Chapter 97. A Mischief Of Rats Appeared
The days were breathtakingly peaceful. Thanks to his sincere training, Enoch’s position in the Imperial knights had gradually expanded. Elle was designing her accessories with pink diamonds in earnest, and received better reviews than expected. Ian also had a good reputation for quietly beforming his official duties.
Oh the other hand, Leticia had a very minor problem.
‘What am I supposed to do with this?’
It had only been a few days, but the invitations were piling up before her eyes. Leticia sighed to herself, she wasn’t interested in the social scene, but she couldn’t let this go on forever.
Countess Aster recognized Leticia’s distress, and went directly to her.
“I’ve selected some good aristocrats that you can develop good friendships with.”
The list the Countess handed over contained names of nobles who she considered highly virtuous, and were well received for their excellent personality.
“Of course, it’s set by my standards. You should meet the people, and judge them for yourself.”
“Thank you for your help, mother.”
With the help of Countess Aster, Leticia began to accept invitations based on the list she received. Still, there were so many, so she read the contents of the invitation carefully one by one. All of them were tea parties, birthday parties, or banquets that were being held in the evening.
When she put down the invitations, and looked at the new letter that arrived that day.
‘A letter from the Imperial Palace?’
She was nervous because bad things always happened when she got one.
‘But that doesn’t mean I can’t open it.’
Leticia sighed shallowly, and opened the letter. Fortunately, it was just a request for a light cup of tea. However, she didn’t understand why the Emperor was calling her to the Imperial palace.
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‘It’s not a big deal, right?’
Somehow, she felt a sense of foreboding.
***
‘Why…’
How did this happen?
She thought it was a private meeting with the Emperor, but the Crown Prince was also sitting at the table. At first Leticia thought she had misunderstood the appointment time, but the moment the Emperor greeted her, she realized that it wasn’t a mistake.
“How have you been?”
“I’m doing well thanks to the Emperor’s care.”
“That is good to hear since you’ve had so much trouble in the past.”
Leticia smiled awkwardly, and expressed her gratitude while he gave a different smile than before.
The conversation that followed was surprisingly normal, but it somehow felt uncomfortable. Even though it was a simple back and forth, asking about how they spent their time, and future plans.
‘What is this?’
Why is he smiling like that?
Leticia carefully watched the two. The Emperor kept smiling as he looked alternately at her, and the Crown Prince.
‘It’s different.’
She drank the tea in front of her, and tried to pass it off as paranoia.
“I feel at ease after talking to the young miss.”
“I’m just grateful that you said that.”
“If you don’t mind, how about having this kind of meeting more often?”
When he said that, Leticia hesitated without realizing it. It was definitely said as a suggestion, but it was more like a notification.
‘I’m stuck.’
Leticia clenched her hands on her laps. The Emperor, who already knew that she had no right to refuse, was quietly waiting for an answer.
In the end, Leticia tried to smile casually.
“Of course, Your Imperial Majesty.”
It was a really uncomfortable position in many ways.
She hoped that they were empty words. Unfortunately, after that day, the Emperor called Leticia to the Imperial palace whenever he had time. Whenever she went, the Crown Prince was always there.
Now it seemed that he wasn’t even hiding his intentions.
“Oh, my. I forgot that I was busy.”
The Emperor stood up from his seat with a look of regret. Leticia also stood up to follow him out, and said.
“I’ve been holding up your precious time. I’m sorry.”
“No, you can stay a bit longer, Leticia.”
“What?”
“You don’t have to leave because of me.”
“I’d better go too…”
“No, you don’t have to.”
The Emperor desperately tried to stop her from leaving, Leticia felt flustered, and sat down again. Satisfied, the Emperor said his farewell saying he’d see her again next time.
In the end, Leticia was left alone with the Crown Prince, and she had to swallow a sigh that was threatening to escape her mouth.
‘I was hoping I was wrong.’
Leticia lowered her gaze, and wrapped her hands around the teacup. There’s no way that the Emperor didn’t know that she’s engaged to Enoch, and that’s what made this so troubling.
‘What should I do at a time like this?’
She had no idea what to do in this situation, because she’d never had to deal with something like this before. However, she couldn’t keep being dragged around like this.
That’s when the Crown Prince, who’d been watching Leticia, spoke up.
