The Northern Mad Dog Is Wagging Its Tail

  Britia opened her mouth to ask her to marry Sig, then closed it again.

 

  If the Emperor commanded it, Sig might accept without a word. But what would happen then?

 

  It would mean marrying a man who saw his wife as a master, no, someone who wanted to live their whole life with a faithful dog. She wanted to receive her husband’s love, not have a loyal dog.

 

  Giving up on the request to get married, Britia opened her fingers wide. And then the Emperor’s eyes narrowed.

 

  Did it look too greedy to have all her fingers raised? Should she fold some of them?

 

  As Britia was contemplating, the corners of the Emperor’s mouth twitched upwards.

 

  “I’ll give you double. Follow me at tonight’s party.”

 

  At the mention of becoming his servant, Britia’s lips formed an “Oh” shape. Just the thought of constantly watching him and the Empress was tiring.

 

  “First, clean up this mess in front of me. Burn it.”

 

  The Emperor pointed his eyes at the torn divorce papers in front of him. Could Britia possibly convey her refusal to obey his command, which he naturally assumed she would follow?

 

  Britia did as he wanted, gathering the torn pieces of paper in her hand and throwing them into the fireplace. As she watched the torn divorce papers burn from the corner of her eye, a faint smile appeared on the Emperor’s lips.

 

  “Now, while you wait for the Empress, babble about something.”

 

  Britia was perplexed by the Emperor’s new command. What on earth should she talk about to this difficult and twisted Emperor?

 

  “It’s a good thing the weather is nice today. For hunting…”

 

  “Weather? It’s already boring.”

 

  The Emperor interrupted her and made an annoyed expression. Britia realized once again how difficult it was to earn money.

 

  “By the way, don’t you have a man to escort you?”

 

  With an irritated tone, the Emperor’s words made Britia feel uneasy.

 

  “Even though we had a party at the palace, I couldn’t enjoy it. It’s really tough being in such a difficult situation at a young age.”

 

  How can I enjoy the party when I’m here talking in front of His Majesty?

 

  Britia held back what she wanted to say.

 

  “Sing a song, at least. Poor Britia Lockhart.”

 

  Britia realized that it was more of a command to act mischievous than a genuine desire to hear a song. But even if that’s the case, what would change? If he wants her to sing, then she’ll sing.

 

  Britia sang a farmer’s song that her father often sang in the past. However, she couldn’t remember the lyrics well, and she kept stumbling and pausing in between.

 

  “You have no sense of pitch.”

 

  The Emperor, who had been listening quietly for a while, blurted out. Then, he had the court musicians called in, as if he had an idea.

 

  The court musicians who were called in knew that the Emperor was about to play with their emotions again, so they tensed up.

 

  “It’s boring. Sing one by one. You, start.”

 

  The Emperor glanced at the court musicians standing in front of him. Then, he gestured to the one on the far left. And so, the young court musician, nervous and clearing his throat, sang the song in a high-pitched voice.

 

  “Stop. You, next to him, sing.”

 

  As the Emperor made them sing one by one, when one court musician started singing, he stopped after just two lines.

 

  “Terrible. Your voice is like a scream. That wretched court musician can’t sing better than this tone-deaf Lockhart!”

 

  With a very disappointed face, the Emperor gestured once, and that court musician was expelled from the palace.

 

  Even though the court musician pleaded for forgiveness, expressing a strong desire to practice, Britia was shocked to see the Emperor’s coldness and was left speechless. The man was known for being cold, as people from the northern region often say, and Britia didn’t have a good impression of him either.

 

  But to be expelled just because he couldn’t sing well.

 

  Britia, who witnessed the Emperor’s capricious behavior of dismissing those around him, felt fear, thinking that she might be next. After all, she couldn’t sing well either.

 

  “That’s enough. Everyone, leave. You’re just slightly better than the tone-deaf Lockhart, but you’re all pathetic.”

 

  The Emperor, feeling upset, told them to go practice or something and dismissed all the court musicians he had called in.

 

  “Britia Lockhart, you seem thirsty.”

 

  The Emperor called out to Britia, who was trying to slip away between them. Saying she was thirsty meant that he wanted her to bring him a drink.

 

  Britia followed the order and brought him a drink, but she felt something was strange. Shouldn’t it be the Emperor’s court musician who should do this kind of thing? She wasn’t a court musician, nor was she someone who worked in the palace. Could it really be okay for her to serve the Emperor’s drink?

 

  While pondering this, the Empress returned.

 

  “I asked for 10 minutes, but it took almost an hour. I apologize for the delay.”

 

  The Emperor glanced at the Empress from the corner of his eye. On the other hand, his tail wagged happily when he saw the Empress.

 

  “I didn’t know you were waiting so patiently. But Your Majesty, didn’t you ask me to accompany you in the morning? Haven’t you made me wait this long?”

 

  The Empress spoke with a hint of sadness and then turned to look at Britia. Her complexion seemed a bit pale, as if she had been troubled by something the whole time.

 

  “But why did you wait?”

 

  “Why would I ask someone who I told to wait for a reason?”

 

  The Emperor chuckled as if he found it absurd.

 

  “No way, Your Majesty isn’t doing this because they really want to hold my hand and go to a party. There must be some other bad intention.”

 

  “Because of their suspicious nature, they can only think like that…”

 

  Thinking that Britia didn’t understand, the Emperor casually blurted out and then realized, “Ah!”

 

  “Yes, I have such a suspicious personality, so I can only think like that.”

 

  The Emperor sighed inwardly. He thought he could finally go to the banquet hall, but now it seemed like it was a no-go.

 

  “Britia Lockhart, figure out a way again. Fix the situation.”

 

  The Emperor commanded Britia with his gaze.

