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“I know what Angelica is worried about. That encouragement Alexandra gave her earlier… it’s not something that can be taken lightly, is it?”
“…….”
She didn’t answer. She simply blinked at me, silently. But after several moments of moving her lips and hesitating to speak, she slowly continued.
“You’ve probably already noticed to some extent, but His Majesty is thinking about a future with you, Angelica.”
“…….”
“The outfit you requested through Alexandra is His Majesty’s first step toward that future. Whether or not you accept it is entirely your choice.”
“…….”
When Alexandra set the date for a re-measurement, Angelica had said she would contact them after checking her schedule. Seeing her not answer immediately, I realized she was hesitating.
“A single decision can determine the course of a vast future, so it’s natural to feel scared and full of worries.”
Having met Rayel and become his partner, she must have thought about the future as well. And she must have realized how heavy the choice she had to make would be. After all, for the daughter of an ordinary count to aim for the position of Empress is no small matter.
“But don’t worry too much. How about following your heart, Angelica?”
“My… heart?”
She answered with a slightly trembling voice and cautiously met my gaze. I smiled gently at her, trying to ease the fear in her eyes.
“There will be many concerns and worries, but the first thing you need to think about is yourself—your own feelings.”
“My feelings……”
“Think first about how you truly feel about His Majesty, how deep your feelings go. And remember, the amount of time you two have spent together doesn’t matter. What matters is whether you want to continue being by his side. That’s all you need to focus on.”
“…….”
“And if your feelings are sincere and strong, then convey everything to him honestly. I’m sure he will show you that your worries were needless.”
He has even prepared the wedding attire in advance, so surely he must have prepared valid reasons to push aside anyone opposing it. In the original story, no one could speak against her status or family either.
Angelica fell silent, deep in thought. I waited quietly as she clasped her hands together on her lap, reflecting deeply. After a while, she slowly spoke.
“As you said, I’m scared. I’m worried. For now, no one else knows, but the day will come when others discover the relationship between His Majesty and me. I don’t think it will be too far off.”
“That will happen.”
“When everyone finds out, surely there will be harsh words. My family is a count’s family, and I’m just the daughter of a count. I’m not the kind of match everyone would approve of for him. We can’t avoid harsh criticism.”
“Are you afraid of that criticism? Afraid that everyone will say you and His Majesty are not suitable for each other?”
“……Yes. There are many other young ladies more suitable for him than me. Someone… better than a mere facade like me……”
Seeing her clutch the hem of her dress, I understood. She lacked confidence in herself. Wearing a beautiful dress might have felt awkward. Though she was happy to wear the dress Rayel had given her, it likely felt slightly uncomfortable, like ill-fitting clothing.
But she had a misconception. She thought only the dressed-up version of herself was beautiful, not realizing that she was equally beautiful without it. And she didn’t know that Rayel knew this too.
I carefully reached out and held her hands. She looked up at me in surprise. I smiled, noticing the light in her clear sky-blue eyes.
“That dress… His Majesty gave it to you, right? He probably picked it himself. The color is very close to your eyes.”
“Oh… is that so……?”
“Yes. That shows how much he thought about you—more than any other young lady, I’d say.”
“…….”
“Do you know? From the first meeting, His Majesty has been this open with you—something he’s never done with anyone else. And both publicly and privately, the only young lady he has met this frequently is you.”
“……!”
She couldn’t not know. Everyone knows he pays little attention to people outside his close circle. At banquets, he has ignored young ladies completely—a fact she must have witnessed multiple times.
Seeing her react with surprise, I added lightly.
“Helping you and the Werner family was certainly to expose the Count Fuzet family’s corruption, but there was another reason. And why didn’t he immediately stop the engagement rumors at the time?”
“You don’t mean……”
“You know he doesn’t act lightly for anyone, right? Sharing potential weaknesses means his consideration for you runs deep.”
“…….”
“Other young ladies may never receive the gifts you’ve received. How do you want to respond to his feelings? Do you want to run, or answer in a way that reflects your heart?”
