I stared at Cardan, who was leafing through the papers, in the corner of the emperor’s office.
Cardan, who even provided a desk for me in the corner of his office, has been working like a returning student who has just been discharged for the past week.
Because of that, I couldn’t get out of this corner for days.
Thanks to Cardan’s quick grasp of the work, there is nothing for him to take over.
He definitely tied me up here to annoy me.
“I already know you think I’m handsome, so stop staring at me.”
Perhaps the top of his head has eyes, Cardan recited without taking his eyes off the document.
Slowly, my sense of rebellion began to rise.
He’s not even a real tyrant. Can I rebel?
“How handsome are you if you’re handsome?”
I muffled my voice for a long time and grumbled.
It was almost inaudible that I could hardly hear it.
“I’m prettier in terms of appearance.”
With the final wedge, I looked at Cardan’s expression.
If it was before, he would have crumpled his face now, but he only smiled lightly.
“Yes, you are prettier.”
I’m starting to gain a little confidence in his precise responses.
Wouldn’t it be okay to talk back a little more?
He’s not a tyrant, so he’s not going to kill me if he’s annoyed
Looking at it, I said I would give up my flower path* life in the East continent and save the falling empire, but Cardan was not enough to support me now.
(t/n: “꽃길” (flower path) is a slang term in Korean that refers to a path or route that is easy or smooth. It can also refer to an easy or smooth situation or process.)
And yet I was tied to this corner like a slave.
I glanced dissatisfied at my little desk.
“Tell me, don’t wrinkle your face so weirdly.”
“I want to play.”
I decided to be confident.
“We don’t have to stay here when the transition is over.”
Cardan chinned at the sofa on the other side of the office.
“You can lie down.”
I pointed to the scenery outside the window where spring is in full bloom.
“I don’t want to lie down, I want to go out and play.”
Cardan finally put down the documents and looked at me with a look of energy.
“Why don’t you give a few days off for your servant who has been in charge of Your Majesty’s work while you’ve completed the transition?”
I added one more word with a big smile without changing my expression.
“At this point, it would be great if Your Majesty would take care of my work as Prime Minister, just as I did for Your Majesty.”
“You’re so proud.”
To Cardan’s brief appreciation, I rolled my head to justify my request.
“I didn’t come back just to process documents, did I? I came to check on the Empress Dowager, but I shouldn’t be locked in the office all day until the troops of Esland stormed in front of the palace door.”
As I eagerly started selling my point, Cardan raised his eyebrows as if to give it a try.
“I should go here and there to spy, meet people, and dig up the back of the Empress Dowager.”
I flicked my finger with a snap.
“It just so happens that the Prince of Esland is still in the capital, so we can start there.”
Cardan’s forehead is wrinkled.
“No way.”
What do you mean no?
As soon as he opened his mouth to protest, a servant knocked on the door and raised his voice outside.
“Your Majesty, Madam Janet is asking if you will attend the luncheon today.”
I nodded quickly to Cardan to say yes.
If he attends the luncheon, I can rest a little, right?
But Cardan answered without looking at me.
“Tell her I can’t because I have a lot of work.”
“All right, Your Majesty. Then instead of lunch, I’ll provide a simple meal that you can eat while working.”
When the servant stepped down, I exploded.
“Why! Why aren’t you attending?”
I eventually overturned my small desk and ran to Cardan’s desk.
“Since when have you been so serious about your work?”
Cardan only smiled when he pointed his finger at my face.
“I have to work hard to fill the vacancy of the duke.”
“Does paperwork matter now!”
After losing my mind, I picked up the report on the desk and began shaking it.
“The Empire is on the verge of ruin! I can’t seduce Janet! You’re going to blow a good opportunity to take out those people with that tabletop?!”
I wasn’t venting my anger for no reason either.
During the past week, when I was locked in the office at the time of the handover, Janet has sent several invitations to Cardan over and over again.
Lunch on one day, dinner on the other, afternoon tea on the other.
But Cardan rejected all of them.
It was even rumored that the emperor had lost interest in his concubine after their first night without fixing his old habits in the palace.
