Chapter 49

Chapter 49 – Intense Upheaval (3)

Cesar’s gaze was nailed to the direction she had gone. As if he was trying to chase the trail of a woman who had already left.

“I wonder who you are…”

A person he couldn’t figure out. That was Cesar’s assessment of her. On the other hand, she was also quite consistent. From the first moment he met her, she had always been a mystery.

“It’s frustrating not knowing what’s going on in her mind.”

He needed to know exactly what she wanted before thinking of recruiting her.

“It’s difficult to even pressure her.”

She was a woman who didn’t flinch before the man who had cut the late emperor’s head off. Not only did she seem fearless, she knew no weakness. Given the circumstances, he couldn’t force her to submit. He wanted to take her, but he didn’t know how.

Cesar clicked his tongue briefly and rubbed the back of his neck. He had once thought of getting rid of her, but now he wanted her. What she had accomplished was enough to turn his thoughts and judgment upside down. He wasn’t a complete believer in the illusion of foresight, but it was clear that there was something about her. Maybe it was the foresight she claimed, or maybe it was a network of information he couldn’t reach.

Whatever it was, he was beginning to covet her.

But his hopes were dashed by grim reality. His relationship with her hadn’t changed much since the day they met. She was as cheeky as ever, not feeling showing any signs of self-consciousness or fright in front of him. She certainly didn’t seem to have any intention of giving him her loyalty, nor did she see him as anything more than a tool to be used.

“Ha, really!”

What was this? It felt as if he was a desperate man trying to be noticed by a woman.

“…What the hell do I have to give you to make you docile?” Cesar sighed in frustration. It didn’t do much good, though.

“What you want, what you want… Tch. I’ll start by telling you what I desire first.”

Cleverly, the woman hid her greed while showing off her abilities. Cesar scowled and walked away. There was no reason for him to be alone in the garden when the woman he wanted to meet had already left.

The trouble she’d stirred at the dinner banquet was just the first step, so he would have to wait. Cesar intended to return to his quarters. He had people to meet after the dinner banquet and work to do.

The bodies of bureaucrats who had died at his hands piled up as mountains of work. He was working himself to the bone to maintain order and security.

‘Would she help me out?’ The thought of work made him feel weak. The nameless woman seemed to be a skilled administrator. The correspondence she sent him was a perfect report, without a single flaw. The thought of the woman’s abilities slowly surfacing made him thirst. Her intelligence and organizational skills were endless. With an overabundance of knights and a shortage of bureaucrats to handle administrative affairs, his greed only intensified.

However, despite his intense greed, there were no results.

‘In the end, I couldn’t even see her face.’

When he sent Pharrell, he thought he would have the woman’s portrait in his hands right away. But now he was bound by a vow and not allowed to see it. Perhaps Pharrell had seen the woman’s face. If not, there was no reason for her to shut him up.

“What the hell…”

Nothing ever goes one’s way. That’s why he couldn’t let go of the worst. If that woman didn’t end up being his—

‘It’s proper to get rid of her.’

He coveted her, but basically, she was a subject that Cesar couldn’t control. She might be cooperating with him for now, but then what? For the first time in a long time, shivers ran down his spine at the thought of her information falling into the wrong hands. The details were somehow beyond the realm of humanity as if she’d seen something no one should ever see.

Thus, if she showed any signs of turning against him, it was safest to get rid of her. If he deliberately caused her to violate her pledge, then God would kill her. Failing that, he could wait for the pledge to end.

But what if she could become fully his? An exhilarating shiver ran through Cesar. To do something like that without knowing weaknesses, or desires…

“Should I make Pharrell try to seduce her or something…?”

Binding her in marriage would be a way.

‘I don’t think that’s entirely a bad idea.’ Recalling Pharrell’s nervous glance at the banquet, it seemed like a pretty good idea.

“Seduce? Pharrell? Who?”

A sudden voice interrupted Cesar’s thoughts. Slowly, he made his way to the garden entrance. Waiting for him, Etrada tilted her head full of questions.

“Did you wait long?”

“It’s okay, I was with Pharrell. It was good to see him after such a long time.”

After he had recruited him, Etrada began to follow Pharrell, who was both serious and deep, like an older brother. He knew that much.

But why? Etrada’s behavior earlier, when she had rushed into Pharrell’s arms, was annoying. As he was about to say something about it—

“That short-haired woman.

“I thought you wanted to whine about something.”

Recalling the woman’s nonsense stopped him.

‘Complain? That’s ridiculous.’

