"Now... What are you talking about, Your Highness the Prince?”
“What I’m saying is that unless you have a desire to be caught and praised by others, you shouldn’t be caught by anyone in the first place.”
Flavia's eyes narrowed for a moment. At first glance, she did not understand what Rogero was saying. But she felt it the next moment. Flavia's face turned red.
“Now, that... What does it mean...”
“Even if I say this, you still don’t know? It means don’t carelessly hate others for something that won’t happen anyway.”
Rogero's words had a jagged intonation as if he was humming. It was largely because the Empire's accent was very different from Rotair's, but Flavia thought he was mocking her that way on purpose.
"Now... Are you insulting me?”
“An insult? You're welcome."
“Then why...! Wow, Your Highness the Prince, there is nothing about me... Because you don’t know. Since you don’t know anything...”
Flavia's face turned bright red as she clenched her fists. If her opponent had been a person from Rotair, she would never have dared to fight so openly. Because rumors are scary.
However, Rogero was a Delacca man, a man who would have to return in the near future. The fact that he was a guest of the country and that he had to be treated more carefully was not on her mind. What good is there in looking good to someone who will end up leaving if he leaves anyway?
Even though the opponent is not even the Crown Prince, he is just a Prince.
Even excluding all these things, Flavia was in a difficult situation right now as she wanted to vent her anger on someone. Rogero, who was already distraught after hearing unfair criticism, did not put out the fire but instead put firewood in it.
“Of course, I don’t know much about the decline of the second Princess. But even if you don't know it with your head, there are results that can be obtained by observing with your eyes. Leave Franz alone. You're the one who’s causing trouble for me by bringing up things that don’t exist, so there’s no need to add one more thing on top of it, right?”
Only then did the color drain from Flavia's face as she realized exactly what he was talking about.
“Without any basis...”
“Wouldn’t it be troublesome if there were grounds for outrageous greed? I am saying this in consideration of the 2nd Princess’s deterioration, so please be careful.”
A sarcastic smile appeared on Rogero's lips. After he finished speaking, he bowed in a refined manner as if he had nothing more to do and disappeared down the street. Flavia's face, which was shaking as she could not bear the humiliation, turned white.
“Well, that’s all... What the hell..."
The tears that she thought had finally stopped overflowed again. Flavia collapsed on the spot. She couldn't understand why everyone kept torturing her. What did she do wrong?
Rogero scolded Flavia as if she had committed an affair with Franz. But no matter how much she thought about it, she didn't do anything wrong.
She was just trying to get some comfort from that kindness, how could that be wrong? She just wanted to talk face to face and feel a little excited by his touch, but is that a mistake that deserves to be insulted? Because he married Judith first?
“Oh my, Your Highness! What are you doing there?”
Anne Mille's voice was heard belatedly, coming to find her. Flavia stood up and glared with her tear-filled eyes in the direction where Rogero had disappeared.
“Your Highness, why are you doing this? What happened?”
Anne Mille, seeing Flavia's face messed up, made a fuss. But Flavia was only crinkling her red nose and biting her lip until it hurt. Her thorns sprouted from her coiled spite.
It wasn't completely accidental that Rogero encountered Flavia.
He passed through the corridors of the Serene Palace and found his way to the palace of Queen Gilsis. When he first returned to the Queen Palace, he would not have encountered Flavia, but he met her when he took a reverse course from hers.
Standing at the entrance to the Queen's Palace, he slowly looked around at the decorations, which were unusually extravagant and striking compared to Rotair's other villas. It was especially impressive that one wall was made entirely of mirrors. They placed thick gold decorations around each border, and the gold craftsmanship was so delicate that he was amazed.
'The King's throne room was not decorated this luxuriously. It seems that the story about the Queen taking control of everything while King Jedecayer was lying down was true.'
Rogero had heard rumors about what Rotair's past was like when he was in the Empire, and he also heard it sporadically through Franz, but he thought there was no exaggeration. Even though the King was bedridden, it was not easy to imagine that the power of one Queen, or that of her family, could control and sway most of the capital's nobility. That was because Rogero was from Delacca.
