I’m Sorry I’m Not Qualified to Be Empress - Chapter 6

Chapter 6
Translator & Editor: Mellow & Aki

Rose’s shoulders shook as she hid her face behind her hands, crying.

“Rose. What has happened?”

Cassiax was taken aback. He tried to make Rose face him but that only drove her into more tears.

“Why are you like this?”

“Because Lady Muriel is so pitiful. Oh why….why did it have to be that sweet and kind Lady Muriel?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I can’t believe she has to go to Helavant. Oh. It’s as though you are asking her to go there and die.”

After finally understanding what she was trying to say, Cassiax rubbed his temples in annoyance. He hated women who often cry.

Rose clung unto his arm, crying even more.

“Why does a great Empire like Solstern have to send women to such barbarians? Tell me your, Your Highness!”

“Th-That is something that cannot be helped. We’ve been doing this for a long time to ensure peace, you shouldn’t concern yourself with these political affairs.”

“But Your Highness is going to be the Emperor soon! So, you can definitely deal with those barbarians, isn’t that right, Your Highness?”

Cassiax started at Rose with a perplexed look. The Emperor is still alive yet she speaks such thoughtless words.

“Be careful of what you say, Rose.”

Cassiax spoke in a cold tone. However, Rose did not want to lose the opportunity and just kept going.

“If Your Highness was a true man, you would go this instant to the Emperor and ask him to declare war. You should protect Lady Muriel!”

“You don’t even know anything, so stop spouting such stupid nonsense!”

Between Helavant and the Solstern Empire there was a long and complicated history that was too hard to explain, it was like a painful thorn in the Royal family’s side. Even though Solstern was a big Empire, they could not make any rash decisions and touch Helavant.

Of course, Rose knew that and she was purposefully using that same thorn to provoke Cassiax even more.

“These savages are challenging the royal family’s authority! Your Highness! Step on them and retrieve the Royal family’s honor!”

“Shut that mouth of yours this instant!”

“I’m sure they’re looking down on us more because we’re shrivelling in front of them like that. Your Highness, how can we call ourselves a great Empire when we cannot even protect our own women?”

“You don’t know anything so stop running your mouth like that, Rose.”

“ No. I know. I know very well how powerless our Solstern Empire is.”

TL/N: and the award for best actress goes to, drum roll, Rose!

“If you don’t want to end up going in that lady’s place then I suggest you shut your mouth this instant!”

Bearing his teeth out with veins bulging out of his neck, Cassiax growled like a beast at her.

Rose inwardly sneered at him, she could see exactly just how much anger he was trying to hold back.

‘I need to agitate him more.’

She looked up at him and said in a determined voice,

“Then I’ll go.”

“What?”

He stared at her, shocked.

“Somebody has to be sacrificed and sent there anyway, so I said that I’ll go instead.”

Cassiax could not believe his ears.

‘You stupid, immature woman!’

And with the way he looked at her, it was as though he was saying this with contempt.

He came here today with the thought of proposing to her, yet listening to such nonsense was making his temper flare up with irritation and annoyance. He bit his lower lip, barely swallowing back all the profanities that were about to escape his mouth.

If only she wasn’t a daughter to the Etoire family, it would have been easy to shut her mouth forever, forcefully. He tried to calm himself down, attempting to change the subject of the conversation.

“Rose, my love. Stop wasting time, let’s talk about us now.”

He placed a hand on her waist and pulled her towards him. Even if it meant kissing her, he wanted to shut that noisy mouth of hers. So. he leaned forward, seeking to close the gap between them.

“No, I don’t want to! Let me go!”

At that moment, all the terrible things she experienced while she was living in the place passed through her head like lightning.

Slap!

Rose’s hand had met the side of Cassiax’s face, and it was as if the whole world had come to a sudden pause.

Cassiax froze and glared at Rose as though he could not believe what just happened. He felt a tingling sensation as blood dripped from his cheek.

Her large ruby ring must have grazed the surface of his cheek when she slapped him.

“Y-Your Highness!”

“Ha! You must have finally gone crazy. You dare touch the Crown Prince?”

Rose had just realized what she had done. She hadn’t planned for this to happen, her goal was to only agitate him to make him lose his senses.

For injuring the Crown Prince, it was something worthy of beheading, and anybody in their right mind would never have done such a thing.

However, what’s already happened cannot be undone, so Rose decided to use this situation to her advantage since Cassiax was a man who loses all sense when he sees blood. She remembered how after he became an Emperor, he went on a mass murder spree.

‘So I wonder how he will act after seeing his own blood.’

“Y-Y-Your Highness! I have done something worthy of death. Just thinking about Lady Muriel had me so fired up, I just….”

Cassiax brought his hand up to wipe the blood flowing down, staining his glove that was once white as snow with blood.

