Chapter 72

“Your Majesty, you don’t have a schedule this afternoon. Can I invite you to a small boat ride I prepared?”

I politely asked Cardan, who was spread out on the sofa in the office today.

“Playing on a boat?”

Cardan’s voice, asking back, was cold, but I didn’t give up.

“Your Majesty is the emperor who has to enjoy all the rare and enjoyable things in the world, and I prepared this to relieve your fatigue because I was worried you’re overworked these days.”

Of course, I was the only one who suffered. However, I happily turned the ball around, smiling as brightly as possible and flattering him hard as if the emperor were the best.

“Really? The Duke prepared it for me.”

Only then did Cardan, who was lying on the sofa in the office and just moving his feet leisurely, rise up.

“Let’s take a look at your sincerity.”

I hurried Cardan to the lake outside the palace.

As we passed through the quiet grass and arrived at the lake, where the waves of sunlight sparkled like jewels, the young ladies in the luxurious playboat were waiting for us.

Even the placement of the seats was something I put my heart and soul into.

One lady sat on the right side of the emperor’s seat because her left face was prettier than her right side. The other lady sat down one step down because her face looking down from above looked particularly thin.

Her beauty was also outstanding, but she looked even more beautiful when she blushed with excitement.

Of course, these young ladies were not all. The boat was full of all kinds of appetizing finger food, pastries, snacks, and alcohol.

In other words, it was a perfect playground for Cardan, who only knew how to play and eat.

“Who are they?”

At the sight in front of him, Cardan frowned at the young ladies.

I bent forward with a smile of satisfaction.

“These are the young ladies I invited to go boating. They’re all very close to me.”

Cardan’s brow frowned slightly.

“I was unaware that there were other guests.”

As if I’ll go boating with you alone.

I smiled broadly, barely holding back my desire to glare at Cardan.

“The more people there are, the more fun it is. In particular, I think it would be much more fun to be with ladies than to play in a boat alone, especially if it’s a wonderful person like Your Majesty.”

It was Cardan, not me, who twisted his mouth obliquely this time.

“Be honest. You’re trying to push them all into being my concubine, right?”

“Haha, rather than for that purpose, I believe Your Majesty must get to know the ladies in the Empire as the monarch of the Empire, so I prepared a place for both sides to–-”

“I can hear the sound of your head rolling up here.”

I immediately shut up.

“In a fit of anger, as the empress…….”

Cardan’s eyes, as he moved his lips a few times, stayed with me for a long time.

“Shall we stop doing these useless things before we nominate a partner for the prince of the East?”

What? As empress… Prince of the East?

I froze for a moment.

After seeing Cardan’s face crumple more, I realized it was a joke.

Don’t make such a bloody joke.

“I’m sorry.”

I bowed down and looked at him.

“But since we’ve walked all the way here, the weather is amazing today.”

“Again, you’re doing it again.”

Cardan pressed my forehead and looked at the boat.

“You take care of that yourself.”

Because of Cardan, who had his arms folded far away and was looking at me, I had no choice but to approach the ladies alone.

“Hey, ladies? I’m sorry. I don’t think we can meet today because His Majesty suddenly has an urgent schedule, so what should I do?”

The ladies couldn’t hide their disappointment in my words.

“As expected, it’s difficult to see him up close. I wanted to have a conversation and see him with my own eyes to make sure he really exists.”

“Oh, me too. I couldn’t be sure because I always saw him from afar. If he’s an angel or a human.”

The ladies have now begun to look at Cardan more openly.

“It’s my first time seeing him so close. Just looking at him makes me feel refreshed.”

There seemed to be one thing that the leading K-pop Entertainment CEO missed.

Sometimes, the fact that the strategy of “there is only one person who likes you” works better than the strategy of “there must be one person among you”, but since the prize is so perfect, I have no choice but to do it like this.

“Great, ladies? Then I’m very sorry, but I’ll cancel today’s boating.”

“Oh my! Why?”

A young lady raised her hand.

“His Majesty can’t attend, we all have time, and the Duke doesn’t have any schedule, do you? Let’s have fun together.”

Then, another lady responded and said, “I like it.”

“It’s the first time I’ve met His Majesty up close like today! I’ll be just grateful if you give us a good tour.”

“Yes, let’s go boating together, Duke.”

The lady pulled my arm, so I had no choice but to get on the boat.

I turned around and greeted the emperor with a wink, saying he could go back first.

“Haha, shall we?”

They probably need someone to row.

