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chapter 35
The uncomfortable meeting ended, and the Emperor left his seat.
The nobles who remained stayed bowed until all of the Emperor’s knights and the royal guards had withdrawn. Only then did they straighten their backs.
“Phew.”
One by one, they began talking.
“It’s not easy, is it? Hah.”
“Perhaps it’s time for me to step down. Hah.”
“Hah, I feel the same.”
“Hah hah.”
Everywhere you go, people say the same things after meetings.
In the suddenly noisy atmosphere, Praha walked straight toward me.
“Duchess.”
I couldn’t even pretend not to notice him as he approached directly. The nobles nearby looked at me with curious eyes, as if watching the line between Praha and me.
“It’s been a while.”
As he stopped in front of me, I could clearly see the jade-green earring hanging from his handsome ear.
Even the waist ornament matched its color.
Unlike the simple attire he had worn at the villa, this outfit—bright and elaborate from head to toe—suited him absurdly well.
So it really is all about the face, isn’t it?
“Lady Mascapone, it’s been a while as well,” he said.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Long time… hasn’t it?”
Was it really?
“Your Highness, it’s only been three days.”
“Yes. A long time.”
Behind Praha, Dazzling blinked rapidly at Mascapone and me.
It was the maximum possible level of excitement a working noble could show while still maintaining decorum.
Praha glanced at him and said,
“Sir Dazzling would also like to greet you.”
Given permission, Dazzling immediately rushed over.
“My lady!”
“Sir Dazzling!”
“I was worried!”
“I know! You even sent a card!”
Sir Dazzling! Are you okay?! I’m fine too! Lady Mascapone, are you okay?! I’m fine as well!
The three of us chattered loudly, like high school friends reuniting after four years.
Now that I think about it…
Didn’t that rude guy insult Dazzling that day?
Strangely, that felt like a bigger issue than the fact that the guy was already a zombie.
When I mentioned it, Dazzling’s face turned red.
“You remembered that?”
“Of course I remember! How could I forget that!”
“I’m fine. He was right—I am crazy.”
“Excuse me?”
“In a world like this, you can’t survive without being a little insane.”
“Oh. Right. That’s true!”
While we talked, Praha waited patiently.
After Dazzling thanked him for allowing him to speak and stepped back, Praha spoke again.
“Duchess, may I request a moment of your time?”
His expression had stiffened.
It felt even colder than the last time I saw him.
Maybe he was nervous.
No way. Why would Praha be nervous in front of me?
I hesitated.
Normally, from this point on, my connection with the main characters would end.
Praha would soon set off on an expedition with Eugene and Kypros, while I would remain here.
Because I had to stay alive.
But things are different now.
I was the only one who could see the red stone inside the zombies’ hearts.
The only one with a clue to this situation.
“Alright. I have time,” I said.
“I’ll contact you, Duchess.”
“Yes. Do it.”
Mascapone tactfully excused herself, and I walked beside Praha.
He initially started walking quickly, but then slowed down to match my pace.
“You don’t need to adjust for me.”
“I’m comfortable.”
Well, if that’s the case.
As we passed through corridors lined with fluttering flower petals and returned to Praha’s palace, we endured the shocked stares of passing nobles.
Is it really that surprising that I’m walking with him?
Even I was more surprised than them.
When we entered the palace, a crowd was gathered at the entrance.
“Your Highness, when…?”
“We’ve been waiting since early morning…”
The same applicant #1234 who had been gossiping about me earlier widened his eyes in shock upon seeing me arrive with Praha.
Hmph.
I lifted my chin.
This is what it means to “borrow the power of a tiger.”
“Your Highness!”
“Crown Prince Your Highness!”
More than twenty petitioners bowed deeply, unable to approach.
The Crown Prince’s aide leaned in and whispered awkwardly,
“Your Highness, the officials requesting audience have been waiting since this morning…”
Oh.
This was clearly a hint for me to step aside.
“Should I wait somewhere? I don’t really have anything to do,” I said.
“That won’t be necessary.”
Praha cut me off sharply and said to his aide,
“Whom I meet first is my decision.”
“However, Your Highness…”
“Those people wait to see me. The Duchess is someone I requested to meet. Is it not obvious who should be waiting?”
The officials panicked.
One man gathered courage and stepped forward.
Purple velvet vest, gold watch chain, hair slicked back.
It was applicant #1, the same man who had mocked me earlier.
He bowed deeply and forced a flattering smile.
“Your Highness, I am the eldest son of the family that exclusively supplies incense to the Imperial Court. Recently, across the sea…”
And so on, and so on.
“…so, could you hear my request first?”
It was a thinly veiled threat that if he wasn’t heard first, incense supply would be disrupted.
Praha tilted his head.
“If there is no incense in the palace, will something terrible happen?”
“Pardon?”
“Worst case… I would simply have to smell your sweat a bit more directly, would I not?”
“Pardon??”
“If you cover your nose, the problem is solved.”
