Episode 172. Some haven't been there, but no one has been there once
The next day, Rose couldn't hide the twitching of her lips.
She thought it would take months to repay the 10 billion res, but she could pay it off in a week and still have some money left.
The capital's nobles flocked to the Artaeum estate. To visit Rose's department store and experience the latest toilets.
“Whew...”
Meanwhile, a deep shadow fell over Artaeum's face as he worked in the palace.
"You drank too much."
The hangover from the night before lingered. He rarely got drunk, but thanks to Beliana and Julius feeding him, he had fallen into a pitiful slumber.
And there was another problem.
He clearly remembered Rose arriving, but he couldn't recall what they had talked about.
He tried to grasp the hazy memories, but it was no use.
Artaeum couldn't remember anything, not even the kiss between Rose and him.
"...You'd be embarrassed if I asked you what you said, right?"
Artaeum imagined Rose's face, looking disappointed.
"No. I guess it's best not to ask."
He shook his head and rested his forehead on his hands. With a deep sigh, the door swung open.
"You should be working now, Emperor. You're just slacking off."
Artaeum immediately frowned at the sound of a familiar voice.
“Julie, who dares come into my office without permission?”
“Yes? You told me you let me in earlier?”
Julius smiled faintly and plopped down on the sofa.
“How does it feel to be Emperor?”
“What? It’s just that there’s more work to do.”
He pointed to the pile of papers and spoke curtly.
Julius looked at the pile of papers that filled his desk with disgust.
“Ugh, the mere thought is horrifying. This is why I don’t want to be King, Lucas.”
“If you’re going to rant, then just go away.”
“I’m already incredibly busy.”
He dismissed them with unusual ease.
“Someone asked me to meet her, you know.”
He looked at Artaeum and winked.
“Oh, right. I’m not interested, so get out of here.”
“Aren’t you curious about who I’m meeting?”
“Why would you be curious?”
“Hmm. You must be curious...”
Julius chuckled, looking at Artaeum before adding,
“I’m going to see Rose.”
With those words, Julius quickly left the room.
The fountain pen in Artaeum’s hand snapped with a snap.
“What?”
He made a menacing face and immediately followed Julius.
No, he would have followed. If it weren’t for his subjects holding him back.
“Oh my, Your Majesty. Where are you going?”
“Didn’t you leave yesterday, too? Not today.”
“Let go. I’ll be back in a moment.”
“No!”
Then we’ll have to do it all again!
Artaeum, trying to leave, and his subjects, trying to stop him, clashed.
In the end, Artaeum had no choice but to send Julius away.
“Damn it. Julius!!”
Artaeum’s indignant voice echoed like an echo.
The next day, Rose couldn't hide the twitching of her lips.
She thought it would take months to repay the 10 billion res, but she could pay it off in a week and still have some money left.
The capital's nobles flocked to the Artaeum estate. To visit Rose's department store and experience the latest toilets.
"I didn't expect people to come all the way to the department store just for the toilets."
Word spread throughout the empire of its odorless, cleanliness. The department store was so bustling that it was said that even if there were people who hadn't been there, there wasn't anyone who had only been there once.
Word spread throughout the empire of its odorless, cleanliness. The department store was so bustling that it was said that even if there were people who hadn't been there, there wasn't anyone who had only been there once.
Rose was browsing the department store with Gwen. They were trying to figure out how customer service was going and what brands the nobles preferred. Then, Beliana's voice came from afar.
"Sister!!"
Beliana waved a hand happily at Rose and quickly approached. Behind her were several servants, who hurried after Beliana, their hands full of shopping bags.
“Sister, I’m back again.”
Beliana linked arms with Rose and smiled brightly.
“I came here today because I wanted to become a VIP at the department store. I’ll help you increase sales.”
She then looked at Gwen, her eyes blazing with competitive spirit.
“I’m the biggest spender in this department store, right, Gwen?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Beliana's eyes narrowed at Gwen’s words.
“Sister, did you hear? I’m the biggest contributor to sales at this department store.”
Rose sighed deeply rather than rejoice at Beliana's words.
“Lady Dikar, I wonder if the Marquis knows you’re spending so much money.”
“Oh my, what’s with the Lady Dikar? Please call me Beliana.”
Beliana covered her mouth with one hand and groaned before continuing.
“And, I’m not shopping with my father’s money, Sister.”
She tossed her hair back and proudly raised her head.
