10. but not warm to everyone (2)

Serul’s eyes widened at Verheigen’s words.

“The lady? So suddenly……”

“What’s sudden about it? Her body has recovered, so there’s no point in keeping her here.”

Serul secretly licked his lips. Ah, it seemed like something might happen.

Come to think of it, whenever someone mentioned ‘Lady Gronevelt,’ there was now one man who naturally came to mind.

“By the way, the Tower Master is causing another commotion. How long do you plan to keep them from meeting? Why don’t we just let them meet once and calm him down?”

His tone suggested he wanted to give a treat to an annoying dog and be done with it.

Whether it was due to excuses about avoiding meetings because of an ongoing investigation or obstructing Lysith’s path under imperial orders, Ashites was practically holding a knife in his mouth every time he faced Serul.

“That was only in the beginning. These days he just threatens me with his eyes. Says I’ll die young.”

“……I don’t really want to show her.”

“So you want me to keep receiving death threats?”

The subordinate’s face immediately soured at his superior’s response. Though his mental fortitude had grown quite strong from spending long periods with Verheigen, the Tower Master was difficult to deal with in a different way.

“Tell him she’ll be sent back soon, and he can meet her then.”

In the end, there was no mention of letting them meet! Then I’ll have to suffer until the lady leaves the imperial palace……! Verheigen ignored the half-crying Serul and left the room with an utterly indifferent attitude.

* * *

Ashites felt like he was trapped in a space experimenting with how far the limits of patience could stretch.

When he asked to meet just one person, they said no for this reason and that reason. Even when he tried to move around to meet her, the knights stationed in the corridors blocked him from certain areas.

“We apologize. There are imperial orders……”

Spouting such nonsense.

So at first, he roughed up that brown-haired guy, but that bastard, putting on airs as the Emperor’s aide, was stubborn as hell.

Now he felt irritated just seeing brown hair.

What he wanted to see was that fine, smooth white hair that would flow silkly between his fingers.

The last time he saw her briefly before parting, her complexion had been poor because of that purple-haired one. But after parting like that and coming back to meet her, when he learned that she had even taken poison made something in his head spin.

He wanted to at least confirm if she was receiving proper treatment, but there was no way to do that either.

Even when he caught and questioned the palace servants, they kept their mouths shut tight, saying they couldn’t reveal anything about the lady’s condition or location… well, anything at all.

So at first, he thought she must be under some investigation, but watching how things were going with her staying quietly in the palace, that didn’t seem to be the case either…….

Because lately, an incredibly irritating rumor had been reaching his ears.

What, His Majesty the Emperor and the lady are getting along well? They seem to have chemistry?

“Hmph. Not even funny. With Noona?”

Ashites could pride himself on knowing her quite well.

His Noona didn’t like authoritative people. Even when he acted that way, she was quite cold about it, and didn’t give him any affection at all.

In that sense, Ashites also knew the current Emperor’s personality well.

Though he hadn’t dealt with him much because he was an irritating person, there were things you could tell even from those few encounters.

The two were similar types and therefore didn’t like each other. It was a kind of self-loathing. Though they were similar on the inside, they expressed themselves differently on the outside, so few people knew this.

Anyway, his Noona with that authoritative Emperor?

“……Wait a minute.”

Ashites, who had been lying sprawled on the plush red sofa wiggling his feet, suddenly sat up straight.

It was because the thought suddenly struck him that it could be possible. Sure, Noona might not have any feelings for the Emperor because she hates authoritative people, but what about the opposite? What if that Emperor bastard falls for Noona? Then… there would be no one who could stop him.

What if he suddenly goes crazy and decides to make her Empress?

Honestly, he thought she looked especially pretty to his eyes. But what was it he had heard before?

“Of course. She’s objectively beautiful.”

“Before her marriage, her nickname in social circles was the White Rose on the Cliff.”

“So I hear there are still quite a few nobles who secretly admire her……”

“……”

Moreover, what if the Emperor who falls for her melts and acts like he’s abandoning his authority?

