# 35 - 35
"…What?"
I caught a look of confusion in Dave's eyes as he gritted his teeth and asked again.
“What did I say? Was I wrong?”
“Yes. Your Highness, you were the first to set foot on my body, weren’t you?”
"…What?"
“Your Highness, you were the first to put his foot on a lady’s body, not his hand.”
“…”
“Why are you suddenly angry?”
“What is this now...”
Right.
Dave is the perfect example of a “spoiled rich guy.”
A young master of the imperial family stands on the pinnacle of owning everything.
The second prince.
But all he has is a lot of possessions and a bad temper, while his mind is not particularly good.
Just look at how he can't refute my words right away.
While Dave was speechless, she spoke quickly with a pitiful expression.
Did something bad happen to His Highness? As a noble of this country, I am deeply concerned for His Highness's safety as a member of the imperial family, so please tell me everything without concealment. Otherwise…
I paused for a moment before continuing.
“You wouldn't intentionally obstruct a passing lady, would you?”
“Pfft.”
Suddenly, sounds of laughter were heard from not far away.
Dave's face suddenly turned, clearly thinking only of shouting at my words.
I also turned my gaze in that direction, and immediately felt confused.
Oh, my God!
When did you gather so many people in this way?
I had forgotten about it momentarily due to various incidents, but this place was the White Tower.
A repository of knowledge where countless scholars, geniuses, pennyomas, and deans have resided.
Since it was the Second Prince who had caused the commotion, a large number of scholars had apparently rushed over and were watching in anticipation.
“The dean will probably come running soon as well.”
I was hoping that the dean would come running as quickly as possible.
Preferably with Schultz-Schmidt, who was my soulmate.
Dave's face was intensely red.
He looked like he wanted to shout to arrest all the scholars who had just laughed, but he could barely restrain himself, realizing that this was the White Tower.
“Drag this insolent girl away for insulting the imperial family! How dare a lowly noble insult a prince?!”
I did not expect this anger to escalate to the point of “insulting the imperial family.”
Insulting the imperial family meant going to the imperial palace. More precisely, it meant dragging the person to the prison located in the basement of the Imperial Palace.
It was said to be a terrible place where rats gnawed fingernails and cockroaches scratched toenails.
If he arbitrarily drags me to the underground imperial prison, Grand Duke Assis Fraser will formally protest, and the Second Prince will be severely reprimanded by the Emperor.
“Of course, that would be more satisfying.”
I shuddered as I remembered the large cockroaches I had seen when I lived in my small apartment.
I really can't stand it. I was about to reveal my identity immediately.
“Dave, that's enough.”
An elegant and beautiful voice penetrated the place like a ray of light. Dave turned and shouted.
"the mom!"
“Is engaging in a petty argument in private with a lady an example of a gentleman?”
Empress Karme.
The dean was also standing behind her with a surprised face.
“It seems that the dean and the empress were having tea together.”
It seems that they witnessed this particular scene.
It seemed strangely ridiculous how she had beaten Ferdinand's cheek to a pulp, and then came here after an elegant conversation accompanied by gentle laughter.
The same goes for Dave, the second prince, who was expressing his feelings of injustice.
“But this despicable girl, and this despicable noble where he came from, insulted me...”
“Dave.”
Empress Karme, who interrupted the Second Prince's words, looked at me with a voice as clear and gentle as rolling jade.
Unlike Dave, who called me a little rat, she seemed to know who I was.
Her expression was meek and completely different from the expression of the villain who was stroking the Crown Prince's cheek with ice-cold gazes moments ago.
But her look exuded a hidden feeling of disgust.
“Well, she would have already been aware of the rumors that I am not the real son of Marquis Fraser.”
Perhaps because there were so many eyes watching, Empress Karmi continued her speech gently.
“That lady is not of lowly nobility. She is a descendant of the Grand Duke of Fraser House.”
"What?"
Suddenly, Dave's face showed a look of astonishment.
“Mom, aren’t you making a mistake?”
“Dave.”
Dave shuddered slightly upon hearing Empress Karme's call. There was no change in the Empress's smile.
“You should behave as befits a noble member of the Imperial Family, Dave.”
“But with such shabby clothes... and no ladies of the court or knights...”
Since I was completely soaked in the rain, it was natural for my dress to look saggy and ugly.
“But it's certainly not bad enough to call it that. What an exaggeration!”
