Chapter 109 Getting good at lying
Chapter 109 Getting good at lying
I arrived in front of Cecilia’s room.
I knocked and the door opened immediately.
“Mister Luke! Did you come back sooner than expected?”
It was Flora who poked her head through the crack in the door.
Did I really get the room wrong?
I checked the lake embedded in the door just in case, but it turned out to be correct.
“Ah, Mulia is with me now.”
Flora, who cleared my doubts, smiled brightly. Then he opened the door wide for me to come in.
“Thank you, Lady Flora.”
“Whoops. Everyone was waiting for Mr. Luke to come.”
Did the conversation I had with Luis bother you that much?
While she was tilting her head, Flora shut the door tightly.
Cecilia and Mulia were seated at the round table.
“I am back, Your Majesty.”
I leaned slightly towards Cecilia.
“Raise your head.”
At her command, she straightened her back again. Meanwhile Flora went and sat down at her round table.
“… ….”
All three women kept their eyes fixed on me and said nothing.
Anxiety and anticipation coexisted in their eyes. At least that’s how it seemed to me.
“Your Majesty. Can I have a seat first?”
“Yunheohaji.”
As if you’ve waited, you’re allowed.
I sat down in an empty seat, facing Cecilia.
“What did you talk about with Princess McKenna?”
Cecilia crossed her arms and looked at me with sharp eyes.
My eyes are the color of blood, so when I see that kind of gaze, my heart feels tight without even realizing it.
“The Princess gave me dating advice, Your Majesty.”
“Yeon, kid?”
Cecilia immediately frowned on one side of her brow. A response that I don’t understand.
Well, I think that’s possible.
I can’t figure out why she asked me for her dating advice.
“It’s love… …. To you, not to anyone else…….”
Cecilia muttered in a low voice.
Just by looking at his expression, he seemed to be struggling with an important matter for the empire.
“Could it be that Princess McKenna has a crush on Her Majesty Vettel?”
Flora’s emerald eyes were shining brightly. Those eyes…… It’s something you can only see when interest is soaring.
Maybe because it was about love, he seemed more interested.
“Yes. Everyone must have already guessed.”
As soon as I finished my remarks, the three women said yes at the same time.
“However, I am somewhat surprised. Why did I ask the secretary for advice?”
Mulia had an expression of pure curiosity.
I shrugged once.
“Okay. I’m not sure why either. I didn’t even ask.”
“I see.”
Mulia seemed to be satisfied with just this answer. Although she, of course, did not solve the underlying question.
“Luke. Please tell us what the relationship counseling was like.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
After clearing my throat, I told him the story I had with Luis without missing a word.
“Whoa. I didn’t know that King Bethel and Princess McKenna were childhood friends.”
“I guessed that they were close because Princess McKenna often visited her palace.”
“You mean you just didn’t know we were childhood friends?”
I said yes and nodded.
Because I thought Louise was just one of the candidates for queenship.
That’s why he often came to show his face in order to look good for Vettel.
“Oh my God. I see.”
Flora also opened her eyes wide, apparently surprised.
“Oh, that’s a romantic relationship.”
“Should I just be romantic?”
Flora shook her head as Cecilia made a somewhat pessimistic remark.
“I don’t think so, Your Majesty. It’s not easy to maintain childhood friendships into adulthood.”
“Aren’t we childhood friends?”
“Ah… ….”
Flora was immediately at a loss for words.
It’s so much fun watching it from the side.
“It may be more difficult than I thought to keep a childhood friend of the opposite s*x, Your Majesty.”
Mulia, who was silent, also added her remarks.
“Hmm. Now that I’ve heard it, Mulia has some truth in what you say.”
Cecilia shook her head. She then asked me again.
“Originally, they were close friends, but did they say that their relationship became distant after King Bethel became embroiled in the succession issue?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Hmm… ….”
Cecilia groaned in her low voice.
Then Flora and Mulia also showed signs of being immersed in their own worries.
“Currently, King Bethel doesn’t seem to have a big problem……. Of course, since it hasn’t been a few days since I met him, she can’t say anything rashly.”
Her maids, including me, agreed with her remarks.
“Perhaps there are circumstances that we are unaware of. But there was no way I could know something that Princess McKenna didn’t know either.”
“Looks like you just said you can’t help.”
“Yes.”
I responded in a clear tone.
Then a relieved expression appeared on the faces of the three women. Flora even put her hand on her chest and let out her sigh.
“… ….”
Why is everyone reacting like that?
I couldn’t understand why, so I only blinked my eyelids.
As if noticing my appearance, Flora opened her mouth, keeping her eyes fixed on me.
“Actually, what if Princess McKenna shows interest in Mr. Luke…….”
“Quiet!”
Cecilia suddenly hit her round table with her high pitched voice.
