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~Chapter 18~
When she gripped the quill tightly and protested, Grey shrugged his shoulders.
“Young Lady, do you want me to lie to you?”
“No, but it’s just… you say you don’t like anything at all…”
She seemed to have written her questions in her notebook beforehand. She scratched out a line as she trailed off.
“There is one thing.”
Her eyes instantly sparkled like stars.
“What is it?”
“This. This garden. A place I can enjoy all by myself, with no one to bother me. I like it here.”
“Oh, I see. So you like gardens.”
She wrote it down in her notebook with an excited face.
“Write ‘all by myself, no one to bother me’ in big letters.”
“Yes!”
As Dahlia wrote, she suddenly stopped and narrowed her eyes at the emperor.
“Are you teasing me?”
“No way. I’m telling the truth.”
For a moment, a faint, real smile appeared on his face—different from his usual fake smile—but it disappeared quickly.
Why does he look so lonely even when he says what he likes?
Dahlia looked at the grand palace in the distance, then around the garden. How could a man with so many grand things only like this small garden?
He really was hard to understand.
Or maybe he already had everything, so there was nothing left to want or like.
“Time’s up.”
She looked at the hourglass. All the golden sand had fallen.
Oh no. The only thing I found out about the emperor is that he likes gardens.
Should I introduce him to a girl who likes gardens? Maybe a girl who tends to gardens? A girl who would walk with him in a garden?
“See you next time.”
The emperor stood up, and Dahlia quickly stood as well.
“Just one more question!”
He stopped and looked at her with his usual blank face.
“What color do you like?”
“No…”
He trailed off, staring at her for a moment. After a pause, he turned away.
“Dawn color.”
As she watched him leave, Dahlia whispered with a sad face,
“What color is that…”
Trying to find out the emperor’s preferences had failed completely.
Dahlia was about to open the door weakly, but Cole opened it first.
“Thank you.”
Cole smiled silently and stepped aside.
“Oh! Miss, you’re back already?”
Heart, who was cleaning the room or dusting near the luggage, hurried over in surprise.
“Yes. He seemed busy.”
“Who? The captain of the guards?”
“Yeah…”
Dahlia trailed off, sitting down tiredly on a chair.
Lemon, who had taken her back to her room, flapped and flew out the window.
“Bye.”
“Are you telling me to leave?”
Heart asked, puzzled.
“No, you can stay if you want.”
“Did something bad happen with the captain? Why do you look so down?”
“It’s just really hard to figure people out.”
Dahlia gave a faint smile, mixing truth with her words.
“That’s true. But it’s actually easier to find out about people who hide things.”
Dahlia looked at Heart with curious eyes.
“How?”
“There’s no such thing as an eternal secret. The best way is to start with the people around them.”
“…The people around them?”
Suddenly, Dahlia’s eyes lit up.
“Heart, thank you!”
With new determination, she jumped up.
“Oh my, where are you going now?”
“To my brother!”
When she stepped outside, Cole was waiting by the door.
“Where should I escort you?”
“To my brother, Rayn.”
Her natural way of calling him brother surprised Cole.
“Y-Yes, I will escort you.”
“Okay.”
With Cole’s guidance, Dahlia went up to the third floor and knocked.
“Come in.”
When she peeked inside, Annie and Rayn were both there. No wonder Annie wasn’t in the room.
“Brother.”
“Uh, yeah.”
Rayn answered awkwardly, unused to her calling him brother, though he’d decided to speak casually after hearing about her new maid.
As she entered, Cole closed the door gently behind her, guarding the entrance.
Dahlia hurried over and sat next to Annie, looking at Rayn.
“I have a question, brother.”
Rayn laughed awkwardly and scratched his neck.
“Good thing His Majesty the King isn’t here. What do you want to know?”
“About the people around Emperor Grey.”
“You really are interested in His Majesty.”
“I have my reasons. Can you tell me?”
“Well, Emperor Grey is famous for not letting anyone close. His closest people are Secretary Oreon, Captain of the Guards Ethan, and Head Attendant Rosen. Among the royal family, there’s Marchioness Maery Sondo—she’s the emperor’s aunt.”
“Didn’t you say he had a younger sister?”
“There are rumors they’re not close.”
“Why?”
“Some say it’s because the emperor avoids women—even his sister.”
“Really, just for that?”
Dahlia looked stunned, but Rayn smiled.
“That’s how rumors are. People say all sorts of things, like how the princess of our kingdom is so ugly she never leaves the palace.”
“That’s funny. Annie, did you know?”
Dahlia giggled and looked at Annie.
Annie nodded, but her face turned cold at the thought.
“We never even told that silly rumor to our princess.”
“I think the princess would have found it funny.”
Dahlia looked back at Rayn.
“But why does Emperor Grey avoid women?”
“I heard it’s because he’s too popular.”
Dahlia thought of how the emperor acted when they first met and nodded.
“So how do I get close to his close people?”
“Huh? Why? What do you want to do with them?”
“I just want to learn about His Majesty.”
Rayn and Annie exchanged glances.
She keeps denying it, but maybe she really does have feelings for the emperor.
If the two of them really ended up together, it would shake international politics—especially for their small kingdom of Poeburn.
The two great empires might see Poeburn as a vassal state of Lusephon.
Dahlia saw their worried faces and opened her eyes wide.
“I know what you’re worried about, but it’s not like that!”
“Really?”
Rayn looked at her carefully.
“Yes, really. I just hope His Majesty marries anyone soon.”
“Ria, why are you so concerned about the emperor’s marriage?”
Annie looked at her curiously.
“Normally, Emperor Grey should have already married and had an heir. If something suddenly happens to him, the empire will fall into chaos, and since our kingdom is right next door, we’ll be in danger too.”
The princess’s serious answer made the two exchange surprised looks.
Was this the reason she always talked about world peace?
