When the Female Lead Went Off-Script, the Main Male Lead Became the Tyrant's Empress - Chapter 32.2
At Arden’s unreasonable fault-finding, Mishien pouted.
Yes, yes, I’m sorry. I’ve committed a mortal sin.
If you’re that curious, why didn’t you ask them yourself?
Even as he mocked him inwardly, Mishien knew that this wasn’t something one could casually ask either the Grand Duke or Countess Troanne.
How could he ask?
Appearances aside, it was far too personal.
If things went wrong, people might even accuse the Crown Prince of trying to meddle in the nobles’ private lives.
Mishien looked at Arden with pity.
He wanted to support his love if he could, but it was a love that could never be allowed to come true.
Arden was the Crown Prince.
And his coronation wasn’t far away.
Countess Troanne, meanwhile, was a widow.
Under imperial law, an heir who would become Emperor was forbidden from courting or marrying a man or woman who had previously been married.
It was intended to prevent factions from arising that sought to disrupt the imperial line of succession.
If such a relationship was discovered, the heir immediately lost the right of succession, and his descendants could never inherit the throne.
Even if those descendants had no connection whatsoever to the lover in question.
“……Why are you looking at me like you feel sorry for me?”
Arden asked suspiciously when Mishien looked at him as though he were a puppy rummaging through a garbage bin in the freezing winter rain.
“I’m not. My eyes are naturally filled with this much melancholy.”
“You think I don’t know your lover dumped you because you have no sentimentality?”
Mishien’s face flushed bright red at the sudden attack.
“Why are you bringing that up? And we mutually agreed to break up because our personalities didn’t match!”
“Then why do your eyes look like that?”
Unable to endure the remark that evaporated what tiny amount of sympathy he had left, Mishien shouted.
“It’s because I feel sorry for Your Highness. I feel sorry for you! Whether there’s something between His Highness the Grand Duke and the Countess or not, you and the Countess can’t be together, so give up on her now and find someone else!”
For a moment, Arden looked as though he had just read a philosophy paper written in an extremely difficult foreign language and couldn’t understand it.
A short while later, an earth-shattering roar shook the grand palace.
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
At the loud shout that tore through the peaceful silence of midday, Haster and the two women looked toward the grand palace.
“What was that?”
“Did something terrible happen?”
“Don’t worry about it. Someone probably saw a rat and screamed.”
Haster soothed their worried whispers in a calm voice.
‘That idiot.’
What in the world was he doing?
No, it didn’t matter what he was doing.
A faint look of concern appeared on Haster’s face at the Crown Prince’s disgraceful behavior and complete lack of any attempt to preserve his dignity.
How many nobles and knights were there in the imperial palace, and yet he was behaving so shamelessly?
‘He should know what day it is today.’
Today was the day Clary would meet her lady-in-waiting for the first time.
Beside Clary sat a young noblewoman whose ripe olive-colored hair had been braided and pinned up.
Recommended by Troanne and introduced to Haster, she had passed the interview splendidly and satisfied him.
Haster had immediately arranged a meeting and introduced her to Clary.
Fortunately, the two seemed to like each other and quickly began chattering away among themselves.
He had been advising Clary to respect her attendant, while encouraging the young lady who had become her lady-in-waiting to quickly learn the strict customs of the imperial palace and ensure that she fulfilled her duties properly.
Then, out of nowhere, the Crown Prince’s shout had rung out.
Haster was relieved that teatime was nearly over.
Otherwise, he would have had to stand up in the middle of their conversation and unsettled the two of them.
Once Clary and Nonote left for their next appointment, Haster headed for Arden’s office without delay.
“Arden!”
Haster called Arden’s name as he opened the office door.
“What in the world were you thinking, doing something like……!”
What entered his field of vision was Arden confronting Mishien.
Arden was threatening, “Say that one more time!” while his attendant skillfully used a book as a shield to block the objects Arden was throwing at him.
So he wasn’t thinking at all.
What could possibly get through to a man like this?
Haster shot him a glare and was just about to close the door and leave again.
“Haster! Perfect timing. What’s going on between you and Countess Troanne?”
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
