147

Meanwhile, having casually ignored his mentor’s invasion of privacy, Vespera received another summons.

‘They’re sending me back and forth all over the place.’

It wasn’t entirely unexpected, but experiencing it was tiring. Work was piling up, and he couldn’t understand why everyone seemed so interested in other people’s private matters as if they had nothing else to do. So he’d been ignoring all the summons, but this one was difficult to shrug off.

“Vespera, has my niece arrived?”

“I greet the Sun of the Empire.”

It was the Emperor himself. He motioned toward Vespera.

“Drop the needless formalities and sit down.”

Vespera sat and let out a small sigh. He was sure they’d covered everything at yesterday’s banquet, so why was he being summoned again?

“It seemed too noisy yesterday for me to have heard properly.”

Vespera savored his tea with his usual graceful composure.

“Is there anything to explain about two people meeting?”

But the Emperor seemed far from convinced.

“I’m not saying Chancellor Cornelia isn’t exceptional. I understand that noble ladies from ancient houses submitted betrothal papers as your partner, so what’s so different here? If it’s a casual relationship rather than an engagement, I could understand.”

Vespera, on the contrary, couldn’t understand the Emperor. The noble ladies he mentioned had never made his heart skip a beat—not even for an instant, not even drawn a fleeting glance. How could he spend his life with someone like that? Maybe, before he knew better, he could have entered a marriage of convenience based purely on calculations. But now he had discovered what it felt like to care for someone so precious and overwhelming.

“Then why, Your Majesty, did you intend to introduce the Chancellor to Crown Prince Lorence and arrange her with Prince Raven?”

“Well….”

The Emperor opened his mouth to say something and then closed it.

‘Of course.’

The Emperor was considering Ria as a match for the Crown Prince and his son. It was different from her days as a secretary. Ria was, indisputably, the Empire’s Chancellor and had proven both capability and loyalty. The Emperor had even personally bestowed an earldom upon her. She was in a position that could stand beside anyone. It was only that her promotions had been so rapid that people still remembered her as a low-level employee. But it seemed that this reward wasn’t merely to commend her merits—it was a calculated move.

“You sharp one. I had secretly thought of a match. The Chancellor has proven both skill and loyalty. Lawrence and Raven, sadly, are not as clever as the Chancellor. Having her as a spouse would be of great benefit in the future.”

A father who could objectively assess his children’s abilities but couldn’t dismiss them harshly—that was the kind of Emperor who had long received loyalty from the ducal houses. Because of his rule, Vespera put up with the Crown Prince.

“Lawrence has betrothed Princess Seref, so she can later be made Empress, and Raven is of marriageable age so he can marry promptly. Besides, I’ve heard that the two became quite close during the epidemic region. They seemed so even at the banquet. As a Chancellor, there could be no better match.”

Vespera’s fists tightened. Discussing a partner for the betrothed when the fiancée was standing right there—he could hardly believe it. Treating his cherished lover as a political tool, as though making her a concubine to the Crown Prince—he nearly leapt up on the spot but forced himself to remain seated. If he hadn’t announced the engagement that day, things might have become very serious.

“You’re late. Your Majesty would know better. Did you see me saying anything foolish?”

“…I didn’t see that. Still, I asked just in case.”

“I have no intention of bargaining over my lover. If you were thinking of calling the Chancellor to discuss the same matter, drop it.”

“Why not? The Chancellor might think differently.”

There it was again— the Emperor’s habit of teasing and pressing the point. There was even a sly, playful smile on his face. Usually it was tiresome, but now that the target was Ria, irritation flared.

“You wouldn’t speak to me the way you are speaking now. If you’re only trying to intimidate me, don’t. Do not dishonor the Chancellor’s loyalty to Your Majesty in that way.”

The Emperor looked at Vespera with a stern expression and then suddenly burst into loud laughter.

“Puhahahah! Alright, alright. I won’t touch that one.”

“You must keep that promise.”

“Yes, it’s the first time I’ve seen you so worked up—it’s quite entertaining.”

Vespera lowered his gaze coldly. He was truly tired, but the Emperor wasn’t the sort to break his word lightly.

“Seeing you like this, the Chancellor must not be an ordinary woman. It seems the Empire’s finest bridegroom’s first romantic partner is no lightweight—I offer my support.”

“No thanks.”

“Oh ho, I’m offering my support. If you ever have troubles in love, always come to your uncle. I’ll personally teach you my secret methods.”

“Enough.”

He would never, not in a million years, go to someone who harbored so many sly tricks within. At the same time, Vespera thought of a cute Quokka.

