80. Last Days, Elena Esgeland (4)
1.
“……Why does Her Highness react like that when she sees people. Like someone who just saw something she couldn’t see. Even I get hurt a little bit.”
“That’s not like that…”
It was a bit hurtful for me to turn my head in surprise as if I had just seen an insect in front of me, and leave the room I entered.
No matter how much I usually just wash my face, remove eye drops, wash my hair and brush my teeth, that’s the case.
I didn’t even do this because I wanted to, he asked me to attend the closing ceremony with him, and he called someone and bothered me for hours.
In her mind, Princess Elena scored minus 10 points. When she asked what kind of score it was, it was roughly a feeling of liking. Anyway, sooner or later, there will come a situation where you somehow choose one out of five people, or if you’re really bad, you’ll have all five of you covered with five legs.
However, I had no choice but to stop at the words that followed.
“…It’s just that this is the first time I’ve seen you like this, even before and after returning. It was just a little strange.”
Elena, who had regained her composure, held out her hand to me as if she was accustomed to this kind of situation, with a gentle smile on her lips.
“Could you give me the honor of escorting you?”
“…You seem a little serious.”
“It is a lady’s skill to escort a gentleman. Especially if she is such a dazzlingly handsome gentleman as she is today.”
“If you can’t talk.”
Elena took her outstretched hand with a shy face.
It was only in this world that women were treated like men, but whenever I was treated like this, it felt strange that I felt like I was being treated as a woman from my previous life.
And if you think about it, of course it wasn’t in my previous life, and I think this is the first time I’ve ever been told that I’m handsome in this life.
It’s true that in this life, even though I’m just laggy like I was in my previous life, it’s because the original version is much better than the previous life, so it’s okay.
Still, I couldn’t help but shrug my shoulders when I heard that I was handsome.
Well, it’s lip service, but there’s a saying that praise makes even a whale dance.
“……Well, it may sound like empty words to you.”
She must have covered her vision, Elena added with a shy smile, sweeping up her wispy blond hair.
“At least I had my true intentions. But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t handsome as usual. Today, if I add a little more exaggeration, I’d believe that the god of beauty was incarnated.”
“……To say that too bluntly, this side is a bit different.”
Ugh, cringe. My limbs.
Speaking in front of people with rhetorical phrases such as the god of beauty required me, who has the sensibilities of a modern person, to require more resistance than I thought.
What’s even more annoying is that it’s not because of a penalty game, but because it’s 100% pure.
‘No matter how much I think about it, it’s not that much…….’
Even if it wasn’t my will, in modern times, it’s like going to a shop and getting makeup done. Dress up nicely with classy clothes.
Anyway, since it’s embellished, it’s true that it’s better than usual, but I’m not sure if it’s to the point of making a fuss like that.
It’s easier to think that the bean pods on Elena were just thick.
So, holding Elena’s hand, we left her villa and headed for her main palace.
A place I had never come to in my life pattern where I could handle everything in the palace.
And the main palace was definitely on a different level from the villa.
‘How much is all this?’
There were gorgeous decorations all over that made me think that way. Expensive magic stone lighting was applied, and paintings and statues whose value was difficult to guess were decorated everywhere. The highlight is the huge mosaic mural on the way to the banquet hall where the closing ceremony will be held.
I thought I was getting used to it now, but that was just my misunderstanding until I came to the main palace.
I’ve never been there, but I wonder if the Palace of Versailles, which I’ve only heard about in my previous life, felt like this. As I unconsciously opened her mouth to look around, Elena noticed and covered her mouth with a small smile.
“Come to think of it, this must be the first time you’ve been to the main palace.”
“…My room and lab were all in the villa. But since it’s the imperial palace, I can’t wander around freely.”
“To correct one misunderstanding, there is no place within the imperial palace that I cannot go to. The Crown Princess… That is to say, except for the private spaces of my sister, Her Majesty, or other members of the imperial family. Of course, my office or room. Is an exception.”
“Even if you say that, I have no intention of visiting Her Highness’ bedroom.”
“That’s too bad.”
It was close to s*xual harassment, but Elena, who answered with a smirk, extended her hand and pointed to a certain place.
“The banquet hall is right there.”
A huge stone gate with a lion embossed on it.
As soon as Elena and I approached, the guard knight who was standing guarding the door vigorously raised a moderate courtesy, and Elena, who only nodded her head, passed through the open door.
The whole ornate banquet hall was in the shape of a huge hall.
And among the aristocrats in attendance, relatively low-ranking aristocrats whispered.
“The 2nd Princess has arrived.”
“You came earlier than expected.”
“Who’s next to me? I think I’ve never seen that aristocrat Youngsik.”
“The rumored protagonist has finally appeared.”
