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Chapter 58
“If it’s a real problem, I’ll take care of it.”
“What, is that possible?”
Iellie smiled unknowingly. However, Zachary nodded his head with a determined face.
“Of course.”
“What?”
“Honestly, for fear of problems with the title succession, the Duchy has only conceded so far.”
His eyes darkened. In any case, the Duchy was nominally under the Imperial Family. They had to have the Emperor’s permission to succeed in the title so they were just tolerating the actions of the imperial family.
‘…Of course, there are no cases of a succession of titles without the permission of the Emperor.’
There were times when they couldn’t avoid it.
For example, when the head of a noble family died suddenly and there was only one heir left. In such a case, it was possible for the successor to inherit the title without the permission of the Emperor for the sake of the family’s survival.
“Zachary…?”
“Oh, sorry. I was thinking about something else for a moment.”
Recalling his father’s health, Zachary, who had struggled to shake off the ominous mood, smiled.
“In the Imperial Family, the power of winter that I have is not very desirable.”
“I know that. However…”
“I’m backing down because I’m worried that he might use that power and put the brakes on the succession of the title.”
After saying that, he stroked Iellie’s cheek.
Glacier-like eyes sank coldly.
“It’s not a lie to say that the Duchy can become independent with the royal crown in times of emergency.”
“Yes…”
With her eyes wide open, she answered softly.
Zachary continued speaking in a cold tone, “However, if we confront the Imperial Family, we will be bothered by each other, so we just have to be patient.”
“Zachary?”
“I mean, I can handle these little problems.”
Saying so, he gently kissed her on the cheek.
A short kiss passed by. Although it was a kiss she would have accepted casually before, Iellie could feel her heart pounding strangely.
“I want you to depend on me as much as I depend on you. Understand?”
“Yes, I will.”
As her face heated up in an instant, she hastily lowered her gaze. Even though she felt that Zachary was a boy all along, when did he grow up like that and made people excited like this…?
Meanwhile, she suddenly recalled what had happened earlier.
‘…By the way, should I tell him what the Emperor told me?’
Glancing at Zachary’s eyes, she remembered the voice whispered in a voice full of deep emotions.
‘Because I think Lady Hessenweitz is special.’
‘If I tell you that I want the Lady to take her surname back to Blanchett, not Hesseinweitz.’
As she recalled the voice, Iellie shook her head inside. What’s the point of telling him that?
‘…No, it’s nothing. It’ll only make Zachary feel uncomfortable.’
She didn’t want to see his expression grow serious anymore. At the same time, as Zachary interpreted her expression, he smiled softly. He comforted her with a sweet voice.
“Don’t worry too much. Understand?”
When she saw his smile, it seemed to relieve her tension a little.
Iellie nodded her head slightly.
While she was watching an opera, Iellie had a rare experience that left her soul. This uninteresting opera was terrific in many ways—By giving her boredom and sleepiness, it made her forget the stress the Emperor gave her.
‘Isn’t this too funny for a human being?’
As she yawned over her boredom, she suddenly felt her eyelids become heavy. Desperately pinching the back of her hand so she wouldn’t fall asleep, still, it was all in vain. At some point, her memory was completely cut off.
“…Len.”
“….”
“Len, wake up.”
A friendly voice called out her name. Oh, why did he keep bothering her? Couldn’t he sees that someone was sleeping—
…No, wait. Was she sleeping?
In an instant, Iellie woke up. She swung her head up.
“What…?
As she blinked blankly in her sleepy eyes, loud applause filled the surroundings. Soon, the opera was over.
She was terrified. Could it be that she was sleeping throughout the performance…?
“Is, is the opera over already?”
“Not already. Three hours have passed.”
“….”
Iellie, blushing her face, hurriedly touched her clothes and glanced away.
‘Ah, embarrassing.’
She was really happy that this was a private room-type seat. If it wasn’t, her dozing-off image would have been revealed to all the people.
Then, Zachary whispered in a soft tone.
“You slept well, Len.”
“That, that…”
“No matter how tired you are, you didn’t wake up. As expected, Len is great.”
Was he making fun of her? She glanced at him and swallowed the bursting yawn. Those spectators who show a passionate reaction must be looking at the eyes of the royal family sitting at the top of the table.
“No. Wouldn’t it be more great to not fall asleep after watching this dreadful opera?”
“Well, it seems like that.”
Zachary positively affirmed her words.
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Not that it wasn’t, it really wasn’t fun. It was not very different from the founding myths they know, although it was like adding a considerable amount of purposeful adaptation.
‘…And, of course, the direction of the adaptation is a blatant disparagement of Duchy Hessenweitz.’
The content was something like this: In the northern part of the eternal winter, the cruel silver dragon Hessenweitz lived.
The dragon loved Asha, the fairy of spring, but the fairy loved the knight, not the dragon. The enraged dragon locked the fairy in a secret garden to monopolize her, and the world lost its spring.
In the end, in order to exterminate the cruel dragon and rescue the fairy, the Knights of Lippenberg arose resolutely. The dragon and the knight fought for a week and night. The victor was, of course, the knight, though the dragon’s last move caused the fairy to suffer serious injuries.
In the end, the fairy died while blessing the knight, and the knight rose to fame as a great saint.