As befits a prince who was pampered and raised with the utmost care, his treatment of someone like a beggar just because his clothes got a little wet in the rain was remarkable.
The place was quiet for a moment.
In fact, the Fraser knights had already found me right after I ran into Dave.
Wait now.
They understood the glance I sent at them telling them not to come closer, but they were staring at me intensely.
And for good reason, this place was the White Tower.
It wasn't about Fraser Domain.
Moreover, I was still a noblewoman and an unmarried young lady who had not yet reached marriageable age, so there were many unfavorable aspects in case of friction with the imperial family.
If the knights also intervened, any wrong move could actually lead to accusations of threatening the imperial family.
“Hey Dave, please show us high society etiquette.”
Hearing Empress Karme's voice, Dave reluctantly extended his hand to me.
“I'm sorry things turned out this way, ma'am. What's your name? I didn't know you were a member of a branch of the Fraser family...”
“Not a member of the branch, but a direct line.”
Suddenly, the words stopped. It was not the Empress's voice.
“Who dares to interrupt my words...!”
Dave's voice suddenly stopped, as he was about to explode in anger again.
Step, step.
I looked at the umbrella that cast a shadow in front of me, and at the strong hand that held mine to help me up as if in a dream.
“Because Tullia is the legitimate granddaughter of this Grand Duke Assis Fraser.”
"serious?"
I didn't expect Grand Duke Fraser's assistant to arrive so early, so I panicked and only blinked.
Wait, did he return without stopping at the Imperial Palace at all?
Otherwise, the timing will not match.
Why did he come here directly?
But the person who was more surprised than me was Second Prince Dave, who was acting arrogant right in front of us.
He looked at the Grand Duke with a pale face like a prey faced with a monster.
“G-Grand Duke Fraser…?”
“The Grand Duke ‘His Highness’.”
Even for me, it was a sound that sent shivers down my spine like a lion's roar.
“The Second Prince still seems clumsy in dealing with the rules of conduct.”
In an instant, Dave's face, which had been wearing a stunned expression, turned bright red.
But regardless, Grand Duke Fraser continued speaking while looking at him with cold eyes.
“According to the official national law established by the Briang Empire, I, as Grand Duke Fraser, should rightly receive honorary titles from a mere prince.”
The man who would have started behaving badly again immediately if I had said such words, given the Empress's temper and everything, was now trembling like a deer in front of a tiger.
“Rock Kilfausher.”
“Yes, Your Highness the Grand Duke.”
“Personally explain to me how the Second Prince should greet me.”
Rock immediately stood next to the Second Prince.
Then, with a slight bow, he opened his mouth.
“I greet His Highness Grand Duke Assis Fraser. I am Second Prince Dave Evechkaite.”
“…”
Compared to the formal greetings most nobles gave to the imperial family, this was much simpler, as many formal ceremonies were omitted.
But the key point here is that this was a tribute from the “imperial family” to the “nobility.”
According to this greeting protocol, Dave will become a subordinate who must pay homage to the Grand Duke despite being from the imperial family.
“That's the frame of the game, ultimately.”
Since the game begins with Kuriko entering this grand ducal house as a potential daughter-in-law, the status of the Grand Duke Fraser's house is no joke.
That they were the only noble house to rival the Imperial Family wasn't just empty talk.
“And now, Second Prince.”
“…”
“Say hello to me again as you just saw.”
“…”
“This Grand Duke does not have much patience.”
“…!”
The Second Prince was supposed to be the same age as Tullia, right?
So he would only be 15 years old, and although he was certainly different as a member of the imperial family, in the end he was just a frightened child in front of Grand Duke Fraser's aces.
“I greet His Highness Grand Duke Fraser. I am Second Prince Dave Evechkate.”
Dave, who was mean but had good intuition, tried to quickly retreat behind the Empress with a salute.
"I am waiting."
“…”
“I would like to ask why there are footprints on my granddaughter’s dress.”
“…!”
Dave's amber eyes widened dramatically.
I was surprised too.
“Well, as expected from someone who made a name for himself as a knight, his observation skills are amazing.”
Asis Grand Duke Fraser averted his gaze. Against the background of the sky beginning to clear after the rain, a terrifying and frightening sound continued.
“Why don’t you answer me, Second Prince, why there is a visible footprint near my granddaughter’s solar plexus, and not even at the hem of her dress?”
“Which…”
“Or would you rather apologize to my granddaughter first?”
A frighteningly sharp gaze turned toward the Second Prince without hesitation.
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