Chapter 95
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Chapter 95
"Is that what you came to ask about?"
I asked The Emperor, bewildered.
He said it was important, but this hardly seemed grave enough to warrant such a serious expression.
'Is there some hidden intention behind this?'
There seemed to be more to the debutante partner question than met the eye.
The Emperor wasn't a man of leisure, and he wasn't the type to carve out time specifically to ask about this one thing.
I spoke briefly while trying to discern what lay beneath his words.
"I haven't decided yet."
At the same moment, The Emperor exhaled deeply, as though a problem had been resolved.
"Why not? Is the debutante a decoy? Did intelligence arrive about some important incident occurring that day?"
"I'm not sure what you mean."
"There must be a reason Your Majesty came all the way to our house. Surely you didn't come here simply out of curiosity about my debutante partner."
"...."
The Emperor, stroking his chin, fell silent.
"...."
"...Is there nothing?"
"There is."
I knew it. What could it be?
I dismissed our servants so I could listen carefully, then leaned forward.
"Tell me now."
"That is...."
The Emperor, seeming somewhat flustered, paused before finally opening his mouth.
"It is indeed to discuss Enya's debutante partner."
"Pardon?"
"If you haven't yet chosen a partner, then choose me."
?????
I was taken aback by The Emperor's blunt declaration, but I thought carefully.
It didn't seem like he was saying this simply because he wanted to be my partner. It couldn't be for such a romantic male lead reason.
"Is it because we're publicly engaged?"
At the debutante event that The Emperor personally oversees, I, his betrothed, would be attending.
But if I entered with another man as my partner instead of The Emperor, gossip would inevitably spread.
"I haven't decided on a debutante partner yet. I've been too busy with dress fittings to give it thought."
"I see."
The Emperor's shoulders, which had appeared stiff, relaxed as the tension drained from them. He reclined in his chair and finally brought the now-cold tea to his lips.
Like Dale and me, The Emperor and I were partners born of strategy.
"As Your Majesty says, my partner must be The Emperor himself. The misunderstanding that I refused to marry The Emperor and thus the wedding has been delayed...."
"...."
It wasn't a misunderstanding.
"In any case, to dispel the misunderstanding and restore Your Majesty's dignity, there's no better venue for our first official appearance together than a debutante ball."
"...."
"This was all because of that, wasn't it? The reason you're personally hosting a debutante ball for the young ladies is for that purpose, correct?"
The Emperor had looked ahead and made the fitting choice.
The dignity of an Emperor.
My debutante ball, which I would inevitably have to hold eventually upon returning to House Lockhart.
The rumors surrounding The Emperor and the Lockhart Family.
It was the perfect method to eliminate all of it at once.
The Emperor is The Emperor.
He is a man who knows how to make good choices at strategically appropriate moments.
"...."
Whether because I had guessed his move, The Emperor remained silent and still.
"If we set aside political intentions, am I not even a consideration as Enya's partner?"
What did he mean by that?
I racked my brain, but it was difficult to follow The Emperor's intent. He truly is formidable for an Emperor.
'What's his hidden meaning?'
Setting aside political intentions....
'Ah, loyalty.'
He seemed to be testing through me what loyalty the House Lockhart held toward him, beyond mere strategic relations.
"Of course, I would have considered The Emperor as my partner."
"!"
I proved my loyalty confidently.
The Lockhart Family will not betray Your Majesty.
So please don't harbor any misunderstandings, and don't think about destroying our house—let's get along well.
"...Is that truly so?"
"Of course!"
"...."
Was that the right answer?
I waited anxiously for The Emperor's response. The Emperor, who had remained perfectly still as if time itself had stopped, finally showed his reaction.
"I'm ashamed that I pressed Enya without realizing that."
It was the right answer.
The Emperor rose from his seat and gathered his cloak about him.
His attire was impeccably neat, whether because he had come amid pressing matters.
"Then, I beg your pardon for the intrusion."
"You're leaving?"
"...Is there more?"
"No? You may go...."
The air around me suddenly turned cold.
The Aides' faces seemed to have gone pale, though it could have been my imagination at first glance.
But since The Emperor had come this far, I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to show him our family's Greenhouse.
"Would you like to take a walk together?"
* * *
The Lockhart Family's Greenhouse was a treasure trove of The Continent. It maintained a warm temperature year-round and housed plants and countless seeds brought from across The Continent.
