《Men of the Harem》 Chapter 1 - Let’s Start With The Concubines ¡°I thought about what you said.¡± When Latille spoke, the room became as silent as death. She had a golden crown resting on her head, a magnificent cape draped across her shoulders, a glimmering scepter in her hand¡­ When the people¡¯s eyes fell upon her appearance, she felt it clearly. Anyone who pointed a finger at her could no longer defy her. She was now the emperor. Latille was seated in the highest position, and she felt euphoric. Haizens¡­that bastard. Did he abandon her because of this feeling? ¡°You are right. The stability of the royal family comes from a strong line successors. I fully understand the need to quickly take a husband.¡± There was a faint smile on the lips of Duke Atraxi, an early supporter of Latille¡¯s. He was convinced that the name of his son¡ªRanamen¡ªwould come from Latille¡¯s mouth next. Ranamen came from a perfect family, had a perfect face, and his father had a perfect reputation. Who else but his son was worthy enough to be the spouse of this young emperor? Duke Atraxi smiled triumphantly, while his opposition wore bitter looks. ¡°So, I decided to first take in concubines.¡± In an instant, the Emperor¡¯s words smashed their expectations. Duke Atraxi¡¯s smile dropped from his face, and the other ministers looked at Latille with equally incredulous expressions. A harem? And not one man? No one immediately processed what she said, and Latille took it upon herself to explain it to them. ¡°Maybe just five concubines¡­for now.¡± The quiet hall suddenly burst into commotion as everyone reeled at the unexpected proclamation. Five concubines? That was ridiculous. Duke Atraxi was dumbfounded. ¡°There have been a few female emperors before, but they¡¯ve all only had one husband. While many men were rumored as their lovers, none of them were officially concubines¡ª¡± ¡°Duke Atraxi. The 5th Emperor Trasis, known for his gentle innocence, had five concubines. The 11th Emperor Eintra had six, and so on, with the average number being fifteen. The more flirtatious emperors had over twenty.¡± ¡°But¡­!¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t I have as many concubines as they do? I should have at least five, just like the emperors of the day.¡± The ministers¡¯ mouths were so wide that one could stuff their fist in it. They were in total shock at the emperor who sat proudly on the throne. Latille looked at the stunned amazement in the nobles¡¯ eyes, and the corner of her mouth lifted in amusement. ¡°If the emperor has only just one empress, the maternal relatives¡¯ powers become too strong. He takes in other concubines to balance the power. Past ministers have also asserted this.¡± Everyone closed their mouths. She was right. Not only them, but all the ministers of generations past made the same claim. Latille continued with a fox-like grin. ¡°My Lords, wouldn¡¯t you all want me to have several concubines as well? That way, you would all have a fair chance to have the emperor as your daughter-in-law.¡± The reaction was divided again. Duke Atraxi¡¯s face wrinkled in anger, while his opponents¡¯ expression alighted. It was true. If Emperor Latille were to only choose one husband, then it would certainly be Duke Atraxi¡¯s son. But if the Emperor had several concubines¡­the other nobles each had a chance to seize power. And then one day, they could be the grandfather of the successor¡­! The eyes of the nobles began to shine with greed, and Latille smiled inwardly. ¡®Haizens. I¡¯m sending an envoy to your country to pick my concubine. This time, you will personally choose who will be my man. It¡¯s time you felt the same misery I did.¡¯ It was the year 517 when Emperor Latrasille Tarium proclaimed a harem. The year 511. Lean was the crown prince of the Tarium Empire, as well as Latille¡¯s older brother. He was the ruler that all the people anticipated, and all the nobles followed. His mother the empress was from great nobility, and he had a strong path before him. ¡°If he becomes emperor, he will be the wisest of rulers, and if he becomes a scholar, he will have the talent to surpass even me!¡± After the great sage had spoken about Lean, there was not one of his disciples who did not have great admiration for him. On the other hand, few knew of how the sage would lament when Latille would ask daring questions like ¡°the possibility to become emperor.¡± For the people, Latille was just Lean¡¯s sister and just one of many royal princesses. Latille did not care for what the great sage said to her. However, she respected and loved her brother, and looked forward to the world he would build. A fight with her brother¡ªwasn¡¯t it terrible to think about? More importantly, Latille¡¯s dream wasn¡¯t one that could ever be achieved by becoming emperor. She would marry her sweetheart, Haizens, and become the empress of the neighboring country of Carrisen. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°A ring.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°I made it myself. I heard this how the people amuse themselves.¡± ¡°The people of your country have no money¡­¡± ¡°Not at all. It¡¯s wonderful. Give me your hand.¡± Latille blinked but did not give him her hand, so Haizens clasped it and slid the ring on her finger. ¡°It¡¯s surprisingly pretty¡­¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Haizens looked at Latille among the white flowers, and he pressed a light kiss to her forehead. ¡°I love you, Latille.¡± ¡°¡­As do I.¡± She smiled at him. Her lover was so beautiful¡ªhe had brown hair as soft as silk, beautifully carved features, and mysterious gray eyes. Latille clearly remembered when Haizens first came to the Tarium Empire for a study program. As he greeted the royal family, their eyes met. It was when he smiled at her that she fell in love at first sight. When she later received his confession, her heart went wild. After they became lovers, Latille was even happier. The two never argued. She believed that Haizens was the other half of her soul that Heaven created for her. For two years, their hearts and minds only grew closer, until Haizens¡¯ five-year study abruptly ended when his half-brother, Prince Heum, started a rebellion. Before Haizens returned urgently to Carrisen, he made Latille a solemn vow. ¡°Even if I am away, my heart won¡¯t change. There is only one woman in my heart for eternity.¡± ¡°Haizens¡­can¡¯t I come with you?I want to help you! ¡± ¡°No, Latille. I don¡¯t want to part with you either, but it¡¯s too dangerous.¡± He brushed away her tears and spoke in a firm whisper. ¡°I will make sure I am crowned, and I will send to you the most splendid delegation. I will formally ask your father to let me take you as my wife. Wait for me, please.¡± Latille waved at Haizens¡¯ carriage until it completely disappeared from view. After that day, Latille went to the temple and prayed for two hours a day. She hoped that he would be safe. She hoped that he wouldn¡¯t get injured or killed by the rebels. What Latille did not pray for, however, was for Haizens¡¯ heart to remain unchanged. She believed in him completely, and never imagined that he would turn away from her. She vigilantly waited for news from Carrisen. Whenever envoys visited, she would always question them on the current state of affairs. ¡°Is he still at war? When will it end? Is Haizens in a good position now? ¡± Latille wondered if her prayers worked. Two years later, the Tarium Empire was informed that a new emperor was crowned in Carrisen, and the name of that new emperor¡ªwas Haizens Carrisen. It was the beginning of a new rule. ¡°Do you like him that much?¡± The governess looked at her teasingly, but Latille smiled. ¡°Yes. Wouldn¡¯t it be wonderful?¡± Now that Haizens was safely crowned emperor, all they had to do was get married. Two months passed since he ascended to the throne, but Latille was not worried about a late proposal. As a newly coronated emperor, he had to stabilize the political situation first. Even if a delegation did not come right away, a future empress should be able to endure this much for her country. ¡°Well, you two would look beautiful standing together.¡± ¡°Really? Do you think so?¡± ¡°Yes. He is a handsome man, and you¡¯re a beautiful woman.¡± Latille smiled brightly and opened a book on royal governance. ¡°I¡¯ll keep studying while Haizens gets settled. Being empress means I will be in charge of welfare and culture. I¡¯ll need to run the Imperial Palace too, so I should know a lot.¡± ¡°Be proud.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°I hope that our empire will have a princess like you¡­¡± The governess sighed. ¡°The Crown Prince is not interested in women, and he only reads books.¡± ¡°Well, I do too.¡± ¡°You read books while you keep a relationship and learn military arts. The Crown Prince reads books day and night, and nothing else.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Latille chuckled and turned over a page, and she quickly soaked in the dense material. She was in a hurry. She wanted to surprise Haizens, and time seemed to be running out. Then one day. The Carrisen delegation finally arrived. As soon as Latille heard the news, she rushed from her room and ran towards the audience chamber. The audience chamber was open on three sides, save for the throne at the front of the room, so it was possible to overhear the envoys¡¯ report without listening at the door. ¡°Your Highness?¡± A guard looked at her bewilderingly as she hid behind a large pillar. ¡°Shhh.¡± She signaled him to be quiet, then focused her hearing on the voices in the audience chamber. The envoys and the father of the Emperor were exchanging pleasantries. There were congratulations on the new Carrisen emperor, hope that the two countries would share their glory together in the future¡­ Then, finally, the topic of the Emperor¡¯s marriage came up. ¡®It¡¯s about me! He will ask me to be his bride!¡¯ Latille covered her mouth with both hands to stop herself from screaming. ¡°I hope the Tarium Empire will send their blessings to the new Imperial couple.¡± But the envoy¡¯s words were not what Latille expected. Her eyes widened. The new Imperial couple? Blessings? ¡°¡­Is he getting married? Who¡¯s the bride?¡± ¡°Lady Aini, the daughter of a duke.¡± Lady Aini? Who on earth was that? The bride¡­wasn¡¯t her? There was a prickling sensation on the back of her head. Latelle stared into space in confusion. ¡®Is my name Aini?¡¯ A crazy thought momentarily crossed her mind. But¡­no, it wasn¡¯t. Latille bit her lip. She couldn¡¯t believe it. She clearly heard the name with her own ears. ¡®Did something change with the delegation?¡¯ Whether or not they knew about Latille¡¯s and Haizens¡¯ relationship, congratulations for the Imperial couple were expected. Latille ended up fleeing from her hiding place. She ran to her room, and buried her face on the bed and wept. ¡°Your Highness? Oh my word! Your Highness, what¡¯s wrong?¡± The governess looked alarmed, but Latille didn¡¯t have the energy to answer. After a while, she wiped away her tears. ¡°Governess! Haizens¡­Haisenz is going to marry another woman!¡± ¡°What? Impossible! I¡¯m sure you heard something wrong!¡± The governess waved away her hand as if it were nonsense. ¡°Everyone knows how devoted he was to you. He would have sent a delegation to propose to you¡ªperhaps you heard something wrong?¡± ¡°No, I even heard the name of the bride. It was someone named Aini.¡± The governess¡¯ eyes widened, and Latille buried her face on the bed again. ¡®Shock¡­traitor. Villain. Trash.¡¯ Latille perched dangerously on the window sill, her feet dangling below her, and she gazed up at the blue sky. How can this be? It was two years ago when Haizens swore his eternal love under this same sky. She remembered how the wind danced through his hair, and she had burst into laughter. She had reached out and swept his hair back, revealing his grey eyes that bloomed with affection. ¡®Haizens¡­¡¯ But it was all over now. Haizens decided to marry a woman from his country, and sent a delegation abroad to announce it. They would have also visited other places, so every country would hear about it. The marriage would have already been long confirmed before they did so. ¡®Did his heart change? Is he no longer in love with me?¡¯ Feeling desolate, she closed her eyes and leaned her head against the window frame. ¡®If I had known this, I would have also prayed for his heart to remain unchanged.¡¯ She had only wished for victory. Thinking about it made her feel feverish, and she gave a sniffle. It must be a side effect. She wondered what was worse¡ªnews if Haizens was injured, or news that he betrayed her. ¡°Oh my god, Your Highness! What are you doing? That¡¯s dangerous!¡± ¡°No it¡¯s not, Governess. Not unless it¡¯s poorly constructed.¡± ¡°What if the wind blows hard?¡± ¡°With my weight, I won¡¯t get swept away.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not that heavy.¡± ¡°I wish my troubles weren¡¯t heavy.¡± Latille leaned back on the frame. ¡°And Haizens is a bastard¡­¡± It was then. The governess suddenly glanced around, even though there was no one in the room. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Latille looked at her curiously, and the governess pulled out an envelope hidden in her arms. ¡°Here, Princess.¡± The envelope was light blue in color and looked of high quality. ¡°What is it?¡± Latille accepted the letter, but there was no sender¡¯s name. ¡°It¡¯s anonymous. Why are you giving this to me?¡± ¡°Earlier, one of the envoys asked me to give this to you in secret. I think it¡¯s from Haizens.¡± Chapter 2 - My Ex-Lover’s Wedding ¡°A delegation?¡± It was from Haizens. It was clearly a letter from Haizens! Latille¡¯s heart pounded with anticipation, but soon, a nervous energy overcame her. What if this was a goodbye letter? Latille held her breath and opened the envelope. It felt like an eternity when she pulled out the letter. She was afraid the words would run away in the meantime. She bit her tongue and read the letter. ¡°What does it say?¡± Latille¡¯s silence stretched, and the governess couldn¡¯t contain her impatient curiosity. ¡°Is it a letter explaining his justification?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°No?¡± The governess looked on angrily, but Latille kept her face carefully blank. It was just a letter, but she just stared down at it. She sighed and tore the paper apart. ¡°Your Highness?¡± ¡°He asked me to come to Carrisen.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°He couldn¡¯t talk about the details in the letter.¡± ¡°What kind of nonsense is that? Did he hurt his arm? Was he so injured that he couldn¡¯t write just a few more words? I mean, even if he hurts his arm, it¡¯s not like he didn¡¯t have anyone else to write for him.¡± The governess wore an annoyed expression, but Latille simply shook her head sadly. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Governess. What should I do?¡± ¡°What else? You should write a letter too.¡± ¡°W-what should I say?¡± ¡°¡®You worthless bastard, I feel sorry for the people of your country because someone like you became their emperor.¡®¡± Latille burst into laughter after hearing the governess¡¯ harsh language. However, her laughter soon died away. When Latille turned completely expressionless, the governess looked on in more worry. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to write the letter?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m still thinking about it. It¡¯s hard to decide.¡± It was three hours later when Latille finally made her decision. ¡°Father. I¡¯m going to Carrisen.¡± Dinner time. The Emperor¡¯s eyes widened at Latille¡¯s sudden declaration. ¡°Where?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to Carrisen.¡± Her daughter¡¯s words were close to a notice of departure. The Emperor was taken aback and looked at the Grand Chamberlain in dismay. However, the Grand Chamberlain gave a shrug, since he didn¡¯t know the reason either. The Emperor calmly turned back to his daughter. ¡°Why are you going to Carrisen all of a sudden?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Latille hesitated. It was not easy to say that she was leaving because of a man. She could freely give that reason if Haizens was single, but his wedding delegation just arrived that afternoon. ¡°Are you going to meet Haizens?¡± The Emperor seemed to read her mind and spoke in a somber voice. Does Father know my relationship with Haizens? Latille stared at her father in surprise. When their eyes met, the Emperor smiled bitterly. ¡°Haizens is a good man. But he¡¯s not the one for you.¡± He must have known already. ¡°Father.¡± Don¡¯t attach yourself to a broken relationship.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°I think this is the best.¡± The Emperor set down his teacup, rose from his seat, and approached Latille. Then, he held his daughter tightly in his arms. ¡°If you marry him, you will have to go to a faraway land. I want my daughter to stay by my side for a long time. I want you to have love and live within my authority¡¯s reach so I can see you.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ever say that you want to marry Haizens, even if you become his concubine.¡± Latille shook her head and spoke in a flat voice. ¡°I¡¯ve never even thought about that.¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°But I want to go to Carrisen.¡± The Emperor frowned slightly and looked at his daughter¡¯s determined face. Latille¡¯s mouth was tight as if she had already made up her mind. ¡°Latille. My daughter. Why do you want to see the man who left you and married someone else? I¡¯ll let you go if you¡¯re going to curse at him.¡± ¡°I want to ask him why he did this.¡± ¡°Will it mean anything?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll make me feel better than now.¡± The stubborn look remained on her face, and the Emperor. clicked his tongue. No one could change her mind when she made that face. ¡°From whom did you inherit your stubbornness from¡­?¡± The Emperor patted Latille¡¯s hair and then returned to his chair. However, his next words were spoken in a firm voice. ¡°You cannot go.¡± She thought he was about to give her permission, but he dashed her hopes. Why? Latille¡¯s expression crumbled and she shouted at him. ¡°Father!¡± But there was a twist to his words. ¡°But I¡¯ll let you go if you meet two conditions.¡± ¡°Please tell me. I¡¯ll do it.¡± She looked at her father with earnest eyes. She wanted to go to Carrisen no matter what, and she was confident that she could fulfill all the conditions given by her father. A mischievous smile unexpectedly spread across the Emperor¡¯s face. ¡°First, when you see Haizens, step on his foot. If he asks you why did you do that, tell him it was under my orders!