Cardan frowned.
“How can you be sure the princess will cooperate?”
I couldn’t help but smile at his easy-to-answer question.
“That.
Cardan raised his eyebrows when he saw where my finger was pointing.
“Mirror?”
“It’s not just a mirror.”
I whimpered as I dragged the mirror in front of Cardan.
“This is it!”
I pointed at Cardan in the mirror.
Cardan stared at himself in the mirror with a face that said he still didn’t understand.
Looking at every corner of the mirror, he seemed to be looking for some hidden clue.
I had no choice but to speak out.
“Your face.
When Cardan still showed signs of displeasure, I drove a wedge.
“If you’re a woman, you’ll fall in love with this handsome face!”
Cardan’s eyes in the mirror turned to me at my words.
For a while there was nothing but silence between us.
Just as I was about to suffocate from the silence, Cardan slowly opened his mouth.
“……is that so?”
I purposely nodded exaggerately at the unidentified awkwardness.
“Of course! Who doesn’t like handsome men? There has never been a woman who has not fallen in love with Your Majesty’s appearance.”
I continued to make silly jokes by even firing an imaginary bullet with my finger.
“With one shot of Your Majesty’s smile, you will win the princess’s heart quickly.”
Cardan turned his head and stared directly at me, not through the mirror.
“Do you think so too?”
I didn’t think so, but as soon as I tried to answer that it was an undeniable fact as long as a woman had eyes, Cardan’s voice continued.
“Do you think I’m handsome too?”
I was embarrassed for a moment and couldn’t say anything.
In any case, I had no choice but to open my mouth to Cardan’s gaze, which was stinging me to the core.
“Of course! Why do you ask such an obvious thing…….”
The corners of Cardan’s mouth drew back slightly.
But when I looked back, Cardan’s expression was indifferent again.
“I have no confidence in the Duke’s strange strategy.”
I shook my head when Cardan replied gravely.
“No, I’m sure we’ll succeed if you cooperate.”
I bowed down out of habit.
“So I’d appreciate it if you could smile at the princess and treat her well.”
Don’t say she’s like a wild animal, or she’s stupid, like you did to other concubine candidates.
“It’s good to go on a date, too.
I was caught off guard by the sudden pressure.
Having no words to say, I just looked around, but a short sigh came over me.
“You’re really going to…….”
I glanced up at Cardan and he was looking at me with disapproving eyes.
“Do you have any problem…….”
Cardan pressed my forehead.
“It means I haven’t forgiven you yet.”
“Haha….
I’m sure he’s not a tyrant.
I bowed deeper, lamenting repeatedly in my heart.
***
After sending Cardan off, I walked from the palace to a place I had never been to.
It’s Eleanor’s room.
The fact that she had never gone to see Eleanor since she returned to her palace haunted my mind the whole time, not knowing why
When I arrived in the bedroom, the maid who was taking care of Eleanor left the room.
However, I didn’t know what to say to Eleanor.
Eleanor would not be able to hear anything anyway, but I felt as if I had to say something.
“How have you been?”
Of course there was no reply.
But once I opened my mouth, words continued to pour out.
“I was not confident that I could handle the empire that the Duke of Baloa had ruined, so I tried to run away.”
“…….”
“I’m not going to run away anymore.”
“…….”
“I’m going to face it instead of avoiding it.
After hesitating, I looked for my monocle out of habit and fumbled, as my bare fingers touched it.
I finally gave up and lowered my hand.
“Because that’s the right way.
“…….”
“Don’t worry too much.
Words that even I couldn’t be sure of came out.
“It’s going to be okay.”
As soon as I finished speaking, Eleanor’s fingertips flinched.
Maybe it was just a reflex, because there has been no movement since, but I grabbed Eleanor’s hand like I was possessed.
Holding her hands was warmer than I thought.
“I’m sure we’ll succeed.”
***
The princess of Esland entered the palace within a few days.
It was because she did not return to Esland immediately after the banquet.
It was obvious what she was up to.
But I decided to overlook it in moderation.
Anyway, the princess is a meal for Cardan.
“I’m sorry to think about it.”