Although the annexation date was set first in consideration of the reputation of Esland, and Princess Janet was nominally treated as a concubine in the palace, rumors were spreading even more because she had not yet conducted a formal ceremony or registration.
I tried, but I have no way to quell the rumor.
The temple, which recognizes all marriages in the empire, was refusing to administer the ceremony for unknown reasons.
At this rate, instead of being loved by Janet, she’ll only end up resenting him.
I hit my forehead at the sight of Cardan organizing the scattered reports without saying anything.
“You don’t even have to take out her chair while eating, or spread out a napkin on her lap, pour water, cut steak, and feed her a bite of dessert! Ahhhh?”
Cardan smiled lightly.
“What can I do, it’s more fun to eat sandwiches with you?”
“Now, Janet looks like she’s going to hold hands with the Empress Dowager and her husband is nowhere in sight, but you’re talking about sandwiches?!”
Knock, knock, knock.
I had no choice but to close my mouth at the gentle knock of the attendant again.
“Enter.”
When Cardan replied, the servant came in with a sandwich, looking at us.
Thanks to the heavy atmosphere, he seemed to have noticed that the air was roughly bad even if he could not hear the exact sound of their conversation.
As the servant quickly disappeared after leaving only the sandwich, Cardan took a bite of the sandwich with a slight smile.
“It’s going well”
He pushed the plate toward me.
“Have some too, Duke”
“No, I’m not going to eat it because it won’t go down my throat.”
Cardan took another small bite of my sandwich.
“It’s not poisonous, it’s delicious.”
“Unlike someone else, I’m worried about the Empire’s well-being, so the food won’t go down my throat.”
I coldly put my brain out and even crossed my arms, but my stomach growled loudly without me noticing.
I was actually a little hungry, and maybe it’s because of the freshly baked bread they used, but the sandwich smelled good enough to make my mouth water.
However, when Cardan’s gaze fell on my stomach, I hurriedly turned my back and returned to the corner.
“You can just eat it, right?”
A low-pitched voice clung to my back.
“No, I don’t want to.”
If I pick up that sandwich now, I’ll be humiliated and never be able to carry my face around again.
However, when I sat down, my stomach screamed again for food.
I trembled as I straightened up the fallen desk.
After acting so hard for a long time, I glanced at Cardan. Thinking he would be looking at the documents again by now, but he was still looking at me.
As I raised my eyebrows as if I was looking at something, Cardan sighed and rubbed his forehead.
“Okay, I’ll definitely attend the luncheon tomorrow.”
The corners of my mouth began to creep up without realizing it.
“I have a better idea.”
I started rubbing my hands like a villain because I was excited.
“Why don’t you stay at the Star Palace for a few weeks as a vacation? The view of Lake Arabesque from Letira’s annex is said to be a superb view, but there is nothing else that makes a person’s heart softer than a beautiful view.”
While Cardan is busy winning the other person’s heart, I could also go to see the cherry blossoms at Star Palace and take a walk on the lake.
It was a perfect plan.
“Are you going to come too, Duke?”
Cardan recognized my plan to fool around like a ghost.
“Well, of course I have to attend to assist Your Majesty.”
“Yes, then do as you please.”
Cardan, who answered more gently than I thought, pushed the plate back toward me.
“So, why don’t you stop being stubborn and eat?”
“Ahem.”
I pretended to be as nonchalant as I could and strode to the desk where the sandwich was placed.
“Maybe it’s because I relieved my worries about the empire, so I’m hungry.”
I grabbed the sandwich that Cardan was proud of and put it in my mouth without hesitation.
“You eat well.”
Cardan’s expression, which I thought was sarcastic, was rather sincere.
He bent his eyes lightly and put his uneaten portion on my plate.
“Eat to your heart’s content.”
“Thank you…….”
I turned my head because his eyes were uncomfortable for no reason.
As expected, on second thought, he was unnecessarily excessively handsome.
***
Thanks to Cardan’s pretense of being busy again, the role of informing Janet of this good news has fallen to me.
“Madame, how have you been?”
I asked with a big smile, but I could tell at a glance.
Janet, she’s been having a hard time.
Thin cheeks, pale face compared to last time.
Her posture as she sat in a colorful drawing room decorated with dark green and gold leaf was awkward.
