Chapter 91

“Gasp!”

Luke woke up from his wet dream, lifted his blanket and checked his
sleeping attire.

Oh my God…… I’m lusting for the baron in a wet dream!

‘Are you out of your mind?’

It was just a possible fantasy conjured up by his subconscious in the form

of a dream. Even if the baron wasn’t the real baron, but the baron’s sister
and young lady of the house, Seira, she would never do that. I don’t have
any intention to do ‘it’…. [t1v: surreeee]

“What if the Baron isn’t a woman….?’

Seira’s body, which he had held in his arms in his dream, was soft and
lovely. But it was because it was a dream. He must be a man! His
body…….

‘No! Why does that matter….?’

Whether they were the baron or the baron’s sister, it was none of his
business. I can’t believe I had such a dream.….

‘Is it because of my surpressed libdo?’

Luke got up and went into the bathroom.

Even while taking off his clothes and washing himself in cold water, he
couldn’t shake the image of Seira from his dream.

‘You always look at me with those eyes…… I know.’

When he remembered how she had looked at him with those provocative
eyes, his body became hard. Luke reached out to his desire as he recalled
Seira’s soft touch.
“Uh…”

Finally, he came, but his heart felt no relief. Luke sighed deeply, with a
heated face.

***

Displeasure was written all over his face. Both maids and attendants
bowed and unhurriedly disappeared when they saw Luke’s expression. Not
in the frame of mind or mood to face the Baron, Luke even ordered that his
meal be brought to his room and ate it.

There was something he had to check downstairs before he went to the

office. As Luke made his way towards the stairs, he stopped when he
spotted the baron also heading towards the stairs.

The Baron, completely ignorant of Luke’s feelings, noticed Luke and

greeted him brightly:

“Good morning, Little Duke.”

It was his usual greeting, Luke glanced at the Baron with an uncomfortable
look. Even though it was just a greeting, his face was heating up.

“Right… Good morning. Baron.”

His outfit reflected his intention of going straight to the training field. Luke
looked at the geared out Baron and when an idea came to him.

“It’s going to be difficult today. Aren’t your muscles tense and sore?

“Yes. That’s true but…… It’s something I have to deal with.”

Luke stared intently at the baron, who looked neat and tidy as always. Their
annoying beautiful appearance irritated him.

“……come to my room as soon as you finish training.”

“Yes?”

Luke glanced at the Baron’s startled face, and said:

“I’m saying this because I know how to loosen up tight muscles. [t1v: wink
wink] If you had a servant, I would teach him, but you are reluctant of
servants entering your room. So I’ll teach you in person.”

“Ahhh …. I understand. Then…”

With her anxiety hidden, the Baron passed through the hall and left the
mansion. Luke watched the Baron walk away with a troubled expression.

***

“Sigh, ha, ahh…. Your Majesty… Please… Uh, oh my…….”

Her blam-soaked breasts were squeezed in Lyle’s hands. He licked her

earlobe, kneading Medea’s breasts like dough.

“I heard that having children impacts your sex life. It would be good to
prevent it in advance.”

“Angh, ngh…… the due date is still, unn….. a long time… Ahh! Oh no…….
eugh….”

Lyle put his tongue into Medea’s ear and twisted her sensitive nipples.
Medea twisted her body when his fingertips pinched and rolled up and
down the protrusions with the slippery oil.

“Nnagh…unn…. Your Majesty, stop…….”

“Right. It must feel empty here.”

His fingers that skimmed down her belly, lovingly caressed the wide-open
secret part of Medea. Her thighs which were held apart by Lyle’s knees,
trembled.
“I’m dying to push myself inside too…….”

“Huek, I…… Something like that— No! Ah…. Ahhhh……!”

His fingers, which had caressed her petals soaked in oil, penetrated
deeply. Familiarly and skillfully, he thrusted Medea with her favorite teasing
spot.

“Huh? What did you say?”

“Hhngh! Ah! Ahhh! …. you can’t…. Ahh! Hhhmm…….”

“Since I finished my political affairs work early today…… You’ll be cute all
day long. By the time you can accept me again…… You’ll climax just by me
inserting it.”

