The Hero Proposed to Me - Chapter 11

I didn’t know what to do, so I held his hand and got up. Prince Alex even claimed to be my escort for some reason.

“You’re going to have to talk to the Duchess.”

While Isaac went to tell our mom that he was going home first, Alex guided us to the carriage in the darkness of the Imperial Palace.

“Hold my hands so you don’t get lost.”

“Thank you.”

Maybe it’s because Alex is four years old, Louis deliberately walked holding only my hand, leaving him alone. Alex looked really cool, unlike our little idiot.

Red eyes, which are in contrast to navy hair that sparkles like the night sky when the moon rises. It looked beautiful like well-made porcelain. My heart flutters seeing his face even though I know that it shouldn’t be.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.”

I bowed my head because I was embarrassed. I could understand a little bit why the original Ciel hated Clara so much.

It’s no wonder to have a major crush on him when he’s this cool. He’s really dangerous to the heart.

By the time we arrived at the carriage, Isaac, who had been running, caught up with us. After getting ready to go home, he greeted Alex with high spirits.

“Thank you very much for protecting my siblings, Your Grace.”

“I should say thank you. Thanks to the Lady, things went smoothly.”

I was a little helpful. It’s true that instead of breaking the death flag, now you owe me a great debt for ruining the State Secretary’s position, who will be a great threat in the future.

By the way, I suddenly thought of Clara dancing with Theo.

Alex is the male lead, but my activities completely broke the flag with Clara, the most important one.

Alex and Clara should have continued in the way of the original, but the way they looked at each other while dancing was so neat and simple.

To be honest, if Clara is not  happy, I don’t think it’s a good idea to force her into the Palace.

Now that this has happened, I thought that there is no need to overdo it to force the two of them together.

“Then we’ll get going now.”

“Did you say that you shouldn’t be caught by the Duchess?”

“Yes. Come visit our mansion next time. I’ll treat you to a delicious cake.”

Let’s not think complicatedly. Anyway, thanks to the Prince’s cooperation, I have achieved everything I wanted today.

Clara was able to make a perfect debut safely as I planned, so somehow I felt relieved to have crossed a big mountain.

If I break the original flag little by little, I will be able to get rid of the evil Ciel’s deeds and have a true happy ending with my sister and precious family.

In order to do so, I also need to maintain a good relationship with Alex, who will be the future Crown Prince.

“I’ll visit you soon.”

“Yes, I’ll be waiting.”

Fortunately, he was also indebted to me, so he gladly accepted my proposal.

I don’t know if Clara gets to like Alex, but I don’t have to force her to marry him if they don’t like each other.

We’re acquainted. We can maintain that form. Anyway, I thanked Alex for actively cooperating with today’s plan.

The carriage began to run. Isaac deliberately lifted me up from where I was sitting and put me on his lap.

“Ciel, it’s good to help His Highness the Prince, but you can’t get involved in anything dangerous.”

Perhaps because he heard about Count Ruben, Isaac repeatedly asked me as if he was overprotective.

“I’m fine. Louis protected me, didn’t he?”

To be exact, he protected me by attacking the villain’s crotch. Louis was quite elated by my praise, but Isaac’s hardened expression showed little signs of being relieved.

“Why are you so worried, brother?”

“That’s it, of course! Ciel’s so cute, I’m just wondering what to do if he falls in love with you.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

Louis immediately snorted at Isaac’s concern. Anyway, Louis can’t stand to see me being praised. It’s all empty words, so it doesn’t hurt me even if he tries to.

Louis’s words are mean, but I decided to let it go today because I saw him throw himself to save me in the moment of crisis.

And technically, he’s not wrong. Alex doesn’t like me, and he doesn’t like Ciel to be exact .

For him, who was often criticized for his mother’s status, Ciel, who had everything, couldn’t have looked nice.

“You can’t have a crush on him.”

You’ve been kind to me for some reason today, but I’m sure it’s because you helped me destroy the Empress.

Anyway, I won’t tell you to like me, so please don’t kill me. It’s enough to be acquainted.

“But you never know.”

“Brother, I’m sleepy.”

Anyway, Isaac is so fussy that it’s a problem. I was so tired because I did so much work today.

I fell asleep, leaning gently in Isaac’s arms.

3. Let’s go to the Palace!

After the night of the ball, Alex met his father, the Emperor, as soon as the morning sun started shining brightly.

