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Chapter : 08 How to Capture the Heart of the Opposite Sex
A peaceful morning.
I sipped my tea leisurely, smiling to myself.
Fortunately, perhaps thanks to the time I had spent meeting people and persuading them diligently, no reports concerning Jerome had come in anymore.
There were no more subtle glances sent my way from around the palace either.
It seemed that everyone had finally understood my stance—that I had no interest in Jerome.
Surely now there would be no unnecessary misunderstandings.
I felt like I was finally one step closer to the peaceful palace life I had been longing for.
“Your Majesty the Empress.”
At that moment, Mari approached me cautiously, her tone careful.
Judging by her expression, it seemed she had something to say.
“What is it?” I asked.
“The books you ordered have arrived, Your Majesty.”
“Books?”
“The other day, you showed interest in a book I was reading, and quietly instructed me to obtain it for you.”
“…?”
Interest? Quietly obtain it?
Of course, I had never asked anyone to fetch a book for me.
Then it must have been Helena—my previous body before possession—who had given the order…
Why did an uneasy feeling begin to creep up on me?
“What shall we do?” Mari asked.
“Bring them here.”
I opened the box Mari brought and found several books inside.
Upon checking them, I was astonished.
“Oh my goodness.”
What on earth were these books…?
Each title was flashy and over the top.
<101 Ways to Capture the Heart of the Opposite Sex>
<Practical Advice for Those Who Want to Be Loved>
<Why Did the Lady Give the Knight One More Scone?>
From advice on capturing the heart of the opposite sex to bold red covers that made one blush—there was quite a variety.
“Do you like them?” Mari watched my reaction closely.
Seeing her sparkling eyes, I couldn’t bring myself to be harsh.
“They’re… really interesting. They’re books I’ve wanted to read very much.”
At my words, her face lit up with a radiant smile.
“For Your Majesty the Empress, books like these! I could fetch ten, a hundred, if you wished!”
“Ha ha, that’s alright. Just the thought is enough.”
“If you ever need anything else, please call on me.”
With that, Mari stepped aside.
It felt like a rough storm had just passed.
Of course, I had no intention of actually opening the books.
I had absolutely no interest in Jerome!
Practical advice on capturing hearts, or whatever… it was of no use to me.
Especially, why the lady gave the knight an extra scone? That was even less interesting.
I placed the books on the terrace railing and let out a small chuckle.
‘Helena must have really liked Jerome.’
In the original story, she was simply depicted as a villainess desperate to win the male lead, but inhabiting her body made me realize she was more a woman thirsty for love than a scheming villainess.
No wonder she monitored his every move and even tried to acquire these kinds of books.
“If books like these could have won his heart, Helena wouldn’t have struggled so much.”
I recalled the events of last night.
Unexpectedly, the night Jerome had come.
― Why did you say I did something I didn’t?
― What… do you think I am?
He left without even listening to my answer, spouting nonsense as usual.
No, perhaps he hadn’t intended to hear an answer at all.
‘Why did he say something like that?’
I had pondered this since he left, but nothing came to mind.
Ugh, thinking too deeply about it only gives me a headache.
As I shook off these idle thoughts and turned around, something brushed against my fingertips.
Thunk!
The book I had left on the railing had fallen.
A dull sound followed from below.
Thump—
“Ugh!”
Someone?
I hurriedly looked down from the terrace.
A man was rubbing the back of his head.
“I’m sorry! Are you hurt?” I asked.
The man raised his head in response.
“Your Majesty the Empress?”
“Could it be… Sir Leonard?”
To my surprise, the one who had been hit by the book below was Leonard.
“Are these Your Majesty’s books?” he asked as he picked up the fallen book.
Wait. The book?!
The titles flashed through my mind.
I shouted desperately,
“D-Don’t look! You absolutely mustn’t!”
At this point, my dignity as empress didn’t matter.
No, no, no!
I ran frantically down the stairs to reach Leonard.
Leonard looked at me with a slightly surprised expression as I arrived, panting.
“Ha ha, I really am sorry for dropping this. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. But it seems this book is very important. You rushed out in a hurry, didn’t you?”
“Yes, it’s extremely important.”
Then please, give it back to me.
I held out my hand, signaling for the book.
“…?”
But he didn’t return it.
Instead, he subtly turned it behind his back, as if unwilling to let it go.
I stared at Leonard in disbelief.
“What are you doing?”
“Returning the book is not difficult, but…”
“Then, please return it.”
“The pain in my head hasn’t quite gone. If it’s alright—”
His lips curled into a small circle.