“Haa, ahhh…. It won’t be like that……. Ahhhh…. Haaaa! AAhhhhhh…….”

As he peaked, Medea’s back curled up like a bow, but Lyle had no intention
of watching today. Today, he wanted to find out how far she could go.

“I’ll make you sticky. By the time it’s over, you might beg you to put it in.….”

“Oh, no……. Ah, not yet……. Ahhuek!”

Medea trembled and shivered under the tips of his sweetly teasing hands.
The two legs pressed under Lyle’s knee twitched and her toes curled.

“So cute, Milly……. My lovely Empress…….”

“Ahhunn, AAhh….…. Oh! Your Majesty……. Angh,  Lyle……!”

Under the Emperor’s sweet torment, Medea filled the Empress’ bedroom
with moans. There was someone listening to erotic sounds that reached
the ceiling with a door in between.

Knowing the Emperor was a Sword Master, and that he sensed him. He
acted like a servant pretending to notice the signs and quickly moved away
from the door.

I don’t think I can do it today.

Judging by the atmosphere, it looked like they would be together all day.

He bit his lips in anxiety. He couldn’t wait indefinitely. If he delayed to the

next date, he might be misunderstood as being suspicious.

He might already have been suspected since he had to change shifts with
other courtiers.

He was preoccupied with figuring out a way—

A time when the Empress was alone…….

The Emperor would be absent when he had to attend political affairs

meetings. Only then will it work.

He made a plan, walking away from the Empress’s bedroom.

***

Chapter 92

She had been told to come right away, but Luke probably didn’t want her

walking in donning her armor. Seira went up to her room with a deep sigh.

How could the Duke’s heir teach her how to relax her muscles? She

wondered if there was any motive.

Seira was pretending to be Ian, her older brother. It would be suspicious if

she, known as a man, was reluctant to go to the Small Duke’s room.

‘You didn’t notice something, did you? No way… I don’t think so.’

Seira hurriedly took off her armor and left the room. She should have

polished her armor instead of leaving it as it is, but she couldn’t keep Luke

waiting. Seira completed training at the same time every day, so Luke

would be waiting for her.

With the help of a servant, Seira arrived in front of Luke’s room. She

carefully knocked on the door.

Knock knock…

“…come in.”

When Seira came in, Luke, who was sitting by the window, put down the

book and came down from the window sill.

“You’re here.”

“I came as soon as my training was over…… My sweat smells terrible.….

so, is it okay if I wash up?”

Luke looked at Seira without answering. The appearance of sweaty hair

sticking to her skin strangely attracted his eye.

“It’s not a big deal, it’ll be over soon. Come here and sit.”

Luke pointed at the carpet on the floor. Seira was relieved he didn’t order

her to sit on a bed.

As instructed, she walked to the middle of the room and sat down on the

carpet. When Luke approached and sat next to Seira, she looked at him

with wary eyes.

“You’ve been training in armor every day, so you must have bruised

yourself, right?”

“Uh… If I soak it in hot water, it’ll heal quickly! There’s nothing to worry

about!”

Seira spoke hastily, afraid he would fetch her a healer. If the healer arrived

and asked her to take off her clothes, her identity would be exposed.

“Really?”

Luke stretched Seira’s arms and rubbed the area where muscles were

likely to knot up. When Seira shrank in pain, Luke adjusted his strength.

“You have a lot of knots and muscles clumping up.”

“That’s not knots, it’s muscle mass— arm strengthening……. Argh!

When he focused on massaging the lumped part, a scream erupted out of

her mouth. Luke smiled and gently released Seira’s arm, who had become

teary due to pain.

“Isn’t that too much pain for not-a-knot?”

“Ugh… I-I’m just surprised…… It’s because I’m aching……. Huek!

Seira’s sound effects increased while accompanying his action of pressing

down on her knots again. Luke chuckled, let go of her left arm, and went

over to her right arm.

Rather, the frequently used arms had less muscle clumps.

“Ugnh… You don’t have to…… no… Hmm…….”

