ESHPS 08

Chapter – 08

Roshanne recalled Chaiten’s expression after the kiss. Unlike the confident face he had when he first arrived, he had left the reception room looking completely dazed.

“Why did it have to be the Grand Duke? Why of all people must rumors involve him…?!”

The Duke repeatedly slammed his clenched fist against the innocent table.

Despite possessing great authority, he trembled in fear like someone holding a fine weapon but too scared to use it. Roshanne looked at him with disdain.

“What changes if His Majesty hears the rumors? It’s not like I’m an imperial princess—”

“Roshanne!”

The Duke quickly covered her mouth and anxiously checked whether anyone nearby had overheard.

“You must never say such things carelessly.”

He warned her with cold eyes. This was nothing like his usual playful demeanor.

A foolish duke who had worn a leash since childhood and didn’t even realize how fragile it was—never even attempting to break it.

Roshanne intended to sever the Duke from the Emperor.

And if she failed to find a way to break the seal, she planned to make sure the Emperor would hold no real power.

To do that, first she needed to dismantle the noble factions supporting the Emperor.

Starting with the center of the imperial faction—the Leilaten family.

It’s mine, so I should use it.

Even if the current Duke was loyal to the Emperor, there was no guarantee the next heir would be.

I knew this would happen, so I caused trouble first.

Roshanne slapped away the Duke’s hand covering her mouth.

“Your hands are dirty, Duke. Wash them.”

“…Ha. Just who raised you like this?”

“Well, my parents would be to blame. And that would be you.”

“Ha… She wasn’t like this before. What on earth did that viscount’s son do to turn her into this?”

Even now, he refused to blame himself.

“Duke, the rumors are already spreading. Since it’s come to this anyway…”

Roshanne wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand and looked straight at him.

“Do you have some clever solution?”

“Since no other marriage proposals will come anyway, just announce that I’ll marry the Grand Duke—”

“Get out! Get out! Get out!”

The Duke angrily threw whatever objects he could grab. Only after throwing them did he seem startled by his own actions.

But when he saw Roshanne catching each item smoothly like a trained dog catching discs, he let out a deep sigh.

*

“Your Highness, Grand Duke.”

“……”

“Your Highness?”

“……”

“YOUR HIGHNESS!”

Only after being called several times by his direct knight, Pabel, did Chaiten snap back to his senses.

It had already been several days.

Chaiten would zone out while walking, while eating, even during training.

Pabel looked at him worriedly.

“Are you alright, Your Highness?”

“Ah… yeah. I’m fine.”

But even as he waved it off, he looked deeply confused.

“It’s because of the Emperor again, isn’t it? Making you wait all night and then not even showing his face!”

Pabel slammed the table angrily, but Chaiten’s expression didn’t change at all.

“You should have said something! Stormed into the imperial bedroom! Shouted! If you did anything at all he’d have to show himself!”

“…Pabel.”

“Only shows his face when he sends you to your death—what kind of Emperor is that?! Aren’t we the ones protecting this Empire? Let’s just refuse to work next time!”

“I have something to ask you.”

“Yes, Your Highness. I wish I could have gone to the palace with you… but as you know, we must not show our faces. Please ask anything!”

“What does it mean when someone suddenly asks you to kiss them?”

“Yes! I mean if they say to kiss them—…wait, what?”

Pabel blinked rapidly.

He was sure he had just heard something shocking.

Meanwhile, after dropping such a bombshell, Chaiten calmly picked up a fallen ink bottle.

“…Your Highness.”

“Yes.”

“You said you went to see the Emperor… did you actually meet a lady?”

Pabel asked while trying to calm his racing heart.

Chaiten had never known happiness.

Since coming of age, his life had been nothing but wars and rebellions, barely surviving countless near-death experiences.

Unlike others, he never had the chance to laugh freely or enjoy life.

“I did… meet a lady.”

“…!!”

Pabel covered his mouth in emotional shock.

