“Cesare, when can I get a daughter-in-law?”
Crown Prince Cesare Crassilia, who was summoned to the Gladi Palace, held back a sigh that was about to escape.
In the Empress's palace, only the father and the Emperor were present, and an ominous feeling passed over Cesare's back.
“I don’t know about that, Father.”
"What?"
“If that’s all you have to say, I’ll get up first.”
It seemed the Emperor was only concerned with trivial matters. Since he was sometimes somewhat rude, Cesare stood up.
“It won’t work.”
“Father.”
“Ahem! Come on, sit down.”
The Emperor gestured for him to sit down with a stern expression.
Seeing it come out like this, it was clear that there had been a request from the Empress to capture the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince sat back down and got straight to the point.
“Did Mom go to see Lady Hayley?”
“Ugh, ugh, ugh!”
The Emperor's reaction of being overly surprised while drinking tea as if he didn't know he would be caught was cute.
“I see you both have decided not to marry me.”
"What?"
“If your future husband’s parents are a nuisance even before we get married, who would want to get married to me?”
Cesare had to take a few deep breaths to soften the expression that had come to mind: 'If your in-laws are nagging you,'
It was clear that he had become deeply immersed in the ‘outside world’.
"Is that so? Does it seem like I'm bothering you? I'm just asking for tea time."
While the startled Emperor was wondering what his mistake was, Cesare continued speaking in a voice that hid his annoyance.
“Lady Hayley is... well, not used to social gatherings.”
There are gatherings like this outside, but the atmosphere is much freer.
He didn't know it before, but after going outside, he got to know a little bit about the palace and how the hierarchy was suffocating.
Perhaps, this atmosphere would not be pleasant for the junior who has lived all her life.
“Besides, she probably isn’t used to the palace yet, so meeting strangers will be uncomfortable.”
“You have to see each other often to become familiar with each other, don’t you?”
That was true. Assuming the other person was willing to marry him.
“Marquis Hayley keeps telling me he wants to take his daughter home.”
The Emperor looked blatantly annoyed.
“So, I think it would be a good idea to quickly make Lady Hayley into Crassilia.”
“Father, so-”
“-If that doesn’t work out, how about having a child first? I did that too.”
The excuse the Emperor used when he brought a commoner to be his Empress was, “Oh no, this woman is carrying my child! So I will take responsibility for it!”
Then he quietly dropped a bombshell: “Only the child born from this woman will be recognized as my legitimate child.”
“I don’t like it.”
“What! Why don’t you like it? Don’t you have that much courage?”
“If you do it without the other person’s consent, it’s a crime, Father.”
The Crown Prince responded indifferently, and the Emperor was surprised again.
“What? Didn’t Lady Hayley have feelings for you?”
The Emperor clenched his jaw at the sight of the bitter smile on his son's lips. It seemed he had touched a painful wound.
It seems like only recently that he was delighted by the news that his son, who was on par with the Knight Commander in terms of women's inattention, had brought a woman into the palace.
“You bastard... You didn’t kidnap her, did you?”
"No."
Cesare shook his head as he watched his father, who seemed to be imagining something strange.
“The other party’s consent has been clearly obtained.”
This point was certain.
Because the junior herself called first, saying she wanted to go into the book. Even though he was the one who gave her the opportunity.
“That’s good, but... did you show her the treasure vault?”
“I was trying to show her the treasure trove and create a good atmosphere, but didn’t Father call me?”
The embarrassed Emperor coughed and looked to the side.
Cesare gazed into the still teacup.
He went out because he wanted to monopolize the author, even at the risk of losing his life.
Let's go out and escape the oppression of books, and he starts to think, 'Why did I become obsessed with the author? I could just live my own life.'
But the person he actually met showed a lot of interesting things, perhaps because he looked at her with interest.
“Then how about showing it to her now?”
“It’s too late, Farher.”
“If necessary, I will give you ‘Tears of the Goddess’.”
