Chapter 22
Chapter: 22
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 022
>Chapter Title: The Fiancées
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>It had been just one day since the Holy Emperor entered closed-door prayer, and the atmosphere in the Pearl Palace was already changing rapidly.
People were starting to come and go more frequently in the Pearl Palace, which had felt like a small isolated island within the imperial palace.
Attendants carrying letters with utmost care bustled in and out, and small gift boxes or bouquets began to arrive.
Even though the entry restrictions had been lifted some time ago, the reason for this belated change was obvious. Until now, people had been glancing nervously at the Holy Emperor.
Visit requests started pouring in from all sides, keeping the palace's sole dedicated maid just as busy.
"Th-this is a disaster, Your Highness!"
As Seongjin was about to leave the lobby for his morning training, Edith called out to him with a face full of tension.
"What's wrong?"
"A message just came from the Ruby Palace. Her Majesty the Empress Consort says to prepare tea impeccably because she's coming with a precious guest!"
That sounded like perfectly ordinary hospitality.
"What's the problem?"
Seongjin stared blankly at her, and Edith made a tearful face.
"But I don't know how to properly brew tea!"
"...What?"
You brat. So you've been fully aware your skills are lacking, yet you've been serving me that awful tea all this time?
Seongjin felt his blood pressure rising.
"If you can't even brew tea, why did you become a maid?"
"I didn't know. The job requirements were only [Aura User] to begin with."
Ah, right. She was originally an aspiring knight.
Still, it had been nearly two years of maid service. More than enough time to learn how to brew tea.
But Edith had her own excuse.
"Your Highness never enjoyed tea anyway, and we rarely had visitors."
"I heard Father visited occasionally?"
"His Holiness the Holy Emperor always brought the head steward with him, so I had nothing to do. And Lord Louis always prepared perfect tea from his own palace."
Come to think of it, during the last audience, Louis had personally served the tea.
"What should I do? I just practiced a bit, but it tastes like stewed rotten grass. How can I serve this to guests?"
So you know exactly how bad your tea tastes.
"Well, tea is just steeped grass water to begin with. It should be fine, right?"
He replied half-heartedly, and Edith stomped her feet.
"But Your Highness! Her Majesty the Empress Consort emphasized it repeatedly. Since this is the first time Your Highness's fiancée is visiting the Pearl Palace, the hospitality must be flawless without the slightest shortcoming!"
Seongjin caught a phrase he couldn't just let slide and asked Edith back.
"Wait, Edith. Have I gotten engaged?"
"Exactly! When did you get engaged without telling me, Your Highness?"
"...Huh?"
"...Pardon?"
* * *
"Feeling lonely, I invited Lady Valua to the palace. But then I realized the two of you have never even met, despite the marriage talks dragging on for so long."
When Empress Consort Elizabeth arrived at the Pearl Palace, Seongjin was able to sit at a tea spread that was somewhat presentable.
The Empress Consort glanced at the properly arranged tea but didn't nitpick. Nor did she sit leisurely to taste it.
For Edith, this was a stroke of luck. Seongjin had absentmindedly taken a sip of the tea in front of him, and a deep bitterness like bile rose up.
'Every time I think about it, how does grass water taste like this?'
Struggling to keep a straight face, Seongjin looked at the new guest the Empress Consort had brought.
Lady Valua, Chloe Mia de Valua.
Her light lake-blue hair fluttered softly with her water-colored dress, making her look like a small girl who might float up to the sky if poked.
According to the Empress Consort, the Valua family was a great noble house rooted in Brittany, a prestigious lineage that had produced renowned scholars for generations. Even the dean of the Delcross Theological Academy was from the Valua family.
That's why marriage talks with Moreth had occasionally come up from the Empress Consort's side even before Chloe was born. Fortunately, it was still just private talk, not an officially announced engagement.
Sure. Considering the era, even a prenatal betrothal wasn't incomprehensible. The problem was the girl's age.
'...Twelve years old?'
Moreth was fifteen, so it would be a decent age gap once they were adults. Assuming it was the real Moreth, of course.
Seongjin's age before death was at least sixty-four; twelve was practically granddaughter territory.
Even if he'd resolved to brazenly live as Moreth, this was far beyond what he could handle.
The girl sat across from him, demurely chewing her dessert and swinging her legs. Cold sweat trickled down Seongjin's back as he watched her.
