Chapter 96
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96.
"Would you like some milk?"
Wilhelmina Lopez, who had prepared the tea to a perfect steep, spoke with a bright smile as she poured it for me.
"We've arranged to import coffee roasting equipment from the Anden Kingdom soon, so please bear with us until then if it doesn't suit your palate."
"Not at all! The tea you brew is always delicious, Wilma."
"My, you're quite the flatterer, Rossi."
At my words, Wilma smiled contentedly and poured the warmed milk into my teacup in just the right proportion to my taste.
Two weeks had already passed since First Empress Scaletti Jamoti became the Fourth Concubine.
Thanks to Cassian Artez sparing no effort in his journey, the Emperor had risen from his sickbed just four days after regaining consciousness.
He had begun resolving urgent matters one by one.
And my superior...
'It's simply because he overexerted himself so excessively during the journey.'
Most fortunately, he had recovered to his normal state by the very next day.
As the saying goes, like father like son—both of them truly possessed monstrous recovery abilities.
For reference, the reason Cassian Artez was able to shorten the journey by two days was due to his destruction of the mapped route in ways that defied common sense.
There were sections with mountains and cliffs in the way, but he simply said he had bulldozed straight through such places.
Naturally, most of the knights who accompanied him for protection fell behind midway through his monstrous pace.
They later returned after barely managing to maintain appearances by positioning themselves at intervals along the route, and they poured out their grievances to me.
He even issued special training orders to the knights who had fallen furthest behind, so he was truly nothing short of a demon.
In any case, with the Emperor now fully recovered, the investigation into the poisoning incident had been transferred to the Sun Palace Administration.
On the very day I regained consciousness, the Emperor had looked at me, and two days later he summoned me.
'I know there are materials you did not hand over to me.'
At those words, I naturally expected him to tell me to hand over those materials.
'But the fact that you deliberately excluded them means you have your reasons.'
He furrowed his brow as he shuffled through the documents, then released a short sigh.
'So I won't press further. I wasn't unaware that the Fourth Concubine would slip away in this manner.'
Somehow, wasn't he revealing his inner thoughts too much to me? Or was he deliberately stating facts to unsettle me?
As I harbored such suspicions, the Emperor, armored in a businesslike demeanor and concealing his true feelings, suddenly burst into laughter upon seeing my composed expression.
'Now I understand why Cassian is so utterly captivated by you.'
'Pardon?'
'That boy resembles me quite a bit, though he does share some traits with the Late Empress as well.'
I couldn't bring myself to deny it, and found myself apologizing inwardly to my superior.
'That would explain it then—you do share some resemblance with the Late Empress.'
'...I'm sorry?'
I've seen her in the past, and she was absolutely lovely—like spun sugar—and unlike me, she was truly a cherished princess raised with every comfort imaginable.
I couldn't imagine her ever choosing to suffer in the depths of work to repay debts.
Besides, even in the original story, she fell victim to the schemes of the Fourth Concubine Scarlett Jamoti.
If I truly resembled her, shouldn't she have backstabbed the Emperor and filed for divorce long before he ever brought in a string of concubines?
Unable to make sense of it, I responded with a vacant expression, and the Emperor finally seemed satisfied, letting out a hearty laugh before waving me away dismissively.
The way father and son both seemed eager to mock me was infuriatingly identical.
But soon enough, I reminded myself that comparing this hopelessly corrupt mage to my demonic superior was hardly fair to Cassian.
In any case, I was finally released from the poisoning investigation after that summons.
That didn't mean the rabbit-like colleagues and fox-like superior waiting in my office had vanished, though...
And now I'm being forcibly given a vacation like this.
"Lozi?"
At the crystalline voice, I swallowed the sigh that was about to escape and looked up to find Wilhelmina gazing at me with a radiant smile.
"Here we are, spending time together for once, and you're thinking about work again? I'm starting to feel a little hurt."
"No, that's not it."
I hastily denied it at her pointed question.
"That's not true—I'm actually starting to feel sorry for Prince Cassian."
My dearest friend, Wilma, delivered words like a thunderbolt from a clear sky.
"I... what?"
Words of sympathy for that demon coming from the lips of my sparkling wine?
"His Majesty earnestly asked me to make sure you rest, saying that even when you're with him, you never stop thinking about work."
Cassian Artez truly had no conscience.
That's because he's the one giving me all this work!
Of course!
Though lately, I suppose I've been drawing work toward myself quite a bit—just the tiniest, most minuscule amount.
