Entremette? Are you saying that you committed such a rude act because of New Year's Day?
If that's the case, he could have made a formal request. His method was rude, and even the location was inappropriate.
As soon as I opened my lips to say no, he elegantly interrupted me.
“Please think about it a little more. I am asking Your Highness to take me now.”
Who got who? Me? Him? Putting aside the inappropriateness of the words, I wondered when on earth he had seen me before to act so brazenly.
I said, with my eyes wide open in surprise.
“Why on earth would you make such a suggestion?”
“Would you believe me if I told you it was love at first sight?”
...Wow, I really can’t believe it. Especially when you say that with such a blushing face.
If he hadn't been a nobleman, I would have thought he was some back-alley swindler who swindled women.
I answered with a laugh.
“I can’t believe it. And why bother bringing you?”
The noble ladies who didn't know how to be stylish might have fallen for the sugar-coated words, but I didn't like people whose minds were inscrutable.
The same goes for kindness or friendly looks given without reason. The more people smile on the outside, the more they harbor a vicious blade inside.
“I think I look pretty good even when I look like this.”
I found it funny that he was talking as if he was very shocked, but his face wasn't shocked at all, so I ended up laughing.
He didn't miss the moment and asked in a slightly lower voice.
“If you don’t need me, how about Batistan?”
His speech became a little more explicit. I stared at him in wonder.
This is the first time I've seen someone among the nobles speak so bluntly. Is it because they are that desperate, or is it just an act to set a trap?
I took a sip of my tea to buy myself time to answer. Then I imitated Isabella's elegant smile and said:
“That sounds interesting. I wonder what you get in return.”
“Your Highness’s trust.”
“There’s no one out there who wants to ‘sell’ themselves just for that, my lord.”
“It depends on how much Your Highness buys me.”
I looked straight into his eyes. At first, I thought they were ordinary green eyes, but under the sunshade, they were a deep blue.
His eyes were too blue to be just lust for power. It was a familiar light to me.
These were the eyes of those who had nothing to lose. They were common in back alleys, but they were too vivid for him, who had nothing to envy.
He looked straight into my eyes and opened his mouth.
“I am telling you that I will serve you as my future master.”
So Batistan said he would give me a line... I didn’t know what to say, so I pretended to be lost in thought until I finished my teacup. He didn’t rush me but waited leisurely.
Finally, after gathering my thoughts, I opened my mouth.
“I already have Ashkabad. And the future master? That is up to the Emperor to decide. I have no right to decide. Lastly, I don’t know why you are acting so impatient.”
“...”
“The person who raised me once said that if you try to get something easily, you will eventually lose it all. I don’t think I can pay the price that you want if I just swallow it.”
He smiled elegantly as if I had told an obvious lie.
“Where is the fool today who does not know that Ashkabad will put Your Highness on the throne and restore the former glory?”
“...”
“Even if Your Highness does not want it, the fight for succession with Princess Veronica is inevitable. Blood test? Even if that old relic does not recognize Your Highness in six months, Your Highness has already won.”
“...What does that mean?”
“Everyone on Your Highness’s side will shout that it is a fabricated fake, and even if it is proven that you are truly of royal blood, those on Your Highness’s opposing side will also shout that it is a fabricated fake. In the end, it has nothing to do with the truth.”
“...”
“Then the judgment will be left to the public. Those who are swayed by the melodramatic interviews in those crude newspaper articles. They are supporting Your Highness more fervently than anyone else right now.”
Laskan told me that when the time comes, he will release me. If I am of the Princess's blood, it is beyond his control, but if not, he will set me free.
The doubts I had been ignoring began to take shape and eat away at my heart. Could he really let me go?
He spoke like a snake spreading poison into the ear of a legendary goddess.
“Therefore, Your Highness will need me.”
“...Laskan would do that to me? How would you know all that?”
I was embarrassed and stammered for the first time in a long time. Dmitry answered with an elegant smile.
“That’s what power is. The more you have in your hands, the more it will become regardless of Your Highness’s will. Perhaps even regardless of the Duke’s will.”
“...”
“We are more alike than Your Highness thinks. I know this may sound rude, but.”
He held out a small glass bottle. When I looked at it curiously, he smiled and answered.
