Chapter 13

After that, Eckart continued the conversation for a bit with them and then issued several edicts.

Colin came out with a handful of edicts with a sullen expression after the meeting was over.

“I really can’t work in this cabinet!”

Jed was fit to be tied when he called a servant on standby and had him carry a golden tray full of the emperor’s edicts, and continued, “I wish those damned bastards would be struck by the thunderbolts falling from the sky!”

“No murder, please!” Colin said.

“Of course not. Anyway. The Euclid family, which produced hundreds of wise men like you, should answer like that. Why don’t you monopolize all the goods words in this world?”

Shaking his hand with fury, Jed disappeared to the left of the forked road, sneering at Colin.

Colin, who had to go to the opposite side because his ministry was located in a different place, pouted.

* * *

The family of Marquis Euclid was among the top five distinguished noble families in Aslan. It was called the intelligence of the empire by producing the largest number of great scholars since the founding of the empire, and there were a few emperors who didn’t have the great scholars of the Euclid family as their teachers.

Even Emperor Frei VII was the best disciple who had been taught by Sir Simon, the Education Minister, since he was a crown prince. Sir Simon’s three sons all served as royal officials, and Colin, the youngest of them, was the most famous.

Colin von Euclid. His name was usually mentioned on two occasions.

Firstly, his name was mentioned because of his extraordinary memory as he never forgot what he once saw, and secondly, it was mentioned as one of the closest few advisors of Frei VII. Marianne noticed Colin’s capabilities for the second reason.

“Iric, what time is it now? I’m tired…”

“It’s a little past nine o’clock.”

“Why hasn’t he come back yet? I wonder if he’s not coming back today.”

“There was nothing unusual about the servants’ conversation… It seems that he will finish his work at the palace a bit late today.”

Iric opened his pocket watch again in a small pocket inside his jacket.

Unlike his appearance when he came to the capital, he looked great as he was dressed in a formal suit now.

Marianne smiled happily, thinking it was good that she bought him new clothes.

“It’s so nice to see you dressed up like that. You look like Hugo.”

“Well, I feel rather nervous because I can’t carry my sword here.”

“But you are much less noticeable that way. Please carry it like that a little more.”

She pointed to a black cello case that was placed obliquely on the back of the sofa.

Iric was going to say that he was nervous because of that case, but he shut up.

“Did you say we have guests here?” asked Colin.

“Yes. Two guests are here, and they said they promised to see you here today…”

“Me? Today? At my house?”

“Yes. They have been waiting for three hours until now. ”

“But I don’t really remember that I made that promise. Who are they?”

“When I asked, they replied that she was the daughter of Count Spring.”

“Count Spring? I’ve never heard of him.”

At that moment, Colin heard someone talking outside.

Drooping on the couch, she sat up straight and adjusted her hat. A black veil covering her face tickled her cheeks gently.

In no time, the door was opened.

She slowly stood up. Colin, who came in with a perplexed expression, became more embarrassed at a big man and a woman whose face was veiled.

“How do you do, Sir Colin?”

“Hi, it’s nice to see you Count Spring’s daughter!”

When Marianne greeted first, Colin also responded hurriedly.

“It looks like you had a lot of work today. I heard that the officials with the internal ministry usually get off work at 7 PM, ” she said.

“Well, I had to handle some urgent stuff right before I left. By the way, I don’t remember exactly. Can I ask what time we promised to meet?” Colin asked, blinked his red eyes, and tilted his head slightly. Marianne thought that Colin looked like a rabbit set free in the clover garden.

“Oh, you don’t remember our promise,” she said.

It was natural that Colin didn’t remember it.

In fact, it was at dawn today when she arrived in the capital. It was already afternoon when she was done shopping in the city after taking a nap. Besides, she was trying her best to act as the daughter of Count Spring, whose name she urgently devised because she couldn’t reveal her identity to Colin. It was impossible as she promised to meet Colin in such a situation.

“I’m sorry. I usually hardly forget anything,” Colin apologized immediately.

Was he naive or good-hearted? She wished Colin was a good-hearted man.

She took off her hat, feeling a bit of guilt.

When her black veil was removed, her dark brown hair and shiny green eyes were revealed.

“I guess you forgot because I made the appointment with you hastily today. I’m sorry.”

She bowed her head slightly, put her right hand on her chest, and offered an apology.

Colin stared at Marianne. Of course, he had been staring at her right after he came into the room, but after she took off her hat, he stared more intently at her. He opened his round eyes wide and opened his mouth as if he was surprised by something.

‘Is he upset about me?’ she thought to herself.

She hastily opened her mouth when she noticed Colin’s embarrassed response.

She had to steal the show before she could be kicked out of the room as a swindler.

“Let me formally introduce myself to you. I am…”

“You must be Lady Marianne, right?” Colin asked, stunned.

He continued, “Marianne von Kling. The only daughter of Duke Wales, born in Lennox and called the spring of the northern area in the social circles…”

“Wait a minute, please!” Marianne urgently interrupted Colin.

She was very embarrassed when he narrated her background in detail as if he were reading it from an encyclopedia.

She asked, “How did you know? Did you hear any rumors that I arrived in the capital? Did you know I would come here?”

“Huh? Nope. How can I? I just don’t even know why you came to my house.”

‘How fortunate!’ She could feel relieved now.

But she was still in doubt as to how he recognized her.

In some respects, she felt unhappy about the current situation. In fact, she made all the efforts to hide her identity as well as those of Iric, Hugo, and Cordeli. For example, she disguised Iric as a servant and spent two hours trying to pick the most common dress at a nearby boutique to hide their identities.

“How did you know at a glance that I was the daughter of the Kling family?”

“Because I’ve seen you before.”

“Well… I don’t think we have seen each other before.”

“Oh, it’s the first time we’ve met formally like this. But I’ve seen you before. At the emperor’s coronation four years ago. I couldn’t attend the banquet because I was sick that day. But I just briefly saw you standing with the duke during the ceremony.”

Oh my god!

She exclaimed at his words before she knew.

“I hear the rumor that you never forget what you saw once. I think that rumor is true. Your memory is amazing!”

Colin let his hair down when he found she was innocently surprised by him and smiled kindly.

In fact, he was very fond of someone’s praise of him. Noticing that, Jed made fun of him by saying he was childish, but he thought differently. He cherished the joy he felt when his intelligence was of help to someone else.

“Well, your emerald eyes were so impressive that I could hardly forget you. It was the first time I saw such bright green eyes. When I looked at your eyes so close, they are as clean and deep as the emperor’s. Both of you have precious eyes like jewels.”

As if to return her praise, Colin also praised her very much.

He belatedly remembered the episode about her he heard from the northern area recently, but the lady with clear eyes was truly impressed by his kindness. He felt he could return her favor gladly as it was true that her green eyes were very beautiful.

Meanwhile, Marianne grinned at him.

Rather than being satisfied with Colin’s compliments, she felt more satisfied that her efforts to look like Count Springer’s daughter had paid off nicely.

Above all, she liked the topic that he naturally brought up during the conversation.

“I’m flattered, Sir Colin. His Excellency’s eyes are the one and only green eyes in the empire that no one can imitate. How can I dare compare his eyes with mine?”

“Of course, you can’t in terms of symbolic sense as he inherited them from his mother, the Queen. But your eyes are also very beautiful. In fact, I once envied your eyes.”