Emperor Mikhail, who was his* father and even called the Thunder Emperor, had almost complete control of the nobles and bureaucrats. They also followed without doubt the one and only heir chosen by such an emperor.
(E/N: The “his” here refers to Valery.)
It was described as “almost perfect” because there were many people who failed to accept the emperor’s decision to have his grandson as his successor. Such was the case with the emperor’s son, Valery himself, and the Marquis of Tataricha.
Unlike other aristocrats who were thoughtlessly loyal to the emperor, the Marquis of Tataricha saw through Alexei’s youth, and his contract with the Spirit of Fire was not stable. It was as if he read Valery’s mind.
The two also agreed that Valery was the only reliable successor to the emperor, except for Yuriev, who ran away from the imperial palace, and Maxim, who acted like a prodigal idiot.
Marquis Tataricha and Valery quickly became close, like adolescents becoming best friends overnight.
‘I was planning to enlist the nobles step by step, starting with the Marquis of Tataricha…’
Valery had such a plan until the Marquis Tataricha fell down the stairs and died.
‘Then why did you break that teacup!’
Is it reasonable to throw a teacup in a fit of anger, especially one of Mura’s delicate teacups? The sudden death of Marquis Tataricha, who was still in the prime of his life, stirred up a great deal of controversy among the nobles.
Rumors circulated that during a marital argument, he died from a blow inflicted by his wife, after he had shattered her cherished teacup. The very thought made Valery’s blood boil. He struggled to keep his emotions in check.
“If it wasn’t for that tea cup…”
Furthermore, the fact that Mura might have painted a portrait of him if it hadn’t been for the accident, among other things, still made him sick.
The funeral, which took place after the death of the Marquis Tataricha, was desolate. Mura, who had to attend the funeral, expressed her condolences to the marchioness. And then, immediately, Mura sent Valery a sword-like reply. The letter said that he could not accept the portrait request due to his lack of skills.
As soon as Valery received the letter, he burned it in a fit of rage. To claim that the most renowned painter in the Empire was lacking in skill, what could that be if not mockery? Perhaps the only consolation was the fact that this artist had rejected commissions not only from Valery but also from all the high-ranking nobles.
Valery pressed his forehead hard and shook his hand roughly at the butler standing next to him.
“If they’re going to make a fuss in the courtyard over here, we might as well hold a reception.”
“And if…”
“How delicious can a cake be?”
The butler bowed deeply as if he had understood the words and stepped back.
━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━
Karnov, who was standing in front of the gate of the imperial palace, smiled when he saw a girl with pink hair jumping from the carriage. The girl came to him with quick steps and burst into laughter.
“Karnov~!”
“Karnov… Lord Neustadter, princ… Please take good care of the princess.”
It was the emperor’s chamberlain who bowed behind the girl and looked like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
“Tell His Majesty not to worry.”
“Yes, yes.”
The chamberlain was embarrassed by the fact that Karnov had indeed come out, but he did not forget the polite greeting to him.
The girl was dressed in plain clothes, which seemed intentional, unlike her usual clothes, which showed she was loved by her cousin. A white shirt was worn over the sky blue skirt, and a sky blue jacket that matched the skirt. A brown ribbon was neatly tied around the neck collar.
“Do you mean that you’re going to send a real letter and use me as an escort knight?”
He slightly bowed and whispered, and the girl opened her eyes wide, smiled and shook her head.
“No way! You suggested that if I have any errands outside, you’d accompany me, right?”
“Did I?”
“Karnov also mentioned you had something to see outside today.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Anyway, you did.”
The girl smiled brightly, knowing full well that she was being stubborn. Karnov shrugged his shoulders.
“You hired Sophia, let’s call it even.”
“Hmm?”
The girl raised her head and looked to the side. Karnov raised one eyebrow.
“Why?”
“If you say that, then I’ll owe you. You helped me find a person, Karnov.”
“…Well.”
Karnov was momentarily at a loss for words due to the unexpected response, and the girl let out an exasperated sigh.
“Ugh, you’re such a mess at taking what’s yours.”
“What are you…?”
As he let out a nervous chuckle, the girl placed her hand on her waist and looked at him with a concerned expression.
“I mean, Karnov. Your giving and receiving calculations are all messed up.”
“Are you talking about me?”
It was the kind of words he had never heard and never imagined he would hear.
“I’m more than grateful that you introduced Sophia to me. That’s why I told you about Lumen Vasilice in return. Again, you’ll be very grateful to me later.”
“It seems like Your Highness is accurate with your calculations, almost too accurate.”
“Well then!”
He wanted to give a playful tap on her forehead for mumbling like that, but he had to wrap his arm around her shoulders as people bustled around vigorously since dawn.
“Be careful.”
“Whoa!”
The girl swayed and leaned into him.
