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Winter, which seemed never to pass, had withdrawn, and spring had finally arrived.
Recently, a very small and annoying change has happened in my daily life. The nobles in the distance would rush to me and start to hide their knowledge upon noticing my presence in the hallways of the Imperial Palace.
“Oh, aren’t you Princess Peresca? I can see your dazzling figure even from 10 miles away!”
“Princess, do you remember me? I was on your side before. Oh, please, you should know my true feelings!”
“There was no way that Young Duke Leonard would have committed such an injustice! Of course I knew from the start it was all a conspiracy!”
People whose noses couldn’t be seen when Leonard was falsely accused and I was in trouble expressed their friendship with all their might. With Yulika’s engagement broken, the Valers sinking, and the empress dowager facing punishment, everyone quickly switched sides.
‘Scoundrels.’
I accepted the greetings with a smile, but of course I wasn’t happy.
However, among many kinds of people, some did not hide their animosity toward me at all. This, of course, didn’t make me happy either.
***
One day, Margrave Brande asked me for a conversation in person. I was a bit puzzled at his request, wondering what he was up to now.
“Mr. Kegor. Is Yulika Brande still staying in the capital?”
“No, I heard she already went back to the fief four days ago.”
I tilted my head at the butler’s kind explanation. His daughter was not here either, so why was this nobleman, an outsider, still staying in the capital?
‘Well, let’s see what nonsense he’ll be talking about.’
Thus, I unexpectedly accepted. At the promised time, the margrave came to the duke’s residence. The butler ushered him into the drawing room.
“Welcome, Count. I’ve been expecting you.”
“That’s enough of a compliment. We’re not even close.”
I greeted him with a smile, but the count himself looked like he’d just chewed shit before he came here, considering he was the one asking for this conversation to take place. What a rude old man.
“It’s unexpected that you wanted to meet me, not my father.”
“Because I thought it would be better to talk to the person in question.”
“Person in question?”
“The person who stole my daughter’s place and took it,” the count revealed his teeth and spoke to me as if threatening.
I asked, raising my eyebrows, oblivious, “Which place are you talking about?”
“Of course, I’m talking about the position of the empress.”
“Oops. There’s something wrong with what you say, Count.”
“What?”
“First. Yulika Brande was betrothed to His Majesty but never married, so she never once sat on the throne of the empress.” I spread my index finger and explained clearly. Then, I erected my middle finger as I explained the second. “And second. I am not yet engaged or married to His Majesty, so I am not in any place yet.”
“You’re going to sit there eventually.”
“I don’t know. But there is no reason for you to be involved in that matter.”
“That place was originally Yulika’s! It’s wrong to break off the engagement for something that wasn’t even Yulika’s fault!”
“I don’t know why you’re asking me for that, Count.”
“Well, since you’re the person in-!”
“The person in question is not me but Yulika and His Majesty. Do it to the guilty Empress Dowager if you want to vent your anger.”
The empress dowager was still imprisoned in the depths of the Imperial Palace. Although outsiders were strictly prohibited from entering her, it was not impossible.
I deliberately belatedly let out an ‘ah’ and said, “That’s true; now she’s not even the dowager anymore.” And I grinned. “Wouldn’t it be justifiable to visit Marianne Valer to vent, Count?”
“How dare you mention the empress dowager’s name carelessly! Are you insane, Princess?!” The count jumped up from his seat with a flushed face. He seemed to get more emotional when I talked about the dowager than when I talked about his daughter.
‘Is it because the dowager is more important than his daughter?’
I thought so but soon corrected it.
‘No. I’m sure it’s because he will benefit more from the dowager.’
Unknowingly, I clicked my tongue. The count’s eyebrows narrowed visibly as if my belittling attitude moved him.
“You’re such a mannerless girl-!” the count muttered tremblingly. His eyes were full of anger toward me. If I were Yulika, he would have slapped me right away.
“Count.” With my chin resting on my hand, I looked up at him standing and said, “I’m being very polite now.”
“What?! Ha! What will you do if you’re not being polite?! Are you going to drag me out like a criminal and kick me out of this house?!”
“Please. I won’t do that, Count.” The more the count raged, the more I narrowed my eyes and smiled brighter. “Just, maybe I can tip off His Majesty about your loyalty, who still can’t forget Marianne Valer.”
At those words, the margrave’s face finally turned white. He must be angry to the top of his head, but he couldn’t even vent it because he understood my implication.
The count trembled and shivered so much that his eyes were red and bloodshot. Then he squeezed out the most insulting words he could and threw them at me. “A mere woman carrying His Majesty on her back acts brazenly. Where did that prestige come from
?!”
“You seem to look down on women. I guess it’s because you have nothing to offer but that thing between your legs?”
“W-W-What?!”
“But I don’t think it’s something to show off.” I pointed with my index finger exactly between the margrave’s legs and made a sarcastic remark. “I guess it was why Lady Brande had no other siblings.”
“Perescaaa! How dare you!”
“Shut up. It’s not a name you can call carelessly,” I erased the smile from my face and glared at him.
The marquis, who was about to use violence against me at any moment, flinched and froze on the spot. His bewildered eyes were superb.
Yes, that would be embarrassing. Like a frog in front of a snake, this situation in which the body had hardened against one’s will.
‘Because you’ve never lived a life worthy of my entire life.’
I slowly got up from my seat and stared straight at the pitiful, insignificant man.
