Episode 174. Your Majesty, Please Marry Me
Artaeum fled back to the palace.
He turned the field mouse he had transformed back into his original form and hurled the pile of cheese on his desk to the floor.
He fell, his forehead hitting the desk with a loud thud.
Even though his forehead was flushed red, Artaeum didn't groan, his eyes trembling like an aspen tree.
'Why are you two meeting?'
Without saying a word to me...
Artaeum stared blankly into space. After some time, a servant entered the office with a pleasant smile.
"Your Majesty, these are the fresh, fresh documents that just arrived."
The servant, bearing a new assignment, looked up, watching Artaeum's expression.
"Your Majesty!"
He dropped the documents and cheese he was holding onto the floor with a thud and ran straight to Artaeum.
'You didn't collapse from overwork, did you?!'
If that were the case, all the countless documents would be his.
“Your Majesty, come to your senses!”
The minister shook Artaeum’s body back and forth.
“Don’t do it.”
He heard Artaeum’s voice, whom he had assumed had fainted. He sighed in relief and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“Phew, thank goodness. I thought you fainted. Were you resting? Heh heh. Your work must be tiring, so you should take it easy.”
The minister rubbed Artaeum's shoulder and tried to flatter him. However, the voice he heard was utterly cold.
“...Get out.”
At Artaeum’s words, the minister stopped immediately and replied.
“Yes.”
The minister decided there was no need to offend him. He quickly organized the scattered documents in front of the door, placed them on Artaeum’s desk, and left the office.
“Then I’m off.”
Left alone, Artaeum closed his eyes and sighed deeply.
Next to the desk was a pile of papers that needed to be processed. Even with his complicated mind, he couldn't put off what needed to be done.
He picked up his fountain pen and began working at a breakneck pace.
He should finish this first, and then collect his thoughts.
'...Rose.'
Rose's smiling face kept coming to mind, unsettling him.
He squeezed his eyes shut, shook his head, and resumed his work.
'There must be a reason you two met,'
He thought, not believing Julius, but believing Rose.
Artaeum consoled himself, believing there must be a special reason for their meeting.
After everything was over, Artaeum summoned Neruan to the palace.
"Neruan, tell me the truth."
He tilted his wine glass, his face slightly drunk.
"Julius, he likes Rose, right?"
He downed the wine in one gulp and looked at Neruan with bleary eyes.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Neruan frowned at Artaeum's sudden question.
It was because Julius clearly liked Diana.
Julius, who only followed Diana around, why was he thinking such things?
“The Prince has Lady Diana, right?”
“Diana... It’s not like they got engaged because they liked each other. And the pregnancy thing is a lie.”
“I think he likes her enough, right?”
“He’s not one to turn down a woman.”
“That’s true... anyway, don’t worry about anything unnecessary. Prince Julius is publicly engaged to Diana, so he wouldn’t do anything frivolous.”
“No, if it’s Juli, that’s all.”
He looked at Neruan with distrustful eyes.
“And... Rose is pretty, isn’t she? Isn’t she the kind of woman any man would be attracted to? Juli definitely has feelings for Rose.”
Despite Neruan’s words, Artaeum sighed deeply and poured himself some wine.
“...I don’t think Rose is a peerless beauty that every man would turn to.”
Artaeum fled back to the palace.
He turned the field mouse he had transformed back into his original form and hurled the pile of cheese on his desk to the floor.
He fell, his forehead hitting the desk with a loud thud.
Even though his forehead was flushed red, Artaeum didn't groan, his eyes trembling like an aspen tree.
'Why are you two meeting?'
Without saying a word to me...
Artaeum stared blankly into space. After some time, a servant entered the office with a pleasant smile.
"Your Majesty, these are the fresh, fresh documents that just arrived."
The servant, bearing a new assignment, looked up, watching Artaeum's expression.
"Your Majesty!"
He dropped the documents and cheese he was holding onto the floor with a thud and ran straight to Artaeum.
'You didn't collapse from overwork, did you?!'
If that were the case, all the countless documents would be his.
“Your Majesty, come to your senses!”
The minister shook Artaeum’s body back and forth.
“Don’t do it.”
He heard Artaeum’s voice, whom he had assumed had fainted. He sighed in relief and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“Phew, thank goodness. I thought you fainted. Were you resting? Heh heh. Your work must be tiring, so you should take it easy.”