I immediately grabbed the oars because I felt sorry for the ladies, who came all the way here because of me and were in vain.

“I’m sorry to have wasted your time, but I’ll take care of you comfortably.”

“Will you be alright by yourself? It must be very heavy…….”

The lady looked at me anxiously.

I pushed the oars all the way with a proud smile.

“That’s all right, that’s about it.”

But the boat didn’t budge.

“This is nothing!”

I tried pushing again with a lot of energy.

Did it move by a centimeter?

In embarrassment, I peeked at the ladies, and in the meantime, their eyes were all focused on other places.

“Come out.”

Soon after, a very familiar and ominous voice fell over my head.

In a short while

“Can’t you keep the pace?”

“Yes, yes!”

I clenched my teeth, pulled the oars with both hands and repeatedly pushed. My muscles throbbed all over.

When I glanced to the side, I saw Cardan lying down at an angle.

At the same time, he was rowing with his other hand.

I didn’t know how strong he was, but he was rowing through the waves effortlessly.

Thanks to this, I was the only one who had to keep pace.

“Again, again, the direction is reversed again.”

If you’re going to do this, you can stir both sides. You’re such a jerk.

I was angry inside, but…….

“I’ll correct it!”

On the surface, there was nothing I could do but repeat hard.

“Princess… You are suffering because of us for no reason…….”

A weak-hearted lady wiped my sweat with a handkerchief while waving her hands.

I couldn’t be more tearfully grateful as she wiped the back of my neck and my open shirt collar with a careful touch.

“Oh my god!”

However, at that moment, the lady, who was wiping off my sweat, suddenly trembled and dropped her handkerchief.

“I lost my concentration.”

Before I knew it, Cardan was up. While criticizing me, I couldn’t help but feel like he was referring to the trembling lady, not me.

“I’m sorry!”

As I rowed with all my might again, Cardan picked up a handkerchief with a satisfied smile.

“You can’t touch a cow when it’s working, Lady.”

The lady, who was pale with fear a while ago, began to tremble again.

Of course, this time, she put her hand on her chest as her face flushed with excitement.

She looked very happy without knowing that Cardan was stealing her handkerchief that looked quite expensive.

Thanks to the humble cow who paddled hard between the two, the boat soon reached a small artificial island in the middle of the lake.

After sending the young ladies to see the island, I stretched out on the floor of the boat like a deflated balloon.

“Foolish.”

Cardan, who I thought would follow the young lady with the handkerchief, tapped me lightly with his feet.

“I said I’d let you play on the boat. I shouldn’t be spread out like this.”

I rolled my eyes and glared at Cardan.

“Ummm…”

After making a lame joke, I became timid and turned my eyes away without even staring for a few seconds.

What kind of criticism would I hear for throwing a joke this time?

Scornful eyes? A ridiculous laugh?

As I awaited my fate.

A clear laugh rang out coolly.

Surprised, I turned my eyes back to Cardan and found him with a look on his face for the first time.

His soft eyes, his lips that draw a perfect line, the light wrinkles on his nose, and above all, his eyes that are finite without any sharp corners.

I couldn’t take my eyes off him as if I was captivated, perhaps because of his unfamiliar expression, or because his appearance under the sun was like a picture.

Wicked

When I came to my senses, it was after Cardan lifted me lightly and put me down on the boat.

Too close, his rough hands touching the inside of my arm, his eyes that are still soft enough to be transparent.

I said anything out of embarrassment.

“You’re lifting up the cow, too.”

“Because the cow is weak.”

Cardan put me on the floor with a smirk.

“I came all the way to the island, so I have to see the conservatory.”

“Conservatory……?”

For a moment, a complex look passed over Cardan’s face.

“Oh, I lost my memory.”

However, he took the lead, beckoning me to follow him immediately.

“You’ll find out when we go.”

“It’s a greenhouse.”

The conservatory was a small greenhouse in the middle of the island.

As early winter came, all the trees outside the greenhouse were thin, but the interior of the greenhouse was full of blue light like midsummer.

The transparent glass shining under the sun, the delicate arching roof, and the still atmosphere made me feel as if I was in a glass church.

“It’s a place that the Emperor built for his mother. It was only a game for the emperor, but my mother took care of it carefully, saying that the greenhouse was innocent.”

After saying that, Cardan stared down at me.

“You helped her as well.”

I suddenly felt faint.

There was similar content about the greenhouse in the original.

The emperor who ordered a greenhouse to be built for the Empress. And the story of the Duke of Baloa who was executed when she couldn’t make it due to the exhausted national treasury.

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