“Yes……I’ve been well.”
Still, Janet smiled a little for me. It disappeared quickly.
I slurped some tea.
And pretending to be looking at the tea, I asked a question without taking my eyes off my tea cup.
“You’ve been disappointed, right?”
“What? What do you mean disappointed?…. What is…?”
Janet pretended not to know, but her gesture of fiddling with the teacup became more bustling.
“His Majesty was also worried because he couldn’t spend much time with madam due to his heavy work.”
Pretending not to be, Janet was seen poking her ears at my words.
“As you know, it is very busy from the beginning of the year to spring……. His Majesty has been so busy these past few days that he has only eaten sandwiches.”
“I can’t believe it’s just a sandwich. He should take care of himself more.….”
Janet was now clinging to every word I said.
“Can I bring him a meal that’s easy to eat while he’s working?”
Cardan is just enjoying his sandwich to make himself comfortable. Janet’s devotion made me feel sorry for her.
“Haha, I don’t think that’s necessary.”
Janet was visibly disappointed.
“As expected, I’ll only get in the way of things.…?”
“That’s not it.”
I hurried on before Janet dug further into the tunnel.
“His Majesty wanted to spend more time with the madam, so he took a week off.”
I put out the invitation that I had prepared in advance.
“A romantic week at the Star Palace of Letira……?”
The promotional phrase was crude because of the rush, but I laughed even more brazenly.
Love is supposed to be cheesy.
Fortunately, Janet had a bright smile on her face.
“Did His Majesty prepare this for me?”
Janet swept the invitation with her hands in disbelief.
“Yes, he prepared everything from the invitation letter to the schedule of the separate palace.”
To be exact, it was made by grinding myself.
“Then will you accept the invitation?”
Janet nodded hastily.
“Yes! Of course!”
And then suddenly she paused.
Don’t tell me she’s going to refuse? Just as I was starting to get worried, Janet glanced at me. Anxiety appeared in her eyes for a moment, but soon disappeared as if she had washed it away.
When she opened her mouth again, a small smile was even on her face.
“Can my brother come along too?”
I stared at Cardan, who was leafing through the papers, in the corner of the emperor’s office.
Cardan, who even provided a desk for me in the corner of his office, has been working like a returning student who has just been discharged for the past week.
Because of that, I couldn’t get out of this corner for days.
Thanks to Cardan’s quick grasp of the work, there is nothing for him to take over.
He definitely tied me up here to annoy me.
“I already know you think I’m handsome, so stop staring at me.”
Perhaps the top of his head has eyes, Cardan recited without taking his eyes off the document.
Slowly, my sense of rebellion began to rise.
He’s not even a real tyrant. Can I rebel?
“How handsome are you if you’re handsome?”
I muffled my voice for a long time and grumbled.
It was almost inaudible that I could hardly hear it.
“I’m prettier in terms of appearance.”
With the final wedge, I looked at Cardan’s expression.
If it was before, he would have crumpled his face now, but he only smiled lightly.
“Yes, you are prettier.”
I’m starting to gain a little confidence in his precise responses.
Wouldn’t it be okay to talk back a little more?
He’s not a tyrant, so he’s not going to kill me if he’s annoyed
Looking at it, I said I would give up my flower path* life in the East continent and save the falling empire, but Cardan was not enough to support me now.
(t/n: “꽃길” (flower path) is a slang term in Korean that refers to a path or route that is easy or smooth. It can also refer to an easy or smooth situation or process.)
And yet I was tied to this corner like a slave.
I glanced dissatisfied at my little desk.
“Tell me, don’t wrinkle your face so weirdly.”
“I want to play.”
I decided to be confident.
“We don’t have to stay here when the transition is over.”
Cardan chinned at the sofa on the other side of the office.
“You can lie down.”
I pointed to the scenery outside the window where spring is in full bloom.
“I don’t want to lie down, I want to go out and play.”
Cardan finally put down the documents and looked at me with a look of energy.
“Why don’t you give a few days off for your servant who has been in charge of Your Majesty’s work while you’ve completed the transition?”
I added one more word with a big smile without changing my expression.