“Are you not able to maintain your body because you don’t have an

attendant? As a son of a nobleman, I would ask my servant to do this…….

Do you still have no thoughts of being served by a servant?”

“Yes, um… Argh! Cough Ha! …….”

Seira’s body was firm and resilient. It was a different feeling from the soft

and supple bodies of ordinary girls. But as expected…… Hers was unlike

the firm body of the man, Luke became convinced.

“Now I’ll do your legs.”

“N-no! I don’t need legs!”

Luke gently stepped down. He couldn’t forcefully touch her legs when he

was already convinced that the baron was a woman.

“Then now… Why don’t you tell me why you came all the way to the capital

and dressed up as a man? Lady Seira Hestia?”

At Luke’s words, Seira’s face turned pale.

“W-What are you talking about…….”

“If not, would you like to take off your top? I apologize if I made a mistake.”

“…….”

Seira, turning white, lowered her gaze while grabbing the front of her shirt.

The gesture itself seemed to be enough evidence.

Luke sighed deeply. It was simple enough to figure this out but inside his

stomach boiled and he felt pathetic.

“Fortunately, it’s only myself and the Empress who noticed. I don’t know

what made you do this, but…… You dressed up as a man in front of his

Majesty, so if your identity is discovered later, it will become a big deal.”

“Was the Empress disappointed with me?”

It was a woman’s voice that asked, not Seira’s artificially deeper voice.

Feeling a shiver run through his nerves, Luke avoided her gaze.

“She wasn’t disappointed.”

Rather, she seemed to be worried that Luke would be angry with Seira

when she was caught.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to cause trouble! It’s just that the knights from the

capital don’t notice me at all.….”

Seira told the story of how she took off Ian’s clothes and dressed her

fainted brother in her own clothes in order to save him. She fought off the

assassins sent by their uncle. Sir Gerrard and his party arrived and saved

them just in time and did not recognize that Seira disguised as a man.…
Chapter 93

“I wanted to be a knight, even if it was only for a moment. I was planning on

going back to my territory as soon as I passed the test. I can’t keep
pretending to be my older brother.”

Seira only tried to achieve her dream for a few days. It would have been
the shortest days of her life once she was a knight, but she thought it was
an opportunity to achieve her dream that she had secretly held in her
heart. Even if it’s just a few days…….

“My brother is innocent. It was me who insisted and came up to the capital.
So please…….”

Seira grabbed and held on to the edge of his clothes, so Luke swallowed
his breath and turned his head.

“I-I’ll keep your secret. The Empress also… From the beginning she didn’t
seem to have any intention of divulging the miss’s secret of, so you can
rest assured.”

“Th—then…….”

Luke shook his head at the Emerald eyes filled with anticipation.

“It’s too risky to participate in the knight’s examinations. Miss, perhaps like
me…… Some people will notice that you are a woman. If that happens not
only will the lady be in trouble but also our dukedom and Empress could be
in trouble.”

Coming up to the capital dressed up as a man and participating in the

Knight’s exams were two different things. Attending the Knight’s test and
worse—being knighted under a false identity—would be seen as deceiving
the Emperor and everyone else.

“Ugh… How did the ducal heir find out? Sir Gerrard didn’t even notice.”

In fact, Luke wouldn’t have guessed if Medea hadn’t suggested it.

However, Luke decided to be firm.
“Anyone could realize it. You’re so beautiful, there was no way I couldn’t
know.….”

Luke realized what he was saying candidly— almost biting his unguarded
tongue and shut his mouth abruptly.

“Oh, anyway, send Baron Hestia a letter to send a carriage. You’re going
back as soon as the carriage arrives.”

Luke got up from his seat and offered his hand to Seira. She jumped up on
her own without holding on to his hand.

“If you’re going to pretend you don’t know anyways, please pretend you
don’t know for a few more days!”

“Lady!”

“It’s only been a few months. It’s not like I’m going to stay in the capital as a
knight.… It’s only been a few days!

Luke clicked his tongue in Seira’s face, who seemed to heat up in anger. In
the midst of this, he couldn’t take his eyes off her face—he was sure he
was going crazy.