"Seeing you two together only strengthens my conviction about this match. What a beautiful pair you make."
"......"
Seongjin unwittingly grimaced, then had to down another sip of the poison-like tea to hide it.
The bitterness numbed his tongue.
Edith, you didn't poison this, did you?
In any case, it was an awkward tea time where the Empress Consort chattered alone while the two betrothal parties remained silent.
"How long it's been since we had such a warm tea time. Seeing the prince so well-mannered, it must be that Lady Valua has captured his heart. They seem to suit each other better than expected—I'm quite satisfied."
Ah, so just not causing a scene qualifies as good.
After that, Empress Consort Elizabeth talked at length about trivial topics like the weather, the latest gossip from famous salons in high society, and the newly formed 7th Knight Order of the capital defense force.
Chloe quietly munched on snacks and nodded along, while Seongjin blankly nodded and sipped the bitter tea bit by bit.
"I never realized how unobservant I was. Time flew by without me noticing because the conversation was so enjoyable."
How much time had passed? Empress Consort Elizabeth stood up, leaving Chloe behind.
"I'll take my leave first, so you two chat a bit more. Opportunities for you to meet alone are rare; I shouldn't waste that precious time."
Her words about enjoying the conversation didn't seem empty—her usually sharp eyes had softened noticeably.
Her maids and escort knights followed her out in a group, and finally, the spacious drawing room held only Edith and the two betrothal parties.
'This is tricky.'
Seongjin clicked his tongue as he watched the small girl, who was furtively watching him before picking up a snack.
He wasn't used to dealing with kids...
After a moment's thought, Seongjin cautiously opened his mouth.
"Um. So, Lady Chloe..."
"Please call me Chloe, Your Highness."
The girl finished swallowing the macaron piece she'd been chewing and spoke.
He'd thought she was shy from her silent demeanor, but her crisp tone was unexpectedly bold.
"With marriage talks going back and forth, being too distant could give others gossip fodder."
"......"
The girl slightly narrowed her eyes in something like a smile. Though her eyes weren't smiling at all.
"I can't imagine why you're looking at me with such a sorry face. Your Highness, are you planning to reject the match and embarrass me?"
The young girl seemed to keenly sense Seongjin's reluctance.
Just as she'd said. Seongjin, who had intended to indirectly express refusal for her sake, realized the issue wasn't that simple.
"If this engagement falls through, Chloe... it would trouble you?"
"Well, not exactly trouble. I'd just embarrass the family elders, embarrass myself among my circle of ladies, and when I debut in society, I'd be so ashamed I'd rather die."
...That's a huge trouble.
"Doesn't deciding a marriage at such a young age feel burdensome?"
"Burden? A marriage talk with the Holy Imperial family is a tremendous honor for the house just from the fact it's being discussed. No matter who the partner is."
Even if it's a notoriously worthless playboy.
The girl's upturned lips seemed to swallow those words. But Seongjin had no intention of reacting to every petty provocation from a twisted kid.
"That makes it hard to back out later. The family's glory doesn't guarantee Chloe's happiness—shouldn't you be a bit more cautious about marriage? Is it really okay to choose so thoroughly for the family's sake?"
"...Pardon?"
"What if you suddenly want to pursue a different future, or live abroad? Or maybe someday someone you truly want to marry appears."
"......"
"In any case, once the marriage progresses, it won't go your way."
"Um......"
Chloe wiped the smirk from her lips and turned serious. She observed Seongjin's face for quite a while before cautiously speaking.
"...Your Highness?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you perhaps thinking I was dragged here against my will, unable to resist family pressure?"
It hit the nail on the head.
Doesn't everyone have that stereotype? A twelve-year-old noble girl would cry buckets: 'I want to marry a prince on a white horse someday! I hate the one my family chose!'
Ah. Of course, Moreth was sort of prince-like.
"That you're sacrificing your life for the family?"
"Isn't that it?"
"No."
Chloe answered firmly and fiddled with the cookie crumbs on her lips with her finger.
"Hm, that's unexpected."
The girl looked at Seongjin with deeper eyes, as if lost in thought.
"You seem genuinely concerned for me, Your Highness, so I'll be honest too. Just the fact that marriage talks with the Holy Imperial family are circulating before my debut means I'll draw huge attention when I enter society."
"...Is that important?"
"Yes. The influence I wield in society afterward will be my power and lifelong asset. It's not solely for the family."
