Chapter 36
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 36
“……!”
This time, Dave’s face truly turned a mottled shade of red and purple.
His expression was a raw display of humiliation. I could read his thoughts as easily as an open book.
‘You want me to apologize to some Marquis’s daughter who’s the subject of every foul rumor in the capital?!’
That was exactly what his face said.
While he bore a striking resemblance to Empress Carmi, it seemed he hadn’t inherited his mother’s talent for acting. Then again, few sons raised with such indulgence ever possess much patience.
And the person who knew this best was, naturally...
“Grand Duke Frezier.”
Empress Carmi, Dave’s own mother.
“Whether they are a Prince or a Marquis’s daughter, they are still children who have yet to even make their debut.”
She stepped forward, giving Dave a sharp look that made him retreat, huffing in frustration.
“It was merely a misunderstanding and a bit of a clash between youths. Why don’t we let it slide this once?”
Grand Duke Asis Frezier turned his gaze toward Empress Carmi.
A brief silence followed.
It wasn’t exactly a tense standoff. If anything, it felt loose, but that was only because the Grand Duke’s gaze was so utterly indifferent.
It was a situation where one side was gripping the rope with both hands, giving it their all, while the other held it loosely with just one hand.
The atmosphere made it clear who held the upper hand.
Empress Carmi’s smile remained unchanged, even though she, more than anyone, would have recognized the look in Asis Frezier’s eyes—the look of a man who considered her beneath him.
To be honest, that gentle, warmth-less smile of hers gave me the creeps.
‘She probably acted just like that while cruelly tormenting the Crown Prince behind the scenes. Without anyone ever catching on.’
“The Empress’s son...”
Asis was the highest-ranking noble in the Brillant Empire, the only one who didn’t have to address the Empress as ‘Your Majesty.’
“...Kicks people in the stomach because of a ‘clash between youths’?”
The Grand Duke’s eyes were like those of a bird of prey.
“And in a lady’s solar plexus, no less. If this is what passes for gentleman’s etiquette, I must ask: who taught him?”
Despite the Grand Duke’s razor-sharp words, not a single crack appeared in Empress Carmi’s smile.
“The one who taught the Second Imperial Prince his etiquette is, of course, His Sublime Majesty the Emperor.”
She truly was the woman who had seized the seat of Empress through sheer eloquence and beauty. To think she would drag the Emperor into this conversation.
At this point, even a Duke of the Empire would usually have backed down.
‘But Empress Carmi...’
You’ve vastly underestimated Grand Duke Asis Frezier, the man I’ve ranked as the #1 most terrifying person in The Milk Bread!
“In that case, I shall head to the Imperial Palace right now and ask His Majesty myself.”
“……!”
“Before she is a lady, she is a noble; and before she is a noble, she is a human being. She is my granddaughter, a child who encompasses all those titles and statuses.”
For the first time, the smile on Empress Carmi’s face began to fracture.
“I cannot let this rest until I ask His Majesty personally if he taught the Second Imperial Prince the etiquette of kicking his own granddaughter in the stomach during a ‘clash of wills.’”
“……Grand Duke Frezier!”
For the first time, the composure vanished from the Empress’s voice.
The smile finally fell from her face, which had been so full of benevolence and goodness, and her hands began to tremble.
“It is my fault for not teaching the Second Imperial Prince properly. If His Majesty, who is so busy with state affairs, were to hear of this...”
“This is a matter concerning an Imperial citizen, so of course His Majesty must know, would you not agree?”
Empress Carmi desperately wanted to hush the matter up, but the Grand Duke’s intent was clear.
Since the justification—that the Second Prince had kicked me—was perfect, Empress Carmi eventually turned to Dave, her face pale, and shouted sharply.
“……Dave!”
“Y-yes, Mother?”
“Apologize to His Grace the Grand Duke this instant! And to Lady Tulia Frezier as well!”
* * *
“Grandfather.”
Once we were back in the carriage, I asked cautiously.
“I heard you didn’t go to the Imperial Palace but came straight back from the White Ivory Tower.”
“Tsk.”
Grand Duke Asis immediately clicked his tongue.
“That Luc. His mouth is far too loose.”
“But it’s the truth, Your Grace. You said you couldn’t leave your young granddaughter, who hasn’t even had her debutante, out alone, so you had the carriage turned around.”
“The man’s tongue would probably stay afloat even if he drowned.”
Luc let out a chuckle, but internally, I was a bit bewildered.
So, what he was saying was...
‘He was worried about me?’
The great Grand Duke Asis Frezier?
It was astonishing.
Of course, I had my own concerns as well.