The Delacca Empire had a very tight balance of power between the royal family and nobles. Although there were families with significantly greater power, if there was one strong power, there were a variety of smaller powers that could counter it.
While Rotair's power structure was in the form of a plank with a cannon on each end to balance it, Delacca was closer to the form of several people standing in a circle, each pulling the rope in front of them tightly. Numerous ropes gather in the center to form a large knot, and the forces are balanced so that the knot does not break down or tilt.
As Rogero, who had lived in such a place for over twenty years, Rotair's politics could not help but feel strange. It was still hard to believe that the King's eldest son, Franz, had to die like a mouse under the claws of his stepmother, the Queen.
Even excluding all these things, Flavia was in a difficult situation right now as she wanted to vent her anger on someone. Rogero, who was already distraught after hearing unfair criticism, did not put out the fire but instead put firewood in it.
“Of course, I don’t know much about the decline of the second Princess. But even if you don't know it with your head, there are results that can be obtained by observing with your eyes. Leave Franz alone. You're the one who’s causing trouble for me by bringing up things that don’t exist, so there’s no need to add one more thing on top of it, right?”
Only then did the color drain from Flavia's face as she realized exactly what he was talking about.
“Without any basis...”
“Wouldn’t it be troublesome if there were grounds for outrageous greed? I am saying this in consideration of the 2nd Princess’s deterioration, so please be careful.”
A sarcastic smile appeared on Rogero's lips. After he finished speaking, he bowed in a refined manner as if he had nothing more to do and disappeared down the street. Flavia's face, which was shaking as she could not bear the humiliation, turned white.
“Well, that’s all... What the hell..."
The tears that she thought had finally stopped overflowed again. Flavia collapsed on the spot. She couldn't understand why everyone kept torturing her. What did she do wrong?
Rogero scolded Flavia as if she had committed an affair with Franz. But no matter how much she thought about it, she didn't do anything wrong.
She was just trying to get some comfort from that kindness, how could that be wrong? She just wanted to talk face to face and feel a little excited by his touch, but is that a mistake that deserves to be insulted? Because he married Judith first?
“Oh my, Your Highness! What are you doing there?”
Anne Mille's voice was heard belatedly, coming to find her. Flavia stood up and glared with her tear-filled eyes in the direction where Rogero had disappeared.
“Your Highness, why are you doing this? What happened?”
Anne Mille, seeing Flavia's face messed up, made a fuss. But Flavia was only crinkling her red nose and biting her lip until it hurt. Her thorns sprouted from her coiled spite.
***
It wasn't completely accidental that Rogero encountered Flavia.
He passed through the corridors of the Serene Palace and found his way to the palace of Queen Gilsis. When he first returned to the Queen Palace, he would not have encountered Flavia, but he met her when he took a reverse course from hers.
Standing at the entrance to the Queen's Palace, he slowly looked around at the decorations, which were unusually extravagant and striking compared to Rotair's other villas. It was especially impressive that one wall was made entirely of mirrors. They placed thick gold decorations around each border, and the gold craftsmanship was so delicate that he was amazed.
'The King's throne room was not decorated this luxuriously. It seems that the story about the Queen taking control of everything while King Jedecayer was lying down was true.'
Rogero had heard rumors about what Rotair's past was like when he was in the Empire, and he also heard it sporadically through Franz, but he thought there was no exaggeration. Even though the King was bedridden, it was not easy to imagine that the power of one Queen, or that of her family, could control and sway most of the capital's nobility. That was because Rogero was from Delacca.
The Delacca Empire had a very tight balance of power between the royal family and nobles. Although there were families with significantly greater power, if there was one strong power, there were a variety of smaller powers that could counter it.
While Rotair's power structure was in the form of a plank with a cannon on each end to balance it, Delacca was closer to the form of several people standing in a circle, each pulling the rope in front of them tightly. Numerous ropes gather in the center to form a large knot, and the forces are balanced so that the knot does not break down or tilt.
As Rogero, who had lived in such a place for over twenty years, Rotair's politics could not help but feel strange. It was still hard to believe that the King's eldest son, Franz, had to die like a mouse under the claws of his stepmother, the Queen.
