Lucifella tried to grasp the Emperorâs intentions.
But even before Lucifella was born, and before Estelle was born, this person was a King of a country, and she had to admit that he was on a different level from the people she dealt with.
âYour Mejesty, I cannot answer you as I incapble of knowing your intentions.â
Thatâs why Lucifella spoke frankly. If this is some kind of test, how can I answer when I donât know the answer?
She knew the Emperorâs intentions and had no head to escape. Thatâs why it was better to be honest.
Still, deep down, she spit out swear words. In order for her to survive from the Emperor of Jansgar, she spoke like this, and she was humiliated.
âTell me more.â
Lucifella raised her eyes at the words.
âI have neither the wit nor the wit to give a perfect answer based on the situation given to me and your expression. If Your Majasty asked if Iâm afraid, yes, Iâm afraid. Your Majesty is the one who can punish my Father and me. But if youâre talking about the person sitting in front of me right now, Iâm not afraid.â
At that, the Emperor asked with a smirk.
âIs my power that scare you, not myself?â
âYes, Your Majesty.â
A heavy silence fell upon her. It wasnât a lie. Isnât that true?
The Emperor looked directly at Lucifella, and Lucifella did not avoid his gaze.
As the silent came and the Emperor raised his hand and pressed hard between his brows.
Lucifellaâs emotions were calm despite the meaningless behavior. Because the Emperor didnât seem to be in a bad mood.
This was Estelleâs intuition, not Lucifellaâs idea. Soon, as she expected, the Emperor raised the corners of his mouth and burst into laughter.
âThis is going to give Count Ayden and Duke Heint a headache.â
âWhy is the Duke of Heint out of blue?â
Lucifella murmured to herself. But fortunately, he didnât seem to say anything that would blow her neck.
âIf there is the answer to my question here, it is not. Iâm just asking a question.â
Should you have asked that simple question while frowning and making the atmosphere harsh? Lucifella wanted to protest but she bit her lip.
âEveryone is trying to guess the meaning of my clumsy words.â
Isnât that normal? This is because your neck may fly away depending on the mood of the person in that position.
âSometimes what I say is just what it is.â
He smiled and gestured Lucifella to come closer. Lucifella hesitated for a moment and walked just below the platform.
Lucifella could see the Emperor closer. The Emperor, who looked like a non-human being, looked up close and was just like an ordinary old man.
His eyes were dark olive-colored, his nose was blunt, and his mouth was wrinkled.
If this Emperor sat on the throne and wasnât clothed, would she be able to think of him as an Emperor?
âI has no particular intention. Itâs just that when I see the child who was hiding behind her father has grown up now, I feel the passage of time.â
âI canât stay as a child forever, Your Mejestyâ
When Lucifella answered without hesitation, the Emperor nodded. Then he stared at Lucifellaâs face. The Wmperor said, stroking his chin with his hand.
âI knew that Young Lady had a special relationship with Temir. But I didnât name you as the Crown Princess. Why do you think?â
âIsnât it because you donât like me?â
The Emperor was at a loss for words for a moment at the words that came out so coolly. Lucifella was overly candid, she didnât know how to spin her words. The Emperor said as he made a look puzzled.
ââŠ.did you think so?â
âBecause His Majesty the Crown Prince said so.â
âTsk. Tsk. That guy.â
He clicked his tongue and frowned.
âIâve never said that. I just didnât want to put a heavy burden on you, the daughter of Luana, so I just said that Young Lady was not suitable for the Crown Prince.â
âYour mother hated the heavy bridle, so she chose the seat next to Count Aydin, not the seat of the Duchess. Her daughter would hate the same heavy shackles. The throne of the Empress of the empire is heavy. Thatâs why I didnât choose you.â
Oh, I see. Lucifellaâs mother chose the seat of the Countess over the Duchess. Something about her must have been very impressive. HoweverâŠ.
In conclusion, isnât it that âYour mother hated heavy bridle, so you will hate them too.â It was, indeed, a selfish interpretation.
âBut I didnât know you were serious enough to jump into the Imperial Palace Lake. If you had that kind of heart, I would have thought about it one more time.â
Seeing the Emperorâs face, Lucifella realized why she was not disadvantaged separately after committing a tremendous act of jumping into the Imperial Palace Lake. The emperor ordered to overlook everything.
âDo you still have Temir in mind? If it is an unwanted engagement, it can be destroyed by Imperial Order.â
And now, at these words of the Emperor, Lucifella knew that the Emperor had no idea what she had done to the Crown Prince yesterday. Lucifella was relieved only then.
The reason the Emperor called her separately was to ask Lucifellaâs opinion without any interference.
Even if it was possible to break the engagement with the Imperial Order, in order to nullify a will bearing three temple seals, a confrontation between the Imperial Family and the temple would be unavoidableâŠ
âThank you for your concern, Your Majesty, but now itâs over.â
At Lucifellaâs words, the Emperor looked at her with a curious look and smiled softly as if he knew. She felt uncomfortable when she discovered the human side of the Emperor, who was always thought to be cruel.
âDid Heint treat you well?â
âHe couldnât.â
At Lucifellaâs words, the Emperor burst into laughter again. His appearance was as simple as her grandfatherâs in the village.
âNot a bad guy.â
Lucifella frowned, not responding to the remark. Seeing the expression, the Emperor nodded as if he knew what was going on.
âLady Aydin, you are not good at hiding your emotions.â
It was something I heard almost every day when I was Estelle. In a really tense situation, she managed her facial expression on her own, but if she thought it was safe, she couldnât manage her facial muscles.
âThe House of Heint has a large area of the South, and it is a place where the most powerful knights are raised. He is also rich, and his face is not ugly, so wouldnât that be a good groom?â
âWell, I think so.â
When she replied reluctantly, the Emperor smiled and shook his head with excitement.
âIf you want to break the engagement, feel free to tell me. Calling you today was for that. If the relationship is messed up, we need to fix it.â
If you ask me to break the engagement here, will Lucifella be with the Crown Prince?
If she was the real Lucifella, but she didnât want to marry that weird guy. The Duke of Heint was better off. Lucifella greeted with a suppressed feeling of discomfort.
âThank you, Your Majesty.â
Lucifella calmly thanked him.
âYes, then go back now.â
The Emperor nodded and beckoned her to leave. The Emperor had a lot of work to do, and he deliberately took time to meet her.
Lucifella greeted him once again and left the room.
Her mind was complicated, so she didnât even know she was stepping on Ha-Zohar, Ershaâs star on the velvet carpet.
As she walked along with the attendant, she thought about how she felt. Because it was so simple for her to grasp her own feelings. But now, she was just confused.
When I saw the Emperor at the ballroom, I only thought about how to kill him.
But the Emperor was not a bad man for Lucifella. Throwing away his dignity, he was nothing more than a friendly old man.
It is not without resentment that the army he led trampled on Ersha. However, even though she wanted to vent her anger, somehow even those feelings did not seem to come out because of Lucifella who was trapped in her body.
When she met the emperor, she prioritized thinking about how to behave rather than hostility. What do you want? What was she hoping for?
She felt confused.
âHuh?â
Then, she realized that she was left alone in the hallway.
Where did the attendant go? She looked around and walked straight when two crossroads came out. And there are another crossroads.
When she saw it, she realized that she had come the wrong way. She tried to go back to where she was, but she lost her way to where to go.
Iâm lost in this vast Imperial Palace. She sighed.
Lucifella walked as fast as she could in order to ask a passing attendant or knight. ButâŠ.
No, why? Why? Why thereâs no one passing by this vast palace?