âNice to meet you. My name is Remiya. I asked you here because it seems I have to meet you.â
Remiya shook her fan gently. She glanced at Charlize sitting opposite her. A gaze inspecting her from top to bottom.
People saw Charlize as Dylanâs teacher. She thought no one would care that she lived in the same building as the Crown Prince, but apparently, someone cared, it was her.
Remiya, the one who openly said that she wants to be the Crown Princess.
The red hair is gorgeous. The clear enemy eyes flashed with ambition.
âIâm used to it.â
The wife of Dietrich IV, who was famous for her evil character.
A face filled with the thought of removing all the distractions at once.
Having always stood by the emperor meant that the empress also watched closely.
For the first time, Charlize saw a woman she liked from her first impression.
âI think you can guess why Iâm here if you are the Grandmaster.â
âI guess youâre here to check.â
Charlize lowered her gaze while thinking. She knows very well what happened to the rumors among the nobles concerning her.
She could vividly read what her little head was thinking about. Recently, rumors have been scattered about selecting a candidate for the Crown Princess.
[Which familyâs daughter would be a suitable spouse for Dylan?]
The emperor, excited about the thought of ââbringing in his daughter-in-law, went around making noise.
Charlize had the most right to speak.
Charlizeâs opinion was Dylanâs opinion. Everyone knew that.
She had seen enough of the battle of the imperial ladies. She didnât know the day would come when she became the person directly involvedâŚ
âThatâs cute.â
Charlize raised her gaze again and looked at Remiya.
Remiya felt the sharpness of a strange blade for a while, her face hardened before she finally managed to pull out her courage and to shake her fan.
She tried to pretend to be calm.
âI canât even read her. Grandmaster, what the hell is your relationship with the Crown Prince?â
Remiya was nervous to see Charlize, who was much more beautiful than the rumors.
If Remiyaâs face was gorgeously beautiful, Charlize was a bit different.
Obviously, she seemed like a fairy to be this charming and eye-catching.
The unique atmosphere seemed hard to follow because of its strong personality.
âOminousâŚâ
âLetâs have some tea and talk,â
Charlize offered calmly.
Remiya said, shaking her fan gently.
âOh, may I choose flowers to boil with Grandmasterâs tea instead? I brought it from my parentsâ house because I really wanted to serve you.â
Remiya smiled but Charlize felt her thorns. Like a bee ready to sting, she was sharp.
Charlize became a little interested and deeply leaned back on the chair.
The maid who followed Remiya showed her beautiful flower.
Remiya said with a proudly arched chest,
âItâs a Snapdragon.â
Snapdragon.
It was also called the skull flower.
Unlike the appearance of the antique flowers, the flowerâs meaning was not very good.
Usually, any flowerâs symbolism was pretty and cute. On the other hand, only the SnapdragonâŚ
âIt means greed and desire.â
âI was thinking about Colchicum and Snapdragon, and I chose the latter.â
This clearly felt hostile. The flower of Colchicum meant âthe best time has passedâ.
To interpret Remiyaâs words,
âThe good times to keep the Crown Princeâs side are over, so stop being greedy and go away.â
It was about that.
Charlize remained silent.
The maid, who noticed, went to boil the flower tea with Snapdragon.
The young ladyâs mind could be read clearly, but she was also cute.
The battle of the imperial ladies was fierce. This can be seen from the fact that the 7th concubine was poisoned as soon as she gave birth to Dylan.
Charlize intended to turn Dylan into a tyrant, and as his companion, a villain is suitable.
âDylan will have a lot of women.â
The empress must be a strong being who will not give up to her womanizer husband, and she should be a figure stronger than any concubine.
She must be able to suppress and grip onto any bold concubine.
She also needed to have the right power to be the empress.
âRemiya is suitable.â
She was a talented person who also studied abroad in the Shan Kingdom three years ago.
The Shan Kingdom, the homeland of the 7th concubine, was a country that was ignored by the empire, but the experience of studying in the Shan Kingdom was too clear.
Right next to Dylan.
âI like her thorough preparation and her confidence in being cool-headed and wary of myself.â
Charlize said,
âIâm going to serve you with orchid tea, not a flower tea because you have prepared it specially.â
âOrchid flower tea. You mean?â
âItâs because the cold-growing cymbidium orchid flowers that I take care of have finally bloomed.â
Charlize smiled and Remiya hesitated for a moment.
What the cold-growing cymbidium orchid symbolized wasâŚ
âLady. Beautiful beauty.â
It was because she cursed me in the face and I returned praises. Remiya flinched.
Remiya quickly glanced at Charlizeâs expression. Charlize was just smiling softly.
âI won her favor,â
Charlize thought.
Remiya, on the other hand, was embarrassed by this hospitality, as she had obviously come to fight with enthusiasm.
The orchid tea was a little more expensive and rarer than the flower tea. But it was subtle.
Charlize was incredibly enchanting as she glanced at the flower tea boiled from Snapdragon.
âBreathe.â
The skull flower of the nightâs desire. It was a flower that was said to be a symbol of the vampire legends around society. Decadent, drowsy, and deeply withdrawn.
It was a strange combination of the day-to-day atmosphere of Charlize.
It was Remiya who received the praise, but it was Charlize who caught the attention.