Are you saying that all of Rotair's nobles are scarecrows?
While he was walking and thinking, Rogero eventually arrived in front of the throne room of the Queen concubine. The waiting maid recognized his face and immediately opened the door.
“Your Highness, the Prince of the Delacca Empire.”
The servant said. A strong scent wafted from inside the throne room. It seemed like they were burning oil and making a scent out of it. Despite the strong scent that seemed to sting the tip of his nose, Rogero didn't show anything and went inside.
Queen Gilsis was wearing a dark red silk dress and an off-white robe. Her jewelry was also colorful, including a diamond necklace around her neck, two rings on each finger, and a bracelet decorated with gold and rubies.
In comparison, Rogero's outfit was simple, but it was not considered rude. Although he sometimes dressed extravagantly out of necessity, he felt more comfortable without anything intrusive. He deliberately followed Rotair's etiquette and bowed in a courtly manner.
“I meet the precious Queen Mother, the new star of Rotair and the mother of the people.”
“Welcome, son of the Empire. Now, come closer.”
Queen Gilsis had a naturally welcoming look on her face. Rogero smiled at her and sat down as she suggested.
“I have heard the rumors. I’m not feeling well so I couldn’t go out to public events, so now I’m finally getting to see you.”
“The Queen is a young woman, so many people will be concerned about this.”
“You think so? As the Prince said, it would be a welcome event, but who would worry about me, who cannot even receive my son’s greetings?”
The Queen smiled, drooping her eyebrows. The corners of her red rouge-covered lips were slightly twisted. Her face, with its innate coquetry, was certainly attractive, but her black eyes were overflowing with poison.
Even if Franz had come to greet the Queen, he would have had nothing to offer but cursing and sarcasm, but she intentionally belittled her situation. It's as if the reason Franz ignores her is because she is his stepmother. Rogero just smiled with an expression that made it difficult to guess his true intentions. The Queen added.
“That child has been cold to me ever since. Even if I call him, he won't come to me. I thought it was because he missed his mother, but after a year or two, I realized that was not the only reason. It was clear that he did not think of me as his mother or Queen.”
Rogero knew that Queen Gilsis was being unreasonably cruel, but he did not try to point it out. Anyway, the reason the Queen called him was probably because she had a plan that she couldn't show proudly in front of others. He concentrated on thinking about what she was trying to say and why she was pausing and mulling over it like this.
When he didn't respond, Queen Gilsis' eyes narrowed. Is it to make a guess, or is it to set a tighter trap?
While he was walking and thinking, Rogero eventually arrived in front of the throne room of the Queen concubine. The waiting maid recognized his face and immediately opened the door.
“Your Highness, the Prince of the Delacca Empire.”
The servant said. A strong scent wafted from inside the throne room. It seemed like they were burning oil and making a scent out of it. Despite the strong scent that seemed to sting the tip of his nose, Rogero didn't show anything and went inside.
Queen Gilsis was wearing a dark red silk dress and an off-white robe. Her jewelry was also colorful, including a diamond necklace around her neck, two rings on each finger, and a bracelet decorated with gold and rubies.
In comparison, Rogero's outfit was simple, but it was not considered rude. Although he sometimes dressed extravagantly out of necessity, he felt more comfortable without anything intrusive. He deliberately followed Rotair's etiquette and bowed in a courtly manner.
“I meet the precious Queen Mother, the new star of Rotair and the mother of the people.”
“Welcome, son of the Empire. Now, come closer.”
Queen Gilsis had a naturally welcoming look on her face. Rogero smiled at her and sat down as she suggested.
“I have heard the rumors. I’m not feeling well so I couldn’t go out to public events, so now I’m finally getting to see you.”
“The Queen is a young woman, so many people will be concerned about this.”
“You think so? As the Prince said, it would be a welcome event, but who would worry about me, who cannot even receive my son’s greetings?”
The Queen smiled, drooping her eyebrows. The corners of her red rouge-covered lips were slightly twisted. Her face, with its innate coquetry, was certainly attractive, but her black eyes were overflowing with poison.