“At this point, it would be great if Your Majesty would take care of my work as Prime Minister, just as I did for Your Majesty.”
“You’re so proud.”
To Cardan’s brief appreciation, I rolled my head to justify my request.
“I didn’t come back just to process documents, did I? I came to check on the Empress Dowager, but I shouldn’t be locked in the office all day until the troops of Esland stormed in front of the palace door.”
As I eagerly started selling my point, Cardan raised his eyebrows as if to give it a try.
“I should go here and there to spy, meet people, and dig up the back of the Empress Dowager.”
I flicked my finger with a snap.
“It just so happens that the Prince of Esland is still in the capital, so we can start there.”
Cardan’s forehead is wrinkled.
“No way.”
What do you mean no?
As soon as he opened his mouth to protest, a servant knocked on the door and raised his voice outside.
“Your Majesty, Madam Janet is asking if you will attend the luncheon today.”
I nodded quickly to Cardan to say yes.
If he attends the luncheon, I can rest a little, right?
But Cardan answered without looking at me.
“Tell her I can’t because I have a lot of work.”
“All right, Your Majesty. Then instead of lunch, I’ll provide a simple meal that you can eat while working.”
When the servant stepped down, I exploded.
“Why! Why aren’t you attending?”
I eventually overturned my small desk and ran to Cardan’s desk.
“Since when have you been so serious about your work?”
Cardan only smiled when he pointed his finger at my face.
“I have to work hard to fill the vacancy of the duke.”
“Does paperwork matter now!”
After losing my mind, I picked up the report on the desk and began shaking it.
“The Empire is on the verge of ruin! I can’t seduce Janet! You’re going to blow a good opportunity to take out those people with that tabletop?!”
I wasn’t venting my anger for no reason either.
During the past week, when I was locked in the office at the time of the handover, Janet has sent several invitations to Cardan over and over again.
Lunch on one day, dinner on the other, afternoon tea on the other.
But Cardan rejected all of them.
It was even rumored that the emperor had lost interest in his concubine after their first night without fixing his old habits in the palace.
Although the annexation date was set first in consideration of the reputation of Esland, and Princess Janet was nominally treated as a concubine in the palace, rumors were spreading even more because she had not yet conducted a formal ceremony or registration.
I tried, but I have no way to quell the rumor.
The temple, which recognizes all marriages in the empire, was refusing to administer the ceremony for unknown reasons.
At this rate, instead of being loved by Janet, she’ll only end up resenting him.
I hit my forehead at the sight of Cardan organizing the scattered reports without saying anything.
“You don’t even have to take out her chair while eating, or spread out a napkin on her lap, pour water, cut steak, and feed her a bite of dessert! Ahhhh?”
Cardan smiled lightly.
“What can I do, it’s more fun to eat sandwiches with you?”
“Now, Janet looks like she’s going to hold hands with the Empress Dowager and her husband is nowhere in sight, but you’re talking about sandwiches?!”
Knock, knock, knock.
I had no choice but to close my mouth at the gentle knock of the attendant again.
“Enter.”
When Cardan replied, the servant came in with a sandwich, looking at us.
Thanks to the heavy atmosphere, he seemed to have noticed that the air was roughly bad even if he could not hear the exact sound of their conversation.
As the servant quickly disappeared after leaving only the sandwich, Cardan took a bite of the sandwich with a slight smile.
“It’s going well”
He pushed the plate toward me.
“Have some too, Duke”
“No, I’m not going to eat it because it won’t go down my throat.”
Cardan took another small bite of my sandwich.
“It’s not poisonous, it’s delicious.”
“Unlike someone else, I’m worried about the Empire’s well-being, so the food won’t go down my throat.”
I coldly put my brain out and even crossed my arms, but my stomach growled loudly without me noticing.
I was actually a little hungry, and maybe it’s because of the freshly baked bread they used, but the sandwich smelled good enough to make my mouth water.
However, when Cardan’s gaze fell on my stomach, I hurriedly turned my back and returned to the corner.
“You can just eat it, right?”
A low-pitched voice clung to my back.
“No, I don’t want to.”
If I pick up that sandwich now, I’ll be humiliated and never be able to carry my face around again.
However, when I sat down, my stomach screamed again for food.
