The Hated Empress Tames the Tyrant

‘Etiquette is in section K…’

As Arundel had thought yesterday, she visited the library early in the morning.

As Zion had told her yesterday, there was an important event in the afternoon.

Arundel was a bit nervous because she had never attended such an event before.

The Empress was a fairly important position in the human world, so even a small mistake could tarnish the image of the country.

She remembered the moment when she was sweating profusely, not knowing whether she should formally greet people on Zion’s birthday party day.

She didn’t want to face such a situation again.

‘Ah, here it is!’

Arundel reached out and pulled out a book called “Easy Royal Etiquette”. Because the urgent matter at hand was how to deal with diplomats from other countries, Arundel checked the table of contents.

Regrettably, there was no specific situation like ‘when a diplomat comes’ in the table of contents, and she could find something similar, ‘how to greet guests’.

Arundel read the book at a fast pace.

But the problem was,

‘Why is this so difficult.’

It was not something that could be understood at once.

From how to greet guests to how to pour tea, it was too detailed, so Arundel just closed the book.

“Just try not to talk as much as possible.”

She chose the easiest method.

She planned to follow Zion’s actions. She had heard from Zion yesterday that they demanded the etiquette of their country.

When welcoming important guests, it was necessary to accompany the spouse.

If someone demands such a thing, wouldn’t they be a person who values etiquette? Arundel was in a difficult situation, wracking her brain.

Then, a delicate figure cast a shadow in front of Arundel.

“Hello, Your Majesty the Empress!”

At the sound of a soft voice, Arundel raised her head.

“… Miss Bianca.”

Come to think of it, it seemed like she had promised to meet Bianca at the library today. But she was sure she had said the meeting time would be in the afternoon.

Bianca visited the library early in the morning.

“Do you have any concerns?”

“Ahaha, I’m just a little nervous.”

“What…?”

Arundel hesitated for a moment and opened her mouth.

“Do you know about the Crown Prince of the Shalbon Kingdom?”

“The Shalbon Kingdom…? If it’s the Crown Prince, it must be ‘Rik’.”

Although she knew nothing about the Crown Prince, Arundel nodded as if she knew.

“I’ve heard that he is very polite and modest.”

“I see.”

At the somewhat fortunate information, Arundel sighed a sigh of relief inside.

“I heard rumors that a diplomat is coming from the Shalbon Kingdom. It seems that His Highness the Crown Prince is coming in person.”

“That’s right. So I was a little nervous.”

At Bianca’s quick-witted words, Arundel spoke honestly.

“Don’t worry too much. His Majesty the Emperor is… He has outstanding diplomatic skills.”

“… That’s right.”

Arundel agreed, although she didn’t know.

It was fortunate that even Zion had such abilities. Then it was better for her to keep quiet and let Zion talk.

As Arundel was nodding her head, she remembered something she had to ask Bianca.

“By the way, were you okay yesterday? I was worried because your complexion was so bad when you excused yourself.”

“Ah…! It’s nothing. I just had a sudden anemia attack. I’m sorry for worrying you.”

Bianca skirted around the issue by saying it was anemia, but anyone could see that she was flustered dealing with Zion.

Seeing Bianca not wanting to talk, Arundel did not probe further.

“I should go now. If I don’t go home early, I think I’ll get nagged.”

Before going to the library, the head maid had repeatedly told Arundel.

She had to prepare perfectly for such an important place. She felt tired already thinking about Zion’s birthday party day, but if she went home late, she would be more tired.

As the face of the head maid, who was earnestly admonishing her in the morning, flickered, Arundel hurriedly got up from her seat.

“Oh, I don’t think I can come to the library this afternoon. As I told you, I have to welcome the Crown Prince of the Shalbon Kingdom.”

“Yes. Don’t be nervous, and have a good trip.”

At her kind words, Arundel nodded her head.

Bianca’s first impression had changed a lot. Maybe because the first meeting was not good, she didn’t look good when she saw her again at the library.

Even now, she couldn’t fully trust her, but at least she didn’t seem like a bad person.

****

Once Arundel returned to the Empress’s Palace, another ordeal began for her.

In fact, when she was only in the Empress’s Palace, her attire was very simple, but when she became free, her attire became more complex and flashy.

Needless to say, such an important place was no exception.

Arundel, who had experienced déjà vu, felt like she would be drained before seeing the Crown Prince of the Shalbon Kingdom.

Of course, the result was perfect without a doubt. The aesthetic sense of the head maid was really amazing. She was worried that she might have chosen the wrong job.

Arundel, who had perfectly prepared, took a carriage and moved to the main palace. As soon as she got off the carriage, Zion was standing there.

His appearance also looked quite different today.

When Zion’s eyes met Arundel’s, he paused for a moment. But soon he smiled and spoke kindly.

“You look very beautiful today.”

This fox-like guy.

He always spoke politely and acted as if he was worried about herself when others were around. It would be nice if this behavior continued even when they were alone.

Arundel also squinted her eyes and responded to Zion’s words.

“Your Majesty the Emperor also looks very handsome today.”

Although it was a formal statement, it was true that Zion looked handsome today.

His usual appearance was cool, but on days like today when he paid attention to his clothes, he looked like a statue.

