CH 4

•••

“Ah, Pedro. When will the duke come?”

The Crown Prince asked the Minister as if he had suddenly remembered.

A young servant with silver-gray cilantro hair bowed his head. It seemed difficult to avoid answering.

“That… That…”

Ikshid raised one eyebrow.

It was a pity that the servant was struggling, but he did not dare to withdraw the question.

As scheduled, Duke Verk had to lead the advance team and return from Genova.

The Duke was the top contributor to this war. He was the one who played on the front line throughout the war and eventually made Genova surrender with a white flag.

As soon as the postwar situation was stabilized, the Duke returned like a storm with the Knights.

It was an urgent move as if he was being chased by something. He defeated them in less than ten days.

It was not to report Genova’s situation to the Empire in a hurry. As usual, the Duke, who had disappeared with his cool face from the office as if it was annoying, had finished his report and disappeared. The deputy commander of the Imperial Knights visited instead and submitted another brief report.

“The duke, even if he looks like that, the distinction between public and private affairs is a strict rule that must be followed. How can I hear that he visited the palace gardens without disarming, instead of stopping by my office as soon as he arrived?”

Ikshid’s mouth even had a subtle smile, as if he was not grinding his servant now.

The soft mahogany brown hair, which slightly covered his forehead, naturally disturbed every time he turned his head.

Where the hell had he heard about that?

It looked that the saying that the Crown Prince had eyes on the walls of the imperial castle and ears on the ceiling seemed to be true.

In a cold sweat, Pedro lifted his head slightly and looked up at the Crown Prince’s throne.

‘Aigoo*, those eyes…! Please, I hope you don’t look at me like that.’

(TN: Aigoo, is a term similar to, Oh my/ Oh my gosh/god, usually used when someone is mad.)

Pedro died inside.

He was a Crown Prince who looked so soft on the surface, but his eyes were different.

Golden eyes, which seemed to have gained their color from melted pure gold, were looking down at him like those of birds of prey.

He hit his head to the ground as if he were a rabbit avoiding a hawk flying over a wide meadow.

“According to the rumors, the Duke delivered a long message on behalf of Marquis Miller to his sister, who left in search of Genova’s exile nobleman in Austuralch, and left without any time to dissuade her.”

“Sister…?”

Ikshid, who had closed his eyes at the sentence and held his forehead with one arm, suddenly opened his eyes wide.

“When did Marquis Miller start having a sister?”

At the rather absurd question of the Prince, Pedro froze for a while and came up with the most standard answer he could think of.

“Yes? Yes… Yes. That’s probably when Marquis Miller entered the age of four, then the youngest daughter was born between the late marquis couple…”

“Ah, no, no. Who doesn’t know about that? What I asked was…”

Ikshid hurriedly swallowed his words. That was because he realized that it wouldn’t make any sense even if he spit it out.

No matter how much he was buried in official documents and approval, it was amazing that he forgot about the child.

He straightened his body that sat at an angle.

He gently pressed his temple with his white hand, which he had never held a knife before, holding a pen like his sixth finger.

I’ve been overworked lately.

Yes, the last time he left his office was three and a half days ago. His body even smelled and he was too embarrassed to say that it’s connected to the veins of the Emperor Fedellamon. Is it time to equip something that would appear as an esteemed and high person, rather than a food for an animal?

He muttered with a groan.

“Yeah… Elli. Elli came to the Imperial Palace.”

Miller and his siblings were like baby brothers to Ikshid, who grew up as an only child. Diego, not to mention him, who like like an infected rabbies foal, but Eleanor has a great special significance to him.

Ikshid cared for her like an Older brother. Even after the child had lost his parents, he remembered every little detail of her. Like her going to the Imperial Theater with her brother every month, just like before their parents death.

‘Since when did you have a sister?’

A wrinkle formed between his forehead as he folded the official document he was holding in his hand like a habit, and suddenly hit the desk.

