Chapter 49

✿

At the slow-flowing question, the Duke lowered his gaze and smiled.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Did the Duke like chocolates?”

He hid the word ‘sweets’ behind his tongue because it seemed like he wouldn’t even touch them.

Nevertheless, the question that appeared on the Emperor’s face did not easily disappear.

However, Duke Anais had no intention of talking any further.

“I think I’m going to like it from now on.”

“Hmm…”

The Emperor, who sat down with his posture corrected, shook his head.

The solo time was slowly coming to an end. The next order was that of the court white Julian.

His plan was to call the adopted princess around this time and make them have tea time with them.

“I’ll see you at the next court meeting.”

‘I couldn’t even see a hole to get in.’ The Emperor half-heartedly thought.

“You must be busy.”

He spoke with half displeasure, but the Duke Anais only responded neatly, as if he had no interest in the other person’s feelings.

“Yes.”

“…Let’s do this again next time.”

The Duke got up and bowed politely.

The Emperor folded his arms as he saw the elegant back of the Duke leaving the private room.

‘I almost passed it without noticing, but something was different.’

I felt a slight urgency from the Duke’s actions, who was always indifferent and relaxed.

The Emperor furrowed his brows.

Judging from the attitude of Duke Anais, an artificial meeting that was arranged by others won’t be good.

After all, young people tend to prefer natural encounters.

-‘It is better to promote the marriage between the princess and the Duke as soon as possible, Father.’

-‘Why?’

-‘There’s a growing trend of people in the Empire who yearn for beast people. In addition, more and more people are moving to the Dominion of the North to avoid imperial laws.’

-‘Before that, we should make him our ally.’

-‘Yes. Otherwise, everyone will become our enemies.’

The Crown Prince was right.

As it’s a difficult opponent to deal with, it was necessary to make him an ally for now.

Then, how should the princess and the Duke naturally form a relationship?

The Emperor frowned with deep anxiety.

✿

Time in the capital passed by neither slowly nor quickly.

As the Emperor guessed, the Duke of Anais had a busy day.

He was a bit overworked day and night checking the latest artifacts in the capital.

‘Why didn’t I think of bringing something from the capital?’

Since Astel was from the capital, it would have been boring in Duke Castle without the developed culture of the capital.

He walked past the hall of the Imperial Palace bluntly.

As he left the Imperial Palace, he met quite a few people and greeted them.

Of course, everyone ran away after greeting him.

‘I didn’t really care.’

In order to revitalize the atmosphere and take a moderate rest, he leisurely walked along the promenade created in the Imperial Palace.

Was it because of fatigue or was it a problem with the imprint like last time that my cheeks are feverish even though I’m only taking a walk?

When his heart raced, he thought about the imprint.

To be exact, I was concerned about Astel, which was connected by the imprint.

In the meantime, I wondered what the noble women of Astel’s age usually use.

However, I couldn’t observe anything properly.

Duke Anais frowned.

‘In this imperial palace, wherever I go, there are no humans.’

I realized again that my reputation was well known to the nobles who went to and from the imperial palace.

The Duke glanced down at his hand.

‘…It’s the same as the humans.’

It’s probably because of the notoriety of the Monster Wars. His lips twisted.

Sadly, from some point on, everywhere he passed by became a ruin.

He raised an eyebrow and then opened his lips loosely.

Of course, I had to change my expression smoothly.

If I’m lucky enough to see even a human while walking and make eye contact, all of them run away.

Anyhow, thinking that the walk was over, I immediately rechecked today’s schedule.

And with an indifferent face, I looked back on the civilized business of the capital step by step.

As I thought about it, I thought that the order was to invite the most famous chocolatier in the capital.

Today’s schedule…

However, today, I’m going to take over the most famous dessert cafe in the capital, Mood Chocolat, which was popular enough to the point where noble ladies gather on behalf of the salon.