“Do you know what it means to hurt the Crown Prince?”

Cassiaz spoke through clenched teeth.

“I have done something worthy of death.”

“Did you say that you wanted to go to the North instead? If you really want to then I’ll send you there!”

“……………….!”

With that, he turned around and walked away leaving Rose behind.

On the terrace, rose leaves resembling blood scattered with the wind, and Rose, who was shaking while her head lowered slowly, rose from her position with a calm expression as though nothing had happened.

Her hand was stinging from how hard she slapped him. Instead of feeling terrified for what she had done, she laughed. It was as if the things that had been rotting inside her for a long time were finally washed away, it felt refreshing.

Glaring at Cassiax’s back as it slowly faded away, she mumbled,

“I would do anything to get away from you, even if it meant going to hell!”

Her plan did not include drawing blood but overall she succeeded and that put a smile on her face.

The moment Cassiax entered the banquet hall, noisy commotion broke out and could be heard all the way to the terrace.

The servants waiting for him outside cried out in shock.

“Y-Your Highness….blood!”

The blood from the wound on his cheek dripped down his clothes, making it seem as if his neck had been slashed with a blade.

Witnessing this scene, the nobles gasped in astonishment, and the melody that was once playing came to a screeching halt.

The air in the hall had suddenly dropped several degrees.

“Your Highness! We should get your wound treated right away!”

Even in this serious situation, Eliza was trying to appeal to Cassiax. Taking out her lace handkerchief, she ran towards him first before anyone else.

Cassiax used all his might to push the running Eliza away from him, the resulting force made her tumble and fall horribly onto the ground. Her eyes closed, one could not tell whether she really had just fainted or was acting as if she had because she was feeling humiliated.

The nobles gasped and started parting away so he could pass.

“My goddess.”

“Honey, Honey! What in the world had happened? Why is the Crown Prince’s face…..”

Countess Audrey latched onto her husband’s arm. Count Jared clasped his wife’s hand trying to comfort her. The couple could not see Rose among the crowd, feeling something ominous, the Count tried to look around searching for his daughter.

“Where is Rose? Have you not seen her?”

Upon hearing her name, Cassiax who was heading quickly for the exit, paused and stood in front of the Count and Countess.

“Y-Your Highness.”

“I have very good news regarding your daughter.”

“I beg your pardon…..? What….d-do you mean?”

“The brave young lady of the Etoire family had volunteered to go to the north. Congratulations.”

“What?”

The hall broke into an uproar again.

The moment Cassiax finished his sentence, the sound of glass breaking could be heard.

“Wife!”

As she fainted into the Count’s arms, the glass that Countess Audrey was holding had fallen to the ground, shattering into pieces.

Cassiax stared coldly at the couple then turned around and exited the banquet hall.

Hans, who was standing far away, observing the scene unfold with an indescribable face, muttered quietly.

“Rose, my sister. You’ve caused big trouble this time.”

***

The atmosphere in the Etoire household was that of mourning.

Countess Audrey lied down on the sofa with a towel placed around her forehead. Count Jared, who sat next to her wrapping his hands around his head, made it seem like he was in pain. On the other side of the room, Hans, who was seated, tapped his finger nervously on the sofa’s armrest getting on the Countess’s nerves.

“Oh Hans! Please stop doing that!”

It seemed that even Hans, who was always calm and worry-free, became anxious and worried for the first time.

She, who had lots of fears, tears and laughter, was Rose Etoire, the precious daughter of the Etoire household. Yet, who could have imagined that his little sister, who grew up being protected and shield like a flower in a greenhouse, would be pulling a stunt like that.

“Mother….are you alright?”

Rose had finally entered the room. It seemed she knew exactly what kind of trouble she stirred. She acted so brazenly in front of Cassiax, yet in front of her parents, she couldn’t help but stand meekly like a wilting flower. She could just imagine how much of a shock it must have been for her weak-hearted mother and father. She felt sorry for putting them through such a situation.

Hearing her daughter’s voice, Countess Audrey, who was lying down on the sofa moments ago, stood up immediately.

“What in the world happened? The North? You asked to go to the North! You’re lying, right?”

“I’m sorry.”

Hearing Rose’s apology just seemed to affirm that everything they had heard was true.

“Darling! How did we raise her, how did I raise her like this?”

Countess Audrey broke out in tears, hitting Count Jared’s chest with what little strength she had left.

“Rose, go sit over there.”

The Count spoke in a somber tone.

Rose quietly took a seat opposite to her brother. Hans opened his mouth, making it seem like he wanted to say something, but he shut it in the end. The Count spoke again.

“Be honest with me. Is it true that you told the Crown Prince that you wanted to go to the North instead of Lady Muriel?”

“Yes, it’s true.”