Chapter 96

I ran straight toward Yuno’s central wing that looked like a tower. I usually kept telling myself I’d exercise but never did, so even a little sprint left me breathless. When I entered the building I hesitated for a moment about where to go, but luckily I spotted a familiar face through the gap of the open Foreign Affairs door.

“Mr. Aidan!”

Aidan and Simon, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, were talking with Yuno officials.

“Huff, huff.”

Seeing me panting heavily, Aidan and Simon looked puzzled.

“Coco, what’s wrong?”

“Secretary Cornelia, what brings you here?”

All eyes suddenly turned to me, but I had no time to pay attention.

“Hello. Excuse me, but have you seen the Supreme Justice?”

Aidan and Simon shook their heads as if they didn’t know. But unexpectedly the answer came from the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

“I think I saw him earlier in the corridor.”

“Really? Thank you!”

“Coco, what on earth is going on?”

“I’ll explain later. It’s urgent right now!”

I bowed in thanks and stepped back into the corridor. I searched the tower-shaped central wing corridor for a long time. But there wasn’t a single sign of the Supreme Justice. When I wanted to avoid him he’d crossed my path so easily, and now, ironically, finding him was difficult. At that moment I met Reyra and Abel walking and talking.

“Lady Reyra, have you seen the Supreme Justice?”

“Oh my, Cornelia. What on earth happened to you?”

“Huh?”

Lady Reyra gestured toward a mirror hanging by the corridor.

‘Gasp.’

My reflection in the mirror was a complete mess: no makeup, tangled hair, and a flushed face from all that running.

“Ah… is it really that bad?”

“Why the sudden search for the Supreme Justice? Is this urgent?”

“Ah… well, it’s… I have something to tell him.”

Knowing he might leave today made me so anxious I didn’t even think to fix my appearance. I could only worry that he might have already departed.

“No, you’re still very cute and pretty right now.”

Suddenly Lady Reyra switched her tone.

“You just scolded her for looking like this.”

She gave a knowing, enigmatic smile.

“You said you’re going to see the Supreme Justice. That’s enough. The Supreme Justice is busy in many ways, so I don’t know exactly where he is either. Still, he should be in the palace.”

Then she said it was time for their meeting and hurried off with Finance Officer Abel. I hesitated for a moment about fixing my appearance, but decided it was more important to find him before he left and hurried on.

‘Really… is it okay to look like this…?’

I searched everywhere I could think of, but couldn’t even find a small witness report. Although it wasn’t as big as the Empire’s Imperial Palace, this royal palace was still very large. I couldn’t check every place in a short time. He might even have come after I left. I sat on the ambassador delegation’s lodging stairs to catch my breath.

“Sigh… he hasn’t already left, has he?”

If, as Elysia said, something urgent had happened in the Empire, he might have reported only to the Second Prince and left immediately.

Of course I could go back and ask for a meeting. But I simply wanted to see him now and tell him. There was no logical reason—only a gut feeling.

“It’s too early to give up. Back when I was an assistant director on film sets, how much did I run around with equipment—this is nothing.”

I began to comb Yuno Palace again obsessively. If he had to leave today he wouldn’t have gone outside, so I checked his room, the central wing, the meeting hall, and even the palace where the King of Yuno was staying to ask about his whereabouts. But I couldn’t find him anywhere. Because I started late, the sun was already setting.

‘Where on earth are you?’

Exhausted, I trudged across the garden. I had finally worked up the courage to speak, but even that was not easy.

“They say you’re so nervous before a confession, but I’ve run so much my heart can’t tell what’s what.”

“A confession?”

I froze at the sudden voice behind me. The man strode gracefully with long legs and stood in front of me.

In contrast to my tangled hair and sweat-soaked state, he was perfectly and neatly dressed. Seeing that made me self-conscious and I stepped back. But the Duke’s expression suddenly hardened and he stepped forward, closing the distance.

“I could have sworn I heard the word ‘confession.’”

“Ah, that is…”

Seeing him made my already racing heart go wild. At the same time I hesitated, wondering if confessing in this state was right.

“Have you found another man, perhaps?”

I hadn’t realized a voice could sound so sad and dark. No matter how I looked, my priority was to clear up his misunderstanding before he retreated into himself.