 

  “N-No, it doesn’t mean that the Empress wants that.”

 

  Britia was surprised by the Emperor’s response, but she tried to change her words.

 

  “She wants to hold hands. Even though she earnestly wished for it, she couldn’t bring herself to speak up because she’s usually shy. There are no bad intentions. The word ‘suspicious’…”

 

  But where should I even apply the word ‘suspicious’? Britia had a headache.

 

  “It means blaming herself for only being able to speak up by using the excuse of the party. It’s a self-reproachful meaning.”

 

  Oh my goodness. I was trying to defend the Empress by saying it didn’t have that meaning, but I ended up saying the word ‘suspicious’ instead.

 

  Britia glanced at the Emperor discreetly. She hoped that he wouldn’t punish her for this slip of the tongue, as she made the mistake while trying to help him. He didn’t seem very pleased with her explanation, though.

 

  The Empress thought it was an absurd statement. But on the other hand, it also seemed strange.

 

  “At this rate, we’ll stay up all night.”

 

  The Emperor got up from his seat as if he didn’t want to make a big deal out of Britia’s mistake. If it were that bad-tempered and whimsical man, he wouldn’t just stay still without even considering his own suspicious personality.

 

  The Empress looked at the Emperor with a confused expression.

 

  As she expected, the Emperor had no intention of simply forgiving Britia. He just wanted to temporarily set it aside and deal with more important matters at the moment.

 

  The Emperor broke into a cold sweat at the thought of holding his wife’s hand after a long time. Although he maintained a calm expression, his hands were sweaty. He scolded himself for acting like this at his age. But that didn’t make his hands any less clammy.

 

  “I’ve been sitting for a long time, and my back is hurting.”

 

  The Emperor muttered by way of excuse and pretended to wipe his hands on his clothes. Then, with a gloomy face, he reached out his hand to his wife.

 

  The Empress silently glanced at her husband’s hand.

 

  “If I hold this hand, will you really grant my every wish?”

 

  She couldn’t understand why he was so determined to hold her hand. What kind of hidden intentions were behind it?

 

  The Emperor gestured with his eyes for Britia to come to his side.

 

  “Tell her that divorce is out of the question.”

 

  As Britia approached, the Emperor whispered.

 

  Why does he ask me to say things he could say himself?

 

  Understanding this complex middle-aged man with his complicated emotions was incredibly difficult for Britia.

 

  “Um, well, he says he will grant all your wishes, but divorce is out of the question.”

 

  She would say it because he asked, but it was awkward. As Britia spoke with an uncomfortable smile, the Empress’s eyes widened in surprise.

 

  “Britia, it seems like His Majesty thinks you’re good at talking, so I want to ask you. Why can’t we get divorced?”

 

  “What’s the reason? If it’s not allowed, then it’s not allowed. Make sure the Empress doesn’t even mention divorcing again, or say that she wants to get divorced! Keep those words from coming out of her mouth!”

 

  The Emperor scolded Britia, speaking into her ear.

 

  “Use your mysterious power!”

 

  Mysterious power? Does he know that she has a tail or something?

 

  Even if that were the case, how could having a tail prevent the Empress from mentioning divorce?

 

  Britia resented the Emperor for giving unreasonable orders. On top of that, he kept whispering in front of her, causing the Empress’s expression to worsen.

 

  “Britia, what is His Majesty saying?”

 

  “Britia Lockhart!”

 

  The Emperor and the Empress were arguing. But in a situation where both of them were expressing their anger as if they would devour her, Britia felt like crying.

 

  “In truth, Your Majesty, whenever His Majesty mentions divorce or something like that, he secretly shed tears. Saying that he loves you, but you want to leave…”

 

  There was a moment of silence.

 

  “…Did you see her in that state?”

 

  The Empress looked suspicious.

 

  She wasn’t good at lying, so why did she say such things?

 

  She regretted it, but it was too late. Britia nodded her head. She was too scared to open her eyes.

 

  “…Contrary to what you said, doesn’t it seem like he really dislikes it right now?”

 

  At the Empress’s voice, filled with embarrassment, Britia peeked open her eyes. The Emperor, who awkwardly held her hand, had a stern expression. But his tail was moving so fast, as if wondering where it had gone.

 

  ‘He seems to be very pleased.’

 

  The Empress couldn’t shake off her suspicion as she looked at the Emperor. In her eyes, it seemed like he couldn’t even breathe because he disliked it so much.

 

  “Your Majesty.”

 

  When the Empress called, the Emperor took a deep breath.

 

  “Let’s go now.”

 

  He turned abruptly without even making eye contact with the Empress. But he never let go of her hand.

 

  As they came out of the reception room, the Crown Prince and others were there. It seemed like they had come to escort them, hearing that the Emperor and the Empress were refusing to enter the party.

 

  “Everyone, wait…”

 

  When the two appeared like young children who were forced to hold hands to reconcile, the Crown Prince was so surprised that he couldn’t continue speaking. Sig, who was standing beside him, blinked his eyes.

 

  “Britia Lockhart, can’t you move quickly?”

 

  Britia, who was standing right behind them, felt unjust about the Emperor’s unreasonable nature.

 

  “Look, you’ve got two people who can escort you now. Choose one you like.”

 

  The Emperor pointed his eyes towards the Crown Prince and Sig. Britia, who was feeling unsure, spotted Sig and smiled brightly.

 

  A faint smile appeared on Sig’s anxious face as well. He hurriedly moved his feet to go to her.

 

  “May I ask, Your Highness?”

 

  Britia passed by Sig and spoke.

 

  “Sig is still unpopular.”

 

  The Emperor laughed as if teasing Sig, whose eyes were wide open with a hurt face.