The 'Tears of the Goddess' were the most precious jewels in the empire and were set in the center of the crown.
Cesar laughed, as if he could see his father's desperate heart.
“I will ask you to help me when the need arises.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
The Emperor repeatedly urged him not to hesitate to speak up if he needed anything.
As the time the Empress had told him to hold on to his son was approaching, he pretended to be generous and shook his right fist, indicating that he could go to Cesare.
“I will work hard.”
After greeting his father, Cesare left the Palazzo Gladi and headed to the Palazzo Rose.
There will probably be an Empress there.
'Of course, my junior will be liked by Mom.'
Intelligent, polite, and humble.
Moreover, she seemed to be perfectly familiar with the etiquette of this place, so the Empress couldn't have disliked her. The junior would bow respectfully to the Empress.
'But the face that is no longer visible when bent over must be expressionless.'
At first glance, he thought that if there was anyone perfect, it would be his junior.
It was quite a coincidence that he got to see her true self, someone who gets along well with people.
Spring, the season when cherry blossoms fall.
The expression on the girl's face, which had been brightly smiling when she greeted people in the department, quickly disappeared.
As if he wasn't really laughing.
'Was it a thrill that I felt then?'
Knowing his junior's secret that others didn't know, and discovering one of the author's secrets, gave Cesare a sense of superiority.
'After that, I started observing my juniors more diligently.'
The junior was a woman who was good at hiding her feelings.
If you ask how skilled she was, it was enough to scratch the pride of Cesare, who prided himself on being quite skilled at reading the minds of others while dealing with many people.
'So rational that it's sickening.'
There was no significant change in emotions, as if she was always suppressing herself or emptying herself of joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure.
The always smiling face was a mask, and underneath it was a cold expression as if she was indifferent to the world.
'This situation is probably just annoying.'
Many things did not stimulate her.
'As if she divides the world into what she is interested in and what she is not interested in.'
The problem was that there was very little that interested him.
The fact that there is nothing to interest the juniors means that it is difficult to keep them.
The more he got to know her, the more he realized that the author, whom he had thought would be perfect, had surprisingly many human aspects, and he often held his breath while looking at her.
What was ‘perfection’ in the first place?
What did he expect from the other person?
“Greetings, Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”
“Good afternoon, Count Beryl.”
Cesare gave a brief greeting and tried to pass the Count, but the Count did not do so.
“Your Highness, if it’s right with you, would you be able to attend the charity party our family will be hosting soon?”
The Count of Beryl, a family famous for mining.
Two daughters of marriageable age, and one son of similar age to the eldest Princess.
Cesare, who had quickly figured out his opponent, smiled broadly.
"The founding of the nation is coming soon, isn't it? I'm honored to be entrusted with the preparations for its founding, and I want to focus entirely on that task."
“Aha, Your Highness, the Crown Prince is preparing for the founding of the nation.”
"Yes. So, I guess I won't be able to attend the charity party. Do you understand, Count?"
“I am worried that I may have made an unreasonable request of Your Highness and upset Your Highness.”
“Haha, that’s not it.”
Cesare, wearing a mask and having finished his performance as a dignified and moderately authoritative Crown Prince, walked briskly.
It must have been from that time, Cesare was sure.
No, it was closer to obsession than affection, but Cesare himself didn't notice.
He believed that his emotions, free from the shackles of 'books', were extremely free.
As the Crown Prince entered the Rose Palace, the caretaker and maid bowed. He followed the maid's lead to the reception room.
He opened the door himself and went in.
“Junior.”
"Senior?"
“Did Mom come and go?”
“How did you know?”
“Haa, as expected.”
Cesare pretended to sigh and looked at his junior.
As expected, there was not even a speck of emotion in her black eyes.
Either the Empress's visit was nothing to her, or she was hiding her feelings.
'What could possibly make you uneasy?'
Ah, when he realized he was a character from a book, that sturdy mask cracked.
He wants to make it like that again.
Cesare raised the corners of his mouth without realizing it.