“The money I bet on His Majesty during the duel trial has grown considerably.”
Belianq covered her mouth with a smile, her fingers adorned with expensive rings. Beliana let out a cackling laugh as she spoke. Rose looked at Beliana and thought to herself, “They have the same face, but they’re the complete opposite of Emily.”
Emily’s shy smile overlapped Beliana's. They resembled twins, but their personalities were vastly different.
'By the way, I wonder if Emily arrived safely.'
With Beliana back, it was dangerous to keep Emily within the empire. They claimed she was dead, but there was a chance she would be discovered. So Rose helped Emily escape to a foreign land. She created a fake identity so she could be a commoner, not a slave, and found a new life in a new place.
'She said he’d send a letter when she arrived, so I guess I’ll have to wait a bit.”
Rose was thinking about Emily. Beliana glanced at Rose and immediately stopped laughing. It occurred to her that Rose might have been offended because of her.
“Ahem, anyway, don’t worry about that, sis.”
“Yws. That’s good.”
Rose responded to Beliana in a soulless tone and exchanged a brief greeting.
“Then have a nice shopping experience.”
Rose brushed past Beliana in a businesslike tone.
“Oh, I...!”
I still want to talk more... Beliana reached out to Rose as she turned away, then frowned.
“I want to be closer.”
Even with a gentle approach, it was difficult to break through the wall between them.
“Jane.”
At that moment, Rose’s voice, brighter than before, was heard. It was a completely different tone from when she spoke to her.
“Miss Rose!”
“How is it? Is work easy?”
“Yes. It’s very comfortable.”
Beliana sighed as she overheard Rose and Jane's conversation.
"What am I lacking compared to that commoner..."
She glared at Jane with a fierce gaze. Jane scratched her head, perhaps feeling a prickle on the back of her head, and looked around. When Jane turned around, Beliana pretended to be shopping, pretending not to care.
"What's wrong?"
"No. It's just that the back of my head feels a little prickly."
"Miss Rose, I have some work to finish, so I'll be going first."
"Yes, Gwen. Thank you for your hard work."
Gwen left, saying she had something to do, and Rose continued her conversation with Jane.
“Anyway, Jane, I feel relieved thanks to you. It’s not easy dealing with customers, is it?”
“Ahem. Just trust me, Miss Rose. I’m an expert at pleasing nobles.”
Jane shrugged at Rose’s compliment.
“By the way, Miss Rose. I heard you’re planning a proposal!”
Jane tapped her foot and blushed shyly.
“Did you hear from Serun?”
She had asked Serun for advice on how he proposed to Jane.
“Yes. There’s no real secret between us.”
“You’re very sweet.”
As Jane and Rose were talking, a group of noblewomen passed by in the distance.
“Well, I guess the former Mrs. Wence is worried too.”
“I see.”
“At least he avoided the death penalty. They said he was mentally ill or something.”
“I heard the punishment was quite lenient. I heard he was also abused as a child. That must have helped reduce his sentence.”
“How many years was his sentence?”
“Two years.”
“Oh my, two years for such a terrible thing?”
“You’re saying he has a mental illness? I heard the previous Countess concocted one to shorten his sentence.”
“Only Count Wence knows the truth.”
“That’s right.”
“Oh my, that’s terrible.”
They were chatting about Eric and Tercia. Then, a deep voice spoke up, almost as if reproaching them.
“Let’s stop gossiping. I wonder if it’s really necessary to bring up someone who doesn’t exist.”
The voice belonged to the Marquis of Bled.
A woman who had been quite close to Tercia, but had been betrayed by her.
After her husband’s death, she had been ostracized from society by Tercia, but had regained her place.
When Eric’s story came up, Rose’s expression turned sour, and she shook her head.
“To hear about that damned Count Wence family here too?”
Jane whispered curiously, listening to Rose’s mutterings.
“Rosie, is what the ladies just said true?”
“What?”
“They say he’s mentally ill.”
Rose smiled coldly at Jane’s words and continued,
“Well, considering he sends letters every day, even from prison, he might really be mentally ill.”
“Ues? The Count sends letters every day?”
“Yes. I don’t even reply, but he sends letters unilaterally.”
Gwen left, saying she had something to do, and Rose continued her conversation with Jane.
“Anyway, Jane, I feel relieved thanks to you. It’s not easy dealing with customers, is it?”
“Ahem. Just trust me, Miss Rose. I’m an expert at pleasing nobles.”
