“I hear you’re quite an exceptional person. Especially your br—”
‘Aaah!’
Mail screamed internally. Wait! Hold on! Shocked to the point of almost stumbling, Mail hurriedly interrupted.
“Her brilliance is so stunning that it leaves people in awe!”
It was a desperate interruption. Risking disrespect, Mail forced herself into the conversation, barely managing to keep a smiling face.
‘What is this? How does the Emperor know that secret?’ The Emperor looked down at the barely avoided crisis of disclosure with an intrigued expression.
“Oh? A brain misunderstanding?”
“Yes. Her beauty is so overwhelming that she could easily be mistaken for a fairy or elf rather than a human, Your Highness,” Mail replied.
Mail’s quick wit shone brightly. Putting on her best acting skills, she crafted a tone as sincere as possible. This wasn’t to deceive the Emperor. It seemed the Emperor already knew everything anyway. The real task at hand was something else.
Not letting Riela find out.
It was crucial that the fact that she’d leaked the Princess’s top-secret (?) outside remained hidden. While Riela’s wrath wasn’t too frightening, Rose’s loyalty was downright terrifying. Thinking of Rose’s iron fist, which looked capable of breaking walls, Mail quietly broke out into a cold sweat.
A playful glint flickered across the Emperor’s face, though Mail failed to notice this fleeting moment. The Emperor stroked his chin before speaking again.
“Yes. Now that I think of it, I heard the Princess is also known for her innocence. Interestingly, her brain…”
“Is even bewitching!” Mail cut in, fighting for survival.
Barely controlling the twitching at the corners of his mouth, he managed to maintain a smile. The Emperor’s expression briefly twisted as if suppressing a laugh, but quickly smoothed over.
“Ahem. Bewitching, you say?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. It’s said that opposites attract. Similarly, when purity reaches its peak, it exudes a bewitching allure. And that’s exactly what our Princess embodies.”
Mail’s face remained bright and cheerful as she rattled off the explanation. It was utter nonsense, but the seriousness with which he delivered it made it sound convincing.
Feeling guilty? Wavering? What’s that—some kind of food? Mail, whose acting skills were already exceptional, had reached a whole new level under pressure. It seemed that people’s abilities truly heighten when they’re cornered.
“Hmph.”
Riela didn’t understand exactly what was being said, but she knew they were praising her, so she raised her chin and puffed out her chest. The Emperor turned his head away for a moment, his shoulders shaking before he composed himself and returned his gaze. Clearing his throat, he spoke again.
“That’s quite an interesting fact. Oh, and I heard she’s also unmatched in purity and cleanliness. Not to mention her brain…”
“She doesn’t even know what a bribe is!”
“Oh?”
Mail hastily blurted out the word, swallowing her tears and cursing inside. Why was this happening to her? If it weren’t for the Emperor, she might have grabbed her master by the collar. Despite her internal turmoil, Mail kept a bright smile and continued.
“She’s so pure that she’s never been involved with anything corrupt like bribes. She’s so innocent, in fact, that she doesn’t even know what a bribe is.”
“Hmm? That’s not true, I know what that…”
“Princess! Oh dear, there’s something on your dress again!”
Riela, ever unhelpful, was being too honest. Mail quickly turned around, pretending to dust off her dress to cut her off.
‘Can I survive this? Is this really my life right now?’ Mail internally sighed in despair at her situation.
Then, suddenly, the Emperor laughed.
It was a clear, vibrant laugh. His eyes crinkled, and his neat teeth were fully exposed. For a moment, it seemed like the entire room brightened. All three—Mail, Riela, and Rose—turned their gazes toward him without thinking.
The smile of this sculpted handsome man had more impact than expected. Riela stared in awe, and even Rose, with her reputation as a destroyer, blushed like a shy girl.
Even Mail, who was usually harsh in her judgments of people, found herself purely admiring the sight.
‘Wow, so this is the power of a man known for his beauty across the continent.’
But Mail’s awe didn’t last long. He quickly remembered the situation.
‘Laughing?’
Mail’s expression soured. While she was scrambling for her life, saying anything to get by, this man was laughing? It was as if the Emperor were admitting, ‘Everything said about the brain so far was just to tease you, and I’m having a great time watching you squirm.’
Mail had suspected it, but now, getting confirmation only made his blood boil. His eyebrow twitched in frustration. Does being Emperor mean you can do whatever you want?