I muttered and headed to the room where the princess was preparing.
“On the contrary, she is supposed to seduce the emperor.
The only women who could tolerate Cardan’s looks were the Empress and I.
“You can’t do it without a lot of mental strength, I mean.”
“What?”
“Oh, you surprised me!”
Someone dared to appear from behind me so I got angry at the wicked thing that dared surprise the Duke of Baloa, but as soon as I turned back, I ran into the emperor.
“Oh, am I bothersome?”
I looked up at Cardan with a glum face.
However, Cardan relaxed his lips and snorted as if he was satisfied.
“What do you mean you can’t do it without a lot of mental strength?”
Like a coach who encourages players, I touched Cardan’s shoulders and patted him.
“It’s just that I don’t get bewitched by Your Majesty’s beauty.”
Perhaps he was a bit offended by my boldness, so the tips of his ears turned red as if he had a fever.
When I lowered my hand in fear for no reason, Cardan’s eyes followed my hand.
“Only the Empress and I succeeded.”
“Huh…”
I smiled and Cardan looked at me in disbelief.
He seems angry.
“Ahem, it is encouragement.”
Far from easing Cardan’s expression, it became even darker, so I hurriedly changed the subject instead of making excuses.
“You came to visit the princess, right?”
Cardan did not answer with a stiff face.
I drew back, peering into his mind.
It seemed like it was time to leave.
“Haha, I came to visit the princess, too…”
I thumbed my finger at the view outside the window, which was still clear in broad daylight.
“There’s still a lot of time left before accession, so I’ll visit first.”
At those words, Cardan’s face hardened and rotted away.
His pace increased.
“I thought it would be better for me to build some friendship with the princess! I think you can come a few minutes later.”
I raised my fist awkwardly because I thought I shouldn’t run like this.
“Then, fighting tonight.”
The sound of Cardan’s molar grinding made me turn around and run away to the princess’ room with a quick step.
[Cardan’s POV]
Cardan stared at Erina’s back as she quickly moved away with bewildered eyes.
He just came across Erina muttering something to herself and making a quick move somewhere, so he followed her.
“It was to visit the princess.”
Obviously, there was nothing wrong with what Erina said, but why does he feel so upset?
Cardan raised his eyebrows crookedly as he watched Erina disappear into the princess’ bedroom.
In the past and now, Erina seemed to have no other thoughts but to sell him out to others.
[t/n: AH ERINA you’re hurting my baby ]
***
Princess Janet’s room was busy preparing for the annexation.
In addition to the maids decorating the room, four maids were sticking together and grooming the princess in front of the mirror, and the other maids were carefully examining the state of the schmiz that the princess would wear.
In the past, it was quite a familiar scene because I prepared numerous concubine candidates myself.
I was looking around the busy room in nostalgia for a while, and I found Princess Janet in front of the mirror.
“Uh…!”
Her eyes widened in shock.
“At the banquet!”
That’s right.
“Hmm, that’s right.
I bowed in a courteous way.
“I’ll say hello again.
When I straightened my back, the princess only glared at me without answering.
“I was rude at the banquet.”
“That’s enough.”
Princess Janet responded sharply.
“I don’t think this is the place for the Duke to come, so I want you to leave.”
However, no matter how much I set the blade, her eyes trembled uneasily, like a kitten yelping.
She must have been influenced by the Empress Dowager to keep me in check.
Then all the more reason for me not to back down.
“Oh, dear, that’s too bad.
Princess Janet paused at my whisper.
“You know, His Majesty has entrusted me with the education of all the concubine candidates.”
I didn’t bother to mention my disastrous success rate.
“Is that so?”
I grinned when Princess Janet immediately took the bait.
“Sure.
As the princess rolled her eyes, I tried to show off my trustworthiness and harmlessness with my face, showing off my healthy teeth smile.
The oldest maid among them shook her head slightly, but the princess was already nodding.
“Yes, please.”
I smiled more broadly.
“Don’t worry, princess. r ead on ly at sal mon la tt e. com This anno ying wa te rmark is n ot th ere.You just have to trust me.”