“Let’s stop being polite,” I spoke with a murderous look and voice. “If you don’t want to get involved with Marianne Valer, you’d better shut up now and disappear from my sight.”
The margrave’s weak legs trembled slightly at my words with overwhelming power.
I knew why he’d come for me and not my father. Because I was the ‘girl’ he liked to look down on so much. He thought I would be swayed if he threatened me.
Because he thought I would be easy.
“Ugh
 I-I-I was too emotional. I made a mistake. W-What I’m saying is
 Please don’t take it too seriously,” the margrave stuttered in his defense. No apologies, of course. These kinds of people think that their tongues will break if they apologize.
‘I don’t want to accept his apology either.’
I felt like it would dirty my ears, so it was better to stop. One should get rid of dirty things as soon as possible.
“Someone come. The count is leaving, so please see him off.” I smiled again with my murderous face. Of course, the cold atmosphere didn’t wash away even if I smiled. “Go home safely, Count. I’ll take my leave first.”
The margrave slumped into his seat without a word.
***
“
 That’s what happened.”
Late at night, when I came to greet Caesar, I finished the anecdote with the margrave with a short sigh.
In my hand was a plate of chocolate fudge brownies. This was a dessert that Caesar specially ordered from the Imperial chefs, and in fact, I came to visit because I wanted to eat this brownie.
Caesar was happy to sit on the bed and watch me devouring the brownies.
‘As expected, it’s most effective to fish with sweets.’
“Oh, my. How dare he goes against Helena. Shall I kill him?” Caesar said with a single smile. The content of the words did not match the facial expression at all.
“You’ll die too if you kill him, Your Majesty,” I said, splitting the brownie in half with a fork. I was confident I could cut him in two more neatly than Caesar. But of course I wouldn’t do it because it was annoying.
“More than that, Your Majesty, how are you feeling?”
“I’ve recovered a lot. I think it will be cured in about a week.”
“That’s a relief.” Ah. After answering, I munched a piece of brownie into my mouth.
Caesar didn’t look at me as I did that; he was absorbed in examining all the papers. Lately, he’d been doing most of his office work while sitting in bed.
Father and Leonard took care of most things, but Caesar said he had to check even the smallest things himself. Because the former emperor had relied on Valer to conduct affairs, many realms were far from the emperor’s circle. Caesar wanted to put them back under the rule of the imperial family.
‘I understand, but
’
Looking at Caesar, who was working hard, I hummed. How could he not lose weight when he didn’t care about his health like this?
Restoration of health should be the top priority now.
‘More than anything. I’m next to you, and you’re paying more attention to the documents?’
I also had a little childish heartache. But if I showed it, I would surely be teased. Ugh. I chewed my fork and agonized.
“Here, Your Majesty.”
“Huh
?”
I dipped the brownie into a fork and put it in Caesar’s mouth. Suddenly getting sweet food in his mouth, Caesar frowned.
“
 Too sweet!” Caesar murmured in agony, covering his mouth with one hand. He was a guy who didn’t like sweets very much.
“Stop the paperwork. Else you will harm your health again.”
“But there is something urgent that needs to be done
”
“Would you like another bite?”
“
 I will clean them up.” When I took another slice of the brownie and showed it to him, Caesar looked tired and hurriedly put the paperwork in order.
I called an attendant who was standing nearby to make the bed. When the attendants organized the papers and tried to take them to Hamilton in the next room, Caesar hurriedly stopped them. “Oh, wait. Leave the topmost papers behind.”
“Still?”
“No, I think this will have to be decided with you around”
“Me?” What is it about?
As I tilted my head, Caesar smiled softly. “There will be an engagement ceremony next week.”
“What? Next week? Engagement ceremony? Who?”
“The engagement ceremony between the two of us.”
“Ah, the two of us
 What?!”
“Didn’t the duke tell you yet?”
“N-No!”
“Oh, my. It was decided this morning. I didn’t expect he hadn’t told you yet.”
“This morning? That’s too hasty, Your Majesty!”
How could anyone notify engagement like this?!
“You don’t have to worry. It’s not a wedding. Just an engagement. It will pass by lightly,” Caesar said as if it was nothing. I snatched the paper from Caesar’s hand and checked its contents.
The paperwork contained details and a budget for the engagement ring. My jaw dropped at the eye-popping budget.
“This is not light! No, next week! It’s too soon, Your Majesty!”
“Hmm? Didn’t you decide to become my partner?”
“Yes, but-!”
For some reason, I felt my face burning.
Caesar stared at me with a slightly disappointed face. “I wanted to get engaged quickly somehow. I felt like if I gave a break, something would happen again.”
Was he worried he’d be caught up in someone else’s conspiracy and have another woman by his side?
I bit my lower lip lightly.
Knowing how hard Caesar had fought and endured among the nobles who urged him to marry Yulika, I had no reason to refuse.
“Of course, I will prepare for the wedding perfectly. I will present you with a bigger, more colorful, and beautiful day than anyone else,” Caesar stroked my hair and said.
I couldn’t help it because it was I who permitted for Caesar to be childish.
I crumpled up the papers and sighed. “Keep it simple. Please
 simple.”
Caesar’s second engagement,
I didn’t like the hustle and bustle.
Caesar laughed at my answer. “Sure. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything for you, who doesn’t like being bothered.”
Did you understand it correctly?
Finally, I let out a long sigh.