It was hard to believe that just a moment ago, This child, who had just made a dozen or so children cry, had now an unbelievably cute appearance.
“If you’re tired, I’ll have someone bring you some tea with a wake-up effect.”
She was very politely turning around the phrase that he was sleepy.
“I’m not talking nonsense.”
Melchizedek refuted gently.
“The children I invited today were my candidates for playmates. I thought they wouldn’t be able to communicate with me, so I turned them all down, and they were quite resentful because of that.”
Blanche was only then able to understand the children’s excessive hostility.
Of course, there would be resentment from a weak country hostage being a playmate of the Grand Duke, but even so, it was like moths flying into a fire. I guess there was a grudge from the past.
“So you wanted me to step on their noses?”
“Yes. And you did it very well, by the way. ─So you deserve a reward. What do you want?”
“It is a great honor if I was of help.”
Modesty first.
As expected of someone who had made a deal from the first meeting, the Grand Duke didn’t seem to be interested in empty words.
Usually, it’s better to take some time before saying things like this.
But even this kind of thing has to be done according to the situation. I didn’t want to be frustrated by dealing with someone who hated to be put off, so I might not get anything if I put it off.
“Then, can I have a horse?”
“……A horse?”
Melchizedek’s gaze swept over Blanche from head to toe.
“Yes.”
“Can you ride a horse……?”
It was a fair question. Blanche couldn’t even ride a donkey, let alone a horse.
“No, not me. For my nanny.”
The answer that came back was also questionable. It’s not easy for a nanny to have the aristocratic upbringing to ride a horse.
However, Melchizedek didn’t seem interested in whether it was true or not and shrugged his shoulders without further questioning.
“Fine, a horse. I’ll have it prepared.”
Now that it seemed like the real business was over, Melchizedek got up from his seat without hesitation. Blanche, who had even sent Tula away, couldn’t even get up and bowed her head.
“See you next time.”
After leaving that word, Melchizedek left the drawing room. Blanche was left alone.
* * *
Alone, I loosened the tightly fastened collar of my robe.
Normally, just a few hours of smiling wouldn’t tire me out, but today my body felt unusually weary. It seemed like I needed to rest.
“Is there anything you need?”
Tula came in after seeing the Grand Duke leave. Unlike my tired posture, Tula stood upright, and I spoke up.
“Tula.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Let the children rest.”
Most of the children working in the palace were sent by the Empress. That meant they had neither reason nor time to be loyal to me.
Since they had worked hard today, they deserved some relaxation. If not, problems would arise quickly.
“Yes, understood.”
Tula politely bowed and left without turning their back. I closed my eyes, slumped in my chair.
Surprisingly, the Grand Duke seemed pleased with this outcome. Objectively speaking, half of the guests leaving the party in tears was a disastrous result.
Given my expertise,I knew there was nothing I could do if the Grand Duke got angry, but it was still better if our relationship remained intact. In that sense, that response was quite fortunate. Most importantly, it seemed I might gain some leverage.
Thinking ahead, I decided I should teach Tula riding and self-defense skills. It seemed the foundation was set for that.
“But is there a stable here…?”
Well, there probably was, but whether it was managed properly was another question. There wouldn’t be a stableman without horses, so I’d need to make sure.
Would the Grand Duke arrange that, or should I ask the Empress…? Lost in such thoughts, my eyelids grew heavy.
I didn’t resist; I closed my eyes. Resting now and thinking tomorrow would be sufficient.
* * *
Upon declaring a break for the servants and returning, Tula’s eyes fell upon the peacefully sleeping Blanche.
“Oh my…”
A smile crept onto Tula’s face, breaking her solemn expression. She approached carefully and gently lifted the sleeping princess in her arms.
The moon and stars are asleep on this night. Unfortunately, it’s time for us to part ways…”
Tula hummed a lullaby as she moved with measured steps.
Over the past week, Princess Blanche had kept the servants of Jasper Palace on their toes. The three-year-old who could make grown servants tremble with a single word.
Today alone, she had sent over ten noble children home in tears.
But in front of Tula, Blanche was always Tula’s little princess. Easily lifted up like this. Tula sang a lullaby, tucked the covers over Blanche’s chest, and gently patted her back, causing her rigid expression to soften into cooing.