At Those Who Can’t Resign, our engagement was the talk of the town for a while. Apparently office workers have little gossip, and instead of workplace counseling they unloaded a bunch of personal chatter as if the money weren’t worth it. It was an added embarrassment since I was the one involved.

“Sob sob, finally our Supreme Justice is in love…!”

Mr. Bull wiped away tears of joy. He said he finally understood the Supreme Justice’s strange behavior.

“I hope he’ll become more gentle after marriage.”

It didn’t seem likely things would change much, but since Mr. Bull Illya spoke very highly of me as the Supreme Justice’s partner, I decided to be considerate and make an effort.

“Welcome.”

The place I had just arrived at was the reception room of Duke Seref’s residence.

‘She actually sent an invitation.’

Indeed. Princess Seref had sent an invitation immediately after the banquet ended. Kiara, who had difficulty adjusting her schedule due to heir training, regrettably couldn’t attend, so I visited alone. Three would have been less awkward; thinking of it as just the two of us felt oddly uncomfortable.

“You’re quicker to respond than I expected.”

“I thought it would fizzle out if we waited, so I sent for you the next day. I asked a bit hastily, so it’s a pity Kiara the lesser Marquess couldn’t come. It would be nice if the three of us could meet next time.”

An old-fashioned manor. A maid deftly pouring tea. And Princess Seref, with calm long hair and a pure white dress, was the epitome of elegance. Compared to the relatively free-spirited Kiara, she clearly had received much stricter upbringing.

“Honestly, I was surprised. I never imagined I would receive an invitation from the Princess.”

She could have danced around the subject, but since it was a private meeting and she disliked wasting time, she skipped the probing and went straight to the point. Princess Seref smiled like an angel.

“Our last meeting wasn’t pleasant, was it? I actually wanted to apologize for what happened that day.”

She was referring to the incident where the Duchess insulted my origins.

“Commercial-wise, it’s fine. It’s already a thing of the past.”

I’d already dealt my greatest retaliation, so there were no lingering feelings.

“You have a generous heart.”

“……”

She felt a little pricked. She offered the cake on the table.

“Our house chef is very skilled. He is the Empire’s finest dessert artisan. Try some.”

At that, my hand—an admitted dessert lover—automatically scooped a bite of the chocolate cake placed before me.

‘Wow… what is this?’

Soft yet moist, with cream that was sweet without being overpowering. A subtle nuttiness spread as well. A cake with such perfect balance was truly rare.

“Delicious, isn’t it?”

Seeing my expression, the Princess smiled contentedly and took a bite herself. Perhaps because of the sweetness, the atmosphere felt a touch softer than before.

“Actually, when I heard the Chancellor had resigned from the aide position, I thought of bringing her into our family.”

Princess Seref slowly began to lay out her purpose.

“But I never imagined I’d see you at the Imperial Palace. You’re far more outstanding than I expected. To rise to the position of Chancellor in such a short time…”

“Thank you.”

“To be honest, I was curious about the Chancellor’s life. I wondered what it’s like to live such a life. And also about meeting the Duke.”

Indeed, the Princess was curious about my romantic history with Ren.

“You’re the Crown Prince’s betrothed, aren’t you? Though the Duke is of high rank, we’re not much different from ordinary lovers.”

But Princess Seref smiled not with curiosity but with a bitterness.

“An ordinary lover, you say. That’s difficult for me. Lorence doesn’t look at me with the same gaze as the Duke does.”

It seemed she had quite a lot of her own story.

Throughout the ride back in the carriage, the Princess’s bitter expression refused to leave my mind. I had assumed she would know of course—the Crown Prince’s womanizing tendencies. I had thought it was a loveless engagement for the sake of the family’s revival.

‘Does she like him?’

Really? That man? Why? What could she possibly lack to choose him? Is it really his looks after all? Questions piled up, but it was all speculation. It frustrated her—it had been a meeting she didn’t consider important.

‘Enough. Let’s not think about it.’

It’s nothing to do with me.

I kept shaking my head as I stepped out of the carriage. But when I opened the manor door, it wasn’t the butler who greeted me—it was Julie, pale-faced.

“Sister, Rio! Rio is—!”

Before Julie could finish, my mind went white. I ran straight for Rio’s room.

Bang!

There, Rio was feverish, panting and drenched in cold sweat, and a maid fussed anxiously, dabbing at the sweat. He had never been this ill after receiving the proper medicine. He had been showing signs of improvement, surely!

I ordered the butler.

“Bring that low-ranking cleric here at once.”