Chapter 47
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I possessed the body of a villainess locked away in a desolate tower.
Chapter 47
"Y-yes?"
Was he really calling on me so suddenly like this?
Caught off guard by the Crown Prince's unexpected nomination, I immediately began signaling to the Grand Duke beside me.
What I call the "swan beneath the surface" technique.
"Ahahaha...."
First, I drew attention with laughter, then started frantically slapping the Grand Duke's thigh beneath the table with my palm.
'Please...! Help! Help!'
But even as I rubbed my palm against his thigh hard enough to ignite friction!
Even as I gradually increased the intensity and employed every technique and rhythm I could muster to capture his attention!
The Grand Duke didn't so much as move or even glance in my direction.
This time, I switched from my palm to my fist, driving it into his thigh. Desperate, I even resorted to pinching him.
Yet the Grand Duke deliberately ignored me, as if determined to pretend he knew nothing.
Was this... his way of telling me to handle it alone?
"I am..."
Just as I was about to reluctantly open my mouth, writhing in betrayal—
"April Pepper. A distant branch of the Blaire Grand Duke House."
Huh?
The Grand Duke had beaten me to it, answering before I could even speak.
He'd ignored my desperate signals, yet I couldn't fathom what he was thinking.
As I stared at him, I felt a gaze from somewhere.
Precisely... from the Crown Prince.
"Hmm, I see. I've heard that the young lady oversees the overall flow of the comic book? What was it... a conduit? Someone who directly hears the stories of the characters?"
'Insane....'
So the rumors had spread after all.
I cast a resentful glance toward where the Empress was seated, then parted my lips to formulate an appropriate response.
But the answer came from somewhere else entirely.
"She possesses such a firm sense of her own world that she harbors ideologies generally difficult for others to comprehend."
It was the Grand Duke again.
Anyone unfamiliar with the situation might mistake it for madness, but help was help regardless.
I gently patted his thigh to signal that I could continue with this concept.
'Keep going like that! Keep going!'
A flinch.
Surely it was my imagination that the Grand Duke's body trembled slightly?
Meanwhile, another exchange was unfolding between the Grand Duke and the Crown Prince.
"I would like to hear the young lady's story directly."
"She has secluded herself without even making her social debut, and thus lacks knowledge of proper etiquette. To prevent her from committing any discourtesy toward Your Highness, I must respectfully relay her words on her behalf. I humbly beg your understanding."
"I see."
The Grand Duke was systematically dragging down my reputation to the lowest depths, yet I simply nodded with my mind emptied of all thought.
Yes, perhaps taking that approach would actually make things easier when I think about what's to come.
Clinging to what was essentially a pyrrhic victory through sheer tears, whenever my eyes met the Crown Prince's, I would naturally avert my gaze elsewhere as though I knew nothing, deliberately diminishing my own presence.
'Perhaps it's not entirely wrong to say I'm ignorant of proper etiquette....'
Suddenly recalling the unguarded demeanor I'd shown the Crown Prince yesterday, I was seized once more by the urge to kick off my blankets, and I lowered my eyes.
But then.
"I appreciate the Grand Duke's consideration, but am I the sort of person who treats talented individuals carelessly?"
T-talented individual? Something about that sounded ominous.
Moreover, observing the Crown Prince's way of conducting himself, he was far from easy to handle.
The way he smoothly brushed off the Grand Duke's words and then sought agreement from those around him didn't seem like the work of someone with only a little public relations experience.
"Y-you speak truly, Your Highness."
"It is already widely known throughout the entire Continent that the Crown Prince shows no discrimination in the recruitment of talent."
Praise for the Crown Prince flowed from various quarters.
Yet even amid such an uncomfortable situation, the Grand Duke did not speak again.
"How tedious."
In the end, it was the Crown Prince whose momentum faltered first.
The Crown Prince, who had been regarding the Grand Duke and me alternately with an inscrutable gaze, murmured in a listless tone and gestured.
"...Oh, the tea has gone cold."
At that, an attendant waiting nearby promptly stepped forward and presented a fresh cup.
