Chapter 35
Ern asked with concern.
What on earth made Jasel give such an order to the Queen and her maid? To hand over the ‘Eye of the Sun.’ Knowing full well that it could offend Kartar’s sensibilities.
You seem to dislike Kartar quite a bit, Ern narrowed his eyes.
“What do you mean?”
“You lied to Her Majesty the Empress., You said that she tried to harm Empress the Queen.”
“So?”
“Yes?”
Ern couldn’t hide his bewilderment, So what if he did?
“Will you not correct it?”
“Why should I correct it, Ern?”
John looked at the ceiling with a genuinely clueless expression. He didn’t even glance at Ern or Garden. Is this person crazy?
Ern looked at John with a face full of disillusionment.
He may not have received proper education at home since childhood, but to be this indifferent.
“Her Majesty the Empress is not usually distressed, She must already have more than one thing to worry about. Is it necessary to inflict such pain?”
“Disappointment.”
Johann tasted the unfamiliar word on his lips.
Disappointment, With that woman, disappointment.
Those two words seemed to go well together.
However, Johann couldn’t imagine that Anel would be disappointed because of him.
Wounds and disappointment only come from expectations.
You don’t get hurt if you don’t expect anything from someone.
That’s why Johann had never been hurt by anyone.
Likewise, Anel would not be hurt either.
Anel Morata wouldn’t have expectations from Johannes DeNegre, no way.
Expectations arise from affection, And that woman’s affection is not directed towards Johann.
It must be for Samuel, that weak fool.
Johann’s lips twisted.
“Surely, if you find it too bothersome to go yourself, I can go and clear up the misunderstanding.”
Ern strongly recommended once again.
Honestly, he couldn’t understand Johann.
Normally, Johann would have casually put on a fake smile.
He would have handed Anel a sweet apology, explaining it was a misunderstanding.
In the past, all of Johann’s fake relationships were like that.
Ern had to create a reason for Johann to visit the homes of influential nobles in the council.
Thus, “Stein’s Pretty Trash” was created.
A pretty trash that changed women once a month, or if it was short, once a week.
In reality, it was a fake relationship to captivate the father of the other party.
However, Johann was faithful in his fake relationships in his own way.
He was surprisingly charming to women.
Thanks to that, even when the women realized Johann was using them, they willingly fell for him.
They even kept his secrets.
All while saying that the time spent with him was the best.
He treated the women known as ‘dating partners’ really well. Of course, only during the dating period.
Ern found it very strange.
Johann had no humane emotions towards them.
At first, he thought it was because of guilt, but Ern quickly dismissed that thought.
In his view, ‘Johannes DeNegre’ and ‘guilt’ were like water and oil, an incompatible pair.
Even when Johann killed people, he felt no guilt at all.
“Absolutely.”
Just like that.
Ern held back his anger and asked, “Why do you dislike Empress so much?”
For the first time, Ern brought up a question that he had deeply hidden.
Garden, seemingly curious as well, perked up his ears.
“I don’t dislike her.”
However, Johann responded nonchalantly to the excessive interest of the two.
“I just don’t know if she’s worth the effort to pay attention to that extent.”
Putting in effort to torment her to that extent? Ern sighed.
“Then why do you treat her so harshly? Until now, I thought you were just taming a political partner you would have to see for the rest of your life. Not a one-month ‘fake romance’ partner, but a ‘fake marriage’ partner for decades. But you’re going beyond limits.”
Ern was actually scared.
Johann’s irrational behavior was so unfamiliar to him because he was not someone who went to such lengths to harm someone emotionally.
He was just a crazy person obsessed with efficiency, not someone who would go out of his way to hurt someone and cause trouble by spending time on it.
“That woman…”
Johann picked up the ball that was on the desk and threw it upward. The ball smoothly crossed the air, then fell back down. Johann skillfully caught it and repeated the process of throwing it again.
Johannes did not dislike Annel, It was just that being around her made him feel uneasy. He was well aware that these feelings were quite irrational.
“You won, Ernst Bayerzen Lars.”
Johann threw the ball towards Ernst’s forehead. Ernst, anticipating it, dodged the ball.
“Are you going to explain yourself now?”
“Quietly before you change your mind.”
No matter how coldly Johann spoke, Ernst just chuckled.
Well, that’s Johannes for you.
The next morning, Johann faced Annel. He casually invited her to breakfast, but as usual, Annel declined, citing not feeling well. In response, Johann sent a brief letter through the gardener.
A one-hour breakfast, A three-hour dinner.
This crazy person.
Though the words “Choose” were not explicitly mentioned in the letter, Annel could read between the lines. Where on earth did this man grow up to be so domineering?
For the first time, Annel doubted the noble character of Karlpen Magnun, the second son known for his refined demeanor in Stein.
But it was something she had never thought about until she met Johann, If not for his lacking upbringing and education, Johann would not have turned out to be this imposing.
In the end, Annel reluctantly sat across from Johann.
“Dalgarak.”
Between the two people, the only sound that could be heard was the clinking of utensils.
Johann had called for someone, but he remained completely silent.
No, he acted as if he wasn’t even aware of Anel’s presence.
Anel found his audacity irritating, but getting angry seemed more like a disadvantage.
So, she decided to think of him as if he didn’t exist.
Thus, the two of them continued their meal in the same space, yet each as if alone.
Because of this, it was the attendants and servants who suffered the most, feeling suffocated by the tension in the air.
They began to blame themselves for meeting the wrong master.
“What dessert would you like, Your Majesty?”
“Coffee.”
“Tea.”
To Garden’s question, the two simultaneously answered and smirked at each other.
“So.”
In the end, Johann was the first to break the silence.
“Have you succeeded in securing your former fiancée, Your Empress?”
At the mention of the former fiancée, Anel’s shoulders trembled.
“It was for Stein.”
“Apparently so.”
Johann absentmindedly brought the tea to his lips before looking at the woman in front of him, She already had a displeased expression. He raised his hand and called Garden.
“Bring coffee instead.”
Garden briefly showed a surprised expression, but soon softened and offered a gentle smile as she handed over the coffee. It seemed as if she had guessed the meaning behind the capricious remark.
“I didn’t get a proper answer to my question, Your Majesty.”
“…I conveyed the message to Lady Hujak. Now, the remaining question is whether she can persuade the king of Kartar.”
In response to her rather defensive answer, Johann stared at her.
Under his penetrating gaze, Anel couldn’t conceal her discomfort.
His eyes resembled those of a hunting dog.
Anel recalled the hunting dogs her father raised in the Grand Manor.
Looking at her, he strangely dribbled saliva – the taste of human flesh was known to him, the cruel black dogs.
Everyone feared the hunting dogs, but Anel had never been afraid of them.
What truly scared her was her father’s cruelty that subdued the instincts of those hunting dogs.
Lost in thought, she eventually lifted her head.
No, the hunting dogs, at least, always obeyed their owner’s command.
But that man belonged to a lineage that would never submit to anyone.
“Word has arrived from Kartar.”
“!”
