“It seems like everything that should be done by the lord is being passed on to the princess.”
“What are you talking about? Passed on? I am also the owner of Surtmar. It’s one of my responsibilities.”
Agnes straightened her chest and spoke.
“Still… you seem to be struggling too much on your own.”
His face showed a sense of guilt and worry.
“No, it’s not a struggle. I simply showed the device to the wizards to find it.”
Agnes was perplexed. She thought that Laslo would simply be delighted to hear this news.
“Is there anything I can do to help? Any requests?”
He asked, Agnes hesitated.
In truth, she didn’t have much that she wanted from him. Just having him alive and by her side was enough.
“Um, well, that is…”
“…I guess there’s nothing I can do for you.”
Seeing him dejectedly shrug his shoulders, she felt flustered for no reason.
“No, I mean…”
Agnes wracked her brain, then suddenly thought of Chavolti and Sophia.
“Hug me!”
“What?”
Marquis Bezel and his wife are known to have a particularly good relationship among the nobles.
Agnes complained that it was embarrassing to see Chavolti and Sophia’s affection since childhood, but inside, she envied the couple who expressed their love without hesitation.
She opened her arms wide towards him.
“Here?”
Laslo was bewildered and turned his head to look around.
In the dining room where they were located, a few servants were standing to serve meals.
“Um, Princess. That is…”
He avoided her gaze with a flushed face and stumbled over his words.
“You asked me to say what I want. Are you trying to change your words now?”
Agnes opened her eyes wide and urged him.
“No, that can’t happen……. Is that really enough?”
Instead of answering, she suddenly stood up and spread her arms wide open.
Laslo hesitated as he stood up from his seat. Then, very slowly, his body moved.
So slow that it seemed deliberate.
First, his breath touched her head. Then Laslo’s arms wrapped around her.
Agnes also embraced him tightly with both arms. As their chest touched each other, they could clearly feel their hearts beating.
His embrace was firm yet gentle, warm and comforting.
‘Good.’
Is this why Chavolti occasionally hugged Sophia?
Not having any specific demands, it was just something she said, but now she felt it was the right thing to do.
The sound of their hearts beating in their ears, their bodies touching, all felt like evidence that he was alive and well, making her feel unexpectedly happy.
“Princess.”
“Huh?”
A light sigh was heard above her head.
“Are you feeling better now?”
Agnes looked up at him. Glancing at his face, she could see how red he was, as if he would burst at any moment.
“Not quite yet.”
“Not yet?”
“Not yet.”
She sought warmth and delved further into his embrace. Her mind became surprisingly peaceful.
At this moment, nothing in the world seemed frightening.
‘I should ask for this again next time.’
Unconsciously, a small smile tugged at the corner of Agnes’s lips.
It was long after the noble couple who had embraced each other had left the dining room.
ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚
The final day of the coronation ceremony ball was much more splendid than the first day.
Agnes entered the banquet hall escorted by Laslo.
The spacious banquet hall was crowded with Nirseg’s nobles.
Even those who were rarely seen attended today.
“It’s finally over.”
Laslo said with relief.
“Yes.”
Agnes surveyed the banquet hall slowly.
When she first arrived in the capital, she was filled with fear.
But now, as she sat on the throne, looking at King Sebastian with a benevolent smile, her inner turmoil slowly subsided.
Things became clear on what to do and what not to do. If there was one thing she learned from studying imperial politics, it was how to use and manipulate people.
‘I need to secure a family that can support me.’
After Vivian’s death, Agnes had been hesitant and minimized her social activities, resulting in her having few families that could be called her own power.
“Devorsen, Baranya, Kiske, Sandor, Cellon.”
They are the prominent families in Nirseg. If only she could bring even half of them to her side.
Agnes looked at the nobles walking around the ballroom with hawk eyes.
Her thoughts seemed to be leaning towards the Sandor side, who’s future she knows.
She pondered how to use that to lure Roland over to her side when she heard a small voice beside her.
“Hello.”
An ordinary girl with dark brown hair approached with a friendly face.
She must have just turned eighteen. A light blush adorned her youthful face.