Then Flora bit her mouth again.
“… ….”
Everyone rolled their eyes and looked at Cecilia.
But her cheeks were slightly flushed.
She rolled her eyes at Mullia, just in case, to see that she too had blushing cheeks.
Looking at it, Flora is like that…….
“Flora. You seem to be making fun of your mouth too carelessly sometimes.”
“I apologize, Your Majesty.”
Flora, who was suppressed by Cecilia’s momentum, immediately lowered her head.
But I don’t know if it’s something Cecilia would be so serious about…….
‘Anyway, what should I do with this atmosphere… ….’
Fortunately, I came up with a way to soften the atmosphere. By using the keyword ‘worry’ mentioned by Flora earlier.
“Your Majesty. May God speak?”
“Yunheohaji.”
Cecilia was staring at me with sharp eyes.
Was it right that she just kept her mouth shut?
But she couldn’t pick up what she had already said. She had no choice but to scream and watch.
“It’s just a what-if story. Even if Princess McKenna had expressed her feelings to me, I would have refused on the spot. It is because my homeland is the Eckhart Empire, and I am only thinking of fulfilling my responsibilities as Your Majesty’s faithful secretary.”
I was surprised that the words flowed out like flowing water.
Now I can skillfully tell a lie without changing a single expression…….
“Hmm… ….”
Cecilia let out a low moan and gently rubbed the corner of my mouth. It seemed like he was revisiting my remarks.
Flora and Mulia were looking surprised with their eyes wide open.
“Luke. Are you sincere in that statement?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Then, it seems we were worrying for nothing.”
Whoops.
Cecilia smiled lightly, and only then did the frozen atmosphere dissipate.
“I will. Luke is not one of those people.”
“Anyway, I’m glad.”
The ladies-in-waiting also smiled in relief.
Then why was I so worried about Louise flirting with me?
Did I fail to give you trust?
Or is there another reason?
I stayed silent and ran my head around, but failed to come up with a plausible answer.
* * *
After a short consultation with Luke, Louis returned to the palace.
She stepped into Vettel’s office, wanting to see Vettel’s face for a moment before she returned to the Duke’s residence.
But when she stood in front of the door, she didn’t have the courage to knock.
‘Let’s stop today.’
Vettel must be tired in many ways.
Lewis returned to the duke’s residence in a beige carriage bearing the Mackenn family’s coat of arms.
“Princess. You’re back now. Did you go to the palace today?”
Louis smiled softly at her nanny, who greeted her warmly.
“Yes. I’m tired right now, so I’ll rest in my room.”
“Yes.”
Louise headed to her own room located on the second floor. She locked the door, then lay down on the bed.
“I thought I would find a clue if I talked to Captain Nedville… ….”
But Luke said with a firm attitude. Can’t help
Thanks to that, Louis realized her reality anew.
In the end, she said, this was a problem she and Vettel had to work through.
“Haa… ….”
The problem was that she couldn’t think of a way to do it herself.
“How do I get Vettel to open up to me again?”
She tossed and turned on the bed, hugging her pillow.
Unfortunately, the answer to her troubles still did not seem to be hidden in her fog.
* * *
After dinner with her guests from the Empire, Vettel returned to her office.
It was to deal with backlogs with her aide, Fonta.
“Did you plan tomorrow, Your Highness?”
Fonta threw her eyes at Vettel, who was sitting next to her.
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“I plan to introduce you to our palace in the morning.”
“I see. I will arrange the work tomorrow.”
“Yes.”
Vettel nodded, her eyes still fixed on the papers.
As soon as he finished reviewing, he stamped the approval. Reaching out for the next document, Vettel suddenly remembered Louise’s request to talk to Luke alone during the day.
What was Lewis trying to talk about with Captain Nedville?
He didn’t want to care, but he did.
‘But I’m out of shape to ask Captain Nedville…….’
For circumstances, I couldn’t be as friendly as Louis right now. Because of this, he was deliberately keeping some distance from Louis.
I wonder if that changed Louis’ mind…….
For a moment, that worry stuck out his head, but Vettel quickly put the thought out of his head.
‘We just need to solve this trade issue well. Then… ….’
I can get along with Lewis again like before.
“Your Highness?”
“Hmm?”
“Do you have any concerns?”
“Just. Not a big deal.”
Vettel said in a light tone.
To Fonta, it seemed like nothing more than evasiveness. But since it’s not a big deal, what more can I say here?
“Well, shouldn’t we have a meeting with Her Majesty in earnest now?”
“I was just thinking that I had to proceed slowly.”
Vettel groaned in agony as he let out a heavy moan.
“I think three days will be good.”
“Then I will deliver the message to Her Majesty in a little while.”
“Please.”
Vettel put on a kind smile.
-Continued