Chapter 46
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46.
"Sixth Prince Joel, Your Highness?"
He was the full brother of the Fourth Prince, who had just received the thunderbolt news this morning that he was to depart for the battlefield.
In other words, he was the Second Concubine's second son.
At seven years old, he was at that perfect age when baby teeth were falling out.
"Yes! You know me, Sister!"
Sister—what kind of insane cuteness was this?
With his childish demeanor radiating from every pore, his plump cheeks flushed rosy, he flashed a brilliant smile before hastily covering his lower lip with his hand, apparently self-conscious about his missing tooth. The gesture was utterly endearing.
How could the Princes' brother be this adorable?
When I turned that same gaze toward Cassian Artez, his eyes immediately grew bitter.
"I remember being cute when I was young too."
Surely not—while certainly handsome, there was an aura about him that made it difficult to call him cute, was there?
As I silently objected, Cassian Artez approached from behind me, pressed his body close, and rested his head on my shoulder with familiar ease as he spoke.
"Children who are cute grow up to be beautiful, Roselita."
Why did he insist on proving this point to me specifically?
Just as I tried to nudge him away with my shoulder, Sixth Prince Joel reached out and grasped my hand firmly.
"Sister, play with me."
"I beg your pardon?"
"They say you play the most fun games, Sister!"
"Ah, but...."
It was work hours, and I needed to devise countermeasures regarding the Fourth Prince's deployment....
'If I pretend not to notice, the First Empress will certainly use this as material for a media play.'
It would be no difficult feat for her to erase all trace of First Prince Charlie's existence and act as though only Cassian Artez could resolve this situation.
Yet despite all this, my principle of prioritizing work wavered before the overwhelming cuteness of Sixth Prince Joel.
"Joel, did the Second Concubine ask you to find Roselita?"
Cassian Artez posed the question toward Sixth Prince Joel.
The Prince's cheerful expression instantly became composed.
"It's a secret from Older Brother!"
A response that was as good as confirmation. Cassian Artez whispered to me in a voice the Prince couldn't hear.
"The Second Concubine may appear quiet, but she has a track record of protecting her two princes."
"Which means...."
"Go, Roselita. Your duties can be managed by myself and Ashwood Advisor for now."
I hesitated as I mentally reviewed Cassian Artez's schedule for today, but soon resolved to follow Sixth Prince Joel.
Hoping desperately that this wasn't a trap the First Empress had laid.
*
Contrary to my expectation that Sixth Prince Joel would head straight to Lilac Palace where the Second Concubine resided, he grasped my hand and led me wandering through the palace corridors.
As if we were genuinely playing together, exploring every corner of these halls.
"Nuna, look at those flowers—they're as beautiful as you!"
True to his nature as Cassian Artez's younger brother, he dispensed honeyed compliments with effortless charm.
"Will you count to ten and find me, Nuna? Please?"
We even played a brief game of hide-and-seek in the middle of our wandering, and the Administrative Officials passing by cast peculiar glances in my direction.
Their gazes seemed to ask: why was I, who always appeared ready to kill everyone as I rushed about busily, playing with a small child here?
Indeed, why was I doing this...?
Though my heart grew complicated thinking of the mounting work, I indulged him quietly—after all, at seven years old in winter, Sixth Prince Joel was precisely at that age where such play was fitting.
Seven-year-olds were supposed to run off on tangents and get distracted even when sent on errands.
As lunchtime approached, Joel, who had been laughing and dashing about merrily, suddenly threw his arms around my leg and spoke.
"Nuna, I'm hungry!"
"Ah, then let's go eat—"
"I just remembered! Mother said to bring Nuna!"
Whether he'd genuinely forgotten while playing, Joel began swinging my hand back and forth as he finally turned his steps toward Lilac Palace.
"Mother's cooking is really, really delicious!"
He boasted about the Second Concubine's culinary skills with a proud expression.
Of course, I couldn't help but feel puzzled by his words.
'Why would the Concubine cook herself?'
*
"Welcome, Advisor Roselita."
I couldn't help but start at the sight of the Second Concubine greeting me.
We had only exchanged pleasantries until now, so I didn't know her well, but I had never seen her dressed so casually.
The Second Concubine always dressed in excessively formal gowns even at breakfast, as if she feared someone would find fault with her.
The same went for her two sons, the Fourth Prince and Sixth Prince Joel.
But now she wore a simple yet dignified indigo cotton dress like a merchant's wife, paired with a neat apron.
Seeing it was clearly a functional apron rather than a decorative one, I tilted my head in confusion, and the Second Concubine opened her mouth with an embarrassed expression.
"Feeding and raising two young children is not something one can do gracefully, Your Highness. Please don't take offense—it's not that I'm being casual with you."
