The Trap in the Fog

She had no way of knowing when the fog would lift.

She had to make full use of this moment, a gift from the heavens.

Walking on the tips of her toes, Chloe confirmed that his gaze was fixed straight ahead before swiftly turning back.

The training she had received at the assassin academy to erase her presence proved useful.

Distributing her weight and avoiding obstacles, she quietly widened the distance between herself and Hector.

They had separated by only a few steps, yet already the outline of the horse had blurred.

A silent cheer rang out in her chest.

‘Good. If I run like this…’

She decided not to worry yet about how she would flee after leaving the forest.

No matter how uncertain the future, it was better than doing nothing and once again ending up on the execution platform.

Her chest ached from holding her breath as she ran, yet she did not slow down.

A faint curve of exhilaration formed at her lips despite her ragged breathing.

‘It was so hard pretending to be calm. Thank goodness.’

When she had stood by his side, she had strained to conceal her disgust.

Watching his back as he led through the fog, she had imagined plunging a blade into the nape of his neck.

She had abandoned the fantasy at once, lacking a weapon and fearing retaliation.

She ought to express gratitude for his having placed her on the horse and brought her to the imperial villa, but the resentment from her previous life held her back.

Moreover, under the guise of protection, he had subtly threatened her.

The way he toyed with her without an ounce of warmth resembled the past too closely.

The aversion lodged in Chloe’s heart naturally deepened.

Then as now, there had never been a woman who truly captured Hector’s heart.

There was only one reason he kept someone close.

To torment them.

‘It was the same at the edge of the hunting grounds. He never cared how I felt.’

He had deliberately placed Chloe at his side.

It had been a clear display.

No noble was ignorant of what it implied when the Emperor appeared at an official event accompanied by a woman.

As in the reigns of former emperors before him, most would assume an official mistress had emerged.

If he had even mounted a horse with her, the conclusion was inevitable.

For the first time in his life, Hector had allowed a woman at his side.

For Chloe, it was mortifying.

Though her husband had died and she was now a widow, the news had not yet widely spread.

To stand beside the Emperor as a countess and even receive his touch was ethically dubious.

It invited scandal, as though morality had been tossed aside like a stray dog.

Because of the Emperor’s self-centered whims, she alone had to endure the hostile stares.

‘Always doing as he pleases. Just like ever.’

Realizing that the presence of horse and rider had completely vanished behind her, she silently exulted and muttered her long-stored anger under her breath.

She could roughly guess why he had chosen her as his target of amusement.

It was the same reason Count Philip had carefully selected her.

The Count had discerned that when Hector admired art, he favored mysterious brushstrokes over conventional beauty.

Applied to a person, that was Chloe.

Beautiful women were plentiful, but beauty was subjective.

Her enigmatic appearance happened to align perfectly with Hector’s aesthetic tastes.

It was understandable that he would show physical interest in her.

Yet she felt nothing but revulsion toward him.

No matter how dazzling his appearance.

Even setting aside his status as Emperor, women in the court fell for him easily.

His clear, sea-colored eyes were mesmerizing, and his tall frame—at least a span taller than most men—carried clothing with effortless grace.

‘The gods must have focused solely on the shell when they shaped him. They forgot to give him any character at all.’

No matter how breathtaking his exterior, Chloe’s heart remained cold and unmoved.

In her previous life she had once been captivated, but not this time.

How could she possibly love a man who had sent her to the execution ground without so much as blinking?

She repeatedly glanced back as she hurried forward.

The dense fog felt like a blessing.

Though she failed to avoid sudden shrubs due to the poor visibility, she did not care if her sleeves tore.

She had to leave the forest before the weather cleared.

Pushing through the undergrowth beneath faint birdsong, she soon reached a familiar place.

It was the ravine where she had first met Hector in her previous life.

Clear water trickled between vine-covered rocks.

Chloe braced herself against a boulder several times her height and caught her breath.

She deliberately ignored the cave hidden within the rock’s crevice.

She did not even want to look at it.

It was there that she had seduced the Emperor according to Count Philip’s design.

‘Why does it feel like the same events keep repeating?’

Though the details differed slightly, in her previous life she had stood here at this exact hour.

A chill ran along the fine hairs behind her ears.

She did not wish to pass through this place, but she had no choice.

To leave the hunting grounds unnoticed, this path was the best option.

Just as she pressed a hand against her racing heart, swelling with ominous speed—

A sinister presence brushed against her side.

Through the pale fog, a long shadow suddenly fell over her.

“Who—!”

Chloe startled so violently her limbs trembled.

A sharp cry escaped her.

She hurried to step back warily, only for her back to strike the rock.

“Ah—.”

Pain flared, distorting her expression.

The shadow tilted its head.

Hair like radiant sunlight swayed near the collar.

“How adorable.”

The tone was leisurely to the point of making her skin crawl.

Hector leaned against the rock with arms crossed, as though he had been waiting all along.

Unlike Chloe, who was panting, his breathing appeared calm.

“Y-Your Majesty? How did you get here…?”

Surely he had not truly arrived ahead of her?

Her eyes widened as she tried desperately to read the situation.

She knew he enjoyed crossing swords with knights more than attending to state affairs, but for him to approach silently through a foggy forest was unexpected.

Until he chose to reveal himself, she had sensed nothing.

Even with the tracking-evasion skills she had learned at the assassin academy, she had noticed nothing at all.

Had he discovered her attempt to flee from the beginning?

The thought that she had been playing in his palm left a bitter taste in her mouth.

But she could not show further panic.

If he realized she had intended to run from the start, he would not let her off lightly.

Gulp.

Her throat bobbed.

Under his gaze—bright with the interest of someone observing a caged bird—she forced herself to act quickly.

“Your Majesty! Ah, thank goodness.”

She exhaled in relief and shaped her face into one that invited sympathy.

“The fog was so thick that I lost my way. I was frightened when I couldn’t see anyone around me.”

“The fog, you say…”

As she edged back, he stepped closer, his voice tinged with mockery.

He had clearly seen through her scheme.

For someone merely lost, she had run far too fast.

Still, she had to deny everything.

Feigning ignorance was her only path to survival.

Cornered against the rock, Chloe bit her lip to keep her tension from showing.

“You’ve come quite far in this thick fog.”

Cold sweat formed along her back against the stone.

No matter how innocent an expression she crafted, there was a limit.

Both of them knew she had tried to escape.

“I was so scared I just ran. I was afraid I might run into a wild beast…”

The excuse was flimsy.

If she feared beasts, she should have stayed close to Hector, not fled from him.

“Ah, a wild beast.”

A low laugh rumbled in his throat.

The way his fingertips tapped her shoulder resembled a cat toying with a cornered mouse.

“You ran straight ahead as if you had a destination in mind. I grew curious. Who stands behind you?”

“As if I would have someone backing me. Your Majesty rescued me from my family’s pursuit.”

Sensing death drawing near, she hardened her expression.

If the anger hidden behind his mocking smile did not settle, she would be dragged to the execution ground far sooner than in her previous life.

Appealing to his emotions was her only chance.

Chloe narrowed her eyes, moisture gathering unbidden.

Fear welled up naturally enough that her lips trembled.

“I was too ashamed to say it, but I regard Your Majesty as my savior.”

A cold scoff followed.

He had no intention of believing her.

“Savior… What a polished phrase.”

His head, which had been looking down from above, lowered.

As though scolding a child, Hector knocked his forehead lightly but firmly against hers.

At a distance too close to focus, his chilling gaze bore into her.

Perhaps because of the dreamlike fog, his touch clung as persistently as moss heavy with moisture.