The minister rubbed Artaeum's shoulder and tried to flatter him. However, the voice he heard was utterly cold.
“...Get out.”
At Artaeum’s words, the minister stopped immediately and replied.
“Yes.”
The minister decided there was no need to offend him. He quickly organized the scattered documents in front of the door, placed them on Artaeum’s desk, and left the office.
“Then I’m off.”
Left alone, Artaeum closed his eyes and sighed deeply.
Next to the desk was a pile of papers that needed to be processed. Even with his complicated mind, he couldn't put off what needed to be done.
He picked up his fountain pen and began working at a breakneck pace.
He should finish this first, and then collect his thoughts.
'...Rose.'
Rose's smiling face kept coming to mind, unsettling him.
He squeezed his eyes shut, shook his head, and resumed his work.
'There must be a reason you two met,'
He thought, not believing Julius, but believing Rose.
Artaeum consoled himself, believing there must be a special reason for their meeting.
***
After everything was over, Artaeum summoned Neruan to the palace.
"Neruan, tell me the truth."
He tilted his wine glass, his face slightly drunk.
"Julius, he likes Rose, right?"
He downed the wine in one gulp and looked at Neruan with bleary eyes.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Neruan frowned at Artaeum's sudden question.
It was because Julius clearly liked Diana.
Julius, who only followed Diana around, why was he thinking such things?
“The Prince has Lady Diana, right?”
“Diana... It’s not like they got engaged because they liked each other. And the pregnancy thing is a lie.”
“I think he likes her enough, right?”
“He’s not one to turn down a woman.”
“That’s true... anyway, don’t worry about anything unnecessary. Prince Julius is publicly engaged to Diana, so he wouldn’t do anything frivolous.”
“No, if it’s Juli, that’s all.”
He looked at Neruan with distrustful eyes.
“And... Rose is pretty, isn’t she? Isn’t she the kind of woman any man would be attracted to? Juli definitely has feelings for Rose.”
Despite Neruan’s words, Artaeum sighed deeply and poured himself some wine.
“...I don’t think Rose is a peerless beauty that every man would turn to.”
Neruan also had feelings for Rose, but objectively, Rose was cuter than beautiful.
Artaeum slammed down the wine he was holding.
“...What?”
“Huh? Rose isn’t exactly a peerless beauty...”
Boom!
Before Neruan could even finish speaking, Artaeum slammed down the wine bottle again.
He merely placed the bottle on the table, but Artaeum’s momentum was truly terrifying.
Neruan flinched at Artaeum's actions, then sighed and corrected himself.
"Yes, yes. Rose is the most beautiful."
Neruan spoke, his face finally clearing, having heard what he wanted to hear.
Artaeum took another sip of wine with a satisfied expression.
"Yes. Not only is she pretty, but she's also incredibly smart. Not only is she a prodigy in business, but she also devised a water and sewage system. It's an invention that will shake the world. She surpasses even the scholars who are called geniuses."
Artaeum continued to boast about Rose.
"Yes, yes. You must be foolish."
Neruan twitched his ear, as if familiar with Artaeum's actions. Artaeum's expression softened for a moment, but then he glared at Neruan with a sharp gaze.
"No matter how pretty she is, I can't tolerate you falling for Rose."
Neruan, who had been listening to the Artaeum with a cold expression, flinched for a moment.
“...Of course.”
Hiding his true feelings, Neruan lowered his head and answered softly.
Artaeum sighed deeply and pressed on about Julius and Rose’s meeting.
“Neruan, did Julius come to the mansion yesterday?”
“Yes?”
“Did Julius come to see Rose?”
Neruan blinked at Artaeum’s words.
'The Prince told me not to tell His Majesty that they met.'
He remembered what Julius had said.
“Neruan, if Lucas asks about Rose and I, tell him you don’t know.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Why... I just don’t want the proposal that the young lady put so much effort into preparing to be discovered. Can you do that, Neruan?”
He smiled with a wicked smile that was somehow inexplicable. The thought of teasing Arteum was extremely enjoyable.
Neruan, oblivious to Julius's intentions, consistently feigned ignorance, just as Julius had said.
"Uh... uh... I don't know?"
Neruan's expression of ignorance was extremely unnatural.
Artaeum immediately noticed Neruan's strange behavior as he creaked in response.
"Neruan, are you lying to me?"
"Huh? Me? Hahaha. Why would I lie to Your Majesty?"
