I Will Save The Princess - Chapter 37

To Take The Initiative (3)

The Emperor was barely seated, but the chilly atmosphere remained.

‘…Please say something. I feel suffocated.’

“The South will be quiet for a while.”

It was the Duke who spoke first in the awkward silence.

“When His Majesty said he would go down directly, the nobles weren’t even in a frenzy.”

“These people want the Emperor to be kept within the palace. The outing was a bit prolonged, though.”

“It’s been how many years since the outing started? Marquis Liam must have had a hard time.”

The Emperor frowned, seemingly displeased, but then his lips twisted into a smile.

“Vincent can’t handle things properly, so isn’t that why the Emperor went out? Even though I entrusted him with full military command, he struggled.”

“Commanding all five headquarters is not an easy task. Wasn’t General Stratos, the current head of the Royal Guard, only in charge of the Central Command?”

Creating a nonexistent position of Grand Marshal and placing Vincent in it, the Emperor unified the separate military bases into one Imperial Army.

Thanks to this, the Empire was able to achieve a powerful imperial authority, but all of this was possible thanks to the existence of Vincent.

But even though he worked so hard, he was reviled by the Emperor. Suddenly, Hannah felt sorry for Vincent.

“It’s not about ‘can’ or ‘cannot,’ but about whether you do it or not. General Stratos seems to have withdrawn so much in the past few years. I told Vincent to stay in the capital for the time being.”

“What are your thoughts about the North?”

“There are quite a few useful people among that man’s subordinates… I think it will be okay for a while.”

Speaking vaguely, the Emperor rested his chin on his hand and looked down at the teacup. Although it was a simple action, elegance overflowed from his noble demeanour.

The Emperor just moved his lips and began speaking again.

“How are the movements of the nobles these days? The southern part is fine since it is over, but the eastern part is a little annoying.”

“Well, the East has nothing special going on. I think we just have to keep an eye on Count Toffle trying to contact the central nobility. I’ll inform you as information gathers.”

“Please do.”

Between the conversations containing important information, the bond between the two was subtly revealed. For the Emperor to use the word ‘please.’ Their relationship seemed quite good.

Hannah continued to gauge the mood of the two people by fiddling with the teacup’s handle. Soon, the Duke recalled a gentle smile and changed the topic.

“I was more surprised than that. I never thought the Princess would have grown up like that already. Her painting skills are amazing.”

“Yeah, it must be child’s play.”

“If you see it for yourself, Your Majesty will understand what I mean. Unlike Your Majesty, the Princess has excellent artistic talent.”

“‘Unlike Your Majesty,’ you say.”

“Your Majesty, you don’t have any artistic talents, right? Not in painting, music, or singing.”

“…Do you think a soldier needs something like that?”

“Your Majesty is no longer a soldier.”

When the Duke retorted in a pleasant tone, the Emperor closed his mouth with a disapproving expression.

The Duke closed his eyes and gave a charming smile. Beautiful ruby eyes slowly turned to Hannah.

“Come to think of it, how’s the Princess’s illness?”

“Pardon?”

“I heard she has difficulty using her hands due to an illness. Is she okay? She seems to be talented, though, judging from her painting skills.”

‘Is it okay to respond normally?’ 

Conscious of the Emperor, Hannah carefully chose her words.

“She’s usually fine. The condition rarely appears, only when she feels down or tired. It seems like she uses painting as a way to release when something piles up.”

“That’s good. With that level of skill, it seems she doesn’t need to learn much more. It’s better to leave her free to paint as she wishes.”

“Is that so…? But won’t it be difficult for her if she becomes too absorbed in painting?”

“Well, that’s something she’ll be able to control on her own.”

Smoothly, the Duke took a sip of his tea.

“When all artists reach a certain level, it is a fight against themselves from then on. All you have to do is be there for her when she needs you.”

Thud. The Duke placed the teacup down as if pondering something, then turned to the Emperor and spoke.

“By the way, Your Majesty, would it be alright for me to bring my son to visit the White Rose Palace next time?”

The Emperor responded with a puzzled look. The Duke chuckled awkwardly and shrugged his broad shoulders.

“It seems he’s insisting on meeting her after seeing her paintings. He’s not one who fusses easily, but it was a problem.”

The Emperor seemed to have answered something, but Hannah was too surprised to hear anything.

‘Oh, my God?!’

‘Eshriel Yendil wants to meet Ophelia? Because he likes her paintings? The Prince of the social circles?’

“Then I will bring my son next time. Since the Princess has no friends her age, she will be delighted.”

The Duke’s soft baritone brought Hannah back to her senses. Hannah nodded while covering her mouth to hide her surprise.

‘It’s a really strange day today. Isn’t this a dream?’

The Duke slightly lowered his eyes without erasing the smile on his lips.

Tok, tok, his outstretched fingers, tapped the table rhythmically.

The butterfly-engraved signet ring on his index finger reflected a faint light.

With his gaze still lowered, the Duke slowly began to speak.

“To be honest, today, after a long time visiting the White Palace, I had various thoughts. But seeing the Princess in good health, I realised they were all pointless musings.”

There was a strange remorse in the soft baritone voice. The Duke raised his face and met the Emperor’s gaze. The smile that had stayed on his lips the whole time had disappeared without a trace.

“She grew up pretty. The Empress was also such a beauty, so you can’t lie about her bloodline.”

The gentle atmosphere that enveloped the garden suddenly chilled.

The story of Ophelia’s birth mother, Empress Sened, was the biggest taboo word in the imperial palace.

Hannah rolled her eyes and observed the Emperor. He maintained an expressionless face as he met the Duke’s gaze.

“And, looking at that face, I understand why you are so captivated by the Princess.”

“Duke.”

“She looks a lot like Empress Sened. A lot.”

“Torneus.”

“But the Princess–”

The teacup flew through the air.

With a splash, the tea spilt onto the table, creating splotches of colour, and the teacup grazed the Duke’s cheek, leaving a peculiar line.

The thrown teacup hit the tree and shattered with a thud. Broken fragments were scattered around the tea table.

The person who threw the teacup was looking at the Duke with a raised eye corner and a solemn expression.

It was still a graceful and calm face. But beyond that, the dessert knife was held in an unsuitable way in the raised hand. The Emperor tossed and received the dessert knife into the air, casting a nonchalant look at the Duke.

“Torneus Yendil.”

A husky voice echoed over the tea table.

The Emperor uttered the name calmly, twirling the dessert knife. His demeanour and expression remained unchanged, but his red eyes emitted only coldness.

“You wouldn’t want to get your throat cut over a trivial matter, would you? Right?”

“…”

“You should know well what I dislike. Why bring up such matters in this situation?”

“Your…”

“Don’t make me angry.”

An eerie silence weighed heavily on the atmosphere.

In the dense air, the words of a composed apology flowed onto the table.

“I apologise, Your Majesty.”

——♦ ⋄· 🜲· ⋄ ♦——