The Northern Mad Dog Is Wagging Its Tail

  Following the Empress, Britia entered the building and lightly touched the Empress’s tail as she walked ahead. Although she was slightly different from the Crown Prince, she also had a black lion’s tail.

 

  ‘I wonder if everyone who can be called a members of the Duke Turas’ family has a black tail. It somehow felt a bit cute.’

 

  “Since it’s boring to just drink tea, should we try something different?”

 

  Britia had such thoughts in her mind when the Empress made a sudden suggestion.

 

  Something different? Britia couldn’t imagine what she would ask her to do and became afraid. Nervously, her mouth became dry due to tension.

 

  “I’m thinking of putting embroidery on a handkerchief, just something simple.”

 

   Fortunately, the suggestion wasn’t as difficult as she had thought, so Britia felt relieved. However, upon further consideration, she started sweating. Her sewing skills were guaranteed to be terrible by her twin brother. Truly awful.

 

  “It’s great to focus on something like this as a hobby when your mind is troubled. That’s why I also knit during the winter from time to time.”

 

  Oh my. Moreover, considering it as a hobby, it seemed that she was skilled. Come to think of it, Harty mentioned something like that.

 

  He said that it was Her Majesty the Empress who taught him embroidery.

 

  “I’m not good at that, so I really envy those who are skilled.”

 

  Before the Empress could see my skills later and be disappointed, Britia sneakily threw in a sincere compliment. Upon hearing that, the Empress chuckled.

 

  “Those who say such things are usually the most skilled.”

 

  It was an expression that showed complete disbelief.

 

  The Empress’s maids gathered around Britia on both sides, making sure she couldn’t escape. In the meantime, she was squeezed in and started embroidering on the handkerchief without any room to move.

 

  Britia silently prayed to the goddess that her sewing skills would be miraculously displayed today.

 

  “What kind of embroidery are you going to do?”

 

  The maid next to Britia asked her with a gentle voice.

 

  “…I want to try embroidering a cat.”

 

  When Britia answered quite confidently, the maid smiled in anticipation. Britia hoped that even if she couldn’t create something as beautiful as Sig, at least it would be recognizable as a cat.

 

  “Britia, can you withstand the cold?”

 

  Out of the blue, the Empress asked Britia, who was tensely placing each stitch. Startled, Britia raised her head abruptly and accidentally pricked her finger with the needle.

 

  “I suddenly became curious.”

 

  Britia sensed that it was a question the Empress asked with Sig in mind.

 

  “I remember that people from the southern region were generally vulnerable to the cold.”

 

  “Your Majesty, not all individuals from the southern region are the same.”

 

  “In my opinion, she seems like someone who enjoys the cold.”

 

  They all smiled at Britia. However, Britia felt a slight unease in their smiles, and she felt a bit of sweat on her back.

 

   “I wouldn’t say I enjoy the cold, but I believe I can endure it well.”

 

  “The winters in the northern region are colder than you think, aren’t they?”

 

  When the Empress mentioned the northern region, Britia instantly swallowed her breath. It seemed that this gathering was an opportunity for the Empress to check if she was suitable as her nephew’s wife.

 

  “Oh, Your Majesty. Is there anything special about the winter in the northern region? It’s also a place where people live, after all.”

 

  “People do live there, but so do monsters.”

 

  As soon as the maid at the edge spoke up, the atmosphere froze.

 

  “What kind of embroidery are you working on? I see. It’s not finished yet, but I understand now?”

 

  One maid casually smiled and pointed at Britia’s embroidery.

 

  “I can see a horse’s mane on the elongated face.”

 

  “Embroidering a horse on a handkerchief, it’s unusual.”

 

  “But it’s not common and seems like a splendid choice.”

 

  Britia became fearful of their unity skipping over the fact that the previous conversation never happened. However, there was one thing she had to correct. She was embroidering a cat. She had never changed her goal in the middle.

 

  “Thank you.”

 

  However, in that situation, she couldn’t awkwardly smile and say, “It’s not a horse, it’s a cat.”

 

  “But earlier, didn’t you say you were embroidering a horse instead of a cat?”

 

  The young maid who brought up the monster story spoke again. There was a moment of silence. As a result, Britia’s face turned red. She tried to pass it over without saying anything but ended up looking ridiculous.

 

  “I’m sorry. It seems I mistook the cat for a horse.”

 

  As the maid corrected her, Britia’s face grew even hotter. The maids deliberately averted their gaze from Britia and looked at their own handkerchiefs.

 

  “May I take a look?”

 

  At that moment, the Empress extended her hand. Britia hesitated.

 

  The stitches she had made were not recognizable as a cat to the extent that it could be understood why the maids mistook it for something else.

 

  She had to show this to the Empress, who claimed that sewing was her hobby.

 

  Embarrassment made her dizzy. Nevertheless, she closed her eyes tightly and handed it to the Empress. She couldn’t just leave her arm in pain like that.

 

  “…It’s a cat, right?”

 

  The Empress, who saw the cat-like embroidery, covered her mouth slightly with her hand. A dimple appeared on her cheek in an instant.

 

  Why does she look at it so seriously?

 

  Britia regretted following Kyra all the way here. She regretted it again. She would never again fulfill her “request.”

 

  “Ahem.”

 

  As Britia lowered her head and tightly closed her eyes, she heard a sound resembling someone holding their breath near her ear. When she raised her head gently, the Empress was extending her hand to one of the maids, receiving a fan.

 

  After spreading the fan adorned with white feathers, the Empress covered her mouth. As a result, her expression was not clearly visible, but Britia witnessed her eyes curving as they looked at her.

 

  Behind the fan, she was smiling.

 

  “So, saying you can’t do it was just empty words?”