“Oh, Miss Erika.”
Agnes quickly recognized her.
She was the youngest daughter of the Kiske family, known for maintaining a neutral position.
“It’s been a while since I saw you. Duchess.”
She bowed gracefully. Agnes awkwardly returned the greeting.
They were not close enough to greet each other at the ballroom.
“Are you here to find a suitable fiancé?”
Roland Sandor had not yet appeared. Agnes had intended to engage in light conversation with her until then.
“No.”
Surprisingly, Erika shook her head.
“Is it because there’s no one you fancy?”
“Yes. There are only schemers here who want to eat the glory of Kiske. I’d rather take it all for myself than share with those vultures.”
Her words were somewhat harsh.
For the first time, Agnes looked directly at Erika. Erika, on the other hand, sipped her drink while looking forward.
“You have no intention of getting married?”
“Yes.”
Erika simply spoke as if she had answered the question of whether her favorite color was red.
“Your family must be pressuring you quite a bit.”
Although she was still young and not subjected to intense pressure, she must have been quite aware of the expectations.
“My father sighs every time we eat, and my mother complains with tears. My sister also constantly tells me how happy she was when she got married.”
Contrary to the content, there was a subtle smile on Erika’s lips.
“They must be very worried. Their daughter who they raised dearly said that she will not get married.”
“Why should I get married?”
She suddenly burst into laughter.
“If I get married, wouldn’t Milan swallow the whole Kiske?”
“……”
“That dork will take the glory alone because he was born as the eldest son. That’s so unfair, right?”
Erika downed the remaining drink in her glass.
Agnes looked at Erika with a subtle expression.
She knew Milan Kiske well. He was a handsome man with honey-blond hair and a striking face, unforgettable once seen.
Because of him, rumors circulated about his complicated relationships with women.
“The duchess knows how I feel. It’s not like I chose to be born late, but isn’t it too much to be deprived of things because of being born late?”
“I don’t know.”
“Oh, you don’t know. Because you ran away with your tail curled up early.”
Agnes pursed her lips into a round shape. Erika met her gaze with a light smile.
“You have a sharp tongue, Miss Erika.”
“It’s one of the many things Milan doesn’t have.”
Just moments ago, she seemed like an ordinary girl you could find anywhere, but now she felt like a completely different person.
“If Milan gets Kiske, it’s not because of the look people admire, it’s simply because he was born early.”
“That’s true.”
The principle of Nirseg is that the eldest son should succeed the family. Of course, there are exceptions everywhere.
“I love Kiske more than Milan.”
Erika confessed with a shy face.
At that moment, she looked like a girl who didn’t know the dirtiness of the world.
“To the point where I want to take the glory to myself.”
Her straightforward and honest words unsettled Agnes.
“Is there a reason you’re telling me this?”
“I dare to ask the duchess for one thing.”
Erika lowered her eyes politely for the first time.
“What is it?”
“As you may know, the merchant group of Kiske mainly sells Nirseg’s goods to Devon or Royte. This time, my father wants to bring Elemer and sell it.”
“You’re trying to impress your father.”
“I have to show that her youngest daughter is no longer a child.”
Agnes looked at Erika for quite a while.
As far as Agnes remembered, Marquis Kiske would suffer greatly in the upcoming war with Devon in the fall.
She didn’t know who would fill his absence and take control of Kiske.
All she knows is that many people regard Milan as Kiske’s successor.
“Do you want to become the marquis of Kiske?”
“Yes.”
“Even if it means killing your siblings?”
“Sometimes I do think about pushing Milan off a cliff.”
Erika laughed cheerfully like a girl her age.
She felt a strange sense of kinship.
If it were a normal situation, Agnes would have rejected her and approached Milan.
Considering the likelihood of him becoming the Marquis, it made more sense.
“Is Marquis Kiske’s wife from the Sandor family?”
“Yes.”
Suddenly, she thought of a plan to catch Kiske and Sandor at once.
“Do you have a good relationship with Roland?”
“He’s my cousin, so we interact quite often.”
“Enough to visit their mansion without an invitation?”
