“I guess you want to be remembered as a good person to my master?”
Shish smiled at his silent opponent, as if he found it quite amusing. Then he slowly parted his lips, his eyes sharp with a sharpness.
“That day, Your Highness saw me at the Rose Palace. Lady Hayley’s confession of love was not directed to you, but to me.”
Even if he said no, the truth would be revealed quickly if he asked the person involved, Retri.
The prime minister, who was blinded by love and unable to tell right from wrong, was no longer there, and Cesar shook his head heavily.
“I didn’t do it on purpose.”
“It doesn’t matter whether it was intentional or accidental. If I died...”
Shish, who was about to say, "It was," changed his words.
It wasn't certain yet, and even if it was true, he didn't want to tell the other person.
“...It’s important that it was obvious.”
Shish, who had until now pretended to respect the position of Crown Prince, treated the other person in a rather overbearing manner.
“I didn’t tell her that you were driving a wedge between us.”
The narrow eyes drew a line.
“Not yet, you know.”
“What do you want from me?”
“Your Highness, the Crown Prince could have been a little more stupid or a little more smart.”
It wasn't the answer Cesar was looking for, but it was the kind of thing that would make his nerves tense.
"Still, you handled this situation very cleverly. If Lady Hayley hadn't loved me, I wouldn't have known anything until the very end."
'But now that I know, you will have to pay a heavy price,' Cesar bit the inside of his mouth again, as if to say.
- Because that woman acted that way towards someone other than Count Groval.
The image of the vizier laughing at Titiana for using such a foolish method against him flashed through his mind.
Truly, there was nothing that could stand in the way of the prime minister who had killed the tower master.
It was Retri, who had been the counterweight, but now she was no longer on his side. And so, she was even more important to Cesar.
Regardless of his affection for Retri, if he wants to maintain his Crown Prince status, he must not turn his back on him.
“Instead of keeping this a secret for the rest of your life, I thought I’d make a suggestion.”
No matter how good you are at your job, if the man in front of you is holding you back, you can't do anything.
No matter how clever he was, it was impossible. His junior had created an unprecedented villain.
“What is it?”
“Please check page 64 of the report.”
“‘I will give Retri Hayley all of the Duke of Beluga’s wealth and give her the title of Marchioness or higher.’ What is this...?”
“Didn’t Lady Hayley help eliminate the culprits who threatened the Empire?”
The prime minister, who was smiling brightly, took on an attitude as if the story was already over.
“I can handle any backlash from this matter at my discretion, so all you have to do is stamp your seal.”
Honestly, I don't need your consent, but I meant that I would let you stamp it out of courtesy.
The Crown Prince remained silent, and Shish looked down at his slender silver hair. His astute master seemed to have already sensed that something beyond the usual squabbles between him and the Crown Prince was happening.
He seemed to be debating whether to dig further or bury it, and Shish decided to cover it up.
The Crown Prince didn't want to shatter the sparkle of the person he had been talking about as if he were the person he wanted to be.
Now that the person he had been longing for said that she wanted this person, he no longer envied the person in front of him.
Above all, he can kill him at any time. Now.
"...All right."
“The deal will be finalized on the day Lady Hayley inherits the Duke of Beluga’s fortune and is sworn into her new position.”
His pink lips drew a line as if he was satisfied.
As soon as the weekend came, my adoptive mother, Emilia, appeared.
"My daughter! To the magic tower? To go to such a dangerous place! I thought I'd lose you again."
She hugged me and burst into tears, and the Marquis, who was standing behind her, was in a similar situation.
I winked at Shish, who was standing far away, asking why they knew I had been to the magic tower, but he pretended not to know.
Later, after the Marquis and his wife finally stayed overnight at Milan's, they gave me a detailed account of what had happened over the past few days. One thing struck me most.
“I got all of Dietrich’s fortune?”
"Yes."
“Me? Why?”
“Why, Master?”
Shish opened his eyes wide as if it was obvious.
Wow, look at him. I think I've developed an immunity to the subtle eye smile, so just look at him opening his eyes like that.
"Master, you played a significant role in sending the Magic Tower Master, who was trying to shatter the empire, to the afterlife. The empire was on the verge of collapse, and now this is what happened."
“Hey, Shish.”
“And His Excellency the Knight Commander also left a will, leaving all his wealth to the Master.”
This is clearly something you did.
