ESHPS 13

Chapter – 13

She had never been treated like this in her life. She was the Crown Prince— and someone was threatening to throw a teacup at him?

Joseph stared at Roshanne with a dumbfounded expression. Her lips were pressed tightly together and her face showed no change in expression as she looked at him.

If it were anyone else, maybe not. But that crazy duchess in front of him really looked like she might throw it.

And unlike Roshanne, Joseph wasn’t confident he could dodge a teacup.

“If you hurt me, His Majesty will not let you get away with it!”

Joseph shouted while glaring at the teacup in Roshanne’s hand. The sly, pressuring smile he had shown earlier had completely disappeared.

…It was just a joke.

Even Roshanne, who didn’t know much, knew that if a noble lady threw a teacup at the Crown Prince it would be a serious problem.

She never expected Joseph to take it this seriously.

As she sensed someone approaching beyond the closed reception room door, Roshanne wondered if she should put the teacup down.

That was when—

“His Majesty would summon the Empire’s guardian, the sealed hero he uses like a limb, and crush the Leilaten family. Could you handle that, my lady?”

Perhaps embarrassed that he had been frightened by just a teacup, Joseph ground his teeth.

“…A sealed hero… used like a limb?”

For the first time, Roshanne’s voice changed. The slender arm holding the teacup trembled slightly.

Joseph noticed that brief change and smirked.

She was definitely scared.

His tense shoulders relaxed at once.

“That’s right, my lady.”

Joseph lifted his chin as if daring her to throw it.

“No matter how crazy you are, you’re still a duke’s daughter. Surely you’ve heard of the hero they call His Majesty’s puppet.”

“…Puppet?”

“The one who does whatever His Majesty orders. They say he doesn’t even feel personal emotions. So don’t expect any mercy—”

Before he could finish—

Something flew past his face with a sharp whoosh.

Crash!

The sharp sound of shattering porcelain instantly froze the atmosphere.

Joseph slowly turned his head toward the broken teacup smashed against the wall.

His eyes met Roshanne’s.

“My hand slipped.”

Despite her light tone, an indescribable pressure weighed down on him.

“So? Are you going to call that hero now?”

“What?”

“You’d have to say I threatened you. Are you okay with that?”

Even Duke Leilaten had hidden the fact that Roshanne had hurt his hand because he didn’t want anyone to know.

There was no way Joseph, the Crown Prince, would admit to the public that he had been frightened and fled from an untrained noble girl in this small reception room.

Roshanne knew that very well.

“Wouldn’t people start questioning your qualifications as Crown Prince?”

Joseph’s face flushed red with humiliation.

“And it would be better for your position if today’s meeting ended on a friendly note…”

Joseph had come to keep an eye on Chayton.

If rumors spread that he had fallen out with the Leilaten family now, it wouldn’t benefit him.

“Well, if you don’t like that, forget it.”

Roshanne, who used to barely make eye contact and only knew how to watch others’ moods, had clearly gone completely mad.

Joseph bit his lower lip hard and was about to speak—

Knock knock.

Someone knocked on the door.

“Ah. The person who’ll clean this up finally arrived.”

They seemed to be coming for a while. Why so slow?

Roshanne frowned slightly and stood up.

Seeing her move as if to leave, Joseph jumped up in anger.

“Where do you think you’re running off to—!”

“Running off?”

Roshanne looked at him as if he were strange and opened the door.

“I was just opening it.”

The reception room door opened.

“Your Highness!”

Into the tense atmosphere stepped Duke Leilaten.

Welcome.

True to being a central figure of the imperial faction, the duke immediately attended to the Crown Prince first.

If you looked closely, he might even have a tail, Roshanne thought as she examined his back with narrowed eyes.

“Your Highness, thank you for coming all this way. I had prepared fine tea and desserts for us to enjoy together when you arrived… Huh?”

The duke looked confused at the empty table with no teacups.

He quickly turned and shouted at the maids.

“The Crown Prince is here and you haven’t even served tea?! What are you doing!”

Naturally, he assumed the maids had failed to serve it.

Before innocent maids got scolded, Roshanne stepped forward. She tapped the duke’s shoulder.

“Duke. That’s not it.”

“Hm?”

“Look. Over there.”

“Huh?”

She pointed to the left wall, then the right.

The duke’s head followed her finger back and forth.

The maids behind him also glanced up.

“Gaaaaasp!!!!”

The moment he saw the stained walls and shattered teacup pieces, the duke screamed.

The maids widened their eyes in shock.

“Why is this broken?! I just bought this! It took months to import from another country!”

His body trembled with rage.

“Who did this?! Roshanne! Was it you again?!”

Forgetting there was a guest present, the duke shouted.

“Who else would do something this unruly?!”

“Duke. Listen to me.”

“Who in the Empire would do something so uncivilized?!”

“Duke?”

“I should punish you immediately, Roshanne—!!”

“You’re half wrong.”

Roshanne shook her head as if pitying him.

“That was thrown by the Crown Prince.”

“What?”

“I’m saying the Crown Prince did this ‘uncivilized unruly act’ too.”

The duke visibly panicked and shut his mouth.

His heated anger cooled instantly as he lowered his voice.

“W-when did I call it unruly, Roshanne?”

“Just now.”

“…You! You must have thrown it first! That’s why—”

“The Crown Prince threw it first.”

Roshanne muttered as if disappointed.

The duke seemed to realize speaking further would only make things worse and gave up trying to fix it.

Roshanne glanced at him.

Joseph was only the heir, not emperor yet. Yet the duke was already being extremely cautious around him.

Roshanne found it pathetic.

There’s a lot to fix.

Joseph seemed to need the Leilaten family’s power. Becoming emperor wasn’t the end— it was something you had to defend afterward.

Yet here was a man who couldn’t even demand compensation from someone asking for protection, just staring sadly at a broken teacup.

Roshanne shook her head.

“Well, the head of the family is here, so I’ll take my leave.”

She turned without hesitation.

“W-wait. Roshanne. We need to confirm—”

Startled, the duke hurriedly stuck his foot in front of her path.

Did he just block my way?

Roshanne looked at him incredulously. She didn’t need to ask why.

He wants me to stay until things are smoothed over.

“Hmm?”

But it didn’t matter to Roshanne.

She tilted her head slightly when she saw his foot—

Crunch.

—and casually stepped on it as she walked past.

“Ugh!”

The duke groaned behind her, but Roshanne didn’t care.

If you couldn’t do anything for your daughter until now, at least handle the aftermath properly.

Since her confinement wasn’t lifted yet, the only place she could go was her bedroom.

…He didn’t seem to know the hero disappeared.

As she quietly walked back, she recalled her earlier conversation with Joseph.

She had worried she might be exposed if she met royalty, but Joseph’s reaction suggested otherwise.

Joseph didn’t even know the hero had disappeared.

But the Emperor… there’s no way he doesn’t know.

That greedy, distrustful emperor likely hadn’t even told his own son.

“A puppet with no personal emotions”…

Roshanne repeated Joseph’s words and smiled coldly.

After entering her bedroom, she grabbed the armrest of a chair to steady her turbulent emotions.

So that’s what they thought?

That she wasn’t a living person.

Just a sword used to kill someone.

Killing intent flickered across Roshanne’s face.

Crack!

The armrest she gripped broke easily.

She looked at the broken wood and took a deep breath. But when she pictured the Emperor and Crown Prince—the father and son who looked so alike—her teeth clenched.

If not for the sealing magic, she would have immediately gone to them and wrapped her hands around that thin imperial neck.

I never expected gratitude. But I thought they at least considered me human.

Roshanne’s eyes gleamed coldly.