“You said you wanted to know why I was desperate. That’s my answer.”
“...”
“If you have made up your mind, please send me a servant. I will gladly wait for you.”
It wasn't a request, it was a conviction.
I stared at the table silently, then carefully grabbed the bottle. A satisfied smile spread across Dmitry's face.
I leaned both elbows on the table and looked into the light at the bottle Dmitry had given me.
Inside was a lavender liquid. At first glance, it looked suspicious and I wondered if it might be poison.
I was tempted to at least sniff it, but I remembered hearing that some poisons only work as scents, so I decided to be careful.
If it was real poison, why did Dmitry give it to me? I squinted my eyes and stared at the bottle, then quickly hid it between the hem of my skirt when I heard a noise.
“Your Highness, please eat!”
Thalia came in, pushing a trolley briskly. The tables were all set by the maids, but it seemed like some kind of game for them to wear an apron and pretend to be maids doing chores.
It felt like watching a neighborhood kid playing house, laying out rocks and shells as if they were treasures. Of course, the plates and utensils she was laying out were made of gold.
“Oh, and Duke Ashkabad sent me a note asking if he could come by this afternoon. He brought me a bouquet of flowers. I had no idea he was such a sweetheart!”
Irina smiled and accepted the words.
“Your Highness, shall I answer that it is okay?”
I couldn't help but snicker when I saw her say with a desperate look on her face that it had to be okay.
As I nodded, Irina added with a bright face.
“Then I will decorate the table with the bouquet of flowers the Duke sent you.”
I looked at them one by one and then suddenly realized something good.
Even if Thalia doesn't know, Irina has been in Imperial society for a long time. Wouldn't she have heard some rumors about Dmitry?
I lowered my voice and asked quietly.
“Irina, do you happen to know Lord Batistan?”
“Are you Lord Batistan?”
Her expression changed as if she was looking at her youngest sister who was about to be possessed by a villain. Thalia was beside her... with shining eyes.
Irina opened her mouth as if she didn't know how to explain this.
“I don’t know where I’ve seen him before, Your Highness. He is quite a handsome man...”
While Irina hesitated, Thalia quickly intervened.
“Could it be that Your Majesty is speaking of Lord Dmitry Lionel Sol Batistan?”
“That, that person is right, but...”
As I spoke hesitantly, Thalia also became serious and spoke.
“He was really handsome, but it’s a real, real, real shame, but it’s not him.”
“You’re not seriously considering dating, are you? You’re just watching from afar?”
Irina asked cautiously. Only then did I realize what they had mistaken for what and how.
I said, waving my hand.
“Oh, no, no! It’s not like that. I was just curious. I think it was a week ago when we ran into each other by chance. He said hello.”
"Ah."
“What’s wrong with you all? Don’t you like the rumors? But isn’t the Marquis Batistan family very good?”
Irina said hesitantly.
“Public opinion about Lord Batistan is not good. Especially since no one has been close to him since childhood...”
It was as if there were rumors. If it were open gossip, I would have heard it at least once. Isabella had told me about several big scandals, saying that even those were assets in the social world.
I asked, tilting my head to one side.
“Public opinion? Is there some hidden rumor?”
Thalia intervened again.
“There’s no such thing as a hidden rumor. Even I, a foreigner, have heard it. That man’s mother is from Terrassant.”
“Terrassant?”
I asked back. It wasn't because I didn't know. It was a word used by nobles, but it was also a word often used in back alleys.
It was a word used to refer to prostitutes, not high-class prostitutes who could secure government positions, but women who literally sold their bodies for money.
Irina answered, choosing her words carefully.
“I don’t know if that rumor is true or not, but he is not the biological son of the current Marquis Batistan couple. That’s probably why the Marquis has been ignoring the malicious rumors about him, and now people almost believe them to be true.”
“You’re saying he’s not the son of the Marquis and his wife?”
“He is the illegitimate child of the former Marquis of Batistan. He was not born in the Marquis’ residence from the beginning but was brought in from outside when he was around seven years old. However, as the eldest son, he was higher in the line of succession, but because he was so young, his uncle temporarily took over as head of the household for over fifteen years.”
“How old is he now?”