I trembled as I straightened up the fallen desk.
After acting so hard for a long time, I glanced at Cardan. Thinking he would be looking at the documents again by now, but he was still looking at me.
As I raised my eyebrows as if I was looking at something, Cardan sighed and rubbed his forehead.
“Okay, I’ll definitely attend the luncheon tomorrow.”
The corners of my mouth began to creep up without realizing it.
“I have a better idea.”
I started rubbing my hands like a villain because I was excited.
“Why don’t you stay at the Star Palace for a few weeks as a vacation? The view of Lake Arabesque from Letira’s annex is said to be a superb view, but there is nothing else that makes a person’s heart softer than a beautiful view.”
While Cardan is busy winning the other person’s heart, I could also go to see the cherry blossoms at Star Palace and take a walk on the lake.
It was a perfect plan.
“Are you going to come too, Duke?”
Cardan recognized my plan to fool around like a ghost.
“Well, of course I have to attend to assist Your Majesty.”
“Yes, then do as you please.”
Cardan, who answered more gently than I thought, pushed the plate back toward me.
“So, why don’t you stop being stubborn and eat?”
“Ahem.”
I pretended to be as nonchalant as I could and strode to the desk where the sandwich was placed.
“Maybe it’s because I relieved my worries about the empire, so I’m hungry.”
I grabbed the sandwich that Cardan was proud of and put it in my mouth without hesitation.
“You eat well.”
Cardan’s expression, which I thought was sarcastic, was rather sincere.
He bent his eyes lightly and put his uneaten portion on my plate.
“Eat to your heart’s content.”
“Thank you…….”
I turned my head because his eyes were uncomfortable for no reason.
As expected, on second thought, he was unnecessarily excessively handsome.
***
Thanks to Cardan’s pretense of being busy again, the role of informing Janet of this good news has fallen to me.
“Madame, how have you been?”
I asked with a big smile, but I could tell at a glance.
Janet, she’s been having a hard time.
Thin cheeks, pale face compared to last time.
Her posture as she sat in a colorful drawing room decorated with dark green and gold leaf was awkward.
“Yes……I’ve been well.”
Still, Janet smiled a little for me. It disappeared quickly.
I slurped some tea.
And pretending to be looking at the tea, I asked a question without taking my eyes off my tea cup.
“You’ve been disappointed, right?”
“What? What do you mean disappointed?…. What is…?”
Janet pretended not to know, but her gesture of fiddling with the teacup became more bustling.
“His Majesty was also worried because he couldn’t spend much time with madam due to his heavy work.”
Pretending not to be, Janet was seen poking her ears at my words.
“As you know, it is very busy from the beginning of the year to spring……. His Majesty has been so busy these past few days that he has only eaten sandwiches.”
“I can’t believe it’s just a sandwich. He should take care of himself more.….”
Janet was now clinging to every word I said.
“Can I bring him a meal that’s easy to eat while he’s working?”
Cardan is just enjoying his sandwich to make himself comfortable. Janet’s devotion made me feel sorry for her.
“Haha, I don’t think that’s necessary.”
Janet was visibly disappointed.
“As expected, I’ll only get in the way of things.…?”
“That’s not it.”
I hurried on before Janet dug further into the tunnel.
“His Majesty wanted to spend more time with the madam, so he took a week off.”
I put out the invitation that I had prepared in advance.
“A romantic week at the Star Palace of Letira……?”
The promotional phrase was crude because of the rush, but I laughed even more brazenly.
Love is supposed to be cheesy.
Fortunately, Janet had a bright smile on her face.
“Did His Majesty prepare this for me?”
Janet swept the invitation with her hands in disbelief.
“Yes, he prepared everything from the invitation letter to the schedule of the separate palace.”
To be exact, it was made by grinding myself.
“Then will you accept the invitation?”
Janet nodded hastily.
“Yes! Of course!”
And then suddenly she paused.
Don’t tell me she’s going to refuse? Just as I was starting to get worried, Janet glanced at me. Anxiety appeared in her eyes for a moment, but soon disappeared as if she had washed it away.
When she opened her mouth again, a small smile was even on her face.
“Can my brother come along too?”
