CH 99

Rosé also set down the colored pencil in her hand and waited for Helios’ answer.

“It’s time to go to bed. Let go of your pencils and come now.”

Helios quickly picked up his younger siblings from their chairs and stood them on their feet.

“We’re not finished with our diaries yet though? Oppa, what does run-dez-vus mean?”

“Hyung! Tell me what rundezvus is!”

Rosé and Ferre grabbed one each of Helios’ legs and whined at him with cute expressions, wordlessly telling him that they didn’t want to go.

“If you go to bed late, Miss Popo will be angry. Is that alright with you two? Since you lied because you didn’t want to do your homework, I don’t think you’ll be getting any stickers.”

In a hurry to brush this matter aside, Helios used the stickers that the children liked the most and brandished it like a weapon.

Immediately, Rosé and Ferre’s cheeks puffed up and their lips pouted even more. Nothing was more important to them than stickers.

“Tch. You’re so mean, Oppa.”

“Hiiing. Hyung. Meanie.”

They wanted to whine more, but Rosé and Ferre obediently went to the bathroom together, hand-in-hand.

After confirming that his younger siblings were gone, Helios swept a hand over his face.

‘I was hoping that this wouldn’t happen…’

The gentle smile on his countenance disappeared and what replaced it was a contemplative expression.

“What does it say?”

Helios looked back at Raphael and asked.

“As it has been expected, it’s an article that says Your Majesty is dating someone, and that you’ve been seen having a late-night stroll with a woman inside the palace.”

“Have any tabloids written stories about Miss Popo?”

“Not a lot. I don’t think they know her name, status and that she’s Their Highnesses’ tutor. If the information leaked out is too detailed, then we’ll be able to guess the source.”

“But it’s only a matter of time until they figure it out. Miss Popo is a well-known tutor in the whole Empire… We also can’t ignore the possibility that the information leak is from someone in high society.”

Helios personally checked the contents of the article.

The title was, ‘[Exclusive] The Emperor’s Rendezvous: Who Is The Young Lady His Majesty Is Meeting Secretly?’ However, unlike the provocative title, it’s a good thing that there’s nothing particularly specific in the body of the text, just one false, flowery mention of them holding hands.

Even so, anyone who was working in the palace would be able to guess that it was Sera Popo. Above all, an article like this would be the perfect jumping off point for creating more false rumors about events that never transpired.

“Miss Popo will be in trouble.”

“Yes. First, we’ll look into who it is that’s talking inside the palace. That, and who’s snooping in from outside.”

They had to discuss it more, but they saw the twins coming back while wiping their damp hands over their clothes.

“Let’s talk later after I tuck them in, Raphael.”

They needed to find a way to make sure that Miss Popo would be affected as little as possible by this.

Helios thought it over as he carried his younger siblings, who had innocent expression, in his arms.

* * *

Sera sneakily looked out through a small gap in the curtains, but she immediately backed away from the window in surprise. As this happened, the fluttering curtains showed a small opening, but she hastily closed it again.

‘I can’t believe there’s so many people out on the street even though it’s the middle of the night. I think it’s twice as many as during the day, even.’

Sera’s house was neither downtown nor was it situated in an affluent boulevard. That’s why it’s so jarring to see people like them outside—ladies in such fine dresses and men wearing such low hats that it’s difficult to see their faces. This was usually an alley where only children with runny noses ran about.

Pacing worriedly in front of the window, Sera picked up a letter that she placed in one corner a while ago.

It was a letter that she received from a white carrier pigeon that tapped on her window earlier this morning at the crack of dawn. The neat cursive script was undeniably Helios’ handwriting.

This note, which she read already two dozen times, began with ‘Miss Popo’.

[ To Miss Sera Popo,

Miss Popo, I apologize for contacting you so suddenly when you must be enjoying your well-earned day off today. However, it’s come to a point that I needed to contact you.

An article will be published about how you and I had a stroll together in the palace. Fortunately, no information about you will be divulged, neither your identity nor where you live. But still, for anyone who works in or frequents the palace, it’ll be easy for them to guess that it’s you. I’m certain that some of them would try to meet you personally.

To prevent any untoward incidents, numerous knights will be stationed around your house. Please don’t be surprised when you see them. The carriage will pick you up earlier than usual on Monday. ]

Setting down the letter, Sera looked through the curtains out the window one more time—and instantly regretted it. It felt like she made eye contact with one woman.

Sera lay down on her bed, trying to smooth over the goosebumps on her arm.

‘I know I’m an exceptional case since I’ve become a renown tutor, so I should have expected this, right? There are knights out there on the look out, nothing big should happen. But I do wonder just what on earth’s written on that article…’

She tossed and turned while trying to go to sleep, but she couldn’t calm down easily. She was thinking of the people who were waiting for her to come out of her house.

Sera closed her eyes, hoping for Monday to come soon.