Chapter 38

***

“Fine, fine. Don’t say anything. I tire of this. Derek, let’s go back. Rosaline, the selection will officially begin next week. Stay at home and study how to be a good example for everyone.”

“My natural personality is enough, I think,” she replied cheekily.

Her definition of ‘enough’ and Cahir’s were probably different. She had no intention of becoming the empress, so she didn’t have to try too hard. On the other hand, he was confident in her abilities and work ethic.

‘I admit that Rosaline already has enough good qualities… Wait, my trains of thought have been strange all day.’

“By the way, Your Majesty, how are you going to go back? Did you use a carriage? You came without telling the others at the palace, right? What about your guards?” Rosaline chased after him, nagging as usual, but it seemed particularly annoying now.

Cahir stopped, and she had to screech to a halt, her center of gravity tilting precariously. As soon as she was about to fall, he grabbed her wrist and wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her close.

His chest and thighs were solid even against her dress.

“Your Majesty…”

“Rosaline, I’m not a kid. The carriage is a bit further away and I didn’t inform anyone else, but everything was planned perfectly. Guards? I’ve proven myself in the war. I can go around alone because I can protect myself.”

Well, that was true…

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty,” she said numbly.

Cahir sighed against the top of her head. “If you’re so worried, don’t leave my side then.”

In an instant, he ran into the alley across the street, Derek following after a brief glance.

Rosaline, left alone in front of ‘Afternoon Sunlight’, grabbed the hem of her dress only after the two disappeared completely. “Hmm, there really are no customers today.” She looked at the sign on the door.

[We are closed this afternoon due to a rental.]

Her lips opened slightly. Who else had the power to rent out a popular tea shop on a whim?

“His Majesty spends money on the most useless things, really. This is why you can’t live without me,” she murmured.

Indeed, as he had said, she couldn’t leave his side for a moment.

***

Azela was stuck inside her bedroom, her mood worsening by the moment.

She swept a vase off a table.

“Empress Dowager! What’s wrong?!” Surprised maids rushed in, bowing deeply.

Azela’s harsh breaths filled the air, chest heaving. “Are you still working on contacting Magnis?”

“I just received a message from the mansion that he’s just left.”

“What did you say? Huh? Hah, did you ask just now?”

The maids shook their heads in unison.

Azela sighed, standing and pushing her hair back. They trembled and scurried back.

“You don’t do anything properly,” the empress dowager said coldly. Tall and imposing, she grabbed a young maid’s chin. “You think this is funny?”

‘What did I do wrong?’

Obviously, Azela just had her own standards. Her palms struck both cheeks in quick succession. The cruel sounds echoed, making the other maids close their eyes tightly. No one stood up and stopped their master despite feeling sorry for their colleague. The relief at being spared was much stronger than any sympathy.

“Your Highness! The Duke of Magnis has arrived,” called out a shaky voice.

Her hands lowered. “Oh, really? Hurry up and bring him to the drawing-room. I’ll be right out,” she said with a refreshing smile, as if she hadn’t been hitting someone a few seconds ago. She looked at the poor maid and her swollen face. “My palms hurt,” she said in a sickly-sweet voice. “Will you bring ice water to the drawing-room?”

The maid bowed so that her forehead touched the floor. “Yes, Your Highness.”

Azela looked down in satisfaction, then briskly walked away. The young girl couldn’t stand up for a long time even after her master had gone.

***

The Magnises were a family with deep roots, staunchly dedicated to the imperial family. They produced secretaries who supported the emperor from generation to generation. Duke Magnis had also been the secretary of the previous emperor, the youthful head of the aging aristocratic council.

When the emperor had died and Cahir ascended the throne, he supposedly went back to his territory for health reasons, but everyone knew his closeness with Azela somewhat made him the current emperor’s target.

Not long ago, he returned to the capital, and the empress dowager had reached out to him with a deal concerning his son, Harrison, and his entry into politics.

Harrison recently graduated with excellent grades, but he was still wandering in the capital without finding a suitable place.

“Harrison is doing well, Duke Magnis.”

As expected, Azela was smart, wholly different from the previous emperor. Additionally, she looked quite young for her age.

“Duke Magnis, please, you need to help me.”

“How may a humble servant be of help to the empress dowager? If you give me an order, I’ll do everything in my power to see it fulfilled.”

“The empress selection.”

His gaze changed.

***

“What? The Duke of Magnis?”

After his encounter with Rosaline, Cahir had gone back into the office as if he had never left, looking at the documents. He treated the maids very naturally and encouraged the administrators. When the guards asked where he had been, he brazenly told them that he had been inside all that time.

“Yes, he and the empress dowager have met. Seeing that they’re not bothering to hide it, I don’t think it’s worth paying attention to.”

Cahir put down his pen. “Derek, he’s a respected loyalist. It hasn’t been long since the empress selection was announced. The empress dowager hasn’t said anything about it yet, has she?”

“You are correct, Your Majesty.” Derek scratched his head.

Everything had already been approved by the aristocratic council. While it was unfavorable for the empress dowager, she had no reason to openly object to such a fair process.

“They seem to have a candidate in mind for me. Do you have any idea who it is?”

‘Oh, this is definitely a trick question.’

“I don’t know,” he whispered.

Unsurprisingly, Cahir laughed, then sobered after a moment. “I told you to investigate that woman called Ella. Is it finished?”

Derek nodded.

“Why didn’t you report it then?”

“I thought you weren’t interested in the findings anymore. These days, my hands are full just from reporting everything about Secretary Rosaline.”

Cahir nodded after hearing her name, absentmindedly thinking what had…

“Oh, right! Color!”

He realized what it was that was bothering him. After Rosaline had left, the color disappeared from the palace. It was just calm all the time, the emotions dulled. Also, putting his crown in her hands was as natural as flinching after sipping on a too-hot cup of tea, so not having her near made him feel off-kilter.

‘Why is it so boring? I’m so bored. I wonder how Rosaline’s doing.’

“Okay, you can report it to me now.” Cahir crossed his arms expectantly.

Derek found the right folder on his desk and began reading, and the atmosphere in the room gradually darkened.

***

A few days later, Rosaline received a letter from Cahir asking for her immediate return.

“There are still four days left before the selection period. Rosaline, do you have to return now?” Mrs. Verite held her daughter’s hand.

“Mother, the emperor himself asked me to return. I have to go.”

“Rosaline, I still don’t like this. I don’t want you participating in the selection,” she said tearfully as she packed another dress into the suitcase.

Rosaline put down her luggage and held her mother’s hands with both of hers. “I’m just participating because it’s required. You don’t need to worry, His Majesty has very high standards.”

However, those words weren’t reassuring at all to a mother who thought her child was the best. No matter what her daughter said, Mrs. Verite’s anxiety only grew.

“Be careful.”

“There are many young ladies out there who are much prettier than I am.” Rosaline smiled and kissed her mother on the cheek.

“Rosaline, there’s no one as beautiful as you in the world. You are the paragon of loveliness. Don’t let your guard down. I want you to live a normal life.”

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The atmosphere truly was different from other households, where they were worried about their young ladies not being chosen.

Rosaline smiled bitterly.

“Never. Never become the empress. Rosaline, don’t work hard!”