Chapter 54
Meanwhile, as the Harrison family’s people were tidying up to return to the mansion, the emperor and consort Darien engaged in a quiet but fierce battle of wills in a secluded spot.
“How could you have done something so foolish?!”
“I truly have no idea what you mean, Your Majesty. If anything, shouldn’t you be the one not to disappoint me? Our family has done so much for you—”
“Enough!”
As consort Darien tried to argue her case, the emperor raised his right hand. His piercing blue eyes bore into her, warning that he wouldn’t tolerate any further excuses.
Realizing her mistake, she quickly shut her mouth. However, the frustration she felt was evident in the way her lips pouted stubbornly.
“In any case, you should remain quiet for the time being. There are too many witnesses to today’s events.”
“…Understood. I will obediently stay put, just as you command. Not that it makes much of a difference—after all, it’s been so long since Your Majesty last sought me out that everyone has probably forgotten I even exist.”
The emperor’s thick eyebrows twitched at her words, but instead of continuing the argument, he sharply turned his head with a huff.
Consort Darien, too, adjusted the squirming baby in her arms with growing irritation.
Princess Anna had always been frail and in poor health, so a minor trick like this was hardly enough to catch her attention. It wasn’t the first time, after all.
She had simply never expected such an unpredictable turn of events at the banquet.
Consort Darien had one clear goal: to ensure that the child in her arms became the next emperor. And the biggest obstacle in her way was Princess Anna.
Not only did the emperor adore the princess, but Anna herself was exceptionally capable.
If only her health weren’t an issue, there was no doubt she had all the makings of the future queen of the Sylvian Empire. It was a widely accepted fact, repeated so often that it hardly needed stating.
Taking a deep breath to suppress her rising anger, Consort Darien clenched her teeth.
For so long, she had been secretly working to slowly worsen Princess Anna’s health. And now, all of that careful effort had been ruined because of a single bottle of perfume.
That wretched nanny from the Harrison family…whether she had a sharp intuition or just a keen sense of smell, she had completely ruined everything.
Next time they met, Consort Darien vowed, she would not let her go unpunished.
For now, though, she bowed and excused herself.
“Until I summon you again, do not leave the palace.”
“Yes, of course! I will abide by Your Majesty’s command.”
After watching Consort Darien kneel and quickly leave, the emperor let out a long sigh.
He had temporarily allied himself with her family because he needed their power. But they, Consort Darien especially, had taken that as permission to push their ambitions far beyond what he had intended.
They truly believed they could get away with such reckless behavior.
His expression darkened as he watched her retreating figure.
“Heh.”
From a hidden spot near the roof, Hael had been watching the entire exchange unfold.
A smirk spread across her lips.
With a light step, she leapt from the roof and landed silently in the front courtyard of the 32nd palace.
Then, as if she had just arrived for the banquet, she casually walked through the front entrance and into the hall.
“Ugh! Seriously!!”
Inside, as the banquet was winding down, one person still fumed with anger—Mitzu.
Clicking her tongue, Hael sauntered up to him.
“Hey! Dylan just ditched me here all alone! So annoying!”
“…”
“What’s with that look? You definitely found out something.”
“…!”
A small spark flickered in the air around Hael, confirming Mitzu’ suspicions.
He let out an impressed whistle and leaned in.
Hael pushed his red head away before finally opening her mouth.
“Those godd**** bast—! Those fing sheads—! Those filthy—!”
A flood of expletives poured out of Hael like a fish finally thrown back into water.
Mitzu grimaced, shaking his head as he swatted at his now metaphorically dirtied ears.
This was exactly why he always told her to let him handle the talking.
Beep, beep, beep.
Mitzu mentally censored her words, filtering through the profanities.
“So basically, there’s something going on between the emperor and Consort Darien, right?”
“Yeah! And that spineless, backstabbing—!”
“Alright, that’s enough.”
Mitzu cut her off, pressing a finger against her lips.
