Chapter 196: Purple Tulip (3)

‘This……’ This was my mistake. I reflected on my actions and buried my lips in my teacup.

I could feel the Imperial Crown Prince’s piercing gaze on the side of my face.

“The little Sarnez girl will soon become the young Duchess.”

“Yes, your Majesty. My father has said so as well.”

“That’s good.”

Empress Frédérique offered a future and Christelle immediately answered.

‘The future?’

It wasn’t that I thought I was useless.

I was the partner of the main character of as well as her future husband’s partner.

I decided not to be the second male lead, but I still had a role that was just as important.

I was also no longer just a diplomatic hostage. I was one of the Empress’s marquises, given some territory, and the Empire’s one and only Cardinal was my teacher.

I also had friendships with Riester’s four major noble families.

Furthermore, I decided back in Sérénité to accept my own feelings.

I like the people I met here and I wanted to be with them.

“Mm.”

I looked toward the pond in order to calm my chaotic mind.

Sir Johann was teaching Eva something.

“Put it in like this and pull, my young Duchess. If you make a small circle, it becomes a clover ring.”

“And if you make it a big circle?”

“Then I guess you could use it as a bracelet.”

“…Sir Geens, you are more useful than I thought. This is great.”

“Hahaha.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

…That was why it really was my mistake.

I was so focused on the things that I needed to take care of and didn’t think deeply about what kind of existence I would become to others.

I liked Riester, but I wanted the prince to be able to see his siblings in the Holy Kingdom as well.

At the same time, I needed to go home.

I was so focused on these three things that were contrary to each other that I did not focus on external factors at all.

What am I supposed to do if my friends want to do things with me in the future?

“Élisabeth, you will probably take over the position of Margrave when your mother retires as well.”

“Yes, your Majesty. But it seems like she will easily keep it for another twenty years.”

“Hmph. Caroline would definitely do that.”

“Do you have any plans on getting married?”

The Empress chatted with Vice Captain Élisabeth as well.

Cardinal Boutier brought up a topic that you would normally expect from your extended family during the holidays.

The young Countess turned red and said that nothing specific has been set in stone.

Christelle chimed in loudly.

“The Vice Captain said she will wait until her fiance is twenty years old. But he seems ready to marry her at any moment.”

“Oh my.”

“Haha.”

My teacher acted shocked in order to play along with Christelle.

I felt like I could hear a teasing tone playing in the background.

I laughed at the two of their cruel joke.

The people who were from this place naturally were planning for the coming days and dreaming of their future.

That was as obvious as breathing. I was the same way in my house with Eunseo and my brother.

“… Anyway, don’t just stay like hermits inside the Imperial Palace and your house.”

The Empress looked at us and proclaimed. The Cardinal added on.

“It’ll be hard for you to go out even when you want to once you ascend to the throne in the future.”

“Go out and have fun while you can and see the lives of your people. If I ever make a mistake, your jobs are to tell me about it.”

“Yes, your Majesty.”

The crown Prince’s orange eyes calmly sparkled. My teacher gently patted the back of my hand.

“You worked hard this time too, my little prince.”

“It was nothing, your Eminence.”

“To be honest with you, I brought it up to Frédérique first. I told her that we should leave the Madame Victoire issue to you guys.”

I blinked my eyes.

I was well aware of the Empress and the Cardinal being one mind and body, but I had no idea that it was my teacher’s idea.

She had made it sound like the Empress randomly thought of it when we were there. ‘That was all just an act?’

“If our hypothesis would have been correct, it was an extremely personal act of revenge. I thought using force would not have allowed Victoire’s story to come to light. It would have just ended as a thief running wild before feeling the iron mace of the Empress.”

“We did not want that. We were also able to learn of the nearby territory lords’ arrogant actions thanks to that commoner. I hate owing a debt.” The Empress quietly grumbled.

Basically, she purposely did not use force against Victoire.

There would have been no benefit to the thief getting caught early, and she also wanted the thief’s situation to be revealed in a more dramatic fashion.

However, they had not expected Victoire to be two people and not one. They also never expected Old lady Pomme’s tuberculosis or the carriage accident.

As the Cardinal mentioned, it was because the two of them could not go out to the scene of the crimes.