I expected it, but the focus was on me rather than Elena. The voices of the nobles could be heard without filtering through his magically strengthened hearing.
As she frowned, Elena, who was holding her hand, whispered with a little force.
“Sir Rudric, there is no need for you to step down from here. Rather, it is better to step out confidently.”
“……Yes?”
“Think carefully. It doesn’t matter if you’re from Korea or America. If you think about it differently, you’re here with only your skills.”
Her gaze was directed straight ahead, but her lips were parting.
Even in the eyes of countless people, Elena, who remained calm, added as if in a whisper.
“This means that there is nothing to be astonished by those jackals over there. About half of them are idiots who want their children with no special talent to succeed, and are putting them into the Magic Tower as disciples, even asking for favors. Foolish guys who would dance like a sergeant if they said there was a wizard.”
“…….”
“On the other hand, Kyung is a different story. Court wizards are treated with the same respect as marquises, and Kyung is, in effect, considered to be the next court wizard… Now, then, do you know who has the upper hand?”
The corners of Elena’s mouth twisted up crookedly.
“This means that you don’t have to be intimidated or burdened with your gaze. So don’t be intimidated by the sir.”
“It sounds easy, but…”
“Being an empress is, in other words, a position where you have to embrace all the subjects of the empire with a parental heart. So, Kyung-eun, it would be nice to think of this as a rehearsal.”
After that, Elena calmly headed to the designated location as if nothing had happened.
And next to her, the head maid shouted in a loud voice.
“Her Highness, the 2nd Princess of the Esgeland Empire, Princess Elena of Esgeland eats it!”
“No wait, Her Highness, what did you just say? Empress?”
Soon, the voice I spit out in bewilderment was also drowned out by the voice of the head maid, and all the nobles who were sitting at the same time as Elena stood up from their seats.
Wait a minute, I’m not even thinking of anyone to give rice cakes to, so what’s the empress doing?
I looked in Elena’s direction, but Elena didn’t even look at me, and headed for the seat of honor as if she were used to it.
Somehow, naturally, I also headed for the upper seat.
After taking her seat, Elena opened her mouth with a mischievous smile.
“Well, there may be a parallel world like that in the same yard as the regression.”
“Your Highness, you are a princess in the first place. But what about an empress…”
“Ah, if my memory isn’t wrong, she’s going to be gone within a month or two at the most, and I don’t want to see my damn sister sit on the throne, even if I die.”
“Crazy for real!”
In an instant, chicken meat came up on the skin.
No, so don’t sit next to someone and casually say that you’re going to stage a coup.
Elena winked at me as my voice grew louder.
“Of course I’m joking.”
“You know that’s not convincing at all, right?”
“Well, when I think objectively, I’m a little more competent than my sister. And in this political system where all power is concentrated in one person, the leader’s competence is the most important.”
“So you’re saying you’re going to start a civil war right now? Somehow, why did I forget about it earlier when I started a civil war and even became an emperor before returning?”
“If necessary?”
Elena shrugged her shoulders and added with a mischievous smile.
“Well, if my beloved husband did that and said he wouldn’t mind using each room, I might give up. But, as you know, I’m still unmarried.”
“……Is there anyone in the world who wants to marry a civil war hostage?”
“You’re misunderstanding something.”
I didn’t show it, but I could feel the eyes of the nobles who had sat down again looking this way. That’s right, since I’m the first member of the imperial family to enter, and I didn’t want to, but I’m recently in the spotlight in the social world, I can’t help but pay attention.
But regardless of the gaze of the crowd, Elena brought her index finger to her mouth.
“I have no intention of resorting to such despicable and despicable means to win your heart. Few things are as unfortunate as a marriage without love. Most arranged marriages are like that.”
“…….”
“Besides, this is the first time a man treats me so openly. I prefer being fair. For example, like this.”
Sweeping her hair in her graceful and graceful motion, Elena brought her face closer to her, and she whispered softly in her ear.
“Don’t you think it’s unfair that everyone but me goes on a date?”
“……So, you want a chance too?”
“Well, after the closing ceremony, let’s take a trip together to my villa.”
“Ehh…”
A sigh with many meanings. At the same time, it contained the meaning of acceptance.
It’s a needlessly soft and husky voice, so there’s no point in discriminating between superiority and inferiority in the face, and in terms of the voice, it’s my favorite.
How could he be so smirking at such a pretty tabletop?
There must have been a problem.
Since what happened in the past few days, it seems that there is no tree that can’t be felled after taking 10 shots.
Actually, he was like that too, it was a natural phenomenon that if the other person first liked me, then I gradually developed a crush on the other person.
I’m not a monk practicing anything, and there was no way I’d have the talent to endure like a stone Buddha.
“……Not good.”
I was a little brainwashed.
It seemed that the time of choice was approaching without my knowledge.