“I……”
When I slowly released her hands, she carefully smoothed the wrinkled hem of her dress. Straightening her posture, she held my hand again and spoke in a brighter voice.
“I want to respond. No, I want to answer His Majesty with the same heart.”
“That’s right.”
“After hearing your words, I understand fully how deep His Majesty’s feelings for me are. I’m still scared and worried, but the most important thing is our hearts.”
“Exactly.”
Seeing her speak with a bright expression reassured me. I encouraged her gently as she gradually regained her composure.
“As I said earlier, try conveying your true feelings to His Majesty.”
“Yes, I will.”
“And it’s wrong to say no one believes you and His Majesty suit each other. Alexandra and I are here. Lucius is here too. And you, Angelica, don’t know your own worth.”
“Excuse me? What do you mean?”
“More people will support you two than you think. Definitely.”
The Werner family’s business had successfully recovered, and the family’s reputation had been restored. Angelica’s reputation had improved greatly. While Rayel had helped plan this and I had deliberately assisted her, her own active efforts had removed rumors and showcased a new image.
So events like before won’t happen again. There may not be such harsh criticism as she fears. And if anyone dares, I’ll handle it.
I smiled brightly at her, seeing her tilt her head in curiosity.
A few days after our heartfelt conversation and my advice, I received a letter from Angelica. She had thought over things alone but ultimately decided to visit Alexandra for the outfit measurements.
Reading the letter with pride, Lucius came over and sat beside me.
“Is that a letter from Lady Werner?”
“Yes. She seems about to go to Alexandra for the measurements.”
“I see.”
“She must have thought a lot about it. I’m glad she made a firm decision, though she inadvertently ended up revealing His Majesty’s feelings.”
“That’s fine. I’m sure His Majesty anticipated this situation.”
Indeed, indirectly informing me of his upcoming proposal or having Alexandra prepare the wedding attire implied some information would leak.
I set the letter down and leaned comfortably against Lucius. Feeling his gentle hand on my head, I relaxed a little before he spoke.
“By the way, about our conversation with Alexandra during the opening ceremony… someone from the Emperor’s faction is trying to slander Tiana.”
“Yes. Do we know who?”
“No conclusive evidence yet, but the circumstances point clearly.”
“Who is it?”
“Marquis Even.”
“Marquis Even… that’s the husband we met at that restaurant last time……”
I recalled the troublesome marquis’s wife, whose voice was overwhelmingly loud, and the marquis’s illegitimate son, the steward.
“I remember that wife and steward. But why would Marquis Even do such things behind the scenes?”
“The marquis runs a few cafes in the capital. Compared to his restaurant, they don’t generate much profit. It seems he targeted Baron Even to make up for the losses.”
“Using Baron Even and Café Roland to start a new cafe?”
“Most likely. Baron Even’s café was already showing commercial potential. He probably wanted to merge it with his own to turn a profit. But the baron refused.”
“Because the conditions offered by Marquis Even were unacceptable?”
“Yes. There were some profit-sharing arrangements, but all other conditions Baron Even proposed were ignored. Marquis Even also claimed ownership of Baron Even’s flower teas and ignored his opinion on the new café’s name.”
“Then the baron had a clear reason to refuse. That’s not even a fair employment contract—it’s basically slavery.”
Exactly. Even without further explanation, I could guess Marquis Even’s character.
“So Baron Even scrapped all contracts and ignored any further contact. But later, he heard Baron Even signed a deal with a foreign investor.”
“Since he was ignored, he must have been furious. And because a foreign investor, not even an empire citizen, succeeded in a deal he failed at, he must have felt robbed.”
“Exactly. Both Baron Even and the investor became targets of his malicious rumors.”
“What a petty person.”
To attempt to steal everything openly and then take revenge behind the scenes… just like his wife. Perfectly fitting, indeed. I frowned remembering that loud voice. Lucius, stroking my face gently, let out a deep sigh.
“Yes. The problem is that his petty actions have clearly crossed a line.”
His voice, furrowed with concern, resonated lower than usual.