“Can I go tell the others?”

“Don’t.”

“Your Highness finally… finally! When did you secretly fall in love? Strange. I’ve never left your side. Which noble family is she from? Actually that doesn’t matter. But she asked you to kiss her first? She sounds bold.”

“…Be quiet, Pabel.”

Chaiten pressed his temple.

Since meeting Roshanne, all he could think about was that kiss.

He couldn’t even remember how the Emperor had behaved.

“How many years have you been married?”

Chaiten asked seriously, resting his chin on clasped hands. Pabel pretended to wipe tears.

“Ten years now. Don’t you remember? When we went to kill the Mad Dragon, I had only been married three days.”

“I remember. You cried holding your wife’s pendant.”

“Yes… the captain laughed at me then…”

Pabel smiled bitterly, remembering someone he could no longer meet.

Sensing the mood turning heavy, he quickly changed the topic.

“And young Your Highness cried with me—”

“Anyway. You’ve been married ten years. Tell me… if someone asks for a kiss first, does it mean they had feelings for me?”

Chaiten looked deadly serious.

“It depends on the situation…”

“She recently canceled her wedding.”

“…Wait. Who did? The lady? She was engaged?”

“Yeah. Looked like a forced family marriage… but she canceled it.”

“Because of you?”

“…What? Because of me?”

He hadn’t considered that.

His eyes darted.

“She canceled her wedding and asked you to kiss her!”

“…That’s right.”

Chaiten nodded seriously, having skipped many details.

“Then she definitely likes you!”

“That’s how that works?”

“Haven’t I always said? Nothing ties a man and woman together like a scandal! How about you, Your Highness?”

“I…”

Chaiten touched his ear.

More precisely, the earring—a magical tool suppressing his madness.

A cracking sound echoed as it slowly fractured. Something that had begun recently.

The artifact that suppressed the Mad Dragon’s curse was breaking. Even while wearing it, the voices in his head wouldn’t stop.

Did something happen to the dragon’s seal?

At this rate, he would either go insane and kill everyone around him—

—or take his own life first.

Then he met Roshanne.

Just holding her hand let him last a day or two.

After that kiss, he had gone several days without hearing the voices.

“I… absolutely need her.”

He murmured it like a desperate prayer.

*

Roshanne was bored.

And she loved it.

Doing absolutely nothing… this is wonderful.

After her reckless behavior, the Duke had confined her to the estate.

Since it was social season, missing balls was meant to be a harsh punishment.

But contrary to his intentions, Roshanne was extremely happy.

She could sleep late without complaints.

She could enjoy good meals peacefully.

She never wanted to leave the estate much anyway, and now she even had the perfect excuse—house arrest.

“My lady, your dessert is here.”

On a warm afternoon, while Roshanne sat in the greenhouse doing absolutely nothing, maids brought a dessert trolley.

Various breads and sweet jams were arranged on it.

The jam jars were unopened.

Roshanne glanced at them, and the maids placed everything on the table.

“Thank you.”

Roshanne, who had been curled up like a plant photosynthesizing quietly, sat at the table.

She picked up a jam jar.

At the same time, the maids exchanged glances and giggled.

A beautiful jar full of jam.

But with a lid too tight to open.

Bread she would have to eat plain.

It was a metaphor for her position.

Mockery.

“My lady.”

As Roshanne grasped the lid, a maid approached with a smile, wanting to tease her further.

“The lid won’t open—”

Pop.

“Oh? What did you say? I didn’t hear.”

Roshanne had already opened it easily.

“…Why did it open?”

“What?”

“N-nothing…”

The maid muttered in shock.

How did it open?

“It was closed, so I opened it… was that supposed to be your job?”

“…What?”

“You’re supposed to assist your master’s meals… I must have done it out of habit.”

“What?”

Roshanne closed the lid again.

Then handed it back.

“Here. Now open it for me. I’ll wait.”

“…What? Y-yes…?”