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After the engagement ceremony with Caesar, the number of my visitors increased noticeably.
In the beginning, there were a lot of people who wanted to entice me to wield Caesar. However, as rumors spread that ‘Princess Peresca is a great demon king who surpasses the emperor’, their visits died down.
Instead, guests for other reasons came and bothered me.
“Please, Princess. Please be with us in the presence of His Majesty.”
Two men visited me early in the morning in the throne room of the imperial palace’s annex.
Both of them were newly emerging aristocrats who did not have a high titles, and they were fed up with the terrifying rumors about Caesar from the beginning.
“No
 I have no intention of intervening in politics
” I rubbed my forehead and sighed.
However, the two men hurriedly denied my words.
“We’re not asking you to advocate for us or help us! We just need you to stay!”
“Yes! All you have to do is stay by our side!”
“I don’t know why I have to go and sit there.”
The two men looked at each other, hesitated, and managed to explain why.
“Isn’t His Majesty a very frightening person? To be honest, we are afraid to see him.”
“In fact, I shudder when I see His Majesty’s chilling face.”
“Well
 His Majesty’s impression is a bit scary
” I blurted out the later words, remembering Caesar’s face.
‘Even so, it’s doubly scary when a black, tall, and handsome guy has a cold air around him.’
To be honest, he was only kind to me, and Caesar’s personality wasn’t the best.
“Ah, but what the hell does your fear of His Majesty have to do with me being with him?”
At my question, the two nobles answered simultaneously with a voice more confident than ever, “Because you’re the person who can defeat His Majesty!”
Mmm.
Is this image okay as it is?
I couldn’t help but look at the two of them with an awkward smile.
***
“Therefore, starting today, you should be kind to others, Your Majesty,” early in the morning, I firmly ordered Caesar, who had come to the Empress’s Palace to have breakfast with me.
Caesar had a very disapproving expression. “Why is Helena, who is bothered by everything, accepting their opinions?”
“It’s more annoying when people like that come and whine.”
“Okay. You still have everything made up of troublesome things and more troublesome things,” Caesar murmured while washing his face dry with one hand. “I’m sorry, Helena. My ‘kindness’ isn’t a lot in total. There is a limit to using it for you.”
“At this rate, we will go down in history as a brutal couple. At least one person should be gentle.”
“Why does it have to be me?”
“I’m lazy.”
“Helena
!” Caesar called my name as if it was unfair.
“It’s not just because it’s annoying. Initially, you needed a strong image to be wary of Valer and establish yourself, but not now, right?”
Caesar had fully built up the image of a mighty and fearsome monarch like never before, so he needed to show a little bit of a merciful and gentle monarch.
“It’s not good to have people who can’t say the right thing because they’re afraid of Your Majesty.”
“Who the hell is afraid of me? Look at Hamilton and Rowena.”
“Those two are the ones who know His Majesty’s true nature, right?”
“My true nature? Are you saying I’m actually a merciful person?”
“
 Anyway.”
“You’re trying to change the subject. Answer me what my true nature is.”
“The important thing is that I hope the number of my annoying visitors because of Your Majesty will decrease as soon as possible.”
“So it’s not because of my image after all?!” Caesar looked at me with a look of betrayal.
“Now, let’s do our best together, Your Majesty.” I clenched my fist and smiled broadly.
Caesar eventually wrapped his hands around his face.
But what could he do? This dreadful wolf, in one way or another, was a fool who could never refuse my words.
***
The opportunity to practice came quickly.
While walking around the castle with Caesar, we came across a scene where the leader of the Black Knights and several knights gathered and talked.
“Oh, just in time for good food
”
“I was just going to call them prey, Helena.”
“Come on, Your Majesty. You go and have a friendly conversation with them,” I ordered, poking Caesar’s side. Caesar nodded and frowned. It seemed he really didn’t want to do it.
He hesitated several times, but eventually followed my opinion and approached them first.
“What are you talking about?”
Those who were distracted by chatting with each other later found Caesar and greeted him with pale faces.
“Y-Your Majesty!”
“Ah, Princess Peresca!”
“Excuse me! Forgive me for not seeing you two!”
“No
 Calm down. I’m not reprimanding you.”
He had only said a sentence, but Caesar seemed quite taken aback by the trembling knights’s reaction.
Is my image so ferocious? Caesar finally realized that he was a little stingy.
“Now, talk. Have a conversation,” I ordered Caesar without a sound.
Caesar let out a deep sigh and turned to face the knights again. “Um
 Is there anything difficult for the Black Knights these days?”
This was a nice line from a wonderful monarch trying to fathom the grievances of his men.
The problem was his attitude. A low, overbearing voice. Above that, the gaze looking down from his tall figure. Overwhelming power that radiated naturally from the whole body.
Sure enough, the knights seemed to have misinterpreted Caesar’s words.
“I will work even harder! I will work with all my life!”
“Please forgive me for playing around before Your Majesty!”
“Oh, no. I don’t mean it in that sense.”
Mmm. Did it sound like, ‘Seeing you playing around, it seems that the Black Knights are so comfortable these days, huh?’, Caesar thought.
“I just want to talk comfortably with you guys.”
“W-We’re sorry for the inconvenience!”