“I’m sorry, Ms Aster.”
“What?”
“As you’ve noticed, His Majesty wants to create a connection between us.”
Leticia, who hadn’t expected him to speak so directly, winced.
“Oh, yes…”
“It’s inconvenient, but the young lady isn’t in any trouble.”
Leticia sighed with relief when she heard that. It seemed to be the arbitrary action of the Emperor, without any intention from the Crown Prince.
“Just simply enjoy the refreshments.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
“Can I ask you something then?”
The Crown Prince asked this cautiously. Feeling more at ease, Leticia smiled as if to say that it was okay.
“Yes, you can.”
“I wonder what the young lady wants to do in the future.”
When he asked this unexpected question, Leticia blinked and quietly touched the teacup.
‘Something I want to do…’
The chance to do what she wanted had finally arrived, but she really didn’t know what that was yet.
“I’m looking for it slowly, but it’s taking longer than I thought.”
“Then why don’t you look for what you’re good at first.”
“What I’m good at?”
Come to think of it, Leticia only thought of what she wanted to do, and never thought of what she was good at. It was because she took it for granted that she couldn’t do anything.
‘What I’m good at…’
When she thought about it, she couldn’t think of anything right away, no matter how hard she thought about it. Leticia was a little shocked, and couldn’t tell if that was good or not.
The Crown Prince looked at Leticia, who was still hesitating, and said with a kind smile.
“If what you want to do and what you’re good at are the same thing, what more could you ask for?”
“….”
“I wish I could be like the young lady, and do what I wish.”
Leticia’s stiff expression brightened at his heartfelt advice.
“Thank you for your kind words, Your Highness.”
She only thought about what she wanted to do, and never thought about finding what she was good at. She still had a long way to go.
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Strangely, instead of feeling downcast, she was in a pleasant mood now.
In the past, she would have concluded that she wasn’t good at anything, but now she believed that there would be at least one thing she was good at, even if it was trivial.
***
The Emperor also knew that this was his own arbitrary action. While she was engaged to Enoch Achilles, they still hadn’t married, so he felt that this much would be okay.
‘It’s best to keep her as close as possible.’
Her being in the Empire was a good thing, but it would be even better if he was able to bring her into the Imperial family.
“You look happy, Your Imperial Majesty.”
The Emperor looked back after he’d exited the room where he left Leticia and the Crown Prince alone. Behind him stood Seios in a new white suit with a smile on his face.
“Seios, it’s been a while”
“Yes, have you been well?”
“Of course.”
“By the way, that lady…”
Seios gaze went to the audience chamber, where he saw Leticia and the crown prince coming out of the room, as if they had just finished their conversation.
‘What a clear and brilliant light.’
Even though she was far away, the energy she emitted was dazzlingly intense. It was as if he was facing the spring sun.
“Oh, it went well. What do you think about the two of them?”
The Emperor asked this after he glanced at Leticia and the Crown Prince, who were walking side by side.
Seios thought he’d heard wrong, but the moment he saw that the Emperor was serious, his face turned blue.
“Are you trying to connect those two?”
“Why? Can’t I do that?”
“No, you can’t.”
Seios said this more decisively than ever before, and looked at Leticia.
The energy emitted by Leticia was quite extraordinary, like the sun itself. She seemed to be infinitely benevolent and generous, but it was clear that she could also be ruthless when someone strayed from reason.
“The more you try to hold her in your hand, the more likely she will get angry, so don’t try to force her to do anything.”
“But…”
“You should be grateful that she’s on your side, Your Imperial Majesty.”
“Hmm…”
The Emperor touched his chin instead of answering. Anxious about his appearance, Seios tried to say something when the Emperor finally responded.
“If you say so, then what can I do?”
The Emperor shrugged as if it couldn’t be helped. Only then did Seios feel confident enough to leave first.
However, the Emperor ignored all Seios’s advice, and sent a letter to Leticia to come to the Imperial palace again. Although he knew it would be inconvenient, his own greed got the better of him.
That night, a swarm of rats suddenly appeared and caused a large commotion in the Imperial Palace.
***
When the rats arrived out of nowhere, and scared the people of the palace, there were rumors that someone had loosened the swarm out of spite. In response, the Emperor ordered them to be quickly exterminated, and ordered an investigation into how this happened. However, the number of rats didn’t disappear, but rather they increased.