“Well, even thinking about it again, it’s very biased.”
Iellie sarcastically narrowed her eyes. The legend of the founding of Lippenberg was a fairy tale book or something, a story that had been pierced in her ears since she was a child. It was thoroughly written from the point of view of the imperial family.
“The imperial family is amazing. How can they put such a boring opera in the best opera house?”
Even with great songs and great opera singers, it was proof that the quality of the play was poor if the content was poor.
“Len’s critics are sharp like a knife.”
Zachary burst out laughing before holding out his hand to her. Afterward, he whispers in a secret voice.
“Let’s get out now before the crowds gather.”
“Uh, can we go out first…?”
“Of course. The Imperial Family should thank me for watching the opera.”
When Iellie asked that question in bewilderment, he answered arrogantly. She once again felt the status of the Duchy.
‘Well, Zachary is a really great person.’
Even though he was so kind to her that she sometimes forgot, Zachary was the next head of Duchy Hessenweitz, the only comparable family to the imperial family. Wouldn’t he be more suited to arrogance than kindness…?
“And Len, aren’t you uncomfortable with the Emperor?”
Saying so, Zachary laughed.
Iellie, who was holding his hand, stopped for a moment. She asked, “…Are you trying to get out of here early for me?”
“Sure. Why, don’t you like it?”
“No way.”
Her heart was pounding in an atmosphere that was subtly different from before. Iellie then smiled and followed him. The two quickly ran out of the arena while the crowd was applauding enthusiastically.
‘Oh, but is something strange? My hand feels strangely light…?’
Walking across the gorgeous lobby, she was feeling confused. However, Zachary glanced down at her empty hand.
Puzzled, he asked her a question.
“Len, where did you put your bag?”
“Huh…? My bag?”
Come to think of it, she didn’t have her handbag. Thinking that, Iellie swallowed a sigh. She was out of her mind that she even left her stuff like this.
“It looks like you left it there. Wait, I’ll bring it to you.”
“Let’s go together.”
“No, I can go soon.”
Zachary patted her on the shoulder and then turned around. After looking around for a while, Iellie moved under the pillar, which seemed to be less noticeable. It was because she would get annoyed if she ever ran into the Emperor again.
While waiting for him to come back, she was glancing at the door where people came out.
“Maybe… Lady Hessenweitz?”
A piercing voice, studded with spiky thorns, like knowing her so well. She narrowed her brow.
“Who are you?”
“Nice to meet you, I am Elysee Laurent.”
Elysee Lauren, the famous daughter of County Laurent. She was also one year younger than her. Still, why was the lady who didn’t come down to Zachary’s coming-of-age ceremony last time, be here in the capital…?
With that thought, Iellie wrinkled her forehead.
‘Look at girl. She doesn’t seem to like me very much.’
To be honest, she had no regrets about it. It was because she had a premonition that she, too, would hate Elysee.
‘…That lady was probably the one that Countess Laurent wanted her to marry Zachary.’
For reference, the Empire allowed cousins to marry, so Zachary and Elysse could legally marry. Perhaps, that was why Elysee’s eyes staring at her were rather ferocious. It was as if she was looking at a rival.
‘…Is it County Laurent’s tradition of making people so uncomfortable?’
Iellie narrowed her brow. Then, Elysee opened her eyes and mouth in a startled voice.
“Oh, my gosh, I didn’t expect to see Lady Hessenweitz at the best opera house in the capital.”
Seeing her emphasizing ‘the best opera house of the Empire,’ gave Iellie a rough idea. ‘Why did you, who rose in status through a good marriage, come up to the capital?’ Could she interpret it as ‘You don’t fit in with this place’?
“Oh my, Lady Laurent speaks as if I’m in a place I shouldn’t be?”
In answering that, she smiled softly at her.
Elysee bit her lip at the outright sarcasm. Well, compared to her normal socialite conversational style, her tone was aggressive.
“But, I am the one who will be the next mistress of Hessenweitz, the only Duchy of the empire.”
Nonetheless, she had no intention of closing her eyes on such rudeness. After all, this was a matter of the Duchy’s prestige.
“How dare a Northern vassal speak to me like that…”
As her cold, light green eyes stared intently at her, Elysee shrugged her shoulders.
“Aside from the rudeness, this now feels like an insult.”
“I, I didn’t mean to…”
“To insult me is tantamount to insulting my husband and the Duchy of Hessenweitz.”
Iellie spoke her words with an expressionless face.
‘She only improved her status by marrying well, though her origin is only a lady from a Viscounty!’ Elysee thought, and she was furious. Still, she wasn’t stupid enough to say it out of her mouth.
“Well, I was still young and made a remark that was against etiquette.”
She knew that she has to step back here since the Duchy of Hessenweitz came out.
“I guess so. Although if you’re young, do I have to understand you unconditionally?”
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However, Iellie did not intend to leave it as it is. She gazed at Elysee calmly and continued her remarks, “And, as far as I know, me and Lady Laurent are only one year apart.”
“Well, Lady Hessenweitz…”
“Isn’t it a little ridiculous to use your young age as an excuse to cover up your own faults?”
Hearing her cold voice, Elysee stiffened her shoulders. It was because she somehow thought she had touched the wrong one.
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