CH 41

She was not afflicted with princess syndrome, as she was formerly an actual princess, but her self-acknowledged good looks were improving even further after coming to the empire. Who knew why her skin only grew smoother and her complexion better despite the arduous nights, as if she were under a spell.

‘I think he definitely likes me, though,’ she thought. Several days ago, on the night she suffered through Aled’s chattering, the moment she heard the emperor had no thoughts of having an heir, she asked him to bring her The Forest of Tetin.

‘I was just saying it, though.’ She had spoken in the heat of anger. She had done so deliberately as she vaguely knew the emperor had no real intention of doing so. She had even foolishly tried playing the coquette, something she had never done in her life before. If he had rejected her request as too difficult, she would have expressed her true feelings in a joking manner, saying, ‘So all you said to me were empty words after all? Even though I’m this upset. Didn’t you say you held me, dear?’ But the next day, the emperor truly went to Tetin.

‘I really don’t get him.’ Cecile pouted. He seemed to care for her in his own way, so why did he not want a successor when that would solidify her standing? 

But just as Cecile was sinking into confusion again, Aled appeared in front of her all of a sudden and, with an expression that said ‘Finally, all the mysteries have been solved!’, began speaking to her. “I’ve been thinking it over for a few days now, but I think the emperor is impotent after all.”

“Will you please shuddap!” Cecile shot to her feet yelling at Aled’s words, surprising the attendants into looking at her. Feeling awkward, she muttered, “It-it’s nothing. Continue as you were.”

The attendants began moving their hands again at her bidding, but she could feel them taking nervous peeks at her. Cecile closed her eyes. She had been wondering why the spirit was staying quiet for hours at a time until it crawled out of nowhere again. Curiously, it seemed that Aled was invisible to the attendants.

“Didn’t I say I can read your thoughts? Why scream like that?” It asked.

‘Because I was surprised by your nonsense!’

“Why do you think it’s nonsense? This is the only valid conclusion that can be reached after putting together everything he said and all that happened up so far. I may not look it, but I’ve read lots of human novels and that’s why I know. An emperor can mate anytime he wishes, right? Then, according to the racial preservation instinct of exceptionally strong humans, shouldn’t he already have at least a hundred children?”

‘I’ll have you know His Majesty told me I was his first!’

“Didn’t he say you were the first to go on top of him? Doesn’t that mean there were many cases of the opposite?”

Is, is that how it is…?

As Cecile’s mind fell into disarray again at the point made by Aled, an attendant approached and spoke to her. “Your Majesty, it is time to go now.”

“Right.” Cecile nodded and mustered everything in her to ignore the ever twittering Aled and got up to head for the hall.

‘Don’t talk to me from now on.’

“Don’t wanna. Why should I obey you? I was born to make noise. Hey, you should really think about it again. I’m telling you, the emperor is…” Cecile listened to Aled’s resumed rambling with one ear and let it out through the other, her mind bent on quickly finding a jewel to be Aled’s new home just so she could shove that darned spirit inside.

And then, one hour later…

“I found it!”

Cecile let loose a victory cry while holding up an emerald brooch the size of a fist.