Chapter 62
I am, after all, like Moren’s spiritual anchor.
If someone’s mind is filled only with flowers, wouldn’t anyone be a coveted target?
If I wavered, Moren would undoubtedly waver as well.
“So, this isn’t exactly a wrong judgment.”
I would have acted the same way if I were in the same position.
Naturally, a question followed.
“Then, how much does Brindel’s side know?”
Is this rumor merely to unsettle Moren and me, or do they really have proof that I am not the Emperor’s legitimate child?
From the conversation so far, I couldn’t judge this, and my throat felt dry.
I bit the inside of my lip.
“So my identity leaks out like this, Mother… even though you tried so hard to hide it.”
Afterward, Brindel and I exchanged a few more questions and answers, each trying to extract information from the other.
However, he too seemed skilled in acting, so there was no further gain.
The tea time ended this way.
I parted from Brindel with a smiling face until the very end, but my mind was a tangled mess.
“This is a painful matter.”
I was confident in gathering information using spirits.
Plus, knowing the original story gave me access to far more secret and crucial information than others.
But… I lacked sufficient manpower.
“I don’t have the strength or the time to use this information to spread rumors or shape public opinion.”
How cautious was Brindel of me, and how far did he intend to escalate this matter?
How would Darien’s side move?
What reaction would the Emperor have to this rumor?
A day passed, carrying all these worries.
And the next day, in the afternoon, an unexpected visitor came.
“Allow me to greet you personally for the first time. My apologies for coming unannounced and startling you, Princess Neroli. I am Shevers Zelaur.”
A man with long silver hair and a monocle.
He was Count Zelaur, Brindel’s closest confidant.
“Perhaps it’s getting warmer; the summer flowers planted in the garden are beginning to bloom one by one! Flowers are truly beautiful~.”
“Yes, since flowers cannot move to reproduce naturally, they must have attracted insects and birds with noticeable colors. Their brilliant petals and fragrance would have been essential.”
“…….”
“The source is the renowned botanist Pabakins’ book All About Plant Reproduction.”
At that answer, I blinked briefly.
The spirits wandering nearby, seemingly flabbergasted, muttered among themselves.
[Oh my~ I don’t think they did that on purpose~. What a joyless human~.]
[Tsk tsk, do you think our master spoke ignorantly?]
[Hehe! Foolish in a different sense! What a fool!]
Ignoring the spirits’ intense reactions, I just smiled brightly.
“Wow, I see! I’ve only grown flowers without knowing the details! Thanks to Count Zelaur today, I’ve learned something new!”
It was easy to flatter him with such a response.
Perhaps unprepared for this, the Count showed a faint sign of being unsettled.
He quickly masked it, but I could not be fooled.
“You need not speak so formally to me, Princess.”
He quickly shifted the topic, unwilling to admit his unease.
“You are a noble of the high Lorunod family, and I am merely a Count. Please, speak comfortably.”
I glanced at him.
Why had he, someone with no previous connection to me, suddenly come and proposed a walk?
‘Most likely, Brindel sent him…’
To accurately discern his true intention, it was better if he remained unsettled.
So, I decided to strike at the Count’s weak point.
“Hmm, but Count, you are family to my brother Brindel, right? I respect the Zelaur blood flowing through Brindel and the Third Empress.”
Could he still hide his unease this time?
“And Count, you are the head of that family, aren’t you? Shouldn’t I show some respect?”
I smiled innocently, and his expression momentarily shifted.
It was as if he were uncomfortable… or perhaps…
‘…very pleased.’
“Thank you, Princess.”
The Count bowed slightly with a neutral expression.
Yet beyond that neutral face, I glimpsed his hidden emotions.
Thanks to my knowledge of the original story, I understood the environment in which he had grown up.
‘A distant cousin of the Third Empress. But when every member of the Zelaur Count family died on the same day, he inherited the title as a child.’
That was always said about Count Zelaur.
I recalled the details.
The family’s death occurred because Count Zelaur built a new villa.
‘He invited only my blood relatives for a grand feast, but the villa collapsed.’
The relatives in charge of construction embezzled funds, causing the collapse.
Yet, the culprits who should have been punished also perished in the accident…
It was a ridiculous tragedy recorded in history by law.
‘The only survivors were the man who was too ill to attend, the Third Empress who remained in the palace, and young Brindel.’
By law, the Third Empress, now the Emperor’s wife, could not inherit the title.
Brindel, desiring a higher position, declined, fearing that once he took the title, his image would be fixed.
Thus, the title naturally passed to Count Zelaur.
The Third Empress did not look upon this kindly.
‘An unknown child suddenly took over my family.’
It was common for the Third Empress to openly humiliate Count Zelaur.
Brindel also used him as a tool, exploiting the title he refused.
‘Perhaps out of conscience? The Count was silently used by both.’
Senior nobles who disdained such a vertical rise in status were eager to ignore Count Zelaur.
Even as the head of a branch of the Emperor’s in-laws, the nobles refused to acknowledge him.
‘Despite his outstanding intelligence gathering and cold judgment, despite raising the skewed newspaper to the empire’s top with skill…’
Yet, given his past, Count Zelaur naturally suffered from inferiority, anxiety, and a strong need for recognition regarding his title.
‘Now that I’ve acknowledged and respected his position…’
No matter how naïve and politically indifferent I appeared, I was still at the very top of Lorunod society.
Seeing me acknowledge and respect his title so casually, the Count had no choice but to feel a mix of complex emotions.
‘Ah, perhaps my words worked better because of Count Zelaur’s closely guarded secret?’
Thinking of his secret, I slowly spoke.
“Count Zelaur.”
“Yes.”
“Would you care to tell me now?”
I tilted my head innocently, pretending genuine curiosity.
“We’ve never had a proper conversation, have we? And a private walk is even less likely… Why did you come to see me?”
That was enough to probe him while walking in the garden.
The Count met my gaze, remained silent briefly, then spoke slowly.
“That’s correct. I came to make a proposal to you, Princess.”
“A proposal?”
“Did you know that once, you and I were betrothed?”
His words struck me.
It was sudden that he came, and even more so, the word caught me completely off guard.
I outwardly acted surprised, while inwardly quickly regaining composure.
“Hm, I’ve heard rumors in society. But… the Zelaur family is already tied to the royal family’s maternal line, isn’t it? As you know, our empire is sensitive about tangled bloodlines. I considered it just a passing rumor…”
“Objectively, the Zelaur blood in me is just a handful. It’s almost negligible.”
He took a step closer.
“And you have not a drop of Lorunod blood, correct?”
“!”
He whispered very softly.
“Neroli Mivan Lorunod, Princess. I will protect your secret and safety. So… would you marry me?”
