I Don’t Want to Be a Lady - Chapter 110

“Oh my. It’s the imperial palace… Is this a dream or not?”

Madrenne followed Dale and Bein, pinching her cheeks. Seeing her like that, Bein said something casually.

“Haven’t you ever followed the baroness?”

But why was she making such a fuss?

“At that time, I was just attending a simple party at the corner of the palace’s reception hall.”

But now, it’s different! I mean, I’m invited to go to the main palace! What maid in the world would have entered the main palace at the emperor’s call? I’m the first. That’s what I’m saying.

Seeing Madrenne’s arrogant eyes, Bein only sighed quietly. Is she in a situation where she’s excited about something like that right now? The owner she had served for nearly ten years is missing! Baroness Devit, his superior, and this maid were human beings he couldn’t understand with common sense.

“You’re here. Please come this way.”

The chief chamberlain greeted them as if he had been waiting for them with a welcoming face.

“Oh my. Did the Chief Chamberlain show the way personally?”

The chief chamberlain simply responded with a soft smile at Dale’s words. After a while, those who arrived at the emperor’s personal parlor, which was prepared in the most secret place in the imperial palace, were at a loss for themselves to see what happened in front of them.

“That’s why~ It’s my fault, so please help me just this once.”

“Huh. Your mouth is still lively. You didn’t even look at me when I begged you on my knees the other day.”

“That’s… Hmm?”

The emperor belatedly noticed the appearance of Dale, Bein, and Madrenne and hurriedly closed his mouth.

What… What is this? I mean the situation. Dale was quite surprised. The emperor who boasts an infinite power, who is said to be the sun of this empire, is clinging to someone and begging? In addition, who was that person talking like that to the emperor? Who is it?

The answer came from behind him.

“He’s Grand Duke Federut.”

Bein could tell by looking at his back. Despite his gray hair from old age, he was a man with broad shoulders and a presence that wasn’t inferior even to the emperor.

“…You’re here.”

Dale, their representative, remained silent even as the emperor tried to hide his embarrassed expression.

No citizens didn’t know about the person who was called the guardian of the empire for his brilliant contribution to the war 50 years ago. Dale, who dreamed of becoming a knight, also believed in his legend from an early age and even idolized him as the god of war. But now, his idol was sitting right in front of him.

“That’s Grand Duke Federut…”

Leaving aside Dale, who was half-bewildered, Madrenne bent her knees and greeted politely. “We came to see you after being called. The sun that will never set.”

It was a perfect example. The emperor beckoned to Madrenne with a kind smile. “Come and sit down. I think it’s going to take a long time.”

At this, Madrenne went and sat down on the sofa with an elegant and restrained gait. Her hands rested lightly on her thighs.

Bein sneakily dragged Dale, who was still dazed, and sat next to Madrenne. His gaze turned to the side. He looked at Madrenne, wondering if it was the same woman who had been fluttering with excitement just a moment ago. Still, she had already transformed into a composed and polite noble lady. She’s truly an unusual person. Indeed, she was the maid of that master.

Even after Dale’s party arrived, the war of words between the emperor and Grand Duke Federut continued.

“Aren’t you here to help? Why are you being so stubborn?”

Eventually, unable to bear it any longer, the emperor frowned, and Grand Duke Federut responded with a sly look.

“What? You dare to speak to me like that? Emperor of the Harpion Empire, why are you so pathetic…”

“Pathetic? Are you coming all this way just to call me pathetic?”

When the emperor shouted angrily, Grand Duke Federut turned his head as if he had nothing to see.

“Ho!”

In response, the emperor made a faint sound.

“Then make a promise! Is the empire going to be ruined just because the law changes a little?”

“You don’t know that’s not that easy!”

“If you don’t promise me, I won’t go!”

It was back and forth.

How many times is this being repeated? Dale, Bein, and Madrenne, who barely came to their senses, looked at the two with tired faces.

Even though the emperor insisted that it couldn’t be done, he was still the emperor. Still, Grand Duke Federut, who was resisting the emperor in such a way, was also out of the ordinary. By this point, shouldn’t top noble like them be able to give in and compromise a bit?

“Don’t do that~ Shouldn’t you find your granddaughter and the duke?”

The grand duke’s face was grimly distorted when the emperor mentioned Arianne. “What’s the point of bringing her here? She’s not even worthy of being brought up.”