Neruan's laughter made Artaeum even more certain.
Julius and Rose had met yesterday, too.
Artaeum, who had been confirmed dead, quietly put down his glass and asked again.
"...So you two met today?"
"!"
Neruan's eyes wavered at Artaeum's words.
'How did you know all this? Did you have tailing Rose or something?'
Neruan tried to suppress the urge to spew a barrage of complaints, saying that tailing was not allowed.
“...No, I don’t know.”
Artaeum wiggled his eyebrows at Neruan’s answer.
“Neruan...”
He called Neruan’s name in a low voice.
“What do you want me to do now?”
“Huh? What, what?”
“I’m asking why you’re lying to me.”
“Huh? A lie? Hahaha. Why would I lie to Your Majesty?”
“...”
Artaeum stared at Neruan with eyes filled with conviction.
Neruan rolled his eyes and licked his parched lips.
He had known Artaeum for over ten years. They knew each other so well that a lie would be quickly exposed.
Instead of demanding to know why he was lying, Artaeum asked an unexpected question.
“...Tell me objectively which of the two of us, Julius or I, is the better man?”
“Yes?”
“Tell me who’s more popular with the opposite sex.”
“That’s it...”
Neruan trailed off, watching Artaeum’s expression.
“Don’t worry about what others think, just say what you think.”
“If I have to put it bluntly... It’s Prince Julius.”
As soon as Neruan finished speaking, Artaeum’s face crumpled fiercely.
“What?”
He clenched his fist with a threatening expression as if to intimidate Neruan.
“Prince Julius has a good background.”
“I’m the Emperor. I’m higher up?”
“He’s handsome.”
“What’s so great about looking like a parasite brother? He’s shorter than me.”
Artaeum grumbled and complained.
“And he's kind, aren’t he? Unlike Your Majesty.”
“I’m kind too.”
“Where are you looking from? Even now, you have such a fierce expression on your face.”
Neruan thrust a hand mirror in front of Artaeum's furious face.
Artaeum flinched involuntarily at the sight of himself grumbling like a horned bull.
Certainly...it wasn't a face one could call kind.
Artaeum felt incredibly pathetic, belittling his longtime friend.
"Ugh... I don't know what I'm doing, being so childish."
He sighed deeply at the sight of himself becoming a mere child in the face of love.
"Anyway, don't be jealous of Prince Julius. Your Majesty is the only one who can be Lady Rose."
"...I'm worried about Julius. I don't understand why he keeps meeting Rose."
"You'll find out soon."
Neruan said these meaningful words and stood up.
"Please drink in moderation. Don't make me suffer like that day."
He shuddered as he recalled the day of the department store opening, when a drunken Artaeum collapsed in the carriage.
A few days passed.
Artaeum's expression as he rode his horse seemed extremely tense.
He held a letter from Rose in his hand.
[Your Majesty, I have something urgent to tell you. Could you please come to the department store?]
The letter, which seemed somehow solemn, made his throat burn.
"What on earth... are you trying to say, so solemn?"
Normally, he wouldn't have been this anxious, but Julius's face kept flashing through his mind.
"Your Majesty, I actually like Prince Julius better."
Artaeum slammed down the wine he was holding.
“...What?”
“Huh? Rose isn’t exactly a peerless beauty...”
Boom!
Before Neruan could even finish speaking, Artaeum slammed down the wine bottle again.
He merely placed the bottle on the table, but Artaeum’s momentum was truly terrifying.
Neruan flinched at Artaeum's actions, then sighed and corrected himself.
"Yes, yes. Rose is the most beautiful."
Neruan spoke, his face finally clearing, having heard what he wanted to hear.
Artaeum took another sip of wine with a satisfied expression.
"Yes. Not only is she pretty, but she's also incredibly smart. Not only is she a prodigy in business, but she also devised a water and sewage system. It's an invention that will shake the world. She surpasses even the scholars who are called geniuses."
Artaeum continued to boast about Rose.
"Yes, yes. You must be foolish."
Neruan twitched his ear, as if familiar with Artaeum's actions. Artaeum's expression softened for a moment, but then he glared at Neruan with a sharp gaze.
"No matter how pretty she is, I can't tolerate you falling for Rose."
Neruan, who had been listening to the Artaeum with a cold expression, flinched for a moment.
“...Of course.”