Chloe seemed to have a firm stance on this engagement. Her scholarly family must run deep—even this kid thinks differently.
As he reluctantly nodded, she glanced at him and continued cautiously.
"Besides, Your Highness doesn't need to take this engagement too seriously either."
"...Why?"
"Because it's not a relationship where we feel heavy responsibility toward each other. From Your Highness's side, I'm surely not the only one who's just 'talks going back and forth.'"
There's another fiancée?
Seongjin looked at Chloe in shock, and she gave a slightly mischievous smile.
"Isabella Scarzapino, daughter of the great merchant Scarzapino; Julia Meyer, granddaughter of Cardinal Meyer and knight of the Imperial Guard. Both from illustrious houses, and young ladies blooming with mature beauty right now."
Isabella Scarzapino, called the flower of society; Julia Meyer, who earned a precocious appointment as vice-captain of the 7th Knight Order for her outstanding knightly talent.
As Seongjin listened to Chloe's explanation, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.
Empress Consort Elizabeth, who had talked at length about key society news and the new 7th Knight Order before leaving. He'd thought her sidelong glances at Seongjin were just worry for Moreth's health.
But the Empress Consort had been gauging his reaction while sharing updates on the other potential matches.
"You don't remember them at all either, do you, Your Highness?"
And she'd gotten her answer, leaving with a satisfied look.
Seongjin's lips tightened. A fresh wariness toward Empress Consort Elizabeth arose.
He'd seen her only as the pitiful mother of a wastrel son, but why probe indirectly instead of asking outright? Was she hiding something from Moreth?
Moreover, arranging this right after the Holy Emperor left—didn't it prove she'd been watching his eyes too?
"No engagement is set in stone yet. Talks mentioned only in private for so long naturally benefit both sides the longer they drag on. So, Your Highness..."
Interpreting Seongjin's stiff expression somehow, Chloe's smile faded a bit.
"If you dislike this match purely out of concern for my position, please don't reject it first."
"...Got it. I'll wait quietly until Chloe dumps me."
For Moreth with his rock-bottom reputation, one or two more broken engagements wouldn't matter. It wasn't hard.
Seongjin nodded readily, and Chloe blushed slightly before lifting her teacup with a relieved expression. She'd maintained composure outwardly but must have been anxious he'd unilaterally break it off.
"Wait...!"
Quite thirsty, she gulped it down before Seongjin could stop her.
"...Cough! Oh my!"
Barely managing not to spit it out, Chloe's eyes widened.
Her trembling gaze lingered long on Seongjin, who had paused midway standing up. Then it darted between his half-empty teacup and Edith's face.
When it returned to Seongjin, her eyes held newfound realization.
"Your Highness, you're far more tolerant than I thought."
To keep someone like this alive still.
She didn't say it aloud, but her cold stare at Edith spoke volumes.
*Gulp.* From behind, the sound of Edith swallowing dryly.
* * *
>"How was the palace, miss?"
In the carriage back to the mansion, the maid cautiously asked the unusually quiet Chloe.
This morning, the prickly little miss like a hedgehog with nerves on edge had sunk into deep thought, silent.
"Hm, better than I expected."
She'd been so annoyed yesterday evening when Empress Consort Elizabeth's invitation came out of nowhere.
Sure, it was marriage talk, but she'd thought it wouldn't progress deeply. Prince Moreth had a poor reputation, and there were already plenty of superior candidates overflowing.
That's probably why the Empress Consort picked Chloe specifically. The easiest target to summon at whim.
'And yet...'
The Prince Moreth she'd met in person was strikingly handsome, unlike the rumors. She'd heard he was a total rascal, but today he seemed considerate and earnest.
He hadn't babied or dismissed her like a child but treated her as a proper lady. When he promised to let her break it off, it was even cool.
Chloe touched her slightly flushed cheeks and murmured.
"Maybe I should start regularly sending bouquets to the Pearl Palace from now on."
"...Pardon?"
The maid asked in bewilderment, but Chloe's little head was already spinning nimbly.
Isabella Scarzapino, arrogant to the skies relying on her natural beauty.
Julia Meyer, famous for stonewalling suitors while obsessed with knight training.
'Alright. If I move fast, I have a shot too.'
Heh heh heh.
Leaving the baffled maid, Chloe let out a low chuckle and clenched her small fists triumphantly.