He couldn’t even remember when he slept last, so he could say there was nothing unusual. But what was this uncomfortable feeling that was scratching at him?

He raised his head and asked fiercely.

“So, where is Elli now?”

”Yes? Yes, that’s… she arrived at the Imperial Palace about two hours ago and stayed in the Rose Garden of the Crown Prince, but she is probably still there…”

“Then you can go down and check. Wait, no, no, there’s no need for that. Get ready right away. I’ll go down by myself.”

Ikshid’s expression, with which he swept away the documents on the desk with one arm and jumped off the high chair, looked disheartened.

“No, how long has it been? Isn’t it the first time since Diego’s last visit? How much has she grown?”

“Your Highness. Lady Miller is now 18 years old. No matter what you do, she’s still not old enough…”

“Elli said that if she had come, she would tell me that she had come. She was flirting with the Duke in the rose garden while this brother was drowning in the swamp of paperwork? Shameful!”

“Your Highness. Remember that this humble servant clearly notified you of Lady Miller’s visit…”

“Okay, okay. I’ll take the lead!”

Pedro sighed deeply inside when he saw the Prince’s eyes twinkling with anticipation and joy, who didn’t even pretend to listen to him.

As a result, he confirmed that he was going to work overtime.

His shoulders drooped noticeably like those of an old man. At that time, a voice was heard halting the prince’s steps and who was trying to confidently leave the office.

“Your Highness, Faval has arrived.”

The Prince with a contrasting expression to Pedro, who cheered for victory inside, grumbled and shouted.

“Where’s Faval from? Genova? Miremba? Maybe Austuralch?”

“That… he, he’s from Austuralch.”

“Da*n it!”

“Prince, please refrain from saying such things…”

“Marquis Miller. When I wanted to spend some meaningful time with his Younger Sister, he came running out like he has crab foam flowing from his mouth*, and why did he have to do this while he was out of the country after receiving a proposal of marriage? I’m getting tired of his disloyalty.”

(TL: Crab flam from one’s mouth; to be angry about something.)

“Your Highness, it is considered as a factor that will greatly affect the outcome of the Great Genova War. He is urging us to check the contents of what he has sent, to satisfy Your Highness’s expectations, and to urge the stability of the people’s hearts…”

“Your Highness, Your Highness, Your Highness! Stop it. My ears are open too! Come on in!”

Ikshid sat on a huge desk that was one step away and laid out pieces of documents in a corner, while shouting.

“D*mn! Doesn’t this country have a state vacation dedicated to the royal family? Pedro, mark as a suggestion for the next Congress meeting.”

“I’ll take your word, Your Highness…”

“This… I’m getting more and more crazy. Pedro!”

When Faval opened the sealed letter handed over with a foot step, Ikshid, who read it, groaned with his forehead.

“It blew up properly. Diego, you idiot! The pirates of the Warawi Strait carrying the flag of the Hellasium Imperial Knights!”

The prince roared like a beast trapped in a cage and began to walk around. Pedro took a step back around it.

“Pedro, free up some time for me in a few days. I’ll have to visit the Duke’s house after a while.”

There seemed to be a problem with Miller’s personal safety, who went to Austuralch as an envoy.

It would not interfere with his life on the back of the Hellasium imperial family, but it was clear that the straight road ahead had turned into a winding gravel road. It would have been a lot of trouble for the Prince.

Pedro bowed his head.

He decided to think later on how to make some space in the busiest schedule of the Prince’s in this situation.

“Understood. Your Highness.”

Ikshid stared at the side door of the office where Faval had stepped back from with thin eyes.

There was not much time left for King Fedellamon. Ikshid felt the fact more deeply than anyone else.

Sooner or later, a tide that would sweep the entire empire would come waves after waves. The day of the coronation, which I had been prepared all my life, was coming.

‘Tashian, Diego, as long as you two stand on my side…’

A blade-like wind passed by the golden eyes of the Young Prince, who fiercely watched the darkness of the office.

