Volume 1 Chapter 3.2
“So there are days when you ask to eat together first.”
The emperor seemed in an exceptionally good mood today too. Of course, I didn’t care one way or the other. I had sought him out because there was something I wanted.
“I have a favor to ask of you.”
“What is it? Tell me.”
His tone was innocent, like he didn’t have any idea what it could be. It made sense now that he had never once checked up on me after entrusting me with what was a matter of national significance.
I had to wonder if it was really fine to leave the management of this country in the hands of these two siblings. It wouldn’t be surprising if the country collapsed during this generation.
“I would like to have counsel.”
“Counsel?”
The emperor opened his eyes wide.
Yes, I know. That this isn’t something that you would expect to hear from this princess’s mouth.
“Please provide me with someone.”
“You mean to say…”
“This is a good opportunity to establish strong relations with Rothschild. I need someone who is knowledgeable about foreign affairs as well as general geography.”
I had spent several days studying and deliberating on my own but if I went on like this, I would be going nowhere fast. There was no way I could begin preparations when I knew basically nothing.
“…….”
A ripe cherry tomato fell off the emperor’s fork and rolled across the table. Seeing him more shocked than I expected, I continued as if to justify myself.
“Of course… It is not easy humbling myself, but I thought it wouldn’t be bad to try it out at least once.”
“I-Is that so?”
The emperor was quiet for a while. He rubbed his chin over and over while mumbling something under his breath before lifting his head.
“You have someone specific in mind….?”
“Pardon?”
I furrowed my brow due to not being able to hear him over the distance. But then he suddenly slammed down a fist and began nodding vigorously.
It was a pity that I was the only one here to see this.
“That’s right. I have just the teacher! Yes indeed.”
“If you could explain what you mean…”
“I know what you mean now!”
Before I knew it, I had lost the flow of the conversation. I waited for the emperor to provide a proper explanation but I knew it wasn’t likely to happen.
The man truly moved at his own pace.
The emperor gazed at me warmly, swept up in his own emotions. I twisted my face in annoyance.
“I am only asking for an advisor, Your Majesty.”
“Ah! Naturally I will not tell Juranne that you asked for him! You do not need to worry.”
“…….”
In the end, I gave up on asking and closed my mouth. Exactly when I had I say I wanted this person? Juranne? Who?
I replayed the conversation but I didn’t think I had said anything that could be taken as a hint. They must be an incredible scholar or something, then.
I felt a little uneasy but I decided to wrap up for now. It was best to limit my time speaking with the emperor.
“I have another request.”
The emperor was gazing at me with satisfaction as if he was looking upon his very cute little sister. I felt my annoyance build but I fought not to show it.
“That is…”
He even put down his spoon and put his chin in the palm of his hand, to show he was listening attentively.
“Anything. Anything you want.”
The emperor crinkled his eyes in a smile. Suddenly, the thought crossed my mind. I wasn’t actually his real sister or anything.
“……”
Before I realized it, I had avoided his eyes and opened my mouth. In order to speak the words I’d prepared beforehand.
“We should clarify the prince’s place.”
“You speak of Velrod?”
His brows came together in a deep crease, and a wholly different light glinted in his eyes.
“Yes. As there is no longer any reason to keep him by my side –“
“That maid…..”
“Pardon?”
“Hmm. It is nothing.”
He covered his cheek with his palm and turned his gaze away. The way he stroked over his cheek and the back of his neck was a little odd.
“….. I have decided to observe that woman. She seemed to want to stay in my palace. I will see what she does.”
“……”
“Your Majesty, do you perhaps know her?”
“Hmm? You should know that I received a report about it as well.”
Is that really all?
I swallowed back the words that threatened to burst forth. Surely it was nothing. So there was no need to say it.
Following a short silence, the emperor spoke once more.
“……..Black hair.”
“And red eyes.”
I pictured the woman’s eyes. It felt almost rehearsed when the prince’s darker and more somber red eyes flashed before my eyes right after. Like an old keepsake…
“And her name.”
The emperor tapped his fingers on the table a couple of times. His eyes looked as if he was stroking over something in his memory.
“It is Yuriel.”
I had felt ill watching so I finished his words for him.
“……Yuriel. Yes.”
And then the emperor spoke the woman’s name.
Feeling a sense of foreboding, I clenched my fist underneath the table.
But as if to say it was an unnecessary worry, the topic immediately turned to something else. As I set off after finishing my meal with the emperor, I addressed the maid by my side.
“Hess. I must know something.”
“I am listening.”
“I said there was someone who had transferred to the emperor’s palace?”
It was one of the people I had sent out before in secret to gather intel.
The emperor might already know my purpose for chasing them away. Since it seemed that he received reports about nearly everything that went on in my palace.
But he wouldn’t scrutinize their actions while he felt favorably toward me. And of course he wouldn’t make a big deal out of it either. As he had probably planted people in my palace too, we were even.
“Have them find out if Yuriel… and the emperor have met before.”
“Yes.”
She only raised her eyebrows slightly at the unexpected command and quietly retreated.
A little unsettled, I suddenly stopped in my tracks before I realized that I had arrived at the entrance of the garden where I had had that terrible experience.
After that, Essen and I hadn’t seen each other. LIke a mirage, I felt like what had happened under the tree had been forgotten. Including the last bit which had impressed me on so many levels.
It was probably better never to see each other again if we could help it.
Suddenly, a cold wind blasted me. When I turned my head, the door to the garden was wide open. The one who had opened it was a young maid. She was familiar.
“Daisy?”
When I called her name, the maid grinned.