“That was why… Ah, the snacks are empty. Are you hungry?”

My teacher looked at Christelle and I and warmly asked.

We looked embarrassed but said yes.

Laura walked up to the Empress around that time, and…

“Your majesty. Dinner has been prepared.”

She shared the greatest news with us.

Eva then turned toward us and her ears perked.

Sir Johann must have heard everything from over there and informed her about it. ‘Air attribute really is amazing.’

*

Dinner was amazing.

The food at the Imperial Palace was always delicious but eating outside like this made it even more fabulous.

I was relieved after hearing that the attendants waiting outside were also eating at a nearby palace.

It was now dark and the white moon was floating in the sky.

The air was clear so we could also see a ton of stars.

The tulips took in the moonlight and waved together with the wind.

It felt like I was in the middle of someone’s sweet dream.

Magical purple flowers, the clouds floating by…

And an unforgettable cup of after-meal wine.

“Cough, cough! It’s bitter, your Majesty. It tastes weird!”

“I told you it won’t taste good.”

“But Dame Sarnez said, ‘ah… There’s nothing better than this……’ It feels like I am burning inside. Maybe it went bad, your Majesty?” The Empress chuckled at Eva’s reaction.

The young Duchess glared at Christelle, who was seated next to her.

The main character chuckled and put a lemon tart in the child’s mouth.

Sir Johann quietly chuckled after seeing Eva eating it.

The staff who were taking out the empty dishes smiled while looking at us as well.

Eva had alcohol for the first time today, the first time since she became an adult.

The child was busy going back and forth between the Lord’s Castle and the Duke’s Estate in the Imperial Capital to get her lessons for being the heir.

She never got any drinks from her parents, so the master of the Empire happily bestowed a cup to her.

It would have been fine if it was a newly pressed wine or beer.

“I think it is too early for you to be drinking armagnac, Eva.”

I pushed a cup of water toward the child as I said that. Her brown eyes turned sharp. Her ears were red despite drinking just a sip.

‘That’s brandy with fifty percent alcohol by volume!’

“I can drink, your highness!”

“You can drink it, but your head may hurt in the morning.”

“Adults have to go to work even if you have a headache. That is what Vice Commander Moutet told me.”

I looked at the young Countess with a calm gaze.

She did her best to avoid my gaze and ate a piece of pastille.

‘Aren’t you teaching her the sorrows of life too early…?’

“She’s going to feel terrible if we send her back like this. We will send her for a walk. Cédric, go take your cousin for a walk.” The Empress sounded entertained as she said that.

The Cardinal sighed.

Although I couldn’t be sure, I was almost certain that she was nagging her soulmate in her mind.

The crown prince elegantly got up, walked over to Eva, and silently offered her his right arm.

I couldn’t help but gasp in admiration. He would seem like the male lead of a romfan even if I got a glance while passing them on a train.

“Umm, uhh, thank you very much.”

Eva was as red as spicy fried chicken now.

The young Duchess seemed stiff as she got up and linked arms with the crown prince before slowly walking around the tulip garden with him.

I smiled as I watched them disappear in the distance.

It was disappointing that the crown prince punk didn’t act this way toward Christelle, but it was nice for cousins to treat each other well.

The young Countess must have been worried about Eva as she went after them.

“Prince Jesse. There is something I am curious about.”

“Yes, Dame Sarnez.”

I turned my head and looked into Christelle’s eyes.

She gently shook her cup before asking in her usual tone.

“Is ‘push-up position’ a term only used in Venetiaan?”

“Excuse me?”

My neck creaked. I almost dropped my fork.

It took me three seconds to fully understand her question.

I got goosebumps on my arms and my neck felt cold.

The incident where we met Modeste Bacary at the luxurious tavern, Blois, quickly brushed through my mind.

[Everybody stop! Shut up and get in push-up position!] (TL: This came up in ch 187 but I had to change from get down to make this above part work).

…I definitely gave such a Divine Oracle to the people fighting.

My hand felt damp and my lips started drying.

I was a hopeless fool who would have destroyed a country if I was transmigrated as the main character of a story.