•••

Eun-woo was sitting on a spacious sofa in a large room where she would stay in the future at the Duke’s residence.

Following her, the maids of the Duke were busy wandering around, dressing up, and organizing the items they brought according to the instructions of the maid Anit.

“Oh my God, look at those decorations. Even the beams leading up to the chimney around the fireplace are carved!”

The little maids were excited like children on a picnic, exclaiming everywhere they looked. Eun-woo looked around the room they were praising with a sneaky squint of her eyes.

It was definitely a large and beautiful room. In the middle of the room, there was a bed with a brilliant canopy, and underneath it, footrests and several couches huddled around the fireplace.

Delicate and detailed sculptures were engraved on each furniture to match the Duke’s house.

Eun-woo’s eyes closely monitored the pieces.

Cyclamen, the symbol of the imperial family. Vine trunk… The king and queen wearing crowns… Baby angels with chubby legs running around in the fountain…

What stood out the most among the designs was the spruce pattern. The silver-rimmed pattern on the straight upward leaves was clearly engraved at the ends of all the decorations, as if marking the symbol of the pinnacle of solemnity and splendor.

The spruce tree was a symbol of the Duke. Looking at the decorations, she once again realized who the owner of this mansion was.

Eun-woo’s stomach tightened with tension.

“I’m so glad you did this miss. His Majesty the Duke is so kind! If I had made a mistake, I would have almost slept in the grass on the way down to the local estate!”

“Is he the master who’s going to put my Miss to sleep on the street? The Duke’s residence is much closer than the provincial estate… he must have known everything and asked the Duke in advance. The two of them are very close friends, and now that the master has gone out, they are like comrades who fought together.”

From the time the main building of the Duke’s residence began to be visible as she got off the wagon, the maids were fascinated by the splendor and grandeur of the mansion and were busy praising it. It wasn’t that Eun-Woo didn’t understand the hearts of the maids.

The luxury of the lake-lined garden, the ivory fountain, the study and exhibition hall, and the craftsmanship were eye-catching enough.

As soon as she arrived, even the wet towel given by the butler of the duke was embroidered with golden thread, to wash her hands and feet using it.

She wondered if she could sleep in a place like this.

‘They don’t know this place is a tiger’s den, so they’re so excited…’

Eun-woo thought, depressed.

Once they started working for a family, the maids, who rarely changed jobs, seemed to be as excited as a surprise event to visit the new castle.

Anit caught some flirting young maids and gave them a sting of admonition by exchanging glances with male servants working in the duke’s office with sharp eyes.

‘Do they even know that if I marry the Duke, all of them will be gone?’

She looked around for paper and pens.

Eleanor’s brother Diego Miller Marquis.

I had to write a letter urging someone to return.

Then Eun-woo glanced at Anit.

She seemed very busy coordinating her work with the servants of the Duke. She seemed busy trying to figure out the new accommodation and the housekeeping of the maids from the marquis, while walking around like a man with fire on his feet.

Eun-woo slowly woke up when she saw Anit being called to the office of the Duke. It would have been faster to go to get it yourself.

Overcoming the busy maids, Eun-woo pushed the heavy door. The door was easily opened without a squeak, perhaps because it was oiled well.

She walked back well, closed the door, and then turned toward the hallway. Then she became frightened. A man’s big chest caught her eyes right in front of her.

“Ah…!”

The button on the thin linen shirt worn by the man grew larger in front of her eyes.

Eun-woo was surprised and stepped back and let out a small scream. She bumped her head against the long handle of the door.

She grabbed her head with a throbbing moan that leaked out.

“Are you okay?

Then she heard the voice of an impatient man.

Tashian opened his black eyes wide and approached her and touched her back hair. Eun-woo was so surprised that she was about to faint at the first smell of the man that came in an instant. She raised her arms and pushed him away.