“I think I was twenty-three or twenty-four."
If that's the case, he could have made a formal request. His method was rude, and even the location was inappropriate.
As soon as I opened my lips to say no, he elegantly interrupted me.
“Please think about it a little more. I am asking Your Highness to take me now.”
Who got who? Me? Him? Putting aside the inappropriateness of the words, I wondered when on earth he had seen me before to act so brazenly.
I said, with my eyes wide open in surprise.
“Why on earth would you make such a suggestion?”
“Would you believe me if I told you it was love at first sight?”
...Wow, I really can’t believe it. Especially when you say that with such a blushing face.
If he hadn't been a nobleman, I would have thought he was some back-alley swindler who swindled women.
I answered with a laugh.
“I can’t believe it. And why bother bringing you?”
The noble ladies who didn't know how to be stylish might have fallen for the sugar-coated words, but I didn't like people whose minds were inscrutable.
The same goes for kindness or friendly looks given without reason. The more people smile on the outside, the more they harbor a vicious blade inside.
“I think I look pretty good even when I look like this.”
I found it funny that he was talking as if he was very shocked, but his face wasn't shocked at all, so I ended up laughing.
He didn't miss the moment and asked in a slightly lower voice.
“If you don’t need me, how about Batistan?”
His speech became a little more explicit. I stared at him in wonder.
This is the first time I've seen someone among the nobles speak so bluntly. Is it because they are that desperate, or is it just an act to set a trap?
I took a sip of my tea to buy myself time to answer. Then I imitated Isabella's elegant smile and said:
“That sounds interesting. I wonder what you get in return.”
“Your Highness’s trust.”
“There’s no one out there who wants to ‘sell’ themselves just for that, my lord.”
“It depends on how much Your Highness buys me.”
I looked straight into his eyes. At first, I thought they were ordinary green eyes, but under the sunshade, they were a deep blue.
His eyes were too blue to be just lust for power. It was a familiar light to me.
These were the eyes of those who had nothing to lose. They were common in back alleys, but they were too vivid for him, who had nothing to envy.
He looked straight into my eyes and opened his mouth.
“I am telling you that I will serve you as my future master.”
So Batistan said he would give me a line... I didn’t know what to say, so I pretended to be lost in thought until I finished my teacup. He didn’t rush me but waited leisurely.
Finally, after gathering my thoughts, I opened my mouth.
“I already have Ashkabad. And the future master? That is up to the Emperor to decide. I have no right to decide. Lastly, I don’t know why you are acting so impatient.”
“...”
“The person who raised me once said that if you try to get something easily, you will eventually lose it all. I don’t think I can pay the price that you want if I just swallow it.”
He smiled elegantly as if I had told an obvious lie.
“Where is the fool today who does not know that Ashkabad will put Your Highness on the throne and restore the former glory?”
“...”
“Even if Your Highness does not want it, the fight for succession with Princess Veronica is inevitable. Blood test? Even if that old relic does not recognize Your Highness in six months, Your Highness has already won.”
“...What does that mean?”
“Everyone on Your Highness’s side will shout that it is a fabricated fake, and even if it is proven that you are truly of royal blood, those on Your Highness’s opposing side will also shout that it is a fabricated fake. In the end, it has nothing to do with the truth.”
“...”
“Then the judgment will be left to the public. Those who are swayed by the melodramatic interviews in those crude newspaper articles. They are supporting Your Highness more fervently than anyone else right now.”
Laskan told me that when the time comes, he will release me. If I am of the Princess's blood, it is beyond his control, but if not, he will set me free.
The doubts I had been ignoring began to take shape and eat away at my heart. Could he really let me go?
He spoke like a snake spreading poison into the ear of a legendary goddess.
“Therefore, Your Highness will need me.”
“...Laskan would do that to me? How would you know all that?”
I was embarrassed and stammered for the first time in a long time. Dmitry answered with an elegant smile.
“That’s what power is. The more you have in your hands, the more it will become regardless of Your Highness’s will. Perhaps even regardless of the Duke’s will.”
“...”
“We are more alike than Your Highness thinks. I know this may sound rude, but.”
He held out a small glass bottle. When I looked at it curiously, he smiled and answered.