Hiding his true feelings, Neruan lowered his head and answered softly.
Artaeum sighed deeply and pressed on about Julius and Rose’s meeting.
“Neruan, did Julius come to the mansion yesterday?”
“Yes?”
“Did Julius come to see Rose?”
Neruan blinked at Artaeum’s words.
'The Prince told me not to tell His Majesty that they met.'
He remembered what Julius had said.
“Neruan, if Lucas asks about Rose and I, tell him you don’t know.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Why... I just don’t want the proposal that the young lady put so much effort into preparing to be discovered. Can you do that, Neruan?”
He smiled with a wicked smile that was somehow inexplicable. The thought of teasing Arteum was extremely enjoyable.
Neruan, oblivious to Julius's intentions, consistently feigned ignorance, just as Julius had said.
"Uh... uh... I don't know?"
Neruan's expression of ignorance was extremely unnatural.
Artaeum immediately noticed Neruan's strange behavior as he creaked in response.
"Neruan, are you lying to me?"
"Huh? Me? Hahaha. Why would I lie to Your Majesty?"
Neruan's laughter made Artaeum even more certain.
Julius and Rose had met yesterday, too.
Artaeum, who had been confirmed dead, quietly put down his glass and asked again.
"...So you two met today?"
"!"
Neruan's eyes wavered at Artaeum's words.
'How did you know all this? Did you have tailing Rose or something?'
Neruan tried to suppress the urge to spew a barrage of complaints, saying that tailing was not allowed.
“...No, I don’t know.”
Artaeum wiggled his eyebrows at Neruan’s answer.
“Neruan...”
He called Neruan’s name in a low voice.
“What do you want me to do now?”
“Huh? What, what?”
“I’m asking why you’re lying to me.”
“Huh? A lie? Hahaha. Why would I lie to Your Majesty?”
“...”
Artaeum stared at Neruan with eyes filled with conviction.
Neruan rolled his eyes and licked his parched lips.
He had known Artaeum for over ten years. They knew each other so well that a lie would be quickly exposed.
Instead of demanding to know why he was lying, Artaeum asked an unexpected question.
“...Tell me objectively which of the two of us, Julius or I, is the better man?”
“Yes?”
“Tell me who’s more popular with the opposite sex.”
“That’s it...”
Neruan trailed off, watching Artaeum’s expression.
“Don’t worry about what others think, just say what you think.”
“If I have to put it bluntly... It’s Prince Julius.”
As soon as Neruan finished speaking, Artaeum’s face crumpled fiercely.
“What?”
He clenched his fist with a threatening expression as if to intimidate Neruan.
“Prince Julius has a good background.”
“I’m the Emperor. I’m higher up?”
“He’s handsome.”
“What’s so great about looking like a parasite brother? He’s shorter than me.”
Artaeum grumbled and complained.
“And he's kind, aren’t he? Unlike Your Majesty.”
“I’m kind too.”
“Where are you looking from? Even now, you have such a fierce expression on your face.”
Neruan thrust a hand mirror in front of Artaeum's furious face.
Artaeum flinched involuntarily at the sight of himself grumbling like a horned bull.
Certainly...it wasn't a face one could call kind.
Artaeum felt incredibly pathetic, belittling his longtime friend.
"Ugh... I don't know what I'm doing, being so childish."
He sighed deeply at the sight of himself becoming a mere child in the face of love.
"Anyway, don't be jealous of Prince Julius. Your Majesty is the only one who can be Lady Rose."
"...I'm worried about Julius. I don't understand why he keeps meeting Rose."
"You'll find out soon."
Neruan said these meaningful words and stood up.
"Please drink in moderation. Don't make me suffer like that day."
He shuddered as he recalled the day of the department store opening, when a drunken Artaeum collapsed in the carriage.
***
A few days passed.
Artaeum's expression as he rode his horse seemed extremely tense.
He held a letter from Rose in his hand.
[Your Majesty, I have something urgent to tell you. Could you please come to the department store?]
The letter, which seemed somehow solemn, made his throat burn.
"What on earth... are you trying to say, so solemn?"
Normally, he wouldn't have been this anxious, but Julius's face kept flashing through his mind.
"Your Majesty, I actually like Prince Julius better."
"Hahaha. Did you hear, Lucas? Rose likes me better. It was worth all the effort to seduce her. You should have treated her better, didn't you? Hahaha."