“……”
“Without incense, nothing disastrous happens. But if I do not speak with the Duchess right now, something terrible will happen—to my heart. I am an adult, so I can tolerate sweat smells. Please wait.”
“……”
And so, leaving behind the frozen officials and the “great crisis of the Crown Prince’s heart,” I followed Praha into the palace.
He brought me to a private room he used for his personal time.
The ceiling was lower than most formal rooms, and one entire wall was a large glass window, making it bright and cozy.
As soon as we entered, Praha removed his earring and placed it on the table.
Guess it was uncomfortable.
It suited him, though.
Of course, taking off the earring didn’t erase the fact that he was still dressed extravagantly from head to toe.
Standing before a man dressed like a peacock, I—looking rather shabby—awkwardly glanced around.
There were exercise tools for bodyweight training hanging from the ceiling, and a leather-bound play on the table.
I recognize that book.
I saw it in a history book yesterday…
“Yawn.”
“…Duchess?”
“Sorry. I stayed up late yesterday.”
Actually, I stayed up all night…
I quickly changed the subject.
“You look tired as well, Your Highness.”
“I had work to do.”
“I see.”
“If I may ask, Duchess…”
Praha hesitated.
“Why did you stay up late when you had nothing to do?”
This guy?
“People with nothing to do tend to sleep late.”
“I see.”
Silence.
In a life-or-death situation, I didn’t notice, but now that it’s just the two of us, it’s awkward.
Well, we’re not exactly close.
“…Were you up late reading the book you have now?”
“Yes. Ah—thank you for the card you sent.”
“Yes.”
“….”
“….”
Awkward.
Pure awkwardness.
Maybe now was the time to ask what I had been wondering.
“Um, Your Highness.”
He looked at me silently.
His gaze felt almost like he was glaring, so I quickly corrected myself.
“Prince Praha.”
“…Yes.”
“Why are you going?”
It was an incomplete question, but he understood.
Why you are joining the expedition.
Even if it was the Emperor’s order, there was no need for him personally to go. He could’ve just begged and stayed in the capital.
Praha answered.
“That is my duty.”
“What is your duty?”
“To ensure the safety of the empire’s people.”
“……”
“Even if it were not the Emperor’s order, I would have volunteered.”
“And if you die doing it?”
If something happened to Praha, it wouldn’t be insignificant even for the Emperor.
Choosing an heir was one of the Emperor’s most important duties.
At least, that’s how I understood it.
What if Praha died? His younger sibling was still very young.
But his answer was simple.
“My mother only cares about her reign. What happens after her death is of little importance.”
Hah.
What a personality.
Well, he probably doesn’t believe in the afterlife, judging by the fact that he doesn’t believe in gods either.
“My mother likely…”
Praha continued.
“Wanted me to admit fault and bow my head. But I do not believe I was wrong.”
“……”
“If I went back, I would do the same again. So I cannot falsely apologize.”
Even if I went back, I’d do the same.
That’s just like me.
“So you chose punishment?”
“It was something I intended to volunteer for anyway.”
“……”
This guy… was he a bamboo in his past life?
Such rigid integrity.
Rubbing his reddened earlobe where the heavy earring had been, Praha spoke again.
“The request I wish to make is related to that mission.”
After a brief silence, I was shocked by what he said.
“You want me to join the expedition?”
“Yes.”
“Me?”
That?
Why?
But Praha continued without hesitation.
“I am not asking you to come recklessly. It is dangerous. I cannot guarantee your safety. It would be better to stay safely in the capital. I personally recommend that.”
“Huh?”
Wait—you just asked me to join?
“But it is also true that I would like your assistance.”
“….”
So what am I supposed to do?
Praha continued.
“I recommend safety, but I also want your help. These conflicting feelings are mine alone and are not important.”
“Then whose feelings are important?”
“Yours.”
“….”
“Whether you join the expedition or not is entirely your choice. Rather than deciding for you, I thought it would be right to speak honestly and give you the decision.”
This is your matter—so you decide.
Silence.
This was unexpected.
The expedition.
In the original story, the villainess Yusa Ra dies after forcing herself into it.
A man who originally would’ve done everything to keep me away was now asking me to come along.
And giving me a choice.
But still.
“Why?”
“…?”
“I can’t use holy power like Lady Eugene, and I can’t fight. I’m just an ordinary civilian. Why would you bring someone like me who would only be a burden?”
Why me?
Praha’s answer was simple.
“Because of the judgment you showed at the villa.”
“My judgment?”
“You were the most composed among us, and you saved us in every crisis. You suggested a diversion in the gallery, helped find the portal in the kitchen, and even helped set traps.”
“That’s…”
That was just because I’d watched a lot of zombie stories back in Korea…
That’s not skill—it’s experience.
Though I guess experience is still a kind of strength.
“And if it’s about ability, you already have one, don’t you?”
“…Me?”
I have an ability?
[(Temporary Safe Zone) Imperial Palace]
- Yusa Ra, Praha (surviving)