Jane shrugged at Rose’s compliment.
“By the way, Miss Rose. I heard you’re planning a proposal!”
Jane tapped her foot and blushed shyly.
“Did you hear from Serun?”
She had asked Serun for advice on how he proposed to Jane.
“Yes. There’s no real secret between us.”
“You’re very sweet.”
As Jane and Rose were talking, a group of noblewomen passed by in the distance.
“Well, I guess the former Mrs. Wence is worried too.”
“I see.”
“At least he avoided the death penalty. They said he was mentally ill or something.”
“I heard the punishment was quite lenient. I heard he was also abused as a child. That must have helped reduce his sentence.”
“How many years was his sentence?”
“Two years.”
“Oh my, two years for such a terrible thing?”
“You’re saying he has a mental illness? I heard the previous Countess concocted one to shorten his sentence.”
“Only Count Wence knows the truth.”
“That’s right.”
“Oh my, that’s terrible.”
They were chatting about Eric and Tercia. Then, a deep voice spoke up, almost as if reproaching them.
“Let’s stop gossiping. I wonder if it’s really necessary to bring up someone who doesn’t exist.”
The voice belonged to the Marquis of Bled.
A woman who had been quite close to Tercia, but had been betrayed by her.
After her husband’s death, she had been ostracized from society by Tercia, but had regained her place.
When Eric’s story came up, Rose’s expression turned sour, and she shook her head.
“To hear about that damned Count Wence family here too?”
Jane whispered curiously, listening to Rose’s mutterings.
“Rosie, is what the ladies just said true?”
“What?”
“They say he’s mentally ill.”
Rose smiled coldly at Jane’s words and continued,
“Well, considering he sends letters every day, even from prison, he might really be mentally ill.”
“Ues? The Count sends letters every day?”
“Yes. I don’t even reply, but he sends letters unilaterally.”
“Oh my, that’s incredibly sincere. I wish he had shown that sincerity before the divorce.”
Jane clicked her tongue and shook her head.
“But Lady Tercia is truly amazing. No matter how much she wants to reduce her son’s sentence, how can she turn a sane person into someone mentally ill?”
“...That’s right.”
Rose sighed softly and continued.
“I wonder what will become of the Count Wence family.”
Eric couldn't continue the Count's title. The Count of Wence's headship was currently vacant.
She heard they were discussing which distant relative would become the new head.
"Is Serun not interested?"
Rose looked around, lowering her voice, and whispered softly in Jane's ear.
"Seryn is Cedric's son, too."
"Oh, don't be ridiculous. Whenever I bring that up, he keeps changing the subject."
"Really?"
Serun... Wasn't really interested in the title?
'Serun would do well.'
But if he didn't want to, there was nothing he could do.
"Let's leave this alone and tell me your plans for Miss Rose's proposal."
Jane shook her head and changed the subject.
"What are you planning?"
"I'm thinking of proposing at my department store. How about it? Is that okay?"
"The department store?"
"Yeah."
Rose nodded shyly, and Jane tilted her head.
“But the department store is too crowded, and wouldn’t proposing here disrupt business?”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. I’ll do it after business is over.”
Rose whispered the plan she had in mind.
“I’ll decorate the department store lobby with gorgeous flowers, and I’ll return the 10 billion res I borrowed from His Majesty in gold. I’ll also give him an engagement ring.”
Jane’s eyes widened at Rose’s words.
“Miss, have you already collected all 10 billion res?”
“No, I think I can collect everything in three days.”
Jane’s jaw dropped. She had expected sales to be good, but she didn’t expect it to be this much.
“But, I don’t know if His Majesty would like this kind of thing. He might dislike it if it’s too much of a fuss.”
Considering his proposal, Rose’s worries were understandable.
“Then why don’t you ask for advice from someone His Majesty knows?”
“An acquaintance?”
“Yes. Someone like Prince Mederion, for example.”
Rose’s face brightened at Jane’s words.
“Yes. That will do. Thank you, Jane.”
“Don’t worry.”
“Then I’ll go first, Jane. Take care.”
“Yee, take care.”
Rose gave Jane a brief greeting and hurried out of the department store.
“I have to go see the Prince prince.”
She heard he was still staying in the empire, so that was a good thing.
Jane clicked her tongue and shook her head.
“But Lady Tercia is truly amazing. No matter how much she wants to reduce her son’s sentence, how can she turn a sane person into someone mentally ill?”
“...That’s right.”