 

  She was definitely smiling. She had disguised it with calmness, but her voice was trembling ever so slightly.

 

  “Everyone, take a look at this. If you want to say you can’t do it, you should at least be able to do this.”

 

  In response to the blatant evaluation, Britia rolled her lips inward and remained silent. She felt so embarrassed that she wanted to disappear into a hole.

 

  However, the Empress continued her words.

 

  “Don’t spout nonsense about being better than me when you can’t even do better!”

 

  As she said that, she held up the handkerchief she had been embroidering.

 

  “Let’s see if any of you can guess what this is.”

 

  The maids’ pupils moved quickly.

 

  “Don’t look at each other, just say what you see.”

 

  Under the Empress’s command, the maids reluctantly opened their mouths. Some said it was a frog, while others said it was a flower. None of them were correct, and the Empress’s gaze grew sharper.

 

  “Britia, what does this look like to you?”

 

  In response to the Empress’s question, Britia examined the handkerchief closely. There was a round mass. Honestly, she wasn’t sure. But she had to answer, so she chose something that hadn’t been mentioned before.

 

  “Is it… a bread?”

 

  As Britia hesitantly spoke, the Empress forgot to cover her mouth with the fan and smiled widely. Her tail flicked.

 

  “We have a winner. Since there’s someone who recognizes her work, maybe she’s even better than her.”

 

  She smiled like a satisfied child at this fact, then quickly changed her expression, returning to her dignified and solemn self. However, her black lioness tail couldn’t hide its joy and moved vigorously from side to side.

 

  But the Empress’s expression crumbled again as she saw the completed cat by Britia.

 

  “I’ve never seen such an incompetent young lady before.”

 

  Rather than showing disappointment in the unexpected skill, she seemed to have discovered an unforeseen amusement. Britia couldn’t decide whether to consider it fortunate or confusing.

 

  She didn’t want this abysmal skill, including Sig, to be known to everyone, but suddenly being exposed to the Empress and her maids hurt her heart.

 

  “Don’t worry about being incapable. Just don’t bother trying too hard to perform well or practice.”

 

  Whether it was meant as consolation or mockery, Britia smiled bitterly at the Empress’s words.

 

  The Empress, after expressing her great satisfaction once again with the completed cat by Britia, finally released her from the situation.

 

  Feeling distressed, Britia tightly gripped the handkerchief in her hand and went to find Kyra. According to rumors, she was still in the garden.

 

  That’s why she thought Kyra must be drawing. However, when she arrived in the garden, she saw Kyra sitting opposite the prince, engaged in a strange confrontation.

 

  Britia couldn’t easily approach them and rolled her eyes, wondering what was going on.

 

  “Think about it. Let’s call it a day for now.”

 

  The prince spotted Britia and asked Kyra to step aside. His mood which had seemed pleasant while watching her draw didn’t look so good anymore.

 

  On the other hand, Kyra’s expression appeared indifferent. However, she didn’t utter a word throughout the carriage ride to fetch the carriage, as if something had happened.

 

  Quietly in the carriage, Britia glanced at Kyra, who kept her lips tightly sealed, as if she had no intention of explaining what had happened.

 

  “I’m curious about what you talked about.”

 

  Recognizing her gaze, Kyra fixed her eyes on the window and spoke. As Britia nodded her head, Kyra, who had been observing her reflection in the window, twisted her lips and smiled.

 

  “The painting didn’t turn out as expected. His Highness noticed it like a ghost. He said to take a break if it was too hot and tiring.”

 

  The story that would unfold from now on would certainly not be a pleasant one. Britia prepared herself mentally.

 

“His Highness said so. Since you painted the picture at her request, it’s only natural that you pay the price.”

 

  However, it would be in vain to receive payment for the painting, considering her current financial situation where she couldn’t possess personal property. So, Kyra honestly expressed her thoughts to Britia, suggesting that instead of receiving unattainable money, she could receive something else.

 

  “I hoped you could become the royal painter. If you become part of the royal household, you can have property without your parents’ permission, right?”

 

  So when Britia heard the story that the prince liked her painting, she felt a glimmer of hope.

 

  “I was confident in my landscape painting. But when it didn’t come out the way I wanted, I suddenly became clear-headed. I guess I’m not cut out to be a royal painter,” Kyra murmured, furrowing her brows.

 

  “That’s why I thought I should ask for something other than money or being a royal painter. You know, is it common for the prince to offer me something?” she continued.

 

  “So, what did you ask for?” Britia swallowed her dry saliva and asked. Kyra stared at her intently, crossed her arms, and leaned against the backrest of the carriage.

 

  “I asked His Highness to act as a matchmaker.”

 

  “…What?”

 

  Britia couldn’t understand what she had just heard.

 

  “Why would you suddenly bring up matchmaker in the context of being a painter? So what did His Highness say?”

 

  Realizing that she hadn’t misheard, Britia’s mouth hung open in astonishment.

 

  “It’s embarrassing that you would ask someone who isn’t even married to be a matchmaker.”

 

  “I would be surprised too,” Kyra said confidently, laughing.

 

  “To escape from Scandars, I have to get married or something. What can I do when I’m not a genius?”

 

  Kyra spoke with confidence.

 

  “You seem quite sincere. I was surprised, but he asked me what kind of man I wanted,” she continued.

 

  “So, what did he answer?”

 

  “Do you think I have the confidence to say it without thinking he’ll consider me the worst?”

 

  Kyra cast a suspicious glance as if questioning Britia’s confidence. After hearing the matchmaker’s story, Britia honestly couldn’t imagine herself saying such things.

 

  “I said that as long as he has a lot of money, age, remarriage, and even polygamy don’t matter. It would be even better if he’s a sickly and ailing man with a limited lifespan.”

 

  Britia widened her eyes and froze, her mouth agape.