I braced myself, took a deep breath, wet my lips with my tongue, counted to three, and then spoke into his mesmerizing red gaze.

“I—I like you.”

“……”

I waited for a reaction, but there was none.

“Supreme Justice?”

As I looked closer, the Duke was frozen this time. Strangely, I felt relieved.

“I like you, Supreme Justice. I spent all day looking for you to say this.”

“…What?”

His body was stiff while his pupils trembled wildly. He seemed unable to believe the situation. Thinking of all the worry I’d caused him hurt my heart. So this time I wanted to be sure to convey it.

“I like you too, Supreme Justice. I heard you might return to the Empire today, so I wanted to tell you before you left. I’m sorry for making things difficult. The reason I couldn’t return your feelings wasn’t because my heart was uncertain. It’s just that… I didn’t know if I could be myself.”

I couldn’t reveal everything right now, but if our relationship continued I didn’t want to hide it. For today, telling him how I felt came first.

“So… if I’m not too late… huh?”

I couldn’t finish my sentence—because the Duke suddenly pulled me into a breathtaking embrace.

“I told you. If you don’t hate me, I can wait however long it takes.”

Contrasting with his low voice, I could feel his heart beating fast. He was as nervous as I was. All the pent-up feelings and burdens seemed to dissolve in an instant.

“I hope this isn’t a dream.”

“It’s real.”

After holding me for a long while, the Duke finally let me go. He stared at me. I felt embarrassed, knowing how I looked.

“Don’t stare. It’s embarrassing.”

“What?”

“Ugh… I’m not wearing makeup, I’m covered in sweat, and my hair’s a complete mess.”

I feared he’d say, ‘It’s not your face I like,’ which would sting, but instead he took a handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped the sweat from my face.

“Why did you run like this? What if you got hurt?”

But his concern seemed focused elsewhere.

“I heard there might be something urgent in the Empire and that you might return today. So I searched for you diligently.”

“Somewhere that news got twisted. There was talk of leaving early because the talks ended sooner than expected, but as planned I’m staying until the end of this week and then returning.”

I felt a bit wronged at his words. If I’d known, I would have dressed up more and confessed properly…

“If it’s alright… hmm, may I hold you one more time?”

After getting what he wanted, the Duke suddenly looked bashful. He seemed to mind having made physical contact without permission—he valued aristocratic manners. As if born forever single.

“Yes…”

I tried to act composed, but my face was burning, my stomach fluttering, and my heart racing wildly. Unlike before, the Duke gently pulled me into his arms and buried his head deep in my neck.

“I like this even more than I thought… it feels like I’ll die.”

I barely managed to whisper a word.

“…Me too.”

Late at night. The Minister of Finance was in a private audience with the Emperor.

“You must make a choice.”

The Emperor’s face showed obvious annoyance as he spoke.

“It’s too early. Hasn’t everything gone well so far?”

The Minister of Finance’s brows were deeply furrowed.

“I no longer have grounds to stop it. If we drag this out any longer we’ll have no choice but to give the Crown Prince what he wants.”

“Your Majesty, you are the ruler of the Empire—how can you say that? We’ve only just begun to breathe again.”

The Emperor gestured to his steward to bring wine. He slowly swirled the glass with ice and took a sip.

“He is my next successor. Nothing harms the realm more than the Emperor and the Prince being at odds. There must be some things we accept for the sake of balance.”

The Minister of Finance almost protested that this was why the central ministries were in such a state. The Emperor was not lacking in judgment; he clearly cared for the Empire and had political acumen. But when it came to the Crown Prince, he always softened in the end.

‘His Majesty accepts things to a degree, but the central ministries take a real blow. Especially if that child finds out…’

Despair? No. His eyes seemed wild, like he might do anything. The Minister of Finance pondered for a long time before making a decision.

“I…”

The Emperor’s eyes widened in surprise; it was the exact opposite of what he expected.

“Are you sure about this?”

The Minister of Finance took a fountain pen from his pocket and signed the document.

“Isn’t choosing possibility over a predictable outcome the mark of a true official?”

The Emperor looked at the resolute Minister of Finance for a moment, then quietly took out the seal and stamped it.