There was no law against that. Just look at himself right now. The way he kills his temper and clings to her calling her “Noona, Noona” trying to look good to her, or how he steps forward uninvited to serve her at tea parties.

If he acts like that even a little…….

Noona’s heart was as soft as her appearance, so her guard might come down quickly. Besides, her attitude tended to be determined by how people treated her.

“No……”

Cold sweat genuinely ran down his back. What if that really happens? What should I do? What else can I do? I’ll have to fight the Emperor or something.

After having such a horrible thought, he couldn’t stay still from anxiety.

He wanted to see Lysith right now.

Ashites left the room right away and headed for the corridor where a knight stood stiffly. The moment their eyes met, he sensed it. Ah, damn. This won’t work.

These damn palace soldier bastards absolutely wouldn’t listen to reason. It was as if they had been brainwashed to do anything with just His Majesty the Emperor’s orders. Reaching the knight, Ashites opened his mouth expressionlessly.

“Still can’t pass through?”

“My apologies.”

I don’t want to hear this kind of male voice.

Ashites asked again with a fierce smile.

“Ah, those damned imperial orders or whatever?”

To be honest, it’s not like he couldn’t use force. But there wasn’t enough justification for that. The other side had justifications like treating a patient, not being able to easily discuss the wellbeing of someone who saved His Majesty the Emperor, but he had nothing.

If only he had been at least a little closer to her.

Then he wouldn’t have had to stand here blocked, gritting his teeth from lack of justification.

The rumors in the social circle were just rumors. Though it was well-known that their relationship wasn’t ordinary, there was no talk of them dating. Because they actually weren’t.

Ashites, who had been stroking his eyes trying to suppress his anger, finally turned his steps away. When he meets her next time, he felt he wouldn’t be satisfied without saying something about this.

* * *

“Come in.”

“Yes.”

Lysith glanced at Verheigen’s face. It was strange how his attitude had become sharper than before. Since it happened after that lap pillow incident, that was probably the trigger.

‘What is it……’

She had always thought that being so conscious of others’ moods didn’t really suit her personality. She hadn’t had to be mindful of others’ feelings lately, so maybe that’s why she felt this way now.

Anyway, it was like any other day. Come to think of it, it had already been 2 weeks since she started staying at the imperial palace. It was almost scary how familiar she had become with the palace’s food and geography.

When can I go back to the mansion? While having such thoughts and taking a bite of the cabinet pudding that came as dessert, a familiar-faced aide slipped in.

“Your Majesty, we have a small problem.”

“……I’ll be back shortly.”

“Take your time.”

Though he said he’d be back shortly, it really was in the blink of an eye. Lysith had only taken two bites of pudding when Verheigen returned and sat back down.

“That–”

“I have something I’m curious about, may I ask?”

Before he could call out to her after sitting down, Lysith spoke first by a hair’s breadth.

“……Go ahead.”

“As you know… if nobles don’t want to greet someone of lower status than themselves, they don’t give them greetings, right?”

“That’s right.”

Conventionally, the person of higher status had to greet the lower status person first.

If the higher status person didn’t want to talk with the lower status person, they simply wouldn’t give a greeting. Depending on the situation, it was sometimes used as the ultimate insult, completely treating the other person as invisible.

“Hmm. But… Your Majesty isn’t like that.”

As Lysith said, the Emperor wasn’t like that.

Though he was in the supreme position of absolute ruler, it was also a position that received everyone’s greetings.

Therefore, he had to receive everyone’s greetings without being able to ignore a single person. Well, apparently some tyrants in the past did ignore greetings.

“We can just not give greetings if we don’t want to talk to someone, but Your Majesty can’t. I was wondering if that’s ever been difficult for you.”

“……”

“I think it would be hard for me… no, please don’t misunderstand. Even if you say it’s difficult here, I won’t go out and damage Your Majesty’s honor or authority……”

While Lysith was hurriedly rambling about not misunderstanding, Verheigen, who had been silently staring at her, finally parted his firmly closed lips.