Moonlight Ball

Chapter 22

“Doesn’t my complexion look bad today?” Sidrain asked, feeling oddly insecure.

It was the first time that Arthur had witnessed him looking so intently at his face since Sidrain had become the king. Arthur looked at Sidrain’s face. It was handsome. A face that he couldn’t describe in one word. Yet, Sidrain kept looking in the mirror, seemingly unsure of himself and he kept complaining about his face today.

If you don’t like this face, there’s no other face that you’re going to like in this world, Your Majesty. Arthur wanted to reassure him, but he didn’t say it out loud.

Sidrain gave an order, “I don’t like that outfit. Bring some other clothes and bring me all the jewelry as well. I need to find something else to wear.”

“Who are you going to meet today? Are you going to the Yellow Island?” Arthur asked but received no reply.

There were seven kings in the Empire of Le Taer and one of them would take over the emperor’s position. Being the emperor was a position of great responsibility and great authority. But it was also easy to be targeted, as the current emperor knew all too well. It was said that he was in the presence of a lamp in front of the wind, and this was no exaggeration. This was because Sidrain, the swordmaster, and the most powerful king, existed. Also, being only thirty years old, he was still young. It was a common observation that if the emperor wasn’t an old man, nearly going seventy years old, the throne would’ve been lost to Sidrain.

Sidrain, the king, didn’t care much about the emperor at the best of times. When he went to meet with the emperor, he would always dress without caring about his appearance and would stand before him with an uninterested, dull look on his face. He wasn’t interested in the crown nor that interested in the emperor either.

Arthur often compared Sidrain and the emperor to lions and deer, since it was only during hunting times that lions cared about the deer’s movements. On the other hand, it was a matter of survival for the deer to keep an eye on the lion’s presence. The relationship between the two was just like that. So, when Sidrain went to the emperor, there was no reason to care about how he was dressed. Rather, the emperor used to do his best to dress up and even display the best tableware to show Sidrain his authority.

Sidrain tried to recall the dream he’d had and asked, “What scent do ladies like? Put a lot of scented oil in the bath. It has to smell good.” Sidrain commanded this in a rougher voice than usual as he hadn’t slept.

Arthur only then figured out why Sidrain was behaving so strangely and he asked, “Are you doing this because of your lady?”

Sidrain had touched several women but had never really cared for any of them. There were always many women who wanted him because of his status as a powerful knight and a noble king and they threw themselves at him. The only woman Arthur knew, who didn’t want him, was his spouse, Queen Rosemary – it was a relationship that both didn’t want.

“What do you say, Arthur? If you were a woman, would you like the way my face looks today?”

“Are you serious, Your Majesty?”Arthur had to mentally prepare himself when he found out he had to do a woman’s job and Sidrain smiled silently at his question but remained outwardly cranky.

Sidrain’s skin was moist and smoother than normal and his hair was like soft grass fluttering in the breeze. Still, it was maintaining its style and was maintaining it well. He also felt passionate, just like his red eyes that were burning, and his body was tightly covered with beautiful things, yet he couldn’t leave the mirror as if he were still missing something.

“Don’t you think my face looks a little weird?” Sidrain asked awkwardly.

“You don’t seem to have slept at all, but thanks to your perfect looks, it’s not that obvious Your Majesty.”

“How did you know I didn’t sleep well?” Sidrain looked back at Arthur suspiciously.

“Because you lost your voice a little. If you drink tea with honey in it, it will get better.”

“Bring me some then. I can’t afford to sound ugly.” After requesting that, his eyes narrowed while he contemplated. If it’s Iris Elaine in Rosemary’s body, it’s Iris who I’ve slapped across the face! Out of all of the terrible things to do, I did that! I’ve only slapped that crazy bitch once before but what the hell is this supposed to mean if it’s Iris? That woman killed a person and deserved to be beaten, but it wasn’t Iris who deserved to be hit by me.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to make a good impression today,” Sidrain mumbled, almost unwilling as he looked at the man in the mirror.

He realized now that he’d even tried to force a person, who’d barely made it back alive, to have intercourse with him, as if it wasn’t even enough that he’d slapped her across the face. But the truth was when he’d slapped her, he’d thought that it was Rosemary, who did evil things constantly and he’d assumed that she wouldn’t stand still and take it, even though she’d committed the crime. It was natural for the couple to behave like this; their marital relationship was a war. They were enemies, and sleeping together was like a battlefield. Rosemary had even drugged him once to commit a crime. It was a normal thing in their relationship and she’d even wielded a dagger at him before, yet Sidrain still tolerated her. Then, Rosemary had swung a dagger at herself when she didn’t kill Iris.

It was unfair but inevitable that the first impression he gave to Iris had been awful. If I don’t do something about this, it will only get worse. I have to make a better impression.

“Bring me a large bunch of flowers,” he instructed Arthur.

“I will do so straight away, Your Majesty”

“And, also call the jeweler.”

Sidrain raised his hand and covered his mouth. His heart pounded when he thought of Iris Elaine. A girl who was thought to be dead. A girl who had been forgotten, but had not been forgotten entirely. A girl who was like a boy had now become his wife. Rosemary’s face was one of complaints but it didn’t matter what she looked like, as long as Iris was in her. Iris is my wife. A smile spread across his face as he realized that fact.