“It’s Alex.”

“Come in.”

He was lucky. If Marquis Romford had taken over as Secretary of State, it would have been a huge obstacle.

Until yesterday, the Emperor, who had no justification to support Alex as the Crown Prince, looked over the mountain of data in front of him.

The Emperor could not recklessly use his hands as he is the axis of power that divides the country.

The Emperor’s sister and the absolute support of the nobles was due to her husband, who had already died.

A long time ago, the late Emperor granted the title of Grand Duke and the hand of the Royal Princess to honor the mercenary who had dealt with the Black Dragon, who lashed the Empire for a long time.

This was good to hear, and the reason why the Emperor gave up the precious imperial daughter was to make the Dragon Land, Winterbaum Estate, which was occupied by mercenaries, a part of the Imperial Family.

The mercenary cursed by the dragon died less than a year after marrying the Princess, and Stan, their son, lost his father even before he was born.

The mercenary died and Princess Lotte returned to the Imperial Family with the ownership of the Winterbaum Estate, which boasts a vast scale.

Having married a mercenary brought her immense wealth; Lotte was called “The Poor Princess who sacrificed herself for the Empire” and gained immense popularity among both commoners and nobles.

Even though Princess Lotte’s popularity has plumetted because she’s done many bad things, she still wields an enormous power with the title of a Royal Princess with full legitimacy.

Therefore, the Emperor could not recklessly put Alex on the Crown Prince’s seat as his younger sister was wary of it.

Of course, considering his ability, he should have named him successor earlier, but due to his mother’s humble background, this was hampered.

This is technically not Alex’s fault, but the Emperor’s. Perhaps that’s why the Emperor felt guilty whenever he saw Alex.

“Did you call for me?”

“You did well yesterday. I heard he stepped on my toes{1} and betrayed my trust by breaking the faith I placed on him.”

In the face of his father’s anger, he calmly arranged his composition.

“I’m sorry for the inevitable rush of the matter.”

“I’m sorry. I put you in trouble. I’m proud of you, my son.”

It was not easy to hear the praise of the Emperor. It was even rare for a son to be particularly favorited.

Still, if you made such a visible contribution, the story is different. Alex, the eldest son, and Stan, the heir of the Grand Duchy of Winterbaum; both fight for the seat of the Crown Prince.

Although the two were sharply divided, the Emperor pushed hard this time, as soon as the problem of the Empress was found.

“I’ll make you the Crown Prince soon.”

The Emperor still looked at his son with cold eyes. As it is a good opportunity, Alex would have taken this chance in the past, but he changed his mind.

Alex shook his head.

“It’s still too early.”

“Early?”

Facing the wary face of the Emperor, Alex felt bitter that all his thoughts had been read. He was blinded by revenge, and revealed his feelings too much.

Alex calmly looked back at the reality he was in.

“As my Father said, there are still many things that I am not good enough at.”

“I can’t believe you’re saying such a humble thing. The sun must have rose in the west today.”

His son, who had always been looking forward to the day he would be the Crown Prince, had a slightly different atmosphere today.

The Emperor carefully observed his son’s transformation. Despite his young age, his mature appearance as well as his cautious and calm attitude was so charismatic that even the Emperor cannot treat him lightly.

He was the emperor’s sore finger. After the mysterious death of his mother, Alex quickly became less talkative. The Empress tried to dispose of him, but the Emperor stopped her.

It was the only thing he could do as a father.

“I see. What do you wish for? You are being so humble.”

Even if he becomes the Crown Prince, how long will he be able to maintain his position without a foundation yet?

Suddenly, a good idea came to his mind. Alex found the answer to the possibility that his father had already proposed. It’s something that will not only satisfy his personal interests but also solidify the Crown Prince position.

However, he shouldn’t reveal what he was thinking. Like surfing drunk in the water. You should act and speak in moderation so your opponent cannot read what’s inside your mind.

“I think the time has come to prepare for my marriage.”

“You are gonna do it yourself?”

A Royal marriage is rather early. Even so, his father knew best that Alex wasn’t going to listen to the Emperor’s orders.

If it’s a marriage proposal for which Alex wanted to postpone attaining the position of Crown Prince, which he longed for. How will the Emperor react?

He looked up and down at his son with a curious look.

“Okay. Maybe you met someone who took your heart last night, right?”

“I won’t deny it.”

“Are you serious?”

Notes :