Standing in front of a large glass wall, he looked at his reflection in the glass and once again hung a smile on his lips.

There was a copy of the dessert cafe’s sign that read “Mood Chocolat, Chocolate sweeter than a cold winter’s kiss”.

What do you mean winter’s kiss and chocolate?

Wasn’t it a pretty romantic mood that goes well with the North?

It was the first time in his life that he had such a romantic thought and smiled coldly.

✿

Just then, inside the Mood Chocolat Dessert Cafe.

Three young ladies gathered in a cafe to build friendship and chatted without knowing the upcoming future.

They are young ladies who have just finished their debut, and the biggest issue in life right now was deciding who their escort knight was.

In conversations related to escort knights, it’s inevitable to talk about the most famous knights in the current capital.

“Sir Cassian Gray said he wouldn’t escort anyone?”

A young lady, who looked disappointed, poked the cake with a fork.

“Yes, that’s what he said.”

“I wonder if there’s already a woman in his heart?”

The other young lady’s expression with wheat-colored hair darkened.

Then the other lady spoke in a serious tone.

“No way. Sir Cassian is the flower of the capital. It’s a public good.”

“Of course. Wasn’t he kind to every lady he meets?”

The young lady laughed slyly.

“Was he simply affectionate?”

She pointed her finger at the gossip paper placed next to the table.

“Have you seen this issue of Knights and Ladies?”

The eyes of the three naturally fell toward the gossip paper.

The gossip paper contained an anonymous interview by a commoner that he had an impulsive night with ‘Cassian Gray.’

They found a word they liked in the gossip.

Right away…

“It’s so absurd!”

“…It’s Awesome.”

The faces of the three, who are still young, turned red.

“Oh my gosh…”

How he changes at night, this way and that…

There was a world in the gossip paper that they had never imagined.

“…Let’s calm down.”

They took a sip of tea and cooled down the heated atmosphere by continuously fanning with their lace fans.

Since the story of Lord Cassian boosted the excitement, it was time to turn the conversation around to the topic that was slowly hitting the capital.

“Did you hear that story?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I heard that His Majesty the Duke of Anais has visited the capital!”

In fact, apart from most of the capital nobles fearing the Duke of Anais and avoiding meeting him, the capital was bustling every day because of it.

It was not only the issue of the Duke of Anais finding the capital, but also news about other ‘women’.

The main character was a new princess who became the adopted daughter of the Emperor from a semi-aristocrat who had come from a collateral.

“There’s a widespread story that the Duke was staying in the capital for the purpose of marrying her majesty the princess.”

In fact, even before the Emperor even offered marriage to the Duke, the prince had already secretly circulated rumors in social circles.

It was a brief behind-the-scenes operation for marriage.

“Oh, my. Was it real?”

“Yes, there’s a story like that.”

The best Cinderella story in the Empire.

There must be royal blood on her maternal side, but at any rate she was born and raised in her own family and became a princess overnight!

At first, everyone implicitly despised her, saying she was a peasant maiden, but those who saw her on the debut stage could no longer dare to ignore her.

The new princess seems to have flowers laid on every spot she passes by, and that her every movement was so beautiful that it makes her shine.

If she was such a beautiful princess, she would definitely go well with the strong and elegant Duke of Anais regardless of her origin.

“Then, Her Majesty the Princess, would be the one who has everything!”

There was a blush on the cheeks of the young ladies chatting.

The meeting between the most beautiful woman in the Empire and the most powerful beast in the Empire, the Duke.

Both the Duke and the Princess were so mysterious that romance novels based on them sprang up in an instant.

It was in the midst of a more harmonious story under the theme of rumors between the two.

The silver-haired Young lady, who sat closest to the window, suddenly hit her front teeth.

“…I’m probably looking at a ghost right now, right?”

“…What?”

Their eyes turned to the door.

As the glass door opened, ‘Duke Anais’, who had been the main character of the conversation until just before, entered.