Chapter 45
The king, whose face lit up as if a gold mine—or rather, a diamond mine—had just fallen from the sky, remained blissfully unaware that it was all just his misunderstanding.
“But, by any chance, is there someone else the princess is currently discussing marriage with? That would make things a bit complicated, you see.”
When Marquis Jeffrey Delcaron asked this serious question, Reindel, feeling something strange but unable to stop himself, blurted out a response before he could think.
“There isn’t! Of course not! There’s no such engagement, and she hasn’t even considered it. So don’t you worry, Marquis.”
At that firm declaration, a perfectly drawn smile appeared on Jeffrey Delcaron’s face—a satisfied smile.
“…Marquis Delcaron, let me ask you something—”
“Ah, Crown Prince, don’t interrupt.”
Reindel, sensing something was off about that smile, tried to call out to the marquis, but was immediately cut off by the king.
“Father, if you’d just listen to me for a moment—”
“Crown Prince!”
The king, barely managing to resist the temptation of accepting the Erkal Emperor’s marriage proposal on the spot, snapped angrily.
Reindel, who had never even imagined going against his father’s will, closed his mouth with a doubtful look.
‘Still, the son’s better than the father.’
Jeffrey Delcaron, who could pretty much guess what Reindel was trying to say, turned back to the king and spoke.
“Since the King of Roen has given such a clear answer, I feel relieved. His Majesty will also be pleased.”
“Haha! Then that is good news for me too!”
With a smile of genuine joy, the king subtly mentioned Ianhart.
“Ahem, then I shall send word to His Majesty. Perhaps I should also summon my daughter? After all, it’s easier to talk when the person concerned is present.”
The king, worried that the unpredictable emperor might change his mind, tried to hide his urgency and asked carefully.
Jeffrey Delcaron, having achieved his goal, smiled faintly.
“There’s no need to send anyone.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
With a puzzled expression, the king glanced at him. Jeffrey gently adjusted the brooch on his jacket with delicate fingers.
Then, straightening his posture, he prepared to greet Ianhart, who had caused a temporary separation from his beloved wife.
“His Majesty already knows I’m here. He said he would come with the princess himself, so there’s no need to send anyone.”
“Is… is that so…?”
The king, overwhelmed by the marquis’s confidence, nodded before thinking things through—and only then did something feel off.
A very strange, very wrong feeling…
But before he could figure out what was wrong—
“Y-Your Majesty the Emperor of Erkal and the First Princess have arrived…!”
The king finally came face-to-face with the reality behind his big misunderstanding.
A few moments earlier.
—“But, by any chance, is there someone else the princess is currently discussing marriage with? That would make things a bit complicated, you see.”
—“There isn’t! Of course not! There’s no such engagement, and she hasn’t even considered it. So don’t you worry, Marquis.”
Hearing the king’s bold declaration through the parlor door, Liana barely held back her laughter.
The foolish old man would soon regret every word he’d just said—so much so that he’d want to dig a hole and crawl in.
“This makes things easier, doesn’t it?”
As Liana clenched her hand tightly to suppress her laughter, Ianhart leaned slightly toward her and asked in a relaxed tone.
A smile spread across Liana’s face as she nodded.
“Did Your Majesty order this?”
“It’s best to shut down a problem before it gets out of hand.”
Whispering just softly enough that even the attendant standing less than five steps away couldn’t hear, the two stood very close.
They had been holding hands ever since their garden stroll earlier, and their closeness looked genuinely warm and affectionate.
‘The emperor and the first princess…!’
The attendant, watching them, felt like his insides were burning to ashes.
He had been stationed outside the room where the king was meeting with guests, and so he had overheard the entire conversation.
He also happened to be one of the few who knew that Ianhart was staying in the palace.
‘Did the First Princess ever meet the emperor? Even the crown prince didn’t know…’
According to the attendants he had carefully selected to keep an eye on things, the emperor had barely strayed from his guest residence. Presumably to care for his injured divine beast.