“His Majesty the Emperor has highly regarded Lady Hayley’s merits and has granted you a title.”
Yeah, this looks like something you planned too.
“This matter was brought up in the meeting, and Marquis Hayley, who is attending the meeting, must naturally be aware of the proceedings.”
How surprised must he have been when his daughter, who had said she would enjoy tea time at the Rose Palace, suddenly found herself at the Magic Tower, which was falling to pieces.
“Still, thanks to him knowing all the facts, it was easy for the master to get permission to stay here.”
“That’s fortunate.”
I sipped my cold drink. As expected, only Shish could offer a sweet and sour drink that perfectly suited my taste.
“So when are we getting married?”
"Yes?"
“Now that everything is resolved, shouldn’t we get married?”
“...”
“Shish?”
For a long time, there was no answer.
Did I say something weird again?
As I was fiddling with the ring on my finger, feeling awkward, I heard muttering.
“Sometimes, it’s not a bad thing to misunderstand something because you can’t think rationally.”
“What does that mean?”
Long, graceful fingers gently wrapped around my hand and pulled it toward him. Soft lips traced their way down, starting from the fingertips.
The soft flesh began to rub against my palm, and although his lips had clearly touched my palm, my toes began to tingle.
I can see narrow eyes between my fingers.
“I always pulled the master, but it means that I’m happy that the master pulls me back.”
Well, Shish, I lost you once. I don't want to break up with you without facing my heart.
And maybe because there was a clear comparison point right next to you, your affection was more visible.
It wasn't Dietrich or Yuno who were being compared to Shish. It was the senior who whispered that he loved me and didn't go to Titiana.
My senior pretended to love me, expecting nothing in return, but he wanted something in return: my affection, or perhaps my very existence.
Certainly, he had changed from his initial setting, but he was still the Crown Prince.
But Shish, you completely escaped that situation on your own. You changed yourself in a way I never expected, and you changed me, too.
Yes, you made it so I could love you. So I couldn't help but love you.
When I fanned myself with my hand, Shish smiled brightly.
“Shall we go to the monastery next week? The monastery at the end of the world.”
“Why there all of a sudden?”
Are you trying to sneak a peek?
“The Third Princess said she wanted to go somewhere quiet to practice, so I thought that would be a good place to take her.”
Then the story changes.
"Good! Let's go as quickly as possible! If we're going to do this, how about sharing a room with the renowned priest so we can receive his teachings?"
“Huh, did the master say that?”
“Wh, what are you talking about?”
How does this guy understand everything hidden behind a single word?
"Your eyes are rolling around, but I’ll pretend not to notice.”
“Nothing really happened.”
“It’s true that you shared a room.”
“If you keep asking me, I won’t get married?”
I tried to act like I was telling him to try if he wanted to, but Shish immediately shut up. He hasn't asked any questions since or shown any sign of noticing.
I don't know if he found out much, but I didn't feel pressured.
Yeah, that's a pretty good threat.
Thanks to the Crown Prince's active consent to the plan laid out by the mad Prime Minister, I received the title of Duke of Beluga and inherited all of his wealth.
My status as the daughter of the Marquis of Hayley had become so diluted that my adoptive parents were against it. However, they agreed on the condition that I meet them regularly.
One day, I was still in Milan and preparing for the wedding.
We were deciding on the wording for the wedding invitations. It's customary to add a phrase of your choice, either from the two families or from the couple getting married, to the usual, conventional phrases.
“Did you know that the Marquis and his wife lost their daughter when they were young, and that she looked just like me?”
"Yes."
It's not surprising anymore.
It feels like this world didn't change to accept me, but rather that Shish made a place for me.
Shish, who was sitting across from me, wrote something down and handed it to me.
“How about this?”
The sentences were concise and written in a handwriting that was always beautiful to look at.
- I hope we can be together happily for a long time.
It was a very simple story, but it fit us perfectly.
“Yes. I really like it.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
Shish, who had a smile on his face, came over to me with a chair.
“Now that work is done, will you make a pretty face for me, Master?”
"Hey, Shish. So, my mother might be here soon? She's coming to check out the dress—"
“-You can finish it before then.”
The long, white fingers that had already dug into my dress slowly dug into my thigh.
All I could do was close my eyes tightly, grip the chair with both hands, and brace myself for the pleasure that was about to overtake me.
