CH 33

“Don’t you know better how long I’ve been seeing Leah? Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Your Majesty, the only woman who’s close to you is Young Lady Prezis.”

“And you think I see her as a woman? No, she’s a sister.”

The Emperor just chuckled and laughed as if he had heard something ridiculous.”

“In my opinion…”

But Belson’s suspicious gaze was not easily dismissed.

“I think Your Majesty is jealous now.”

“What? Jealous?”

The Emperor pressed his forehead tightly as if he had gotten a headache from the nonsense.

“If I were jealous, I would’ve done it already. Leah treats Davan so horribly, this story is already known throughout Empire.”

[T/N: Points to Leah’s obsession toward Davan.]

“That’s right.”

Belson nodded his head as if he had no intention of denying that part.

“Well, to be honest, I don’t know if I should say anything so childish…”

The emperor just snorted, wondering what else he was going to say.

“It is said that when you are together, Your Majesty cares for her and that she follows Your Majesty well.”

Belson said as he looked up at the sky.

“…”

A cold wind blew through the Emperor’s black hair.

“Normally, who would be interested in Your Majesty’s relationship with the young lady?”

The Emperor’s gaze turned to the floor.

No one knew what kind of thoughts were brewing behind the closed eyes.

“But today… Sir Vernon must have noticed more of your relationship with the young lady.”

Belson spoke in an unsure tone, but the Emperor shook his head.

“You’re delusional.”

“…”

Belson glanced at the Emperor’s profile and looked away.

Whether it was right or not, it didn’t feel comfortable one way or another.

“Did you talk about anything else? The conversation got pretty long.”

Belson changed the subject first.

It was difficult for even Belson, who knew the Emperor’s personality better than anyone, to think about his intentions.

“Mm, he was thinking of sending Davan to the South.”

“If it’s the South…”

“Yes. It was about subjugating the monsters. All the way to the Pethion Knights.”

Belson clicked his tongue at the young duke’s aggressiveness from the start.

“His Excellency must have said he would be going.”

“He would’ve done that even though we knew it was intentional.”

The Emperor nodded his head and answered.

Belson asked with a frowning face as if his head was getting more and more painful.

“How did you stop it?”

“Leah stopped that too.”

“Your Majesty. This is not a matter to be passed on as a joke.”

Belson’s face hardened.

The Emperor’s seemingly tension-free attitude was frustrating amid the emergence of a terrifying opponent named Cadel.

“I’m not kidding, I’m telling you the truth.”

“…”

Belson licked his lips, trying to respond, then stopped. The Emperor’s expression was quite serious.

“Cadel said it would be better if the prestigious imperial family came down to the South as the person in charge.”

“Will the imperial family be able to do things that even House Vernon, who have ruled the South for over 100 years, can’t solve?”

“There’s nothing to lose from Cadel’s point of view.”

The Emperor seemed to have anticipated Cadel’s intentions.

“If Davan captures the monsters, it’s good because it solves a chronic problem, and if he doesn’t capture the monsters, his authority as a member of the imperial family will be crushed to the ground, so that will be okay for him, too.”

“…Right.”

Belson shook his head as if he had nothing to add.

“I can clearly see his intention, but it can’t be helped. Isn’t the South a part of the Empire, too?”

The Emperor suddenly felt tired as he continued speaking, so he ruffled his hair as usual.

“Nonsense words may spread among the Southerners.”

From the Emperor’s point of view, if he rejected the request of the Southern lord, it was likely that bad words or public opinion would come out.

Cadel must have thought about that too, so even if he threw this request toward the Emperor, he wouldn’t lose.

“But do you know what Leah said to Vernon?”

The Emperor burst into laughter as if it was fun to think about it again.

“What? Did she tell you guys not to spoil her meal?”

Belson tilted his head once, remembering Leah’s usual level.

“She said that no matter how high the authority of the imperial family is, how could it be compared to a lord who is trusted by the local people.”

“… Her ladyship said that?”

The Emperor nodded his head with a soft smile.

“In a nutshell, she’s saying that if Vernon’s so worried about that, stop wandering in the capital and go back to the South.”

“That’s…very surprising.”

Belson spoke briefly.

But there was no way anyone could not feel the hundreds of meanings contained within.

Leah Prezis, I mean, Leah Prezis of the last few years, if anyone’s going to talk about such boring things before her, she would have had a temper and make a fuss about why they called her here.

“Isn’t it a surprise? I was so proud that I cried.”