He was so anxious that he even had a dream.
The sound of Julius's evil laughter, wrapping his arm around Rose's shoulder, echoed in his head.
"Damn it."
It was a ridiculous dream, but it made him feel incredibly dirty.
Arriving at the department store, Artaeum immediately dismounted from his horse. The darkened department store was utterly silent.
Artaeum cautiously opened the tightly shut door.
“Rose?”
Rose had called him to the department store, but why was there no one there?
Was Rose even here?
He looked around the dark interior and called Rose’s name again.
“Rose, are you here?”
The moment he took a step forward, the lights inside the store suddenly came on.
The long rows of lights on either side of the store lit up, one by one, starting from where Artaeum had been. Like dominoes, the softly lit lights formed a path.
“Come this way.”
Then, Gwen appeared from nowhere and guided Artaeum.
“Gwen?”
“Lady Rose is waiting.”
Artaeum walked with Gwen through the lights, dumbfounded.
Then, in the distance, he saw someone standing.
Standing shyly at the end of the path was none other than Rose.
Rose smiled at Artaeum, holding a bouquet as large as her torso.
Artaeum approached Rose, his expression a bit bewildered.
“Your Majesty.”
Rose immediately handed the bouquet to Artaeum as soon as he approached. Then, she cautiously held out her hand.
“Do you know what this ring is?”
“No, I don’t know.”
Rose wore a large diamond ring.
“It’s a couple ring for Your Majesty. The ring I’m giving you is inside the flower.”
Arteum, unable to hide his surprise at Rose’s words, examined the flower.
A sparkling gem caught his eye in the center. Artaeum carefully lifted the ring.
“I’ll put it on.”
Rose placed the proposal ring she had prepared on Artaeum’s ring finger. The diamond, weighing just over six carats, fit perfectly, as if it were made for his hand.
Rose, satisfied, smiled brightly. Then, she finally said the words she had prepared.
“Your Majesty, please marry me.”
The Artaeum, who had been staring at Rose with wide eyes, folded them into crescent moons. He smiled with the happiest expression on his face and answered softly,
"Of course."
Artaeum responded, wrapping his arms tightly around Rose's waist and planting a sweet kiss on her lips.
He was so anxious that he even had a dream.
The sound of Julius's evil laughter, wrapping his arm around Rose's shoulder, echoed in his head.
"Damn it."
It was a ridiculous dream, but it made him feel incredibly dirty.
Arriving at the department store, Artaeum immediately dismounted from his horse. The darkened department store was utterly silent.
Artaeum cautiously opened the tightly shut door.
“Rose?”
Rose had called him to the department store, but why was there no one there?
Was Rose even here?
He looked around the dark interior and called Rose’s name again.
“Rose, are you here?”
The moment he took a step forward, the lights inside the store suddenly came on.
The long rows of lights on either side of the store lit up, one by one, starting from where Artaeum had been. Like dominoes, the softly lit lights formed a path.
“Come this way.”
Then, Gwen appeared from nowhere and guided Artaeum.
“Gwen?”
“Lady Rose is waiting.”
Artaeum walked with Gwen through the lights, dumbfounded.
Then, in the distance, he saw someone standing.
Standing shyly at the end of the path was none other than Rose.
Rose smiled at Artaeum, holding a bouquet as large as her torso.
Artaeum approached Rose, his expression a bit bewildered.
“Your Majesty.”
Rose immediately handed the bouquet to Artaeum as soon as he approached. Then, she cautiously held out her hand.
“Do you know what this ring is?”
“No, I don’t know.”
Rose wore a large diamond ring.
“It’s a couple ring for Your Majesty. The ring I’m giving you is inside the flower.”
Arteum, unable to hide his surprise at Rose’s words, examined the flower.
A sparkling gem caught his eye in the center. Artaeum carefully lifted the ring.
“I’ll put it on.”
Rose placed the proposal ring she had prepared on Artaeum’s ring finger. The diamond, weighing just over six carats, fit perfectly, as if it were made for his hand.
Rose, satisfied, smiled brightly. Then, she finally said the words she had prepared.
“Your Majesty, please marry me.”
The Artaeum, who had been staring at Rose with wide eyes, folded them into crescent moons. He smiled with the happiest expression on his face and answered softly,
"Of course."
Artaeum responded, wrapping his arms tightly around Rose's waist and planting a sweet kiss on her lips.
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