Britia bit her lower lip and shook her head earnestly.
“Calm down and don’t say things you don’t mean because you’re excited. Do you understand?”
Britia slowly took her hand away as Kyra blinked her moist eyes.
“Really, he won’t be tempted by any woman who seduces him.”
“He must be a very upright person.”
Britia said, looking out the window over and over again. The tail was nowhere to be seen.
“Even if I do as my father asks, I can’t. I should just give up and ask my father to kill me. How can I seduce a prince…”
Britia hurriedly covered Kyra’s mouth again. She shook her head repeatedly, saying no, and pointed to the window with her eyes. The tail was nowhere to be seen, but he was sure to be there still.
When Kyra became quiet, Britia carefully took her hand away and approached the window. She opened the slightly opened window and put her head out.
“There’s no one here.”
“No, I’m sure…”
The tails belonged to Sig and the Crown Prince. Even if the Crown Prince’s was like that, there was no way she could have seen Sig’s tail wrong.
Britia looked around here and there, trying to find any traces of him. But she couldn’t find anything else.
Could she really have seen it wrong? Britia thought that she would rather have seen it wrong when she thought about the things Kyra had said in her excitement.
“Young lady.”
A maid approached Britia, who was fussing around, and Kyra, who was following her around looking here and there.
“His Majesty said that if Young lady is not in the mood to drink tea, we should go to the next one.”
Kyra’s face turned pale at the words that it was okay to go back today. She thought of her father’s words that he would burn the other half of the painting if she didn’t get any results from today’s appointment.
“I’m completely ruined. Why did I cry there?”
Britia wondered inwardly if it wasn’t because of the prince’s words rather than because she was crying.
“I’m going to be locked up in that basement again and have a horrible time.”
Kyra despaired, saying that it was a miracle that the Crown Prince had accepted her audience request this time and that there would be no more.
“Miss Lockhart , you must not delay any longer.”
The emperor’s knight urged Britia, as if it was none of his business if someone was locked up in the basement.
“My lady, we must return to the Duke as well.”
The maid of Scandars, who had been watching from a distance, approached Kyra and spoke. As Kyra nodded with a face that had given up on everything and was about to leave, Britia grabbed her.
She felt that she couldn’t let her go like this.
“We must not keep His Majesty waiting any longer.”
But the problem was that knight. Britia glanced at the knight in armor.
“Let’s go, Britia.”
Kyra let go of her hand, saying to hurry up and go. She smiled faintly, but her hands were shaking. Britia bit her lower lip and grabbed her arm firmly.
“Kyra, now is the only time to escape.”
“Escape, Miss Lockhart!”
The emperor’s knight was startled and blocked Britia’s way.
“It’s not that I’m going to run away, so step aside! I’m going to return to His Majesty’s side as you wish!”
Britia shouted sharply at the emperor’s knight and pulled Kyra’s arm. However, Scandars’s knight blocked her way.
“Will you step aside, sir knight?”
Britia tried to hide her trembling voice, but Scandars’s knight did not move a muscle.
“Let go of her hand. It is the Duke’s order. The lady must return to the Duke.”
“No. Lady Kyra will go to His Majesty with me.”
Britia turned to the emperor’s knight.
“Is the order of a mere duke more important, or the order of His Majesty, the one and only sun of this empire?”
Britia tried to act dignified. The emperor’s knight stared at Britia, who was swallowing her dry saliva under her helmet, and then turned to Scandars’s knight.
“Lady Lockhart is right. Step aside. It is His Majesty’s order.”
“But His Majesty did not order you to bring the lady.”
“How do you know that? His Majesty clearly gave me the order.”
Britia glared at him, saying to step aside. The emperor’s knight pushed Scandars’s knight, who was flustered, out of the way.
“Let’s go, Lady Lockhart. His Majesty is waiting.”
Britia hated the fact that he kept urging her to return to the emperor, but she was grateful for him now.
“Wait, Britia. Are you really going to His Majesty now?”
Kyra asked when they were out of sight of the Scandars people.
“No. I’ll find Count Slanford first. He must be looking for you somewhere here.”
Britia whispered, looking at the knight’s reaction. Once she found Harty, she planned to tell him to run away with Kyra quickly. But he was nowhere to be seen.
Britia pretended to be lost and wandered around looking for Harty. The emperor’s knight followed them silently.
“You must be prepared to face His Majesty’s anger for your late return, Lady Lockhart.”
In fact, he did make a noise.
“Where are you, really!”
Britia became anxious as she walked around and around but could not see Harty.
“Lady Lockhart.”
“I know. I’m late!”
The emperor’s knight shushed her and raised his index finger to make the two step back. Duke Scandars, who was walking with a very angry gait, passed by on the bridge.
Britia swallowed her trembling breath. She had almost been caught by him.