At Arundel’s compliment, Zion stiffened his expression for a moment.

Arundel wondered if she had made a mistake and reviewed her words, but she had just said he was handsome.

Not long after, a high-end carriage with white and gold decorations arrived loudly.

Arundel felt like she knew who was riding without seeing the smell of wealth that could be felt just by looking.

A handsome man with dark blue hair got off the carriage.

The man with pale skin and overall thin lines was a very delicate man.

‘Purple eyes…?’

Arundel paused for a moment at the unusual eye color.

Zion reached out to the Crown Prince who got off the carriage and asked for a handshake.

“Welcome to the Croyden Empire, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

“No need to mention it.”

Arundel had a question inside at the short greeting of the Crown Prince.

Bianca had said that he was very modest and polite, but his words were short.

She looked at Zion, wondering if he might be upset, but he was still just smiling for business.

Really, Zion was perfect at managing expressions.

While looking at Zion, Arundel quickly greeted the Crown Prince, who seemed to have made a mistake.

“It’s nice to meet you.”

“Your Majesty the Empress, I’m really glad to meet you.”

The Crown Prince reached out and asked for a handshake.

‘…?’

Arundel wondered for a moment if she was supposed to shake hands too.

But the Crown Prince’s hand, which was just sticking out, seemed awkward, so she quickly reached out and accepted the handshake.

‘Do you usually shake hands for so long…?’

The Crown Prince held Arundel’s hand tightly for quite a long time.

While she was wondering if this was right and hesitating to let go of her hand first, another hand wrapped around Arundel’s hand.

“Let’s stop shaking hands and go in.”

Arundel was grateful to Zion for intervening at a difficult moment.

She looked at Zion to give a thankful look, but his atmosphere was somehow cold.

The business smile he had been wearing earlier was nowhere to be found.

Suddenly, with the harsh atmosphere, she wondered if this was okay and also looked at the Crown Prince’s reaction, but he seemed to have no thoughts and was smiling brightly.

With the chilly atmosphere, the three of them moved to the meeting room.

Fortunately, Zion seemed to have come to his senses, the cold atmosphere disappeared, and he was wearing a business smile again.

Zion opened his mouth with a kind expression.

“You’ve worked hard to come a long way.”

“No, I had fun sightseeing.”

Fortunately, the atmosphere was friendly.

“Let me introduce myself again, I am Zion Louer, the Emperor of the Croyden Empire. This is my wife, Irina Louer.”

“I am Rik Hemington, the Crown Prince of the Shalbon Kingdom.”

The conversation flowed naturally.

But the strange thing was, the more the Crown Prince spoke, the more different it was from the information he had heard from Bianca.

She couldn’t explain it in words, but he often said things that suddenly made the atmosphere awkward.

For example, it was like this now.

“Your Majesty the Emperor must be happy every day. With such a beautiful Empress by your side.”

The Crown Prince said, sipping his tea.

Zion paused for a moment, not liking his words, but soon smiled and replied.

“The Empress is my joy. I am always grateful to have Irina as the Empress.”

At Zion’s fox-like words, Arundel almost made a nervous expression without knowing it.

“It’s very different from what I heard.”

While Arundel was trying to compose her expression, the Crown Prince threw another conversation that could make the atmosphere awkward.

“What…do you mean?”

“Oh, I heard rumors that His Majesty the Emperor keeps the Empress locked up. It seems someone is spreading false stories.”

The Crown Prince spoke cheekily.

“You must have heard a false rumor. I don’t know who it is, but if such a person is next to you, it would be better to stay away.”

Zion was also not ordinary. He replied with a faint smile as if he didn’t know the story.

“I’m really relieved. I thought my heart would hurt a lot if such a beautiful Empress was treated like that.”

Even though he should have stopped, the Crown Prince cheekily countered to the end. There was an invisible tense battle between Zion and the Crown Prince.

‘What’s with…this atmosphere.’

She couldn’t understand why these two were having this meaningless nerve war.

Arundel’s gaze, which had been alternately looking at the two, lingered on the Crown Prince.

He was a much stranger person than she thought.

Not that she was siding with Zion, but the person who was picking a fight in this situation was the Crown Prince.

On the first meeting, he kept making uncomfortable remarks about another person’s wife being beautiful, hearing rumors of confinement… He was making the situation unnecessarily chilly. She was not at all grateful for taking her side in that way.

The more she looked at the Crown Prince, the more she felt that Bianca had mistaken the person. He was not a modest person at all.

Rather, it felt like he had come to pick a fight.

Unable to understand his intentions, Arundel just kept her mouth shut and watched the two.

She was hoping that Zion’s patience would last to the end.

“It seems you are very interested in other people’s wives.”

…Unfortunately, it seemed like Zion’s patience was running out.

He was still smiling, but the veins on his fine forehead stood out, as if he was doing his best to endure this situation.

Arundel watched the Crown Prince with anxious eyes.

‘Please shut up…!’

She just hoped that the Crown Prince would no longer provoke Zion.

Whether he knew Arundel’s mind or not, the Crown Prince was just laughing brightly.

At that moment.

A voice of salvation that broke the fierce nerve war came from outside the door.

“Your Majesty the Emperor, I think you should come quickly…!”