The Emperor coughed in vain as if he were really choking.

Belson asked, clearing up his face that was about to tremble.

“So, what did you decide to do with the South?”

“Well, I’m going to ask Janton, ah, the Pope for a favor.”

“The Pope… Will it be alright?”

Belson hesitated to finish his words.

“I’m going to set the date. Wouldn’t it be fun to hold a hunting contest together with the Holy Father?”

Together means the Emperor, Janton, and Davan will probably be included, and since it’s held in the South, Cadel will also go, then there’s the Pethion Knights…

“Hmm.”

Belson pressed between his eyebrows as if he had a headache just thinking about it.

“By the way, how did Sir Vernon react?”

Belson seemed interested.

It was amazing to him that Leah had done a good job, but above all, he was curious about Cadel’s appearance toward this blow.

“Cadel…”

The Emperor, who was trying to remember, narrowed his eyes for a moment.

“Seems like he’s eyeing her.”

“Pardon?”

Today, Belson felt like he was only throwing stupid half-remarks all over.

As it was the first meeting, he expected it to end quite smoothly, but it seems that a tougher brawl has taken place than he expected.

How sharp the knives must have been wielded with a smiling face.

Although Belson was well-versed in the fights of nobles, this time it came unusually quick.

“He had coveting eyes. In any case, she caught his eyes. Tch.”

The Emperor clicked his tongue as if he didn’t like it.

“Well, we don’t have to worry too much about Vernon.”

“…”

Instead of answering, Belson looked into the Emperor’s eyes with conviction.

“The intruder looks like a professional hunter.”

“A professional hunter?”

One of the Emperor’s eyebrows fluttered in interest.

“I can’t say if it’s a sin to have been born in the imperial family.”

How could Belson not know what the Emperor was talking about?

The Emperor meant that each wall of the imperial family had eyes and ears.

It was this Golden Castle that made both his parents and brothers distrustful.

“Cough.”

However, Belson was a servant to assist the Emperor on the right path.

He uttered a solemn voice.

“Your Majesty, that is a blasphemous remark.”

“You do it to me every day. Who cares?”

As the Emperor glanced at him, Belson curled his lips and asked. It was hard to deny something he could hardly deny.

“So, who is it?”

“Let’s wait and see about that a little longer.”

The Emperor shook his head slightly, whether he was still unsure or whether there was another reason.

“We need to get him on our side, Your Majesty.”

Belson made a hoarse noise as if he was frustrated.

Then, suddenly, the Emperor hardened his eyes coldly.

“If my baby gets hurt, will you take responsibility? Tch.”

“’My baby’?”

Belson’s face crumpled.

Why is ‘my baby’ coming out of here all of a sudden?

Don’t tell me all this time you’ve been busy with…!

***

“Hugh!”

Davan ‘threw’ me into the carriage.

He looked at me, who was half-sprawled, with a pathetic gaze, and sat opposite of me.

‘Ugh, that’s so…!’

If you brought a princess in your arms, you should’ve acted like a gentleman until the end.

Not throwing her like a load!

But honestly, it was still better than I thought.

“Thank you.”

I brushed off my skirt and straightened my waist.

As I looked around the inside of the carriage, I could smell the fishy smell of rain.

‘It looks like it’s raining.’

I looked out the slightly open window and saw that it was raining.

Perhaps because I had just come out of the Phantom Palace, the pounding sound of the falling rain could be heard exceptionally clear.

Without realizing it, I was staring blankly at the window when I heard Davan’s voice.

“Leah Prezis.”

I turned my head to see Davan leaning his head against the wall. He looked tired.

‘Hmm.’

Come to think of it, I think his eyes are bloodshot.

“Don’t go out on a whim again.”

Those were the first words Davan spoke to me. His voice was silent, with no emotion.

“And you…”

Davan opened his lip as if he had something left to say, but eventually bit them hard.

“I’m sorry.”

Before Davan could say anything, I apologized first.

It wasn’t sincere, but it wasn’t soulless either.

Davan’s eyes turned cold, perhaps wondering why I apologized like this.

“What are you sorry for?”

What do you mean what am I sorry for…?

Do I have to submit a reflection letter in an A4 paper?

“I caused a fuss by being careless.”

“…”

Davan just stared at me without answering.

“I wish I could have caught the culprit, but I couldn’t.”

I continued speaking in a moderately dull voice.

“I lost the shoes that the maids worked hard for, too.”