IMHMF 25

Chapter 25

“My niece.”

His niece? The emperor has no siblings…

To be precise, he had had them, but they had all died. As though sensing my confusion, he added.

“It turns out my eldest brother who passed away had a daughter.”

The small child’s expression looked thoroughly frightened, but her eyes were shining with curiosity.

“How do you do. I am Eloa Rumania, daughter of Count Rumania.”

When I greeted her first in accordance with the imperial palace etiquette of Ermensel, she emerged from behind the emperor’s legs.

“I… I am Resilla Istria… no, I am… called that.”

The way she hesitated as she greeted me, and the way she corrected herself again and again, conveyed just how hard Princess Resilla was trying to adapt within the imperial palace, and how difficult it was for her.

Eden, who had been quiet, opened his mouth only after hearing Resilla’s name.

“You gave her a similar name.”

“Having a niece made me understand why everyone wants to marry and have children.”

The emperor’s full name was Recian Di Istria. He had brought his niece in and named her himself, and that name had been taken from his own.

It was easy enough to see how much he cherished Resilla.

“The delegation and the prince are on their way here with the king. Let us move as well.”

The banquet hall was filled with the central nobles of Ermensel as well. Duke Herrmann as well. And before long, the delegation and the king of the Western Kingdom made their appearance. He bore a resemblance to the prince and was younger than I had expected.

The fanfare announcing the start of the formal welcome ceremony rang out.

“Loa.”

Eden, who had gone to exchange greetings with the nobles, was already beside me before I knew it.

Only after the welcome ceremony ended were we guided to the detached palace within the imperial grounds. The detached palace was the palace where guests were accommodated, and it was sufficiently beautiful and grand, no less so than the main palaces of the imperial grounds.

Guided by a lady-in-waiting to the room, Eden opened the door first. Thinking this was his room, I turned to follow the lady-in-waiting.

“Then please enjoy a comfortable time, both of you.”

It sounded as though she were saying there are no more rooms.

Both of you?

Both of you?! Were Eden and I not supposed to have separate rooms?

Unable to bring myself to stop the departing lady-in-waiting, I moved my reluctant feet with great effort. The sight of his back as he walked into the room so naturally was infuriating.

“Eden.”

“……”

“You knew, did you not?”

“Knew what?”

“That you and I would be sharing the same room.”

I asked accusingly, but instead of answering, he merely shrugged his shoulders.

“Why are we sharing a room?”

“Because we are engaged to be married.”

“Even so, we are only engaged, not yet married.”

“I asked for a single room in consideration of our undertaking tonight.”

“Under…”

It is an undertaking alright, but the way he says it!

“Come inside quickly. The evening banquet will be starting soon.”

It had barely been any time since the welcome ceremony ended, and already there was an evening banquet.

I did not want to go in, but I desperately wanted to throw off the shoes that were already squeezing my feet and shed the cumbersome, puffed-up dress and lie down on the bed.

When I stepped into the room, the door closed firmly behind me. Looking around the room, I spotted Eden already beginning to undo his shirt on one side.

“What, what are you doing right now?”

“Are you embarrassed?”

“Of course not.”

“Get used to it. Once the wedding is held, you will be sharing a room whether you like it or not.”

This slippery fellow. Does he think I will just let him get away with it?

“Fine. Then you get used to it as well.”

Before he could say anything, I undid the ribbon of my dress.

The dress I was currently wearing was not an ordinary dress that required someone behind me to tie it, but one I could put on and take off by myself.

When I pulled the deep green ribbon strings, the soft fabric that had been wrapped around my shoulders came down. As I raised my hand to undo the ribbon on the other side, Eden, who had stepped close before I realized it, caught the dress that had slipped down.

“Loa.”

“What, you told me to get used to it. Let us both get used to it together.”

“Haa…”

He let out a long sigh and pressed his face against my shoulder.

“I spoke out of turn.”

He was holding my clothing in his hand, while he himself was in a state where his shirt was fully undone and his upper body was plainly visible.

“You are not going to tease me?”