'Huh?'
At the same moment, a brilliant idea flashed through my mind.
'A tumbler that keeps tea from cooling...?'
What if I were to produce merchandise for the comic book the Empress requested in the form of a tumbler?
Drawing on my extensive experience as a fan, a tumbler was truly a safe choice.
'And this world doesn't have tumblers yet!'
In this dreary world without even boilers, if I could make them before the dry, cold winter arrived, it would certainly be a tremendous help to me!
And I failed to notice once again, lost in my own thoughts.
That the Crown Prince had been gazing at me persistently for some time now.
* * *
Ever since entering the Imperial Capital, Kaian Blaire's mood had been plummeting.
Or more precisely, it had been that way since Lyden Kletan had secretly summoned him after his audience with the Empress.
"It's been a while—your face looks better. Do visit often. After all, it's your home too."
"I am grateful for your words, Your Highness."
Every word devoid of sincerity.
And that dark intention to summon him like a dog only when needed, to exploit him however possible.
He had left the Imperial Palace because of it, but even after all these years, he had never overcome this repugnant feeling.
"Ah, and that woman the Grand Duke brought—the Empress seems quite taken with her."
"...."
"Shall we make a deal? If you hand over that woman, I'm even willing to give you the remains of the Concubine. What do you say?"
His ears felt defiled by filth from hearing such worthless words. No matter how much he tried to wash it away, that terrible feeling would not disappear.
"Kaian, the fact that you're being so evasive makes me all the more curious."
Perhaps that was why. I didn't want to pay attention, yet I couldn't help but notice.
The sudden proposal to invite painters I had no interest in and hold a tea time together.
And among them, the explicit order to summon April Salt without fail.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, I pay my respects."
Thanks to April Salt's undisguised displeasure, my mood had improved somewhat, but the moment I saw the Crown Prince's face, I felt a peculiar sense of dissonance wrapping around my body.
The way he looked at me—or more precisely, at April Salt—differed from how one might regard an ordinary talent.
Yet I couldn't quite pinpoint the fundamental difference between the two of us.
"Ah, I procured some new tea from beyond the Continent this time, and it tastes quite exquisite."
After the formulaic pleasantries concluded, the proper tea time began in earnest.
It was the Crown Prince who spoke first.
"Young lady, what is your name?"
Why was it?
Kaian found that mundane question utterly grating.
But if I stepped forward first here, Lyden would only develop greater curiosity about April Salt.
Just as I was about to maintain my silence instead of answering, something unexpected occurred.
'Hmm?'
A tentative touch.
A peculiar hand brushed against my thigh.
I had both hands resting on the table, and the only person sitting beside me was April Salt.
Which meant April Salt was touching my thigh.
'What is she doing?'
This time, even I couldn't hide my bewilderment.
Kaian reflexively corrected the turn of my head toward April Salt's direction.
Even as I did, the hand on my thigh grew increasingly brazen and rough.
'Wait... suddenly?'
"You're so handsome that I simply lost my senses..."
"What?"
"I've rarely seen anyone this beautiful. That is... you seem to be my type."
April Salt's words from before suddenly flashed through my mind.
The gas she had inhaled back then induced mild delirium, but not enough to fabricate lies.
And so naturally, the assumption followed that everything she'd said then was the truth.
'But why now of all times?'
Just as my body was beginning to react involuntarily to her increasingly intense touch.
April Salt now pinched me, as if demanding some response from me.
'She's done strange things before, but never to this extent.'
In that moment, I felt my thoughts drift toward a more serious possibility.
'Could she have taken the wrong medicine?'
On the surface, the Cletan Imperial Palace appeared peaceful.
Yet the Crown Prince still kept watch over me despite my renouncing the succession and departing for the Northern Region.
As for the Empress, though she was quiet now, she was a ruthless woman who had done far worse things before.
If those two had conspired, they might have seized this opportunity to eliminate me—a thorn in their side—once and for all.
Unlike myself, who maintained fastidious standards, approaching those around me would have been relatively simple for them.
For instance, someone like April Salt....
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org