¡± Latille opened her eyes wide, but soon smiled and shouted, ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°And your second condition?¡± ¡°Go as the representative of the wedding delegation.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°I cannot allow you to go by yourself. My daughter will look like a joke. Go to his wedding as a representative and make him look bad. You need to go and express something like, ¡®I don¡¯t care about someone like you.¡¯¡± The Emperor snorted, and grumpily thought that if he had known this would happen, he wouldn¡¯t have allowed Haizens to come for the study program. He turned to the Grand Chamberlain. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right?¡± ¡°Yes. I agree.¡± The Grand Chamberlain replied with a thoughtful smile on his lips. Latille stood still, looking alternately between her father and the Grand Chamberlain, then let out a sigh. ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll do that.¡± About three weeks later. Latille gave out a number of orders as the representative of the wedding delegation. ¡®My fianc¨¦ is getting married to another woman. Why am I preparing this with my own hands?¡¯ She didn¡¯t remain calm, of course. Her anger often spiked while she worked. Each time she saw the gift she had prepared for Haizens, she suppressed the urge to throw it on the floor and crush it beneath her heel. The small potted tree symbolized a harmonious couple. Screw that harmony. ¡®Just calm down. I¡¯m not joining the delegation for Haizens. If I do that, it will make me feel better for only one second. It will only cost me more to deal with it later. This is just a mission to another country.¡¯ Latille remained a perfect image of composed duty, and the Emperor looked on from a distance in satisfaction. ¡°I don¡¯t want Latille to go far away even when she¡¯s married.¡± ¡°Yes. I hope she will learn well from your side and become a pillar of the Tarium Empire.¡± But not everyone was looking at Latille with equanimity. ¡°This is too cruel, Father. How can you send her to her ex-fiance¡¯s wedding?!¡± Crown Prince Lean also knew about the relationship between Latille and Haizens, and he had protested against his father several times. He couldn¡¯t believe that they would send Latille as a wedding representative. But that little rebellion didn¡¯t last very long. ¡°If the relationship won¡¯t work out anyway, she should look upon him with her own eyes. She misses the man greatly. She even spent two years going to temple to pray for his safety. We should allow her to have a definitive ending.¡± Finally, the day came when the wedding delegation left for Carrisen. Latille climbed onto her white horse and held the reins firmly. She had been fond of sports and martial arts since she was a child, and she was also accustomed to horseback riding. The delegation proudly looked at the majestic sight of their princess on a large white horse. ¡°I¡¯ll return soon.¡± After bidding her family farewell, Latille signaled the group to depart. The journey lasted for fifteen days, and was thankfully free of any peril. Since the procession was very large, no bandits or thieves attacked them. There was also no camping out, as competent officials perfectly calculated the distance. The group moved quickly and peacefully to Carrisen. A great sorrow swept over Latille when she finally arrived at the Carrisen capital. She knew she¡¯d be here one day, but she didn¡¯t think it would be under these circumstances. She thought she would come to the capital to marry Haizens. She thought she would ride in a golden carriage with a spectacular delegation, listening to the cheers of the people of Carrisen. ¡®Haizens¡­¡¯ But now it was completely changed. It was true that she came with a wedding delegation, but it wasn¡¯t for her wedding. It was a mission to congratulate someone else. All the gifts in the carriage were not gifts prepared by her father for her, but gifts Latille chose for Haizens¡¯ bride. Latille felt her heart crack, and she squeezed the reins and clenched her jaw ¡°Your Highness, are you alright?¡± The Knight Commander who escorted the procession looked at her anxiously, but she kept her mouth shut. If she spoke now, only curses would come out. That would be awkward in front of the Knight Commander, who thought of her like a flower that grew up in a greenhouse. After standing still for a while, Latille exhaled loudly and slapped her cheeks with both her hands. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Let¡¯s go now.¡± But she was clearly not fine at all. When she arrived at the Imperial Palace, she greeted the Carrisen officer, but her mind was on something else. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Your Highness to come in person.¡± Although the officer spoke to her with a friendly smile, it almost sounded like a jab. She nearly grabbed the innocent man by the collar. Was the man confused that the groom¡¯s ex-lover was coming as part of the wedding delegation?¡¯ ¡®I can¡¯t act like that. They don¡¯t even know that I was dating Haizens.¡¯ Latille succeeded in controlling her trembling fists. ¡°I¡¯ve known His Majesty Haizens since he was in the Tarium Empire. He will be glad to see me in person.¡± ¡°Of course. He¡¯ll be very pleased to know that Your Highness is here as the representative of the delegation.¡± ¡®Ridiculous.¡¯ The Carrisen officer led Latille to meet Haizens. The rest of the party went in a different direction to unload the luggage. ¡°We¡¯re quite busy with the delegations arriving from all over the world. But it would be better for the foreign delegations to stay. Grace Palace is usually deserted, but now it¡¯s full of guests.¡± The officer narrated various stories as they walked down a yellow corridor, but Latille only half-listened and swallowed nervously. Her feet felt like there were lead weights attached to them. She suddenly regretted coming here, and her mind blanked at what to say when she met Haizens. Congratulations? But why did you change your mind? And if you were going to change your mind, why didn¡¯t you do it before I waited so long? Was the time I spent with you a waste? Firstly, she was going to step on his foot like her father told her to. Latille made a mental note of it as she glared at the officer¡¯s back. Finally, the officer stopped in front of a door. As if it were arranged beforehand, he opened the door rather than knocked. ¡°Thank you.¡± Latille raised her shoulders and went into the room. It looked like an audience chamber. The throne was placed at the head of the room, with long tables arranged below it. But unlike other audience chambers, this place felt more intimate. After looking around the room, Latille knew she could not delay any longer. Because Haizens was standing there, staring blankly at her. She almost ran towards him and jumped into his arms out of habit, but she steeled her shoulders. She didn¡¯t want to show any lingering attachment for the man who left her. ¡°Latille¡­you¡¯re here.¡± But as soon as the door closed, it was Haizens who ran forward and hugged her. Latille froze as she was buried in his large, familiar embrace. Against her will, a faint sprig of hope sprouted up. But Latille raised her hand and pushed him away. Haizens tried to cup her face, but she stopped him. ¡°You have five minutes. Explain. Why did you ask me to come?¡± Chapter 3 - My Ex-Lover’s Excuse Haizens made a sorrowful expression as he spoke with a sweet, pitiful voice. ¡®Latille, I know you¡¯re furious, but please don¡¯t be so harsh. If you get angry the moment we unite, I will-¡® ¡®Four minutes left.¡¯ Latille cut him off while he was speaking. His voice was as lovely as the memories of the past, listening to it was nice when one desired to listen to pleasant music. However, even if Haizens sang a beautiful song, it would be easy to get annoyed. ¡®Three minutes and thirty seconds.¡¯ ¡®¡­¡¯ Haizens sighed with a resigned expression as Latille firmly announced the remaining duration of their time. ¡®Okay, I¡¯ll tell you everything. The rebellion led by the Heum forces were stronger than I had expected. The Duke of Daga supported them.¡¯ ¡®The Duke of Daga?¡¯ Where did I hear this familiar name? You¡¯ve seen the name family name on the wedding invitation, haven¡¯t you? Aini Tour de la Daga. Yes, I definitely recall seeing that name on the invitation. It¡¯s the name of the woman who is marrying Haizens. The bride-to-be¡¯s family supported Prince Heum? ¡®I needed the Duke¡¯s power to suppress Prince Heum, so I tried to curry his favour. He asked that I make his only daughter, Aini Tour de la Daga Empress.¡¯ ¡®¡­¡¯ Latille kept silent as she examined Haizens¡¯ expressions; he looked miserable. The countless, rich expressions that she had always admired leaned towards sadness this time. ¡®Latille.¡¯ Haizens stepped forward and embraced her. The warmth was no different than it was before, only sadder. ¡®I seek your forgiveness, I¡¯m sorry.¡¯ ¡®¡­ Pay no mind, don¡¯t be. It¡¯s only natural you would choose yourself over me. I always knew your pride preceded our love, so I won¡¯t blame you for this. Anyone would put themselves first over others.¡¯ Haizens gazed at Latille with shaking eyes; it seems that her blunt speech got to him. She fiercely stomped on his foot while he was distracted. ¡®Ow.¡¯ Haizens yelped in pain and quickly scrambled his feet away. Latille glanced at him feeling a little regretful. In times like these, you need heels. It is quite a pity I wore comfortable shoes for the trip; I should have changed at the door! ¡®Don¡¯t start feeling moved. Just because I don¡¯t blame you, it doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m not angry. It¡¯s your business, so I don¡¯t care.¡¯ Haizens looked at her in distress. ¡®Latille¡­ please don¡¯t talk like this.¡¯ His spoke desperately. Latille¡¯s voice and expression remained cold, so it pained him. ¡®Don¡¯t talk like this? I don¡¯t want to hear it. What was I supposed to do in this situation? You couldn¡¯t even write once because you were at war, so don¡¯t bother making excuses. You could have told me after the war. Why do I have to receive news of your wedding through an envoy?¡¯ ¡®Latille, we still don¡¯t know who else is on Prince Heum¡¯s side. We may have won, but we¡¯re still in an unstable position.¡¯ ¡®!¡¯ ¡®And so is the duke. I don¡¯t know anything else, but he won¡¯t let me betray his daughter. I still don¡¯t know who the spy is, so that¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t write a letter.¡¯ ¡®We¡¯re going to part ways, so why do you even bother with telling me? If a spy finds out, wouldn¡¯t it help Prince Heum¡¯s supporters?¡¯ ¡®¡­¡¯ ¡®What about the Duke?¡¯* Haizens looked at Latille with sorrowful eyes. No matter what you say, I love you. Latille pushed him away. I liked his familiar scent and his soft skin, but this is the end. Now he¡¯s just this kind of person, someone who pushes others aside. Fortunately, it didn¡¯t seem she was crying. Latille repeatedly clenched and unclenched her fists. ¡®Yes, I knew that you were just going to spout a bunch of excuses¡­ I¡¯m going. Don¡¯t believe me when I tell you to live well even as the delegation leader because they¡¯re just empty words with no meaning.¡¯ Latille turned back on her tracks and began to walk away until Haizens grabbed her by the wrist. ¡®Latille, please¡­ don¡¯t utter such painful words in my presence. I didn¡¯t summon you to part ways.¡¯ ¡®Well then, to apologise?¡¯ ¡®I love you.¡¯ What is this guy saying now? Her eyes widened at Haizens¡¯ desperate declaration of love. ¡®Love?¡¯ ¡®Latille, you¡¯re the only one I love, so five years; please wait for me for five years.¡¯ ¡®What?¡¯ Latille looked at him with a false smile. ¡®Will things change if I wait for five years?¡¯ I asked him sarcastically, but Haizens firmly agreed. ¡®In five years, we can beat the Duke and get rid of the rest of Heum¡¯s supporters then I can pave a solid road to achieving my goal of establishing a complete monarchy.¡¯ But that firm oath still failed to change Latille¡¯s mind; she only retorted snarkily. ¡®Then what? What exactly do I even gain from waiting for five years? Now that there¡¯s an ongoing struggle for the throne, you¡¯ll have to be strategically selecting concubines to lay the groundwork, so how will I benefit from this? ¡®I will never bed a concubine, and if you want, that¡¯ll apply to Aini as well. If you want, I can even swear an oath in the holy temple. Forget sleeping with them, I won¡¯t even touch their fingertips. Then five years later, I¡¯ll figure it out.¡¯ This time, Latille was a little shaken. She couldn¡¯t answer right away and simply looked at him. Swearing an oath at the holy temple is something to be taken seriously since one can be punished for swearing false oaths. God hates lying. ¡®For now, he¡¯s not lying.¡¯ Even then, there were many things he said that didn¡¯t make sense. Latille sighed as she pointed them all out one by one. ¡®Forget the concubines, what about divorcing the empress?¡¯ Duke Daga is said to have great power, so if they become the family that has raised the empress, their power will become even greater. Would such a family be willing to sweep everything under the rug just because you deposed her after five years? Would she be weak enough to be easily pushed off the empress¡¯ seat?¡¯ But this time, Haizens answered firmly once more. ¡®Enough.¡¯ ¡®Is it pride or conceit?¡¯ ¡®Latille, please. You¡¯re the only one in my heart, the only one I¡¯d ever want to be with in the future. I want us both to start a family, you know?¡¯ Stupidly, Latille couldn¡¯t answer him straight away. It was hard to resist the cries of the man you once loved. How long have I spent praying for this man? This guy has only loved himself. ¡®¡­ No.¡¯ She simply could not accept Haizens¡¯ words. ¡®Latille.¡¯ Haizens looked at Latille with an unanticipated expression, one with eyes full of shock. ¡®If it¡¯s because you don¡¯t trust me, I understand, so I¡¯ll swear an oath at the holy temple. I¡¯m begging you, so please¡­¡¯ ¡®Should I be honest? I still love you, too but after five years, you would be another woman¡¯s man. Now that Aini Tour de la Daga has come between the two of us, we¡¯re both strangers now.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ll never love her.¡¯ ¡®Even if you don¡¯t, she¡¯s your bride, and I¡¯m just the Queen of the neighbouring country. If you want to part ways, do it now before you get married. Are you really going to throw away five years of your married life to wait for me? Do you think I¡¯m happy to hear that?¡¯ Latille spoke resolutely and turned away. She knew this was the correct course of action. While she did hate his bride-to-be, she hated her position and not her existence in itself. Although she easily snatched the man she loved, Aini didn¡¯t take him with bad intentions. She didn¡¯t agree to be deposed in five years either. Haizens made agreed to marry her to become emperor; if he hadn¡¯t done that, he would have died. ¡®Latille, please!¡¯ Tears streamed down Haizens¡¯ beautiful face as he sank to his knees. Latille, who saw it, broke his heart. ¡®Latille, you know it. Even if you refuse to accept me, I can¡¯t love anyone else, please¡­¡¯ Latille shook her head and left. ??? ¡®My lady, are you alright?¡¯ The commander of the Guards asked cautiously as Latille returned to her quarters and stared blankly out of the window. ¡®No¡­¡¯ She answered helplessly as she rested her forehead on the window frame like a sick chick. The window frame feels cool, but my mind is in turmoil. I felt better when I was in a state of pure anger; it¡¯s even harder now with all the complex thoughts and feelings. Moreover, Haizens¡¯ words keep repeating over and over in my mind and each time, I have the urge to say ¡®why is it that there¡¯s something wrong each time?¡¯ I was aware that Aini didn¡¯t take him away with bad intentions. If the duke hadn¡¯t revolted in the first place, then they wouldn¡¯t have had made such a deal in the first place. ¡®No, but not in five years¡­¡¯ ¡®Yes?¡¯ ¡®There¡¯s something like that.¡¯ Latille raised her heard with a groan and took off her cumbersome gloves that she had still been wearing. It turned out that she didn¡¯t change her shoes nor her cloak. I went out of my mind and wore my travel clothes to meet with Haizens. ¡®Shall I summon a maid to help change your clothes?¡¯ ¡®Yes, please.¡¯ The commander of the Guards Knights left the room while uttering, ¡®Wait a minute.¡¯ However, less than a minute later, he immediately came back and called Latille. ¡®That was fast. What¡¯s wrong? Is there anyone there?¡¯ As Latille asked, she recalled his face full of embarrassment. It didn¡¯t seem like it was simply a matter of not seeing the maid. What else? Latille¡¯s expression darkened. ¡®Why?¡¯ ¡®Lady Aini is at the door. ¡®I want to see the queen¡¯ she says, what shall I do?¡¯ Aini Tour de la Daga, my ex-lover¡¯s bride-to-be? Why does she want to meet me? Latille frowned. I¡¯m already upset about Haizens. Do I really have to see her? I don¡¯t really feel like it. The commander of the Guards who noticed her gestures decided to make a suggestion. ¡®If my lady desires it, I will see her in your stead.¡¯ It was a tempting offer, but Latille declined. ¡®It¡¯s alright. Since I¡¯m here as the delegation leader, I can¡¯t avoid her, anyway. Tell her to come in.¡¯ He seemed to be a little reluctant, but he obediently replied, ¡®Yes¡¯, then went outside. After a while, a young woman with elegant red her came into the room. Latille felt a little annoyed at the fact that her ex-lover¡¯s prospective bride looked much more attractive than she had initially expected. Aini strode towards her gracefully; although she was a little short, her posture was sophisticated and her expression was firm. She gave off the feeling of a well-educated young lady. ¡®Fuck it.¡¯ Latille clicked her tongue. ¡®My apologies, I haven¡¯t changed yet.¡¯ Latille wore a colourful uniform that resembled the knights¡¯ instead of a dress. They were decorated with gold silk embroidery and a luxurious, golden cloak, so it was a gorgeous outfit. Thanks to Haizens, her clothes were wrinkled and her bottoms were stained with dirt. I should have told her to come later, thought Latille regretfully, but she couldn¡¯t tell her to go back. She concealed her thoughts, smiled and reached her hand out towards her. ¡®Nice to meet you, Lady Aini.