So Tula set aside the “dignity” that Princess often spoke of until her lips were worn out and knelt beside the bed, soothing the princess until her short nap came to an end.
* * *
The tea party, which seemed to have satisfied no one but the host and the Grand Duke, became famous in its own right. It was no wonder that the families who participated had their children either sobbing as they returned home or locking themselves in their rooms upon returning.
As nobles who pried into the reason for this found out that it wasn’t just their children who had been through this, the story began to spread slowly.
If just one child who attended the tea party had cried, it would have been something to laugh about, and if five had cried, it would have been the host’s problem. But what if everyone cried?
“Everyone is whispering about how wicked the child must be. They’re saying that Her Majesty the Empress introduced the Grand Duke to a child who is not good.”
One who muttered this was Lady Chase, the wife of Viscount Chase. She harbored negative feelings towards Empress Riana due to her failed attempt to marry her daughter to the Crown Prince in the past.
“I see.”
The one who was listening to this was the former empress, Lacia Vie Pendleton.
The former empress did not have any ill feelings towards Riana. However, since the former empress and the Empress were the most noble women in the empire, they could not be close friends.
In addition, there were two more disadvantages between Lacia and Riana. First, the previous emperor died too early. Second, Berken loves Riana too much.
For one thing, Lacia should still be active if things had gone as planned. This means that she should have wielded power for another 20 years, and then retired when she was tired of wielding power.
However, because the previous emperor died too early, Lacia became an old lady in the back room at a very young age. She hadn’t even had enough time to enjoy the sweetness of power.
In the midst of regretting the empress’s seat that was taken away too quickly, one more problem remained.
Berken loves Riana too much.
Normally, this would not be a problem. What’s the problem with the emperor and empress having a good relationship?
However, this is a problem because of Riana’s constitution.
Riana Enzen Pendleton is infertile. This means that she cannot bear children or produce heirs. Normally, she would not be able to become empress no matter how good her family is or how talented she is.
In fact, this fact was revealed when Riana was 15 years old and still the Crown Princess. The Kiverian family, loyal to the emperor, informed him of their daughter’s abnormality. They also expressed their intention to step down from the position of Crown Princess on their own volition.
Well, Riana’s remaining life would still have been smooth sailing, as long as she stepped down from the position of Crown Princess, as she was a talented daughter of a prestigious family, even though she couldn’t have children.
Since they had identified the problem in advance and even suggested a solution, there was no need to offend the emperor, and with her swordsmanship skills, she would have been qualified to be the commander of the Imperial Knights even if she couldn’t be the Crown Princess.
The problem started when Berken refused the Kiverian family’s countermeasures.
“I will not marry a woman other than Riana.”
It was a stubbornness that no one, not even Riana herself, wanted. But Berken overcame all opposition with his love for Riana.
Riana remained the Crown Princess and became Empress six years later. Fortunately, the succession problem was also resolved peacefully because the former empress became pregnant with Melchizedek while Berken was persuading Riana.
In the end, all the problems seemed to be solved. The Kiverian family became infinitely loyal to the emperor who showed them warm affection and trust for Riana despite her infertility.
The Retail Empire was able to gain the best knight in the empire as its empress. The emperor and empress went through adversity and hardship together and sent each other a firm faith. With a healthy and intelligent crown prince, the problem of succession was also solved.
However, the former empress could not forget the chaos that ensued at that time. The time when Riana herself was willing to step down without any complaints. The time when Berken alone fought back with the determination to give up the crown prince’s seat.
Lacia had no grudge against Berken or Riana.
But apart from that, Lacia could never forget her son’s biggest rebellion. The child who was determined to give up his position as crown prince, even the next emperor, in a situation where Riana herself was trying to break the engagement.
It is never a good thing for an emperor to have such an emotional Achilles’ heel. It was even worse that all the nobles of the empire knew that the emperor’s emotional Achilles’ heel was the empress.
TL/N: An Achilles’ heel is a weakness despite overall strength, which can lead to downfall. While the mythological origin refers to a physical vulnerability, idiomatic references to other attributes or qualities that can lead to downfall are common.
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