TVIOWHFW 93

The emperor blinked one eye.

“Was my judgment acceptable?”

The emperor was more approachable than I had thought.

‘No, that makes it even scarier.’

At first glance, John seemed like a perfect gentleman. But in reality, the current emperor had a record of massacring all his strong maternal relatives.

“I am amazed by Your Majesty’s wisdom as a servant.”

“Wouldn’t the duke have rebelled against my judgment if I weren’t?”

“Since Your Majesty is this wise, how could I?”

I swallowed hard.

‘He seems to be polite, but in the end, he’s warning the emperor.’

It seemed plausible that when the emperor’s judgment was not wise, he could do that.

‘Is it alright to do that to the emperor?’

The emperor chuckled heartily.

“That’s why I like you. I only act according to your worth. Will your opinion about the shrine remain unchanged in the future?”

“Yes. I have no intention of getting involved with the saintess, nor with the Holy Kingdom.”

“Why is that?”

The emperor’s eyes narrowed.

“It looks like there are quite a few things I could gain if I just used you.”

“There’s not a hint of doubt that my wife or the saintess might dislike or feel uneasy about it.”

“Who would have thought that Duke Blanchet would say such romantic words?”

A tense atmosphere flowed between the emperor and John. I smiled as if I knew nothing and observed the two.

‘John is taking the lead.’

As if to prove my judgment, it was the emperor who broke the awkward silence first.

“Please continue to be a faithful pillar of the empire, just as you are now.”

The emperor passed by me with a light smile. At that moment, I noticed a shimmering ornament hanging from his waistband.

‘Is that a stamp or something?’

The emperor’s attire was strangely cracked all over.

‘It looks very different from what he’s wearing now.’

Overall, it was an overly elaborate accessory for a neat outfit. I suddenly reflected on my own abilities.

‘Is that the emperor’s secret?’

Nothing immediately came to mind.

I clenched the hand John was holding. When I looked up at him, his crimson eyes were narrowing as he watched me.

‘Why am I nervous?’

I awkwardly smiled and asked.

“Do you have something to say to me?”

“I’ll take care of that woman as soon as possible.”

Fortunately, John was worried about something else.

“About that woman…”

“The saintess.”

There was no one around, and his voice was so low that no one could hear, but I still checked the surroundings carefully.

“What if someone hears?”

But John was only looking at me.

“That’s not important.”

“Why?”

“Because I can handle anything if someone hears about me.”

His crimson eyes shone fiercely.

“So, just tell me one thing. That woman, she’s annoying, isn’t she?”

I nodded without realizing.

…I don’t like it.

“I figured as much.”

“But she’s the saintess of the shrine, and she hasn’t done anything seriously wrong yet.”

“Don’t you think her actions so far have been quite a big mistake?”

John’s tone was still gentle, but there was an inexplicable coldness in the air. I shook my head and replied.

“If I have any trouble, I’ll tell John then. I’m pretty good at giving him advice, after all.”

Honestly, I didn’t really want to talk more about the saintess with John.

‘I also dislike John caring so much about that woman for no reason.’

If it’s just her unilateral manipulations, it might be better to forget her existence altogether.

“By the way, has John ever attended a festival at the royal palace?”

The Marquis and Marquise of Libertan often hosted guests at the palace during festivals. Of course, that was a luxury I couldn’t afford as an adopted child.

‘Let’s be glad they don’t take me along for appearances’ sake.’

During those times, Estelle, left alone at the Libertan estate, became a target of overt harassment.

Even the Marquis and Marquise, who had served as a shield for her, disappeared.

Now, I merely hoped that the Marquis and Marquise would return from the palace soon.

‘I wonder what it’s like to actually see the place.’

John spoke with a slight smile.

“Have you been a few times?”

“How was it?”

“Sometimes frustrating, sometimes fascinating.”

I was surprised and looked up at John. Our eyes met with his crimson ones.

“Why?”

“Oh, it just doesn’t seem right that John would find something so fascinating.”

“What do you really think of me?”

John’s smile took on a gentle glow.

“Hmm. Because it looked like you’ve experienced everything already.”

‘That’s something John went through in the past.’

A tension ran through my body. It was the first time John shared anything about his past.

Then John stopped walking.

‘A carriage?’

In front of us stood a carriage from the Blanchet estate. The carriage door opened, and John immediately helped me inside.

I obediently got into the carriage, following John’s lead.

“Going back right now? We just greeted the emperor.”

“You’ve done everything expected of a guest. What else is there to do?”

“But normally, you’d interact with other nobles.”

John narrowed his eyes and seemed to hesitate for a moment.

“Is there anything you want to do more? Then you can go back now.”

“No, that’s not necessarily true. I usually like going to new places, but I don’t really like meeting new people. You already noticed, right?”

“Somewhat.”

John nodded silently.

“But I don’t really know how hard you’re struggling. If you want, I’ll make sure you never meet anyone new in your life.”

‘Huh? Why is it turning out like that?’

I hurriedly waved my hands.

“It’s okay. I’m fine being with John. It’s actually reassuring and adds a new kind of fun.”

John didn’t immediately respond as if he was pondering something.

‘What weird idea is he having now?’

His misunderstanding could lead to serious problems.

“I’ll be with John back at the mansion anyway, so it’s fine.”

“What should I do?”

John slightly furrowed his brows.

“I have urgent business now, so I might have to send you alone.”

“Urgent business?”