¡¯ Translator¡¯s note*: Was stuck on that phrase. Also¡­ we stan a strong female lead that knows what¡¯s best for her! Go kick ass, baby! Chapter 4 - What my ex-lover’s woman said Aini looked around. It seemed to be a little unexpected for Latille to ask for a handshake, but she soon smiled and returned the gesture while narrowing her eyes. Her hands were soft unlike Latille, rough and full of calluses from wielding a sword since a young age. Even her smile was pretty; her first impression was surprisingly pleasant. Latille stared at Aini¡¯s hand without realising it, ¡®Haizens, are you really going to be able to avoid falling in love with such a girl for five years?¡¯ She released a snort. ¡®I was a little surprised when you asked for a handshake. Aini Tour de la Daga greets Your Highness. After letting go of her hand, she greeted her again casually, making Latille feel sour. The two stared at each other silently; awkward passed between them. Two minutes later, Aini, who looked at Latille with a piercing stare spoke up first. ¡®Your highness, I took the chance to come here to discuss what you and His Majesty spoke of a while ago.¡¯ A while ago- that was when Latille reunited with Haizens. She almost replied with, ¡®it¡¯s okay¡¯ without thinking, but she noticed something strange and frowned. Wasn¡¯t it just the two of them at that moment? How does she even know? Was she told by Haizens? ¡®Well, I guess Haizens wasn¡¯t lying when he said the Duke of Daga was watching him.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ll be honest with you since you seem to be different, as opposed to His Majesty.¡¯ Latille thought of Haizens¡¯ and the Daga family¡¯s power structure as she smiled in a friendly manner. ¡®Go ahead.¡¯ ¡®I refuse to divorce His Majesty even after five years.¡¯ Latille raised an eyebrow and looked down at Aini, who was at least 20 centimetres shorter than herself. She looked up at her with confidence. ¡®What the two of you plan is of no concern to me.¡¯ Aini shook her head quickly as Latille muttered under her breath. ¡®It¡¯s not because I love him; it¡¯s because I absolutely will not do what he wants.¡¯ ¡®!¡¯ ¡®I felt as if I was smouldering with anger when I heard that conversation. No one would want to marry a man only to be abandoned. Why don¡¯t I just destroy the marriage myself to feed my own ego? I¡¯ve thought about it several times.¡¯ Aini¡¯s confident gaze wavered. Latille forgot her displeasure for a moment, how did she even hear our conversation? It must have been terrible from her point of view. ¡®¡­ However, I decided not to do that. I won¡¯t go easy on him by voluntarily stepping down.¡¯ ¡®Yes, I apologise¡­¡¯ ¡®No, thank you. At first, my ego was hurt but come to think of it, you must be pretty angry, too; His Majesty said so.¡¯ ¡®¡­¡¯ ¡®Also, I think you need this; it¡¯s my favourite.¡¯ Aini handed her a box, bowed then took her leave. Latille set the box on the table and began opening it; it¡¯s a wine known for its toughness. She smiled in vain and shook her head. ??? Later that night, Latille was sipping the wine Aini had given her. She said it was her favourite; it¡¯s a good drink, no doubt. The first sip was quite bitter so was the second sip; and at the third sip, something about Haizens seemed distant. I started to blankly tilt my glass at some point. ¡®Well, is he the only man? No, there are plenty of fish in the sea, there are plenty¡­¡¯ Latille mumbled drunkenly and sipped again. ¡®I need a handsome man; a very, very handsome man to forget him.¡¯ The memories we shared together slowly began to fade. Continuously mumbling about handsome men, it almost felt like I could see one in front of me. It must be a dream since there¡¯s no way such an unrealistically beautiful face could belong to anyone. Since this is a dream, there¡¯s no harm in trying to catch him. Latille grabbed the man, and he burst into laughter. She was barely conscious, so she could hardly hear what he was saying. When she opened her eyes, she found herself in the embrace of a man she had never seen before; she froze in response. He was dreamingly handsome with delicately drawn features. With clean silver hair and lashes and an attractive nose, he looked like a fascinating elf, but the issue was not his excessively charming demeanour. ¡®Shit, how much did I drink?¡¯ Latille spat out a curse. Fortunately, it didn¡¯t seem like they both had a ¡®big accident¡¯ given the fact that they¡¯re both wearing several layers of clothes, but it¡¯s enough of an accident for the delegation leader who came to represent the Tarium Empire to fall asleep drunk with an unknown man. Did we drink together? He smells of alcohol, too. The man¡¯s eyelids are flickering; It feels like I might get up right away. ¡®No!¡¯ Latille quickly scrambled out of his arms and left. ???¡¯ Latille headed back to her room. Her thoughts became complicated. Could he have possibly known that I¡¯m the princess of the Tarium Empire? How did I end up in his arms? Was he too drunk? Then he might not remember either. Moreover, unlike Latille, he barely woke up, so he probably didn¡¯t see her- let alone acknowledge her existence. ¡®I sure hope so, fuck. Who the hell is that guy anyway? What¡¯s his position?¡¯ If he works in the palace, then he¡¯ll keep his mouth shut even if he remembers her. There¡¯s also the possibility of him not knowing who Latille is unless he¡¯s an aristocrat¡­ ¡®We might run into each other at Haizens¡¯ wedding.¡¯ Latille tried to recall his characteristics. You can roughly identify someone¡¯s position through their clothes, but why? No matter how hard I racked my brain, I couldn¡¯t remember him even though I saw him a few minutes ago. The presence of his face was so overpowering that not even his clothes were visible. ¡®He was most definitely wearing something, but¡­¡¯ After much thought, Latille decided to simply ignore him even if she ran into him again. If you have face, you¡¯d better pretend not to know each other. ¡®Alright.¡¯ After Latille made a firm decision, she changed out of her clothes and went to the bathroom. ??? The reunion with the man happened much earlier and much worse than she had initially expected. ¡®Damn, I¡¯m going crazy.¡¯ I not only forced myself to attend Haizens¡¯ wedding, but now the man I was supposed to avoid is sitting at one of the top seats. Upon seeing the location of the top seats, Latille could tell that the men sitting there were from the imperial family of Carrisen, that means that the man is likely to be Haizens¡¯ relative. Besides, seeing the place that¡¯s assigned to him means that he¡¯s not just a distant relative. Is it an illusion? It almost seemed as if that man kept looking this way. ¡®My lady, do you know him? He keeps looking at you.¡¯ I guess it¡¯s not an illusion. ¡®I don¡¯t know him.¡¯ Latille said, like a liar. My eyesight is good, obviously. Fortunately, the man turned his head and pretended not to know me as well. ¡®My lady, you¡¯re in luck. I¡¯d rather you turn your head away.¡¯ Latille glanced at the commander of the Guards and turned away. ¡®Relax, he¡¯s not pretending to know me. You¡¯re either nervous, you don¡¯t know, you¡¯re pretending you don¡¯t know, or you¡¯re pretending you do know.¡¯ ¡®She¡¯s the princess of the Tarium Empire, Latrasille Tarium.¡¯ When the subordinate reported, the corners of Klein¡¯s mouth curved into a sneer.1 ¡®I didn¡¯t ask. I said the liver was too big.¡¯ He was sure Latille was looking in his direction, but she kept avoiding his gaze as if she¡¯s pretending not to know him. It was almost as if she¡¯s trying to show that she¡¯s ignoring him with her unnaturally stiff movements. ??? Last evening, Klein found her drunkenly crying and approached her. A female knight in a uniform, holding a bottle of wine and crying uncontrollably. I admit, it wasn¡¯t meant to be; I was going to kick her out because of the ruckus she was causing, but she was strong. I tried to chase her away, but she wouldn¡¯t budge. Eventually, I gave up and decided to make the woman drink harder, so she can sleep in silence, but I wonder why she kept mumbling about handsome men and crying¡­ ¡®Who the hell is the handsome guy you¡¯re talking about, and why were you crying so loudly?¡¯ ¡®You.¡¯ However, the woman unexpectedly said she was crying because of Klein. The woman sobbed pitifully as she grabbed the terrified Klein by the collar. ¡®Hick¡­ Mr. Handsome, I love you so much, but you¡­ Who are you? Did you descend from the heavens to heal my wounds? Hick¡­¡¯ Klein was certainly not unpopular. Although he wasn¡¯t a legitimate son, he was still a prince, famously known for his beauty; he was known as ¡®the star of the country¡¯. However, unlike his charming demeanour, he had a rotten personality, so no woman courted him openly. For a woman to hang onto him like that, it was a first. The woman sniffled; Klein hugged her awkwardly. There was a familiar scent of dirt beneath the smell of alcohol. Her soft hair tickled his nape. There was a woman who was hurting because she liked him. Klein stroked the woman with a strange sense of satisfaction. It was unfortunate that he couldn¡¯t marry any woman he wanted because of his status. ¡®Crazy, do you really like me that much?¡¯ ¡®Are you leaving? You¡¯re going to be leaving me, too? ¡®I guess.¡¯ ¡®Hah! I¡¯ll tie you up and throw you in jail! I¡¯m going to make sure that it¡¯s impossible for you to leave.¡¯ ¡®Woman, that¡¯s a crime.¡¯ As he clicked his tongue at her, he snatched the bottle of wine from her hand and drank it. It was compassion in its own way- compassion for not being able to reciprocate the feelings of a crying woman. Klein embraced the woman in his arms and drank in her stead but when he opened his eyes the next day, she was nowhere to be found. I asked and asked, but no one knew who the black-haired woman was. Klein was offended. She said she liked me, so how could she just leave like that? Still, I tried to understand her in my own way. Perhaps she was too ashamed to look me in the eye after confessing her feelings because of my status. I did think it was a little cute in that sense. Regretfully, Klein left and went back to his place. I wanted to get to know her, but I had to hurry and prepare for my damned brother¡¯s wedding. However, he unexpectedly reunited with the crying woman; she doesn¡¯t even try to make eye contact. ¡®¡­¡¯ After checking the time, Klein got up from his seat and stiffly approached the woman, tapping the back of the chair in front of her. ¡®Stop avoiding me. Let¡¯s say hello.¡¯ T/N1: Was stuck on that part. Chapter 5 How should I reply to someone trying to say hello when I had an accident with them? ¡®Stop avoiding me. Let¡¯s say hello.¡¯ The man who pretended to know Latille finally approached her. Her heart felt as if it dropped. ¡®Who are you?¡¯ The commander of the guards stood up and tried to stop him, but he was in no position to do so. ¡®Klein Abyssinier, prince of Carrisen.¡¯ Latille revealed a crumpled expression before coming back to her senses; she shrieked inwardly. I had an accident with Haizens¡¯ brother?! Crazy! Latille didn¡¯t hear Haizens¡¯ half-brother, but she knew Haizens was the eldest son. Until Haizens gets married and produces an heir, the children of the late emperor will continue to be referred by their royal titles, so that prince must be a younger brother of Haizens¡¯. You¡¯ve gone crazy, Latille, crazy. As she was about to blame herself, Klein began approaching. I can¡¯t help it! Latille had the nerve to go and introduce herself. He was drunk anyway, so much of his memory should be fuzzy. Even if he does remember, I¡¯ll just say, ¡®wasn¡¯t it just hugging?¡¯ I¡¯ll just pretend I don¡¯t know. Yes, I don¡¯t remember a thing. Latille went towards him and revealed a smile. ¡®I¡¯m Latrasille Valertain, princess of Tarium and the leader of the wedding celebration delegation.¡¯ Latille, who asked for a handshake out of habit, continued to smile politely even after greeting him. ¡®Klein.¡¯ He looked at her with an ambiguous expression. It was obvious, but Latille feigned composure and spoke arbitrary words. ¡®Carrisen is a beautiful country.¡¯ ¡®Yeah, it¡¯s warm enough to not freeze to death when you sleep outside.¡¯ The corners of Klein¡¯s lips twisted a little. The commander of the Guards expressed his displeasure of whether it was considered rude or not. Latille poked him with her finger, laughed awkwardly then turned around. ¡®Still, sleeping outside must be difficult. You¡¯ll probably catch a cold when the temperature drops at night, right?¡¯ ¡®Do you really think so? You look fine, though.¡¯ ¡®¡­ Of course. Ah, what¡¯s the most famous food in Carrisen?¡¯ ¡®Alcohol.¡¯ ¡®¡­¡¯ Latille laughed quietly and nodded, but she screamed on the inside. That man, he definitely remembers! He knows that I was the woman who had an accident with him after drinking! Otherwise, there was no way the topic of sleeping outside or alcohol would come up. Eventually, Latille laughed exaggeratively. ¡®You jest.¡¯ ¡®My lady, what¡¯s wrong?¡¯ You dense bastard. Latille smiled softly and benevolently at the commander then spoke to Klein. ¡®I think your brother will come soon. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to sit and wait?¡¯ Fortunately, as I finished my speech, the sound of trumpets could be heard, signalling the beginning of the wedding. ¡®Okay, I¡¯ll see you later, so wait for me.¡¯ Klein spoke firmly to Latille and returned to his seat. As Klein began to depart, the commander of the Guards asked once again, ¡®My lady, do you like that prince? Why are you suddenly using such a freaky tone?¡¯ ¡®If you have time for such thoughts, you should think about keeping your mouth shut.¡¯ The commander sighed in relief, seeing that she has given a normal response. Latille shook her head with a groan. ¡®What do you usually take me for?¡¯ ¡®Don¡¯t hide your personality when you talk to men you like. They¡¯ll get shocked once they find out. Besides, you¡¯re most attractive when you¡¯re rough.¡¯ ¡®I guess teasing is fun when you¡¯re rough.¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s the case.¡¯ The commander was a friend of Prince Lean before he attained his position so compared to the age of an average knight, he was considered to be quite young. His swordsmanship and leadership skills were excellent, so the controversy surrounding his age subsided almost immediately but to Latille, he was just a malicious friend of her brother¡¯s. I really don¡¯t get why ladies fancy him. Latille glanced at the commander of the Guards, who was smiling quietly and laughing inwardly. Of course, he is objectively handsome. Still, a stuck up personality makes you unattractive. ¡®By the way, Princess, do you like that prince?¡¯ ¡®No way.¡¯ ¡®Fair enough, he doesn¡¯t suit you.¡¯ ¡®Why not? He¡¯s handsome. If he stood beside me, don¡¯t you think we¡¯d look complete- like a painting.¡¯ ¡®That man has a dirty personality. He¡¯s not the kind of person I¡¯d get along with.¡¯ ¡®What kind of personality?¡¯ Just in time, the music started again with a loud bang and fireworks flew in all kinds of directions. When the firecrackers exploded, silver confetti was launched everywhere with colourful lights coursing through the sky. Amid the cheers, Haizens appeared in a luscious, long cape. ¡®You¡¯re not talking about his personality, are you?¡¯ Latille muttered silently as she looked at Haizens with a pathetic expression. ¡®Absolutely not. ¡®What?¡¯ ¡®How about me?¡¯ Latille, who was looking at Haizens with a pitiful expression look towards him in disgust at the sudden remark. The commander was smiling teasingly, leaning nonchalantly on his chair. ¡®That¡¯s a joke in bad taste.¡¯ Latille tutted and turned her head. Whether the timing was a coincidence or not, it seemed as if Haizens looked towards her direction. Latille had the urge to flash her middle finger at him but held back with great persistence. She decided to concentrate on the bride¡¯s entrance. Moments later, enchanting harp music began playing, and thick smoke covered poured into the crowd. As everyone exclaimed in wonder, the bride, Aini finally appeared wrapped in flowers and jewels; she looked pitifully beautiful in her white dress. Everyone held their breath in amazement. Latille struggled to ignore the pain of a broken heart, forced a smile and clapped. Nothing is worse than seeing the man you once loved marry another woman. After the two made their wedding vows, they put on the rings and pecked each other¡¯s lips. Latille felt all sorts of unpleasant feelings; she felt pain, misery, irritation and agitation. I wanted to close my eyes and forget my surroundings. ¡®If you can¡¯t bear this much, you¡¯re a disgrace.¡¯ ¡®I know.¡¯ ¡®You have a frightening expression right there, my lady.¡¯ ¡®There¡¯s no reason to laugh, Lord Sernut.¡¯ As soon as the wedding ceremony was over, Latille returned to her chambers without looking back. Since it¡¯s a royal wedding, there are still numerous functions left after the ceremony, but she just didn¡¯t have the spirit to attend. I gave him a wedding gift, occupied my seat and clapped hard all throughout the wedding. Shouldn¡¯t this be enough for your ex-lover to bear? Latille completely forgot Klein¡¯s invitation to meet after the ceremony. ¡®Are you okay?¡¯ Feeling sorry for her, The commander of the Guards, Sernut brought crispy sugar doughnuts. Latille shook her head quickly and ate five doughnuts in a row. ¡®I¡¯m no okay. I¡¯m fuming.¡¯ Latille pointed to her forehead then asked. ¡®We can go back now, right?¡¯ ¡®You can go since the mandatory participation session has ended.¡¯ ¡®Let¡¯s go then.¡¯ It was probably an unreasonable demand, but the commander of the guards asked to confirm. ¡®Yes, my lady. Should I tell the rest to get ready to leave?¡¯ Latille felt a little dispirited by the nonchalant question and resconsidered. ¡®¡­ Let¡¯s go tomorrow.¡¯ ¡®You can go now, if you want. Some countries went back as soon as the main ceremony was over.¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s true of countries that have bad relations with Carrisen.¡¯ ¡®Yes, but we have bad relations with them too. That¡¯s enough of a reason.¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s okay, I¡¯m not going to drag personal matters into this, Lord Sernut.¡¯ Latille mumbled helplessly and flopped onto the bed. ¡®Also, I should stop running away now¡­ Tomorrow, tomorrow morning, I¡¯ll go, and I¡¯ll look straight at Haizens¡¯ face and speak properly.¡¯ ??? The next morning, Latille took a rose petal bath with pearl powder and changed into a white uniform. After checking for creases, she tied up her long black hair. Latille took a look in the mirror and asked the commander of the Guards, Sernut. ¡®How do I look?