Chapter 106
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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Chapter 106
* * *
Today, the sunlight feels different somehow.
Even the air smells fragrant, and the world appears dazzlingly beautiful. Now I understand how a constipated patient must feel. Was relief always this wonderful?
Did ordinary people always experience this kind of happiness?
"Ah... everything looks so beautiful and lovely."
I spread refreshments across the gazebo in the center of the garden and sprawled out luxuriously.
"For the first time in my twenty-some years of life, my heart feels at ease..."
I ended my engagement with The Emperor.
No, wait—we were never formally betrothed in the first place, so there's no need for such grand words as "breaking an engagement." We simply went our separate ways.
Money?
I don't need it.
Honor?
I don't covet any of it in this moment.
"Ahhhhhh!"
"You seem quite pleased, Miss," Emma said with a soft laugh as she poured my tea.
"I never expected to see you so happy. Emma is truly delighted to see you this way."
"Thank you, Emma!"
I sat up and pulled her into an embrace.
She was the primary architect of my escape to Grunvalt and my new hidden life. My dear Emma.
"Without you, I never would have dreamed of such miracles and fortune."
Emma had worried through every decision with me. It was she who suggested moving to Grunvalt—a place I'd never even considered. Thanks to her, I met Dale, and now I can seriously contemplate a future with him.
"...But Miss, I wonder why The Emperor acted that way?"
"Hmm? The Emperor's feelings?"
I crunched on a cookie and shook my head.
"I don't want to know. If I keep thinking about The Emperor now that we've parted ways, something unclean might cling to me. Let's not talk about that anymore."
"Hehe, very well."
I had Emma sit beside me, smiling softly. She was far more than just a maid. She was my longtime sister and friend.
We'd played house together as children and enjoyed tea time together as we grew. It was a simple gathering we hadn't resumed during my three years of running away.
But the joy I felt was overwhelming. I felt as though I might float away, as if this were all a dream.
"Oh—Emma, remember when I asked you to look into Dale?"
We often played house together when we were young, and as we grew up, we enjoyed tea time together as well.
It was a small gathering that I hadn't been able to resume during the over three years I was away from home.
I felt so good. It felt like I could fly, like I was in a dream.
"Ah, Emma. You know that thing I asked you to look into about Dale?"
"Yes. That thing you told me to discard?"
"Could you do it again?"
"Do it... again?"
Emma's eyes widened as she tilted her head, her expression clouded with confusion.
"Did something develop between you and Dale?"
"Yes."
Sipping my tea and thinking of Dale, my heart grew warmer still. I placed my hand over my chest and exhaled slowly.
"I've decided to officially court Dale."
"..."
"What's remarkable is that Dale is like a lucky fairy. It was true when he appeared in Grunvalt, and it's true now."
"...Why is that?"
"I asked him to meet me again after severing everything with The Emperor, and the engagement was dissolved in no time at all."
Wait, I don't think that was the first time.
When I was in Grunvalt, I discussed Dale and The Emperor with him, and shortly after, he pushed for legal reform.
'...Is that so?'
It was as if The Emperor and Dale shared some unspoken understanding.
'That can't be right.'
I laughed at the absurd thought.
No matter how unpleasant or unsettling today felt, I wasn't angry or worried.
I was simply in good spirits.
"Hmm, hmm, hmm—"
A tune escaped my lips unbidden.
Now, aside from Dale's thorough investigation, the practical problem remaining was this...
'I still have to overcome my family's opposition.'
House Lockhart is a noble house even I must acknowledge.
As a noblewoman, I've annulled my engagement to The Emperor, and if I now declare marriage—especially to a commoner—it could put The Emperor in a difficult position.
"So the noblewoman cast aside The Emperor and married a commoner. They say it was His Majesty who rejected her!"
...This could unnecessarily provoke The Emperor's displeasure. It could.
"I need to choose the right moment. A time when it's acceptable for me to be with Dale."
Should I help Dale earn a title instead?
Since I know so many stories from the original work, perhaps I could help him achieve the merits needed.
"Emma, what do you think?"
"About what?"
"Grandfather would clutch his chest and collapse if I married a commoner. There was Aunt Corinne's situation. But if I did the same, what would happen?"
Emma, knowing Grandfather's fiery temperament, quietly averted her eyes.
"He might throw a fit as if he'd suddenly become twenty again."
"Right?"
He wasn't the type to overlook such matters simply because there was one precedent.
"What about my parents? How would they react?"
"They seem like they wouldn't think too much of it."
"I believe that side will be more accepting than expected too."
I rubbed my chin thoughtfully.
Ah, right.
"What if I just married off my brother?"
A brilliant idea had struck me.
My brother still hadn't married either. If I redirected their attention to him first, then I could quickly marry Dale and be done with it....
'That wouldn't be good for Dale's future.'
It's one obstacle after another.
But if everyone knew how wonderful Dale truly was, I could convince them all.
'Persuasion can't be done with words alone. I need to show them.'
I narrowed my eyes thoughtfully.
"...Overthrow House Hexagon?"
If I could achieve such a feat as to completely crush House Hexagon—now that their confinement had been lifted—in this opportunity.
My marriage to Dale could proceed without complications.
The possibility is definitely high.
It's my role to strike a deal with The Emperor.
"Miss, you really do like him, don't you?"
"Dale?"
"Yes, him."
"Once you meet Dale yourself, you'll understand why I like him."
I took Emma's hand and smiled warmly. Emma and I got along well, and our tastes aligned perfectly.
Most of all, Emma was someone I cherished, so I wanted to introduce her to Dale.
"Actually, Dale came to the estate a few days ago."
"He was the one who caused the commotion?!"
"Yes. It's a secret."
I whispered carefully and laughed.
Emma looked genuinely shocked.
"If it was him who took care of the Duke's knights... Ah, because it was him..."
"He said he came because he wanted to see me."
"..."
"Now I understand. How much I love Dale."
I held the letter Dale had secretly sent me last night close to my heart.
I'd touched it so much that the edges had already frayed.
'Hm?'
But there was something like a signature scrawled in the corner.
'What is this?'
It looked like a doodle, but... it seemed closer to a signature.
"Emma. Do you remember who brought this?"
"It was an ordinary mail carrier."
"Really?"
"Of course. Emma would never do anything to harm the young lady. Never."
"Right. Of course."
Her answer seemed slightly different from what I'd asked, but it didn't matter.
Right now, Dale was all that mattered to me.
'Now all that's left is to be happy with Dale.'
My mood was truly wonderful.
* * *
A dark night. Beyond the alley lay the bridge underpass.
Emma walked quickly, clutching a letter to her chest.
Beneath the underpass, Emma met someone and discreetly handed over the letter.
"Here it is."
Her manner seemed practiced, as if she'd done this many times before. The figure revealed beneath the streetlight was also dressed in a black robe.
Just like Emma.
"What on earth is The Emperor thinking? By now, he was supposed to have revealed his identity to the young lady."
"We cannot predict his actions either."
"I didn't agree to this...!"
Emma, who had been about to raise her voice, let out an irritated sigh instead and shifted her weight to one leg.
With cold eyes she never showed in front of Enya, she stared at the figure before her.
"Is this how you repay The Emperor for helping with his plan?"
As she grabbed the figure by the collar, the robe fell away, revealing his face.
"I apologize."
He was Soho, The Emperor's Aide.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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