It was a month before the wedding.
Shish smiled at his silent opponent, as if he found it quite amusing. Then he slowly parted his lips, his eyes sharp with a sharpness.
“That day, Your Highness saw me at the Rose Palace. Lady Hayley’s confession of love was not directed to you, but to me.”
Even if he said no, the truth would be revealed quickly if he asked the person involved, Retri.
The prime minister, who was blinded by love and unable to tell right from wrong, was no longer there, and Cesar shook his head heavily.
“I didn’t do it on purpose.”
“It doesn’t matter whether it was intentional or accidental. If I died...”
Shish, who was about to say, "It was," changed his words.
It wasn't certain yet, and even if it was true, he didn't want to tell the other person.
“...It’s important that it was obvious.”
Shish, who had until now pretended to respect the position of Crown Prince, treated the other person in a rather overbearing manner.
“I didn’t tell her that you were driving a wedge between us.”
The narrow eyes drew a line.
“Not yet, you know.”
“What do you want from me?”
“Your Highness, the Crown Prince could have been a little more stupid or a little more smart.”
It wasn't the answer Cesar was looking for, but it was the kind of thing that would make his nerves tense.
"Still, you handled this situation very cleverly. If Lady Hayley hadn't loved me, I wouldn't have known anything until the very end."
'But now that I know, you will have to pay a heavy price,' Cesar bit the inside of his mouth again, as if to say.
- Because that woman acted that way towards someone other than Count Groval.
The image of the vizier laughing at Titiana for using such a foolish method against him flashed through his mind.
Truly, there was nothing that could stand in the way of the prime minister who had killed the tower master.
It was Retri, who had been the counterweight, but now she was no longer on his side. And so, she was even more important to Cesar.
Regardless of his affection for Retri, if he wants to maintain his Crown Prince status, he must not turn his back on him.
“Instead of keeping this a secret for the rest of your life, I thought I’d make a suggestion.”
No matter how good you are at your job, if the man in front of you is holding you back, you can't do anything.
No matter how clever he was, it was impossible. His junior had created an unprecedented villain.
“What is it?”
“Please check page 64 of the report.”
“‘I will give Retri Hayley all of the Duke of Beluga’s wealth and give her the title of Marchioness or higher.’ What is this...?”
“Didn’t Lady Hayley help eliminate the culprits who threatened the Empire?”
The prime minister, who was smiling brightly, took on an attitude as if the story was already over.
“I can handle any backlash from this matter at my discretion, so all you have to do is stamp your seal.”
Honestly, I don't need your consent, but I meant that I would let you stamp it out of courtesy.
The Crown Prince remained silent, and Shish looked down at his slender silver hair. His astute master seemed to have already sensed that something beyond the usual squabbles between him and the Crown Prince was happening.
He seemed to be debating whether to dig further or bury it, and Shish decided to cover it up.
The Crown Prince didn't want to shatter the sparkle of the person he had been talking about as if he were the person he wanted to be.
Now that the person he had been longing for said that she wanted this person, he no longer envied the person in front of him.
Above all, he can kill him at any time. Now.
"...All right."
“The deal will be finalized on the day Lady Hayley inherits the Duke of Beluga’s fortune and is sworn into her new position.”
His pink lips drew a line as if he was satisfied.
***
As soon as the weekend came, my adoptive mother, Emilia, appeared.
"My daughter! To the magic tower? To go to such a dangerous place! I thought I'd lose you again."
She hugged me and burst into tears, and the Marquis, who was standing behind her, was in a similar situation.
I winked at Shish, who was standing far away, asking why they knew I had been to the magic tower, but he pretended not to know.
Later, after the Marquis and his wife finally stayed overnight at Milan's, they gave me a detailed account of what had happened over the past few days. One thing struck me most.
“I got all of Dietrich’s fortune?”
"Yes."
“Me? Why?”
“Why, Master?”
Shish opened his eyes wide as if it was obvious.
Wow, look at him. I think I've developed an immunity to the subtle eye smile, so just look at him opening his eyes like that.
"Master, you played a significant role in sending the Magic Tower Master, who was trying to shatter the empire, to the afterlife. The empire was on the verge of collapse, and now this is what happened."
“Hey, Shish.”
“And His Excellency the Knight Commander also left a will, leaving all his wealth to the Master.”
This is clearly something you did.