¡¯ ¡®Great¡¯ ¡®How great?¡¯ ¡®Can I be honest?¡¯ ¡®Yes, you need to be honest.¡¯ ¡®You¡¯re so cool that I want to propose to you on the spot.¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s enough.¡¯ Latille smiled proudly and tied a sword to her waist. While Haizens was studying abroad at the Tarium Empire, he liked to see Latille wearing rich, blue dresses. It went well with her ivory complexion, and Latille dressed in such intense colours looked like a magical forest fairy. I wanted to look beautiful in front of Haizens, so I wore blue clothes all the time. But now, there¡¯s no princess who wants to look good in front of Haizens. Latille took a deep breath and walked out the door. ¡®I¡¯m such a wonderful woman without Haizens. I¡¯ll make him regret losing me forever.¡¯ ¡®¡­ I¡¯m going. Don¡¯t believe me when I tell you to live well even as the delegation leader because they¡¯re just empty words with no meaning.¡¯ Haizens asked with a sad expression when Latille said she¡¯d leave immediately and that she couldn¡¯t tell him to live well. ¡®Did you really have to go this far, Latille?¡¯ He didn¡¯t have the face of a fresh bridegroom who had just got married yesterday. The eyes that were once shiny were now sunken and imbued with darkness. I instantly felt regret. The commander of the Guards, Sernut whispered quietly behind his back, but he had eyes for no one other than Latille. He could only see Latille; everyone else were almost invisible. She felt sorry for the man she once loved, but she had to say what she had to say. ¡®Yes, I do.¡¯ ¡®Five years. Can¡¯t you wait five years? We can sort everything out within that period, Latille.¡¯ ¡®No.¡¯ ¡®Latille, you¡¯re a royal, so you¡¯d understand. It was inevitable to make this choice.¡¯ ¡®I know, I do understand. I told you that I understand, but that¡¯s different from accepting and forgiving.¡¯ ¡®Latille¡­ please.¡¯ ¡®Five years, five years, just five years? In these five years, you will have to accept all kinds of concubines, starting with Lady Aini. Isn¡¯t that the best way to strengthen the empire in the shortest amount of time.¡¯ ¡®!¡¯ ¡®Then in these five years, how many times will I have to see you marrying other women while still asking me to wait for you?¡¯ His face was brimming with sorrow; he was beautiful even when he was miserable. Latille suffered too. Haizens was her first love. He was the man who swore, promised and gave her reassurance of eternal love. Latille wasn¡¯t lying when she said she understood him. Love, love, love, love, who would actually abandon everything for love? Haizens had to choose between love and the throne and rationally chose the throne. Maybe Haizens would have kept his promise since he was clever. He had enough determination to do anything he wanted. I¡¯d be lying if said my heart didn¡¯t waver. I wanted to stroke his soft brown hair, and plant a kiss on his forehead. However, Latille resisted and composed herself. ¡®Put yourself in my shoes and think about it, Haizens. Can you do that?¡¯ Latille stepped back and stared at him. His voice was shaking, and tears were threatening to spill from her eyes. Damn it. Latille asked again with her eyes wide open to not burst into tears. ¡®If I marry another man and take in concubines all while asking you to wait for me, would you really wait for me?¡¯ ¡®I¡­¡¯ ¡®No, wait. Don¡¯t answer.¡¯ Haizens, who was about to say something, looked at Latille in confusion. She forced the corners of her mouth to smile. ¡®Wait, I¡¯ll ask that question again later. Answer me then.¡¯ Chapter 6 The road back to my home country was quite sunny. While riding on the horse, everything became hazy for Latille. Did I really bid farewell to Haizens? Was it a dream? I felt like I would be able to see Haizens once more if I went back, and we¡¯d laugh and pretend none of this had happened. When they arrived in the village at the end of the border, people were talking about Haizens¡¯ marriage. ¡®Lady Aini is the best! She¡¯s always been famous for her personality.¡¯ ¡®She¡¯s smart, and she¡¯s never been involved in any scandals unlike other nobles.¡¯ ¡®She¡¯s going to be a good empress.¡¯ ¡®Her family is powerful too, so there¡¯s no room for problems.¡¯ Latille had only realised that Haizens was really married when she heard the women talk about them in excitement. The people of Carrisen received the marriage positively. That night, Latille repeatedly cried. ¡®Haizens, you son of a bitch. You traitor, give back my prayers!¡¯ Mean while, there was also a man who could hardly sleep. ¡®I most definitely remember asking to see you again.¡¯ It was Prince Klein. Klein took a sip of alcohol while squeezing the glass instead of holding it, causing it to shatter in his hands. He wiped off the blood and removed the glass pieces from his hand and ordered the servant to clean up while feigning composure; but when the servants left, he grabbed the blanket and sank his teeth into them. ¡®Damn!¡¯ The more I thought about it, the more I hurt my pride. She drunkenly hugged me by the waist, and I consoled her despite her tear stained face and runny nose. She approached me first; she said she loved me and asked me to stay then disappeared. Is it my turn to chase you when we meet again? Klein rubbed his temples. In a way, it¡¯s no big deal; he met a strange woman, and he just has a filthy temper. What made him upset even more was that had attended the reception after the wedding just see the woman. I can¡¯t contain my embarrassment. To think I would have even thought of seriously asking you about your unrequited love for me. Since you were a princess, we would¡¯ve been able to get married, but I couldn¡¯t do that without making sure. Klein groaned and called for a servant. As soon as they came, he ground his teeth and repeated the same question for the seventeenth time. ¡®Is it really true that the delegation leader from the Tarium Empire has returned?¡¯ ¡®Yes, in the morning. She simply greeted his Majesty the Emperor and went back immediately.¡¯ The attendant responded in irritation from constantly repeating the same answer. As Klein exhaled and panted intensely, he lay back in bed. ¡®What¡¯s done is done, forget it. She¡¯s the one who loves me, anyway. If she wants to end things this way, it¡¯s her loss. I don¡¯t care.¡¯ ??? Since Latille was the delegation leader, she had to control her emotions. No matter how pitiful Haizens looked, she still had to leave Carrisen, and carry out her duties. I felt pretty exhausted since then, so I didn¡¯t find it in me to take care of my wounds. As soon as she rested against her pillow, she fell asleep and started to feel better. Upon seeing the familiar beauty of her motherland, Tarium, she instantly felt relieved. I still felt pain whenever I thought about Haizens, but I wanted to go back home. Wouldn¡¯t these feelings soon subside with my family and governess¡¯ help? ¡®I sure hope these feelings go away, otherwise it¡¯d be a waste of my time.¡¯ However, what was waiting for Latille was not the was not the warmth of a loving family but shocking news. ¡®Huh? Did Brother say he was going to step down from the crown prince¡¯s seat?¡¯ As soon as I heard this news, I completely forgot about Haizens. Latille stared at her father blankly upon hearing the incredible news. I can¡¯t believe it. What do you mean? Lean refuses to be crown prince? ¡®Sorry for making you hear such news even though you just came back, Latille.¡¯ The emperor smiled awkwardly. It was time for Latille to offer her report on Carrisen as his daughter and delegation leader. He felt sorry for announcing the shocking news before hearing the report. ¡®How did it go in Carrisen?¡¯ ¡®I kept my promise.¡¯ ¡®His foot, did you step on it hard?¡¯ ¡®Yes, and Haizens¡¯ marriage went smoothly, but that doesn¡¯t matter. What do you mean Lean is stepping down from the crown prince¡¯s seat?¡¯ There were only two legitimate children of the Empress, Prince Lean and Latille but if he steps down from his position then¡­ ¡®No way, will Tratala take his place?¡¯ Latille asked nervously. The empress¡¯ first son that topped the list. If the empress didn¡¯t have any sons, either the daughter or a concubine¡¯s son would succeed the throne. She knew it a concubine¡¯s son would be more likely to take the position of the crown prince. My half-brother, Tratala was the second son of a concubine and was praised for his intellect. I hate to admit it but if the crown prince¡¯s seat was available, the nobles would most likely favour him. ¡®I can¡¯t believe you called your brother by his name, Latille.¡¯ The emperor frowned, but Latille frowned even more. I can¡¯t help it. Latille loved her father, but she can¡¯t respond to such an idea positively. She was on bad terms with Tratala like most half-siblings in the imperial family. There was no such occasion that would condone these feelings; I just loathed his very existence. Tratala¡¯s mother was a concubine favoured by the emperor, and her presence upset Latille¡¯s mother, which is why she hated Tratala and explains why he also despised her. He hated seeing his mother grovel at the empress¡¯ feet, so he naturally felt angry towards Lean and Latille. Seeing Tratala rise to the crown prince¡¯s seat? For Latille, it was a nightmare. ¡®I don¡¯t want Tratala to become crown prince.¡¯ She expressed her concerns firmly, ready to be scolded by her father, but he didn¡¯t. His lips curved into a smile. ¡®Why aren¡¯t you getting angry?¡¯ She observed her father. Although the emperor adored Tratala¡¯s mother, concubine Anakcha, Latille and Lean were considered to be his most favoured children, the empress¡¯ children; even so, not once did he smile at her or fall for her. Why did you laugh without scolding me? Surprised at his unexpected reaction, the emperor pointed at her. ¡®It¡¯s you, Latille.¡¯ Latille blinked in confusion. ¡®You will become the crown princess.¡¯ Latille froze in shock after the emperor repeated what he said. Noticing her obvious apprehension, he asked calmly. ¡®Why, are you not confident? If not, do tell me in advance.¡¯ He was clearly trying to provoke her. Latille knew this but as soon as she heard him, she shouted in the heat of the moment. ¡®I can do it! I will do it! I will become the crown princess.¡¯ There was no hint of hesitation that could be found in her voice. Only after answering, Latille seriously pondered, ¡®Can I do it?¡¯, but she immediately found the answer. What can¡¯t you do? If Haizens can do it, so can I. In the past, I loved Haizens and dreamed of ruling by his side, but that¡¯s impossible now. Even before meeting Haizens, I didn¡¯t want to become an empress regnant since I respected my brother; but since he voluntarily stepped down, I will aim for something new. And becoming empress is nothing short of something worth aiming for. As soon as I realised that there was a possibility of becoming empress regnant, I could feel a sense of excitement. ¡®I should still aim to become empress regnant even if I was born a princess.¡¯ Anticipating that response, the emperor burst out laughing. ¡®I knew you¡¯d say that.¡¯ His eyes were full of affection for his daughter; but the emperor, who momentarily looked at Latille in satisfaction, suddenly revealed a stern expression. ¡®Nonetheless, the weight that comes with such a position is quite heavy, Latille. You¡¯ll have to undergo all kinds of education from now on.¡¯ ¡®I understand.¡¯ With hopeful eyes, she clasped his hands tightly. I wasn¡¯t lying when I said I could do it; I really could, Father. Latille laughed in contentment, but then she suddenly frowned. ¡®Why did Lean suddenly retire from his position?¡¯ I almost forgot about him for a moment since I was overcome with joy. This was the most important issue. The emperor sighed with a woeful expression. ¡®Do you want to know?¡¯ ¡®Yes?¡¯ *** I later learned that it was Brother who strongly recommended me as a crown princess candidate. When Lean stepped down from his position as crown prince, the emperor named Latille as his successor. It was great for her, and many of the nobles that supported Prince Lean agreed with the emperor¡¯s decision. The fact that the two of them shared the same mother made it easier since it meant that it didn¡¯t matter which of the two siblings would ascend to the throne. However, the opposition forces were just as strong as the supporters. ¡®What are you talking about. The position should go to Prince Tratala.¡¯ ¡®Of course! Princess Latrasille didn¡¯t formally complete her royal studies until she came of age but now she¡¯s serving as the crown princess?!¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s not because I have a grudge against Princess Latrasille, but Your Majesty, in this case, Prince Tratala has the right to take the crown.¡¯ ¡®Agreed, Prince Tratala is surprisingly intelligent, and his teachers swear by his intellect. He will strengthen the Tarium Empire for sure.¡¯ Some ministers, relatives of the concubine, Anakcha, and those who used to follow the prince, presented their opinions and challenged the emperor. Latille clenched her teeth when she heard of it through the commander of the guards, Sernut. ¡®Those bastards! I¡¯m self-taught.¡¯ What does it matter, anyway? My father, who is now the emperor, is healthy and young, so why not start learning again from now on? There¡¯s plenty of time. Moreover, I do admit that Tratala is quite intelligent but at the same time, he was an idealist. She found more than half of his political agendas unfeasible and unrealistic. ¡®What a bunch of manchildren.¡¯ The more she thought about it, the angrier she felt and the more she slammed her fist against her desk. When Lean was the crown prince, Tratala¡¯s supporters couldn¡¯t say a word no matter how much they opposed the emperor¡¯s decision. ¡®It¡¯s going to be alright. You¡¯ll be able to surpass them, can¡¯t you?¡¯ Sernut smiled softly, soothing Latille. ¡®Of course, I can. I won¡¯t let anyone come in my way.¡¯ Latille pursed her lips and nodded in determination. Chapter 7 - My Son Can Become a Prince Consort, Too! For the past two years, Latille became busy with the crown prince¡¯s educational programme that Lean underwent before it got transferred to her. Latille¡¯s teachers were forced to tighten her schedule and become strict with her since she didn¡¯t formally receive the crown prince¡¯s education from a young age unlike her brother, Lean. Nonetheless, she followed the rigorous schedule without any complaints. I don¡¯t want to lose to Tratala. I want to surpass Concubine Anakcha¡¯s expectations; I can¡¯t miss this opportunity. Unexpectedly, Haizens seemed to be a little helpful; although he didn¡¯t help directly, the very thought of him prompted Latille to concentrate on her studies to completely forget about him. Even so, problems arose when the emperor was assassinated inside the palace. ¡®What do you mean? What do you mean Father got assassinated?!¡¯ ¡®You have to hurry, and go back to the imperial palace, Crown Princess!¡¯ Latille, who had been away from the imperial palace for about a month to stay with Lean, left the temple in a hurry as soon as she heard the news. Along with Sernut and the rest of the guards, she came back to the capital as quickly as she could. My father got assassinated? The unexpected news made her feel quite shocked rather than distressed. Nonetheless, Latille can¡¯t enter the capital, let alone the palace and had to turn back on her tracks. ¡®Crown Princess, you must flee immediately. After Prince Tratala takes control of the imperial palace, he will try to capture you.¡¯ Thanks to a guard she had previously praised, she managed to run away without being caught by Prince Tratala. Latille first retreated to the Melosi estate where Sernut¡¯s father ruled as a lord. It was only after a few days there she could take a closer look at the situation. ¡®It seems that Prince Tratala placed the blame on you to tarnish your reputation and fabricate the emperor¡¯s will and gain the support of the emperor of the Qin Empire.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m going to summon the lords and high-ranking nobles to receive their oath of loyalty.¡¯ ¡®Yes, it shouldn¡¯t take time. There are still a lot of neutralists who still haven¡¯t taken a side, so we need to turn things around quickly before Prince Tratala persuades them to support him.¡¯ The imperial guards and the army can¡¯t be controlled by anyone other than the commander. The amount of soldiers Latille can rally is far greater than that of Prince Tratala, but he has the emperor¡¯s will. Moreover, waging war in the capital would drop the imperial family¡¯s credibility greatly. You son of a bitch, I knew you¡¯d fuck up some day. Latille muttered, spitting curses inwardly. ¡®I have to convince Duke Atraxi, the most powerful noble in the empire.¡¯ ??? When the emperor, who was believed to still have a lot left to live, was assassinated, there was a commotion amongst the nobles. Those who supported Latille were furious, and those who supported Tratala rejoiced. However, the most powerful nobles, which didn¡¯t belong to either side were quite confused. The emperor¡¯s assassination was quite shocking, but they had to quickly decide with whom to side with quickly. The country and its people needed a new emperor, but the neutrals struggled to make a decision upon hearing the sudden news. An illegitimate yet intelligent prince or an unprepared crown princess? The nobles were in a pinch so was Duke Atraxi; he and his wife have been discussing the situation for a while. ¡®We have to help Crown Princess Latrasille.¡¯ Unexpectedly, however, the duchess¡¯ opinion was firm. At his wife¡¯s stern remark, the Duke of Atraxi insecurely replied with, ¡®Is that so?¡¯ ¡®Of course!¡¯ Duke Atraxi went back and forth around the room anxiously, glancing at his wife for attention. ¡®But dear, wouldn¡¯t it be better to wait and see? I also prefer the crown princess but rather than that, I want to see her overcome such difficulties alone.¡¯ The duchess clicked her tongue. ¡®If you want to see her overcome such difficulties alone, how about switching over to the winning side, then?¡¯ ¡®Well¡­¡¯ ¡®Honey, think about it. Even if she¡¯s able to overcome such obstacles, we need to help her to gain her favour. Duke Atraxi hardly gave a response. The Duchess raised her eyebrows. ¡®So, you really don¡¯t mind if Prince Tratala took the throne? Why are you acting like this?¡¯ ¡®Prince Tratala is just as bright as the crown princess. Although he¡¯s too much of a dreamer, he¡¯ll improve; it¡¯s only a matter of time.