Chapter 20
“A precious guest, you say?”
Who in their right mind would trip a ‘precious guest’ and threaten to not let them leave? Marcella glared at Arthur.
In response, Arthur placed a hand over his chest and shook his head.
“My lady is a lady of all ladies, after all!”
She was the one the Emperor had proposed to. The very person the Emperor had declared at the assembly he would take as Empress. He couldn’t fathom what she was thinking to say such a thing, but how could he not treat such a person with the utmost respect?
Well, it was true that Marcella Morris herself had rejected the proposal not once, but twice, and on top of that, had firmly told him never to propose again. Ah, but still, how could he not regard her as precious!
“Because you and His Majesty are close friends!”
“Lord Digory!”
Even though she had given up on him keeping secrets, as he blabbed them everywhere, she had begged him not to tell the Emperor of all people. And now he was revealing it here, of all places!
Marcella paled, her mouth hanging open. She desperately hoped the Emperor hadn’t heard Arthur’s impertinent words.
“Close friends?”
But no such luck. He stared at Marcella silently, an unreadable look on his face.
Arthur was a liar with a tongue as light as a feather. As Marcella glared at him, Arthur grinned brightly.
“I never promised to keep it a secret for you, did I?”
So, even if you beg, you can’t blame me now. Arthur’s eyes seemed to say just that.
Arthur Digory was truly an unreliable man. Absolutely. Without a shred of doubt!
“Your Majesty, aren’t you pleased? To think Lady Marcella regards Your Majesty so highly.”
While the truth was probably far from Marcella Morris thinking of the Emperor as a close friend, Arthur blathered on regardless. Then Nell, who had seemed displeased, turned to look at Marcella as if to say, ‘When did this happen?’
Arthur laughed a genuine laugh. Things had gotten complicated, but his plan was proceeding rather smoothly.
“Your Majesty! Please say something. No matter what I tell her, the lady doesn’t believe me.”
“What do you want me to say?”
“Your Majesty, the lady is worried that even though she considers Your Majesty a close friend, Your Majesty might get blazing angry and punish her! It’s a ridiculous thought, isn’t it!”
Nell’s eyelids moved slowly.
As Nell looked at Marcella, her complexion was no longer pale. She was flushed crimson all the way to her neck, unable to close her mouth.
“Are you and I close friends?”
“That is, well……”
Arthur Digory! A liar, an impudent man who wouldn’t even grant a person’s plea to keep a secret!
“I won’t punish you for being close friends with me.”
Should she thank him? It was a relief he wouldn’t hold it against her.
But Marcella felt anything but relieved. She was a ridiculous sight. Rejecting the Emperor’s proposal to his face, yet calling him a close friend behind his back!
“I didn’t know you and I had that kind of relationship.”
She wished he would just tease her like Arthur did—that would be less embarrassing. But his expressionless face as he spoke made it even more mortifying.
“Marcella, you look like a ripe tomato.”
She was now too ashamed to even lift her head.
Marcella felt like throwing all promises to the wind and just going home. If that wasn’t possible, she wanted to hide in a mouse hole. Were there even mouse holes in the imperial palace?
“My lady, did you know? His Majesty says something is cute by comparing it to a tomato.”
Arthur pretended to whisper, speaking in a voice plenty loud enough.
Marcella raised her lowered head to glare at Arthur. His smile felt despicable.
“Have I ever said such a thing?”
Arthur’s head whipped toward Nell.
He widened his eyes, shooting a pointed look at Nell. But as always, Nell failed to understand Arthur’s meaningful glance.
Watching this, Marcella also glared at Arthur.
Liar Arthur Digory. A swindler who always told outrageous lies.
* * *
“Your Majesty! What on earth was that about?”
The moment they left the annex and entered his room in the main palace, Arthur shouted. It was startling for someone who had been silent to suddenly yell, but Nell was already used to it.
“What do you mean?”
“The tomato thing, the tomato!”
“Tomato?”
“To Lady Marcella!”
Nell tilted his head.
Arthur clenched his teeth and stretched his hands upward.
“I was helping you! I said you call things cute by saying they’re like tomatoes. You could have just smoothly said she was cute!”
“I’ve never thought of tomatoes as cute, though?”
“I’m not talking about real tomatoes! Lady Marcella, I mean Lady Marcella!”
“Thinking of her as cute…”
Nell trailed off.
“But you did! It was you, Your Majesty, of all people!”
Arthur’s eyes bulged. His hand, raised in a fist, trembled violently above his head, and he ended up tearing at his own hair.
“You should have said that!”
“If I say it.”
Nell sat on the sofa and lifted the Phoenix, which had slumped limply, onto his lap.
“If I say it, does her expression soften?”
