CH 56

Euges grinned as he sat in the top seat and watched me frozen. “Your impression has changed a lot from last summer’s ball.”

“It’s an honor if Your Majesty remembers.”

“It’s quite impressive to see Princess eager to dance with me.”

F*icking hedonist Theresa. No matter how much money, power, and appearance the emperor had, why didn’t you keep your fidelity to Clyde?

I thought carefully about how to answer. If I look like I’m aiming for the position of the empress, I’ll lose his likeability right away. In other words, it meant the number of black hearts would increase.

The bad ending of Euges was the massacre of the Squire family. Let’s appeal that I’m not the only one who was like that.

“All the young ladies wanted to dance with Your Majesty. Because Your Majesty is like a prince from a fairy tale.”

“Prince?”

I was taken aback by Euges’s question. Is it too much to call an emperor a prince? Don’t tell me he will think that I’m being sarcastic, as if I don’t acknowledge him as the emperor.

I hastily added an explanation. “Uh… Usually, the emperor is a man with a long beard… No, I mean, they’re not too young and handsome like Your Majesty… I’m sorry.”

“They were attracted to me because I’m young and handsome?”

That’s what it sounded like, but it was too plain.

“It was never meant to be erotic. It was more yearning.”

The emperor is a tyrant. He is a cold and cruel tyrant that seduces someone with his enchanting appearance and scent but instantly kills those who try to get drunk on him. In a way, he’s pretty similar to Clyde. If Clyde was mad with self-loathing, this side believed only in himself and thought that everyone was lying except for himself.

At my desperate excuses and persuasion, Euges’s eyebrows went up.

“For something like that, Princess’s eyes toward me were very intense, weren’t they?”

“I naturally have a strong impression.”

“And you always talk back to me.”

Sh*t. Does he believe in Confucianism? Even I, the developer, didn’t know about that. Let’s be patient. Those who exist are the ones who get hit, and those who don’t exist mean that they are the ones who get beaten in life.

“I’m sorry…”

“Stop being sorry and have some refreshments prepared. I told them to prepare everything that is popular these days, but I don’t know if it will be okay.”

Even if it wasn’t so, I was running out of sugar because I was dealing with the emperor. So I ate the cake right in front of me. Euges took a bite of the macaron and threw it with his fork. Just as I was opening my mouth to eat the cake, I froze in that position.

“That’s terrible. Is this all you can do to entertain a distinguished guest who has made a contribution?”

Then, the court ladies, who exist like air, quickly approached and cleaned up the macaroons. “I’m sorry. I will bring a new one.”

I put the cake in my mouth, quickly chewed it, and swallowed it. I think I’m going to have an upset stomach.

Euges asked, and I stopped my fork in case he started screaming again. “Does it not suit your taste? I don’t think I can eat it.”

“Ah, no. It’s delicious.”

I forked hard, fearing he might overturn the table, and Euges murmured softly. “Really? It didn’t suit my taste. It looks like you have a good stomach.”

Ding!

[The Constellation ‘Finding Mukbang BJ’ has sponsored 10,000 coins.]

[So, are you telling her to eat it or not?— It’s making me crazy.”

That was what I was saying.

When I ate diligently, Euges suddenly got up. “For the sake of Princess, I will show you around the Sun Palace. After a short walk, dinner will be ready.”

It was an unwelcome suggestion at all, but I would rather take a walk than chew a cake that doesn’t even know if I eat it with my mouth or my nose.

“It is an honor, Your Majesty.”

As I followed and got up, Euges held out his hand to escort me. I smiled awkwardly and lightly touched the tip of his hand. As I pretended to touch it, Euges held my hand like a beast trying to suffocate its prey. It felt like I could never escape.

“I’m upset that Princess is having a hard time with me.”

“…It’s not like that at all.”

We left the reception room and walked along the quiet corridor. It wasn’t good weather for a walk as it started to drizzle, but it had its own charm. While only Euges’s and my footsteps echoed, he broke the silence.

“I heard that there was a commotion in Valhalla not too long ago. Duke Squire seems to be very angry.”

“There was a misunderstanding, and it was resolved smoothly and well.”

Euges snorted at my nonchalant answer. He didn’t seem to believe at all whether he had known the situation in detail beforehand.

Although it didn’t go smoothly because father threatened to do territory war.