Until now, she had harbored all sorts of complaints about this knight who could not even see his face well. Britia decided not to complain to him anymore.
He was a man who was not only hardworking but also loyal.
“We’ve been walking around all this time and we haven’t met him, so he must have already gone back.”
Kyra said indifferently, seeing that the sun was about to set.
Britia agreed to stop looking for Harty. She was scared because she had almost run into Duke Scandars three times already.
“It’s like avoiding a ghost and meeting a tiger, but there’s nothing we can do.”
Britia made up her mind and cautiously returned to the emperor’s office. He would be angry that she was late, but at least he wouldn’t burn Kyra’s painting.
“Kyra, are you good at singing?”
Britia lowered her voice and asked in front of the office.
“What about dancing? In fact, I think he seems to enjoy it even if I’m bad at it.”
Britia reassured Kyra that she just had to put up with being made fun of a little. She didn’t think it was a reassuring thing to say at all, but there was nothing she could do.
“All you have to do is make him feel good. And keep this in mind. You must never talk negatively about the Empress or the Crown Prince, and you must only talk about good things.”
Britia warned that even if there were sweet words to make it seem okay, she should never badmouth them, even if the emperor acted like he hated them.
“If you just keep that, His Majesty’s nagging is tolerable…”
Britia, who had been whispering, raised her head at a gaze she felt from somewhere and stopped breathing.
Duke Scandars, who was clearly angry, was approaching. Britia’s heart throbbed rapidly with fear. But it was nothing compared to Kyra, who was trembling all over.
Britia found the courage to stand in front of Kyra and smiled at Duke Scandars.
“I would like you to step aside so I can take my daughter.”
Britia swallowed her dry saliva at the gaze that seemed to devour her. He was a man who could treat his daughter so ruthlessly. How much more cruel would he be to a complete stranger?
“That’s, that’s a little difficult!”
Britia was so scared that she involuntarily raised her voice. Then Duke Scandars’s face twitched.
“You’re saying it’s difficult for me to take my daughter?”
Duke Scandars looked down at Britia, asking her to tell him why it was difficult.
What should I say?
Britia moved her lips and tried to think.
Just then, the emperor came out of the office, having heard Britia’s voice outside.
“I was told you weren’t coming for a while. What are you doing?”
Then he laughed out loud when he saw the people gathered in front of his office.
“Why are there so many of you here when I didn’t call you?”
Duke Scandars bowed his head, apologizing for causing a commotion.
“Let’s go, Kyra.”
Duke Scandars grabbed Kyra’s arm. Britia also grabbed Kyra’s arm, unable to let her go like this. Kyra was pale and sweating cold, unable to do anything.
Duke Scandars silently threatened her with his eyes to let go immediately.
“Your Majesty!”
Britia swallowed her saliva and looked back at the emperor.
“What is it?”
The emperor frowned, asking why she was calling so loudly.
“If you have something to say, say it. Did you forget how to speak except for ‘Your Majesty’?”
The emperor wondered why she wasn’t talking. Britia’s lips twitched nervously.
“Didn’t you say that my performance was boring?”
“So?”
“So I brought someone who is very talented.”
The emperor’s eyebrows twitched. He had never asked her to bring such a person. Still, if she had done it out of consideration for him, he would have been somewhat pleased, but she had a sullen expression on her face.
“She is a very good painter.”
The emperor looked at Kyra, who was unusually pale.
“You mean she can paint as well as Elsalute, who was called a genius?”
At the emperor’s question, Kyra’s lips turned blue. If she had such a talent, she would have become a painter long ago.
“I apologize, Your Majesty. My daughter does not have the same talent as Elsalute.”
Duke Scandars apologized with a smile.
“She was your daughter.”
The emperor looked alternately at Kyra and Duke Scandars’s faces, looking for similar features.
“She is a very troublesome girl, so I brought her here and made her uncomfortable. I will take her away and discipline her thoroughly.”
No!
Britia looked at the emperor with pleading eyes. But he was indifferent, seemingly not interested in Kyra at all.
What to do. If this goes on, Duke Scandars, who is already angry, will take her away and starve her and burn the painting.
Her heart was anxious, but there was nothing she could do.
“Your Majesty. She is, she is…!”
The emperor snorted at Britia, who could not finish her sentence. He had long since realized what she wanted. It was not a difficult task for him, so he could not help her, but what did he mean that he had to do as that reckless person wanted?
It was ridiculous, but the face of Britia, who was about to cry, did not please him.
“Scandars.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I don’t know her name, but your daughter is a talented person that Britia Lockhart, who has as much loyalty to me as a handful of sand, brought to entertain me.”
The emperor laughed out loud as he saw anticipation rise in Britia’s moist eyes.
“I am going to appreciate that kindness, but Scandars, why do you want to take her away?”
The Emperor smirked at Duke Scanders, as if accusing him of daring to take away his amusement.