“What are you guys doing?! Bring a chair so that His Majesty can speak comfortably!”
“I-I will go!”
“No, I will go!”
At this point, I was a bit suspicious.
Was the problem of this communication Caesar or them?
‘Maybe it’s because of Caesar’s overbearing atmosphere.’
Caesar looked sharp.
The color combination of his jet-black hair and red eyes caused that, and his sharp jawline and eyes didn’t look gentle.
Yeah, maybe it’s because of the impression.
“Please smile, Your Majesty,” while the knights hurriedly pulled out chairs from the room, I poked Caesar on the side and said.
Caesar now looked like he was at his limits.
“I don’t think it will get better if I smile.”
“You won’t know until you try.”
“I think I will know even if I don’t try.”
“Your Majesty?”
I told you to smile. I grinned and tilted my head, and Caesar groaned with an ‘ugh’.
“Your Majesty! Princess! We brought some chairs! Please be seated and order us!”
In the meantime, two knights came back carrying two chairs.
I looked back at the knights and smiled brightly, intending to set an example for Caesar. “Oh, thank you for caring.”
At my smile, the tense expressions of the knights relaxed a little.
Thank god. The atmosphere has softened a little.
Now, this is the time, Caesar! A gentle image with your handsome smile

‘
 Ugh?’
Caesar smiled.
The problem was that it was a really bloodthirsty smile.
It looked like he was displeased with the knights’s relaxed nature.
“Looks like I’ll be facing the Dark Knights more in the future,” Caesar spoke to the knights with an elegant yet cold smile. He was like an infernal god who sentenced doom.
There was no need to explain how the knights trembled at that bloody smile.
Anyway, one thing was certain.
It would be better for Caesar not to be friendly.
***
Hearing about Caesar’s splendid failure of his friendly operation, Dalton laughed hard at the head of the room.
“Hahahaha, I should have witnessed those human faces on the spot! Hahahaha, hahaha, cough, cough!”
“Oh, Captain. Keep your dignity,” Gerald, the general secretary who was by Dalton’s side to help organize the paperwork, said bluntly. Dalton, of course, pretended not to hear.
“Oh, but I think I must’ve felt numb, too, toward His Majesty’s smiling face.”
“Is it that strange?”
“Doesn’t he do that when he’s very angry?”
“Yes. His smile means ‘I’ve had enough’.”
Dalton and Gerald nodded at the same time and explained.
My face was distorted as I held the teacup in both hands.
“No, what nonsense-”
“Isn’t it natural to think that when a nobleman who doesn’t usually smile smiles, there must be something behind?”
“His Majesty smiles so well. Sometimes it feels a little mischievous.”
“That’s just for you.”
Is that so?
In the end, is it impossible for Caesar to be kind to anyone but me?
I was worried, but I also felt fortunate
 While feeling a little happy
 Mmm. It was a complicated feeling.
“Sigh, I’m worried anyway. I don’t think it’s good to be called a tyrant by people.”
“Really? I don’t think it’s anything to worry about.”
“Why?”
“Instructor, what do you think a tyrant is?”
“Well
 A monarch people fear?”
“Um, yes. There’s that too. But why should you be afraid of a tyrant?”
I thought for a moment, then answered slowly, “They don’t care for the people, do evil, practice tyranny, and punish those who speak the truth unjustly
?”
“Exactly. I agree. Do you think His Majesty is like that now?”
“
 Nope.” I shook my head.
After Caesar became emperor, he was busy enough to make me wonder if he was a workaholic.
Day and night, the emperor did not rest day and night to normalize everything that had been messed up by relying only on Valer.
“It is true that His Majesty is a scary person. And his personality- I only say this between us, but it’s not very good.”
“Ah, Captain! Please be careful with your words!” Gerald stomped his feet and scolded him, but Dalton just waved his hands in annoyance.
“Even if he growls at the nobles who talk nonsense sometimes, there aren’t any nobles who lost their heads yet, right?”
“That’s right, actually.”
Even Valer and Marianne still had their heads intact.
“Even though the Black Knights were so nervous that they were scared, they are rather well-organized and disciplined compared to the days of their ancestors,” Dalton said with a hearty smile. “Everyone knows. Even though His Majesty is a fearsome person, there is no doubt that he is worthy of a monarch.”
His eyes showed a glimpse of confidence and trust in Caesar.
“Being scared and not trusting are two different things.”
“I guess?”
“Of course. Even if our kids pee because they fear you, don’t they trust and follow you?”
“They’re afraid of me? But why?”
“Hahahaha! You don’t know how to evaluate yourself!” Dalton burst out laughing again.
‘Anyway, in the end, it seems that it was my pointless worry.’
I felt a little bit foolish.
I was embarrassed. I felt sorry for Caesar, who matched the rhythm.
But, it was also reassuring.
His affection eventually became my own privilege. I should enjoy it to my heart’s content. At that thought, my smile spread unconsciously.
Then, an attendant entered the room. Contrary to my expectation that Dalton had a business, the attendant approached me.
“Excuse me, Princess. There’s a message about a guest at the duke’s residence.”
“
 A guest?”
Ugh, is it another cowardly aristocrat asking me to be by his side when he’s meeting Caesar again?
I let out a long sigh. Caesar’s affectionate monopoly seemed too costly.