Hael frowned but nodded reluctantly.
After successfully shutting down her profanity-filled rant, Mitzu glanced around.
With all the key figures having left the banquet, most of the guests had also begun to depart.
“Let’s go. I’ll explain everything to Dylan. Though honestly, I think he’s already figured it out.”
Hael nodded.
Mitzu himself had stayed at the banquet hall the entire time, so he hadn’t witnessed what had happened elsewhere.
But judging by the satisfied smile on Dylan’s face as he left with the children, it was clear he had picked up on something similar to what Hael had just discovered.
There might not have been a dramatic brawl or an assassination attempt, but in its own way, this had been quite an interesting banquet.
Mitzu smirked as he recalled Hael’s words.
He was looking forward to the conversation he’d have with Dylan.
***
Inside the carriage on the way back to the mansion, the triplets quickly drifted off to sleep.
Leaning against each other, they let out soft, adorable breathing sounds. The drowsiness was contagious, and as Erina felt herself growing sleepy too, she let out a small yawn.
“Once again, Erina, your sharp sense of smell played a crucial role today.”
“Ah, well… I suppose so… But I think I may have made things more complicated than necessary. I’m worried about the princess’s health, too…”
Recalling her mistake, Erina fidgeted with her fingers. She should have stopped at simply complimenting the fragrance, but her curiosity about the unique ingredients had led her to say more than she should have.
Dylan narrowed his eyes at the rare sight of a dejected Erina. It wasn’t bad seeing her like this, but still—he preferred it when she was her usual lively, radiant self.
“I was actually worried about something else.”
“Huh?”
At Dylan’s words, Erina, who had been staring at the floor, lifted her head to look at him. Her face was filled with concern, was she about to be scolded for something else she had done wrong?
“I was truly worried that you might just hand over the perfume I gifted you to the princess.”
“W-what?! You heard everything I said?!”
“Of course. Every word. Though I have to admit, I was pleased to hear my fragrance being praised.”
Dylan sighed dramatically, pretending to be weak-hearted.
“Just the thought of losing it so easily made my heart pound with anxiety.”
Erina, still flustered, quickly nodded in agreement.
“I was shocked, too! For a moment, I thought I really had to give it to her!”
“That perfume is meant for you and you alone, Erina.”
“R-right. Because you made it for me…”
“Yes, a one-of-a-kind perfume, created just for Erina.”
Dylan smiled brightly, emphasizing ‘for Erina’ several times.
Erina, however, interpreted it differently. She thought he meant it was a gift to show appreciation for her taking such good care of the triplets.
After all, everyone who met the triplets treated them like little VIPs, so it was only natural that their uncle, Dylan, would be especially attentive.
She patted each of the children’s heads before replying to him.
“Don’t worry. Even without me doing anything special, they’re growing up to be such good, healthy kids. I’m really proud of them.”
“Ah… is that so.”
Dylan turned his head away, feeling defeated.
He had tried to make himself sound important, but somehow, the conversation had derailed into praise for those **** lizards again.
Seriously! What on earth was inside that little head of hers that every single conversation always ended up circling back to the triplets?
For a moment, he was tempted to use magic to read Erina’s mind entirely. But then again, that would take the fun out of trying to figure her out on his own.
Just as the mood grew slightly awkward between them, the carriage arrived at the Harrison estate, and the triplets stirred awake.
“We’re home!! Erina, let’s go play in the forest!!”
Lia was the first to jump out of the carriage, eagerly tugging at Erina’s arm.
Resen and Poi followed suit, hopping down with their short legs and sticking close to Erina.
Without hesitation, the triplets made a beeline for the dressing room.
They instinctively knew that now was the perfect time to wear the overalls they had bought with Erina a while ago.
With giddy excitement, each of them rummaged through their wardrobe, pulling out their favorite shirts and overalls.
Their steps were far more excited than when they had dressed up for the banquet earlier.