“I will not tease you.”

“Alright then.”

I had no intention of changing clothes in front of Eden either, so I was grateful that he had been the first to raise his hands in surrender.

“I will change behind that partition over there.”

“Would you not need some help?”

“……”

I narrowed my eyes and looked at him.

I said nothing at all and merely looked at him, yet my gaze was packed full of the meaning, ‘Did you not just say you would not tease me?’ It seemed that unspoken meaning reached him as well, for Eden hastily added.

“I did not mean anything else by it. If you need help, I can call a lady-in-wait…”

“I know. Thank you for the consideration.”

After a brief rest that felt all too short, we came down to the evening banquet hall.

If I had my way, I would have used the transportation stone to go back to the ducal residence. Of course, it was not as though there was nothing to do at the ducal residence, but it was more comfortable there than at the imperial palace.

“More comfortable, I say… I suppose I have truly become a person of this world now.”

“Are you also from a foreign country, my lady?”

The one who had drawn close to my side was the Western Kingdom’s prince, Enoch Ilabalan.

“Ah… would it be alright if I addressed you as Sir Enoch? I heard that you hold a knighthood title in the Western Kingdom.”

“You are welcome to call me Enoch freely.”

“Thank you, Sir Enoch.”

“In any case, what do you mean by a person of this world. Are you not from Ermensel, my lady?”

Yes, I am not from Ermensel but from the Republic of Korea!

Swallowing the words I could not possibly say aloud, I offered a smile.

“I am from Ermensel. I simply felt so at ease in the imperial palace that it felt like home.”

“Haha, I sensed it from the last time we met, but you are truly amusing, my lady.”

“Actually, since I have a fiancé, I am not quite a lady.”

“To me, every woman is a lady. The young lady who is the fiancée of Duke Hylus is a lady, a passing maid is a lady, the wet nurse who raised me is a lady, even a small child is a lady.”

“Ah…”

“If lady makes you uncomfortable, I shall change how I address you.”

“Then please simply call me young lady. I am not yet married.”

“Very well, young lady.”

Enoch once again naturally took my hand and pressed his lips to it.

I was just thinking that flirting must be a passive trait for people of the Western Kingdom, when a familiar voice came from behind me.

“Loa.”

“Eden.”

Recognizing his voice immediately, I turned around and linked my arm through his at once.

Eden, it is you! I was already finding this man a bit much!

“Then I shall take my leave.”

“It was a pleasant conversation, young lady.”

As the distance between us and Enoch widened, Eden opened his mouth.

“What sort of conversation was so pleasant?”

“I was not the one who found it pleasant, but it seems the prince did.”

“You must be disappointed not to have any lovely young ladies following you around this time.”

Well, not being able to see pretty young ladies is a bit of a shame.

Just as I was about to open my mouth to reply to him, the thick door in front of them moved.

The one who emerged from the opened door was Hesse Herrmann.

Her hair was the color of a rich, deep amber, and her eyes sparkled as though they held shining stars within them.

It was exactly as she had been described in <The Lady Who Holds the Leash>.

I had a brief thought that this was not supposed to be when Eden and Hesse Herrmann would meet. But only for a moment.

Since Eden was someone who would fall in love with Hesse Herrmann at first sight, it would be troublesome if this were that moment. My hand, which had been linked through his arm, tightened of its own accord.

“E…”

“Duke Hylus.”

My voice had not yet made it out of my mouth before hers came out first.

“It has been a while. I heard you distinguished yourself greatly in the last war as well.”

It was a conventional greeting, but each word she spoke carried the authority and dignity befitting a duchess. If Eden was a blazing fire that anyone could see was burning hot, Hesse was a fire you only realized was hot once you had already touched it.

The first thing he said, without offering her any reply whatsoever, was.

“This is my fiancée, Lady Eloa Rumania.”

…That.

Only after his words ended did Hesse’s eyes move to me. Her eyes, like a shining galaxy, seemed to examine me piece by piece.

“I am Hesse Herrmann of the Herrmann ducal family.”