scented bedroom.

* * *

Kelly visited that morning and Sohee watched her with interest.

It had been a while since she last saw her but the woman seemed eerily calm today.

What did she want?

Before she could even ask,  Kelly suddenly began in a low voice, “I came to apologize for what happened before.”

“What?”

Sohee was supposed to be the one who should be apologetic as she recalled the awkward three-way encounter in Joshua’s office.

It was true that she ended up embarrassing Kelly, as well.

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