Crown Prince Cesare Crassilia, who was summoned to the Gladi Palace, held back a sigh that was about to escape.
In the Empress's palace, only the father and the Emperor were present, and an ominous feeling passed over Cesare's back.
“I don’t know about that, Father.”
"What?"
“If that’s all you have to say, I’ll get up first.”
It seemed the Emperor was only concerned with trivial matters. Since he was sometimes somewhat rude, Cesare stood up.
“It won’t work.”
“Father.”
“Ahem! Come on, sit down.”
The Emperor gestured for him to sit down with a stern expression.
Seeing it come out like this, it was clear that there had been a request from the Empress to capture the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince sat back down and got straight to the point.
“Did Mom go to see Lady Hayley?”
“Ugh, ugh, ugh!”
The Emperor's reaction of being overly surprised while drinking tea as if he didn't know he would be caught was cute.
“I see you both have decided not to marry me.”
"What?"
“If your future husband’s parents are a nuisance even before we get married, who would want to get married to me?”
Cesare had to take a few deep breaths to soften the expression that had come to mind: 'If your in-laws are nagging you,'
It was clear that he had become deeply immersed in the ‘outside world’.
"Is that so? Does it seem like I'm bothering you? I'm just asking for tea time."
While the startled Emperor was wondering what his mistake was, Cesare continued speaking in a voice that hid his annoyance.
“Lady Hayley is... well, not used to social gatherings.”
There are gatherings like this outside, but the atmosphere is much freer.
He didn't know it before, but after going outside, he got to know a little bit about the palace and how the hierarchy was suffocating.
Perhaps, this atmosphere would not be pleasant for the junior who has lived all her life.
“Besides, she probably isn’t used to the palace yet, so meeting strangers will be uncomfortable.”
“You have to see each other often to become familiar with each other, don’t you?”
That was true. Assuming the other person was willing to marry him.
“Marquis Hayley keeps telling me he wants to take his daughter home.”
The Emperor looked blatantly annoyed.
“So, I think it would be a good idea to quickly make Lady Hayley into Crassilia.”
“Father, so-”
“-If that doesn’t work out, how about having a child first? I did that too.”
The excuse the Emperor used when he brought a commoner to be his Empress was, “Oh no, this woman is carrying my child! So I will take responsibility for it!”
Then he quietly dropped a bombshell: “Only the child born from this woman will be recognized as my legitimate child.”
The prime minister at the time was part of the pro-Emperor faction, so he strongly supported the powerless commoner Empress.
“What! Why don’t you like it? Don’t you have that much courage?”
“If you do it without the other person’s consent, it’s a crime, Father.”
The Crown Prince responded indifferently, and the Emperor was surprised again.
“What? Didn’t Lady Hayley have feelings for you?”
The Emperor clenched his jaw at the sight of the bitter smile on his son's lips. It seemed he had touched a painful wound.
It seems like only recently that he was delighted by the news that his son, who was on par with the Knight Commander in terms of women's inattention, had brought a woman into the palace.
“You bastard... You didn’t kidnap her, did you?”
"No."
Cesare shook his head as he watched his father, who seemed to be imagining something strange.
“The other party’s consent has been clearly obtained.”
This point was certain.
Because the junior herself called first, saying she wanted to go into the book. Even though he was the one who gave her the opportunity.
“That’s good, but... did you show her the treasure vault?”
“I was trying to show her the treasure trove and create a good atmosphere, but didn’t Father call me?”
“Hmph, hmph!”
Cesare gazed into the still teacup.
He went out because he wanted to monopolize the author, even at the risk of losing his life.
Let's go out and escape the oppression of books, and he starts to think, 'Why did I become obsessed with the author? I could just live my own life.'
But the person he actually met showed a lot of interesting things, perhaps because he looked at her with interest.
“Then how about showing it to her now?”
“It’s too late, Farher.”
“If necessary, I will give you ‘Tears of the Goddess’.”
The 'Tears of the Goddess' were the most precious jewels in the empire and were set in the center of the crown.