“Yeah. I’ll come find you as soon as it’s over, but I can’t let you wait here because I don’t know how it will turn out. If something happens to you while I’m gone, what then?”

John’s large hand patted my head.

“You can go back to the mansion first, right?”

“I’m not a child. I’ll just get in the carriage and go. Nothing’s going to happen.”

“If anything happens, call me. Got it?”

John made sure to remind me until the very end.

‘He really thinks I’m too young.’

Unfortunately, I wasn’t as naive as John thought, nor someone easy to hurt just because others could easily manipulate me.

But I did like that John was worried about me like this.

“If you’re that worried, just come back as soon as possible.”

Honestly, aside from John’s worries, I was on my way back to Duke Blanchet’s estate. It’s a place where knights constantly patrol and carriages frequently pass by, so safety was never a concern.

‘It’s unlikely anything will happen.’

~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~

The carriage carrying Estelle disappeared.

‘Why do I feel so uneasy?’

John still kept his gaze on the carriage and spoke.

“Shouldn’t you come out now?”

There was no one behind. But John didn’t even turn his head and growled as if annoyed.

“I know everything inside. Don’t waste time; come out. Do you think I’ll drag you out forcibly?”

Then, among the trees, a suited man appeared — Leandro, wearing armor. He looked at John with a blank face.

“Since when did you know?”

“Since the beginning.”

A gentle breeze brushed between the two. Leandro reached for his sword at his waist, while John summoned his magic.

John’s crimson eyes flashed.

“I told you not to loiter near my wife.”

“John Blanchet. Today, I did not come to fight you.”

“If that was the case, then you shouldn’t have meddled with someone else’s wife.”

John’s sarcastic remark made Leandro’s face tighten slightly.

“That’s—”

Leandro clenched his fist and lowered his voice.

“Yes, I admit—there’s my fault too. But that’s not the important thing right now.”

“Who decides that it’s not important?”

“How much do you know about Estelle Libertan?”

It sounded like he implied he knew more about Estelle than John did. But John sensed that Leandro’s reaction was much different from usual.

‘Did he find out something?’

It was unpleasant to deal with Leandro, but if it was for Estelle, he could endure it to some extent.

John deliberately provoked him.

“You probably know more than someone who’s just a stranger.”

“You wouldn’t know how Estelle ended up being adopted into the Libertan estate, would you?”

“Do you know?”

“Of course.”

A strange sadness welled up in Leandro’s eyes.

“The first to discover Estelle Libertan was the Marquis Pelsis. He secretly placed her in an orphanage so that she could be adopted by the Libertan family without anyone noticing.”

“…”

“And that’s how I, Stella, and I got engaged to strengthen our bond.”

~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~

Boom! Crash! Screeeech!

A loud noise echoed outside the carriage. It suddenly stopped, even though it was cushioned to prevent any jostling. I woke up from a nap and looked outside.

‘What’s that…?’

Outside, men in black masks were fighting with the guards from the Blanchet estate.

‘An attack!’

A knight, noticing me waking up, urgently shouted.

“Lady! Are you conscious?”

“When did this happen?”

“Not long ago. But I don’t think the Blanchet knights alone can handle this. For your safety, you need to escape now.”

The fierce sounds of battle between the knights and the attackers deafened me. I felt queasy.

‘An attack… who could it be?’

I tried to steady my mind and asked the knight.

“Will I be safe here?”

“All the Blanchet knights will protect you.”

“All right.”

Given the urgency, I grabbed the knight’s hand and stepped outside. Once outside the carriage, the danger felt even more vivid.

The attackers had formed a circle around us, attacking from all sides.

Sadly, they outnumbered us and seemed more skilled.

‘If the Blanchet knights are being pushed back, they must be a formidable force.’

The attackers, having seen me, shouted.

“Lady Blanchet is here! Everyone, target Lady Blanchet!”

“Protect the lady!”

My escort knights and the attackers faced off tensely. Two knights around me exchanged glances, contemplating how to cover my escape.

‘That’s right, John told me to call him.’

I was relieved I hadn’t forgotten the magic tool he gave me. I whispered softly.

“John. I think I’m under a strange attack right now.”

A magic surge from the enchanted bracelet activated.

‘So, it’s not a teleportation spell that directly calls John, huh?’

After all, John had mentioned that teleportation involved many restrictions.

‘Still, I should be able to contact him clearly, right?’

I swallowed hard and whispered again.

“John, John! If I don’t do something, I might die here!”

Just then, I heard the sound of a galloping horse in the distance. My eyes widened.

‘John already?’

But—

“Stop!”

Sadly, the person coming to save me wasn’t John. The prince on a white horse, Carlus, was galloping toward us confidently.

“What are you doing to the lady right now?”

I tried not to show my disappointment overtly and asked the knight beside me.

“Will the prince help us now?”

“Wouldn’t he?”

“Is the prince… really…?”

My distrust was obvious. The knight didn’t answer immediately. Regardless, Prince Carlus was just rushing over like a fairy-tale prince.

‘His timing seems a bit odd. Is he deliberately scheming?’

~·~·*· . ·**##^^##**· . ·*·~·~

Hey there, It’s Green Rose 😉

Since I human I might have make some mistakes while translating so please if you find them let me know here in the comments or in the Discord group so I can correct them and be careful in the future so they do not repeat.

Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

~~~Next Chapter~~~

Next chapter will be released Tomorrow.

See you then!!