CH 10

Chapter 2. Growing Cracks

Episode 10

(3rd person pov)

The royal palace’s office.

The emperor in comfortable clothes was listening to the report with his chin on his hand.

He was in a good mood these days.

It was thanks to meeting Princess Pioneer for political reasons.

At first it was really political.

However, after meeting her a few times, he became interested in Karina herself.

At least he liked the way she spoke in front of him.

At their next meeting, he was already looking forward to what she would say.

“Once, we decided to send Sir Raymond to the rift created in the north. Since it has spring-type magic as opposed to winter-type magic, it will probably be easy to finish.”

Even with the explanations that followed one after another, Aster had an expression on his face that he didn’t care at all.

Hearing the report quietly, he picked up the letter in front of him.

The neat handwriting on the neat sky-blue envelope was just like Princess Pioneer.

Moreover, the contents of the letter contained within it were the same.

“Your Majesty, why do you look so happy?”

Aster lifted his head and saw his half-brother with eyes the same color as his.

The only blood that did not drop his neck from the blade he wielded, Archduke Gloucester.

“Me?”

“Yes. You are smiling, brother.”

Aster patted his lips with his hand.

Touching the corners of his raised lips, he lowered his head.

“I got a pretty interesting letter.”

“Letter? It feels like it’s something else.”

“It’s the letter.”

Despite his answer, Archduke Gloucester kept his usual expression.

Aster clicked his tongue at that reaction. He got up from his seat and called the chieftain.

“I lost my concentration. Let me rest for a while.”

At the Emperor’s words, the servant served tea and cookies.

There was only a strange silence between the brothers sitting opposite each other at the table.

In the end, it was Archduke Gloucester who spoke first.

“Are you going to introduce your opponent in the case of the foundation day?”

“Of course. You’ll know right away because she’s the one who’s going to be my first dance partner.”

“It may be that the seat next to you will be filled soon. I look forward to everything.”

At Andrew’s words, Aster smirked.

‘Do you not know? Or are you pretending not to know?’

But it didn’t matter either way.

“I’m looking forward to it too.”

Astor leaned back in anticipation of the day.

~*~

(Karina’s pov)

It was the day of the foundation day.

I have been working diligently since early morning to attend the banquet.

The men had already been to the Great Hall where the ceremony was held, but the unmarried women were a little different.

The banquet was one of the largest social events of the year. It was natural to dress up with all their might. Of course, I was no different.

I got up before sunrise and was washed by the hands of the maids.

After the massage, they applied oil to soften the skin, and after putting on the dress, it was already lunch time.

It took quite a while for the maids to do makeup and hair.

“Done!”

Lily said cheerfully and stepped back from me.

I got up and stood in front of the full-length mirror.

The dress, made of thin red chiffon, was cut to fit my body.

Three-dimensional flowers made of silver and precious stones were decorated like vines at the top and bottom around the waist that separates the upper body and the skirt.

The elegantly falling dress line, exposing my shoulders coolly, looked beautiful even to me who was not familiar with fashion.

“His Majesty seems to have a good eye.”

Lily muttered with an ecstatic expression on her face.

“You sent you all these headdresses too.”

My long black hair was pulled up and small flowers made of silver and sapphire were woven to decorate the flower crown.

It was simpler than the dress, but thanks to the precise craftsmanship, it looked like a piece made by fairies.

“Isn’t it too flashy?”

“If you want to go and stomp on her, you’ll have to be like this.”

Lily grunted, grinding her teeth with an angry expression.

“I know.”

All banquets so far have been Tatiana’s stage.

Since there was no Empress in the Empire, it was always the Duchess and the Archduke who started the first dance of the banquet.

I didn’t want to see it, so I never attended an event where they might be invited.

“Surely His Majesty will get down on his knees to marry you right now.”

“Then I’m in trouble. There’s also the Wilhelm problem.”

Lily firmly cut off my words to point out reality.

“Don’t worry about that, miss. Didn’t he cheat with that mind? He keeps trying to climb up without knowing the subjects.”

“Then I’ll do what you say, Lily.”

“Yes. You must.”

As I looked into Lily’s burning eyes, I smiled.

