Chapter 106

‘The aide has also come.’

Still, she made eye contact with Doher, who was standing behind him, and she bowed slightly.

Behind him, Fiz followed Doher and bowed slightly.

‘What..? Are you saying hello now?’

She was a little puzzled, but Annie also gave an eye greeting.

Then, Ejed found Annie and smiled softly. He even approached her.

“Annie.”

“…Pretending to know in front of people?”

This was an unexpected development, and she was deeply embarrassed. There was no way Ejed would have been so active in public.

But here, she could not even chew his greetings. That would make Ejed’s position more difficult than her.

Annie smiled awkwardly as she looked up at Ejed, who came just around the corner in no time.

“H-Hello. Your Majesty is also here.”

“Yes. I like the tart here.”

“…Does this taste better than the imperial tart?’

The nearby tea house owner was moved by the story and made a single expression as if he was about to cry.

Contrary to the expectation that he would return soon, Ejed did not move.

He was like a large dog waiting for a conversation or even a command from its owner.

She stared at the two assistants behind Ejed for help, but they shrugged.

Annie had no choice but to induce a natural conversation.

“That. What kind of tart do you like?”

“Lemon.”

Jade stared at Annie’s table and smiled softly.

There were tiny yellow remnants left. It was also a sign of hard eating.

‘…I’m embarrassed.’

Just as she thought she would like him to stop looking at her, his mouth opened.

“Lemon tart.”

“Oh, just like me.”

“I hated it at first, but then I fell in love with it.”

“Ah. It seems that your taste has changed. That, you know. Growing up, your tastes change from when you were young. My older brother was like that too.”

As the conversation continued, the people around could not help but be astonished. The young lady, whose voice never trembled against the tyrant, was also surprising; but his appearance toward her was even more incredible.

His sweet and friendly tone of voice seemed like someone other than a tyrant.

“And…”

Ejed said seriously. It was a voice so small that only Annie could hear it.

“For future diplomatic exchanges, we need someone fluent in Yulfbe.”

Now was the time to strengthen the relationship between Yulfbe and Porcaus.

They have had a bad relationship since the time of the previous emperor.

“If there is anyone around Annie who is good at Yulfbe, please recommend applying this time. Other than skills, there are no restrictions.”

It was strange to hear, so Annie asked cautiously.

“Well, Your Majesty. Are you… are you recommending this to me now?”

Ejed did not deny it. He just looked down at her with still eyes.

Why? She felt an unfamiliar thirst.

“Everything is done privately. Your face will be covered in a cubicle, take an exam, and have an interview.”

“…”

So it was also an encouragement to spread the word.

Ejed smiled at Annie.

“I’ll go now.”

“…”

“See you at the Imperial Palace.”

***

Annie had a hard time calming down the ladies who were making a fuss as soon as Ejed was gone.

Fortunately, Carla heard the rumors from the tea house. She was concerned about what she would say, so she was relatively silent.

After that, Annie became troubled.

‘The Imperial Ministry of Foreign Affairs… .you can see many worlds.”

No matter how much she wrote travel books, the places she could go were limited. This was because there are quite a few countries where she was prohibited from entering due to her status as a noble lady.

However, if she became a member of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, such restrictions would disappear in many ways. And this was also one of the few opportunities in her life.

There was a breakthrough.

‘If… If I was given the lowest score based on gender, I could take the test with a perfect score.’

Annie pulled out her old box from under the bed. She smiled faintly as she brushed away the dusty box with her hands.

Click.

When she opened her box, she found a pile of thick books. The most notable among them was a leather book with the title ‘Yulfbe Language’ engraved largely.

The book, thicker than a small child’s forearm, was full of traces of her hard work.

Her fingertips gently scanned the cover of her book.

Flip, flip.

She started reading a book.

‘…Long time no see.’

Memories caught her eyes more than words—days of fateful meetings, first love, learning, and happiness.

After learning Yulfbe with John, they came to understand each other.

[Lady Dsev. ]

[ Yes? ]

[ Sorry, but…can I ask what this word means? ]

[You’re asking something you don’t know, so what are you sorry for? ]

When she replied playfully, John smiled and muttered.

[Because you always look busy. ]

[ Ahh, you have been watching me?]

[ Yes. ]

Why? At that moment, the world seemed to have stopped.

John said in a voice that had no lies at all.

[I’ve been watching. ]

[ … ]

[From now on, I’ll think so. ]

She thought it was a remarkable confession that she could only hear once in the world. And John gave her all the happiness she had hoped for and the tragedy she had been waiting for.

Annie made a bitter look.

‘Bad guy… Don’t make such promises.’

It was a very dull development. John said goodbye, and Annie silently nodded her head.

Annie ran her fingertips across the cover with a sad expression on her face. After her breakup, she even hid the book to forget about him as much as possible.

Flip.

The sadness on Annie’s face as she turned over the book gradually faded.

By the time dawn came, she only had one resolution left.