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Chapter : 7
“If it’s something I can help with, I’ll do anything. So if something’s bothering you, tell me.”
For a moment, Teus’s words shook my resolve.
If there was even the slightest romantic attraction between us, dating him and eventually marrying him wouldn’t have been such a bad thing.
But I couldn’t ask him to pretend to date me just so I could escape my difficult situation.
If I told him, he would definitely help me, but I didn’t want to use Teus for something like that.
He was far too precious a friend to me.
Besides, since none of it had even happened yet, no matter how I explained it, anyone listening would think it sounded absurd.
More than anything, I couldn’t choose the easy path of using a friend before even trying to do something myself.
“Later… if I try on my own and still can’t manage it, then I’ll ask for your help.”
“Alright. If it’s your request, I’ll do anything. So tell me anytime.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re someone very precious to me. You know that, right?”
“Of course! I feel the same way. I hope our friendship never changes for the rest of our lives.”
At my words, a faint shadow crossed Teus’s face.
But he quickly returned to his usual expression, making me wonder if I had imagined it.
Asta Empress set down the teacup she had been holding and glared at her husband.
“I told you never to bring that matter up again, didn’t I?”
“No, but wouldn’t two candidates be better than one?”
The candidate the Emperor was referring to was Tirchen’s future marriage partner, the woman who would become Crown Princess.
The candidates were Elicia of House Mares and Delina of House Shiton, the two most influential ducal families in the Netor Empire.
“Elicia is absolutely not acceptable!”
“You dislike the Shiton young lady, so why are you opposing Elicia instead?”
“I oppose both of them.”
The Empress cut him off sharply, as though she had no desire to discuss the matter further.
She opposed both candidates for entirely opposite reasons.
The reason the imperial couple had no children lay with the Emperor, Tavio.
If the problem had been with Asta Empress, the ministers would have pressured him daily to take concubines.
Regardless of whose fault it was, the fact remained that the Empress could not bear an heir, and all the humiliation caused by that fell solely upon Asta Empress.
The one who had stood at the forefront of tormenting her was Duke Shiton.
The former head of the Shiton Ducal House had been incompetent.
Everything he touched failed, and the family rapidly declined before being saved at the last moment through the help of Elicia’s grandfather.
Even after Elicia’s grandfather died and her father inherited the family, House Shiton still did not possess much influence.
But then Elicia’s parents died in an accident, and her missing uncle suddenly appeared and inherited the family.
That was when the once-powerless House Shiton began to rise again.
He drew public attention by attacking Asta Empress and slowly expanded his influence.
“Even now, remembering the humiliation I suffered from Duke Shiton makes my blood boil.”
“Haha, isn’t all of that long in the past now?”
Emperor Tavio gently patted the back of his wife’s hand.
Now they could laugh while talking about it, but it had taken many painful years to reach this point.
For the sake of his wife, who suffered because of him, Emperor Tavio had transferred much of his authority to her.
To be honest, he also found playing around more enjoyable than handling state affairs.
“Why are you against Elicia? You cherish her even more than Verato, whom you plan to adopt.”
“It’s because she’s precious that she can’t be allowed.”
“Have you already thought of an even better marriage match than the position of Crown Princess?”
“What’s so great about a title that’s only for show? Do you really think Grand Duke Verato is suitable husband material?”
Asta Empress instantly narrowed her eyes fiercely.
Tirchen Verato was flawless as a future emperor. But the chances of him becoming a warm and affectionate husband were less than zero.
“Arena wanted Elicia to live an ordinary, happy life. If she found out her daughter was marrying a cold-hearted man with neither blood nor tears, she’d rise right out of her grave.”
“Hm, the relationship between Duke Mares and his wife truly was excellent. They were such wonderful people… why did they have to die so early? Tsk.”
Emperor Tavio clicked his tongue sorrowfully.
Remembering her old friend, Asta Empress’s eyes became moist.
At the time her friends had died suddenly in an accident, Asta Empress herself had also been struggling to secure her own position.
By the time everything had settled down and she tried to take care of Elicia, the girl had already grown into a fine young lady.
Fortunately, her adoptive parents—her uncle and aunt—loved Elicia dearly, and that at least was a relief.
When I returned home, Orte came out to greet me.
“Did you find the horse?”
“Yes, my lady. Please come to the stables.”
Following Orte there, I found all the stable workers gathered together.
The horse I had ridden was standing off to one side, guarded by several people.
The servants stepped aside when they saw me.
I walked over to the horse and examined the reins first.
“What do you think, Orte?”
I raised the broken reins slightly above eye level so Orte could see clearly.
The tack had been a brand-new gift from Teus not long ago.
Only the broken section looked frayed, as though it had been scraped against something rough. The rest was perfectly intact.
“It appears someone deliberately cut it.”
“That’s what I thought too.”
I slowly swept my gaze across the stable servants standing around us.
Only one person was likely guilty, but all of them looked visibly tense.
“Who could it be?”
No one answered.
The only sounds were occasional gulps of dry saliva.
The reason they were so nervous was probably the murderous atmosphere I was giving off.