Cesar laughed, as if he could see his father's desperate heart.
“I will ask you to help me when the need arises.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
The Emperor repeatedly urged him not to hesitate to speak up if he needed anything.
As the time the Empress had told him to hold on to his son was approaching, he pretended to be generous and shook his right fist, indicating that he could go to Cesare.
“I will work hard.”
After greeting his father, Cesare left the Palazzo Gladi and headed to the Palazzo Rose.
There will probably be an Empress there.
'Of course, my junior will be liked by Mom.'
Intelligent, polite, and humble.
Moreover, she seemed to be perfectly familiar with the etiquette of this place, so the Empress couldn't have disliked her. The junior would bow respectfully to the Empress.
'But the face that is no longer visible when bent over must be expressionless.'
At first glance, he thought that if there was anyone perfect, it would be his junior.
The title of valedictorian, looks that make others like you, and a gentle personality.
Spring, the season when cherry blossoms fall.
The expression on the girl's face, which had been brightly smiling when she greeted people in the department, quickly disappeared.
As if he wasn't really laughing.
'Was it a thrill that I felt then?'
Knowing his junior's secret that others didn't know, and discovering one of the author's secrets, gave Cesare a sense of superiority.
'After that, I started observing my juniors more diligently.'
The junior was a woman who was good at hiding her feelings.
If you ask how skilled she was, it was enough to scratch the pride of Cesare, who prided himself on being quite skilled at reading the minds of others while dealing with many people.
'So rational that it's sickening.'
There was no significant change in emotions, as if she was always suppressing herself or emptying herself of joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure.
The always smiling face was a mask, and underneath it was a cold expression as if she was indifferent to the world.
'This situation is probably just annoying.'
Many things did not stimulate her.
'As if she divides the world into what she is interested in and what she is not interested in.'
The problem was that there was very little that interested him.
The fact that there is nothing to interest the juniors means that it is difficult to keep them.
The more he got to know her, the more he realized that the author, whom he had thought would be perfect, had surprisingly many human aspects, and he often held his breath while looking at her.
What was ‘perfection’ in the first place?
What did he expect from the other person?
“Greetings, Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”
“Good afternoon, Count Beryl.”
Cesare gave a brief greeting and tried to pass the Count, but the Count did not do so.
“Your Highness, if it’s right with you, would you be able to attend the charity party our family will be hosting soon?”
The Count of Beryl, a family famous for mining.
Two daughters of marriageable age, and one son of similar age to the eldest Princess.
Cesare, who had quickly figured out his opponent, smiled broadly.
"The founding of the nation is coming soon, isn't it? I'm honored to be entrusted with the preparations for its founding, and I want to focus entirely on that task."
“Aha, Your Highness, the Crown Prince is preparing for the founding of the nation.”
"Yes. So, I guess I won't be able to attend the charity party. Do you understand, Count?"
“I am worried that I may have made an unreasonable request of Your Highness and upset Your Highness.”
“Haha, that’s not it.”
Cesare, wearing a mask and having finished his performance as a dignified and moderately authoritative Crown Prince, walked briskly.
It must have been from that time, Cesare was sure.
The vague expectation he once held—that ‘the author who created this world must be like this’—has faded, and in its place, affection has begun to grow.
He believed that his emotions, free from the shackles of 'books', were extremely free.
As the Crown Prince entered the Rose Palace, the caretaker and maid bowed. He followed the maid's lead to the reception room.
He opened the door himself and went in.
“Junior.”
"Senior?"
“Did Mom come and go?”
“How did you know?”
“Haa, as expected.”
Cesare pretended to sigh and looked at his junior.
As expected, there was not even a speck of emotion in her black eyes.
Either the Empress's visit was nothing to her, or she was hiding her feelings.
'What could possibly make you uneasy?'
Ah, when he realized he was a character from a book, that sturdy mask cracked.
He wants to make it like that again.
Cesare raised the corners of his mouth without realizing it.
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