The other maids who helped me dress up were also fighting for me, and I had to listen to all kinds of nagging until the butler came to pick me up.

~*~

(3rd person pov)

“I am glad that the founding festival ended well, Your Majesty.”

Duke Pioneer looked annoyed as he looked at the Emperor approaching him.

If it was Aster’s usual personality, he would have sliced his neck, but in fact, the relationship between the two wasn’t that bad.

“It’s all thanks to you, Duke.”

“Yes. It is precisely because of my daughter.”

Aster’s eyes widened.

He was more aggressive today than usual.

“I think something bad happened.”

“I feel bad. It was only when I realized the long-awaited truth that since I had raised my children properly, I have done something good for someone else.”

Aster only knew why the peacock was annoyed.

He was upset that she suddenly changed her mind when she was about to dance her first dance with her father.

“I’m standing alone on the paddle, huh?”

As the duke spoke, he talked about where he would stand alone and how lonely he would be.

Aster looked at the duke quietly and remembered an important fact.

“You don’t have to. Your ex-wife said that she would also attend the founding ceremony.”

“Okay. Then Freya… What?”

The eyes of Duke Pioneer that had the same color as Karina’s eyes fluttered wildly.

Seeing that, Aster felt as if he had committed a terrible sin.

“That…okay. Uh, then. The time. I will go get my daughter.”

The Duke scurried across the Great Hall.

The eyes that looked around seemed uneasy.

When even the duke had disappeared, Aster sat down at the top and looked around with a bored face. Read only at pm tl.

After his turbulent teenage years, the banquet seemed boring.

‘I wish the princess would come sooner.’

Aster recalled her, who was full of life.

Karina, who seemed cynical and harsh, was actually a woman with a fiery personality.

When he was with her, he felt a strong vitality.

He felt like he was on the battlefield.

“You look good, Your Majesty.”

Aster, lost in thought, raised his head and looked straight ahead.

A gentle-looking man with dark brown hair and green eyes.

He was Daniel, Duke of Malphyrion.

“There’s nothing wrong with having a good thought. But why isn’t the complexion in the Duke of Malphyrion the same?”

Daniel shrugged his shoulders.

He was an honest person who does not fit true politics if all his expressions are revealed.

While chatting with him, Aster recalled the fact that Daniel was Karina’s first fiance.

“By the way, you broke your marriage with Princess Pioneer.”

“What? Ah yes. I have been friends with Karin since childhood.”

Aster’s eyes changed subtly. Daniel then remembered that Karina was on friendly terms with the emperor.

He thought she was trying to make fun of Tatiana, but it looks like the real deal.

“That… Me and the princess are just friends. I don’t really have any other feelings.”

“Have you not had a similar attitude towards the Duchess from the past? You were engaged to the princess but circulated around the other girl, saying that she was your friend.”

Daniel’s face hardened at the emperor’s scolding words.

No one has ever criticized Daniel for breaking up with Karina.

“The person who was shaken by meeting another woman without me knowingly maintained his dignity. He didn’t care about how I was and he was only concerned about Tatiana being swept up in a scandal.”

He remembered what Karina had said a while ago.

It contained the resentment that he and Tatiana had put on her.

He had seen Karina for a long time, but she had never made such an expression.

And Daniel never worried about her.

Shame came over.

He said that he was her friend, but in fact, he remembered things that only hurt Karina all the time.

“I just wish her happiness.”

“You will have to be careful going forward. I’m not as sweet as she is.”

Aster’s lip curved up and he laughed.

It was elegant and understated, but somehow creepy. It may not have been a common warning given that he had mercilessly purged a large number of blood relatives.

Daniel felt a cold sweat running down his back.

“I will keep that in mind.”

He barely came up with an answer, but the atmosphere was still chilly.

“Your Majesty!”

At that time, the Duchess approached, melting the ice-cold atmosphere. Daniel listened to Tatiana’s voice and hardened.

The awkward end has not yet disappeared from his mind.

“Welcome, Duchess.”

“Your Majesty. You can call me Titi.”

Daniel felt his body cringe and looked at Tatiana, who was flirting with the emperor. Her appearance made him feel disgusted today.