“…”

The emperor’s face hardened. And the grand duke shouted at him as if he were angry. “What’s the use of bringing my granddaughter here? She has no rights to her mother’s family! It should be her father who handles it!”

Grand Duke Federut’s anger-filled shout shook the windows of the parlor. The emperor looked at him pitifully and said, rubbing his forehead. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to… not understand your feelings.”

“A man with only sons will never understand my feelings.”

The emperor’s mouth was shut by the grand duke’s resolute words. That was a hundred times correct. The emperor, who only had two sons, couldn’t understand the feelings of the father, who had a daughter. Moreover, the feelings of a father who only had only one daughter.

“So go ahead and make a promise. If you promise to amend the law so that daughter can inherit the title, I will rush to the border immediately.”

“!”

“!”

“!”

What did he just say? Dale, Bein, and Madrenne doubted their ears. Their appearance of looking at each other with faces, ‘Did I hear it right now?’ showed that they all feel the same way.

“If you do, I would immediately advance beyond the border to the stronghold of the Kelteman Empire, even to rescue the heir for the Federut family’s lineage.”

As the grand duke continued his words, Madrenne’s jaw dropped in shock. Amend the law so that the daughter could inherit the title? Heir for the Federut family? W-what is this? Our young lady? Not baroness, but become the grand duchess? A grand duchess? Wow… I really hit the jackpot, didn’t I?

Madrenne couldn’t contain her rising excitement. She smiled with her mouth and cheekbones raised up as high as they could, which could hardly be watched, at least from Bein’s perspective.

* * *

“Shall we go back?”

“…Pardon?”

“I’m just saying.”

I quickly responded to Charter’s embarrassed voice. But in my heart. Really, what is that? Is that really the army? I must be mistaken for an anthill, right?  

I had lost my fighting spirit when I faced the greatness of Kelteman’s army that filled the horizon. If I took even one step there, I would end up like a caterpillar buried in a swarm of ants!

My face turned pale.

I hate ants… I would prefer bears or wolves instead. Ants, a small and insignificant creatures, secretly moving and swarming around, gathering together, were simply unbearable!

When I was young, at the time my maids starved me, I had to sneak into the kitchen every night to find food for myself. Yes. I starved that day as well and went to the kitchen.

“What is it? Only such a large loaf of bread left?”

Normally, I would have eaten it casually. But I, who had found a large loaf of bread after a long time, hid the remaining bread under my bed for tomorrow. When I took them out at noon the next day.

“Kyaa!”

An ant swarm had already devoured the bread greedily. The beings who slaughter precious bread while moving their small and slender legs. They surrounded it so tightly that there was no place to even put a finger. I could only watch my cherished bread disappear as I stamped my feet in frustration.

Since then, ants have always hovered around me. Those malicious beings were both the ones who were already spying on my food and a source of my terror.

When I saw the tightly packed Kelteman Empire army, my body froze. It felt like the terror of that day was attacking me once again.

It was then.

“What is dis smell? Sniff, sniff. It smells like a scared mous.”

It was Dondon. Dondon looked at Arianne’s stiff back and noticed that she was terrified. As expected, she didn’t miss the opportunity to tease Arianne. However, due to Dondon’s teasing, Arianne could easily escape from her fear.

“Why du you smell like mous?”

When the angry Arianne turned around, Dondon made fun of her with an expression of ‘Oh my, are you scared?’

“What’s wrong with your face? You look like a fully-grown mushroom!”

“Hahaha. I’m saying this because yu’re so stiff. Yu tall coward.”

Arianne was furious.

“I wasn’t stiff.”

“I was’t stiff~”

“Stop it!”

“Stup it~”

Arianne’s eyes trembled. It was at that tense situation.

“Stop it, Dondon.”

Paku stopped Dondon. If they continued like this, someone would end up dead, and that person was likely to be his younger sibling.

“Take it easy. I need this fellow to see the emperor.”

Of course, we need this fellow, not a dead one.

Recognizing the meaning of Paku’s words, Arianne turned her head and shut her mouth. When he saw her like that, he laughed. Then, there was Charter, who looked coldly at Paku.

“So, what’s your plan?”

In response to Arianne’s question, Paku took three steps back and soon took two more steps.

“You have to be my slave.”

“What?”

This time we’re becoming a slave, not a hostage?