¡¯ ¡®What are you talking about? Our crown princess is quite intelligent.¡¯ ¡®Oh, I know, but she¡¯s only received formal education for two years. Goodness, how could she ascend the throne when she¡¯s only studied for that short period of time?¡¯ The duchess sighed at her husband¡¯s stubborness. ¡®How obstinate! Honey, think about it¡­ we have three sons.¡¯ ¡®Is that important?¡¯ ¡®Obviously! You have three sons, and your second son, Pukshu once fought with the prince and grabbed him by the hair.¡¯ ¡®They were young at the time¡­¡¯ ¡®Yes, but they¡¯re still on bad terms.¡¯ The duchess tutted, approached the duke and lowered her voice to explain. ¡®If Prince Tratala rises to power, if all goes well, he¡¯ll maintain the status quo but if it doesn¡¯t, they¡¯ll be estranged from each other for no reason; but think about it, what if Crown Princess Latille comes to power?¡¯ ¡®?¡¯ ¡®Seriously, you! Think of our eldest son, Lanamun. Not because he¡¯s my son, but because he¡¯s the most beautiful bachelor in the Tarium Empire!¡¯ ¡®Ah!¡¯ Only then did the duke catch on. ¡®If Crown Princess Latille comes to power, we can still maintain status quo even if it doesn¡¯t work out; but if it does work out, Lanamun can become Prince Consort. This is it, haven¡¯t you heard of Carrisen? The Duke of Daga used to be on Prince Heum¡¯s side before supporting Emperor Haizens and in return, he made his daughter empress, so why can¡¯t my son have that opportunity? ¡®Is that so?¡¯ ¡®Yes, my son can become a prince consort, too!¡¯ ??? Surprisingly, Duke Atraxi was the first to reach out to the Melosi estate. When he came, Latille was in the middle of a discussion with Sernut on how to persuade him to support her. The duke didn¡¯t send an attendant but came personally, which surprised Latille; and he didn¡¯t come alone, he brought an elegant young man in a grey robe with him. She immediately recognised him; he was the Duke¡¯s eldest son, Lanamun. Despite being famous, he showed a lack of interest in social events; but whenever he showed up in parties, his face would be plastered all over gossip papers. There were many young ladies who struggled with an unrequited for him. Noticing her confused state, he warmly comforted Latille. ¡®Thank you for your hard work, Your Highness the crown princess.¡¯ ¡®Thank you for coming, Duke.¡¯ ¡®All you need to do is trust me. I will make sure to get back what is rightfully yours.¡¯ Was he always this friendly? Latille expressed her gratitude towards the duke with a soft smile but became puzzled. Why is he acting nice all of a sudden? Nonetheless, I need his help right now. The duke looked at her with such great affection, almost as if she was his future daughter-in-law and quickly pushed his son forward. Well, don¡¯t be shy now. ¡®Your Highness, this is my son, Lanamun.¡¯ Lanamun, standing expressionless, took a step forward. He looked at his father in disdain then reluctantly greeted her. ¡®¡­ Lanamun, it¡¯s an honour to meet you, Your Highness the crown princess.¡¯ Not only was he uninterested in society, he also didn¡¯t care about politics, so Latille never had the chance to run into him. Why did he bring him along? He clearly looks dissatisfied. Latille was puzzled. ¡®Ah yes, you must¡¯ve had a lot of trouble coming this far.¡¯ Duke Atraxi delightedly looked at the awkward Latille and Lanamun with admiration. ¡®Haha! You both look meant for each other; maybe it¡¯s because you both share the same hair colour.¡¯ Latille widened her eyes at the unexpected remark while Lanamun looked at his father in disgust. ¡®What? What do you mean?¡¯ ??? With Sernut who intended to remain neutral naturally siding with Latille, Duke Atraxi gathered Prince Tratala¡¯s supporters, and those who originally supported her flocked to the Melosi estate, too. The duke persuaded the emperor of the Qin Empire and the prince¡¯s supporters to join Latille¡¯s side while she ordered some merchants to go to the capital and say, ¡®Prince Tratala wants to take the throne by force, while the crown princess is away. She can suppress him, but she doesn¡¯t want to inflict harm against the civilians living in the capital!¡¯ Yet, Prince Tratala fought back, so taking control of the palace wasn¡¯t as easy as I had initially thought. Although the emperor originally intended to hand over his seat to the crown princess, Prince Tratala spread false rumours that he had left a will to hand over his position to him because he had feared that Latille¡¯s education period would be quite short after the raid. Even though it was simply just ¡®blind-eyed gossip¡¯, it did stimulate those concerns regarding her education. Under this situation, neither side had pre-empted positive public opinion. People even started having arguments about who should ascend the throne whenever they gathered at bars or restaurants. Latille came up with an idea. ¡®We need to take advantage of another country.¡¯ ¡®Wouldn¡¯t it be dangerous? When used incorrectly, foreign powers can become a double-edged sword.¡¯ ¡®We¡¯re only going to receive support from them, though.¡¯ ¡®It wouldn¡¯t be that easy¡­¡¯ ¡®There¡¯s a definite way.¡¯ Latille intentionally appealed to neighbouring countries, presenting herself as an inexperienced and weak monarch and used this strategy to gain foreign support; and with all the foreign countries supporting her, she was finally able to recapture the capital, enter the palace and imprison Prince Tratala. Concubine Anakcha, his mother grovelled at her feet. ¡®Your Highness, please forgive my son just this one. Tratala was the son of the late emperor and your sibling. You both share half of your blood! Please, spare the life of my son even if you take mine in return.¡¯ The sight of her tear-stained face is quite pitiful. People had initially thought that Latille would forgive the prince and spare his life, but they were wrong. Prince Tratala¡¯s aides, who were also imprisoned consoled him. ¡®The empress regnant is bound to be kind. Even if you¡¯re going to be punished severely, it would only stop at confinement.¡¯ ¡®Of course, rest assured. If you¡¯re somehow still alive, we¡¯ll come up with a plan to overthrow the empress regnant, Your Highness.¡¯ ¡®Even if you get exiled, you¡¯re most likely to be sent to Aronde Tower or Sostar Castle. We¡¯ll rally your men there to prepare for your escape. Opportunities will always come, so don¡¯t worry.¡¯ ¡®If you see the slightest gap in power, you can take over and seize public opinion right away.¡¯ When Latille calmly ordered Anakcha to be taken to her original residence, Prince Tratala¡¯s supporters thought she wouldn¡¯t harshen his punishment, but they were wrong. She surprised everyone by ordering the execution of the prince and the abduction of his mother. Those who took the lead in the assassination of the emperor were also executed. Although she looked sorrowful before giving the orders, her tone and demeanour were sharp and absolute. People then began to recall the archmage¡¯s prophecy regarding the two siblings, Lean and Latille. ¡®The princess has the qualities of a king. If she comes to power, lots of blood will be shed but the Tarium Empire will not seize to develop further.¡¯ Then in the spring of the year 517, Latille recovered the emperor¡¯s body and held a funeral then finally held a coronation ceremony after completely laying the groundwork for her rule as the 19th emperor. Translator¡¯s note: I just want to make it clear, Latille is referred to as ¡®Emperor¡¯ while whoever is marrying the supposed ¡®Emperor¡¯ is depicted as ¡®Empress¡¯ regardless of their gender in the raws, so I decided to refer to her as ¡®Empress Regnant¡¯ while her husband will be referred to as ¡®Prince Consort¡¯ since whomever marries the reigning empress is not an emperor, but a prince consort. That¡¯s different if the emperor is the one who¡¯s reigning since their wife would be an ¡®Empress Consort¡¯ or simply just ¡®Empress¡¯. Chapter 8 - I’ll Start With the Concubines On the day of the coronation, Latille stood in front of the mirror, donned in the empress regnant¡¯s cape. Waves of emotion hit her. I feel delighted, sorrowful, overwhelmed, but apprehensive. ¡®Governess, do you remember what happened six years ago?¡¯ Latille asked, stroking the soft, red fabric of her cape. ¡®I wanted to become the Empress, the Empress Consort of Carrisen.¡¯ ¡®Of course, I remember everything.¡¯ Her governess looked at Latille with pride, before shedding tears. ¡®Why are you crying on such a joyous occasion, Governess?¡¯ ¡®Oh, I apologise.¡¯ Latille approached the governess and embraced her. ¡®If only the Empress was here to witness your coronation¡­¡¯ ¡®Governess, if someone else hears this, they would misunderstand. I can show you instead.¡¯ Latille burst into laughter and comforted her. ¡®I know, but she can¡¯t see the coronation even though it¡¯s such a special day.¡¯ ¡®Well, why don¡¯t we recreate the coronation and show it to her, then?¡¯ ¡®Once you become the empress regnant, you¡¯ll be busier. Your every move will be scrutinised. Would you really be able to go all the way to the temple?¡¯ ¡®Well, I¡¯ll still have to go there at least once.¡¯ It would be nice if Mother could come in person. Latille knew that was highly unlikely. The governess wiped her tears with her sleeve and spoke. ¡®You will be happy.¡¯ ¡®Yes.¡¯ She felt touched. ¡®My dear governess used to be so much taller than me. You once used to hold me in your arms. But look, you¡¯re the one in my arms now.¡¯ ¡®Princess¡­¡¯ ¡®Thank you for always being there for me.¡¯ Because Latille would slack off whenever the governess was around, the emperor decided to fire her, so she returned to her estate. Thus, she was able to avoid getting killed by Prince Tratala even though he seized the imperial palace for a year. ¡®Oh dear, my eyes are becoming red.¡¯ After letting go of the governess, she rubbed her eyes. Not today, I shouldn¡¯t cry. Latille pinched her cheeks with both hands. Don¡¯t cry. You shouldn¡¯t cry. Look who¡¯s the empress regnant; show them how dignified you are. She was about to leave after getting ready. ¡®Your Majesty, His Highness, Prince Lean is here.¡¯ The Commander of the Guards informed them of Lean¡¯s visit. ¡®My brother?¡¯ Latille opened the door herself in joy and greeted her brother. On the day of the coronation, Lean said he wouldn¡¯t attend since it would damage his reputation as the former crown prince, but it feels nice for him to surprise us. ¡®Did you change your mind? You came to see your little sister looking wonderful today, didn¡¯t you?¡¯ However, Lean¡¯s expression didn¡¯t look good. ¡®What¡¯s wrong?¡¯ When she asked anxiously, Lean finally spoke as he sat on a red chair. ¡®Yes, I thought you¡¯d be disappointed if I didn¡¯t come, so I¡¯m here for a little while to say something. Since this isn¡¯t an official visit, I¡¯ll leave soon.¡¯ ¡®Are you really not going to attend?¡¯ ¡®I think it¡¯s better this way. Rather than that, I heard you executed Tratala and imprisoned Anakcha.¡¯ ¡®Oh.¡¯ ¡®Did you really have to execute Tratala?¡¯ ¡®Was that what has been bugging you?¡¯ Latille sat opposite to Lean with a sullen face. He sighed and held her hand. ¡®Latille, Tratala and I were on bad terms. He took the imperial palace by force and things changed for the worst, but he¡¯s our brother. We share the same blood.¡¯ ¡®I know.¡¯ ¡®But did you really have to shed blood? It¡¯s not good to do that in the early stages of your reign. You need to show benevolence.¡¯ ¡®Because you were the legitimate son of the emperor, you didn¡¯t face much opposition, unlike me. I¡¯ve been compared to Prince Tratala and my siblings for so long, and there were hundreds of aristocrats that wanted to find a better replacement.¡¯ ¡®!¡¯ ¡®It wasn¡¯t the time to be kind. I needed to be a strong figure, and¡­¡¯ Latille whispered in his ear. ¡®I would rather spill the blood of my enemies rather than witness the blood of my people getting spilled.¡¯ Latille, who spoke in a chillingly soft voice, smiled brightly. Lean sighed and touched his forehead. It meant that he didn¡¯t disagree with her. He decided that he won¡¯t nag her anymore. It was his sister who was going to become the empress regnant, and it was her who went through many hardships. Lean stood up and embraced her without a word. ??? After Lean left, there was hardly any more time to hesitate. Latille went to the banquet hall for the coronation. At the centre, there was a red carpet where many aristocrats stood. On one side, the priests from the temple whispered amongst themselves as they circled around the emperor¡¯s coffin. Latille smiled softly at the sight. Strangely enough, the tension disappeared. My mouth felt dry during the preparation, but now I feel fine. When Latille appeared with a loud drum and the sounds of trumpets, everything went silent. The road to the emperor¡¯s seat became clear as people stepped aside. Instead of looking at the nobles, Latille looked at the crown at the end of the red carpet. She then ascended towards it with a relaxed smile. She approached the crown, then stopped. The high priest carefully lifted the lid off the coffin. Latille set the crown on her head and climbed the small platform. I hope the crown isn¡¯t crooked. The nervous woman, who once asked for her governess, was no longer there. I am the empress regnant. Standing in front of the throne, a sense of satisfaction filled her. She once stood amongst the nobles, but now those men knelt down in front of her one by one, and lowered their heads as a sign of loyalty. Latille felt joy shooting up her spine. *** In accordance with Tarium¡¯s custom, Latille hosted the first meeting on the evening of the coronation. The point of the first meeting was to present the overall direction of the state administration, and what the new emperor¡¯s governance would be like. High-ranking government officials were also usually replaced by different people selected by the emperor. This time, Latille only decided to fill in the vacancies of Prince Tratala¡¯s supporters, and wanted everything to be similar to her father¡¯s rule. Other than the years she spent in the Melosi estate, she lived as the crown princess for a trifling two years, so she had difficulties making decisions on her own accord. There was also no reason to replace all the ministers and government officials since the pro-emperor faction supported the Duke of Atraxi over Latille herself. Furthermore, her plan was to keep the experienced government officials while she adjusts. So naturally, there was no need to protest and the meeting went smoothly without any conflicts. As soon as the topic of her spouse and successor came up, the mood began to change, and the aristocrats began to clash with one another. Latille¡¯s expression turned sour. She wasn¡¯t angry at the fact that they mentioned a successor on the first meeting during her reign as the empress regnant, but because of the ulterior motives each aristocrat had. ¡®Unlike the previous emperors who were able to gain successors with several concubines, of course, Her Majesty can only have one prince consort.¡¯ ¡®So we need a successor as soon as possible to stabilise the footing of the imperial family.¡¯ ¡®For the sake of your health, creating a successor should be your top priority.¡¯ ¡®You must focus on finding a prince consort.¡¯ Latille tried to catch their attention repeatedly, looked down at her underlings and shook her head. Just look at these people. They really had to mention a successor quickly even though the discussion could have postponed. The emperor¡¯s family history was not an individual matter, and this issue was always brought up in the previous emperors¡¯ meetings. There was once a case where an emperor, famous for his short temper, shouted, ¡®Do I look like a stallion*?!¡¯ Just because I have no concubines, why do I have to have one prince consort? These people are taking me for granted. I didn¡¯t become the empress regnant to create a harem, nor did I expect to make one. No, I barely had the time to catch a break since I became the crown princess, so I didn¡¯t even think of such things. It felt too much to not think of Haizens. The question of whether or not he would be a good emperor will soon be answered, but I can¡¯t afford to think about it until I establish a harem. However, they were talking under the premise that I would not bring in any concubines since I¡¯m a woman; they thought they could see it coming. Latille did her research on these meetings. Each one of them urged monarchs to create an heir, so taking in concubines was heavily encouraged. Why should I only have one prince consort? Just because I¡¯m the empress regnant, I can¡¯t have concubines? Would it have been different if the officials brought up concubines first? I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯m experiencing this for the first time, but I want to make it happen. Latille snorted inwardly. She intended to be a strong figure, just as she told Lean earlier. She had no intentions of being swayed by those who constantly compared her to Lean, Tratala, the other princes, and¡­ Actually, a harem might not be a bad idea. There¡¯s nothing you can¡¯t do as the empress regnant, right? I¡¯m not going to greet the foreign government officials first anyway for several reasons. Firstly, it¡¯ll hurt my pride. Latille still hasn¡¯t recovered from shock after hearing about Haizens. Despite being able to forget about his existence due to her extensive work, whenever she thought of him being a husband, she remembered the pain she felt back then. In this situation, I don¡¯t have the desire to marry a real ¡®husband¡¯. Moreover, she hated the fact that the power went into the hands of the government officials before she could solidify her position as the empress regnant. However, if she took in a few concubines and formed a harem, it would lay the groundwork to strengthen her position. It would also stop the aristocrats from bringing up the topic of a successor again. After mulling over it for some time, Latille smiled. ¡®I have taken your words into consideration.¡¯ When Latille opened her mouth, the room became almost as silent as death itself. It was satisfying. It felt strange to see such high-ranking nobles go silent. Haizens, did you abandon me for this feeling? ¡®You are right, the stability of the imperial family comes from bearing successors, I understand.