🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 34
Fleur was taken aback by his words and immediately responded.
“W-what do you mean? How have I disrupted any order?”
“You’re trying to become the head of your family.”
He tilted just one corner of his mouth and pointed directly at her face.
“That’s exactly what breaks the order.”
“Huh?”
She let out a bitter laugh in disbelief.
“You really think that’s enough to break the order? Your Majesty seems incredibly narrow-minded.”
“Are you insulting His Majesty the Emperor right now?”
“Yes. I think I should. Because right now, I feel utterly humiliated.”
She glared at him with a look that could have bitten the finger still pointed at her.
“You saw it too. I’m just trying to repay my family’s debts and protect my precious parents’ name.”
“I know.”
“You don’t understand my situation, Your Majesty?”
“I know it well.”
“Then why do you say I’m a problem?”
“Of course. Your situation isn’t unique.”
His tone suddenly became chilling. The air in the reception room seemed to grow heavier.
“There are many in the Empire in the same or even worse situations. But no one else is trying to become the head of their family just to protect the family name.”
“That’s because Your Majesty refuses to recognize women as heads of families. So even if a widow loses her husband shortly after marriage and spends her life protecting the family, she’s still treated as an outsider.”
“But in return, they forgive the family’s debts. That alone is a huge cost.”
“And they lose their name as well.”
Fleur finally grabbed his finger, which had been irritating her, and pulled it down firmly.
“And I have the ability to repay the debts on my own, so I’m even more qualified to be the head of my family.”
The stranger looked down at the hand held in hers.
“And what if a different situation arises?”
“What do you mean?”
“What if women deliberately marry into wealthy families to become the head and kill their husbands on the first night before consummation? Would they also become heads?”
“That’s far too extreme!”
He moved the finger he was holding to wrap his hand around Fleur’s entire hand—not gently, but in a slightly uncomfortable grip.
“Marriage between nobles is purely a transaction between families. Regardless of gender, they marry elderly men over 80 or search for weak and sickly partners to rise in status. All for honor and money.”
“Then punish those who abuse it! You can’t stop someone from wanting to be the head!”
“Do you think the citizens will sit still if you get your way? They will constantly want to become privileged. Then they’ll stop at nothing to marry nobles. Eventually, half the Empire could become nobles. That’s something the Imperial Palace definitely doesn’t want.”
“That’s too much of a leap!”
“It’s the Emperor’s job to think about the worst-case scenario.”
He emphasized the word “Emperor.”
“Quite the loyal servant, aren’t you?”
“As you said, I am merely your Majesty’s shadow.”
He smiled almost mockingly. Fleur, irritated, snatched her hand away sharply.
“So you even shed blood to ruin my party for the Emperor?”
“Yes.”
He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a small glass bottle. Inside were a few crushed cherries.
It looked just like the dark red stains at the end of his sleeve.
“This is the best way to make it look like blood in the dark.”
Even after kindly explaining such an unwanted method, she had had enough.
“Do you know how hard my servants worked?”
Her anger surged so intensely that her voice trembled, not with volume but with the strain of holding back tears.
“They stayed up nights with me making desserts. They redid recipes dozens of times, tasted hundreds of times, tried thousands of times, and prepared this party today.”
“…”
“I don’t care if my party is ruined by myself, but I cannot allow anyone to touch the people I care about.”
“…”
“Since Your Majesty ruined everything, I demand compensation.”
Fleur stepped forward and grabbed him firmly by the collar with both hands.
The sudden move seemed to startle him; his grape-colored eyes flickered slightly.
“Let me meet the Emperor immediately.”
He looked momentarily dumbfounded, then smiled showing his dimples again.
“To ask for the party’s value in person?”
“Yes. That’s the plan.”
“Will you grab me by the collar then too?”
“I would, if I could—but I’m serious about this.”
Even though her delicate strength wouldn’t actually hurt him, he rocked his body back and forth, matching her intensity.
Does he go to a school for teasing people? Why is he so annoying!
“I’m curious if you’d dare do the same to the Emperor.”
“I’ll show him. Now let me meet him!”
“Haha, that’s enough now.”
He tensed his body, causing Fleur to stagger backward and release her grip.
“Ugh…!”
At that speed, she would have cracked her hips and even the back of her head.
Her lean body never gained muscle no matter how much she exercised or ate—so uselessly smooth!
She cursed the system she had become the heroine of, right before falling.
“Careful. The party’s host mustn’t get hurt.”
He wrapped his solid arms around her waist and pulled her tightly into his chest.
It all happened in an instant, and she could only blink her yellow eyes, unable to process the situation.
“Are you okay?”
When their eyes met—purple and yellow—she finally understood what had happened.
Receiving help from the person she had just been shaking by the collar made her flustered. She pushed away and freed herself from his embrace.
“Ah… thank you for catching me.”
“Yeah, you should be grateful.”
“Huh?”
“And I didn’t come to ruin your party today.”
“Really?”
“I told you. I’m only here to warn you. If I truly wanted to ruin it, I would have kidnapped you this morning.”
He didn’t need to make two trips if he wanted to deal with her.
Since she had seen his strength, able to subdue a man with a single motion, it made sense.
“I conveyed our morning conversation to the Emperor. He told me to give a warning and make a deal.”
“What deal?”
“Do you know the region called ‘Shamal’ in the northern Empire?”
It was the northern area that saw snow 11 months of the year. In the game, Colin had invested in Shamal, so she only knew it by name.
Fleur nodded, and he continued.
“Because it’s so cold, crops don’t grow easily. There’s always a shortage of food. The Emperor usually supplied them with ingredients, but the heavy rain made the supply insufficient this time.”
“I read about that in the Empire’s newspaper too.”
“I want you to go there.”
“Me?”
He pointed at her with his finger.
“Interestingly, your crops survived the rain better than expected.”
It was thanks to the tutorial cultivation she had done.
“Do you want me to sell my crops?”
“No. I want you to create recipes that can help them prepare for future shortages.”
“The citizens there are used to the harsh climate and probably know more than I do.”
“They need recipes from the capital. Until now, they could barely cook the crops sent to them—they just boiled them.”
“Eating the same dish would get boring and be wasted.”
“Yes, but they still did that. Plus, the population is older, so creating new recipes is difficult.”
If you live in one village all your life, traditions develop, but foreign ideas are avoided.
“Your task is to develop recipes combining the capital’s crops and theirs for their benefit.”
“What will the Emperor do if I succeed?”
“He said he would give you the opportunity to become the Empire’s first female head of a family.”
It was a groundbreaking and irresistible offer.
“If I produce satisfactory results, other single ladies like me could also become heads of families?”
“Yes.”
“Then of course, I’ll do it!”
Without hesitation, she extended her hand in agreement.
“Tell the Emperor I accept the deal.”
He smiled, showing his dimples, and shook her hand gently.
“Do that. I’m sure the Emperor will be pleased.”
It was the day Fleur had a quest of her own, separate from the system’s quests.
