Call Me Your Majesty

His deep, sea-colored eyes looked as though they might pierce straight through Chloe.

His gaze lingered briefly on her long silver hair, undone and spilling loose after the ribbon had been lost to the wind.

Her violet eyes, heavy with unspoken stories, were soaked in fatigue, and as she looked up at him, her slender neck stretched long and defenseless.

Hector stared at her savagely, as if he might strangle the truth out of her at any moment, then suddenly twisted one corner of his mouth.

“My name is Hector.”

“I may not look it, but I come from a family with lineage, so there’s no need to be overly wary.”

She had survived the brink of being pushed off a cliff.

Suppressing the sensation of her heart starting to beat again, she blinked innocently.

She felt a surge of relief when she realized he seemed to be toying with her.

The name Hector itself was not particularly rare.

Among old noble houses and royal bloodlines, it was a name that had been passed down for generations.

So for now, it made sense that she should not know who he truly was.

Chloe deliberately tilted her head and repeated the name under her breath.

“Hector… sir.”

A disbelieving snort escaped him.

“If you address me like that anywhere else, you’ll find yourself in serious trouble.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s just that I can’t tell what sort of person you are from your name alone.”

Was that too cheeky a reply?

Unease crept in as she carefully tried to withdraw her hand.

Instead of letting go, he abruptly seized her elbow.

Her head tipped back, her slender neck bending sharply as her chest rose and fell in shallow breaths.

The distance between them closed in an instant.

“What kind of man am I….”

“A widower with no lover.”

“A lonely man.”

Hector tilted his head and cast her an unabashed look.

The sharp bridge of his nose came right up to her cheek.

His indulgent breath brushed her ear, tickling the fine hairs that stood on end.

It was overwhelmingly embarrassing.

This went beyond simple interest.

He was feeling desire.

“Th-that’s not what I was asking….”

They had barely just met, yet his interest was revealed far too easily, as if the answer had been predetermined.

Hector cupped her chin.

His thumb brushed her lips subtly before his hand shifted and his middle finger slipped between them.

It was a deliberate gesture with an unmistakable message.

Startled and flustered, Chloe clenched her teeth shut.

His thick finger tapped lightly against her front teeth.

Like a predator before its prey, a low vibration traced the back of her neck.

It felt as though he had already decided to bite down and tear her apart before long.

“The family I belong to is Montparnasse.”

“And when the mood strikes me, I also rule the Hareloke Empire.”

“Anything else you’re curious about?”

“……!”

Chloe was genuinely shaken.

By saying this, he had made it clear he had no intention of hiding his identity.

At her stunned expression, with amethyst eyes widened to their fullest, he curved one corner of his mouth smoothly.

Crushing her lips lightly with his fingertips, he whispered softly.

“You can just call me ‘Your Majesty.’”

“When it’s just the two of us, you may address me more casually if you like.”

The touch that inspired even fear finally withdrew, but her mind remained hopelessly clouded.

His solid back, turning away without hesitation, left an even deeper impression.

Her instincts were screaming a warning.

Before long, she would be entangled by him relentlessly.

And what awaited her would be far worse than that brief contact just now.

She should steel herself in advance.

Guided to her guest room by a palace attendant, all the tension drained out of her at once.

The Hector she encountered again seemed more subdued than in the past.

He even behaved a little playfully.

Perhaps it was because he had rescued her by chance on the road.

Either way, dealing with him was deeply uncomfortable.

Chloe knew a great deal about the emperor.

He despised blunt honesty and delighted in flattery.

A constant blade of tension hung around him, and his close aides changed frequently.

Those who spoke exactly as the emperor wished were secretly called “parrot court counts.”

Even then, none ever held favor for long, and the current favorite was mockingly known as the fifteenth parrot count.

The emperor’s bad reputation alone could fill several volumes.

It had been this way ever since he ascended the throne at a young age under the empress dowager’s regency.

The general consensus among those who knew him was that he fundamentally lacked the temperament to rule.

In a way, at least, his actions were consistent.

He gave his heart to no one.

While lost in these thoughts, Chloe was attended by a palace maid with deft hands.

“Madam, His Majesty requests your presence at dinner this evening.”

Being summoned again the moment she had caught her breath felt ominous.

It seemed a different standard applied to her alone.

The elegant dress she donned after bathing felt as soft as flower petals against her skin.

Her hair was styled finely enough to attend a formal banquet at once.

Because she had arrived riding with the emperor, everyone—including the maids—treated Chloe with exceptional care.

She looked at herself in the full-length mirror.

A woman of pale beauty stood there, steeped in quiet sorrow.

Despite the fact that the thought of dining with her sworn enemy was unbearable, her natural features made her appear merely wistful.

‘Can I really face Hector calmly?’

She imagined plunging a blade into his neck, then shook her head.

Philip and Hector were worlds apart.

Unlike her ex-husband, whom she could corner in a secluded villa, the emperor was always surrounded by elite knights and attendants.

The chance of approaching him while he rode alone on a whim was virtually nonexistent.

She could not defeat him in single combat either.

Hector was exceptionally strong.

Neglecting state affairs, he instead honed his body through combat with knights and hunts of ferocious beasts.

Even if she tried to seduce him and strike while he slept, the likelihood of him counterattacking was high.

Lowering her meticulously styled lashes, Chloe resolved to restrain herself for now.

Her life mattered more than satisfying her vengeance.

The dinner was arranged in an outdoor pavilion.

Guided along a stone path lit by countless candles, she soon spotted Hector beyond a gleaming marble table.

Large flowering plants bloomed thickly in the beds beneath the lingering sunset.

Strangely, every single one of them was red.

She tried to recall whether it had been the same in the past, but her memory failed her.

Against the backdrop of flowers splashed with bloodlike color, Hector lounged in his chair like a murderous fiend.

Perhaps it was his reputation as a tyrant who killed without hesitation.

Or perhaps it was the crimson wine filling the glass in his hand.

The sight was chilling enough to halt her steps.

“Come closer.”

He moistened his vividly colored lips with his tongue.

The slight curve of his mouth was so perfectly beautiful it resembled a painting of a demon of temptation.

She could not afford to show fear.

This infamous emperor crushed the weak and showed interest only in the strong.

Recalling the brutal training Philip had put her through, Chloe approached to the proper distance and bent her knee in a respectful bow.

“I greet Your Majesty once more.”

“It is my greatest honor to be invited to dine with you.”

He gestured toward the seat set opposite him.

She sat carefully, but her hands and feet trembled as if she had marched for miles.

She took a few bites, barely aware of the taste, while Hector only poured himself more wine.

“You were brave earlier.”

“Why are you suddenly so timid now?”

The mocking curve of his lips deepened.

“I failed to recognize Your Majesty and committed an unforgivable offense.”

“I beg you to grant me your mercy.”

“There’s no one here but us.”

Her lowered lashes quivered.

A lethal sense of danger crawled across her skin.

The words she had uttered earlier, pretending ignorance of his identity, were coming back to haunt her.

Judging by how he had dismissed the attendants in advance, he seemed determined to press the matter.

She had to decide now.

Should she drop to her knees and beg for her life, or gamble everything on a bold move?

Setting down her cutlery, Chloe finally met his gaze.

“Hector.”

He laughed softly, audibly.

He looked thoroughly amused by her.