“There are so many people…”
“Is that so?”
“Back where I used to live, even when there was a market, it wasn’t this noisy.”
She murmured like that while looking around and then sneezed softly.
“It’s definitely colder coming out of the palace.”
“It’s still winter.”
Karnov glanced at Lise, the maid who followed them. With eyes asking if she brought an overcoat.
Lise was just in time spreading the girl’s coat that was on her arm. Karnov took a step aside from the girl’s side. Lise ignored him and quickly threw her coat over the girl’s shoulders.
“I told you it’s cold outside, right?”
“More than expected, achoo! It’s very cold.”
“You should just look around the store and go back quickly.”
“Yes, yes. Okay.”
The girl sniffed, looked around, and repeatedly looked down at the address in her hand.
“This way.”
“Karnov, do you know how to get there?”
“Because it has an address on it.”
Karnov walked three or four steps ahead, waited for the girl to follow, walked three or four steps ahead again, and repeatedly waited for the girl.
“Be careful because we have to go this way…?”
Then he looked back once, and the girl didn’t follow him. The girl was distracted by a store stall.
“Princ… Asha!”
“Karnov, look at this.”
“What is it? And if you lose your way…”
“It’s like a jewel, isn’t it? It’s so pretty.”
Karnov looked at the stall the girl was at and swallowed a sigh for a moment. There were glass bottles of various colors of oval beads lined up, wrapped in ribbon straps and cloth.
“What an eye a little lady has! Would you like to try one?”
“Yes.”
The merchant leaned down, looked into his eyes, and smiled happily and put a small pink bead on the girl’s hand. The girl tried to put it in her mouth with an excited face, so Karnov sighed briefly and snatched what was in her hand.
“Karnov!”
“E, eout.”
Both the merchant and the girl opened their eyes wide and looked up at him, and Karnov put the bead in his mouth as if he were taking medicine.
The scent of violets passed by as the sweet particles melted away. The candy was crispy and shattered, and the almonds hidden in it crumbled sweetly. The crunchy, crunchy, crunchy sound made the girl ask with a sullen expression, unable to overcome her curiosity.
“What is this? What’s inside? I don’t think it’s just candy.”
“Have you never seen this before?”
“Yeah. I’ve seen stuff like snacks but not ‘here.’ I’ve made things like this myself. Is it tasty? What does it taste like?”
“Hmm… Sweet?”
“…”
The girl shot him a slightly annoyed look, so Karnov raised both hands once and bought two small glass bottles of candy from a vendor and handed them to Lise. The vendor’s face lit up broadly as a result.
“For those who purchase two bottles of our candy from the sweet shop, we are also giving a small bouquet of flowers.”
The vendor handed a simple bouquet made of three roses to the girl. She smiled happily as she accepted it.
“Do you like flowers?”
Karnov was a little curious, and asked in a quiet voice as he moved away from the stall. Even in the bustling street, the girl didn’t miss Karnov’s words and replied.
“Yeah! The leaves are broad, the colors are beautiful, and they smell nice. They look pretty when you put them in a vase, and just holding them makes you feel good. When my grandfather made the kitchen, I thought the flowers there were a gift, actually.”
“Wow.”
Karnov struggled to hold back a burst of laughter. If it was about that incident, he was sure Alexei had also heard about it. It was no secret that the reigning emperor of the empire had gone to great lengths to build a kitchen for his granddaughter, and all she had picked up was a vase.
“Here! Karnov, take one too.”
The girl, who had been brushing the flower petals with her hand, suddenly plucked one and offered it to him.
“It’s okay.”
“Do you not like flowers, Karnov?”
“It’s not that I don’t like them.”
He had come to realize recently that if they were broad-leaved, had beautiful colors, and a nice fragrance, he didn’t dislike them either. Karnov looked down at the girl with such thoughts in mind. Her emerald eyes were sparkling as she looked up at him.
“All right then! Take this.”
“I said it’s okay.”
“Again, again!”
With a mischievous grin, the girl forcefully placed a rose in his hand, as if determined to address his bad habit.
“But Karnov, why did you snatch it and even buy this when you don’t even like it?”
She looked at him, tilting her head inquisitively. Karnov offered a vague response.
“I didn’t say it tastes bad.”
“Liar. I didn’t mention it earlier because I didn’t want to upset the man, but the snack didn’t suit your taste at all.”
There was conviction in the girl’s voice. Karnov’s lips twitched for a moment. It was a street vendor’s snack, and he had been cautious about trying something unfamiliar. He had tasted it only to make sure it wasn’t harmful, and he had wondered how she could know he didn’t like the taste.
However, the lingering words found their way through the rose petals he held close to his mouth. The girl just looked at Karnov with a playful expression, her head slightly tilted, before finally breaking into an amused smile.