“What’s with the door?”
“I thought you might want to go for a walk.”
“……”
It wasn’t that I really wanted to, but as I felt the wind pierce me to the bone, it didn’t seem like a bad idea. The air of this world was quite surprisingly clear and refreshing.
Before I stepped out into the field, I turned around.
“Leave me, all of you.”
“Yes.”
When I turned my head back around, Daisy was staring right at me.
“……You can stay.”
As if she had been waiting for those words, the girl once again burst out into a grin. I had thought it before but she was a little strange by the standards of this world. And I didn’t hate that. In fact, I liked it.
As I set out into the garden, I mostly agreed to Daisy’s various suggestions. It was obvious that they were things she herself wanted to try.
As a result, I ended up having my teatime in the middle of a flower garden that seemed to stretch out for miles on end. The mat we had laid on the field was warm and because the wind didn’t blow here, it wasn’t that cold.
When I asked, she told me it was because it was a ‘magically managed’ object and place but I closed my mouth after that in fear that my ignorance would be exposed.
But more than that, saying it’s ‘magic’, did she really mean that magic?
I was tilting my teacup while thinking that I would ask Nadricka once I went back inside when it happened. I felt a subtle but tenacious gaze. Of course, it wasn’t directed toward me
“Do you want some?”
“Yes!”
Daisy vigorously nodded her head. I turned up the corners of my mouth in a smile and pushed the plate of cookies in Daisy’s direction.
The more I looked, the more she seemed like a small animal. It appeared that Daisy didn’t even need a drink of water as she shoveled the cookies into her mouth.
Watching her wordlessly, I took out the spare teacup and poured in some tea.
“Cough! Cough!”
As expected, Daisy eventually had something go down the wrong way and began to pound her chest as she coughed. I swiftly held out the prepared teacup.
“Slurp!”
“…..It’s hot so you need to drink carefully.”
Having tried to gulp it down all at once, Daisy was already grabbing her lips and moaning in pain.
Without a word, I took the cup out of her hands and began to blow up on the tea. Truly, the maid was such a handful.
Daisy stuck out her tongue only to bite it and tear up. It seemed she had burned her tongue as well.
As I held the teacup back out, Daisy sobbed.
“Your Highness, you’re so, kind uhu…..”
I squeezed my knees to my chest, then I rested my chin on them and laughed.
“Me?”
“Of course!”
“Hmm…. I haven’t really thought of myself that way.”
“You’re so nice to that person too!”
“That person?”
“Oh, I- I mean……”
It seemed she couldn’t think of a proper address because Daisy’s words trailed off.
“Are you talking about Nadricka?”
“Yes!”
“And why not just use his name.”
“Oh, so you see. …..You’re right. Why didn’t I?”
What am I supposed to say if you ask me that.
Daisy kept tilting her head from side to side before finding the answer herself.
“Oh! I think I picked it up because everyone else just refers to him as that person. If you say that person then everyone knows that you’re talking about that person.”
She must be talking about the servants. It seemed she might be telling the truth about picking it up since she had continued saying that person throughout.
“Hmm, I think that everyone just can’t get a good sense of what to call him.”
“Why? He was the first concubine to enter the palace, so he’s lived in the palace for some time now.”
“That is….”
For some reason, Daisy hesitated and searched my reaction.
“Since he didn’t become a concubine through the normal process…. But then they can’t just use his given name familiarly either.”
If it wasn’t through the normal process?
“In this case, one would usually call him by his last name but that person doesn’t have a last name either.”
No last name?
“So……”
“Yes, that’s right. As he used to be a slave.”
“……”
When I didn’t respond, Daisy barreled on, shrugging her shoulders.
“To be honest, I think they probably started calling him that to distance themselves from him. Despite everything, they’re saying that they’re at least above him in status.”
I had vaguely thought about it. That since it was a society based on a caste system, there might be a slave caste too. But I didn’t think that would be someone this close to me.
“Haa, I repent too! I know I shouldn’t do it.”
After the slight surprise faded, I began to recall each one of his behaviors. Along with the words ‘sex slave’ that Robia had whispered that night.
It appeared that because of a stupid reason like that he was the weakest person in the palace. And he probably thought that it was something he had to bear with.
“Your Highness?”
“I’m Your Highness’s. Right?”
That was the reason he had desperately grabbed onto my ankle. Because he hadn’t been born with the status to protect himself. He had always been standing on the edge of a cliff. So that he could only hope for reckless salvation.
It happened as I was thinking this.
Ding!
The system window which had been so quiet lately appeared in front of me along with the notification sound.
The target has been selected.
Confirming.
‘Princess Yeldria Viotte Cecilia’
Target locked.
Attempting weakness discovery (2 remaining).
Scanning. 8%………
30%………..
88%………..
You have failed to discover a weakness because you lack justification.
Weakness discovery (1 remaining) has been consumed.
Will you try again? Y/N
I hurriedly stood up. I thought I had heard sounds from the bushes so I looked closely but there was no one. Where was she hiding?
If that wasn’t it. What if she wasn’t here?
Yuriel pressed ‘N’. The window turned off before coming back up.
TIP/ If you want to increase your chances of success, try discovery during a critical moment.
There was nothing in this world that could be called my weakness.
……Except for Nadricka.
Translator’s note: Hi! Sorry for the lateness and being bad about responding to any comments^^; I should hopefully be able to post more regularly now! As well as be more responsive! Enjoy~ next update in four days
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jujubb translations 
Almost nothing happened, but was about Nadricka, so I like it. Thank you
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For sure! Thanks for reading:)
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