¡¯ Duke Atraxi smiled after Latille nodded at him. He had already established himself as the empress regnant¡¯s most loyal retainer due to his early support for her, so he expected Latille to utter his son¡¯s name, Ranamun. Ranamun was always considered to be the best candidate as the prince consort. No one could rival him in terms of looks, social status, achievements or even age. He would have been the best prince consort, even from an objective point of view. Latille noticed him smiling. I do feel sorry for the duke for all the help he¡¯s given me, but I have to say what I need to say. ¡®So, I¡¯ll start with the concubines¡¯. *A stallion is a male horse that hasn¡¯t been castrated. That emperor hated the fact that his underlings were treating him like an animal that¡¯s going to be bred. Chapter 9 The moment after Latil spoke those words, the expression on Duke Atraxil froze as it was like it would shatter with a ¡®crack¡¯ if she touched it with a finger. Latil turned her gaze away from him arduously. She didn¡¯t know about anyone else, but when it came to Duke Atraxil, she did feel really sorry. But the others were also wearing a similar expression to Duke Atraxil. Everyone was looking at Latil with a reluctant expression. It was clear that no one seemed to have understood Latil¡¯s words. Out of kindness, Latil did them a favor and made herself clear. ¡°For starters¡­ five seems like a good number.¡± The hall as silent as death once again became loud with commotion. Amid the chattering, the words ¡®five¡¯ and ¡®harem¡¯ could be heard occasionally. Duke Atraxil belatedly came to his senses and shouted in astonishment. ¡°This is nonsense, Your Majesty! All the previous empress regnants have only had a single husband before. While many men have been rumored to be their lovers, no one has officially taken in consorts before so for what reason¡ª.¡± ¡®Wow. So you can spew bullshit without barking. Amazing.¡¯ ¡°The fifth emperor Tracichou of Tarium, who was well-known to be a noble and pure romantic, had five concubines and the eleventh emperor Aintra had six concubines, Duke Atraxil. The others had around fifteen on average. The emperors that were known to be more fickle kept over twenty concubines.¡± ¡°However¡­¡± ¡°Why is it that I cannot have the number of concubines that everyone else has had. I shall have a minimum of at least five consorts as well.¡± As Latil added ¡®I¡¯m a bit of a romanticist, you see¡¯ before winking, the mouth of the ministers fell wide open. They fell into a state of panic. Latil swept her gaze over the nobility whose expressions were smeared with stupefaction and lifted a corner of her lips in mockery. ¡°As the influence of the empress¡¯ side may grow excessively, was it not you all who insisted that the emperor take in concubines to prevent the disproportion of power?¡± There was not a single bit of exaggeration present in Latil¡¯s words. True to this, they were the exact ones who had thrust all sorts of women next to her father¡¯s side, back in his reign. The ministers fell quiet instantly, having remembered this fact. Latil playfully curved her eyes into crescent shapes and spoke again. ¡°It would be better for you all if I had multiple consorts, no? That way, wouldn¡¯t you have a chance to take me, the emperor, as your daughter-in-law?¡± Within the sea of expressions of nobility, all in an identical state of consternation, appeared a difference for the first time. Duke Atraxil deepened his scowl. On the other hand, all the others, including those on Duke Atraxil¡¯s side showed tempted expressions. It was quite a serious situation in its own way, but Latil almost had burst into laughter. How can they wear their thoughts so clearly on their face? ¡°For those unmarried, you all may volunteer yourself.¡± Latil was joking to a certain extent but purposely spoke with a grave face, although those who were taking in those words looked very serious, contrary to her intention. ¡®Are they all really going to volunteer?¡¯ The ministers could say nothing and just continued to steal glances amongst themselves. Latil clenched her jaw tightly to hold back her laughter and designated a few to proceed with the task. As such, the chaotic imperial conference was now over. As Latil was about to head out through the door located behind the throne of the conference room, she spotted a secretary seated on a near desk. Perhaps today¡¯s conference was quite entertaining ¡ª the eyes of the secretary were glimmering while they wrote down today¡¯s conference on a record. When Latil approached, they stopped recording and shot up from their seat, surprised. They looked frightened, afraid that she had caught them cracking a smile. ¡®There¡¯s no need to be so afraid, though.¡¯ ¡°Ah, secretary?¡± ¡°Y, yes, Your Majesty!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you this in advance. If I happen to only have five consorts, make sure to take this down on the records.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Emperor Latrasil had ¡®no more than¡¯ five consorts. Well, if I look like I have quite the pleasant relationship with the prince consort, you may also record that I was a romanticist.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± After winking at the secretary, Latil turned her body around and headed out of the conference room. As soon as she returned to her room, Latil collapsed on the floor while clutching her stomach. She could no longer hold back her laughter as she remembered the utterly bewildered expressions of the ministers. * * * ¡°How can Her Majesty do this to me!¡± Duke Atraxil violently threw off his court suit with a bellow, as soon as he returned to his mansion. The maids quickly picked up the strewn about garments with frightened faces. The duchess who had participated in the coronation ceremony, but wasn¡¯t able to in the imperial conference quickly approached the duke and asked. ¡°How was the imperial conference? Did Her Majesty conduct the conference well?¡± ¡°Very. In fact, too well.¡± ¡°If she¡¯s good at conducting, then she¡¯s good at conducting. What do you mean, ¡®too well¡¯?¡± ¡°She had the ministers in the palm of her hand and messed around with them from the very first day.¡± ¡°That much?¡± The duchess opened her eyes wide, while Duke Atraxil guzzled down the strong liquor placed on the console. ¡°Blimey, this man! Don¡¯t just drink, you have to tell me what happened! Did Her Majesty treat you ungenerously? Like she treated you as if she¡¯d forgotten the deeds of how much you¡¯ve helped her¡­¡± ¡°She had recognized the matter and made a definite promise of a reward about that.¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s the problem? Spit it out, instead of drinking away.¡± The duchess questioned gently, but promptly snatched away the liquor bottle held in the duke¡¯s hands at the same time. Duke Atraxil looked at the duchess with dumbfounded eyes but awkwardly lowered his hand as he spotted the corner of her eyes rising sharply. ¡°Her Majesty doesn¡¯t seem to want a prince consort, yet.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what you were so mad about?¡± The duchess tutted. ¡°Whether it be this year or the next, that issue can be sorted out slowly. The ministers will just continue to bug Her Majesty about it all the time anyway. In the end, she¡¯ll concede and accept someone in a few years.¡± ¡°If only that¡¯s all it is.¡± ¡°Was there anything else?¡± ¡°She said she¡¯ll take in consorts. Consorts!¡± ¡°¡­¡± This time, even the duchess didn¡¯t seem to be able to respond immediately. She stood like a wooden doll while blinking her eyes. Consort¡­ Consort¡­? ¡°A consort?!¡± As the duchess shouted belatedly in astonishment, Duke Atraxil became sullen and nodded his head. ¡°Seeing that she even mentioned something about an emperor and such about a daughter-in-law, it seems that she wants to pick the prince consort among the consorts.¡± ¡°Oh, my. The number of female emperors who said they¡¯ll take in consorts was¡­¡± ¡°Zero.¡± The duchess covered her mouth with one hand and made a mixed expression. ¡°Thinking about our Ranamoon, it is a bit disappointing, but personally, I find this quite amusing.¡± ¡°This is amusing?¡± ¡°Of course. There¡¯s going to be male consorts for the very first time.¡± Like her words, the duchess wore an expression that made it hard to tell whether she was crying or smiling, as if she didn¡¯t know what to feel. ¡°Anyway, now that things are like this, it¡¯s going to be difficult for Ranamoon to become the prince consort.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± The duke sighed after recalling his son¡¯s aloof and haughty nature. ¡°He won¡¯t try to enter the harem with his prideful personality, after all.¡± * * * It was her first morning after becoming an emperor. Latil opened the windows wide as soon as she woke up, and bathed in the morning sun. As the slightly moist but fresh air filled her lungs, a laugh escaped out of her all on its own. She had a dream. It was the day when Hyacinth left while asking her to wait five years. The dream that often tormented Latil couldn¡¯t be defeated even with the status of an emperor. ¡®My first dream as an emperor just had to be about Hyacinth, of all things¡­¡± Latil muttered internally, but the aftereffect of the dream wasn¡¯t as severe as other days due to yesterday¡¯s coronation. The remnants of the aftermath remained and still made her heart flutter. Her declaration of a harem made a strange emotion rise belatedly in her chest, as well. Although she had announced one for emotional and political purposes, it did mean that at least five would be her men. ¡®It might be awkward¡­¡¯ Latil scratched her forehead in embarrassment, before stopping suddenly. Hyacinth. Right¡­ Hyacinth. The corner of Latil¡¯s lips distorted coldly. Maybe the dream I had of Hyacinth today is a sign that an opportunity for revenge has come. Quite fittingly, a shitty incident that she had forgotten for a while resurfaced to her memory. Back when Latil was the crown princess, a delegation from Karisen visited again, requesting a consort. They went on about exchanges between countries, amity amongst the two, such and such for each other and whatnot, but the important thing was that Hyacinth had dared to send such a delegation to her country. A smile of content lit up Latil¡¯s lips. Back then, I could only grind my teeth and watch. ¡°Well, Hyacinth, it looks like I can finally ask you that question again.¡± * * * ¡°The tax system will need some sort of a reorganization. Although the duration lasted only half a year, not only were the commodities near the capital properly distributed during that period, but small-scale battles have been continuously occurring in the vicinity, so the price level in the capital has risen to abnormal levels compared to other regions.¡± ¡°If we were to only lower the taxes in the capital, there will be a lot of opposition from other districts. If we lower the taxes everywhere, the tax revenue coming in from unaffected regions will decrease. But if we were to adjust the rates according to the other regions, it will place a burden on those living in the capital.¡± ¡°Yes. I believe we¡¯ll have to find a reasonable balance in between.¡± ¡°How long will it take for price levels to settle in?¡± ¡°Before and after Your Majesty¡¯s coronation, the volume of trade between visitors and foreign businesses has increased. The circulation of goods and supplies is already active, so I believe that it won¡¯t take long.¡± ¡°What do you all think about this matter?¡± ¡°If we lower tax rates, we can gain the support of the common people in the short run, but there will be complaints during the process of returning taxes to its initial rate afterward. The economy can recover quickly, so I believe it will be better to maintain current levels.¡± ¡°However, Your Majesty, maintaining current levels will place a burden on the common people. Even if the economy were to recover quickly, it¡¯ll be hard on them for at least the first month or two. If we continue asking for the unreasonable, this will give rise to complaints right now.¡± The time Latil spent in conflict with Prince Tralla was quite short compared to the time that was usually spent in a fight for the throne. But since their dispute was concentrated in the capital, the only area that was affected by their fight was the capital. Because of this reason, it was difficult to implement an equal policy. Latil suffered through a headache from the very first day, amongst those from the Ministry of Finance whose opinions clashed. ¡®Administrative duty really is different from practice.¡¯ There were more variables to consider than what she had studied from books. The fact that there were no right and wrong answers also added to her heavy responsibility. Back when she was the crown princess, her father, the Chancellor, and her tutors would correct her if she pointed to the wrong answer, but this was no longer the case. If Latil pointed to the wrong answer now, that would soon be the future of her people. Latil had discussed the matter at hand for nearly five consecutive hours. As she spread herself over the desk completely exhausted, the Chamberlain who had been just watching silently let out a chuckle. ¡°You must be tired.¡± ¡°It¡¯s more troublesome than what I¡¯d thought it¡¯d be.¡± Latil mumbled weakly. ¡°Your Majesty will do well.¡± The next thing Latil had to decide on was the matter regarding the harem she announced yesterday, but luckily, it wasn¡¯t too difficult. Rather, she was looking forward to it, as she had already thought of what to do. Because of this, when an official exclusively in charge of matters regarding the harem came in and began explaining things with various documents, Latil was just smiling comfortably. ¡°We usually make people sign on this document before they are accepted as a consort. This is the standard format, but Your Majesty may include certain conditions that you wish for.¡± As the official placed down the document, Latil didn¡¯t feel a need to hide her mischievous smile and spoke the words she had been preparing. ¡°Oh. There¡¯s nothing else to add. But rather¡­ for diversity, and for a diplomatic relationship, I¡¯d like to take in a consort from another country as well.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. If you say so, I¡¯ll prepare a delegation. Which country should we send them to?¡± The official who had no idea of what Latil¡¯s intention was, folded his two hands together and waited for Latil¡¯s orders. Latil rested her arm on the table, before cheerfully instructing. ¡°Send them to Karisen. To Emperor Hyacinth.¡± [CHAPTER 9 Illustration: https://novel.naver.com/webnovel/illust.nhn?novelId=853016&order=Oldest&seq=77625 ] Chapter 10 - I’ll Give My Try At Coquetry Chapter 10: I¡¯ll Give My Try At Coquetry ¡°Understood. Is there someone you have in mind for the representative of the delegation?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to Earl Beretta.¡± The official didn¡¯t find anything strange even after hearing Latil¡¯s request. Karisen¡¯s emperor, Hyacinth, had visited Tarium to study abroad back when he was an Imperial Prince, and when for his marriage, Latil had visited Karisen as the representative of the marriage delegation. Recently, Tarium had even sent a delegation to request a consort, so Latil¡¯s orders were to be taken for granted. But after the official headed out, the Chamberlain who knew of Latil and Hyacinth¡¯s history could only ask worriedly. ¡°Will you be alright, Your Majesty?¡± The Chamberlain had remained an aide since the previous emperor¡¯s reign, so he clearly remembered just how much shock Latil had received after receiving news of Hyacinth¡¯s marriage, and just how indignant she became after hearing of his request of a consort afterward. But Latil gave a teetering smile and nodded her head. ¡°I wasn¡¯t earlier, but now I think I¡¯ll soon be very fine.¡± ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°Hyacinth needs to pick those who¡¯ll be my man with his own hands and experience it for himself. How I felt.¡± ¡®Would he be dumbfounded? Or would he find this ridiculous? Will you mock me because it¡¯s obvious what my intentions are? Or¡­ would you be hurt, even just a little bit? Either way, it¡¯d be even better if I could see his reaction firsthand, but that would be impossible.¡¯ ¡°Anyways, Marquess Savl¨¦e, what do you think about Duke Atraxil? Do you think he¡¯ll send his son to me?¡± ¡°Are you referring to young master Ranamoon?¡± ¡°Yeah. The duke wanted his son to be prince consort. Do you think he¡¯d be willing to even send his son as a consort for the seat?¡± ¡°I doubt it.¡± The Chamberlain recalled Ranamoon whose nose touched the sky even from a young age, and shook his head again. ¡°If it¡¯s young master Ranamoon, he will not come even if Duke Atraxil forces him to.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be a consort.¡± Contrary to the Chamberlain¡¯s expectations, it was Ranamoon who had volunteered first as a consort. Duke Atraxil was astonished, and questioned back. ¡°Just now, my words, did you properly understand them?¡± Knowing his son¡¯s personality well, Duke Atraxil also had thought that Ranamoon wouldn¡¯t enter the harem for sure. But he¡¯s voluntarily stepping up on his own? ¡°You told me that the emperor had proclaimed that she¡¯ll take in consorts.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re telling me that you want to be a consort?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ranamoon answered indifferently and stared back at his father. Unlike someone who had just made an incredible statement, he had a very peaceful attitude. But on the other hand, Duke Atraxil was even more surprised and his heart began to pound. Before Latil had risen to the seat of emperor, back when she was still competing with Prince Tralla, the one that told Ranamoon about the position of a prince consort was Duke Atraxil. He had even boasted that ¡®you¡¯ll become prince consort¡¯ to Ranamoon. So when Latil had announced that she¡¯ll be taking in consorts, he was extremely embarrassed. Not only were his plans all messed up, but what would he say to Ranamoon, who he had confidently promised the seat of the prince consort? He was at a loss of just how he would pass on the news to his son, whose pride reached the heavens. Ranamoon was very prideful. If he heard the news, he was bound to turn the household into a sheet of ice for at least several months. But it wasn¡¯t as if the duke could go on hiding it forever, so he swallowed his embarrassment and told the absurd news. When his son had just simply announced that he¡¯d become a consort unexpectedly, the duke was the one to be astonished instead. ¡°Perhaps, son. Do you not know¡­¡­ what a consort is?