"I never thought such a thing, Second Concubine. Please don't worry."
I was simply curious why a woman of her station would personally do the work of a nursemaid or cook.
All the other concubines employed both cooks and nursemaids.
"Mother, Joel brought Roselita here!"
"Well done, our Joel."
The Second Concubine carefully released my hand and rushed to embrace the child who had arrived, pressing a kiss to his cheek.
"I heard you enjoy meat dishes, so I prepared them accordingly. My skills are rather humble, so I'm not sure if it will suit your palate, but would you come in?"
At the Second Concubine's question as she held Joel's hand, I nodded readily.
"Yay, I want to sit next to Roselita!"
"Not next to Mother?"
"I'll sit next to Mother at dinner!"
It was a scene that naturally drew a warm smile from me.
I wondered if such a scene was even permitted within the Imperial Palace, which felt like a battlefield.
Indeed, the Lilac Palace's dining room carried a different atmosphere from the other palaces.
The wallpaper was filled with warm tones that reflected the Second Concubine's temperament, and a large window occupied one entire wall like a framed landscape.
Thanks to the Second Concubine's request to open the doors on such a fine day, a gentle breeze drifted in, refreshing the mood.
As a result, I felt as though I were sitting in a charming suburban restaurant rather than a dining room within the Imperial Palace.
Soon, two attendants with pale skin wheeled in a trolley and filled the table with dishes.
While not as elaborate as Imperial breakfast or the meals Cassian Artez always prepared for me, they were simple, refined home-cooked dishes that quickly awakened the appetite.
A fragrant soup with excellent color, made from mushrooms, potatoes, and carrots cut into generous chunks, and baguette sliced to a convenient size and warmed through with another gentle toasting.
The crowning touch was beef bourguignon with a subtle tomato aroma that made the mouth water.
"Please, eat while it's hot. The pickles have reached just the right moment."
I took her words without hesitation and took a large spoonful of soup first.
'Wow, this is insane.'
Why does she stay confined to the Lilac Palace?
With a puzzled heart, I picked up a piece of baguette, paired it with the beef bourguignon, and took a large bite.
From what appeared to be simple home cooking came an intimate warmth of flavor that brought happiness with each taste.
'Someone with such talent should venture out into the wider world and bring happiness to so many people...!'
I felt almost guilty enjoying such delicious food all by myself.
Whether my happiness flowed outward naturally, a relieved smile also appeared at the corners of the Second Concubine's mouth.
She spoke to me not with artifice, but with the truly affectionate manner of a loving mother.
"I've prepared plenty of food, so please don't hesitate to ask if you need more."
The Second Concubine seemed like a good person.
Or rather, I desperately hoped she was.
*
After the meal concluded, the Second Concubine leisurely peeled a fruit and slowly opened her mouth.
"You seem to have many questions, and I apologize for preventing you from speaking during the meal."
"Not at all. Thanks to you, I was able to focus on eating."
At my words, the Concubine's eyes widened gently and she nodded.
She had already eaten a couple of apple slices she'd prepared earlier, and the Fourth and Sixth Princes had just dashed out to the Lilac Palace Garden, insisting they would play tag.
"I'm educating the children not to be distracted during mealtimes, so I inadvertently took up the Advisor's time."
I shook my head at her words. The Concubine, having finished peeling, cut the apple into neat pieces, inserted a fork, and offered it to me.
I reflexively accepted it, and a satisfied smile bloomed on her face, making me feel oddly embarrassed.
"They may not be remarkable things, but I do hope that what I've given you today might lower Advisor Roselita's guard."
The Concubine set down her knife, wiped her juice-stained hands clean, then turned to face me and assumed a respectful posture.
"I earnestly ask that you help prevent the Fourth Prince from being sent to the battlefield, Advisor Roselita."
She spoke thus and bowed her head.
"Your Highness, the Second Concubine."
"Of course, I'm not unaware of how much my saying this might trouble His Highness the Second Prince."
It's not that it wouldn't trouble him.
Cassian Artez had already taken that into consideration as well.
"But I cannot be so selfish. I understand that other people's children are as precious as my own."
"Did you not summon me to ask His Highness Cassian Artez to deploy in his stead?"
At my question, the Second Concubine slowly shook her head.
Her soft gaze turned icy in an instant.
"I know His Highness Cassian Artez's nature. Even in silence, he would willingly take on hardship for his younger siblings."
That was true. Having suffered myself, I hoped my younger siblings would not endure the same trials.
"But that is not right. It's simply that I cannot think of a good solution alone, so I summoned you, Advisor Roselita."
"What Your Highness the Second Concubine wishes to say is...."
"Advisor Roselita, is there no way to send someone else—someone currently idle—to the battlefield?"
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