“……If the miss doesn’t send a letter, I’ll contact the Baron. Please leave
now.”

Luke turned his back as if he didn’t want to talk anymore and the topic was
final.

When Seira saw Luke’s red-stained ears, she realized: He has a crush on
me.

“Even if a carriage arrives I won’t go back. If you want to leave the Duke’s
mansion, I’ll look for an inn!”

“Miss, if you come out like that, I won’t be able to hide the young lady’s
secret.”

“Didn’t you say that if it’s known that I dressed up as a man, the dukedom
would also be in trouble?”
“If we denounce the miss first before you are caught, then we won’t be
blamed.

Seira was taken aback by Luke’s response. Since the Empress had agreed
to hide it, she thought if she left he wouldn’t do that.

“You’re not going to do that.”

“I’ll do it if the lady doesn’t go back calmly.”

“Please don’t do that. I can leave the Duke’s estate! No one but the Small
Duke noticed anyway.….”

Luke was annoyed by Seira’s stubbornness.

“It’ll be too late when someone notices!”

“I’m confident that I won’t get caught! They’ll never find out!”

She was a woman who had protected her sick brother alone against
assassins. Luke didn’t think the argument that the Knight’s test was too
difficult would work on her.

Luke frowned and clenched his teeth.

“Why should I grant the lady such a favor? Why are you being so difficult?

“Cough….”

Already the Empress and the Duke of Card were assisting the Hestia
Barony. Even Seira knew that she was being shameless and rude to wish
for more.

But she simply didn’t want to miss this opportunity.

It would happen only once in a lifetime.

“I-I’ll do anything! I’ll repay you somehow!”

Luke’s eyes were shaken by Seira’s words.

“What kind of reward can the lady give to me?”

As the heir to the Duke of Card, he was a man who had everything.
Although he was only second to the Emperor, he had power, money, and
status comparable to that of the Emperor.

But he didn’t laugh at her. Seira hesitated at Luke’s words as he looked at

her with a frown.

What…

Seira grabbed Luke’s collar, pulled him close and covered his lips with
hers.

Unlike the fluffy lips in his dream, it felt a little dry, but it was hot and soft.

Luke’s startled face turned a bright red.

T-this lady…. I’ve been holding it in so far!

Luke’s trembling eyes glared at Seira, alarmed by what she had done.

“Uh, well—”

Suddenly, Luke’s lips rushed in and pressed down against Seira’s lips and
swallowed them.

Luke’s arm circled around her waist and while his other hand supported her
head, making it impossible to even turn her head.

“Hmm, oh……hnnn ….”

Luke’s tongue came in every time she opened her lips, tenaciously
coveting the insides of Seira’s mouth.

From the root of her tongue to the inside of her cheeks, to the gums and
the ceiling of her mouth, the tip of Luke’s tongue flirted in her mouth,
causing Seira to leak spit.
Luke thought even Seira’s saliva tasted sweet as both of them became
dizzy. His blood was boiling all over his body and he felt he was about to
burn.

As he gazed into Seira’s fluttering eyes, their breathing was heated,

panting, Seira blinked slowly.

Luke slowly removed his lips with a rough breath.

“This kind of thing… you want to do it?”

Chapter 94

Seira, who finally came to her senses, turned red like a tomato. Luke was
still embracing Seira’s waist and supporting the back of her head.

Tears sprouted in Seira’s eyes as she shouted in indignation:

“I- I… I was talking about a date!

“Oh.”

As expected, she didn’t mean to offer her body. He was expecting that.

Luke said with a languid smile.

“But you kissed me. Isn’t this the lady’s first kiss?”

A smile crept across Luke’s face at her startled glance.

Because of his teasing laughter, he saw a fire spark in Seira’s eyes. This
appearance of hers was also very striking.

Ah… I’ve failed. I can’t escape it now.

Luke resigned himself and pushed his lips back onto her lips. Surprised,
Seira did not think twice about hitting his arm and kicking him in the leg. He
should get bruised. He felt like he couldn’t help it even if Seira broke his
arms and legs.