¡± It¡¯s not like he has absolutely no interest in social circles. But what if he doesn¡¯t even know what a consort is? If he doesn¡¯t, then what do I tell him? The duke awaited Ranamoon¡¯s answer, with a perplexed mood. Luckily, Ranamoon answered without reserve. ¡°Although a custom originally from Hwa Wol, it is an established culture which spread and settled in back in the age of the Great Cultural Exchange. They were called the ¡®concubines of the emperor¡¯ before then. Of course, unlike a concubine whose only role is one as a lover, selected personally by the emperor, a consort may be offered to the emperor regardless of their will and may serve as a hostage, depending on the circumstances. However, as they are accepted as one of the members of the royal or imperial family, not only are they able to reside within the emperor¡¯s harem, the children of a consort are accepted as the children of the emperor, unlike those of a concubine.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± The duke nodded his head reluctantly. He seems to be perfectly aware of what a consort is, textbook-wise. ¡°Unlike an empress, they are not assigned any official work, and it is their top priority to provide enjoyment and stability to the emperor.¡± Looks like he¡¯s also well aware of the practical aspects. ¡°One must also be talented in bed.¡± Reality as well. ¡°Although I¡¯m not experienced yet, I am capable of acquiring skills quickly. If I learn one, then I can realize ten in no time¡­¡± ¡°Son!¡± [CHAPTER 10 Illustration: https://novel.naver.com/webnovel/illust.nhn?novelId=853016&order=Oldest&seq=77816 ] Flabbergasted, Duke Atraxil slapped his hand across Ranamoon¡¯s mouth. Although an adult, he was still his son. He didn¡¯t want to talk about such things with his all-grown-up son. Of course, he¡¯d hate it even more if his son wasn¡¯t all grown up. Ranamoon pushed the duke¡¯s hand away, apathetically. ¡°Isn¡¯t this the reality?¡± ¡°Yet, you still want to go?¡± With your temperament? ¡°Yes.¡± The corner of Ranamoon¡¯s lips curled up coldly. What Duke Atraxil had been concerned about, was right. Unlike his impassive exterior, Ranamoon was currently in a state where his pride was extremely damaged. Even then, the reason why he was volunteering himself was that his pride was damaged even beyond what Duke Atraxil had been expecting. Ranamoon initially had no strong ambition to become prince consort. To Ranamoon, the seat of prince consort was ¡®Although I don¡¯t want to, I¡¯ll just do it¡¯ sort of position. But that didn¡¯t mean he wanted to yield the position to another. Whether he wanted or not, he would still feel displeased if someone else took the seat he was a strong candidate for, because he didn¡¯t want to bow down to those incompetent than him just because they were the prince consort. But¡­ What? Not picking a prince consort? Taking in consorts? Choosing the prince consort among the consorts? Ranamoon ground his molars together. The emperor wasn¡¯t an idiot. She obviously knew who the leading candidate was, for the prince consort. By announcing that she wouldn¡¯t be choosing a prince consort basically meant that she didn¡¯t want to take him in as her prince consort. Ranamoon could not accept this. ¡°I¡¯ll give my try at coquetry, as a consort.¡± You¡¯re even going to go for coquetry¡­? Duke Atraxil drew his body away at his son¡¯s overwhelming words. ¡°Is what you¡¯re holding, the documents that are needed to be a consort?¡± Ranamoon seized the documents that Duke Atraxil was about to discard with a cold look, before taking out a pen from his front pocket and swiftly signed his name. In a flash, the duke was holding a document with his son¡¯s name in his arms. Ranamoon announced coldly while putting his pen back inside. ¡°The emperor will make me the prince consort, Father, before a full year passes.¡± ¡°¡­Yeah. I hope so. Me too.¡± ¡°For that to happen, Father, you must start to prepare thoroughly.¡± Preparations! At that word, Duke Atraxil realized that it wasn¡¯t time for him to flounder around. Right. As long as his son had made his decision to be a consort, he now had to make lots of preparations from now. The competition that would happen between the consorts would probably be very fierce and frightening. The duke asked with a slightly nervous face. ¡°What shall I prepare? Poison? Aphrodisiacs? Bribery? A guard to take with you, disguised as your servant? Tell me. Whatever it may be, I¡¯ll prepare them all.¡± Ranamoon nodded back at the serious and vicious words and made a request. ¡°A book about night techniques, please.¡± ¡°Oh, son!¡± Just how much are you going to prepare?! * * * Earl Beretta was in doubt. Why was I chosen to be the representative of the delegation going to Karisen, all of a sudden? He did have experience going back and forth as an envoy. But there were plenty of those who had more experience than him. To say it was because of their acquaintance, Earl Beretta was not that close with Emperor Latrasil. Rather, they couldn¡¯t be close. When Emperor Latasil had been in conflict with Prince Tratalla, he hadn¡¯t supported either side. If he had to choose between the two, he probably would¡¯ve chosen Imperial Prince Tratalla¡¯s side. With their negligent relationship, he was planning to keep it low for a while. ¡°Are you still worried about that matter?¡± Earl Beretta responded in a surly tone to the smiling entourage¡¯s question. ¡°It¡¯s strange, no matter how I think about it. Who knows? There could be a hidden intention behind this matter.¡± ¡°Oh, please do relax. It is a good thing that she has chosen Your Honor as the first representative of her delegation.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± As the entourage repeatedly spoke of nice words, only then was the earl put at ease. Right. It must be a good thing. However, as soon as he spoke of requesting consorts to the emperor after arriving at Karisen, the earl realized the reason why Emperor Latrasil had chosen him as the representative of the delegation. The Karisen¡¯s emperor had been quite hospitable, saying that delegations from the Tarium Empire were all welcome guests in quite a friendly matter, while sprinkling a sparkling smile with the face renowned for its handsomeness in neighboring countries. But that dazzling smile vanished instantly when Earl Beretta spoke of the delegation¡¯s purpose. No, the smile didn¡¯t just vanish. Emperor Hyacinth¡¯s complexion had paled, while he clenched his jaw tightly. ¡°Who, is asking who, to send whom?¡± The question was asked, broken into smaller pieces. By the last piece, he looked like he was about to uproot his throne before chucking it towards them. ¡°Is Tarium¡¯s current emperor, not Emperor Latrasil right now?¡± ¡°Y, yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°But, Emperor Latrasil, sent you, to ask me, to personally pick men, to put in her harem? To me?¡± It looked like Emperor Hyacinth and Emperor Latrasil were personal acquaintances with each other. In a bad way. Thus, Emperor Latrasil had chosen Earl Beretta whom she didn¡¯t have such a great relationship with, as the representative of the delegation because she¡¯d expected him to throw a fit. Even so, isn¡¯t this too harsh? Earl Beretta pouted. He did think that Prince Tralla would be more fitting for the throne ¡®right now¡¯, but it wasn¡¯t as if he was obvious about it. Crash. A terrifying sound made Earl Beretta, whose thoughts were leading astray, come back to his senses. Earl Beretta swallowed his hiccups and looked back at the Emperor of Karisen with wide eyes. This wasn¡¯t the time for him to be dejected. He had to either properly fulfill his duties or give up his land and immigrate to another country, since he received an order. Earl Beretta carefully opened his mouth and spoke in a tone as smooth as possible. ¡°Her Majesty of the Tarium Empire holds bountiful goodwill to Karisen. Two years ago, Tarium sent a consort to Karisen, have we not? This time, if Karisen sends a consort to Tarium, the two empires will be connected with two ties, and our relationship will cultivate even further, says Her Majesty.¡± Earl Beretta took out a letter stamped with an emperor¡¯s seal from his inner pocket. ¡°Here is a handwritten letter from Her Imperial Majesty.¡± The chief secretary who was standing behind Emperor Hyacinth came forward to receive the letter, then passed it back to the emperor. Earl Beretta gulped before turning back to Emperor Hyacinth. ¡°¡­¡± Emperor Hyacinth was now removing the seal of the letter. The emperor¡¯s eyes thoroughly scanned the luxurious paper tinted in light gold. Earl Beretta brought his two hands together and held them tight. May Emperor Latrasil only have written the letter in nice words. Please don¡¯t let there be words like ¡®kill the person who delivered this¡¯ in the letter. However, Emperor Hyacinth was expressionless while reading the letter, so it was impossible to tell what he was thinking. After some time, Emperor Hyacinth finally placed down the letter held in one hand, slowly. Earl Beretta, who had been observing Emperor Hyacinth¡¯s expression carefully, audibly gasped. Just what did she write in that letter¡­?! Emperor Hyacinth looked like he wanted to rip the earl into pieces on the spot. ¨C I need a man for my harem. You know my tastes, don¡¯t you? Send someone accordingly. I look at appearances. But that doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t look at personality, either. Since they¡¯re going to be in the harem, they don¡¯t have to be smart. But it¡¯d be nice if they could at least hold a conversation, though. Avoid a combination of brown hair and grey eyes. Ticks me off cause it reminds me of you. Chapter 9.1 The moment after Latil spoke those words, the expression on Duke Atraxil froze as it was like it would shatter with a ¡®crack¡¯ if she touched it with a finger. Latil turned her gaze away from him arduously. She didn¡¯t know about anyone else, but when it came to Duke Atraxil, she did feel really sorry. But the others were also wearing a similar expression to Duke Atraxil. Everyone was looking at Latil with a reluctant expression. It was clear that no one seemed to have understood Latil¡¯s words. Out of kindness, Latil did them a favor and made herself clear. ¡°For starters¡­ five seems like a good number.¡± The hall as silent as death once again became loud with commotion. Amid the chattering, the words ¡®five¡¯ and ¡®harem¡¯ could be heard occasionally. Duke Atraxil belatedly came to his senses and shouted in astonishment. ¡°This is nonsense, Your Majesty! All the previous empress regnants have only had a single husband before. While many men have been rumored to be their lovers, no one has officially taken in consorts before so for what reason¡ª.¡± ¡®Wow. So you can spew bullshit without barking. Amazing.¡¯ ¡°The fifth emperor Tracichou of Tarium, who was well-known to be a noble and pure romantic, had five concubines and the eleventh emperor Aintra had six concubines, Duke Atraxil. The others had around fifteen on average. The emperors that were known to be more fickle kept over twenty concubines.¡± ¡°However¡­¡± ¡°Why is it that I cannot have the number of concubines that everyone else has had. I shall have a minimum of at least five consorts as well.¡± As Latil added ¡®I¡¯m a bit of a romanticist, you see¡¯ before winking, the mouth of the ministers fell wide open. They fell into a state of panic. Latil swept her gaze over the nobility whose expressions were smeared with stupefaction and lifted a corner of her lips in mockery. ¡°As the influence of the empress¡¯ side may grow excessively, was it not you all who insisted that the emperor take in concubines to prevent the disproportion of power?¡± There was not a single bit of exaggeration present in Latil¡¯s words. True to this, they were the exact ones who had thrust all sorts of women next to her father¡¯s side, back in his reign. The ministers fell quiet instantly, having remembered this fact. Latil playfully curved her eyes into crescent shapes and spoke again. ¡°It would be better for you all if I had multiple consorts, no? That way, wouldn¡¯t you have a chance to take me, the emperor, as your daughter-in-law?¡± Within the sea of expressions of nobility, all in an identical state of consternation, appeared a difference for the first time. Duke Atraxil deepened his scowl. On the other hand, all the others, including those on Duke Atraxil¡¯s side showed tempted expressions. It was quite a serious situation in its own way, but Latil almost had burst into laughter. How can they wear their thoughts so clearly on their face? ¡°For those unmarried, you all may volunteer yourself.¡± Latil was joking to a certain extent but purposely spoke with a grave face, although those who were taking in those words looked very serious, contrary to her intention. ¡®Are they all really going to volunteer?¡¯ The ministers could say nothing and just continued to steal glances amongst themselves. Latil clenched her jaw tightly to hold back her laughter and designated a few to proceed with the task. As such, the chaotic imperial conference was now over. As Latil was about to head out through the door located behind the throne of the conference room, she spotted a secretary seated on a near desk. Perhaps today¡¯s conference was quite entertaining ¡ª the eyes of the secretary were glimmering while they wrote down today¡¯s conference on a record. When Latil approached, they stopped recording and shot up from their seat, surprised. They looked frightened, afraid that she had caught them cracking a smile. ¡®There¡¯s no need to be so afraid, though.¡¯ ¡°Ah, secretary?¡± ¡°Y, yes, Your Majesty!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you this in advance. If I happen to only have five consorts, make sure to take this down on the records.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Emperor Latrasil had ¡®no more than¡¯ five consorts. Well, if I look like I have quite the pleasant relationship with the prince consort, you may also record that I was a romanticist.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± After winking at the secretary, Latil turned her body around and headed out of the conference room. As soon as she returned to her room, Latil collapsed on the floor while clutching her stomach. She could no longer hold back her laughter as she remembered the utterly bewildered expressions of the ministers. * * * ¡°How can Her Majesty do this to me!¡± Duke Atraxil violently threw off his court suit with a bellow, as soon as he returned to his mansion. The maids quickly picked up the strewn about garments with frightened faces. The duchess who had participated in the coronation ceremony, but wasn¡¯t able to in the imperial conference quickly approached the duke and asked. ¡°How was the imperial conference? Did Her Majesty conduct the conference well?¡± ¡°Very. In fact, too well.¡± ¡°If she¡¯s good at conducting, then she¡¯s good at conducting. What do you mean, ¡®too well¡¯?¡± ¡°She had the ministers in the palm of her hand and messed around with them from the very first day.¡± ¡°That much?¡± The duchess opened her eyes wide, while Duke Atraxil guzzled down the strong liquor placed on the console. ¡°Blimey, this man! Don¡¯t just drink, you have to tell me what happened! Did Her Majesty treat you ungenerously? Like she treated you as if she¡¯d forgotten the deeds of how much you¡¯ve helped her¡­¡± ¡°She had recognized the matter and made a definite promise of a reward about that.¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s the problem? Spit it out, instead of drinking away.¡± The duchess questioned gently, but promptly snatched away the liquor bottle held in the duke¡¯s hands at the same time. Duke Atraxil looked at the duchess with dumbfounded eyes but awkwardly lowered his hand as he spotted the corner of her eyes rising sharply. ¡°Her Majesty doesn¡¯t seem to want a prince consort, yet.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what you were so mad about?¡± The duchess tutted. ¡°Whether it be this year or the next, that issue can be sorted out slowly. The ministers will just continue to bug Her Majesty about it all the time anyway. In the end, she¡¯ll concede and accept someone in a few years.¡± ¡°If only that¡¯s all it is.¡± ¡°Was there anything else?¡± ¡°She said she¡¯ll take in consorts. Consorts!¡± ¡°¡­¡± This time, even the duchess didn¡¯t seem to be able to respond immediately. She stood like a wooden doll while blinking her eyes. Consort¡­ Consort¡­? ¡°A consort?!¡± As the duchess shouted belatedly in astonishment, Duke Atraxil became sullen and nodded his head. ¡°Seeing that she even mentioned something about an emperor and such about a daughter-in-law, it seems that she wants to pick the prince consort among the consorts.¡± ¡°Oh, my. The number of female emperors who said they¡¯ll take in consorts was¡­¡± ¡°Zero.¡± The duchess covered her mouth with one hand and made a mixed expression. ¡°Thinking about our Ranamoon, it is a bit disappointing, but personally, I find this quite amusing.¡± ¡°This is amusing?¡± ¡°Of course. There¡¯s going to be male consorts for the very first time.¡± Like her words, the duchess wore an expression that made it hard to tell whether she was crying or smiling, as if she didn¡¯t know what to feel. ¡°Anyway, now that things are like this, it¡¯s going to be difficult for Ranamoon to become the prince consort.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± The duke sighed after recalling his son¡¯s aloof and haughty nature. ¡°He won¡¯t try to enter the harem with his prideful personality, after all.¡± * * * It was her first morning after becoming an emperor. Latil opened the windows wide as soon as she woke up, and bathed in the morning sun. As the slightly moist but fresh air filled her lungs, a laugh escaped out of her all on its own. She had a dream. It was the day when Hyacinth left while asking her to wait five years. The dream that often tormented Latil couldn¡¯t be defeated even with the status of an emperor. ¡®My first dream as an emperor just had to be about Hyacinth, of all things¡­¡± Latil muttered internally, but the aftereffect of the dream wasn¡¯t as severe as other days due to yesterday¡¯s coronation. The remnants of the aftermath remained and still made her heart flutter. Her declaration of a harem made a strange emotion rise belatedly in her chest, as well. Although she had announced one for emotional and political purposes, it did mean that at least five would be her men. ¡®It might be awkward¡­¡¯ Latil scratched her forehead in embarrassment, before stopping suddenly. Hyacinth. Right¡­ Hyacinth. The corner of Latil¡¯s lips distorted coldly. Maybe the dream I had of Hyacinth today is a sign that an opportunity for revenge has come. Quite fittingly, a shitty incident that she had forgotten for a while resurfaced to her memory. Back when Latil was the crown princess, a delegation from Karisen visited again, requesting a consort. They went on about exchanges between countries, amity amongst the two, such and such for each other and whatnot, but the important thing was that Hyacinth had dared to send such a delegation to her country. A smile of content lit up Latil¡¯s lips. Back then, I could only grind my teeth and watch. ¡°Well, Hyacinth, it looks like I can finally ask you that question again.