Extra Story 4
Joseph was certain that Anje had seen him.
And yet she had pretended not to.
Why? For what possible reason?
He searched his memory carefully to see if he had made some mistake—but he had left at dawn to escort the princess and hadn’t even seen Anje’s face that morning.
The day before had been consumed with cabinet appointments. The day before that, meetings on how to manage the surplus grain from the abundant harvest. The day before that, discussions on reinforcing border defenses…
It had been like this for days. He hadn’t even had time to make a mistake.
Even so, Joseph thought there was no way Anje would be angry simply because she hadn’t seen his face for a few days.
No, she wouldn’t…
A bitter smile touched his lips.
Anje wasn’t the sort of woman to get upset over trivial matters. If anyone grew impatient first, it was always Joseph. If anyone became sulky over something small, it was Joseph. And she was just as busy as he was.
“What has you frowning so deeply?”
The Emperor’s voice snapped him back to himself. Joseph quickly smoothed his expression.
“It’s nothing.”
“It’s clearly not nothing. Speak. Is there something I cannot resolve?”
Joseph cast the Emperor a dubious look.
“They say it’s easier to find something one can do oneself than to look for what cannot be done. Her Majesty mentioned that Your Majesty requires quite a bit of attention… No, rather—why do you keep troubling Mariana when you have so many attendants? You even have the chamberlain who has served you since childhood.”
“So the Empress tattled to you?”
The Emperor pouted like a sulking boy, forgetting his dignity.
“If Her Majesty were the type to tattle, I would not be concerned. It wasn’t Her Majesty—it was the chamberlain. I suppose it was more a complaint than tattling. He says it pains him to see Your Majesty asking the Empress to handle even trivial matters personally.”
“Ahem!”
The Emperor shot an annoyed look at the chamberlain. Joseph merely snorted softly; he knew well that the Emperor would never truly rebuke a man who had served him since childhood.
“You know one thing but not the other. It’s all an expression of affection. If I didn’t do that, the Empress would feel slighted.”
Joseph’s lips twisted, though he refrained from openly mocking him.
“So what do you truly intend regarding the princess? Having dealt with her, she’s even more astonishing than the rumors suggest. She appears utterly convinced she will become Your Majesty’s concubine.”
“That’s strange.”
The Emperor leaned against the armrest and rubbed his forehead thoughtfully.
“What is? The woman? Or the King of Nayan who sent such a woman as the delegation’s head?”
“Let me ask—are you still sulking over the fact that the King of Nayan once showed interest in the Marchioness?”
“What do you take me for? I have never harbored disrespectful thoughts toward Your Majesty or any king.”
As if. This time the Emperor scoffed.
“Whenever the King of Nayan is mentioned, your eyes change. I once thought you and Marquis Crow had truly fallen out—”
“Your Majesty should refrain from lying so casually.”
Joseph’s sharpened tone made the Emperor groan and shift uncomfortably. Deciding it was unwise to push further, he changed the subject.
“In any case, it truly is strange.”
“What has been strange since earlier?”
“The Princess of Nayan. She wasn’t like this, to my knowledge.”
Back when he had been a Grand Duke exiled by the late Emperor, wandering the continent and building connections among foreign nobility, the Emperor had unintentionally broadened his network.
“You know the Princess of Nayan? Well, she is famed for her beauty.”
“No, no. When I was in Nayan, there were no such rumors. I heard she lived quietly in the most remote palace wing, almost as if she didn’t exist. Very little was known of her appearance or any other traits. Only that she had a quiet disposition.”
“What are you implying? That I would slander her with lies for my sister’s sake?”
“No, no.”
As Joseph bristled, the Emperor waved a hand.
“You misunderstand. I simply mean it’s strange—nothing more. That’s why I summoned Marquis Crow. No one reads people better than she does, wouldn’t you agree?”
Joseph’s expression brightened ever so slightly. The Emperor pressed his lips together to suppress a laugh. If he chuckled, Joseph would flare up again. Though siblings, Joseph and the Empress were opposites in temperament.
Of course, the Emperor knew the Empress had been adopted into the ducal house under unavoidable circumstances.
But still—hadn’t they grown up under the same roof? Grass raised on the same soil should resemble one another. Yet the Duke and the Empress shared scarcely a trait.
“So when will Anje arrive?”
“She should be here shortly. We’ll call the princess in first.”
At the Emperor’s signal, the chamberlain bowed.
“She has already arrived and is waiting. Shall I admit her?”
“Bring her in.”
The doors opened, and Ilya Baht entered with her maid.
Joseph did not bother concealing his cold expression. Ilya glanced at him with equal hauteur, then turned to the Emperor with a dazzling smile.
“Ilya Baht, Princess of Nayan, greets the Sun of the Empire.”
Her earlier petulance had vanished; she now appeared gentle and composed.
Suppressing a scoff, Joseph folded his arms. He would simply observe. Knowing Anje would arrive soon was some comfort.
“You are as beautiful as rumored. Was your journey arduous?”
“Thanks to the Duke’s consideration, it was quite comfortable.”
A lie told right before him. The Princess of Nayan was shameless indeed.
He had disliked her from the outset, but the more he dealt with her, the worse it became. If not for Anje, he would have found any excuse to excuse himself.
“Your Majesty, Marquis Crow has arrived.”
“Admit her.”
Anje stepped inside under the chamberlain’s guidance—then quietly clicked her tongue at the sight of the assembled company.
Had she known, she might have prepared herself mentally.
The princess, seen up close, was even more beautiful than from afar. Joseph, whom she had not properly seen in days due to his busyness, was as striking as ever. For those reasons, Anje’s mood plummeted sharply.
“Come sit, Marchioness. I keep telling you to visit more often—why are you so distant? The Empress waits eagerly for you.”
The Imperial Palace was no playground, and visiting often only meant being worn out by the imperial couple.
“My apologies.”
Composing herself, Anje tried to guess why she had been summoned.
Is he assigning me to investigate the princess?
The Emperor, lacking truly trustworthy agents within the palace, often summoned Anje for tasks that could not be made public. Each time, Joseph had bristled.
But recalling Joseph’s earlier behavior that day, Anje ground her teeth.
He claimed to be busy and barely showed her his face—yet he had looked tender toward the princess. She even felt betrayed.
Irritation flared anew. Ignoring Joseph’s piercing gaze, Anje subtly examined the princess—then her expression stiffened.
This is the princess’s fate? That can’t be right….
Her destiny lacked harmony in the “Food God” configuration—grand plans but weak execution, prone to missing opportunities. Naturally susceptible to public scandal and financial hardship…
It was a fate utterly ill-suited to a princess.
“Princess, this is Marquis Crow.”
“In the Empire, can women inherit titles?”
“Of course. Not only titles, but property and all other rights as well. We uphold equality.”
“How admirable.”
Her words were polite, but the way she looked at Anje was not—her gaze implying, What business has a woman being a marquis?
It was a familiar look. Many who bowed outwardly had regarded Anje the same way, knowing she came from the slums. No title or wealth could erase that. Recently, she had almost given up trying.
“You flatter me. It is an honor to behold the famed beauty of Your Highness in person.”
Though offering polite words, Anje did not take her eyes off the princess.
“My brother asked me to present something to Your Majesty.”
Ignoring Anje’s greeting, the princess turned to the Emperor again, her smile meltingly beautiful. The intent behind it was obvious enough that even the Emperor’s lips stiffened slightly.
“Your sincerity at my coronation was more than sufficient. What more has he sent?”
“Please consider it a brother’s effort not to embarrass his sister.”
With that, the princess gestured to her maid.
“Zeira, bring forth the gift we prepared.”