Luke coveted her softened wet lips, to his heart’s content. Although his
tongue came into her mouth and wrapped around her tongue, Seira
hesitated to bite his tongue. It implied to him that she allowed him to some
extent, arousing him.

“Haaa... Ummm…….”

When his lips finally fell off hers with a wet sound, Seira glared at Luke with
tears in the corner of her eyes. Luke kissed her eyes, feeling like his heart
was being squeezed.

“Haaa *Sigh*… Lady Hestia.”

“W-why are you doing this?”

“Because the lady took my first.”

Seira recalled that she had first lightly kissed his mouth and lamented.

“Then, l-let’s go on a date…….” [Seira]

“This humble servant, what I mean to say….” [t1v: although Seira

addresses Luke respectfully—Luke has always addressed her
even more respectfully, even though he is higher in status, age and a man.
It infers how much he cherishes her.]

As Luke spoke, his timber sounded as if he was in pain. He smiled. Then, a

feathery kiss fell on her forehead and hair.

“I am yours, Lady Hestia. Please marry me.”

At that moment, her heart dropped. Seira blinked and blankly stared at
Luke. Luke studied her expression with a gaze that would not miss a single
thing.

“No, don’t make fun of me……”

“When the lady returns, I’ll go down with a marriage proposal.”

Luke released Seira’s body, which he had been hugging, and knelt down in
front of her. He held Seira’s hands with both hands and kissed the back of
her hand. She was stunned.

“Lady Seira Hestia……. My body and heart already belong to you.

Please… …. take pity on me…… Please marry me.”

Seira was utterly speechless. Her identity had been discovered, they had
been arguing over whether or not she needed to go back to the barony,
and then this—Out of nowhere!

“I-if you say this, so suddenly…… I can’t believe it.”

“What can I do so you’ll trust me?”

She turned around and pressed against her beating heart. She was
suddenly kissed, but she was just as surprised that she had done
something first—and even more so surprised that she wasn’t offended.

Earlier and currently— instead of being displeased, her heart was

pounding, thrilled.

“Please close your eyes to allowing me to participate in the Knight’s test….

….”

“It’s not possible.”

When Luke answered immediately, she pouted. As he shyly glanced at her

lips, Seira looked back at him suspiciously.

“Is it because you already kissed me to your heart’s content?”

“As did the lady.”

At Luke’s smug words said with a smile, her face heated up to her
earlobes.

“I- I didn’t do that! There! Why did the ducal heir do it twice?”

“I thought I was the lady’s first kiss…… I wanted to be your second kiss
too. I apologize.”
Luke’s shameless words made Seira speechless.

He was still kneeling in front of her and kissing her fingertips, so Seira
quickly pulled her hand away. Luke stood up with a disappointed
expression.

“……If the lady returns to her territory, I will advise His Majesty and the
Empress to allow women to participate in the knight’s examination.”

If his sister knew her identity and had him sponsor her so she could take
the Knights’ test, it was clear that she was in favor of Seira’s actions. If his
sister persuaded the Emperor, wouldn’t the Emperor would accept it?

“A-Are you serious?”

“Yes. However I’m not promising it will change right away. There’s no
guarantee of success.…. But.”

Seira avoided Luke’s nearing gaze.

She couldn’t help but be shaken by his words that he would do that for her.

“……If the lady becomes my wife and stands by me, my claim will be
stronger when I argue for it.”

Please, do you agree?

Luke whispered sweetly in Seira’s ear.

Chapter 95

“This is a newly assigned maid. This is Count Laurent’s daughter, Lady

Rosemary Laurent.”

Medea blinked at the maid’s introduction.

“Rosemary?”
After mumbling, she paid attention to a beautiful lady with a coy impression
standing calmly next to a handmaiden.

She said it’s Rosemary—?!

Rosemary was a maid who appeared in the middle of the original novel.

When Emilia, the empress of the neighboring country, stayed in the

imperial palace Rosemary served her.

Rosemary knew that Emilia had come to propose to Lyle, but tried to
seduce him when Emilia wasn’t looking.

‘Why is she here?’