¡± * * * ¡°The tax system will need some sort of a reorganization. Although the duration lasted only half a year, not only were the commodities near the capital properly distributed during that period, but small-scale battles have been continuously occurring in the vicinity, so the price level in the capital has risen to abnormal levels compared to other regions.¡± ¡°If we were to only lower the taxes in the capital, there will be a lot of opposition from other districts. If we lower the taxes everywhere, the tax revenue coming in from unaffected regions will decrease. But if we were to adjust the rates according to the other regions, it will place a burden on those living in the capital.¡± ¡°Yes. I believe we¡¯ll have to find a reasonable balance in between.¡± ¡°How long will it take for price levels to settle in?¡± ¡°Before and after Your Majesty¡¯s coronation, the volume of trade between visitors and foreign businesses has increased. The circulation of goods and supplies is already active, so I believe that it won¡¯t take long.¡± ¡°What do you all think about this matter?¡± ¡°If we lower tax rates, we can gain the support of the common people in the short run, but there will be complaints during the process of returning taxes to its initial rate afterward. The economy can recover quickly, so I believe it will be better to maintain current levels.¡± ¡°However, Your Majesty, maintaining current levels will place a burden on the common people. Even if the economy were to recover quickly, it¡¯ll be hard on them for at least the first month or two. If we continue asking for the unreasonable, this will give rise to complaints right now.¡± The time Latil spent in conflict with Prince Tralla was quite short compared to the time that was usually spent in a fight for the throne. But since their dispute was concentrated in the capital, the only area that was affected by their fight was the capital. Because of this reason, it was difficult to implement an equal policy. Latil suffered through a headache from the very first day, amongst those from the Ministry of Finance whose opinions clashed. ¡®Administrative duty really is different from practice.¡¯ There were more variables to consider than what she had studied from books. The fact that there were no right and wrong answers also added to her heavy responsibility. Back when she was the crown princess, her father, the Chancellor, and her tutors would correct her if she pointed to the wrong answer, but this was no longer the case. If Latil pointed to the wrong answer now, that would soon be the future of her people. Latil had discussed the matter at hand for nearly five consecutive hours. As she spread herself over the desk completely exhausted, the Chamberlain who had been just watching silently let out a chuckle. ¡°You must be tired.¡± ¡°It¡¯s more troublesome than what I¡¯d thought it¡¯d be.¡± Latil mumbled weakly. ¡°Your Majesty will do well.¡± The next thing Latil had to decide on was the matter regarding the harem she announced yesterday, but luckily, it wasn¡¯t too difficult. Rather, she was looking forward to it, as she had already thought of what to do. Because of this, when an official exclusively in charge of matters regarding the harem came in and began explaining things with various documents, Latil was just smiling comfortably. ¡°We usually make people sign on this document before they are accepted as a consort. This is the standard format, but Your Majesty may include certain conditions that you wish for.¡± As the official placed down the document, Latil didn¡¯t feel a need to hide her mischievous smile and spoke the words she had been preparing. ¡°Oh. There¡¯s nothing else to add. But rather¡­ for diversity, and for a diplomatic relationship, I¡¯d like to take in a consort from another country as well.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. If you say so, I¡¯ll prepare a delegation. Which country should we send them to?¡± The official who had no idea of what Latil¡¯s intention was, folded his two hands together and waited for Latil¡¯s orders. Latil rested her arm on the table, before cheerfully instructing. ¡°Send them to Karisen. To Emperor Hyacinth.¡± [CHAPTER 9 Illustration: https://novel.naver.com/webnovel/illust.nhn?novelId=853016&order=Oldest&seq=77625 ] Chapter 10.1 - I’ll Give My Try At Coquetry Chapter 10: I¡¯ll Give My Try At Coquetry ¡°Understood. Is there someone you have in mind for the representative of the delegation?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to Earl Beretta.¡± The official didn¡¯t find anything strange even after hearing Latil¡¯s request. Karisen¡¯s emperor, Hyacinth, had visited Tarium to study abroad back when he was an Imperial Prince, and when for his marriage, Latil had visited Karisen as the representative of the marriage delegation. Recently, Tarium had even sent a delegation to request a consort, so Latil¡¯s orders were to be taken for granted. But after the official headed out, the Chamberlain who knew of Latil and Hyacinth¡¯s history could only ask worriedly. ¡°Will you be alright, Your Majesty?¡± The Chamberlain had remained an aide since the previous emperor¡¯s reign, so he clearly remembered just how much shock Latil had received after receiving news of Hyacinth¡¯s marriage, and just how indignant she became after hearing of his request of a consort afterward. But Latil gave a teetering smile and nodded her head. ¡°I wasn¡¯t earlier, but now I think I¡¯ll soon be very fine.¡± ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°Hyacinth needs to pick those who¡¯ll be my man with his own hands and experience it for himself. How I felt.¡± ¡®Would he be dumbfounded? Or would he find this ridiculous? Will you mock me because it¡¯s obvious what my intentions are? Or¡­ would you be hurt, even just a little bit? Either way, it¡¯d be even better if I could see his reaction firsthand, but that would be impossible.¡¯ ¡°Anyways, Marquess Savl¨¦e, what do you think about Duke Atraxil? Do you think he¡¯ll send his son to me?¡± ¡°Are you referring to young master Ranamoon?¡± ¡°Yeah. The duke wanted his son to be prince consort. Do you think he¡¯d be willing to even send his son as a consort for the seat?¡± ¡°I doubt it.¡± The Chamberlain recalled Ranamoon whose nose touched the sky even from a young age, and shook his head again. ¡°If it¡¯s young master Ranamoon, he will not come even if Duke Atraxil forces him to.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be a consort.¡± Contrary to the Chamberlain¡¯s expectations, it was Ranamoon who had volunteered first as a consort. Duke Atraxil was astonished, and questioned back. ¡°Just now, my words, did you properly understand them?¡± Knowing his son¡¯s personality well, Duke Atraxil also had thought that Ranamoon wouldn¡¯t enter the harem for sure. But he¡¯s voluntarily stepping up on his own? ¡°You told me that the emperor had proclaimed that she¡¯ll take in consorts.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re telling me that you want to be a consort?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ranamoon answered indifferently and stared back at his father. Unlike someone who had just made an incredible statement, he had a very peaceful attitude. But on the other hand, Duke Atraxil was even more surprised and his heart began to pound. Before Latil had risen to the seat of emperor, back when she was still competing with Prince Tralla, the one that told Ranamoon about the position of a prince consort was Duke Atraxil. He had even boasted that ¡®you¡¯ll become prince consort¡¯ to Ranamoon. So when Latil had announced that she¡¯ll be taking in consorts, he was extremely embarrassed. Not only were his plans all messed up, but what would he say to Ranamoon, who he had confidently promised the seat of the prince consort? He was at a loss of just how he would pass on the news to his son, whose pride reached the heavens. Ranamoon was very prideful. If he heard the news, he was bound to turn the household into a sheet of ice for at least several months. But it wasn¡¯t as if the duke could go on hiding it forever, so he swallowed his embarrassment and told the absurd news. When his son had just simply announced that he¡¯d become a consort unexpectedly, the duke was the one to be astonished instead. ¡°Perhaps, son. Do you not know¡­¡­ what a consort is?¡± It¡¯s not like he has absolutely no interest in social circles. But what if he doesn¡¯t even know what a consort is? If he doesn¡¯t, then what do I tell him? The duke awaited Ranamoon¡¯s answer, with a perplexed mood. Luckily, Ranamoon answered without reserve. ¡°Although a custom originally from Hwa Wol, it is an established culture which spread and settled in back in the age of the Great Cultural Exchange. They were called the ¡®concubines of the emperor¡¯ before then. Of course, unlike a concubine whose only role is one as a lover, selected personally by the emperor, a consort may be offered to the emperor regardless of their will and may serve as a hostage, depending on the circumstances. However, as they are accepted as one of the members of the royal or imperial family, not only are they able to reside within the emperor¡¯s harem, the children of a consort are accepted as the children of the emperor, unlike those of a concubine.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± The duke nodded his head reluctantly. He seems to be perfectly aware of what a consort is, textbook-wise. ¡°Unlike an empress, they are not assigned any official work, and it is their top priority to provide enjoyment and stability to the emperor.¡± Looks like he¡¯s also well aware of the practical aspects. ¡°One must also be talented in bed.¡± Reality as well. ¡°Although I¡¯m not experienced yet, I am capable of acquiring skills quickly. If I learn one, then I can realize ten in no time¡­¡± ¡°Son!¡± [CHAPTER 10 Illustration: https://novel.naver.com/webnovel/illust.nhn?novelId=853016&order=Oldest&seq=77816 ] Flabbergasted, Duke Atraxil slapped his hand across Ranamoon¡¯s mouth. Although an adult, he was still his son. He didn¡¯t want to talk about such things with his all-grown-up son. Of course, he¡¯d hate it even more if his son wasn¡¯t all grown up. Ranamoon pushed the duke¡¯s hand away, apathetically. ¡°Isn¡¯t this the reality?¡± ¡°Yet, you still want to go?¡± With your temperament? ¡°Yes.¡± The corner of Ranamoon¡¯s lips curled up coldly. What Duke Atraxil had been concerned about, was right. Unlike his impassive exterior, Ranamoon was currently in a state where his pride was extremely damaged. Even then, the reason why he was volunteering himself was that his pride was damaged even beyond what Duke Atraxil had been expecting. Ranamoon initially had no strong ambition to become prince consort. To Ranamoon, the seat of prince consort was ¡®Although I don¡¯t want to, I¡¯ll just do it¡¯ sort of position. But that didn¡¯t mean he wanted to yield the position to another. Whether he wanted or not, he would still feel displeased if someone else took the seat he was a strong candidate for, because he didn¡¯t want to bow down to those incompetent than him just because they were the prince consort. But¡­ What? Not picking a prince consort? Taking in consorts? Choosing the prince consort among the consorts? Ranamoon ground his molars together. The emperor wasn¡¯t an idiot. She obviously knew who the leading candidate was, for the prince consort. By announcing that she wouldn¡¯t be choosing a prince consort basically meant that she didn¡¯t want to take him in as her prince consort. Ranamoon could not accept this. ¡°I¡¯ll give my try at coquetry, as a consort.¡± You¡¯re even going to go for coquetry¡­? Duke Atraxil drew his body away at his son¡¯s overwhelming words. ¡°Is what you¡¯re holding, the documents that are needed to be a consort?¡± Ranamoon seized the documents that Duke Atraxil was about to discard with a cold look, before taking out a pen from his front pocket and swiftly signed his name. In a flash, the duke was holding a document with his son¡¯s name in his arms. Ranamoon announced coldly while putting his pen back inside. ¡°The emperor will make me the prince consort, Father, before a full year passes.¡± ¡°¡­Yeah. I hope so. Me too.¡± ¡°For that to happen, Father, you must start to prepare thoroughly.¡± Preparations! At that word, Duke Atraxil realized that it wasn¡¯t time for him to flounder around. Right. As long as his son had made his decision to be a consort, he now had to make lots of preparations from now. The competition that would happen between the consorts would probably be very fierce and frightening. The duke asked with a slightly nervous face. ¡°What shall I prepare? Poison? Aphrodisiacs? Bribery? A guard to take with you, disguised as your servant? Tell me. Whatever it may be, I¡¯ll prepare them all.¡± Ranamoon nodded back at the serious and vicious words and made a request. ¡°A book about night techniques, please.¡± ¡°Oh, son!¡± Just how much are you going to prepare?! * * * Earl Beretta was in doubt. Why was I chosen to be the representative of the delegation going to Karisen, all of a sudden? He did have experience going back and forth as an envoy. But there were plenty of those who had more experience than him. To say it was because of their acquaintance, Earl Beretta was not that close with Emperor Latrasil. Rather, they couldn¡¯t be close. When Emperor Latasil had been in conflict with Prince Tratalla, he hadn¡¯t supported either side. If he had to choose between the two, he probably would¡¯ve chosen Imperial Prince Tratalla¡¯s side. With their negligent relationship, he was planning to keep it low for a while. ¡°Are you still worried about that matter?¡± Earl Beretta responded in a surly tone to the smiling entourage¡¯s question. ¡°It¡¯s strange, no matter how I think about it. Who knows? There could be a hidden intention behind this matter.¡± ¡°Oh, please do relax. It is a good thing that she has chosen Your Honor as the first representative of her delegation.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± As the entourage repeatedly spoke of nice words, only then was the earl put at ease. Right. It must be a good thing. However, as soon as he spoke of requesting consorts to the emperor after arriving at Karisen, the earl realized the reason why Emperor Latrasil had chosen him as the representative of the delegation. The Karisen¡¯s emperor had been quite hospitable, saying that delegations from the Tarium Empire were all welcome guests in quite a friendly matter, while sprinkling a sparkling smile with the face renowned for its handsomeness in neighboring countries. But that dazzling smile vanished instantly when Earl Beretta spoke of the delegation¡¯s purpose. No, the smile didn¡¯t just vanish. Emperor Hyacinth¡¯s complexion had paled, while he clenched his jaw tightly. ¡°Who, is asking who, to send whom?¡± The question was asked, broken into smaller pieces. By the last piece, he looked like he was about to uproot his throne before chucking it towards them. ¡°Is Tarium¡¯s current emperor, not Emperor Latrasil right now?¡± ¡°Y, yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°But, Emperor Latrasil, sent you, to ask me, to personally pick men, to put in her harem? To me?¡± It looked like Emperor Hyacinth and Emperor Latrasil were personal acquaintances with each other. In a bad way. Thus, Emperor Latrasil had chosen Earl Beretta whom she didn¡¯t have such a great relationship with, as the representative of the delegation because she¡¯d expected him to throw a fit. Even so, isn¡¯t this too harsh? Earl Beretta pouted. He did think that Prince Tralla would be more fitting for the throne ¡®right now¡¯, but it wasn¡¯t as if he was obvious about it. Crash. A terrifying sound made Earl Beretta, whose thoughts were leading astray, come back to his senses. Earl Beretta swallowed his hiccups and looked back at the Emperor of Karisen with wide eyes. This wasn¡¯t the time for him to be dejected. He had to either properly fulfill his duties or give up his land and immigrate to another country, since he received an order. Earl Beretta carefully opened his mouth and spoke in a tone as smooth as possible. ¡°Her Majesty of the Tarium Empire holds bountiful goodwill to Karisen. Two years ago, Tarium sent a consort to Karisen, have we not? This time, if Karisen sends a consort to Tarium, the two empires will be connected with two ties, and our relationship will cultivate even further, says Her Majesty.¡± Earl Beretta took out a letter stamped with an emperor¡¯s seal from his inner pocket. ¡°Here is a handwritten letter from Her Imperial Majesty.¡± The chief secretary who was standing behind Emperor Hyacinth came forward to receive the letter, then passed it back to the emperor. Earl Beretta gulped before turning back to Emperor Hyacinth. ¡°¡­¡± Emperor Hyacinth was now removing the seal of the letter. The emperor¡¯s eyes thoroughly scanned the luxurious paper tinted in light gold. Earl Beretta brought his two hands together and held them tight. May Emperor Latrasil only have written the letter in nice words. Please don¡¯t let there be words like ¡®kill the person who delivered this¡¯ in the letter. However, Emperor Hyacinth was expressionless while reading the letter, so it was impossible to tell what he was thinking. After some time, Emperor Hyacinth finally placed down the letter held in one hand, slowly. Earl Beretta, who had been observing Emperor Hyacinth¡¯s expression carefully, audibly gasped. Just what did she write in that letter¡­?! Emperor Hyacinth looked like he wanted to rip the earl into pieces on the spot. ¨C I need a man for my harem. You know my tastes, don¡¯t you? Send someone accordingly. I look at appearances. But that doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t look at personality, either. Since they¡¯re going to be in the harem, they don¡¯t have to be smart. But it¡¯d be nice if they could at least hold a conversation, though. Avoid a combination of brown hair and grey eyes. Ticks me off cause it reminds me of you.