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Chapter 58
Dante calmly lowered his head.
“Your command.”
Lloyd slowly lifted his head.
As expected, he takes after Visionha—his looks are incredible.
Dante, unable to help but admire silently, caught Lloyd’s voice.
“There’s a woman I want to bring here.”
Dante’s ears twitched in disbelief.
“A woman you want to bring here?”
With his quick-to-wear-out temperament, Dante wondered if he’d really heard right. Was this coming from the Grand Duke himself, a man who never stopped a woman from leaving or pursued one unnecessarily?
“…A woman you want to bring?”
Dante asked, dumbfounded.
For a brief moment, a smile flickered across Lloyd’s usually cold face, as if thinking of “that woman.”
In a shy voice, he replied:
“Einra.”
“…Pardon?”
Who? Who did he say?
The “Einra” he had just mentioned—surely it was the very spirit mage he knew.
Dante could not contain the surge of emotion, covering his mouth with his hand.
Lloyd had never once brought a woman into the mansion.
Yet here he was, the very epitome of a womanizer, sincerely wanting to bring the spirit mage here!
Dante had never seen Lloyd fail to seduce a woman in his prime.
And the spirit mage was still young, so there was no way Lloyd’s deliberate attempts wouldn’t succeed.
Moreover, he was even thinking about marriage!
“This is a chance to become the mistress of the Grand Duke’s household of the Baharman line, with royal blood running through him.”
And the one courting her was an incredibly handsome man who had captivated countless hearts.
Even daughters of prestigious families would vie for this opportunity—yet it seemed to have just fallen into her lap.
“If I were a woman, I’d be bowing to the person who rescued me.”
Dante’s shoulders trembled lightly.
It felt as if heaven itself was looking out for him.
Lloyd, tilting his head curiously at Dante’s overwhelmed expression, continued:
“I sent a love letter to Einra, but I haven’t received a reply yet. I can’t wait any longer, so I’ll just bring her here myself.”
“……”
“Dante? Are you listening to me?”
It had been a long time since Dante had listened so intently.
“…Of course, Grand Duke. I’ll prepare everything as quickly as possible.”
Dante forced himself to control the upward twitch of his lips as he answered.
With Duke Cervantes and the spirit mage as allies, Dante finally saw a glimpse of hope.
“Ugh, I really hate this!”
I slammed the documents laid out in front of me.
Asga, sitting next to me, smiled and asked,
“You don’t like it?”
Without hesitation, I nodded vigorously.
“Yes. Lloyd de Baharman—I already disliked him, but he was even worse than I imagined. I absolutely despise men who are loose in their ways.”
I had suspected something shady about him, having met so many women, but I hadn’t expected this.
There were over ten illegitimate children whose existence Lloyd didn’t even remember.
I shivered, glaring at the documents detailing all of Lloyd’s misdeeds.
“He had a child and just abandoned them because he got bored…”
He had reassured his partners that there would be nothing to worry about while dating.
“If you’re not going to take responsibility, then at least control yourself in the first place.”
What a piece of trash, completely useless.
“Once the Baharman Grand Duke family is gone, I’ll make sure part of their fortune goes to the women raising those children.”
I muttered angrily.
Asga’s crimson eyes folded gently.
“If that’s what Einra wants, then so be it.”
I, who had been cursing him, sneaked a glance at Asga.
Twelve hours later, Asga had returned to his child form, thankfully without the feverish side effects this time.
“But he warned that using his aura could cause problems…”
Just like in the Count Haila territory last time.
Perhaps I had stared too long; Asga, putting away the documents detailing Lloyd’s weaknesses, called to me with curiosity:
“Einra?”
“Ah, yes. I need to prepare.”
I had forgotten—I was supposed to attend an audience with the Emperor.
Startled, I quickly summoned Hisha with an awkward laugh.
After sleeping behind the heavy partition last night, I still didn’t know if yesterday was our Day 1 or today.
Of course, I desperately wanted to ask.
“But I can’t ask that to a child!”
Even though I knew Asga was a 21-year-old in essence, his outward appearance was still that of a cute 10-year-old.
Since I didn’t bring up yesterday, Asga didn’t mention it either.
We remained somewhere in between being lovers and not.
As usual when I arrived at the palace, stepping into the Semelit Garden, the Emperor greeted me with a sulky smile.
“Ah, our Einra has come back, leaving me out of all the fun.”
It sounded like he had “I’m sulking” written all over his forehead.
I sighed softly after sending Hisha away.
“But it’s such a hassle to hang out in the city with Your Majesty.”
“So, you don’t want to play with me?”
He asked with a look that was just unfair.
I hurriedly shook my head.
“No, of course not.”
“Then play with me.”
The Emperor demanded.
Before I could respond, Asga smiled politely and spoke first.
“Your Majesty, if someone wishes to play, shouldn’t fulfilling that condition be the priority?”
“Condition?”
“A rational person considers opportunity costs. People naturally prefer more comfortable and enjoyable companions for their time. Please understand that.”
“Ah, so I’m neither fun nor comfortable to play with?”
A flicker of sharpness crossed the Emperor’s pink eyes.
Asga’s polite smile did not waver.
“I only advise with the hope of helping, Your Majesty. Please do not misunderstand my intention.”
“I don’t think that’s a misunderstanding.”
Once again, the two of them exchanged barbed words under a veneer of laughter.
I cleared my throat and clapped my hands to bring up the main topic.
“Now, shall we discuss how to deal with the Baharman Grand Duke as originally planned?”
“Indeed.”
“Of course, Einra.”
The smiles masked deadly intent, finally released between us.
The audience with the Emperor took place in the usual grand reception room.
“So, my cousin tried some underhanded trick on Einra?”
Leaning back, the Emperor crossed his legs and tilted his head.
I nodded vigorously, having plenty to vent.
“Well, at the last banquet…”
I recounted all that had happened with Lloyd, rapid-fire.
The Emperor, still in a slouched posture, ran his hand through his hair once I finished.
“How dare… that loose scoundrel even look at Einra?”
The corners of his mouth twisted with displeasure.
“I’m right here, yet he dares?”
Asga, smiling politely beside him, added:
“Einra is mine, so Your Majesty’s presence is irrelevant.”
“Seems the Duke of Serenia needs to mind common sense first. Jealous men aren’t attractive.”
“Your Majesty seems to misunderstand jealousy,” Asga replied with a gentle smile, placing the pile of documents on the table.
The documents detailed Lloyd’s misconduct.
“To strike the Baharman family, we need a justification. Conveniently, the Duke’s behavior is reckless—why not use that?”
“I wondered where to put my temper that flares up over Einra, and here it is,” the Emperor thought, straightening his posture and picking up the papers.
Flipping through them, a smile appeared on his lips.
“Nobles value dignity and reputation. If the Duke’s actions are exposed, few will dare aid him rashly.”
The Baharman Grand Dukes were essential to nobles thirsty for power.
Even their existence restrained the Emperor’s authority.
And now the Emperor sought to remove them?
“Even if we present evidence of treason, the nobles may still suspect manipulation.”
Few would act overtly.
But it would make them uncomfortable.
Using the Duke’s conduct to tarnish the family’s image changes that.
“Nobles will distance themselves voluntarily, no coercion needed.”
“Have you decided how to distribute this?”
The Emperor’s pink eyes turned to Asga.
As Asga nodded and prepared to speak, the Emperor’s aide entered with a simple knock.
“What is it?”
The Emperor’s cold gaze fell on the aide.
The aide reported:
“The Belzesti Empire has expressed intentions to send an envoy.”