Cardan frowned.
“How can you be sure the princess will cooperate?”
I couldn’t help but smile at his easy-to-answer question.
“That.
Cardan raised his eyebrows when he saw where my finger was pointing.
“Mirror?”
“It’s not just a mirror.”
I whimpered as I dragged the mirror in front of Cardan.
“This is it!”
I pointed at Cardan in the mirror.
Cardan stared at himself in the mirror with a face that said he still didn’t understand.
Looking at every corner of the mirror, he seemed to be looking for some hidden clue.
I had no choice but to speak out.
“Your face.
When Cardan still showed signs of displeasure, I drove a wedge.
“If you’re a woman, you’ll fall in love with this handsome face!”
Cardan’s eyes in the mirror turned to me at my words.
For a while there was nothing but silence between us.
Just as I was about to suffocate from the silence, Cardan slowly opened his mouth.
“……is that so?”
I purposely nodded exaggerately at the unidentified awkwardness.
“Of course! Who doesn’t like handsome men? There has never been a woman who has not fallen in love with Your Majesty’s appearance.”
I continued to make silly jokes by even firing an imaginary bullet with my finger.
“With one shot of Your Majesty’s smile, you will win the princess’s heart quickly.”
Cardan turned his head and stared directly at me, not through the mirror.
“Do you think so too?”
I didn’t think so, but as soon as I tried to answer that it was an undeniable fact as long as a woman had eyes, Cardan’s voice continued.
“Do you think I’m handsome too?”
I was embarrassed for a moment and couldn’t say anything.
In any case, I had no choice but to open my mouth to Cardan’s gaze, which was stinging me to the core.
“Of course! Why do you ask such an obvious thing…….”
The corners of Cardan’s mouth drew back slightly.
But when I looked back, Cardan’s expression was indifferent again.
“I have no confidence in the Duke’s strange strategy.”
I shook my head when Cardan replied gravely.
“No, I’m sure we’ll succeed if you cooperate.”
I bowed down out of habit.
“So I’d appreciate it if you could smile at the princess and treat her well.”
Don’t say she’s like a wild animal, or she’s stupid, like you did to other concubine candidates.
“It’s good to go on a date, too.
I was caught off guard by the sudden pressure.
Having no words to say, I just looked around, but a short sigh came over me.
“You’re really going to…….”
I glanced up at Cardan and he was looking at me with disapproving eyes.
“Do you have any problem…….”
Cardan pressed my forehead.
“It means I haven’t forgiven you yet.”
“Haha….
I’m sure he’s not a tyrant.
I bowed deeper, lamenting repeatedly in my heart.
***
After sending Cardan off, I walked from the palace to a place I had never been to.
It’s Eleanor’s room.
The fact that she had never gone to see Eleanor since she returned to her palace haunted my mind the whole time, not knowing why
When I arrived in the bedroom, the maid who was taking care of Eleanor left the room.
However, I didn’t know what to say to Eleanor.
Eleanor would not be able to hear anything anyway, but I felt as if I had to say something.
“How have you been?”
Of course there was no reply.
But once I opened my mouth, words continued to pour out.
“I was not confident that I could handle the empire that the Duke of Baloa had ruined, so I tried to run away.”
“…….”
“I’m not going to run away anymore.”
“…….”
“I’m going to face it instead of avoiding it.
After hesitating, I looked for my monocle out of habit and fumbled, as my bare fingers touched it.
I finally gave up and lowered my hand.
“Because that’s the right way.
“…….”
“Don’t worry too much.
Words that even I couldn’t be sure of came out.
“It’s going to be okay.”
As soon as I finished speaking, Eleanor’s fingertips flinched.
Maybe it was just a reflex, because there has been no movement since, but I grabbed Eleanor’s hand like I was possessed.
Holding her hands was warmer than I thought.
“I’m sure we’ll succeed.”
***
The princess of Esland entered the palace within a few days.
It was because she did not return to Esland immediately after the banquet.
It was obvious what she was up to.
But I decided to overlook it in moderation.
Anyway, the princess is a meal for Cardan.
“I’m sorry to think about it.”
