chapter 79-Lady Bellafleur Is Here

"Do you want his Highness and I to be closer?"

I asked.

"Well,"

he replied vaguely.

"Why do you ask that?"

"I don't understand,"

I said in a calm voice.

"I only know that you wanted a link between the Crown Prince and Odeletta."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because ..."

I hesitated for a moment.

"Because I heard you order the Crown Prince to attend a meeting with Odeletta."

"... The Crown Prince said that?"

Emperor Henry asked.

"I asked him disrespectfully."

"So you think my question is disrespectful now?"

"... My apologies,"

I said, biting my lip.

"But I was just curious. I couldn't understand your intentions."

"..."

"If you are worried about me taking Odeletta's place, I assure you that it's not like that,"

I tried to reassure him.

Emperor Henry shook his head.

"That's not why I asked."

"Umm ..."

"Think of it as the whim of an old man."

The Emperor Henry was a bit young to call himself "old". He was only in his forties, and even at his age, he was incredibly handsome.

'What the hell does he mean?'

I couldn't understand the meaning of what he just said.

While she was speechless with confusion, Emperor Henry spoke again.

"I have held you back for a long time."

"..."

"You should go. The Crown Prince is waiting,"

he finally said.

"Yes, your Majesty,"

I replied briefly, then stood up and bowed.

"Thank you for the tea and the hospitality your Majesty."

"I'm glad you liked it."

"It was an honor to meet you, your Majesty. I will be taking my leave now ..."

I slowly walked away without turning my back. I didn't want to be overly formal, but meeting the supreme power of the nation was a stressful experience.

More importantly, he was as old as my father, unlike Xavier.

'This didn't happen originally in the novel either'

Almost everything seemed out of step with the original story. The main story stayed the same, but the side branches were unbalanced.

Maristella had never met the Emperor before.

Of course, that was just my impression anyway, and the reunion could have happened and the author just didn't describe it in the first place.

'This is too complicated'

I shook my head as I left the Central Palace. I saw Florinda, who seemed uneasy from the long wait.

"Florinda!"

I called.

"My Miss!"

she said as she ran towards me, but not too fast from the weight of the gift box she was holding.

"I've been waiting a long time."

"Sorry," I apologized.

"Not at all, My Lady. you cannot leave the Emperor whenever you like."

That was true.

"Anyway ... did I worry you too much?"

I asked.

"Of course. I was surprised when the Emperor suddenly took you away. I have been waiting and worrying about you all this time."

Florinda's voice was tinged with anxiety and her face was pale and her lips trembled slightly.

In fact, I felt the same way: I had wondered if something bad was going to happen to me, but I managed to keep my emotions under the surface. Florinda must have been more worried than I was.

I patted her comfortingly on the shoulder and pretended to be fine.

"It's okay. Nothing big happened. His Majesty is a good person."

In truth, she wasn't sure if 'good' was the correct qualifier for him, but the fact that she looked like Xavier reassured me a bit.

"The meeting took a while. The Emperor informed Thurman Palace that he was going to be late, but ... we should go,"

I suggested.

"Yes, my lady,"

Florinda replied enthusiastically, but then her eyebrows furrowed.

"By the way, do you know the way from here to the Thurman Palace?"

'Damn, that was a problem,' I muttered under my breath at this unexpected difficulty.

Then someone called me out of the blue.

"Lady Maristella."

He was a man in his mid-thirties. HaveHis face was so strict that if I were to refer to someone with a serious demeanor, it would be this man. As he approached, I shrugged cautiously from the starched formal atmosphere that surrounded him

. "His Majesty the Emperor ordered me to escort you to Thurman Palace,"

the man said quietly. That was considered by the Emperor.

Inwardly I said an 'Ah' of relief. If Emperor Henry hadn't done this, I would have been forced to wander this place with Florinda for an immeasurable amount of time.

Of course, since Emperor Henry was the one who took me to the Central Palace, it was fine for him to guide me.

"I thank his Majesty for his grace," I said.

"Follow me. I'll carry the box."

With that said, the man took Florinda's heavy gift. Surprisingly, the maid did not refuse and handed over the box.

Despite the man's kindness, there was no trace of a smile on his face and his tone remained distant. The stark contrast between him and Sir Dilton stunned me, and I didn't dare open my mouth any further for casual conversation.

The man obediently led me to the Thurman Palace, and his footsteps quickened, as if he knew my pace was speeding up as well. I had no choice but to hurry;

thirty to forty minutes had already passed since the scheduled visit. I was relieved that a message was delivered from the Central Palace to the Thurman Palace regarding my arrival, but still felt uneasy as a visitor.

It was quite an unfortunate problem, although it was not my responsibility. We arrived at the Thurman Palace about twenty minutes later.

Florinda and I thanked the man who brought us here, but he still remained expressionless when he left. Florinda, who was next to me, spoke in a relieved voice.

"I am glad that she has arrived safely, my lady."

"Yes. We were a little late, but ..." The ending didn't turn out so bad, even if there was a little mishap along the way.

However, I was surprised when I saw the Thurman Palace servants looking at me with strange expressions.

'That?'

The servants normally had a calm and formal temperament, but today they looked especially burdened. When I opened my mouth to ask what happened, a voice called out to me.

"Lady Maristella!"

It was Sir Dilton. I quickly turned to the side in surprise and saw Sir Dilton running in our direction. It seemed so urgent that I involuntarily stepped back. Wait, what was going on?

"S-Sir Dilton,"

I stammered.

"Lady Maristella, you are here!"

he exclaimed, relieved.

"Yes, I am here now. My conversation with his Majesty took a little time."

As soon as I said that, Sir Dilton's expression completely transformed. To be more specific, he had an expression of utter astonishment.

"W-what is it?"

I said, panicking as soon as I saw his reaction.

He surely he must have received the message from Emperor Henry.

"Didn't you get the message from the Central Palace?"

I asked.

"Why are you reacting like this is the first time you've heard of this—?"

"Oh my word. you met with his Majesty of all people?"

Sir Dilton said in amazement.

"Yes ..."

Bewildered, I nodded quickly at Sir Dilton's serious question.

"We just met."

"What the heck is going on ...."

Sir Dilton muttered and put his hand to his forehead. This only confused me even more.

"Why are you like this?"

I said, wondering if he was watching some kind of skit. Sir Dilton stopped all his words and actions and looked at me, and I drew back a little at the intensity of his gaze. This was the first time the look from him made me nervous.

"... For now," he began, "you'd better see the Crown Prince. His Highness was very concerned."

"What? Why is he worried about me?"

"You will know everything in the living room. This is not a suitable place to explain."

Indeed. I nodded and took Florinda's gift box, and immediately followed Sir Dilton into the living room. Meanwhile, Sir Dilton didn't say another word, but I felt like he was holding himself back a lot. Intuitively I realized that something had happened. In any case, we made it to the front of the room, and she silently announced my presence through the door.

"Your Highness , Lady Bellafleur is—"

Before he even finished speaking, the door was suddenly flung open. Sir Dilton was more surprised than I was.

I stared at Xavier, who had been the one to open the door before Sir Dilton finished speaking. His shiny silver Crown Prince hair was disheveled and his generally light eyes looked sunken. Something had definitely happened. It frustrated me right now not knowing what it was.

"... Lady Bellafleur is here," Sir Dilton finished calmly after taking a moment to compose himself.