“You said you wanted to know why I was desperate. That’s my answer.”
“...”
“If you have made up your mind, please send me a servant. I will gladly wait for you.”
It wasn't a request, it was a conviction.
I stared at the table silently, then carefully grabbed the bottle. A satisfied smile spread across Dmitry's face.
***
I leaned both elbows on the table and looked into the light at the bottle Dmitry had given me.
Inside was a lavender liquid. At first glance, it looked suspicious and I wondered if it might be poison.
I was tempted to at least sniff it, but I remembered hearing that some poisons only work as scents, so I decided to be careful.
If it was real poison, why did Dmitry give it to me? I squinted my eyes and stared at the bottle, then quickly hid it between the hem of my skirt when I heard a noise.
“Your Highness, please eat!”
Thalia came in, pushing a trolley briskly. The tables were all set by the maids, but it seemed like some kind of game for them to wear an apron and pretend to be maids doing chores.
It felt like watching a neighborhood kid playing house, laying out rocks and shells as if they were treasures. Of course, the plates and utensils she was laying out were made of gold.
“Oh, and Duke Ashkabad sent me a note asking if he could come by this afternoon. He brought me a bouquet of flowers. I had no idea he was such a sweetheart!”
Irina smiled and accepted the words.
“Your Highness, shall I answer that it is okay?”
I couldn't help but snicker when I saw her say with a desperate look on her face that it had to be okay.
As I nodded, Irina added with a bright face.
“Then I will decorate the table with the bouquet of flowers the Duke sent you.”
I looked at them one by one and then suddenly realized something good.
Even if Thalia doesn't know, Irina has been in Imperial society for a long time. Wouldn't she have heard some rumors about Dmitry?
I lowered my voice and asked quietly.
“Irina, do you happen to know Lord Batistan?”
“Are you Lord Batistan?”
Her expression changed as if she was looking at her youngest sister who was about to be possessed by a villain. Thalia was beside her... with shining eyes.
Irina opened her mouth as if she didn't know how to explain this.
“I don’t know where I’ve seen him before, Your Highness. He is quite a handsome man...”
While Irina hesitated, Thalia quickly intervened.
“Could it be that Your Majesty is speaking of Lord Dmitry Lionel Sol Batistan?”
“That, that person is right, but...”
As I spoke hesitantly, Thalia also became serious and spoke.
“He was really handsome, but it’s a real, real, real shame, but it’s not him.”
“You’re not seriously considering dating, are you? You’re just watching from afar?”
Irina asked cautiously. Only then did I realize what they had mistaken for what and how.
I said, waving my hand.
“Oh, no, no! It’s not like that. I was just curious. I think it was a week ago when we ran into each other by chance. He said hello.”
"Ah."
“What’s wrong with you all? Don’t you like the rumors? But isn’t the Marquis Batistan family very good?”
Irina said hesitantly.
“Public opinion about Lord Batistan is not good. Especially since no one has been close to him since childhood...”
It was as if there were rumors. If it were open gossip, I would have heard it at least once. Isabella had told me about several big scandals, saying that even those were assets in the social world.
I asked, tilting my head to one side.
“Public opinion? Is there some hidden rumor?”
Thalia intervened again.
“There’s no such thing as a hidden rumor. Even I, a foreigner, have heard it. That man’s mother is from Terrassant.”
“Terrassant?”
I asked back. It wasn't because I didn't know. It was a word used by nobles, but it was also a word often used in back alleys.
It was a word used to refer to prostitutes, not high-class prostitutes who could secure government positions, but women who literally sold their bodies for money.
Irina answered, choosing her words carefully.
“I don’t know if that rumor is true or not, but he is not the biological son of the current Marquis Batistan couple. That’s probably why the Marquis has been ignoring the malicious rumors about him, and now people almost believe them to be true.”
“You’re saying he’s not the son of the Marquis and his wife?”
“He is the illegitimate child of the former Marquis of Batistan. He was not born in the Marquis’ residence from the beginning but was brought in from outside when he was around seven years old. However, as the eldest son, he was higher in the line of succession, but because he was so young, his uncle temporarily took over as head of the household for over fifteen years.”
“How old is he now?”
“I think I was twenty-three or twenty-four."
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