I muttered and headed to the room where the princess was preparing.
“On the contrary, she is supposed to seduce the emperor.
The only women who could tolerate Cardan’s looks were the Empress and I.
“You can’t do it without a lot of mental strength, I mean.”
“What?”
“Oh, you surprised me!”
Someone dared to appear from behind me so I got angry at the wicked thing that dared surprise the Duke of Baloa, but as soon as I turned back, I ran into the emperor.
“Oh, am I bothersome?”
I looked up at Cardan with a glum face.
However, Cardan relaxed his lips and snorted as if he was satisfied.
“What do you mean you can’t do it without a lot of mental strength?”
Like a coach who encourages players, I touched Cardan’s shoulders and patted him.
“It’s just that I don’t get bewitched by Your Majesty’s beauty.”
Perhaps he was a bit offended by my boldness, so the tips of his ears turned red as if he had a fever.
When I lowered my hand in fear for no reason, Cardan’s eyes followed my hand.
“Only the Empress and I succeeded.”
“Huh…”
I smiled and Cardan looked at me in disbelief.
He seems angry.
“Ahem, it is encouragement.”
Far from easing Cardan’s expression, it became even darker, so I hurriedly changed the subject instead of making excuses.
“You came to visit the princess, right?”
Cardan did not answer with a stiff face.
I drew back, peering into his mind.
It seemed like it was time to leave.
“Haha, I came to visit the princess, too…”
I thumbed my finger at the view outside the window, which was still clear in broad daylight.
“There’s still a lot of time left before accession, so I’ll visit first.”
At those words, Cardan’s face hardened and rotted away.
His pace increased.
“I thought it would be better for me to build some friendship with the princess! I think you can come a few minutes later.”
I raised my fist awkwardly because I thought I shouldn’t run like this.
“Then, fighting tonight.”
The sound of Cardan’s molar grinding made me turn around and run away to the princess’ room with a quick step.
[Cardan’s POV]
Cardan stared at Erina’s back as she quickly moved away with bewildered eyes.
He just came across Erina muttering something to herself and making a quick move somewhere, so he followed her.
“It was to visit the princess.”
Obviously, there was nothing wrong with what Erina said, but why does he feel so upset?
Cardan raised his eyebrows crookedly as he watched Erina disappear into the princess’ bedroom.
In the past and now, Erina seemed to have no other thoughts but to sell him out to others.
[t/n: AH ERINA you’re hurting my baby ]
***
Princess Janet’s room was busy preparing for the annexation.
In addition to the maids decorating the room, four maids were sticking together and grooming the princess in front of the mirror, and the other maids were carefully examining the state of the schmiz that the princess would wear.
In the past, it was quite a familiar scene because I prepared numerous concubine candidates myself.
I was looking around the busy room in nostalgia for a while, and I found Princess Janet in front of the mirror.
“Uh…!”
Her eyes widened in shock.
“At the banquet!”
That’s right.
“Hmm, that’s right.
I bowed in a courteous way.
“I’ll say hello again.
When I straightened my back, the princess only glared at me without answering.
“I was rude at the banquet.”
“That’s enough.”
Princess Janet responded sharply.
“I don’t think this is the place for the Duke to come, so I want you to leave.”
However, no matter how much I set the blade, her eyes trembled uneasily, like a kitten yelping.
She must have been influenced by the Empress Dowager to keep me in check.
Then all the more reason for me not to back down.
“Oh, dear, that’s too bad.
Princess Janet paused at my whisper.
“You know, His Majesty has entrusted me with the education of all the concubine candidates.”
I didn’t bother to mention my disastrous success rate.
“Is that so?”
I grinned when Princess Janet immediately took the bait.
“Sure.
As the princess rolled her eyes, I tried to show off my trustworthiness and harmlessness with my face, showing off my healthy teeth smile.
The oldest maid among them shook her head slightly, but the princess was already nodding.
“Yes, please.”
I smiled more broadly.
“Don’t worry, princess. r ead on ly at sal mon la tt e. com This anno ying wa te rmark is n ot th ere.You just have to trust me.”
