Side Story 9
The young lady who had been glaring at Anje as if she were ready to kill him stepped forward and asked sharply,
“Are you planning to tattle on us without any dignity?”
“Interesting, coming from someone who just spoke so disrespectfully about Her Majesty the Empress, and now lectures me on dignity,” Anje replied.
With his hands behind his back, Anje strode toward the group of young ladies.
As he approached, it was as if the sea had parted—space opened up. Every time Anje’s cold gaze met theirs, they flinched and stepped back, scattering until they seemed like strangers avoiding one another, pretending to look at the distant sky.
“I’ll relay exactly who said what, without missing a single word. Drawing on my experience as His Excellency Saide’s aide, I’ll be meticulous and precise…”
Quietly, yet with deadly intensity. Each word from Anje carried weight, and one by one, the young ladies hurriedly left.
“Actually, I just remembered something urgent at home. I think I’ll head back today,” one said.
“Weren’t we supposed to have tea together here?”
At the sudden decision of everyone leaving, Iliya looked flustered.
“I just recalled another appointment. Let’s have tea next time.”
“Me too…”
In an instant, the scattered young ladies climbed into their carriages and departed.
Anje, watching them leave, clicked his tongue softly.
‘How shallow these nobles are…’
Back at home, Anje noticed Elliott lingering outside his door and raised an eyebrow.
“What is it, Elliott?”
“Your Excellency… well…”
Elliott cast a troubled glance toward the duke’s study, frowning.
“Why are you here like this? Do you have something to tell me?”
Elliott wiped his face and spoke with difficulty.
“Well… the Marquis wanted you, Your Excellency, to intervene a little.”
Anje’s eyes narrowed at Elliott’s strained words. Had something happened again while he was away?
“Explain in detail.”
“Ever since Your Excellency visited the palace a few days ago, you’ve suddenly been buying up all the land at the border.”
The borderlands? That noisy, restless area? Surely not…
Anje’s expression grew serious.
“Why there, of all places?”
“It seems you plan to go to war with the kingdom. Buying the land isn’t hard, but no matter how I think about it, it doesn’t seem like you were joking when you mentioned killing the King of Naiyan.”
“The king? That must be a joke… it has to be a joke.”
Joseph did have a particular dislike for the King of Naiyan, but he wasn’t the type to act without reason. Why now?
“I heard the princess insulted the Marquis. He couldn’t kill a guest, and, of course, the Emperor wouldn’t approve. So he insists that the king who caused the trouble must not be left alone. Your Excellency does tend to lose reason and get sensitive when involved in certain matters.”
Was Joseph not simply captivated by the princess’s beauty?
Recalling Joseph’s gentle smiles toward the princess, Anje furrowed his brow.
“So… this is because of me?”
“Not exactly. It’s because of the princess. What wrong has the Marquis done?”
That seemed about right. Anje shot Elliott a reluctant glance.
“Do you think he’ll listen if I try to intervene…?”
“He will, definitely. There’s no doubt.”
Startled… Elliott nodded eagerly even before Anje finished speaking, gesturing toward the duke’s study with such earnestness that Anje could hardly refuse.
Although Anje hesitated repeatedly while heading toward the duke’s study, Elliott’s words kept nudging him forward.
“Please speak carefully. The borderlands? If we have to manage all that territory… we’ll die trying.”
“Your Excellency, it’s me.”
“….”
Even after identifying himself, there was no response inside.
‘He said he was in the study…’
Tilting his head in confusion, Anje gently pushed the door open. His eyes met Joseph’s directly as he peeked inside.
‘What’s wrong with him?’
The usually cold blue eyes were now full of displeasure. In response, Anje’s expression instantly grew sullen.
“Should I just go?”
Whether he bought the borderlands or the entire kingdom, what business was it of his? So what if Elliott and the rest of the duke’s aides were exhausted… what did it have to do with him?
Yet before he could finish speaking, Joseph stepped forward, pulling Anje into the room and firmly shutting the door himself.
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing… well…”
Without a greeting, Joseph immediately confronted him. There were no kind inquiries like asking if he had eaten or how he spent his time away. The absence of such warmth reminded Anje just how much Joseph occupied his heart.
‘I tried so hard to avoid this…’
Suppressing the sudden pang of emotion, Anje spoke, forcing himself to remain calm and act with the detachment expected of a noble.
“You were planning to buy the borderlands, weren’t you?”
“Since when did Elliott become so loose-lipped? Maybe it’s time to step back…”
“It’s because it’s Elliott. He’s working this hard for Your Excellency. Cutting him off only harms you. You know that well enough.”
“…So what is it you want to say?”
Joseph returned to his desk and gestured toward the pile of documents. Busy as he was, he wanted Anje to say what needed to be said and leave.
“Well… a few days ago, when I pretended not to see you, it was due to a misunderstanding.”
That wasn’t it, why were the words spilling out incorrectly?
He had come to see Joseph solely at Elliott’s request (definitely not of his own volition) to resolve the borderland issue.
Yet his mouth seemed to act independently, speaking recklessly.
Feeling Joseph’s sharp gaze upon him, Anje continued.
“You were being quite friendly with Princess Iliya…”
“Iliya? Who’s that…?”
Joseph, who had forgotten even the princess’s name, belatedly realized the title and clicked his tongue. What a troublesome woman.
“I… was wrong.”
From the start, he hadn’t treated her with a smiling face. His unnecessary kindness had caused Anje’s misunderstanding and led the princess to overestimate him.
A princess of a defeated nation wasn’t that impressive. They should have been grateful she wasn’t taken as a prisoner, yet his human kindness backfired.
Joseph clicked his tongue inwardly at the unexpected trouble.
“You got close and smiled warmly.”
“Probably because it was noisy, so her voice was hard to hear. There were too many people crowded around.”
Joseph shook his head with a grimace.
“She was quite annoyed at the crowd trying to see her even once.”
“The rumors… were intense.”
“Exactly. The false rumors caused the problem.”
Joseph nodded knowingly.
“The King of Naiyan too. No matter how heavy the Emperor’s responsibility, giving a concubine to a newlywed couple is cruel. His Majesty despised even thinking such thoughts.”
“I thought it couldn’t be… but since the atmosphere wasn’t bad, I imagined the Emperor might have some interest.”
The Emperor had indeed treated Iliya kindly. She must have had at least a glimmer of hope.
“So, should I treat a guest carelessly?”
Of course, Joseph himself intended to treat Iliya carelessly going forward, along with her brother, the King of Naiyan.
“Is that why you’re angry with me?”
By now, Joseph had taken Anje’s wrist in his hand, as if to prevent any escape.
“All for merely smiling a little.”
“….”
Was this sense of being trapped just a feeling, or real?
Anje’s expression briefly showed his embarrassment.
Joseph pressed closer, now gently scraping the inside of Anje’s wrist with his fingernails. Anje tried to pull away, but Joseph didn’t budge.