Rose sighed softly and continued.
“I wonder what will become of the Count Wence family.”
Eric couldn't continue the Count's title. The Count of Wence's headship was currently vacant.
She heard they were discussing which distant relative would become the new head.
"Is Serun not interested?"
Rose looked around, lowering her voice, and whispered softly in Jane's ear.
"Seryn is Cedric's son, too."
"Oh, don't be ridiculous. Whenever I bring that up, he keeps changing the subject."
"Really?"
Serun... Wasn't really interested in the title?
'Serun would do well.'
But if he didn't want to, there was nothing he could do.
"Let's leave this alone and tell me your plans for Miss Rose's proposal."
Jane shook her head and changed the subject.
"What are you planning?"
"I'm thinking of proposing at my department store. How about it? Is that okay?"
"The department store?"
"Yeah."
Rose nodded shyly, and Jane tilted her head.
“But the department store is too crowded, and wouldn’t proposing here disrupt business?”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. I’ll do it after business is over.”
Rose whispered the plan she had in mind.
“I’ll decorate the department store lobby with gorgeous flowers, and I’ll return the 10 billion res I borrowed from His Majesty in gold. I’ll also give him an engagement ring.”
Jane’s eyes widened at Rose’s words.
“Miss, have you already collected all 10 billion res?”
“No, I think I can collect everything in three days.”
Jane’s jaw dropped. She had expected sales to be good, but she didn’t expect it to be this much.
“But, I don’t know if His Majesty would like this kind of thing. He might dislike it if it’s too much of a fuss.”
Considering his proposal, Rose’s worries were understandable.
“Then why don’t you ask for advice from someone His Majesty knows?”
“An acquaintance?”
“Yes. Someone like Prince Mederion, for example.”
Rose’s face brightened at Jane’s words.
“Yes. That will do. Thank you, Jane.”
“Don’t worry.”
“Then I’ll go first, Jane. Take care.”
“Yee, take care.”
Rose gave Jane a brief greeting and hurried out of the department store.
“I have to go see the Prince prince.”
She heard he was still staying in the empire, so that was a good thing.
***
“Whew...”
Meanwhile, a deep shadow fell over Artaeum's face as he worked in the palace.
"You drank too much."
The hangover from the night before lingered. He rarely got drunk, but thanks to Beliana and Julius feeding him, he had fallen into a pitiful slumber.
And there was another problem.
He clearly remembered Rose arriving, but he couldn't recall what they had talked about.
He tried to grasp the hazy memories, but it was no use.
Artaeum couldn't remember anything, not even the kiss between Rose and him.
"...You'd be embarrassed if I asked you what you said, right?"
Artaeum imagined Rose's face, looking disappointed.
"No. I guess it's best not to ask."
He shook his head and rested his forehead on his hands. With a deep sigh, the door swung open.
"You should be working now, Emperor. You're just slacking off."
Artaeum immediately frowned at the sound of a familiar voice.
“Julie, who dares come into my office without permission?”
“Yes? You told me you let me in earlier?”
Julius smiled faintly and plopped down on the sofa.
“How does it feel to be Emperor?”
“What? It’s just that there’s more work to do.”
He pointed to the pile of papers and spoke curtly.
Julius looked at the pile of papers that filled his desk with disgust.
“Ugh, the mere thought is horrifying. This is why I don’t want to be King, Lucas.”
“If you’re going to rant, then just go away.”
“I’m already incredibly busy.”
He dismissed them with unusual ease.
“Someone asked me to meet her, you know.”
He looked at Artaeum and winked.
“Oh, right. I’m not interested, so get out of here.”
“Aren’t you curious about who I’m meeting?”
“Why would you be curious?”
“Hmm. You must be curious...”
Julius chuckled, looking at Artaeum before adding,
“I’m going to see Rose.”
With those words, Julius quickly left the room.
The fountain pen in Artaeum’s hand snapped with a snap.
“What?”
He made a menacing face and immediately followed Julius.
No, he would have followed. If it weren’t for his subjects holding him back.
“Oh my, Your Majesty. Where are you going?”
“Didn’t you leave yesterday, too? Not today.”
“Let go. I’ll be back in a moment.”
“No!”
Then we’ll have to do it all again!
Artaeum, trying to leave, and his subjects, trying to stop him, clashed.
In the end, Artaeum had no choice but to send Julius away.
“Damn it. Julius!!”
Artaeum’s indignant voice echoed like an echo.
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