Even if Franz had come to greet the Queen, he would have had nothing to offer but cursing and sarcasm, but she intentionally belittled her situation. It's as if the reason Franz ignores her is because she is his stepmother. Rogero just smiled with an expression that made it difficult to guess his true intentions. The Queen added.
“That child has been cold to me ever since. Even if I call him, he won't come to me. I thought it was because he missed his mother, but after a year or two, I realized that was not the only reason. It was clear that he did not think of me as his mother or Queen.”
Rogero knew that Queen Gilsis was being unreasonably cruel, but he did not try to point it out. Anyway, the reason the Queen called him was probably because she had a plan that she couldn't show proudly in front of others. He concentrated on thinking about what she was trying to say and why she was pausing and mulling over it like this.
When he didn't respond, Queen Gilsis' eyes narrowed. Is it to make a guess, or is it to set a tighter trap?
A relaxed smile appeared on Rogero's lips. Even though he clearly knew what kind of person the other person was, he couldn't just be dragged in.
“I heard that you are the third son of His Majesty the Emperor.”
“That’s right, Queen Mother.”
“Is there a big age difference between you and your older brothers?”
“My eldest brother, the Crown Prince, is seven years older than me. He is five years older than my second older brother. In addition to my older brothers, I also have one older sister.”
“His Majesty the Emperor of Delacca, is blessed with many descendants.”
“I have a series of younger siblings below me, so I guess what the Queen Mother said was not wrong.”
The Emperor of Delaka also had a concubine, but he had seven children with the Empress. Even though there was a woman who was favored by the Emperor, there was no wavering from the Empress.
“Why didn’t you get married when you were already full of marriage?”
“I’m not really interested.”
“From what I heard, you’re not very indifferent to girls?”
As expected, the Queen knew very well about Rogero's current situation. She wasn't just passing it off as a rumor, but it was clear that she had set up a story.
This is nothing to make a fuss about. Rogero thought. He deliberately looked embarrassed and pretended to scratch the bridge of his nose.
“Just because I enjoy hanging out casually, doesn’t that mean I can’t make up my mind to marry all of those girls?”
“Of course, the Prince will assist his brother in the future and become a strong pillar of the empire. It doesn’t make sense since you don’t have a proper family.”
Although it was one of the royal family's duties to ensure the prosperity of the imperial grandson, the Queen's words were not without exaggeration. She also said that because she did not know everything about Rogero.
However, Rogero did not feel the need to correct the misunderstanding. Of course, he had no intention of sharing anything about himself.
“I heard that you are the third son of His Majesty the Emperor.”
“That’s right, Queen Mother.”
“Is there a big age difference between you and your older brothers?”
“My eldest brother, the Crown Prince, is seven years older than me. He is five years older than my second older brother. In addition to my older brothers, I also have one older sister.”
“His Majesty the Emperor of Delacca, is blessed with many descendants.”
“I have a series of younger siblings below me, so I guess what the Queen Mother said was not wrong.”
The Emperor of Delaka also had a concubine, but he had seven children with the Empress. Even though there was a woman who was favored by the Emperor, there was no wavering from the Empress.
“Why didn’t you get married when you were already full of marriage?”
“I’m not really interested.”
“From what I heard, you’re not very indifferent to girls?”
As expected, the Queen knew very well about Rogero's current situation. She wasn't just passing it off as a rumor, but it was clear that she had set up a story.
This is nothing to make a fuss about. Rogero thought. He deliberately looked embarrassed and pretended to scratch the bridge of his nose.
“Just because I enjoy hanging out casually, doesn’t that mean I can’t make up my mind to marry all of those girls?”
“Of course, the Prince will assist his brother in the future and become a strong pillar of the empire. It doesn’t make sense since you don’t have a proper family.”
Although it was one of the royal family's duties to ensure the prosperity of the imperial grandson, the Queen's words were not without exaggeration. She also said that because she did not know everything about Rogero.
However, Rogero did not feel the need to correct the misunderstanding. Of course, he had no intention of sharing anything about himself.
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