Chapter 74

“…It’s an interesting story.”

“…Interesting?”

Emperor Alberto chuckled and smiled as he turned the papers over. At first glance, the smile seemed kind though the Knight Commander, Zihat knew that it was not. Emperor Alberto answered his question by stamping his seal on the document.

“It’s an interesting story. Duke Ferial brought in a woman. And that’s Azela Vellista… It’s an interesting combination.”

“….”

“He brought in Azela Vellista as his escort…”

Emperor Alberto stopped his hand passing through the papers, lifted his head, and chuckled loudly. While it was an exciting laugh, Zihat didn’t laugh. When Emperor Alberto laughed like that, he knew that someone was going to die or that only bad things would happen.

The Emperor, who had been laughing for a long time, stared at Zihat with bright eyes.

“What do you think?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Duke Ferial… bringing in Azela Vellista, who is making a stir in the social world for a while now, as an escort knight?”

“….”

“When it comes to Azela’s swordsmanship, I still remember it. It was pretty good, so she is useful. Of course, she was not as good as you, but if taught well, she’ll definitely have swordsmanship as good as yours. She may have been the first woman to sit as the Knight’s Commander.”

“Azela Vellista was born with genius talent. It’s something that other people can’t have even if they try.”

“Yes, that’s why I wanted it.”

The Emperor shifted his gaze to the tightly closed window. He wanted her, and that was why he tried to attach his son, Crown Prince Chises, to her. However, in the end it failed because of her strong convictions.

In a way, Azela and Zagnac were similar in a way that they did not lose their stubbornness. If there was anything else, though, Azela didn’t put her claws up on him, but Zagnac was always revealing his teeth.

“Since he hired her as his escort knight… Now, in the social world, they will keep an eye on whether Duke Ferial is threatened with life.”

“….”

“Is this a challenge to me… Or, did he decide to attack me?”

Alberto put a smile on his lips. Placing down the papers he was looking at, he clasped his hands and glanced at Zihat.

“Where is Livia, and what is she doing now? Bring her to me.”

It was a cool windy night in the Imperial Palace.

* * *

In the dazzling morning light, Azela opened the window that had been closed. In the end, she stayed up all night yesterday. Somehow, it was because she wasn’t comfortable lying on that elegant and old-fashioned big bed.

At dinner time yesterday, Zagnac said he had prepared all the clothes and things necessary for living in advance.

Standing up, she then opened the door leading to the dressing room next to the bedroom.

In the dressing room, there were many clothes that she would not be able to wear for the rest of her life. On one side were dresses that looked expensive even if she pretended it was not, and on the other side were clothes that were comfortable to work as an escort knight.

Either way, it was something he had prepared in advance for her to wear and enjoy as she wanted. Azela looked alternately to the left and right, then turned her gaze to the right, where the comfy clothes were.

Now, a dress like that was a luxury for her.

It took a while as she was clumsy in changing clothes by herself, but Azela did it brilliantly. Although the clothes were a little sloppy, she was quite satisfied with my reflection in the mirror, and she smiled.

Knock, knock.

As she stared back and forth at her reflection in the mirror, she heard a polite knock through the closed bedroom door. When Azela sent the permission to open the door, the closed door opened, and four maids of the mansion she saw yesterday rushed in.

“Everything is still going to be new, and the Master said we should help.”

“Oh, I can do it myself…”

“The clothes are buttoned incorrectly. We will help you.”

Azela, who was about to say that she could do it on her own, bit her lip when they said that the button was wrong.

She thought the clothes were loose somehow…

The maids unbuttoned her misfitted clothes and re-buttoned them, and again tidied her hair, which had a lot of fine hair sprouting out.

She had to do it on her own now. As an escort knight, she couldn’t get help from the maids. As Azela was watching everything the maids were doing, the maid who was tidying her hair glanced at her and asked.

“By the way… What’s the lady’s relationship with the master?”

“…Yes?”

Azela was bewildered by the question and asked again, and the maid spoke again with a face before they chatted.

“This is the first time the Master has brought a woman into the mansion!”

“It’s the first time he has touched a woman!”

“Actually, it’s the first time he has an escort knight next to him!”

“Did you promise master to marry him?”

Azela smiled vaguely at the pouring questions and spared her answer. She wasn’t like that with him. The maid again asked as she was more curious that Azela spared her words.

“This is the first time the Master treats a woman like this!”

“What is the relationship between you two?”

At their words, she gazed at her reflection in the mirror while the maids who gave questions were expecting to listen to the answer. The look on their faces showed that they didn’t want the answer that he and she had nothing to do with each other. She wanted to say she would sort it out, but she could barely answer such a thing.

Azela furrowed her brow as if dissatisfied with the reflection in her mirror and opened her tightly closed lips.

“…Using each other.”

“Yes?”

The maids, who were screaming and expecting a sweet answer with reddened faces, couldn’t hide their bewildered looks at the cold voice that came.

But after that, Azela did not open her mouth anymore. She just turned away from the mirror and walked out of her bedroom as if she didn’t want to see her face. When she opened the bedroom door and came out into the hallway, he had been waiting for her.

…Now, she could meet him like this at any time, not secretly, not through the window at night.

At that fact, Azela’s unpleasant feelings vanished as though they had never been there.

“Oh.”

Zagnac scanned slowly over Azela from her head to her toes. His happy gaze was embarrassing for no reason, so she touched the tip of her hair and turned her gaze into the air.

“It suits you very well. looks good.”

Azela’s lips twitched as she turned her head to Zagnac’s brief compliment.

It was the first time she had stood in front of him in clothes other than a dress, so it was true that she was worried about what would happen if she didn’t look good or what if she didn’t look pretty. However, at his words, all those worries were carried away by the wind.

With a smile, Zagnac nodded for her to go down and went down the stairs. Azela naturally walked with him.

“We have a lot of work to do today.”

“Work…?”

“I have to go to the Imperial Palace first.”

“…Me too?”

“Of course. You’re my escort knight.”

“…Right.”

Listening to the word Imperial Palace. Azalea frowned and bowed her head. The Imperial Palace was the place where she would see Crown Prince Chises and Princess Livia, who she did not want to see.

She asked, with an unwelcome face.

“Are you sure we have to go to the Imperial Palace?”

“Yeah, I don’t want to go either.”

“Why?”

“When I return to the capital, the first thing I do is visit the Emperor. I don’t want him to pick up on me with this because the human Duke Ferial belongs to the Emperor.”

Zagnac said as he entered the dining room, pulled out Azela’s chair and gave her a nod to sit down.

In the first place, it was quite impossible for her, the escort knight, to dine with him, the Master, but instead of saying it, she opened her mouth again as she sat in the chair, which Zagnac had moved for her.

“Why is the Emperor trying to kill you?”

“Well.”

Zagnac sat down and shrugged casually, picking up the tableware. He then answered as he calmly ate the food.

“It’s either I’m in the way of his power, or he was too greedy.”

“…There’s no need to try to kill you when he’s greedy. If he’s greedy, why was he trying to kill you? Besides, the Emperor is the one with the highest power in this empire. What can you do about his power?”

“There is no end to human greed.”

Zagnac continued his words with his purple eyes shining.

“After all, even after sitting in the highest seat, human beings desire a higher seat.”

“….”

“Besides, humans have an instinct to destroy what they want if they don’t have it, so others won’t have it either.”

“…Not me.”