“He always has that look on his face.”
I thought it was a little strange, but I responded to Stella as if it didn’t bother me.
“It’s not like that. It was definitely different from the way he looked at the Empress, and my instincts aren’t wrong.”
Stella said in a confident tone, her eyes sparkling. She has always tried to connect Ian and me.
It’s a little hard to believe that there’s any credibility to what she’s saying, but if it were true, if the male lead really didn’t love the female lead…
No, that couldn’t happen. I have to make sure it never happens. My plan to help him crown the woman he loves as an empress and to escape quietly might be thwarted.
I couldn’t bear the thought of facing a situation where my life could be in danger at any moment, deviating from my expectations. Just then, Rosetin returned.
As I watched her carry the tray to the table, I asked her.
“Rosetin, have you had any contact with the Emperor since the banquet?”
Rosetin looked a little surprised by my question. I explained in a mild tone.
“The Emperor seems to be quite fond of you, and it’s always nice to have a good friend in him.”
Rosetin replied calmly with a faint smile.
“I’ve seen him with my father a few times, but we’ve never had a conversation. I’m sure he’s too busy.”
They haven’t even had a single conversation yet? Ian and Rosetin’s relationship seemed to be moving slower than I thought. Stella’s comment earlier had bothered me, and her response made me feel even more uncomfortable.
For a moment, I wondered if there was any chance for Rosetin to meet Ian, but then I remembered the handkerchief I’d brought with me when I infiltrated the Emperor’s palace.
I couldn’t bring myself to return the blood-stained one, so I had a new one ready. I had Stella bring me the box with the handkerchief in it.
I’ve been thinking about when to give it to him, and now it seemed like a suitable excuse to send Rosetin to him. Without hesitation, I handed it to Rosetine and said,
“I want you to deliver this to the Emperor.”
Rosetin hesitated for a moment, then carefully accepted the box.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Rosetin replied briefly and left the Empress’s palace. Recalling the main character’s first meeting, it was clear that Rosetin had her heart set on Ian.
It was the look of a woman in love. And considering that Ian had engaged in long conversations with Rosetin with a slightly softer expression, it seemed that he had also developed something in his heart. A little more time, and maybe something would come of it.
I shook off my anxiety and took a bite of the walnut pie Rosetin had brought me. I had never tasted such a delicious pie in my life.
Ever since I brought a famous dessert maker from another country to the palace, I’ve been relieving my stress by eating. The fact that Lethenia’s body didn’t gain weight no matter how much I ate only fueled my appetite even more.
“Your tastes seem to have changed a lot. You didn’t even touch sweet desserts before, and you used to hate meat and always eat vegetables. I was worried about your diet but now you eat everything.”
Stella said with a slight smile. Lethenia had a taste that was quite the opposite of mine. I recalled Lethenia’s past, which I briefly saw in the information about Ian.
As a child, Lethenia had always struggled to be a good empress. She bore the rigors of empress training, which began at the crack of dawn, without complaint, never crying or throwing a fit.
Even the servants who worked at the Crown Prince’s Palace a long time ago joked that even Ian, who used to hang out with Lethenia every day, had never seen her cry.
She wouldn’t even touch the sweets that other children her age liked because she felt she had to embody the dignified image of an Empress. But she actually loved them.
Did she really want to be an empress that badly?
Before her mother’s death, Lethenia seemed to have been a dreamy, passionate girl, too. Somehow, the dessert, which was so sweet that I could feel tongue-tied, felt a little bitter.
Suddenly, Stella whispered excitedly in my ear.
“Your Majesty, have you finally given your heart to the Emperor?”
“What do you mean?”
“You gave him a white handkerchief.”
“Why?”
Stella looked at me with mischievous eyes as if she knew everything. Unable to understand why Stella was acting this way, I simply waited for her answer with a puzzled expression.
“Because a woman giving a man a white handkerchief is like a declaration of love.”
“What?”
“It’s an old custom of the Asha people.”
……I’ve never heard of it before. Is giving a white handkerchief the same as confessing love in Asha? Stella’s eyes sparkled like morning stars.
“I didn’t send it with that intention.”
“Then why did you send him a handkerchief all of a sudden?”