‘Jung Yeseo, how can you use such a Korean term just because you were angry? Especially when the main character next to you is from Korea?! Have you forgotten about that this whole time?!’

“I asked Vice Captain Élisabeth and she said that the Empire does not have such a term or movement. That was why she was shocked while watching you scolding the nobles, your highness. I was shocked as well. Because you were so stern.” She squinted and mischievously added on.

She must be a bit drunk as she slurred her words a bit.

Christelle seemed to not think of it as a big deal, but I was at a loss for how to respond.

I wanted to lie that it was something from the Holy Kingdom, but…

“…”

Sir Johann was across from me. ‘This is driving me nuts!’

“Maybe it is the way the Venetiaan Royalty trains their soldiers?”

The white-haired Holy Knight broke the silence at that moment. I dropped my jaw in shock.

“I’ve never been to the Royal Palace, but I’ve heard rumors about how the training there is extremely difficult, to the point where many people give up. In return, their special forces are as strong as your average low-grade knight.”

His mint-colored eyes curled up as he looked at me.

I nodded my head like a broken robot before drinking some water.

My mouth would have said, ‘thank you very much for helping me,’ to Sir Johann had I not consciously thought about not doing it.

Christelle said something about how she knew that had to be it before chuckling as she took another sip of the armagnac.

‘Thank goodness she’s drunk…’

“I’ve heard the stories of how the Holy Kingdom runs even their untrained soldiers to the ground as well. How interesting.”

The Empress commented once the topic of soldier training was brought up. This was an unexpected flow of conversation.

I was basically binging the plum sherbet that came out because I was worried they would ask me something when Laura quietly came over and bowed to whisper something in her master’s ear.

The Empress heard the Chief of Staff’s report before looking toward the entrance of the rear garden.

Everybody looked toward the same spot.

‘Huh?’

“It is Marquis François Duhem.”

“Tsk. Is it already that time?”

The Empress clicked her tongue and got up.

I tried to get up as well but she waved her hand to stop me. ‘That time?’

“I’m going to go chat for a bit.”

“Give him my regards as well.”

“Okay.”

The sword master placed her sturdy hand on the Cardinal’s shoulder before walking away.

I was curious about what they would talk about as the Empress went to him instead of the Marquis coming to her.

However, my teacher didn’t seem to think much of this situation.

Her face that was visible under the magic light seemed a bit sad. It seemed like a personal issue so I decided not to ask about it.

The Empress walked quickly and was already patting Marquis Duhem’s arm.

– Boom.

I flinched and turned my gaze.

I saw that Christelle had slammed her head on the table and was asleep.

I was surprised she lasted this long as she was basically having a drinking contest with the Empress with an extremely strong alcohol.

It wasn’t cold thanks to the magic on the pergola, but our friendly neighborhood Sir Johann pulled off his coat to cover her.

Seeing her mouth open as she lay there made me chuckle. ‘The main character is pretty even when she’s so drunk she knocked out.’

“Did you have fun?”

My teacher suddenly asked. Her wrinkled beige-colored eyes were looking at me with a warm gaze.

I smiled and took another spoonful of plum sherbet.

“Yes, your Eminence. It was informative and fun. Her Majesty especially told us many wonderful things. Her advice about making sure to always pay attention to our power and authority whenever we are starting something new or investigating something, in order to not be a tyrant, was especially memorable. Of course, I will never ascend to the throne, but…”

“You could have a different role.”

She gently butted in. I slowly swallowed the sherbet.

I finally realized that the Cardinal was talking about more than just tonight when she asked if I had fun.

“Your Eminence, I…”

“I hope that you continue to have fun here, my little prince. I mean it.”

She touched my cheek affectionately with her hand. Yes, this was the problem since earlier.

“If it is what you want…”

If my friends here wanted a portion of my future, how much am I allowed to give them?

“The purple tulips will only grow at your feet, my little prince.”

My teacher finished her comment almost in a whisper.

Beyond her shoulder, I could see a young man standing stiff at the center of the purple rear garden.

A pair of small suns were looking right at me. My eyes slowly opened wide.

‘Wait… What did I just hear? Get the author here right now.’

—

Translator’s Comments

Jesse has a bone to pick with the author now!