The Duke, who raised the tip of his lips obliquely, asked me in a mischievous tone.

What are gawking at?

Oh, nothing.

Well, Im kind of handsome.

The Duke said so without raising an eyebrow.

Ha, really

I clenched my fists tightly.

Disappointment! Im upset that I have to admit that the Duke is handsome!

Well, its only natural. Hes related to the empress, the most beautiful woman in the world!

But Im still angry!

The tea tastes mediocre.

After a while, the Duke put down the teacup and gave such a comment.

Remember its an obligation to be ready to prepare meals for guests as the maid of the empress palace.

Er, I didnt do anything of the sort.

I rolled my eyes.

Shouldnt he have eaten before coming to the Empress Palace?

However, the Duke was not finished speaking yet.

The Duke gestured with his chin, pointing to the sofa opposite of the sofa the Duke was sitting on.

Arent your legs sore from standing?

Pardon?

What I mean is you can sit.

Oh my God, the Duke is really offering me a seat right now?

As I blinked blankly, I came to my senses.

I cant do this. How could I as a maid, sit across from you?

Does the kid intend to get rid of me by questioning everything I say?

Maybe?

Do you not know? If I keep you standing like that, Rose will come back and try to end me.

The Duke groaned.

So, thats why you suggested for me to take a seat.

Convinced, I sat down.

Then, the Duke placed a plate stacked with financiers in front of me.

Eat.

What?

Should I tell you one more time about Roses cruelty?

After saying that, the Duke added a comment.

And I for one, dont like sweets.

Welp, I guess this is happening.

I calmly pulled the plate in front of me.

The Duke, who was watching me munch on snacks, slowly tilted his head and opened his mouth.

Hey, kid. I have something to tell you.

Wat?

Maybe it was because my mouth was full of financiers, my pronunciation was a little unclear.

The Duke, who had been hesitating for a while, narrowed his brow and said.

So before, I was a little too cold-hearted to you. Youre still young

Lize!

I didnt hear what the Duke had to say till the end.

It was because the Empress had entered the parlor.

As if on instinct, I sprang up from my seat.

Her Majesty, the empress!

What should I do, my empress is finally here! Im so happy that I feel like crying!

The Empress, who hurriedly approached me, grabbed me and embraced me in her arms.

Then, she shifted her gaze to look at the duke with a sharp expression.

Her expression resembled a cat that had welled up with anger.

Did my brother bother you?

Well, he didnt reeally bother me.

Objectively, the Duke was quite kind.

Im was however left emotionally exhausted..

As I struggled to suppress my desire to complain like that, I smiled brightly.

Not at all. She did a very good job, stated the Duke.

Brother? Can you not? Its okay to be honest, Charlize.

Its true.

Even though I said that the empress did not hide her suspicions for a long time.

After but a short while, the empress recomposed herself and asked a question.

So, why did you come to the empresss palace, brother?

Why not? Cant I come to see my sister every now and then?

The Empress expressed all kinds of swear words that exist in the world just by wrinkling her face.

But its kind of weird.

I dont think she was this sharp when the Duke visited last time.

I tilted my head.

The empresss arms still embracing me, strengthened upon asking the Duke a question.

You werent mean to Charlize, were you?

I telling you, no.

When I think about what you said about Charlize the other day, really..

The empress narrowed her brow and glared at the Duke.

Oh, are you doing this because of me, said Charlize internally?

For some reason, the tip of my nose was twitching, so I glanced up at the Empress.

But right then.

Rose, Margrave Antes entered the Imperial Palace today.

The Duke had just dropped the bombshell of news in a monotone voice.

Antes?

My shoulders flinched.

According to the legend of the founding of the country, the founding emperor, Carpel, with the help of the divine beast Aurelia, pushed the beasts to the northernmost fringes of the empire.

That land currently belonged to the Margrave Antes.

The place, covered with snow and ice that never melted, was a rough land infested with magical beasts.

In the Empire, the lord who ruled the land from generation to generation was given the status of Margrave and entrusted with the task to prevent the beasts from pushing into the Empire.

And Antes, is the one important person who has a great influence on Damian .

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep