CHAPTER 39……………………………………..
Right! Peredil is going with Vivian!
Vivian even exposed Luna for hiding her holy power at the Imperial ball—so why did I just assume Peredil would be able to go with me?
“You can pick any partner you want. Choose someone the Duke would be jealous of.”
Maybe because I had such an obvious I forgot expression, she gave an awkward smile. The fact that I now had to find another partner made my heart sink. A sigh escaped me.
“Finding a partner isn’t exactly easy. I’m worried.”
“What? What do you mean?”
A moment later, Emily appeared carrying a huge sack.
“W-what is all that?”
“What do you mean, Miss Joyce? They’re love letters from young nobles who want to be your partner. I collected them all so they wouldn’t distract you while you work.”
Seeing the sack stuffed full of letters, a spark of inspiration flashed through me.
“Can I bring these with me tomorrow?”
“Are you kidding me, bro? You sent me a letter so I thought it was something important, but all you wrote was ‘Can you bring some chocolates made by the Imperial patissier?’”
The moment night fell, Theo’s hut became noisy. Noah had barged in, slamming the door like he intended to break it.
“Do you think I’m your errand boy? Huh?”
“The chocolates?”
Still fuming, Noah tossed the chocolates he’d dutifully brought onto the table.
“I almost went back to the palace after running away just because of these stupid chocolates.”
As if his hot-tempered younger brother’s anger meant nothing, Theo peeled open the wrapper. The sweetness exploded in his mouth the instant he took a bite. It felt like his whole body surged with energy at once.
Joyce loves sweets, so if she tasted this she’d probably faint. Next time I’ll tell Noah to bring even more.
While eating with a satisfied expression, he suddenly remembered that the conflict between them hadn’t been resolved.
“Why’s your face like that? Does it taste bad?”
“No, it’s the same as always. Still delicious.”
“Right? The only thing that’s changed is you.”
After dropping that loaded comment, Noah shifted his posture. He looked ready for a full interrogation.
“What happened after you left the capital? What made you change like this? And what’s with calling yourself Theo instead of Theodore? Father clearly knows everything but won’t tell me a thing! And the female lead—you won’t tell me anything! Why am I the only one left out? Why!”
Seeing his little brother throw a tantrum—despite thinking he’d matured a bit—Theo could only shake his head.
“You really don’t plan to inherit the throne? Then what happens to the Empire?”
“You’re here.”
“I’m not fit to be emperor. Father thinks so too—that’s why even though he brings me to imperial events, he came looking for you the moment you returned to the capital. Even I think you suit the throne.”
“Whether I suit it or not, it’s not the place I want to stand.”
Noah shouted, frustrated.
“What position could be better than emperor!”
“I want to stand next to the woman I love.”
He hadn’t planned to say it. Maybe because he’d hidden his feelings for so long, the truth slipped out before he could stop it.
He’s going to look at me like I’m pathetic. He’ll think, “I can’t believe this is the brother I looked up to.” He’ll be disappointed.
Anxious, he avoided Noah’s eyes—but instead of disgust, Noah was grinning mischievously.
“What is this~? You’re a total love-struck fool!”
“Love… struck?”
“No, a love fool! It’s a trendy term young people use. It means someone who’s completely helpless because they’re head-over-heels in love.”
“…Right. Let’s go with that.”
Seeing his brother go from yelling to giggling drained Theo of all his strength.
“Honestly, I thought you were still a clueless virgin who had never even kissed a woman.”
“H-hey, no way.”
The comment stung, but Theo was grateful—just this once—that he’d learned to act. Yes, any kisses he’d had were from acting roles, but there was no need to go into detail. A kiss was still a kiss.
“So is she a noble lady?”
“You could… say that.”
“Then make her your princess consort. You could be emperor and keep her by your side.”
“I’m not going to confess to her. The way we look at each other is very different.”
“What? But you said you kissed someone!”
“N-not her. Someone else.”
“Ohhh~”
Noah’s excited reactions made Theo want to punch him like when they were kids. But hitting a grown brother lacked dignity, so he held himself back.
“She’s a free spirit. She’d hate being tied down with restrictions like a princess consort. She values her dreams deeply—and she actually achieves them. She’s incredible.”
“A driven, ambitious woman, huh?”
“Yeah.”
Letting his feelings out for the first time made him feel refreshed—like standing at the summit of a tall mountain, hit by a clean breeze.
“You’re an idiot. A total idiot.”
Noah, still in a different emotional universe, crossed his arms and glared.
“She’s a noble, right? Just send a marriage proposal to her family and tell them she’s to become the princess consort. No noble family could refuse an imperial order.”
“Even if it works out between us, it won’t be like that.”
“Then what?”
“What I want isn’t something I can force. It has to be mutual…”
Then a sudden realization struck him, and he fell silent.
“W-what? What’s wrong?”
“I need to apologize.”
“What? To who?”
“To the female lead… and to the author. I mouthed off at them with nonsense earlier.”
Noah thought again that his brother really had changed.
He hadn’t used to speak in ways no one understood. He never drifted into unrelated topics mid-conversation. He used to conserve words, swallowing even the things he should say.
Noah liked this version better—an older brother who no longer shrank his shoulders but acted confidently, like an adult.
“Fine. Go apologize to that female lead or whoever, and when you come back, tell me how it went.”
“There won’t be anything to tell.”
As he was getting ready to leave, Noah paused at the door and spoke shyly.
“Actually… there’s a lady I like too. I’ll try to bring good news when I come next time.”
Unable to handle seeing his big, muscular brother blush, Theo pushed him out the door.
“Fine, fine. Just bring a ton of chocolates next time.”
After successfully kicking him out, he let out a sigh.
“Still drains every bit of energy out of me, as always.”
Then he remembered the woman who’d brought him here.
“I need to… apologize.”
“Hello, Your Grace!”
His eyes widened the moment I walked in—probably because of the enormous bundle I was carrying.
Suspicious eyes full of What are you plotting now? turned toward me.
“What is all that?”
“What do you mean? They’re love letters asking me to be their partner at the ball. Haven’t you ever gotten any?”
He didn’t ignore the provocation—I got the exact reaction I was aiming for.
“Of course I have. I’ve gotten so many I’m sick of them. I’m asking why you brought these here.”
“I get so many that I read them not only at home but also in the carriage on the way here.”
“And?”
“I get motion sickness reading in the carriage, so I thought maybe I could read them here after our lesson.”
“You already brought them without asking. Do whatever you want.”
He looked dissatisfied, but once the lesson began he was serious. Teaching children must’ve lit a fire under him—unlike the first lesson where he half-hearted things, he genuinely tried to project his voice today.
“You worked hard today!”
“You too.”
Since I’d focused so hard, time flew by. And now that class was over… it was time to start the jealousy plan.
I opened the heavy bundle and held it up with effort. Letters spilled across the office floor in a cascade. His gaze automatically shifted from his paperwork to the mess.
“Aren’t you leaving?”
“Why would I leave when you’re still in my office? Who’s going to lock the door?”
“Oh. I thought maybe you weren’t leaving because you were curious.”
“Not. Curious. At. All.”
The way he emphasized each syllable only made his refusal clearer.
“‘Your dazzling beauty, your lovely voice—I fell for you the moment I saw you on stage. Truthfully, I’ve admired you since your time in Bria.’”
Sitting on the floor, I picked up a letter and read it aloud.
“Hah.”
They were cliché lines, but I hugged the letter dramatically to my chest as if deeply moved. I caught him staring at me like I was ridiculous.
“What? Are you interested?”
