Chapter 43
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Chapter 43
The Aide, who had just finished cleaning up the shattered teacup, came rushing over in a panic.
Normally, the servants would handle such tasks, but given the security concerns, we hadn't allowed any maids into the room.
I continued speaking respectfully.
"Thank you for remembering that old promise. However, that was merely a thoughtless answer from my childhood."
The sound of the Aide sweeping up the teacup fragments seemed unnecessarily loud.
Crown Prince Kiaros furrowed his brow and asked quietly.
"...What?"
Huh?
I naturally expected him to say something like, "I see. Is there anything else you desire?" but that wasn't what happened!
Crown Prince Kiaros genuinely looked like he hadn't understood.
It was the first time I'd seen a crack in that impenetrable composure of his.
"...."
"...."
Silence continued to stretch between us.
Even the previously loud Empress had sealed her lips and said nothing.
I had no choice but to roll my eyes slightly before adding clarification.
"Ah, well. I meant that I don't wish to marry Crown Prince Kiaros."
It couldn't have been any clearer than that.
Then Crown Prince Kiaros blinked slowly and asked quietly.
"...Why?"
Huh?
Was this man truly so self-absorbed?
I was bewildered and hesitated slightly before answering.
"Well... um... because I want to marry someone I love?"
Shock continued to linger on Crown Prince Kiaros's face.
He rolled his eyes as if exasperated, then asked once more in a strained voice.
"...Suddenly? No, but why exactly...."
Crown Prince Kiaros could say nothing more.
The Emperor covered his mouth and whispered loud enough for everyone to hear.
"I think you should stop, Kiaros. Honestly, it's starting to look rather pathetic."
"But that's...."
"She doesn't love you at all. So no matter how accomplished you are or how prestigious the Crown Princess position is, she doesn't want to marry you. You shouldn't persistently pry for reasons from someone who dislikes you."
Well, it's not quite that I dislike him....
That was when it happened.
The door burst open. The Tower Master strode in alone—apparently having brought the Minister of Justice here.
Then he shouted loudly at me.
"Namia Loapi, Minister!"
"Ah, yes."
"Come outside with me for a moment and talk! It's about the Scrolls! These people will only be bored anyway, so let's just talk between ourselves!"
"Ah, yes."
I answered the Tower Master and turned respectfully toward the Royal Family.
"Is there anything else you wish to tell me...?"
The three of them said nothing. The Tower Master let out a hearty laugh and shouted.
"Nothing! Nothing! Everything's fine! Let's go, Minister!"
Before I could even bow properly to the Royal Family, he scooped me up and carried me out of the chamber.
* * *
After the Tower Master took Namia Loapi away, only four people remained in the Empress's Chamber.
The Emperor, the Empress, Crown Prince Kiaros, and the Aide.
Crown Prince Kiaros furrowed his brow in silence.
He couldn't figure out where, what, or how things had gone wrong.
Hadn't they just said during the trial that he would marry the Crown Prince?
"K-Kiaros."
The Emperor began to gauge his expression before asking.
"I thought you seemed so confident that I naturally assumed you were certain... You were even making heart shapes with your arms, so...."
"That was...."
"I obviously know it wasn't made for me. I'm not a fool either... I was just making a fuss earlier thinking Namia Loapi might be embarrassed or something...."
The Emperor let out a heavy sigh, looking bewildered.
"Still, something does seem odd."
"Yes? What seems odd, Your Majesty?"
"How can you keep liking a girl whose face you don't even know? To be honest, it could be seen as creepy."
He added weakly, his face troubled.
"Is it my fault? Did I make you anxious by carelessly talking about obsession with your fiancée? Perhaps you're the type who dislikes being constrained, and I shouldn't have said such things...."
"No, Your Majesty. Please do not worry."
So Crown Prince Kiaros spoke urgently.
"The truth is, I was only trying to put your minds at ease... I never actually liked her."
"Huh?"
"I'm a normal person, Your Majesty. How could I have kept liking a girl whose face I didn't know? As you just heard, Namia Loapi said she wanted to marry a wealthy man, so I was simply keeping that promise."
The Emperor and Empress exchanged suspicious glances.
Crown Prince Kiaros took a deep breath and continued.
"So it was simply to honor the promise I made with my own mouth. I absolutely, absolutely, absolutely never liked her. When I realized she was Namia Loapi, I felt nothing at all."
"Hmm... But then why do you look so flustered?"
It was then.
The Aide, who had finished tidying the messy chamber, carefully interjected.
"Um...."
"What."
"May I step out for a moment?"
Crown Prince Kiaros's Aide possessed a most sincere and loyal disposition.
Therefore, he would never suddenly leave without good reason.
So even as Crown Prince Kiaros felt somewhat taken aback, he asked the Aide.
"Why? What's the matter? Is something urgent?"
"Well...."
The Aide rolled his eyes before responding.
"I need to cancel the Wedding Venue reservation."
A sudden silence fell over the room.
The Aide lowered his head and added hastily.
"Your Majesty instructed me to cancel immediately if Miss Namia Loapi decided not to marry, did he not?"
The Empress trembled violently, bringing both hands to her lips.
The Emperor's jaw dropped as well.
"Then I should hurry and go. The Wedding Venue staff will be leaving soon."
The Aide bowed respectfully and departed.
As he left, he muttered to himself, "How perceptive of me not to mention this in front of Miss Namia Loapi."
The sound of the door closing behind him echoed unusually loud.
"K-K-K-Kiaros...."
The Emperor stammered in a trembling voice.
"You've already... made a Wedding Venue reservation... How extraordinary."
"Your Majesty, that's...."
The Empress gazed at him with pitying, wavering eyes.
"You must have been so delighted that Miss Namia Loapi is that girl, Your Majesty... Booking the venue first, no less...."
"No, that's..."
"It's quite bold, certainly, but saying 'I'll marry you' as though bestowing charity—what were you thinking... If your feelings ran so deep, you should have begged her to marry you."
Kiaros broke into a cold sweat for the first time in his life.
He waved his hands frantically as he spoke.
"N-No! It was simply because I thought Miss Namia Loapi might want to marry, so I reserved it in advance. Since reservations are difficult to obtain... I truly don't have romantic feelings for Miss Namia Loapi."
"...."
"...."
"I'm serious. I'm completely unaffected by this."
"...."
"...."
The Emperor and Empress exchanged glances helplessly, then began regarding Kiaros with the most pitiful expressions imaginable.
Kiaros eventually pressed his forehead and sighed deeply.
'Of all the timing for the Aide to appear....'
It seemed the misunderstanding would not be cleared up.
In the end, he reluctantly decided to change the subject.
"...By the way, Your Majesty, was your special ability teleportation?"
"Ah."
"Because otherwise, there's no way you could have arrived so quickly."
Everyone else believed the Emperor and Empress had devised some scheme and the Emperor had simply appeared in a flash.
But only Kiaros and the Empress knew the truth—there had been no plan whatsoever.
"Yes, Kiaros. This is my special ability. Now that it's come to this, I suppose there's no point in hiding it."
The Emperor smiled gently and spoke.
"I nearly exposed myself to everyone, but fortunately the Empress betrayed me at that moment, which means I should be able to cover this up well. Since I've been alone in the Western Region for so long, there won't be any servants who know the exact date I left."
What could have been a complete disaster had somehow been managed.
Crown Prince Kiaros lowered his gaze.
As if saying 'I'll handle it,' Namia Loapi had somehow made it work.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org