Flora's Unexpected Side
“You three……”
Cecilia’s crimson eyes, which had been resting her chin on her hand with a bored expression, flickered with surprise.
She straightened her previously slanted posture.
The three of us stepped onto the dais.
“Your Majesty looked lonely, so we came to keep you company.”
Flora spoke with a smile on her face.
It was the kind of remark no one could make under an ordinary emperor-and-subject relationship.
But she and Cecilia had known each other for nearly ten years as childhood friends.
So Cecilia merely let out a small chuckle at Flora’s words.
“I suppose I must have looked that way.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. So how about we have a toast together?”
Flora lightly shook the wine glass in her hand.
“Judging by your expressions, it seems I have no choice but to join you.”
Cecilia lowered her gaze to the glass she was holding.
It was completely empty.
She raised her hand and summoned a nearby butler.
“One glass of red wine.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The butler moved quickly at her command.
Thanks to him, Cecilia soon held a fresh glass of wine.
“Do we need a toast speech?”
Cecilia asked, sliding her glass slightly forward.
“Hmm……”
Flora let out a low hum.
Then she glanced at Mulia and me.
Her eyes clearly said, I can’t think of anything, so you two come up with something.
“It doesn’t seem necessary.”
Mulia answered without a moment’s hesitation.
……Maybe it really wasn’t.
Still, skipping it entirely felt a bit empty.
“My secretary seems to have a lot on his mind.”
Cecilia suddenly pointed out my expression.
Flora’s and Mulia’s gazes immediately turned toward me.
“Or perhaps Secretary Luke should give the toast?”
“How could I possibly do that when Your Majesty is present?”
Heh.
Cecilia let out a soft laugh.
Her expression remained composed, but the corners of her lips curved into a faint smile.
Our exchange seemed to have amused her.
“Without a toast, it would feel incomplete after all.”
Cecilia rose from the throne and walked toward us.
The four of us formed a small circle with her at the center.
After clearing her throat, Cecilia spoke.
“I offer my thanks to all of you who have endured hardships alongside me. I hope you will continue to serve me well.”
“Of course, Your Majesty!”
“Yes. I will assist you to the very end.”
Flora and Mulia responded to her toast.
Ah, I’m last again……
But it didn’t feel as burdensome as I’d expected.
All I had to do was choose something appropriate and pleasant to hear.
“I will also do my utmost to assist you, Your Majesty.”
“Thank you, all of you.”
She gave a single nod and raised her glass slightly.
We clinked our glasses against the Empress’s at the same time.
Even amid the lively banquet hall, the clear sound of crystal touching rang out distinctly.
As if we had truly become one in heart.
But that was only how it felt.
In reality, my heart was far from united with theirs.
I had not abandoned my goal of escaping the Eckhart Empire even for a moment.
Cecilia drank first.
Taking that as a signal, Flora, Mulia, and I brought our glasses to our lips.
A subtle sweetness mixed with a bitter aftertaste spread across my tongue.
It tasted like a condensed version of my entire life so far.
“Hmm.”
“Your Majesty, is something wrong?”
At Flora’s question, Cecilia pointed behind her with the hand holding the wine glass.
When I turned around, several nobles from the Imperial Faction stood before the dais.
“It seems I am not the only one who wishes to greet you.”
Just as she said, they were all holding wine glasses.
I didn’t know how strong Cecilia’s tolerance was, but I offered a word of caution just in case.
“Your Majesty, excessive drinking is not good for you.”
“I know. I’ll drink in moderation, so don’t worry too much.”
Cecilia gestured for us to leave.
By the time we stepped down from the dais, she was already surrounded by the nobles.
Yet through the gaps between them, I caught a glimpse of boredom returning to her face.
Well, it was understandable.
Those nobles were old enough to be her father’s peers.
“Shall we go eat something else?”
At Flora’s suggestion, I nodded.
“I’ll go greet my parents for a moment.”
Mulia bowed to us and headed in the opposite direction.
I watched her retreating figure for a moment before turning back to Flora.
“Shouldn’t the daughter of Marquis Simonian also greet her family?”
“Hehe. I can do that later. My parents will be here until the banquet ends anyway. Do you see them over there?”
Flora pointed into the crowd with her index finger.
“The woman with pink hair is my mother. The blue-haired man beside her is my father.”
“Ah, so those are your parents.”
Flora’s parents were surrounded by people, laughing heartily as they chatted.