Cesar swallowed the words he was about to say, feeling hot under the collar for some reason. It wasn’t like he had no problem with Etrada being close to Pharrell, but it wasn’t something he could say. After brushing off the woman’s nonsense and unseemly thoughts, Cesar asked.

“Where is she?”

“She left with Pharrell a little while ago.” Etrada looked sullen. It wasn’t hard for Cesar to figure out why.

“Was she being too much again?”

“…Mn. It’s pretty obvious she doesn’t like me, isn’t it?”

There was no denying it. The woman had set her blades into Etrada. Blatantly enough for Cesar and his entourage to notice. And Etrada, who truly believed the woman was a prophet, was often depressed. For a moment, he wondered if he should say something because he didn’t like her looking sad. But there was nothing to say. The matter was out of Cesar’s hands.

Just as he couldn’t read her mind, he didn’t know the reason for her feelings and actions. In such a situation, it was better to do nothing.

‘If I mess it up, I’ll only make her resentment grow.’ She truly was a woman you couldn’t figure out from head to toe.

“She will let you know about your parents later. Don’t worry about it too much.”

“Mn…”

Etrada nodded her head slightly to acknowledge Cesar’s comfort.

She didn’t need to improve her relationship with someone who didn’t like her. Etrada already had plenty of people who cared about her. But seeing her in such a depressed mood made Cesar’s heart sink.

“Phew…” He sighed aloud.

Etrada asked cautiously.

“It didn’t work out as you wanted again?”

It was a question he couldn’t just ignore. He had lived to be at the top of his game. A life lived solely to slit the emperor’s throat and take control of everything he had lost. Cesar’s life knew no failure, no defeat.

That is, until he met that woman.

After meeting her, things didn’t go his way, and he failed again and again, but he was too proud to admit it. He just hadn’t grasped his opponent yet. Cesar believed that he would have the upper hand in the future. At that, he opened his mouth to dismiss Etrada’s question.

“…Not exactly.”

“It looks like it, though?”

The unconvincing tone of his voice, coupled with the fact that she’d seen so much, didn’t make her believe him. Instead, she began to tease him, as if she found the situation amusing. In response, Cesar’s expression changed strangely.

It was because, without realizing it, he forced his face to relax.

If someone else had said that, he would have been offended. It would have been a sarcastic remark about his incompetence. But out of Etrada’s mouth, the words were sweet. Because he knew she wasn’t the kind of person to disregard or belittle, and also…

“You look harmful when it’s about that child. Like, you’re a different person.”

The other person’s criticism, coming at him when he least expected it, left a mark on him. It was like a rebuke. Why hadn’t he noticed it before?

As Cesar’s expression hardened a little, Etrada turned to him, her face bright and cheerful. Not liking the change in his expression, Cesar broke his stony face and said,

“Let’s go.”

He turned and walked away, offering no excuse or explanation, and Etrada just followed behind.

“By the way, what did you mean about seducing?”

“Hm?”

“Earlier, you said something about Pharrell seducing…”

“Ah…”

To tie that woman down it was for the best if someone related to Cesar stepped forward. Pharrell was the most appropriate person to do so. He hadn’t confirmed it, but Pharrell seemed to have developed feelings for the woman, so this would be a good solution for him as well. But whether he likes her or not, was it feasible?

‘She’s not the kind of girl who’d be caught that way,’ he sighed.

After meeting this nameless woman, he couldn’t stop the noise in his head. Both official and personal.

‘How can I find out what she’s hiding?’

As he pondered the unanswered question, they reached the floor where the Emperor’s chambers and private drawing room were located. Cesar opened the parlor door and made eye contact with a man who had already arrived.

“His Majesty, the Emperor.”

The man was waiting for him in advance, a graceful smile plastered on his polished face. Liam rose from the sofa and bowed politely. Cesar waved off his greeting and took a seat at the head table.

“What brings you here?”

Cesar asked the question, but Liam’s gaze landed on Etrada. There was a hint of discomfort in Cesar’s purple eyes. He had heard of their connection, but he had never felt pleased about it. He knew Liam’s nature was quite devilish. After murdering his half-brothers and even his own father, he seized control of the Agramento Marquisate. In the process, he devoured the filth created by his father and ancestors.

But Etrada had no intention of listening to Cesar’s warnings about the dangers of Liam’s nature. Instead, she defended Liam’s actions.

“It’s not something to be proud of, but what other choice did he have?

“He killed them before they killed him. You did so, too.”

Aside from his immoral decisions, the misdeeds Liam had committed would make a long list.

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