“His Majesty the Emperor has highly regarded Lady Hayley’s merits and has granted you a title.”
Yeah, this looks like something you planned too.
“This matter was brought up in the meeting, and Marquis Hayley, who is attending the meeting, must naturally be aware of the proceedings.”
How surprised must he have been when his daughter, who had said she would enjoy tea time at the Rose Palace, suddenly found herself at the Magic Tower, which was falling to pieces.
“Still, thanks to him knowing all the facts, it was easy for the master to get permission to stay here.”
“That’s fortunate.”
I sipped my cold drink. As expected, only Shish could offer a sweet and sour drink that perfectly suited my taste.
“So when are we getting married?”
"Yes?"
“Now that everything is resolved, shouldn’t we get married?”
“...”
“Shish?”
For a long time, there was no answer.
Did I say something weird again?
As I was fiddling with the ring on my finger, feeling awkward, I heard muttering.
“Sometimes, it’s not a bad thing to misunderstand something because you can’t think rationally.”
“What does that mean?”
Long, graceful fingers gently wrapped around my hand and pulled it toward him. Soft lips traced their way down, starting from the fingertips.
The soft flesh began to rub against my palm, and although his lips had clearly touched my palm, my toes began to tingle.
I can see narrow eyes between my fingers.
“I always pulled the master, but it means that I’m happy that the master pulls me back.”
Well, Shish, I lost you once. I don't want to break up with you without facing my heart.
And maybe because there was a clear comparison point right next to you, your affection was more visible.
It wasn't Dietrich or Yuno who were being compared to Shish. It was the senior who whispered that he loved me and didn't go to Titiana.
My senior pretended to love me, expecting nothing in return, but he wanted something in return: my affection, or perhaps my very existence.
Certainly, he had changed from his initial setting, but he was still the Crown Prince.
But Shish, you completely escaped that situation on your own. You changed yourself in a way I never expected, and you changed me, too.
Yes, you made it so I could love you. So I couldn't help but love you.
When I fanned myself with my hand, Shish smiled brightly.
“Shall we go to the monastery next week? The monastery at the end of the world.”
“Why there all of a sudden?”
Are you trying to sneak a peek?
“The Third Princess said she wanted to go somewhere quiet to practice, so I thought that would be a good place to take her.”
Then the story changes.
"Good! Let's go as quickly as possible! If we're going to do this, how about sharing a room with the renowned priest so we can receive his teachings?"
“Huh, did the master say that?”
“Wh, what are you talking about?”
How does this guy understand everything hidden behind a single word?
"Your eyes are rolling around, but I’ll pretend not to notice.”
“Nothing really happened.”
“It’s true that you shared a room.”
“If you keep asking me, I won’t get married?”
I tried to act like I was telling him to try if he wanted to, but Shish immediately shut up. He hasn't asked any questions since or shown any sign of noticing.
I don't know if he found out much, but I didn't feel pressured.
Yeah, that's a pretty good threat.
***
Thanks to the Crown Prince's active consent to the plan laid out by the mad Prime Minister, I received the title of Duke of Beluga and inherited all of his wealth.
My status as the daughter of the Marquis of Hayley had become so diluted that my adoptive parents were against it. However, they agreed on the condition that I meet them regularly.
One day, I was still in Milan and preparing for the wedding.
We were deciding on the wording for the wedding invitations. It's customary to add a phrase of your choice, either from the two families or from the couple getting married, to the usual, conventional phrases.
“Did you know that the Marquis and his wife lost their daughter when they were young, and that she looked just like me?”
"Yes."
It's not surprising anymore.
It feels like this world didn't change to accept me, but rather that Shish made a place for me.
Shish, who was sitting across from me, wrote something down and handed it to me.
“How about this?”
The sentences were concise and written in a handwriting that was always beautiful to look at.
- I hope we can be together happily for a long time.
It was a very simple story, but it fit us perfectly.
“Yes. I really like it.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
Shish, who had a smile on his face, came over to me with a chair.
“Now that work is done, will you make a pretty face for me, Master?”
"Hey, Shish. So, my mother might be here soon? She's coming to check out the dress—"
“-You can finish it before then.”
The long, white fingers that had already dug into my dress slowly dug into my thigh.
All I could do was close my eyes tightly, grip the chair with both hands, and brace myself for the pleasure that was about to overtake me.
It was a month before the wedding.
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