“Lady Vizeart.”
Of course, being the Emperor did mean just that. The sudden sound of her name snapped Mail back to reality, and she instinctively responded politely.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“How’s your blood pressure?”
“…Pardon?”
Mail wondered if she had misheard. The Emperor’s smiling face had asked something so out of place that for a moment, Mail was stunned. What? Blood pressure?
“Is it not fine?”
“Ah, no. It’s fine. My blood pressure is perfectly normal, Your Majesty.”
Caught off guard by the repeated question, Mail hurried to respond, barely managing to mask her confusion. After all, she couldn’t let the Emperor ask a question three times. Rank was, after all, an unchanging force in this world. What a beautiful world.
“Hmm, really?”
“Of course, Your Majesty. How could I ever lie to you?”
As Mail internally wondered why she was discussing her blood pressure with the Emperor, the Emperor dismissed her answer.
“I don’t think so.”
“Excuse me?”
“You say it’s fine, but your face is way too red. It looks like you’re about to grab the back of your neck and pass out any moment.”
“…”
Mail nearly dropped her jaw. Did the Emperor really just say that? For a moment, her mind went blank, but she quickly recovered and composed herself before replying.
“How could that be, Your Majesty? The only reason my face is red is because I am overwhelmed by the honor of being in such close proximity to Your Majesty’s regal countenance…”
“Is it because you’re embarrassed?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I don’t think that’s it.”
“…It is.”
“It really doesn’t seem like it.”
“I assure you, it is.”
“Is that so? Then why does it feel so unconvincing?”
Mail’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. Was it just her imagination, or did the Emperor’s teasing remind her of her master? Do friends start resembling each other over time?
Mail repeated to herself about five times, “If you hold back three times, you can avoid being executed for insulting royalty,” and then opened her mouth.
“Fine. I’ll go get a diagnosis from a physician.”
“Hm?”
“Since Your Majesty seems so generously concerned about my health, I will make time to visit the physician and get my blood pressure checked. I will attach the results in a document and send it through a servant. Will that be acceptable?”
“What? Hahaha.”
At this moment, Mail was able to summarize the similarities between the Emperor and her master. One, they both took great delight in seeing others suffer. Two, they likely had serious lung issues, given how much they laughed.
The Emperor and her master’s reputations simultaneously plummeted to rock bottom in Mail’s mind. At that moment, the Emperor stopped walking.
“We’re almost there.”
They had left the main palace behind, and the sight of the auxiliary palace was beginning to come into view. The Emperor stopped in his tracks and stared thoughtfully at the entrance before turning his gaze to Mail.
“From here, you should be able to find your way without getting lost, right?”
Mail answered that of course, she could.
“Then I suppose we part ways here.”
“It was an honor, even for a short while. Thank you for personally guiding us.”
“Thank you.”
Riela, nudged in the side, echoed Mail’s words like a parrot. The Emperor gave one final grin before turning away and walking off. Once he had completely disappeared from sight, Mail felt all her strength leave her body. She had been tense the entire way.
Unlike the now weary Mail, whose steps had slowed, Riela skipped lightly into the auxiliary palace like a butterfly.
Mail gave up trying to overtake Riela and instead guided her from behind. “To the left, Princess, then right, then straight.”
As soon as they arrived at their quarters, Mail collapsed into a chair, her body feeling limp. She needed to sit still and just breathe for a while to regain her energy.
Riela, on the other hand, shed her outer garments like she was peeling off a layer and crawled into bed. She must have been exhausted from walking around with less sleep than usual.
Mail chuckled softly as she watched Riela, her face peeking out from under the blanket. Once she thought of her as a child, everything she did seemed childlike.
Before Riela, who would fall asleep the moment she laid her head down, could drift off completely, Mail quickly spoke up about something that had come to mind.
“Princess, I have something to ask.”
“Mm?”
“About His Majesty.”
“What about him?”
“Well… he’s quite handsome, isn’t he?”
‘Wait, that’s not what I meant to ask.’ Mail had been trying to gauge whether Riela harbored feelings of possessiveness or affection for the Emperor, but the wrong words slipped out.
While Mail was flustered by her own question, Riela, lying down and blinking a few times, replied.
“He is. I was actually surprised earlier.”
“Surprised?”
“When His Majesty smiled. It was like his face suddenly lit up. People usually say that kind of thing is dazzling, right?”
“Oh… that.”