Empress of Otherverse

It was a wonderful night. It was her best performance at the best stage possible. It couldn't have been better.

Amarince was back in her waiting room, removing her makeup. She enjoyed this glorious moment as she remembered the standing ovation from the royal family.

Knock knock!

Someone knocked on her door. Amarince opened the door in annoyance and was shocked at the familiar face.

"Oh, my…!"

She looked around quickly to make sure no one else was around before letting him in.

Amarince poured a glass of cheap wine for him and smiled.

"When I spotted you during the performance, I thought I was mistaken. When did you get back to the city? And why were you sitting there? You were… sitting beside the royal family…"

The man accepted the wine glass and replied, "It kind of just happened."

"Are you not composing anymore? There are many who are waiting for Jusepe Loano to come up with new music."

The man, who was called Jusepe, smiled. "I already released a new piece."

"What? But if you released something, I would've heard about it…"

She was one of the top sopranos in the continent. It was also a well-known fact that she used to be composer Jusepe's lover.

The man shrugged. "The piece you performed just now was mine."

Amarince dropped her glass on the floor. The red wine splattered everywhere and stained her dress.

"But that was a piece by Christian Boceti! The new up-and-coming composer who appeared out of nowhere 6 months ago!"

"Yup. That's my new name."

"… I can't believe it!"

Amarince exclaimed in shock. She always found Jusepe mysterious, and now, he looked even more enigmatic.

If people found out Boceti and Jusepe were the same person, the entire continent would go in shock. When she thought back, the new piece did have the same kind of flare Jusepe showed in his old music, but there was no way anyone would be able to guess this secret.

He stood up to put on his coat.

Amarince asked disappointedly, "Are you leaving already? It has been so long since we got together, yet all you give me is this shocking news?"

He smiled and kissed her forehead gently. "I just wanted to congratulate my old lover. You have achieved what you always wanted. You are now the biggest star."

"Jusepe…! I mean, Christian? Just what is your real name?"

The man smiled vaguely. When she was a young girl, Amarince believed she could give up her soul for this man. However, she realized how dangerous and poisonous he was after he abandoned her.

She managed to grow up and learn that he was not the man she should or could love. It was better to keep him as a colleague and friend.

Yet… Now she saw him again, she felt uncertain.

He shook his head. "You can call me whatever name you want."

When he was about to leave, Amarince asked, "Where are you going? Will you continue to compose?"

"No, I found something much more interesting to do."

His face turned dangerous as he smiled.

***

"Oh, it was amazing!"

Bina looked very excited as she sat down on her bed in her nightgown. Lucretius started to contemplate seriously.

'Should I learn to sing?'

It was clear Bina loved the show, which meant he needed to continue to hold more shows in the castle. He also planned to take her to shows outside the castle whenever they went on a secret date.

He never expected this. When Bina watched the male opera singer admiringly tonight, Lucretius couldn't help his jealousy. When they watched a few shows outside the castle in the past, Bina didn't react this way because the singers weren't as talented.

'But I can't just take her to mediocre shows because of this…' He considered seriously. 'Should I really take singing lessons…?'

In truth, Lucretius had no talent in music. He took a few lessons as a child in vocal training and instruments, but he was no good. His birth mother, Empress Beatrice, had a beautiful singing voice, and, unfortunately, Lucretius didn't get any of her musical talents.

However, it didn't matter.

'Even if I'm horrible, everyone will clap anyway. Besides, I'm a good actor.'

It really wasn't a matter of if he was a good singer. It was the fact that the emperor himself sang. Everyone would applaud as hard as they could.

'So… I really should sing…'

Bina noticed how silent Lucretius became.

"What are you thinking about?"

He didn't think it was necessary to hide his plan.

"I'm considering taking singing lessons."

"Why all of a sudden? I guess I have never heard you sing."

"To be honest, I am not good. When I was seven, my vocal trainer and my mother gave up on me, but I want to try again because I saw you admiring that male singer tonight…"

His voice was filled with obvious jealousy and frustration. At first, Bina became speechless at this unexpected reaction, but soon, she started to laugh loudly.

"What? Ha, hahahaha!"

She laughed so hard she started to roll around the bed.

"Oh my god! You will learn to sing and stand on the stage…? I can't even imagine what that would look like!"

Lucretius watched his wife in annoyance.

"Hey, your highness. I am serious."

Bina continued to laugh until she almost fell off the bed. She crawled towards her husband. She knew very well why Lucretius was acting this way. He was begging her to pay attention to him. She wondered about her juvenile husband.

'He is seven years older than me and in his 30's, so why is he acting so childishly?'

He was also the father of her child.

Bina remembered her pet dog in Korea. When she was little, her mother brought home a stray dog because she felt bad about him. He lived a long happy life at her house. When he first arrived at her home, he was a mature and well-behaved dog, but as time passed, he became whinier and baby-like.

Lucretius reminded her of that dog. When she first met him, he was a cold, emotionless prince, but now, he acted like a baby.

'I guess it's not nice of me to compare Luc to my dead dog.'

Bina hid her thoughts and hugged Lucretius' neck.

"Hmm. Are you jealous of the male singers, your highness?"

Lucretius lightly bit her nose and smiled. "Of course."

Bina laughed adorably. "Oh, my emperor is so cute."

Lucretius lifted her and placed her on her back on the bed.

"It's because I am always edgy."

This was an unexpected answer.

Bina's eyes widened. "Edgy? What do you mean?"

Lucretius' eyes smiled softly, making them look darker and sweeter.

"It just means that I am always thinking of you."

She persisted. "You are not making sense. Explain yourself."

"I am just worried that my empress will someday get tired of her handsome husband."

"…"

He thought Bina might get sick of him, and Bina couldn't understand.

They say men age like wine and women age like milk. Before meeting Lucretius, Bina thought this was complete nonsense. She thought both men and women always looked better when they were younger.

However, she wondered.

'Why does Luc get better looking as he gets older?'

Lucretius didn't seem to know what Bina was thinking.

He explained to her, "That is why I always try to improve myself, so I don't lose your interest and love."

Bina grinned. "I… feel the same pressure sometimes."

"Huh?"