âI was blocked again.â
The navy-blue eyes that resembled the night sky grew darker. The mysterious eyes were finely curved.
The middle boundary between night and day is strange and bizarre. Itâs just like you can only stare straight at the sun when itâs sunset.
Her hair, mixed with blonde and silver hair, seemed to show a freedom that seemed out of place anywhere.
Like a rootless fairy that was ready to leave anytime.
With the gossips around society, Charlize was far from unrefined. How could she be so luxurious?
Could a person feel so dreamy and vague? Remiya forgot her original intentions and stared at Charlize blankly.
âGreat. Young lady would be very suitable.â
ââŚYes?â
âIn the end, I know that you are visiting me because you want something.â
Charlize was just whispering, but Remiya was fascinated.
âYou want to be the Crown Princess. I know the only person who can give that position.â
âThat⌠Who is it?â
Remiya asked as if she had been possessed.
She felt a terrible thirst. She didnât know where it came from. She just wanted to reach Charlize.
Her throat is burned.
Charlize answered gently.
âThatâs me, who is in front of young lady.â
Remiya finally realized it.
Charlize in front of her was not a rival she should be wary of, but a woman of power she must hold onto.
What she showed must have been rude, but Charlize was smiling at her with a full heart.
âI can never win against a person like this.â
Remiya intuitively realized the wall between the two.
She was silent for a long time, speechless.
Maybe the reason why she kept getting thirsty was because of the opportunity that came to her. But it was unclear whether it was because of the Charlize in front of her.
***
âIt went well.â
Charlize selected three candidates for the Crown Princess.
All of them were from the most prestigious families. Among them, the most likely candidate was Remiya.
Charlize packed a document that briefly summarized the personal information of the nobles.
Now it was time to show this to Dylan.
There was plenty of good moments because she spend most of the day with Dylan.
It was a break time after finishing the class as usual.
Charlize held out the document to Dylan, who sighed.
Dylan looked at Charlize with a gentle face. An innocent look without any doubts.
âMaster, what is this?â
âPlease read it, Your Highness. I wrote it with all my heart, but I donât know if youâre satisfied with it.â
ââŚâ
Dylanâs expression slowly began to harden as he quickly read the document. His eyes were distorted, a little shocked.
Charlize was quite surprised because she knew he was the Crown Prince who was good at managing facial expressions.
Still, she didnât forget to make a recommendation.
âI liked young lady âRemiyaâ the most. It was said that she was the best match for Your Highnessâs companion. She also had experience studying abroad for two years in the Shan KingdomâŚâ
ââŚâ
âPerhaps itâs young lady who can communicate with Your Highness the most.â
Dylan raised his head with gloomy.
Charlizeâs voice gradually faded.
âShe looks pretty smart, and she seem to be good at controlling whatâs beneath her⌠she also has ambition, so sheâs suitable for the position of the Crown Princess⌠Your Highness?â
âOh, wait a minute. I got dizzy.â
Strangely, Dylanâs voice sounded a little cold. âI must have heard wrong when the ending sounded informal.â
Dylan touched his forehead and took a moment to catch his breath. Charlize was worried and looked at his complexion.
The pale daylight was not very good. On the contrary, the dark light in his eyes was intense.
Charlize wasnât used to seeing Dylan sick.
âAre you all right, Your Highness?â
âYes⌠By the way, Master said this young lady âRemiyaââŚâ
The corner of the document crumpled violently when he pronounced âRemiyaâ.
It was a very careful hand when he washed Charlizeâs feet a few days ago.
âAre you saying you want me to marry her?â
âYes, sheâs a very suitable young lady like Your Highnessâs companion.â
Dylanâs voice became rough like a beastâs low growl.
Charlize took it lightly because she believed he was sick.
Charlize alone, who even looked indifferent, was calm and serene. It stood out in contrast to Dylanâs seething atmosphere.
Charlize looked up at Dylan.
Dylan thought, for a moment, that his heart seemed to be tearing into pieces.
âIâll ask you again. Master.â
âWhatâs wrong with you?â
âDo you really want me to marry this young lady?â
Dylan was an outstanding student.
Dylan was such an existence to Charlize, as the student who surpassed his teacher was called Cheong Chul Eo Lam*.
(*T/N: Cheong Chul Eo Lam: The student or a junior is better than his teacher or a senior who taught him.)
Even before asking the question, he knew Charlizeâs intentions, and he was a smart genius who knew the answer even if he asked.
As he emphasized, he asked twice.
Charlize hesitated.
âWhat donât you like?â
Charlize pondered.
Strangely, Dylan behaved like a wounded beast.
So, she tried to answer, but when Dylanâs eyes met hers, her mouth shut.
A blind and sorrowful look at himself.
It was like being strangled.
âAre you thinking of marrying me to that young lady?â
Asked Dylan, gently tickling Charlizeâs palm.
Charlize was a little dazed. It was so natural that she didnât even know her hand was being held. Suddenly she felt a sense of Deja vu.
âWhen I first met Dylan, I tickled the boyâs palm to get him interested in me.â
As if to give it back. This time Dylan provoked Charlize.
Charlize looked up at Dylan. Dylan tickled her palm, and the back of Charlizeâs neck felt ticklish.
She acted gently as if she was weak, but she looked so pretty.