“Did you eat anything wrong? They say that doing something you don’t usually do means that you’re going to die, but are you actually dead? No, I don’t think so, and you look weirdly good, too?” Lysianthus slapped himself on my cheek. There was a loud smack. “No, damn it, even if it weren’t a girl, that would be totally not…. I guess I’m the one who’s lost it. Brother, could you hit me?”
“…I think you’re the one who ate something wrong, Lysianthus.”
“No, you were the first one to see that crazy X. You froze up when you heard about the deal and Gloriana’s insignia, and you brought it up with the Duke first, so why don’t you empathize with me, this isn’t something to be taken lightly!”
“If you interrupt me like this, I won’t be able to finish my work today, and then I won’t be able to accompany Vivi to the palace tomorrow, which will disrupt my entire schedule. Please behave yourself and….”
“Eh? You’re really going to take Vivi to the imperial palace tomorrow?”
“It’s Father’s decision. The only time she pushes for something is when she has a good reason.”
“True, true. My Vivi can kick ass!”
Lysianthus grinned, instantly feeling better.
Vivi, who had been officially adopted into their family, was literally the heart of the Castraine family.
She gave them a chance to take down those arrogant people who dared to use the family’s blood to smuggle goods around in the black market.
She had no qualms about approaching Duke Castraine, whom everyone feared, smiling, sending him a handwritten letter, or offering him a flower tea with a warm hand to help him relax-and the tea was very effective in soothing the pain of the Duke’s old wounds, which were gradually getting worse.
Trusting the strict internal discipline of Duke Castraine’s household, she caught the head maid who had been covertly extorting money and bribes from the maids who had committed even the slightest offense.
Even coaxing Rasper out of his library, where he’d locked himself away daily, burying himself in his books.
Most importantly of all, Vivi truly cared about everyone.
Even the smallest favors were not ignored, and always returned sincerely, she truly wanted everyone to be happy. It was evident and the members of the Duchy, who to outsiders would have been considered bloodless, tearless villains, quickly melted under the young lady’s spell.
The dukedom was a relentlessly efficiency-minded place. The duke’s three sons were not known for their friendliness. There was no warmth. Even if they were not yet of age, their demeanor was already more adult than most. The Duke was not a gentle father either. Even servants who had served the duke for many years were afraid to speak to him because of his imposing presence.
The Duchess had long since died after giving birth to Rasper, but the Duke had made no attempt to fill the position with anyone else. The butler and maid had tried to fill the void somehow, but it had always been felt. In fact, it was only because there was no one to monitor these ‘arrangements’ from a higher level that the maid had gotten away with her ridiculous schemes and managed to extort money.
A cold wind always whistled through the manor. It may be because they had a lot on their shoulders, or because all the members were terrible worker bees.
Or because no one had been really childlike. The employees were too intimidated to dare to pretend to be friendly with their masters.
Suddenly, a cute little girl, like a bunny princess straight out of a fairy tale book, came in as the Duke’s youngest daughter.
The employees went into a frenzy.
She was cute! She did cute things, she talked cutely! Everything about her was adorable!
Here in this dreary castle, in this dreary place, they now hold dessert parties. They called for tailors and dressmakers to bring lace, silk, and dresses. The terraces were covered with flowers.
Spring had finally come to this dreary duchy!
“…Do you think Rasper would be as cute if he were a girl?”
“Don’t be silly.”
“Vivi’s cute because she’s Vivi. Yeah. So… are we going to see that crazy X face tomorrow?”
“Refrain from name-calling, Lysianthus, and call your hosts by their first names, and no place, not even the Imperial Palace, inspects the companion list House Castraine on his way to visit a brief acquaintance in the First Guard.”
“You mean to tell me you’ll be able to get there and back without Vivi being detected, then of course you won’t see her.”
Why did he care so much about Princess Titania? Raymon stifled the question that was about to escape his lips. He’d already heard the reports about Lysianthus and the Princess joining forces. Of what she had demanded.
Princess Titania, already shedding her former image and…
Enough that one must withhold judgment on whether she was a potential ally or foe of House Castraine. Lysianthus, who had come into direct contact with her, was justified in wondering. Indeed, and Raymon as well.
‘I need a loyal escort knight and a maid.’
…He couldn’t forget that face.
‘Ones that can kill or save people.’
Her face was brightly smiling, but it looked like it could shatter at any moment and vanish like a smashed teacup. Her eyes shone as if she was alone in the world for that one moment.
It was a strange thing. Like a knife stuck in a wound that had festered rather than being removed, unidentifiable emotions filled his mind like sludge whenever he suddenly thought about it.
He shouldn’t trust her completely.
Even this could be a trick.
Therefore, to Raymon, Titania was still poison.
He could only believe that.
* * *
The inside of the Empress’s palace was an unfamiliar sight. I tried to keep my mouth shut, and the man in front of me spoke softly.
“I’m not very good with tea,” he said, “so I asked for just the right amount.”
The milk tea was served strong with milk and sugar, which was clearly child-friendly.
I squinted at the man who had brought me to this palace. He must have known that my palace was full of Queen Cleo’s people, so he brought me here to talk to me away from her eyes.
His face was like a statue’s as he pushed a large cup of milk tea toward me.
Long eyelashes, bright green eyes, and a rounded forehead. He looked as handsome as a painting.
But somehow, even though he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, his life still wasn’t an easy one.
Adrian del Rase Hamastion.
The Empress’s son, born only a year after Brian del Radil Hamastion.
For the sake of a stable succession, the Emperor would have been better off not seeking a consort until he had seen the Empress’ first son. But the Emperor and the Empress had a terrible relationship, and the reason was simple.
The Emperor was the only son of the previous Emperor, so he grew up being pampered, and he couldn’t stand people who were better than him.
This wasn’t a problem for most people, as they were more or less tolerant of him (and he was pretty tolerant of them as long as they pretended to want to die for him in the first place). The problem was that the people who didn’t have to “kowtow” to the Emperor were usually the ones who were most likely to be the target of his inferiority complex.
Like Duke Castraine, or the Empress.
The Empress was the first daughter of the Marquis House of Integria, a family with a long and distinguished history in the Empire, one that had been a constant presence since the Empire’s earliest days.
Marquess Integria was known for his strict upbringing, and he had raised his first daughter to be a woman of great virtue and unblemished imperial character.
She was crowned Empress with pride, and never felt the need to cater to the Emperor’s narrow-minded ways.
The Emperor was annoyed by such an Empress. But she was still the Empress. Even if he was the Emperor, he couldn’t just blindly persecute her for not bowing down to him. Therefore, when Queen Cleo, who had been crowned queen in place of her illegitimate sister, pleased the Emperor, he began to openly fawn over her in an attempt to kill the Empress’s spirit.
So much so that his first son was born through her.
Had he been less susceptible, or had he ever experienced a blood feud, he might not have done such an irresponsible thing. But he was, unfortunately, the only child of the previous Emperor.
An heir? The son of his own choosing, it doesn’t matter who the mother was.
That’s what the Emperor thought. It was an arrogant and irresponsible notion.
He even disrespected the Empress and her son, openly favoring Prince Brian and Queen Cleo. Though Adrian was not yet of age, in just a few short years, he would be the next in line for the throne.