I had deliberately hardened my eyes and lips, wearing the sternest expression they had ever seen from me.
It also seemed that whatever Orte had said beforehand was having an effect.
“I’ll investigate this thoroughly.”
“Good. And make sure word of this doesn’t spread outside the stables.”
“Do you mean you want it investigated secretly?”
“What good would come from people finding out there’s a murderer in this house? We only need to deal with the culprit. Don’t make a scene. And make sure everyone here keeps their mouths shut.”
While speaking, I didn’t forget to send them a warning glare that said they would pay the price if they carelessly spread rumors.
I deliberately made eye contact with each servant one by one while smiling chillingly.
“Understood, my lady.”
“I’m counting on you.”
As I left the stable, I heard the sound of people finally releasing the breath they had been holding.
There was no way the true culprit would actually be caught.
The reason I was deliberately going through all this trouble was to send a warning.
To show them that I was no longer the kind and obedient Elicia they could push around.
The butler, Bricht, brought the newly arrived mail into Tirchen’s study.
Kais, who followed Tirchen wherever he went, was also there.
“Your Highness, a letter has arrived from the Kingdom of Khan.”
“Is it from Ronster?”
Kais, who had been sitting on the sofa, immediately stood and took the letter from Bricht.
The royal seal of Khan was stamped on the envelope.
“He doesn’t send even one letter to me, yet he writes to you regularly. Can we even call that friendship?”
“Friendship? Don’t expect too much from someone who moves according to profit.”
Taking the letter from Kais, Tirchen offered a realistic response.
Back when Prince Ronster of Khan had come to the Netor Empire to study abroad, the three of them had become friends.
They were close, but their friendship could never be entirely pure.
Ronster wanted to strengthen Khan’s alliance with the Netor Empire even further through a royal marriage between his younger sister, Princess Risha, and Tirchen.
“This again?”
Kais was already well aware of Prince Ronster’s desperate attempts to arrange a marriage for his sister Risha.
“There’s something else this time.”
Tirchen handed the letter he had been reading over to Kais.
After reading the final line, Kais’s eyes widened.
“He wants to visit the Netor Empire together with Princess Risha? Are you going to allow it?”
“If he insists on coming himself, who’s going to stop him?”
“He wrote asking whether they could stay at this estate.”
“Then I’ll ask His Majesty the Emperor to lend them one of the imperial villas.”
That was clearly not the answer Ronster wanted.
Having expected such a response, Kais nodded.
“Looks like Ronster plans to push for your royal marriage with Princess Risha no matter what this time.”
“The Crown Princess doesn’t necessarily have to be someone from the Netor Empire. It might not be a bad idea.”
“You say that even knowing the rumors about Princess Risha?”
Since Tirchen had absolutely no interest in gossip, there was a good chance he had never heard about Risha’s eccentric behavior.
Even within the Netor Empire, rumors spread widely about how Risha constantly committed outrageous acts no noble lady would even dream of attempting.
No matter how hard the Khan royal family tried to suppress it, a cracked jar could never keep from leaking.
“I heard even the King and Queen of Khan have completely given up on Princess Risha!”
“Well, since she has no maternal relatives backing her, I suppose that flaw can be tolerated.”
“Well, it’s true the Khan royal family wouldn’t interfere in domestic affairs, so you do have a point…”
Kais couldn’t tell whether Tirchen was seriously considering marriage with Risha or merely joking.
‘Tirchen isn’t the type to joke around… so should I assume he’s serious?’
“Elicia, are you going out again today?”
After finishing my preparations to leave, I found Letisa standing outside my door.
Someone from the Empress’s palace had come, so she obviously already knew, yet she still pretended otherwise while asking. Her intentions had become painfully obvious by now.
Letisa followed me everywhere I went.
“I heard you went to see Teus yesterday?”
“Yeah.”
“I haven’t seen Teus in a long time either. It would’ve been nice if I could’ve seen him too.”
The regret in her voice wasn’t because she missed Teus.
Whenever I visited together with her, Teus would always shower Letisa with expensive gifts as well.
What she regretted wasn’t Teus himself, but the presents he gave her.
“Kalix isn’t even here, so there’s no reason for you to meet Teus, right?”
“What are you talking about? We’re all friends.”
“Then why don’t you contact him yourself?”
“……”
Since Letisa spent so much time following Kalix around, she had naturally become acquainted with Teus as well. Of course, she had often accompanied me when I visited him too.
But the two of them were nowhere near close enough to be called friends.
“I should get going now. Her Majesty the Empress is waiting for me.”
“Ah, so Her Majesty called for you!”
Letisa’s eyes immediately grew moist. The longing and envy written across her face looked pitiful.
After my parents passed away, there had been one time when I received the Empress’s summons and brought Letisa with me.
The Empress treated us warmly the entire time.
But before we left the palace, she called me aside privately and told me never to bring Letisa along again. Since then, I had never gone with her.
“Lucky you… Have a good trip.”
I knew very well what she wanted.
Every time I went to see the Empress, she would put on the face of an abandoned puppy and squeeze gifts out of me.
Today, I thought I’d give her a slightly different kind of present.