There was even a saying that if The Continent were to perish, one could survive by cultivating the seeds in the Lockhart Family's Greenhouse to provide sustenance.
'The High Priest's blessing is woven into this Greenhouse as well. It truly is a remarkable place.'
Our family had donated substantial sums to the Temple System consistently, so the High Priest had apparently visited this Mansion in person. I don't remember it since I was young.
And entry to this Greenhouse required explicit permission from either the Duke or the Duchess. The Servant who managed the Greenhouse, and I myself, were bound by this rule.
The reason seemed to stem from a room at the very back of the Greenhouse.
I didn't yet know what was inside, but there was one room that my parents managed with strict discipline.
I didn't venture in that direction and instead introduced The Emperor to the flowers of the Greenhouse.
"What sort of flowers does Your Majesty prefer?"
"I apologize, but I'm not well-versed in the varieties of flowers."
Silence fell between us.
It wasn't that The Emperor found it tedious to answer me—he genuinely seemed not to know.
"Then do you enjoy trees?"
"...I'm not well-versed in the varieties of trees either."
"I see. That's understandable."
Silence fell again.
The Emperor, who had been strolling through the Greenhouse with me, undid a button as if he were warm.
"Then you must not care much for the fragrance of flowers or trees either?"
"...."
The Emperor, who had been walking slowly, shook his head.
"This is something I only tell Enya, but the truth is...."
"Oh! We don't need to create secrets between us! It's fine! I can't possibly hear Your Majesty's secrets carelessly!"
I made an X shape with my hands and covered The Emperor's mouth.
Though The Emperor turned out to be a far better person than I'd thought, I didn't want to become too personally intimate with him.
"I see. I understand."
The Emperor turned his head as if in agreement.
"...But why not?"
And he asked me again.
"Because secrets are something shared between lovers or those very close to one another. If you were to tell me, Your Majesty's beloved might feel displeased, wouldn't they?"
I persuaded The Emperor with an appropriate explanation.
"Even if she's not present, such things shouldn't happen."
"...I understand."
The Emperor, whose voice seemed to have grown slightly quieter, walked in silence as if he had accepted my words.
"By the way, does that person—The Emperor's lover—attend this debutante ball?"
"Didn't Enya just say that secrets aren't meant to be revealed?"
His tone carried a hint of petulance.
He seemed disappointed that I'd cut him off earlier. An awkward silence settled between us.
"I only asked because if they did attend, I wanted to make sure you two didn't appear too affectionate in public."
"They will not be attending."
The Emperor gazed down at me intently.
"So Enya is free to link arms with me."
"I see. I'll keep that in mind."
If they weren't attending at all, it meant they weren't nobility.
'Even The Emperor struggles with love.'
Balancing both sides must be exhausting.
I hoped his romance would end smoothly and happily. If his mood soured, it could affect our House as well.
And I was curious to know who this woman was.
'I absolutely cannot go near her.'
In the original story, how many people died simply for being close to the Empress?
'I shouldn't investigate either.'
If I got caught searching for who the future Empress was, my head would roll.
I'd stay quiet and pray that The Emperor's lover never came near me.
'I can't even pretend to be close to The Emperor.'
If I triggered his lover's jealousy and caused a rift between them because of me, that was also a death sentence.
The only answer was to slowly distance myself from The Emperor's side.
We should only be close when working.
Otherwise, keep far away.
"That's not the right path."
"Oh."
The Emperor steadied my forehead with one hand while grasping my waist with the other.
When I came to my senses, a sharp leaf was inches from my eyes. I'd nearly been pricked while lost in thought.
Before I could react, The Emperor's chest pressed against my back.
"Thank you."
"We need to go that way. The left path by the flower bed has wild plants brought from the wetlands—entering carelessly could expose you to their toxins."
"Ah, that's right... But how do you know so much about it?"
"I've seen it before."
"With my father?"
The Emperor didn't answer. If he hadn't come with my father, there was no one else he could have come with.
The Emperor studied me quietly for a moment, then walked ahead.
I was the owner, yet he moved like he was.
'What is this sense of déjà vu?'
Just as I tried to change direction abruptly, my foot caught. I was about to collide with the sharp wire mesh of the flower bed when—
"...!"
I curled my body, yet felt no pain.
'What is this?'
The moment my eyes opened, I went rigid.
The Emperor was holding me.
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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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