“Well, let’s say so. The important thing is not that, it’s the award for meritorious service Princess had done. How about becoming the imperial wizard right away? I will support you as much as you like with your personal magic tower and assistants.”

To become an imperial wizard, you had to quit school. Neither was the direction I wanted, so I carefully chose my words and refused. “I’m grateful that Your Majesty rated my abilities highly, but how can a person who hasn’t graduated from Valhalla become a member of the imperial family?”

“So you reject it. Compared to the status of a princess, it’s not a particularly attractive proposal. If so, tell me what Princess wants.”

It was an obvious test. You shouldn’t want something too much or too trivial. If you couldn’t come up with a well-balanced answer, you wouldn’t know how Euges would react. But is there such an answer?

Klatang! The unpleasant sound of stones being kicked to the marble floor rang out clearly.

“…”

“…”

“…”

A terrifying silence passed. After stepping on the stones, the courter became contemplative and immediately bowed to the floor and prayed.

“Please spare me, Your Majesty!”

Euges put his big hand on his forehead. His hand trembled slightly, and blood vessels stood on his forehead. It was a big deal. Euges’s shallow patience was about to be running out. The court lady would surely die. Because today was the day to put fabric on all the shoes!

“Your Majesty, there is something I want.”

I didn’t think of myself to be particularly chivalrous. However, I didn’t have the mental strength to watch a person die in front of my eyes.

“I want to see ice thorn wolf’s bane. If it’s the flower garden of the imperial family, there must be such a precious flower.”

“Ice thorn wolf’s bane?”

Euges looked back at the chamberlain with a furrowed expression on his face that he had never heard of before. “Is there such a thing?”

“There is a small garden of it, Your Majesty.”

When he heard that there was a separate flower garden, Euges looked even more puzzled.

The chamberlain continued. “It’s a flower that is always placed in Your Majesty’s bedroom.”

“Ah, that flower.”

Ice thorn wolf’s bane is a magical flower with a powerful paralyzing poison. It’s a dangerous plant that if a non-wizard holds it with their bare hands, their whole body becomes paralyzed and dies within five minutes. Still, it was an effective herb for the emperor. Euges’s neurosis was a disease caused by his lineage. Because his five senses were very sensitive, the paralyzing effect of the ice thorn wolf’s bane worked positively on him.

Euges smiled nervously and looked at me. “Do you mean to tell me to look at those flowers to calm my temper?”

If I really meant it that way, it would only be a sarcastic remark to the emperor. I flatly denied it. “It’s not like that. I’m saying this because Your Majesty seems to have felt a headache from the sharp sound. Taking painkillers will have an immediate effect, but frequent use is not good for your health. So if Your Majesty  goes to the garden with me, you will have a similar effect.”

“Going to the garden for my health can be a prize for Princess?”

There was no hesitation in my answer. “Yes. If it works, I will take good care of Your Majesty. There is no greater reward than that.” Euges might not believe it, but I was sincere. 

He stared at me with an expression that he wanted to strangle me, then gently closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, his expression softened. “Guide me.”

The chief chamberlain thanked me with a wink and hurriedly led us to the flower garden.

“I didn’t know magic plants were left in the imperial family. I thought the flowers in the bedroom were brought from outside.”

As soon as it was reported that monsters were attracted by magical plants, the imperial family replaced the garden with ordinary plants.

The chamberlain replied, “Don’t worry, we’re taking care of it thoroughly, so it’s not dangerous.”

“I see. I don’t think monsters will attack on this scale.”

Magical plants were also great for ornamental purposes because of their mysterious shapes and colors. The ice thorn wolf’s bane was emitting an enchanting light that could only be found in a celestial garden. Still, the light was much more prominent because of the rainy weather.

“Hmm. It calms me down quite a bit.”

His relaxed action made the court ladies look relieved inside. I thought the emperor was being generous today. Still, he had a stiff look on his face. If he was really in a good mood, he would have ordered the cloth covering the court ladies’ shoes to be undone.

Euges reached out gracefully and grabbed the hair of the court lady who had stepped on the stone and pulled it away.

“Aargh!”

The atmosphere froze again in an instant.

“Let’s pretend princess’s efforts to ease my heart, so I give you a chance,” Euges said to the court lady with a benevolent expression. “Pick that flower that is said to be effective for me.”