Chapter – 24
Meanwhile, Asha, who had been expecting the “[Leave My Son]” development, felt slightly disappointed.
Two hours had already passed since the meal with the Empress began, yet there was no sign of a money envelope.
Nor was it a warm, friendly conversation.
The Empress sat across from her, quietly watching her eat.
Occasionally, she would place food onto Asha’s plate as if encouraging her to eat more.
“It’s very delicious,” Asha said.
Even when she widened her eyes and gave a thumbs-up, the Empress simply chuckled softly and drank her wine.
The food was splendid and tasted wonderful, befitting the reputation of the imperial palace.
In particular, one of the main dishes—the steak—was so tender it was moving.
Asha already liked beef, and this was beef cooked so softly it melted in her mouth.
She chewed carefully, reluctant to let the meat disappear from her mouth, feeling a little sad each time it did.
‘Why… why does she keep staring at me like that?’
The banquet with the Empress was not something she could call comfortable, even if she twisted her mouth while saying it.
Finally, just when she thought, “I don’t think I can come here twice…”
The Empress took out a small handbag and slid it across the table toward Asha.
Asha sensed that the moment she had been waiting for had finally arrived.
Was the “money envelope” development about to unfold?
She tried to hide her anticipation and put on a slightly bewildered expression.
“W-What is this…?”
And only now, two hours later, could she hear the Empress’s voice again.
“Open it.”
Asha picked up the bag awkwardly and opened it slowly.
Inside the bag were a thick envelope and sparkling jewels.
She couldn’t estimate how much they were worth, but it looked like enough to make someone step back from her son.
She thought for a moment.
If the condition for leaving Alresto was a little too little, would she get more if she negotiated?
If she were to leave on a harsh journey after giving up imperial confinement…
The bag seemed a bit small.
She even wanted to try bargaining, but she was not very brave.
‘If they tell me to leave the imperial palace right now, I’ll just say yes and go.’
Asha, who was looking only at the Empress’s lips, thought this.
“Let’s get along well from now on.”
“Yes, I will….”
“Huh?”
The response was completely different from what she had expected.
Asha was utterly flustered, and the Empress drank another sip of wine while thinking that Asha’s voice sounded like a goat’s.
‘What an interesting child.’
Onisia had watched Alresto grow up.
Since his teenage years, he had shown little interest in the opposite sex.
He had tried dating a few times, but through his mother’s eyes—or even as a woman—those attempts were… well, not promising.
He didn’t look at women as romantic partners but rather as curious creatures.
Honestly, when she heard that her son had signed a contractual marriage with a saintess, she thought he had received some kind of divine oracle from the temple.
If not an oracle, there must be a reason equivalent to it.
The Empress had always thought while looking at Alresto that, as her own son, he was hopeless as a man who would fall in love and marry.
But what was this?
“Please remember only that I chose the woman I like.”
It was a look she had never seen before while raising him since birth.
Seeing the gaze filled with vague worry, concern, and a little warning, she instinctively realized.
My son has fallen in love.
So she couldn’t help but be curious about what kind of young lady her son’s marriage partner was.
Honestly, when she received the investigation report from the Herman Count family, she wasn’t very satisfied.
Not simply because of their poverty.
More like… low quality?
The previous Saintess’s mother, Lady Herman, was obsessed with money.
The father was nothing special, and the son was a gambler.
Lady Asha was… relatively better among them, but strictly speaking, she had run away following a man even before signing the marriage contract.
It was truly disappointing.
But seeing Asha in person was at least somewhat entertaining.
She seemed to smile easily, probably had a bit of a cute, childish charm, and although her appearance was rather plain like a malnourished colt, her voice was like a newborn baby goat’s, appropriately adorable.
And she ate the food served to her quite well.
It felt like this.
Like encountering a small wild animal.
Like taking some random snack from your pocket to lure it.
It would approach cautiously, sniffing, pretending to be wary, and then quickly devour the offered food.
The Empress had grown up relatively wealthy even if she was a commoner.
She was the daughter of the owner of the largest bakery in the main commercial district of the capital.
Naturally, she had never met such a wild animal before, but she used to imagine it while looking at picture books read to young Alresto.
Sharing snacks with a small, thin wild animal and becoming friends.
Now she had many small social duties—tea parties, balls, bazaars—so she was rarely bored.
But it used to be different.
She had just entered the imperial palace, knew no one, and was lonely.
As she recalled her past, the Empress realized that Asha’s situation was similar to hers.
She had been a commoner, and Asha was a count’s daughter, but honestly, the Herman Count family was quite modest.
The territory might have had fertile land and serfs to boast about, but in the capital, they were practically no different from commoners.
‘I heard Lady Herman planned to return to the territory after collecting her daughter’s bride price?’
In effect, she had no family that could support her.
Her own past had been similar.
Well, if we compared situations, mine was much worse.
So she had hoped that the next woman to become the Empress would be a proper noble lady from a distinguished family…
But a young noble lady who looked like a small, hungry goat came in?
Even though he is my son, his taste is really unique.
“On the day after tomorrow at noon, there will be a tea party. Can you come?”
At that moment, Asha’s fork, which had never slowed except when opening the bag, gradually stopped.
“A tea party?”
The Empress smiled slightly while looking at the trembling fork in Asha’s hand.
“There will be many young ladies your age at the tea party. If you make friends with someone compatible, living in the palace won’t be so lonely.”
Asha swallowed the meat in her mouth and asked blankly.
“M-Me?”
“Does it make you uncomfortable?”
She quickly shook her head.
“No, it’s not uncomfortable.”
The Empress smiled faintly.
She didn’t truly believe Asha’s words.
How could a humble count’s daughter say she felt uncomfortable in front of anyone?
No matter what was going on inside the little goat’s heart, having a friendly form of address was satisfying to her.
“That’s good. Do you have any favorite desserts? The chefs in the Rose Palace are very good at making desserts.”
The problem was Asha.
Honestly, she just wanted to roll around on her bed whether it was tomorrow or the day after, tea party or whatever.
But she couldn’t say she wanted to lie in bed and do nothing right in front of the Empress’s face.
So she said the most expensive dessert she knew among those she had heard of, with a resigned feeling.
“C-Cake.”
Alresto appeared in the Empress’s dining hall after Asha had left.
The Empress knew that her son had appeared right after Asha left, and that he had been watching all along.
“I didn’t treat that child badly.”
“I just stopped by while passing by.”
Alresto bowed to the Empress in greeting and then, without sitting down, went straight to business.
“How did things go at the temple?”
The Empress gestured for the maid, pointing to the empty glass.
The neat maid filled her wine glass and stepped back.
“Calavis agreed. It was a bit much to swallow, I suppose. I wonder if your stomach can digest it.”
He meant that he had received the Margati Hotel.
Alresto nodded.
“That is enough.”
As if his business was finished, he turned to leave, but the Empress spoke in a low voice.
“Give Asha a jewelry set as a gift.”
Alresto did not immediately understand her words.
“…?”
What was this sudden nonsense?
Then the Empress, seeing her son who did not understand, swallowed a sigh and added.
“When you invite a young lady to a formal dinner, what kind of man would let her sit there without even a single necklace?”
The mother spoke as if Alresto had made the saintess look shabby.
But—
“She doesn’t seem interested in jewelry. I have already filled the saintess’s dressing room with jewels, gold coins, and accessories.”
“Then which of those did you personally give her?”
“……”
The mother clicked her tongue as if she had never seen such an idiot in the world.
Tsk.
“You are old enough to know something about romance. Go to a jewelry shop tomorrow.”
The idiot replied.
“I’m busy tomorrow.”