I couldn’t tell her that I just thought of something random to send Rosetin to Ian.
When I didn’t answer, Stella laughed, her eyes twinkling.
“I’m sure the Emperor will be pleased.”
“I’m telling you it’s not like that.”
“You have nothing to be ashamed of.”
Stella took that as me being embarrassed and bluffing. As I feel every time, Stella, who is knowledgeable and intelligent, is uniquely clueless when it comes to relationships.
“He probably doesn’t even know what it means anyway.”
“That sounds to me like you want His Majesty to know what it means.”
“……Think what you want.”
“I think Rosetin should be in charge of these kinds of errands in the future. Watching the two of you be so tenderly affectionate with each other will teach her what true love is.”
“…….”
“Ha, Rosetin needs to find a good mate soon, too.”
Even though Stella herself was not yet married, she spoke confidently, as if she were an experienced matchmaker. She seemed delighted, spreading her wings of imagination alone.
At times like this, she was no different than any other young noblewoman her age, vivacious and imaginative.
As I gazed at Stella’s face intently, the vast amount of information she had recently provided came to mind. Stella was the heir to the famous Priodos, and she was also overseeing a subordinate organization.
I could do so much more with her intelligence.
“By the way, did you say that you were also involved in the Priodos organization with Count Clemere?”
“I may not be as capable as my father, but I do handle a fairly useful organization.”
“Is it possible for you to buy and sell information through commissions?”
“Sure, but I’m very selective about who I take on. Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”
“Um…… because I want to make a deal with Stella.”
Upon hearing my words, Stella seemed slightly surprised.
“I’m planning to publish a newspaper article, and I think I’ll need experienced informants.”
“A newspaper article?”
“Specifically, an article about a scandal in a noble family.”
“Why would you want to…….”
“I need some funds.”
Stella looked puzzled for a moment, then spoke up as if she’d remembered something.
“Is it because of the island you mentioned last time?”
“That’s right.”
“That’s…”
“That… it’s something that should be done discreetly. It’s something I really need.”
I didn’t elaborate, but Stella seemed to intuitively recognize from my serious face that this was something quite important.
It was impossible to freely deal with an organization that was intertwined with the secrets of her family just because she was an empress. I spoke cautiously to Stella about the expense issue, which may be a sensitive part.
“As you know now, I’m short of extra funds, so if things go well, I’ll share the profits at a certain rate…”
“I’ll always help the Empress, you don’t have to worry about that.”
Stella replied in a gentle yet firm tone. I was somewhat moved by her cool answer. With a curious and puzzled gaze, she continued speaking.
“But I don’t think you can make a lot of money from a few articles.”
“I don’t intend to make money selling newspapers.”
“Then?”
“What I’m counting on are the bribes that will come in to stop the articles.”
Stella nodded slowly, as if she understood.
“I suppose you’d have a hard time finding a newspaper willing to take on such a task.”
“I need to find someone who can’t resist my offer.”
“I think I understand what you mean.”
She paused to collect her thoughts, and then sighed.
“I never expected to worry about funds while working as a maid for Her Majesty the Empress. It seems Her Majesty is quite innocent and unaware, but in order to survive in the imperial palace with a strained relationship with the Emperor, you have to buy people, use secret funds, and all that… It’s necessary for the sake of survival…”
“Is that so?”
It seemed that Stella had suffered a lot of heartache from serving the naive empress. I shrugged, feeling a little sorry for her.
“But it’s not like you’re receiving extensive support from the Bledel family either, and your worries go beyond just this. Are they treating the Empress, who is in such a situation, as a convenient tool?”
Stella let out the words she had been holding back. The way she spoke was like a veteran who had experienced all kinds of hardships perhaps because I now know the identity of Count Clemere.
Indeed, Stella didn’t give off the vibe of a pampered high-ranking noble lady nurtured in a greenhouse. Her thoughts and actions seemed extraordinary.
“Well, if my father finds out, he’d probably scream at me for a while for wasting manpower on something like this, but it doesn’t matter, after all, I’m the one who will inherit everything. I should give the organization members a chance to make a good impression on the next leader.”
As Stella spoke boldly, I found myself unexpectedly smiling. In this dreadful novel-like world, having her as my ally was a stroke of great fortune.