I felt a slight pang of conscience, but decided to ignore such trivial discomfort.
"But even while you're with me, you're like this—is work truly your most precious friend, Lozi?"
"How could you say that!"
That was truly a dreadful thing to suggest.
My dream was to live peacefully and leisurely in a quiet place, doing absolutely nothing.
I vehemently denied it with all my heart, and Wilma let out a soft laugh.
Her smile was so refreshingly bright, like a lollipop, that the hurt I'd felt from her harsh words moments before melted away entirely.
"It seems people truly don't know themselves well."
"Pardon?"
"I was the same way, but seeing Logi like this too..."
For some reason, Wilhelmina Lopez spoke words that bore a striking resemblance to what Cassian Artez had once told me.
"In what way?"
I asked, recalling moments when she viewed me through such a generous lens, wondering if it might be a difference in perspective between us.
"You don't know what you truly love."
The answer that came back with such warmth in her eyes couldn't quite resolve my curiosity.
*
Wilhelmina Lopez soon decided I couldn't be left alone and dragged me all around the Capital City.
"It's always been a dream of mine—to stroll through the shopping district with a friend, watch an opera, enjoy delicious food."
Of course, despite her modest phrasing, my heart raced considerably each place we visited, witnessing her generous and bold demeanor.
"Since childhood, I've been surrounded only by people trying to flatter me, calling me 'my lady' this and 'my lady' that. So spending time like this, so ordinarily with Logi, makes me incredibly happy."
Seeing my Wilhelmina Lopez so content, what else could matter?
After three full days without a single thought of work, Wilhelmina Lopez finally smiled and created a moment of leisure for me.
Following Wilhelmina Lopez's footsteps, my faithful maid Joan had also...
'It's finally worthwhile to organize the dressing room and bookshelves! The dressing room was becoming so full that it would've been rendered useless soon anyway!'
She even let out a cheer of joy at the labor.
Thus, on the final day of my vacation, as I spent tea time at the Duke's Residence, I gasped at what she had prepared for me.
"I sent a letter to Prince Cassian Artez yesterday, and he kindly sent someone at the appointed time."
An iced Americano in that familiar color and aroma sat before me.
"Thank you, Wilhelmina Lopez."
"It was just one letter. Oh, and please don't worry too much."
"Pardon?"
"I didn't write to Prince Cassian Artez with the same tenderness as I did to you."
Wilhelmina Lopez stated firmly that she had referenced Duke Lopez's official documents when composing it.
I was slightly taken aback by her words.
"Surely you don't still doubt my feelings for you?"
"No, I simply didn't want Logi to feel hurt in any way."
My friend was truly kind.
"Thank you, Wilhelmina Lopez."
When I expressed my gratitude sincerely, she showed quiet satisfaction on her face.
Then she placed her favorite dessert from today's selection before me and spoke.
"It's nothing at all—if anything, I have so much to be grateful for! If you hadn't been so modest, I would have filled the dressing room completely."
The space that had been nearly empty was now more than half full.
And since she'd even prepared jewelry sets organized by type, Joan let out even more delighted squeals.
"It's more than enough, and I've already received considerable help. If Duke Lopez hadn't made a swift decision, I would have been in danger as well."
"Why is Father always so slow to act! If Grandfather hadn't issued his command, Father wouldn't have visited the Empress Palace until the next day."
Wilhelmina Lopez's anger flared anew at the memory, and she puffed out her cheeks briefly before continuing, her voice rising slightly.
"If Cassian had suffered anything because of Father's dithering...! I would never have forgiven him in my entire life. So Father should be even more grateful to Cassian than he is now."
"But Wilhelmina Lopez isn't angry anymore, is she?"
"I was angry. I even cut off relations with him to prove it."
As Wilhelmina Lopez spoke these words with a smile, an air of dignified confidence radiated from her.
Soon, her expression softened into genuine relief as she opened her mouth to speak.
"I'm truly grateful—that you're safe, and that I'm no longer betrothed to an unsuitable match."
Wilhelmina Lopez cut a small piece of dacquoise with her fork, placed it in her mouth, and spoke in a measured tone.
"The Fourth Concubine will be far too occupied defending herself against the other concubines in the Imperial Harem to have any means of controlling Father or me."
I nodded at her words, running my fingers along the nearly empty americano cup.
Scarlett Jamoti, now the Fourth Concubine, was slowly receiving recompense for the karma she had accumulated over the past twenty years.
From the other members of the Imperial Harem who had lived under her oppressive shadow all this time.
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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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