While he was struggling with that, it was reported that the rats showed unusual behaviour. There was news that there were no rats around Leticia when she went to the audience chamber. As soon as he heard that, the Emperor shouted about how ridiculous this was.
“Now the rats are surrounding the audience chamber, and raising their heads. It’s like…”
As soon as he heard that they were acting like they were watching over her, the Emperor recalled what Seios had said last time they met.
[The more you try to hold her in your hand, the more likely she will get angry, so don’t try to force her to do anything. You should be grateful that she’s on your side, Your Imperial Majesty.]
For some reason, he was gradually becoming inclined to think that the current disaster might be related to this.
On the other hand, Leticia, who hadn’t seen even a rat’s tail, gave a small sigh.
‘How should I say this?’
No matter how well you wrapped it up, there was no good way to reject someone. She thought it would be best to just say it outright rather than have it come across as offensive
Strangely, the Crown Prince was nowhere to be seen. Leticia, who had expected him to be there, tilted her head.
‘Is he coming a bit later?’
Her heart was already heavy because she was trying to figure out what to tell him, but it was something that needed to be done.
“I’m sorry, but I’m worried there will be a misunderstanding because I’ve been alone with the Crown Prince.”
“….”
“As his Imperial Majesty knows, I’m engaged to Duke Achilles, so I think it’s best to be more circumspect.”
While speaking, Leticia glanced at the Emperor’s face. However, he only looked at Leticia with a hard expression and said nothing.
The moment she looked down at the heavy silence, some unexpected words came out of the Emperor’s mouth.
“I’m sorry.”
“What?”
Leticia blinked at the sudden apology. She answered without even knowing what he was apologizing for.
“It’s not a problem, Your Imperial Majesty.”
“No, I tried to force the Crown Prince and you together.”
“Your Imperial Majesty…”
Leticia hadn’t expected that he would admit it so easily, and she lowered her gaze in embarrassment. However, the Emperor became nervous at that sight.
“I hope the young lady will accept my apology.”
Even with his desperate eyes, Leticia wondered if she would dare to receive the Emperor’s apology.
“I will never make Miss Aster uncomfortable again, so please accept my apology.”
“But…”
“When the young lady gets married, I’ll even send a congratulatory gift.”
Leticia, who had been touching her fingertips at his words, slowly raised her head and looked straight at him.
“A gift?”
If the Emperor gave a congratulatory present, then it would be a very honorable wedding.
‘I’d like to have it…!’
As soon as the Emperor noticed her eyes light up, he urged her to ask for whatever she wanted.
For a while, she wondered if she should really receive it, but Leticia nodded her head at the honor she would receive.
“Then are you accepting my apology?”
He seemed to want confirmation that he’d received her forgiveness for some reason. She wondered why he was doing this, but Leticia was too distracted about the idea of the gift she’d soon be receiving, and only smiled brightly.
“Yes, I’ll accept your apology.”
With that, Leticia returned to a lighter state of mind. Interestingly, the swarm of rats that hit the Imperial palace disappeared like smoke that day.
Meanwhile, Enoch belatedly heard that the Emperor was trying to arrange a marriage between the Crown Prince and Leticia. As soon as he saw Leticia he bluntly asked.
“So when were you going to tell me?”
“What? Oh, that…”
“….”
“I solved it well. You don’t have to worry.”
“Hmm…”
However, Enoch only looked down with suspicious eyes, and said little. When he turned around, and walked away, Leticia nervously chased after him.
“I’m telling you! I even said I was engaged!”
“….”
“Look, I’m wearing your ring as well.”
As Enoch’s steps quickened, Leticia barely managed to stand in front of him, and showed him her hand. His expression relaxed even more when he saw the engagement ring on her thin, white finger.
“Don’t make me jealous, Leticia.”
“Are you jealous?”
She knew he was jealous, but when Enoch said it, Leticia couldn’t help but smile. At that moment, his eyes narrowed at her, and turned around again.
Seeing him leaving, Leticia hurried to follow Enoch. It was only by saying over and over again that he was the only person she wanted beside her, and that he would always be the only person she loved, that Enoch was finally able to feel better.
***
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