HPBUY Side Story 1

It was an early summer day when the roses at the imperial annex were in full bloom.

The annex was particularly quiet, likely because lectures were in session.

However, the little girl, seemingly unconcerned with such atmosphere, crossed the garden with quick steps and stopped in front of the annex’s tall iron gate.

The guard, who had been staring straight ahead, finally lowered his gaze.

The child, dressed in a red silk dress embroidered with gold thread, was clearly not from an ordinary family.

Her delicately carved face, like a finely crafted porcelain doll, was also familiar to those who worked at the palace.

Above all, she was the only cousin of the Emperor and the beloved daughter of the man who had wielded power in the empire for the past several years.

“I’ve come to pay my respects to His Majesty before leaving,” Soliet said primly, lowering her eyes.

Normally, entering the Emperor’s quarters required a long and complex procedure according to protocol, but the Grand Duke’s daughter frequenting the annex as if it were her own home was nothing new.

The guards had no reason to prevent behavior the Emperor turned a blind eye to, so they readily let the child in.

Inwardly relieved, she entered but suddenly slowed her pace to look around at the annex walls and garden.

Soliet’s cheeks flushed slightly as she observed the climbing roses on the pale golden walls.

When a sound of something hitting against the window was heard, Leopold, who had been listening intently to his lecture, instinctively looked up. At the end of his gaze stood Soliet with her arm raised.

Holding a tiny pebble and about to throw it at the window again, Soliet froze when her eyes met Leopold’s. The expressions on their faces upon discovering each other were starkly different.

In stark contrast to Leopold’s furrowed brow, Soliet waved her hand excitedly with a delighted face.

As he continued to stare unpleasantly at the window, the scholar, who had been continuing the lesson with his back to the window, belatedly noticed his expression and asked curiously.

“Your Majesty, are you uncomfortable?”

“No.”

Despite Leopold’s immediate reply as he withdrew his gaze, the scholar adjusted his glasses with a dubious expression. Wondering what he had seen, he turned his head slightly.

The moment his questioning gaze met Soliet’s, her eyes widened like a rabbit’s. A look of dismay crossed the child’s face before she quickly hid herself.

When the scholar, now realizing the culprit, turned back with a hardened expression, Leopold merely rested his chin on his hand with his gaze fixed on his book, as if it had nothing to do with him. The scholar let out a long sigh.

Several years had passed since the regency was established, but the emotional divide that had formed during that process remained valid.

The Regent was a cunning man.

When he first gained power, he pretended to behave properly, but behind the scenes, he expanded his influence to solidify his authority. Naturally, those who disliked him saw their power diminish.

The fact that the Emperor was not particularly close to the Regent was fortunate for the nobles who sought to check the Regent’s power, but for some reason, the Emperor had a notable soft spot for his daughter.

While one might understand his special regard for her since they had essentially grown up together, considering her origins made it rather displeasing.

In private matters, she was the bloodline of those who had driven the late Emperor to an unclear death—how could that possibly benefit the Emperor?

Thus, the scholar had repeatedly cautioned that it was ominous for the Emperor to keep that troublesome girl close.

“Your Majesty, as I’ve mentioned before, frequent association with a bastard child will not have a positive impact on your reputation. Perhaps it would be better to socialize with heirs from more noble families.”

Leopold, who had been silently watching the scholar, glanced briefly toward the window where Soliet had been standing. The window was open about a hand’s width. Leopold straightened his posture as he looked away.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

The scholar smiled with relief at this concise affirmation.

“A wise decision, Your Majesty. After all, keeping her close would bring you no benefit—”

“By the way, did you know that even my father was not the legitimate child of my great-grandfather?”

The scholar’s face turned pale at this casually delivered remark.

“T-that’s a different situation, Your Majesty.”

“How so? Because the Grand Duke is supposedly connected to my father’s death?”

The scholar’s mouth closed at this direct and indifferent question.

Neither side wished to continue the argument further. Leopold exhaled softly and rose from his seat.

“Looking at the time, I believe we can conclude today’s lesson. Well done.”

Upon leaving the room, Leopold headed straight for the outdoor garden. Though there was no reason to hurry, his gait was subtly irritable.

‘How impudent.’

Despite his youth, Leopold was keenly aware of his position.

He had inherited the imperial throne when he was just learning to walk, making him an emperor with everyone beneath him from the very first moment of his memories.

And he was the one who had been educated to reign most imperially, more than anyone else.

Given how unstable everything was at the time of his accession, his mother had raised him to be a monarch who wouldn’t be swayed by anyone’s words.

Even if he might be called stubborn, she ensured he could discern right from wrong and determine what was reasonable on his own.

