Tap, tap. Dioles tapped the seat’s armrest. It was a simple gesture, but the sense of intimidation it conveyed was not to be trifled with.
Eustaf could barely keep his back straight against the heavy, brooding aura that poured down upon him. The energy that the princess unleashed without the slightest mercy on the other person was like an endless mountain or an immeasurable boulder. Honestly, just enduring this face-to-face confrontation was a feat in and of itself.
Eustaf clenched his fists to prevent his whole body from shaking like an aspen. Beautifully grown nails dig into the skin and cause a stinging pain. It’s just the right amount of pain to help him regain his composure. But even that soon became useless.
“So you’re saying that someone dared hiding the chalice from my eyes?”
A moment later.
Eustaf fell to his knees with a thud. As soon as Dioles finished speaking, a fierce aura, like the maw of a wild beast opening wide, swallowed him whole. No, it tore him apart. His blood seemed to surge upward, and a fishy taste filled his mouth.
Eustaf scratched the floor and gasped for air. He had searched for Krazen for a long time. Finally finding Krazen’s temple was a stroke of luck. However, he never dreamed that damn Krazen would f*ck him up. He had expected this reaction from the princess when the words ‘The chalice is nowhere to be found’ came out of his mouth.
“Well, whoever’s hiding it, we’ll just have to find them, right?”
Dioles whispered more softly than ever, resting her head on one hand. The more furious she became, the colder and more composed she grew. At the same time, not losing a smile on her face was like a habit she had before hunting.
Someone had hidden the treasure she so desperately wanted. A fact that thrilled her to the point of tearing off the mask of peacefulness and kindness Dioles had been wearing until now.
“Eustaf Yulpe.”
“… … Yes, Your Royal Highness.”
“You are the one who found Krazen with patience and persistence, so I am sure you will not fail to find what’s already inside Terran.”
“Yes.”
“I will give you two months. Find it.”
Perhaps this was harsh. A man who had wandered abroad, only to be pushed to complete another mission upon his return.
But Eustaf knew this was an opportunity and a mercy, and if he missed it, all his hard work would be for naught. Her Royal Highness was the type of person who only valued the results rather than the process. But if she gave him a chance and he still failed, she would not look back again.
Eustaf sincerely did not want to be abandoned by his emperor, for it was only Diores Terran he served and obeyed.
“I will definitely find it.”
One knee to the floor, fist to the heart. Eustaf’s voice was solemn as he assumed the posture of a vassal, swearing absolute obedience. Dioles just looked at that scene impassively.
“By the way, Your Highness, can I … dare say something?”
Eustaf desperately called out to Dioles, who was like an absolute monarch. He hoped for a hint of emotion in her gaze towards him. At the same time, he hopes that the person he serves will be such a perfect monarch forever. Torn between these two desires, his voice, even to his own ears, sounded desperate.
“What is it?”
“In two months, it will be Your Highness’s birthday banquet.”
“So?”
Dioles’ eyebrows arched as he continued to ramble on instead of leaving. Swallowing nervously, Eustaf managed to voice part of his greedy request.
“That birthday banquet… Can I take care of it?”
“You?”
“Yes, I will create the best birthday banquet on earth and make sure—!”
“You are a man.”
However, all of Eustaf’s earnest pledges were shattered by one sentence.
“Aristocratic women have been in charge of the royal family’s birthday banquet for generations. To ask me to give you that position out of nowhere? That’s not fair.”
Eustaf, anxious at Dioles’s resolute refusal, walked on his knees and approached the emperor’s stairs. If he could, he would have kissed those noble shoes, but this was as close as he was allowed. He was nothing compared to the ‘ladies’ who were treated like dolls.
He is a man. He had been overjoyed, thinking he’d go mad with happiness when entrusted with an important task despite his unfortunate male birth. But now, having failed to secure the chalice, he was not allowed any closer. Eustaf was maddened by that fact.
“Well, how about this, then: a friendly competition?”
He didn’t want to yield. After finally, barely returning to Terran!
He wanted to take charge of Princess Highness’s birthday celebration, present various rare spectacles, and be deemed ‘useful.’ Even in his hectic state, as befitting a duke’s son, Eustaf remained logical and able to reason with his opponent. Of course, it was useless in front of Her Majesty the Princess, but his fervent loyalty seemed to have been acknowledged.
“You’re really trying every trick in the book, aren’t you?”
Dioles, who heard all of Eustaf’s plans, laughed and nodded. That was her way of granting permission.
“Th-thank you! Thank you, Your Highness!”
Overjoyed, Eustaf retreated from the audience chamber.
Now that the story that had to be told in secret was over, Dioles also came down from the throne. She still has no desire to sit up there. There were meetings she wanted to have—and connections to make in this life. Sitting on the throne would just make it cumbersome and restrictive. It wasn’t necessary. Yet.
‘Lacius is likely returning soon, and Peridot will push the ‘plan’ forward upon hearing the news.’
Dioles burst out of the throne room and walked down a hallway with glass windows, with maids and knights following him one after another. Dioles stopped for a moment and stared at the window where her face was reflected. Her fierce blue eyes glimmered with rage. Krazen’s chalice. It was absolutely necessary for her to meet Rekiel.
‘I have the bell secured as well as the Thracian sword.’
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