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~Chapter 9~
“Should I go back again?”
“Go ahead.”
The pink-haired young lady slowly walked back toward him and stopped right in front of the line.
Grey narrowed his eyes and watched her.
“Miss, do you see anything on the ground?”
“Achoo!”
Suddenly, the pink-haired young lady sneezed and covered her face.
Grey had to work hard not to show his confusion.
Meanwhile, she casually stepped over the line and asked,
“What did you just say?”
“…Nothing.”
Who was this pink-haired young lady, and how could she cross that line?
This was the emperor’s private garden, where only those allowed by the emperor could cross the line and come inside.
Behind him, Captain of the Guards Ethan was one of the few permitted.
And today, Grey had never given this young lady permission to enter.
“Miss, just one more time. This time, I’ll ask as a favor, not an order.”
The reason he’d spent so much time on this pink-haired young lady was because of this.
He had to know why.
The idea that someone could step into his space, which he thought would never change, was not just uncomfortable—it was dangerous.
Next time, it might not be this young lady, but an assassin. The royal curse that said he’d die before 25 could happen as murder this time.
“Then, Your Majesty, will you do me a favor too?”
The pink-haired young lady seemed to think hard, then confidently looked at him.
Grey’s eyes stayed cold, but he smiled deeply, showing dimples.
“You’re asking the emperor for a favor? Do you know what that means?”
“Yes.”
She answered like it was nothing.
Didn’t she say she was from a distant branch of a count’s family? He started to question her status because of her natural attitude.
“As long as it’s not ‘marry me,’ I’ll do it.”
“It’s definitely not that.”
“Then I accept.”
“Okay, then I’ll go!”
The pink-haired young lady dropped her annoyed expression and looked excited as she walked toward the lilac bushes.
Inside, Grey gave an order to his garden:
‘Don’t let that young lady in. No matter what, do not accept her.’
“Should I go back again?”
“Go ahead.”
He didn’t know how this young lady got in, but his command to target and refuse her was absolute.
She walked lightly, just one step away from crossing the line.
Grey stared at her white shoes.
She stepped over the line.
Behind him, Ethan’s sword made a small sound, as if he gripped it tightly.
Ethan also knew the secret of the garden, so it must have been confusing to see this innocent girl get closer.
The pink-haired young lady came up and asked brightly,
“But why do you keep making me go back and forth?”
Grey smiled, dazzling and mysterious. If there was a riddle, he needed to solve it.
“Miss, do you have a lot of time?”
Behind him, Ethan flinched.
The emperor was angry.
After reading the report, wrinkles formed on Grey’s forehead.
“Is it true?”
The pink-haired young lady with the mysterious eyes really was a diplomat.
A woman who looked so innocent—who practically had ‘I’m lying’ written on her face—was a real diplomat.
It was only after making her walk back and forth several times that he accepted the garden would not reject her. Still, he couldn’t understand.
Why? What was special about this pink-haired young lady?
There was only one person who could enter the emperor’s garden without his permission.
That was the empress.
But since he had no plans to marry, he never thought anyone would appear. There was no way she could be the one exception.
Oreon, the secretary standing by the desk, held a stack of reports and asked,
“Your Majesty, is that young lady suspicious? Should we put a ‘Deck’ on her?”
The emperor’s secret group, the Secret Deck.
Deck handled espionage, infiltration, intelligence, and even assassination—always for the emperor.
Grey picked up the hourglass on his desk.
The golden sand flowed smoothly down.
Time was rushing by. He didn’t want to waste it on useless things, but the young lady’s mysterious eyes kept popping up in his mind.
If he didn’t find the answer, this would keep repeating.
So, he had no choice but to investigate her.
“Do it.”
To share the schedule, Foreign Minister Rayen came to the room.
“Princess… No, Miss Ria, from now on, your job is to observe the atmosphere of the empire and find out what would help our kingdom. This is actually a way for diplomats to gather unofficial information—”
“So I just go around and play, right?”
“Exactly.”
Rayen nodded, looking pleased.
“Great.”
If it was just playing around, she was confident. Plus, she got to explore the imperial capital. She felt excited already.
Meanwhile, Annie, who had been listening quietly, set her teacup down with a loud clink.
Startled, Rayen looked up and met Annie’s fiery red eyes.
“Did I do something wrong?”
Rayen shrank back. She was much younger than him, but sometimes his little sister was scary.
“Brother, is that really the best plan? You’re just going to let Miss Ria wander around? Who will protect her? Do you know where she might go?”
Only then did Rayen realize and quickly turned to Dahlia.
“Miss Ria, you must stay inside the palace!”
“Annie!”
Dahlia glared at Annie, narrowing her eyes.
But Annie ignored her look and calmly poured tea.
“Please, have some tea, both of you.”
Dahlia pouted and took a sip of fruit tea.
Actually, more important than her unofficial diplomat job was how to meet the emperor.
“So when can I meet His Majesty?”
“Huh?”
Rayen’s reddish-orange eyes, a little lighter than Annie’s, shook slightly.
“I came all the way to the empire. Shouldn’t I say hello?”
“There are so many people from other kingdoms that our turn got pushed back.”
“Oh no.”
She’d wanted to meet the emperor often and hurry up his marriage, but the plan was ruined from the start.
On the day she arrived at the palace, she’d met the emperor right away—but after making her walk back and forth until she was out of breath, he disappeared for a meeting.
He said he’d grant her request next time they met, but the problem was actually meeting him again.
Meeting the emperor wasn’t easy.
She’d only gotten sore muscles from all the walking.
“Also, when we greet His Majesty, I plan to leave you out, Miss Ria.”
“Why?!”
Dahlia, who had been deep in thought about how to see the emperor, immediately lifted her head.
“I agree with my brother. You should hide your identity as much as possible, which means it’s best if people don’t notice you.”
Annie, standing nearby, agreed.
“But… I came here for a reason…”
Dahlia mumbled sadly, and Rayen quickly asked with a curious look,
“Why did you come to the empire, Miss Ria?”
Even Annie stared at the princess with silent intensity.
They didn’t know why a princess, who had lived in isolation, would sneak into the empire under a fake name.
They just guessed she finally wanted to see the outside world.
But the answer was nothing like what they expected.
“World peace.”