So, both keeping the Grand Duke at a distance and not rejecting his daughter were ultimately the Emperor’s own unilateral decisions.

Moreover, dealing with the father and daughter of the Monferrato Grand Duchy was not particularly challenging.

He couldn’t fully trust the man entangled in his father’s death, and Soliet was the future heir to Ricata, which was reason enough to keep her close. Of course, having grown up together like siblings, the emotional bond couldn’t be ignored either.

Furthermore, while Leopold was the Emperor, he was still just a child with minimal power. Opposing the Grand Duke based solely on rumors would be unwise in many respects.

Everyone pretended to check the Grand Duke and worry about the Emperor, but in reality, Leopold knew they were merely trying to use him to manipulate state affairs according to their own desires.

For that reason alone, the Grand Duke was still necessary to him. At least he never exposed his greed by whispering malicious gossip filled with personal animosity.

Whatever the case, it was certainly not for someone like a scholar to comment on.

Entering the garden, Leopold left the path and pushed through the shrubbery. Leaves entangled themselves on his clothes and in parts of his hair.

As a result, Leopold’s face grew increasingly furrowed, but despite brushing off his clothes, he continued deeper into the foliage.

Skillfully avoiding the slender branches that extended outward, Leopold stopped at a certain point.

It was where the window of the study, where the lecture had just been held, was located. And Soliet was crouched just below the window.

Touching this flower and that with her tiny hands, Soliet stiffened when she finally noticed Leopold.

As he stared at her silently, she seemed aware of her wrongdoing, nervously rolling her eyes back and forth.

True, the annex had been a place she freely entered and exited since long ago, but recently Declan had scolded her several times, saying that now that she was no longer so young, she should always get His Majesty’s permission before entering.

“I wonder what excuse you’ve come up with this time.”

Today was clearly the day the Grand Duke and his only daughter were to depart for a vacation in the eastern region. Though it was almost a play on words, no one was unaware that the place was Ricata territory.

In fact, it was Leopold himself who had told the guards that there was no need to block Soliet’s entry to the annex, but unaware of this fact, Soliet awkwardly scratched her cheek.

“I thought I’d come to say goodbye before going on vacation…”

“How amusing. Since when have you been so respectful toward me?”

At this immediate caustic response, Soliet drooped her shoulders like a rain-soaked puppy and tapped the ground with her toe.

Cleverly enough, she seemed well aware that when she showed signs of being dejected like this, others tended to weaken considerably toward her.

Even the Grand Duke, who seemed to raise his child quite strictly, would easily soften when his daughter acted coy.

Objectively speaking, Soliet had inherited only the best features of her parents, who were renowned as beauties throughout the Kralto continent, and being raised with so much affection, she was overflowing with charm.

Unfortunately, Leopold was less than generous when it came to Soliet’s coquettish behavior.

Sure enough, as he continued to stare expressionlessly, Soliet’s lips soon protruded.

“You were the first to break your promise, Your Majesty…”

“When did I ever make a promise?”

Leopold asked incredulously.

Moreover, he was about to retort that how could a mere child like her be placed on the same level as him, but feeling it would only make him more tired, he let it go.

“You definitely promised. You said you would let me enter the annex before I left—that’s what Your Majesty said.”

That was merely a statement made in surrender to Soliet’s persistent whining.

When listening to Soliet’s whining, Leopold would sometimes get a throbbing headache, causing him to blurt out answers solely to escape the situation. That day was no different.

“I didn’t know that a single word from the Emperor of a nation could be as light as a feather.”

Despite continued dismissal, Soliet responded without any sign of intimidation. Not that such efforts would be appreciated by her current audience.

Leo extended his index finger and firmly pushed Soliet’s forehead.

“Ouch!”

“Whatever the case, the Emperor’s residence is not a place for a little kid like you to freely wander in and out of.”

The Emperor was unconcerned by the glaring eyes that were rubbing a reddened forehead.

Soliet parted her lips several times as if to argue, but then firmly closed them. While her gaze remained as insolent as ever, she wasn’t ignorant of who held the upper hand in this situation.

This wasn’t merely due to Declan’s habitual instruction to show proper respect to the Emperor, but because of the reason Soliet had come all the way to the annex today.

“Let’s hear about that business you mentioned. I’m curious about why you insisted it absolutely had to be at the annex.”

Only then did Soliet lower her hand from her forehead and modestly cast her eyes down.

“I want to give a gift to Mother.”

At this somewhat unexpected answer, Leo raised his head. His brow slightly furrowed, not understanding the context.

“Why would you look for a gift for your mother in the annex?”

“Because I can’t get it anywhere else.”

“…What is it?”

Instead of answering, Soliet flashed a grin.

Her face was full of mischief, as if plotting some grand scheme.