“May I have a cup of tea?”
“…Pardon?”
＊ ＊ ＊
It was a cheeky request, but I couldn’t bring myself to refuse harshly.
I also felt a bit sorry since it wasn’t deliberate that he got hit by the falling book.
“The tea tastes good.”
Leonard said with a bright expression after drinking the tea prepared by Countess Chloe.
His beauty today was dazzling as ever.
Just drinking tea… maybe it’s too much to compare it to a photo shoot?
But in the sunlight streaming through the window, he looked breathtakingly beautiful.
You… that appearance should be illegal…
I unconsciously admired his appearance.
Leonard asked me a question.
“How often does His Majesty the Emperor come here?”
“?”
A strange question. Why ask that all of a sudden?
“Hardly ever, I suppose…?”
Recently, Jerome had come looking for me, but that was very rare.
Even in the original story, Jerome hardly ever visited Helena.
When he did, it was mostly to scold the heroine, Fay, for some mischief.
“…Is that so?”
“You have no reason to come here.”
Then, if anything, he might visit the Empress’ residence again instead.
“I’m not sure why His Majesty would do so. If it were me…”
Leonard stared at me intently as he spoke.
“I’d probably come here quite often.”
“You make an amusing joke,” I replied.
Such a terrifying statement… if he came every day, each day would be a constant heart-racing ordeal.
Even ignoring Jerome, just seeing him often would be hazardous to my heart.
Yes. Had I not known this man’s true identity, I might have felt my heart fluttering right now.
“Finished your tea? Then return the book now.”
I said bluntly, and Leonard smiled softly.
“It seems Your Majesty the Empress dislikes me.”
“That’s impossible. I’m spending time with the most popular man in the social circle. There’s no reason to dislike it.”
“I see. But then why do I feel as if you don’t want to be with me?”
He lowered his lashes sorrowfully.
His voice, however, did not sound sad at all.
“I only want my book back.”
“Seems these books are quite important.”
“They’re gifts.”
I extended my hand.
“So, please return the hostage.”
He made a mischievous expression.
“And if I refuse?”
Taken aback, I furrowed my brows.
Was Leonard always like this?
I had known him as a polite and courteous man.
“Didn’t you say a cup of tea would be enough?”
“The tea tastes good. May I have another cup?”
“…It feels like you’ll drink all the tea in the palace before leaving.”
“That’s not a bad idea.”
“You… honestly.”
I was speechless at his cheeky attitude.
“By the way, why are you here? This isn’t your jurisdiction.”
“Though my skills are lacking, I am the captain of the knights, so I have no strictly defined jurisdiction. I happened to come here while inspecting palace security.”
A strange feeling settled over me.
I asked suspiciously,
“You were inspecting directly below the terrace where I was standing?”
“I was concerned that someone with ill intentions might be able to jump up from this height in a single bound.”
“….”
Seeing him answer so casually, I was sure.
This man hadn’t come by chance.
If another knight said this, I wouldn’t have suspected a thing.
“Be honest. What’s your purpose for coming?”
“A simple security inspection. Otherwise…”
He tilted his head slightly and added,
“Maybe because I wanted to see Your Majesty the Empress.”
I laughed lightly at his words.
“Honestly, you’re a bit difficult for me.”
“Oh? May I ask why you think so?”
“First, why did you come? What’s your business?”
“Business, huh…”
He lightly touched his teacup.
“You seem to believe I came with some special purpose.”
I nodded.
“I do, actually.”
“Why?”
“Because…”
I clamped my mouth shut before the words “blackmailer” could slip out.
Yes. The man in front of me…
Knight Captain Leonard…
He’s the true mastermind.
Perhaps even more dangerous than the protagonist, Jerome.
I didn’t know what scent had led him to me, but he was the number-one person I needed to stay away from for my happy, comfortable empress life.
“Because… it’s just a feeling.”
I gave a vague answer.
I certainly couldn’t say I knew his true identity.
“A feeling?”
“Yes.”
“I see. Understood.”
He nodded shortly, then stood and bowed.
“It’s been a pleasant time, Your Majesty the Empress. I shall take my leave.”
As Leonard walked toward the door, I called out,
“Wait a moment.”
He turned, puzzled.
Don’t act like you don’t understand anything.
“You’re supposed to return the book before leaving.”
“Oh, the book.”
He held it up and said casually,
“I’ll return it next time.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m interested myself.”
He whispered with a lazy smile,
“‘How to Capture the Heart of the Opposite Sex.’”