So naturally, there wouldn’t have been time for him to meet the princess. In fact, she didn’t even know the emperor was staying at the palace.
‘…Did she catch the emperor’s eye just by chance?’
That seemed like the most reasonable theory the attendant could come up with—until he realized this was far beyond his pay grade.
Just then, a tall blond man appeared from around the corner. A familiar face.
But he wasn’t alone.
“…!”
Beside Ianhart—rather, clinging to his arm—was a woman whose face made the attendant’s eyes widen in silent shock.
He wasn’t just any servant; he had earned his position as the king’s personal attendant. So he immediately understood what their appearance together meant.
And that meant he had to alert the king immediately.
“Shh.”
But then, Ianhart brought a long, pale finger to his lips, signaling for silence with a calm, icy gaze.
The attendant couldn’t say a word.
And when the king finally wrapped up his delicate conversation inside—
“Open the doors.”
“Y-Your Majesty the Emperor of Erkal and the First Princess have arrived…!”
The attendant opened the doors and announced the arrival of Ianhart and Liana.
“L-Liana?! What are you doing here?!”
“Am I not allowed to be here?”
Liana replied sarcastically to the king, who had jumped up in shock.
“W-What…?”
The king’s eyes darted between Ianhart and Liana, trying desperately to understand what was going on.
But it didn’t take a genius to get it.
They had walked in together. They were clearly close. And no one links arms like that unless they’re very intimate.
“Your Majesty, what is… what is the meaning of this…?”
The king just couldn’t accept it.
A moment ago, he had been happily discussing a marriage alliance—under the assumption that it involved his beloved Vivian. But now, it was Liana standing here.
“Marquis Delcaron, did you convey my intentions properly?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Fortunately, the First Princess is currently not engaged in any other marriage discussions. The King of Roen confirmed it personally.”
“Good. Even if she had been, I would’ve cleared them all away.”
With that final jab, Ianhart smiled sweetly as he led Liana to the sofa.
“Sit.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Liana gently took a seat, escorted by Ianhart.
Naturally, he sat beside her.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Princess. I am Jeffrey Delcaron. Please, feel free to call me Marquis Delcaron.”
“Nice to meet you, Marquis Delcaron. You resemble Marquis Bernian.”
“Hoho, do I? He wouldn’t like to hear that. He doesn’t care for his delicate appearance.”
Out of the five people present, only three remained composed.
“….”
Reindel stared blankly at Liana—blushing, and at Ianhart—who looked at her with pure affection.
“….”
And the king… He was suppressing the urge to yell at Liana with every fiber of his being.
“You came a long way.”
“Oh, it wasn’t too bad.”
“…Then what are you upset about?”
As Ianhart sighed with narrowed eyes, Jeffrey merely shrugged and stayed silent.
“Did His Majesty summon you by force?”
“Of course not. The marquis would never come if he didn’t want to.”
Hmm… Is that even possible?
Though not everything said in rumors is true, one thing was certain: the current emperor of Erkal held more power than any in history.
Could anyone really refuse if he summoned them…?
“It’s only thanks to His Majesty’s generosity.”
“Then stay in the capital a bit.”
“Let’s not. I’m thoroughly enjoying the peace of home thanks to my son.”
“Doesn’t your wife hate you staying in all the time?”
At Ianhart’s teasing, Jeffrey’s expression twisted slightly. His delicate features made him look oddly melancholy.
“Please, don’t even bring that up.”
Judging by his tone, it was probably true.
‘They’re quite the pair.’
Looks like worrying about Jeffrey disobeying imperial orders was unnecessary.
“Once you get married, Your Majesty, you’ll understand. I was honestly worried you might live alone forever.”
Jeffrey’s eyes landed softly on Liana as he spoke.
When their eyes met, her green irises—so much like Bernian’s—curved gently.
“I’m just so glad you met someone like her.”
“Haha…”
