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Chapter 49
“Haha, even the Grand Duke… always joking.”
“Joking? Such a disappointing thing to say.”
As’s red eyes glinted fiercely for a moment.
The emperor, reading sincerity in his gaze, rubbed his forehead.
“Sigh… The Grand Duke truly loses his mind whenever Einra is involved. He should regain his senses soon; Einra would be pleased.”
The nightmare of that banquet, where everyone laughed and tricked each other, began to replay in my mind.
I quickly inserted myself between the two and raised one hand, calling out:
“Your Majesty! I’m tired, so I’ll head on ahead! As, let’s go!”
Before they could say anything, I swiftly closed the carriage door.
“Depart!” I shouted, and the carriage began to move slowly.
A soft chuckle came from beside me.
I turned to see As giggling quietly at me.
“Were you very tired?”
“Mm…”
I decided it was best to give a neutral answer.
I nodded weakly with a faint laugh, but then my body wobbled.
“Then let’s rest until we get home.”
As gently pulled me onto his lap and added softly,
“I’ll wake you when we arrive.”
“…Okay.”
I replied, glancing down for a moment.
A graceful scent of soap lingered at my nose.
It was As’s scent.
“…I think it smelled like this last time when I bathed too.”
My heart stirred slightly.
It was a fluttering, somewhat overwhelming feeling, entirely different from the sensations I had with Harnen or the Emperor.
I fidgeted my fingers and closed my eyes tightly.
When I stopped moving, perhaps thinking I was asleep, As’s small hand lightly tapped my shoulder.
“Sleep well,” he whispered softly.
‘Idiot…’
The person I liked was this close.
There was no way I could fall asleep.
The sound of hooves faded as the carriage moved away.
The Emperor, watching the carriage leave the garden with his arms crossed, spoke.
“How long do you plan to stay there, my friend?”
“….”
Before the Emperor finished speaking, Harnen appeared at the end of the hallway leading to the garden.
Walking close to the Emperor, he smirked.
“Helping Grand Duke Serenia secretly sneak into the palace… You’re unusually generous today.”
“If it is the request of my loyal subject, should I not grant it?”
“Let’s skip the flimsy excuse, Your Majesty.”
Harnen’s smile vanished instantly, replaced by a growl.
“Just be honest. You want Einra to be with Akes, don’t you?”
It was the same during the four-person meeting right after Einra arrived in the capital.
Though Harnen resisted the idea of her staying at the Grand Duke’s residence, Akes subtly blocked him and even helped him use the nullification magic tool so that Akes could return to his original form.
All of this to immediately dispel rumors that could spread from the Grand Duke’s residence.
The Emperor shook his head regretfully, watching Harnen’s icy sky-blue eyes.
“One cannot force the heart of another, my friend.”
“Even if the heart cannot be forced, one can pour oil on a burning house.”
At that, the Emperor’s pale pink eyes narrowed.
“You know, then.”
“….”
“That Einra likes Grand Duke Serenia.”
“…But Einra doesn’t know,” Harnen muttered through clenched teeth.
Though he recalled Einra’s subtle reactions previously and felt troubled, he deliberately chose not to dwell on it.
The Emperor tilted his head slowly.
“Since she does not know, you do not wish for her to be with the Duke?”
“….”
“How selfish, my friend.”
At the Emperor’s indifferent words, Harnen clenched his fist tightly.
Elberk the Emperor was right.
It was selfish.
If she could not be mine, then I wished for her to be no one’s.
Then, I could see her whenever I wanted.
After a brief silence, Harnen slowly spoke.
“…The Emperor of Elberk should not call me selfish.”
“Hm?”
“The reason you want Einra to be with Grand Duke Serenia is also entirely selfish.”
The Emperor tilted his head, puzzled.
Harnen glared at him and growled softly.
“You intend to make me the Emperor of Belzesti.”
“….”
“If Einra ends up with me, Elberk will lose a Spiritist. You want her with your ally, Grand Duke Serenia, instead, right?”
The Emperor, curling his red lips with amusement, lightly clapped his hands.
“You are quick to calculate, my friend.”
The Emperor’s pale pink eyes were cold.
“That’s why I worry. Even if you become Emperor of Belzesti, you should not forget the favors you received here.”
“…You…”
“As I said, the heart cannot be moved as one wishes.”
Stepping closer to Harnen, she whispered in his ear.
“If Einra gives you her heart, I will willingly watch with my hands behind my back.”
“….”
“All I can do is pour oil on a burning house.”
Whether she was confident that it was impossible or truly intended to do this was impossible to read.
Harnen remained silent.
Stepping back, the Emperor smiled languidly as usual and spoke again.
“Well then, it’s time to return home. You should rest if you want to attend tomorrow’s banquet.”
Faced with this clear order, Harnen gritted his teeth.
He bowed slowly to the Emperor.
“…Then I shall take my leave, Your Majesty.”
After bowing, Harnen climbed into the remaining black carriage.
The modest carriage, hidden by curtains, soon vanished into the darkness with the sound of hooves.
Finally, the last day of the banquet!
‘If I can just survive today…!’
With that thought, I laughed and smiled, surrounded by nobles.
Fortunately, after the first day, the Emperor had occasionally helped me slip away from the nobles, making things a little easier.
Hiding in a corner of the hall with the Emperor’s help, I nibbled on finger food canapés, glancing around slightly.
‘Harnen isn’t even looking this way today…’
Previously, he had met my eyes at least once every five minutes.
Feeling a little sulky, I turned my gaze elsewhere, only to suddenly meet golden eyes looking back at me.
‘Huh? That person…’
A man with sky-blue hair down to his waist and golden eyes.
I tilted my head, thinking the face seemed familiar.
He made eye contact with me and smiled broadly as he strode toward me.
“Hello, Einra.”
“Ah… hello.”
It was always difficult dealing with someone I didn’t know well.
I smiled awkwardly and returned his greeting.
“Do you… remember me? We met by chance on the terrace on the first day of the banquet.”
“Oh, that…!”
Finally, the memory came back clearly.
‘I saved a life back then.’
Feeling proud, I smiled brightly, making the man blush faintly as he spoke.
“I wanted to see you again, but I got into a scuffle with my father…”
Behind him, I suddenly noticed a figure staring at me.
Bright blue hair and pale pink eyes, just like the Emperor’s.
‘…That’s definitely Grand Duke Baharman!’
The chilling gaze of that tiny villain crawling all over me gave me goosebumps.
Without hesitation, I grabbed the man’s arm.
“Let’s move to another place first.”
“…Yes.”
Though I heard a shy response, my attention was entirely fixed on Grand Duke Baharman.
Dragging the man to a secluded corner out of the Duke’s line of sight, I finally exhaled and released his arm.
‘Phew…’
Finally, I was at a safe distance.
After catching my breath, I could finally think objectively about what had just happened.
‘Why did I have to drag this man here…?’
During our conversation, I had noticed Grand Duke Baharman watching us, so I tried to avoid his gaze—hence this entire situation.
‘I was trying to rest quietly with the Emperor’s help, avoiding the nobles… and then this thunderbolt hits me…’
My head ached from the stress.