“Um, Grandfather.”
I spoke up tentatively.
“Don’t you think you were a bit too harsh with the Empress and the Second Prince?”
Grand Duke Asis, sitting across from me, asked, “In what way was I harsh?”
“I don’t think you necessarily had to force them to apologize to me...”
As my voice trailed off, the Grand Duke stared at me. His dark green eyes were sunken deeper than usual.
“Are you afraid of the Second Prince?”
“No. He’s not really sca—I mean, His Highness the Prince isn’t particularly scary.”
He’s just a fool who happens to have a lot of things handed to him.
“I’m afraid of Empress Carmi.”
Since the Grand Duke had gone this far for me, I felt I should be honest.
Asis Frezier, who had been watching me intently, asked an unexpected question.
“Do you like the hairpin you received from the Empress?”
That’s right.
In my hand, I held a beautiful hairpin made of pure gold.
Empress Carmi had pressed it into my hand herself just moments ago.
This pure gold hairpin, encrusted with sapphires and diamonds, looked incredibly expensive at a glance. To think she’d give me such a gift.
“The young lady will surely grow into a magnificent beauty. This is a gift in advance for the lady who will become the future jewel of high society.”
It was a great honor for the Empress to personally bestow jewelry she had been wearing. That is, if it hadn’t been a move to smooth over her son’s blunder.
Instead of accepting it with humble gratitude, I had looked at Grand Duke Asis first.
“May I accept this, Grandfather?”
I had been a bit flustered when Grand Duke Asis suddenly let out a short laugh while watching the scene.
And my heart had skipped a beat when I saw the Empress’s gaze turn cold.
But the one holding my leash right now is the Grand Duke, and he’s the one I need to impress, right?
Above all...
I didn’t want to exert any effort to win the favor of that Empress, the woman who had smiled so sweetly while slapping Ferdinand until he bled.
That was how I truly felt.
“Yes. I like the hairpin very much.”
I said it with all my heart, hoping the Grand Duke might gift me something similar, but he just looked at me with a strange expression before asking.
“Tulia Frezier.”
“Yes, Grandfather?”
“The reason you didn’t snatch up that hairpin you like so much... was it because you were afraid I would scold you?”
“Pardon?”
Startled by the direction of the question, which was different from what I expected, I hurried to shake my head.
“I’m your granddaughter, so it’s only natural that I ask for your opinion before the Empress’s, isn’t it?”
I subtly emphasized the word ‘granddaughter.’
Though rumors are rife in society that Tulia isn’t the daughter of Marquis Aster Frezier—and I myself don’t know whose blood runs through Tulia’s veins—for now, I am your granddaughter.
They say the bond of raising a child is stronger than the bond of birth, so please, look upon me kindly.
Please.
Our eye colors are somewhat similar, aren’t they?
Grand Duke Asis didn’t react to my words. Only Luc Kelposher, sitting beside him, burst into laughter.
“Our young lady certainly has a way with words. I’m sure no one her age can match her eloquence.”
“Ahem...”
The Grand Duke didn’t say much, but he seemed pleased with my answer. I could tell by the way the corners of his mouth twitched upward.
“Eloquence is indeed a talent for a noble. Tulia Frezier, how did the Empress appear to your eyes earlier?”
It was a sudden question.
I blinked a few times before answering.
“She seemed elegant and beautiful, but also cold and heartless.”
“Heartless, you say.”
I had no intention of mentioning the incident with Ferdinand. But I figured I could say this much.
‘If I were to be more blunt, I’d say that Empress is incredibly cruel, unlike how she looks.’
But if I said that, someone as sharp as Grand Duke Asis would surely suspect that something else had happened.
I added quietly, “But I suppose someone like that would naturally be at the pinnacle of the Brillant Empire’s noblewomen... right?”
After staring at me for a moment, Grand Duke Asis spoke.
“Expensive adornments and the etiquette used to command others are merely secondary things, Tulia Frezier.”
“Yes!”
I was just about to shout, ‘Grandfather, you are absolutely right!’ when he continued.
“A true Blue Blood must always carry a sense of absolute integrity, great ambition, and...”
Grand Duke Asis looked out the window at the subsiding rain.
“...A dignified pride in their heart throughout their life. Only such a person is a true pinnacle of the nobility.”
Grandfather, you are absolutely right!
...I was going to say that.
But the side profile of Grand Duke Asis as he gazed out the window looked strangely lonely, unlike a great noble who commanded the Empire.
I toyed with the pure gold hairpin, which looked like it belonged to a grown woman, before speaking.
“Like Grandmother?”
At those words, the Grand Duke whipped his head around to look at me.