“Of course!”
Probably.
As Arthur answered, Nell gave a slight nod and stroked the Phoenix.
– Nell.
The Phoenix, silently feeling his touch on Nell’s lap, called him in a whisper-like voice. Nell lowered his head to look at the Phoenix.
– Nell. Is this a feeling I’m having, or one you’re having?
Nell didn’t answer.
【 If You Don’t Know Your Opponent, Negotiations Fail 】
“You needn’t worry. I won’t propose to you.”
The next day, Nell said to Marcella, who was sitting rigidly tense across from him, steam rising from her tea.
Marcella wasn’t sure how to respond to that.
When Marcella glanced at him, Nell tilted his head, then straightened it again.
“I won’t punish you for being close friends with me.”
Was he still teasing her about that?! Marcella’s face turned red.
“You look like a tomato again.”
Marcella was ashamed of her flushed face.
She desperately wished it would calm down, but Nell rested his chin on his hand and leaned a little closer. Marcella inched back. Her reddened face grew even redder.
Nell was satisfied that he had remembered to say she looked like a tomato, as Arthur had insisted. Although Arthur’s intention had been for him to tell Marcella she was cute, not just that she resembled a tomato.
“Marcella, do you have a fever?”
The back of Nell’s hand touched Marcella’s forehead.
His hand was neither cold nor hot, but perhaps because her face was burning, it felt especially cool to her. Marcella flinched.
“Marcella.”
Nell watched as Marcella’s lips parted slowly. This was definitely better than her face being deathly pale, at least.
Whether pale or red, it seemed she still struggled to speak, but at least now she wasn’t afraid.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
As Marcella subtly tried to move away, Nell withdrew his hand.
He gave a small nod and looked down at the back of his hand that had touched her.
“But your face is so hot.”
Under Nell’s probing gaze, Marcella found it difficult to answer. She searched frantically for an excuse.
“My body temperature is naturally high.”
“Is that so?”
Then Nell turned his palm over and dropped something onto the table.
A glimmering blue magic stone emitted a chilling cold. She still had the one he had given her before in her pocket.
The fact that he could create such things so easily meant he was truly a formidable mage.
Marcella wasn’t particularly happy to receive the magic stone. She had magic power too, but she couldn’t just whip up something like this like Nell or her sister could.
“Your face has darkened again.”
“…It’s just that I’m not hot anymore.”
“Are you displeased?”
To dare be displeased upon receiving a magic stone from the Emperor? That’s how it sounded to Marcella’s ears.
Seeing her flinch, Nell tilted his head.
“Do you dislike magic stones?”
“It’s not that.”
“You aren’t pleased to receive anything from me?”
At Nell’s lowered voice, Marcella gasped for breath.
Marcella bit her lip, searching for words. But her mind had gone blank, making it difficult.
Turning into a tomato, then pale, Marcella was busy.
Nell rested his chin on his hand and watched Marcella, who was avoiding his gaze. He didn’t understand what she was afraid of now to make such an expression.
Arthur, Tamarin, the Phoenix, even Martinez—if they wanted something from him, they asserted it so strongly it was impossible not to know. It would be a bit easier if Marcella did the same.
Nell looked at Marcella and let out a breath.
At the sound, which resembled a sigh, Marcella cautiously lifted her head and met Nell’s eyes directly.
Seeing herself reflected in those golden pupils gave Marcella a strange feeling.
“Then, would you prefer a different magic stone?”
“That’s not the issue.”
“Do you dislike everything I give you?”
At Nell’s voice, which was even lower than before, sweat beaded on Marcella’s forehead.
“You don’t have to try to give me anything, Your Majesty.”
“Why not?”
“I want to ask. Why are you trying to give me things?”
“Why?”
“Do you just want to see my flustered face?”
When Marcella asked, Nell blinked slowly. Then he tilted his head and nodded.
“That wouldn’t be bad either.”
“Pardon?”
“Is this the face you make when you’re flustered.”
Marcella was speechless. Had the Emperor just openly stated he wanted to see her flustered face?
“The flustered face looks like a tomato too.”
Nell said this even though Marcella’s face wasn’t crimson at the moment.
“Is my face still red?”
“No.”
“Then……”
Why say it looks like a tomato?
Marcella swallowed the rest of her words. And so it passed without further remark. The next day was the same, and the day after that.
Nell would simply have Marcella sit, wait for the piping hot tea to cool completely, drink it, and then leave.
Fortunately, he no longer brought up proposals. Nell Haire seemed to be a man who at least kept his word more than Arthur Digory. Marcella felt relieved.
“My lady, look at this.”
But one could never let their guard down around Arthur Digory, a man who should never be trusted.