“As you can see, they’re quite popular. So they probably don’t have time to worry about me right now. I’ll greet them once things calm down a bit.”
Flora shrugged.
Listening to her explanation, I could understand why.
The House of Marquis Simonian controlled the empire’s gold mines.
Their wealth alone was immense, but that wasn’t all.
There was also Flora standing right in front of me.
She held a position that every woman in the Eckhart Empire coveted—the position of lady-in-waiting to the Empress.
So it would be stranger if they weren’t popular.
……Unlike my own family.
I only knew this information because I served as the Empress’s secretary.
Whether that was a good thing or not, I still wasn’t sure.
“Well, enough about family. Shall we go get more dessert?”
Flora’s face was bright with genuine enjoyment.
But that smile quickly twisted at the sound of a frivolous voice.
“Lady Simonian! So this is where you were!”
I turned toward the voice and saw a man with purple hair rushing over.
“Ah. It was Lord Tonyan.”
Flora’s tone was unusually low.
Huh? Since when did Flora have this side to her?
“Haha. I’ve been looking everywhere for you, my lady. I’m glad I finally found you.”
“Ah, yes.”
Only then did I understand why Flora was acting differently.
She simply didn’t like this Lord Tonyan.
“I haven’t seen you in so long that I missed you terribly…… Have you been well, my lady?”
“Yes, thanks to you.”
This was quite an amusing scene.
I stood a step away and watched the two of them.
Seeing Flora dislike someone was a rare sight.
“By the way, who is this gentleman here?”
Tonyan finally turned his gaze to me.
But it wasn’t curiosity—it was closer to displeasure.
Well, that made sense.
No man would be happy to find a stranger standing beside the woman he was interested in.
“Ah. This is Luke Nedville. He recently started working with me in the office as Chief Personal Secretary.”
Flora’s voice brightened noticeably as she introduced me.
“Nedville…… I’ve never heard of that house. Are you from the countryside?”
Tonyan sneered at me.
Since my status seemed lower than his, he clearly intended to dismiss me.
While I hesitated over how to respond,
“Secretary Luke is not someone Lord Tonyan can afford to look down on.”
Flora answered for me.
The development caught me off guard, leaving me momentarily stunned.
While I stood there dazed, Flora scolded Tonyan.
“Even if his rank is lower than yours, the abilities Secretary Luke has shown far surpass anything you could compare to. He is also a secretary whom Her Majesty Cecilia personally favors.”
“Ah, my lady, that’s not what I meant……”
“If you belittle Secretary Luke, you are also belittling Her Majesty’s judgment. Please remember that, my lord.”
Flora shot Tonyan a sharp glare.
“Ahaha. I seem to have made a mistake. You appear to be in a foul mood today, so I’ll take my leave.”
Tonyan bowed lightly.
He retreated into the crowd without losing his smile.
But I saw it clearly.
His eyebrows were trembling with rage!
“Haa. He really is a bothersome man.”
The moment Tonyan disappeared from view, Flora shook her head.
“Are the two of you…… perhaps acquainted?”
“Acquainted? He’s the only one chasing after me one-sidedly.”
Flora wore a rare, serious expression.
Then she let out a quiet sigh.
“I’m sorry, Secretary Luke. He suddenly barged in and……”
“It’s fine. If anything, I should be thanking you for defending me.”
“I only did what was right.”
Only then did a smile return to Flora’s face.
As expected, Flora looked best when she was smiling.
“Well then, to shake off this unpleasant feeling, shall we go eat dessert?”
“Your conclusion always leads back to dessert, my lady.”
“I happen to enjoy eating quite a bit, you know.”
As we chatted about trivial things, I found myself smiling without realizing it.
It was as if her laughter had been contagious.
Just then, someone called my name from behind.
“Secretary Luke Nedville.”
When I turned around, a butler I had never seen before bowed slightly.
“Is something the matter?”
“Marquis Marlboro is looking for you, Secretary.”
“The Marquis? For me?”
Startled, I asked again, and the butler nodded.
“What is it?”
Flora asked with wide eyes.
But I had no idea why Marquis Marlboro would want to see me.
“Lady Simonian, it seems I need to step away for a moment.”
“Yes. The ball starts in thirty minutes, so please return by then.”
“I will.”
I bowed to her and turned to the butler.
“Where is the Marquis?”
“I will guide you.”
I followed the butler.
I didn’t know what Marquis Marlboro wanted to discuss.
But I had already made up my mind about one thing.
I would face him with confidence.