“Huh, huh?”
Did he say that suddenly and without warning?
I was surprised by the sudden call from the Crown Prince, and I hesitated before quickly pointing to the Duke next to me.
This is what I call the below-the-surface swan tactic.
“Ahaha…”
At first she attracted attention with a laugh, and then, under the table, she began to slap the Duke's thigh with my palm.
Please...! Help me! Help me!
I rubbed the palm of my hand so hard on his leg, that I almost lit it, hoping he would understand!
I even started increasing the intensity, changing the tempo, and doing everything I could to get his attention!
But the Duke did not even bat an eyelid, let alone glance in my direction.
At this point, I switched from using my palm to my fist, hitting his thigh hard. When that wasn't enough, she even resorted to pinching him out of desperation.
But the Duke remained steadfast in his resolve to ignore me.
Was he really leaving me to face this alone?
“I…”
And just as I was about to open my mouth reluctantly, immersed in betrayal—
“April Pepper. A distant relative of the Blair ducal family.”
huh?
Before I could say anything, the Duke had spoken first.
He ignored my desperate attempts to help, yet now he's stepping in on his own?
As I stared at him in confusion, I felt a look coming from somewhere else.
More precisely... from the Crown Prince.
“Hmm, I see. From what I heard, you were in charge of the overall flow of the storyboard? What was your role… a messenger? Were you listening to the characters’ stories directly?”
Oh, my God!
So, the rumors were already spreading.
I cast a disapproving glance in the direction where the Empress was likely sitting before quickly preparing an appropriate response.
But again, someone else beat me to it.
“She has a strong sense of her own world, so she carries philosophies that are difficult for the average person to understand.”
It was the Duke again.
To an outsider it may seem like I've completely lost my mind, but at least that was some help.
I took that as a sign of response, so I tapped his thigh gently this time.
I continue! I continue!
...Did his body tremble a little? Was I imagining things?
Meanwhile, another exchange was taking place between the Duke and the Crown Prince.
“I would like to hear the young woman’s story firsthand.”
“She has not yet appeared on social occasions, and has lived in isolation, so she is completely ignorant of the rules of etiquette. To avoid any possible offense to Your Highness, I will speak on her behalf, and I ask for your kind understanding.”
"Yes."
At this point, the Duke was practically disgracing my reputation, but I only nodded subconsciously.
Yes, maybe playing this kind of role will make things easier for me in the future.
Since I could barely handle the situation thanks to pure mental tricks, I made sure to avoid eye contact with the Crown Prince whenever our eyes met by chance, pretending that I didn't know anything.
In fact, saying that I am completely ignorant of etiquette is not entirely wrong...
When I remembered how I behaved spontaneously in front of the Crown Prince yesterday, I suddenly had a strong desire to hide under a cover out of extreme embarrassment.
And then.
“I appreciate the Duke's interest in me, but do I look like someone who would treat a talented individual with neglect?”
Talented person? This sounds ominous.
Given how he conducted the conversation, the Crown Prince was certainly not an easy person.
He smoothly ignored the Duke's words and turned to the others, seeking their approval with the ease of someone who had done this kind of thing countless times before.
“You are absolutely right, Your Highness.”
“It is known throughout the continent that His Highness does not discriminate when attracting talent.”
Expressions of flattery poured in from all directions.
However, even in this uncomfortable situation, the Duke did not speak again.
“How boring.”
In the end, it was the Crown Prince who lost interest first.
He looked between the Duke and me with an unreadable expression, muttered in a bored tone and gestured with his hand.
“…Oh my God, the tea has gotten cold.”
Upon hearing his words, the waiting maid quickly came forward to offer a new cup.
“Oh?”
At the same time, I had an idea.
A cup that keeps tea warm?
Wouldn't it be great to produce mugs as promotional products for the comic book the Empress requested?
Even considering my long history as a fan, thermal mugs were one of the safest and most practical commodities.
This world doesn't have cups yet!
In this bleak world that lacks even a proper water heater, having one ready before the dry and cold winter sets in will be of great help to me too!
But I was so deep in my thoughts that I didn't notice anything.
The Crown Prince stared at me intently for a long time.
* * *
Ever since she entered the Imperial Capital, Kayan Blair had been in an extremely bad mood.
More precisely, it started when he met the Empress and was secretly summoned by Raiden Kletan.
“It's been a long time. You look healthy. You should visit us more often. After all, this is your home too.”
“I will take these words as a mere compliment, Your Highness.”
Every word exuded hypocrisy.
He was disgusted by the way Raiden would only call him like a dog when he needed something.
That was why he left the palace in the first place – but even after all these years, that disgusting feeling had not faded away.
“Oh, by the way, about the woman you brought with you. The Empress seems to have taken a liking to her.”
“…….”
"Shall we make a deal? Hand her over to me, and I'll return your late wife's remains to you. What do you say?"
Just hearing that was like defiling his ears with filth. No matter how much he washed himself, the disgust did not go away.
“Kayan, the fact that you are so protective of her makes me even more curious.”
Maybe that's why… he couldn't ignore it.
Why did Raiden suddenly suggest having a tea party with painters, despite having no prior interest in art?
Why did he specifically insist on April's attendance?
“Greetings to His Highness the Crown Prince.”
His bad mood improved slightly thanks to April, who didn't bother to hide her displeasure.
But the moment he saw the Crown Prince's face, Qian felt a strange feeling of uneasiness creep into him.
That look… Raiden's view of April was different from his view of any ordinary talented person.
However, Kayan couldn't pinpoint the exact reason behind this.
“Ah, we recently imported a new type of tea from outside the continent. It tastes amazing.”
After the usual side conversations, the real tea party began.
The first speaker was the Crown Prince.
“Miss, what is your name?”
Why was it so annoying?
Kaiyan found the seemingly mundane question strangely irritating.
If he intervened first, Raiden's curiosity about April would only deepen.
As he decided to remain silent instead of responding, something unexpected happened.
'Huh?'
A hesitant touch.
He felt a strange sensation touching his thigh.
Both of his hands were resting on the table, and the only person sitting next to him was April.
This meant that April was feeling his thigh.
What do you do?
For the first time, he too could not contain his confusion.
Kaien instinctively started to turn his head towards April, but quickly stopped himself.
At the same time, the touch on his thigh became more noticeable – and more aggressive.
Is she… teasing me? Suddenly and without warning?
“I lost my mind for a moment because you are so handsome...”
“What?”
“I haven't seen many people this beautiful. I think… you might be my type.”
Suddenly, April's remark from earlier came to mind.
At the time, the gas I inhaled caused me to be mildly delirious, but not to the point of making things up.
Which naturally led him to assume that everything she said at that time was true.
“But why now?”
Just as his body was about to react involuntarily to the increasing touch,
April went so far as to pinch him, as if demanding some kind of response.
“It's always been unexpected, but this is a whole new level.”
Then a more serious idea occurred to him.
Is it possible she took the wrong medication?
On the surface, the Kleytan Imperial Palace appeared calm.
However, even though the Duke abandoned his claim to the throne and retreated to the north, the Crown Prince kept an eye on him.
As for the Empress, although she has remained silent for the time being, she was once a cruel woman who committed much worse.
If the mother and son had conspired together, they might have decided to take advantage of this situation to get rid of him, since he was a thorn in their side.
Unlike him, who was extremely cautious, approaching someone close to him was much easier.
Someone like April, for example...