Rosemary was the first character to die after she was involved in a
conspiracy to assassinate Emilia. Medea remembered it because it
reminded her of a famous horror movie “Rosemary’s Baby.” [t1v: lawl wat.]

The Empress, Medea, is alive, so Emilia can’t propose to Lyle, and

Rosemary shouldn’t appear either, but why…….

‘Will I be in danger instead of Emilia?’

Emilia was saved by the main character Seira, but now there was no Seira
next to her. Because it’s before the knight’s test. Emilia originally appeared
after the knight’s examination.

“Empress?”

The handmaiden asked since Medea’s reaction was strange. Medea came
to her senses and looked at Rosemary. She quickly greeted her:

“My name is Rosemary, Empress.

“Yes. You are Count Laurent’s daughter…….”

“That’s right.”

In the novel, Rosemary was not a very likable character. She was a
character who flirted with the male protagonist, Lyle.
“Hmm. I don’t intend to place new faces next to me right now.”

As Medea spoke, she became flustered. The maid quickly explained

further:

“This young lady was recommended by Marquis Bermon, your Majesty.”

‘Bermon?’

The attendant was clarifying that since Rosemary was recommended by

Marquis Bermon, she would be reliable. Medea, who had no friends,
seemed to need a trusted person.

The problem was that I think I’ve heard the name of Marquis Bermon.

‘Bermon… Bermon……. Who was it?’

Medea had thought there would be no conspiracy for the Empress’ position
since she was alive. So she hadn’t even bothered to write down the plot of
the original novel. Medea blamed her frivolity and tried to recall Marquis
Bermon.

The maid hinted that she might have mistaken Medea’s expression for
something else.

“Didn’t the Marquis tell you something, young lady?”

Rosemary, who was anxious and wary of her, smiled and handed out a
letter. A skeptical Medea gave her a look as if she was asking what it was
she was holding out to her. Rosemary lowered her head and explained:

“This is a letter from Marquis Bermon.”

‘Bermon… I remember!’

After Emilia’s attempted assassination, she was a noble woman who tried
to attach a mistress to Lyle. She had also attempted to get Lyle addicted to
drugs!

‘Medea was close to a woman like that?’

It was clear that Bermon was not a good influence. Could it be due to the
Marquis that Medea repeatedly attempted suicide attempts to the
magnitude that she looked foolish?

As there was a baby in her stomach, she became uncomfortable to receive

a letter from Rosemary.

“I see.”

She motioned to a maid to receive the letter on her behalf and the maid
came forward and received the letter from her. Rosemary seemed
surprised that Medea did not receive the letter in person.

“If it’s Marquis of Bermon…… I thought she was more considerate, but I’m
disappointed.”

“What?”

This fit Medea’s character. There were rumors that with the Emperor’s
favor she had become gentle, but her rude reputation had proceeded her
for a long time.

“I won’t bother to read it, so burn it. Handmaid, escort that child out, too.”

“What? Your Majesty, Emp…….”

At the maid’s unfiltered astonishment, Medea delivered a cold glare. Even

if she lost her memory, her temper can’t completely disappear, thought the
maid.

“I hear and obey.”

“Your Majesty!”

Hastily, Rosemary fell at Medea’s feet. She beseeched her with her
forehead on the floor.

“Please tell me what I did wrong! What did I do wrong?”

“You’re cute and coy.”

“What?”

When Medea answered in an icy tone, she looked up at her in

bewilderment, flustered. She studied Rosemary with a frosty gaze.

“I’m favored by his Majesty…… I know there are rumors that things are
different between us from before. I didn’t expect Marquess Bermon would
betray me now.” [t1v: her name could also be translated to Vermon [ㅂ has
a b/v sound] it looks so similar to Vermin]

Rosemary would be killed if she stayed here anyway. She knew that she
would flirt with Lyle, and she didn’t want to pretend that she didn’t know.

“Tell the Marquis’ wife: It seems our happy days are over now. In the future,
there will be no need for her to visit the imperial palace.”

Su-yeon has never met a woman named Marquess Bermon since she had
possessed Medea’s body. This is because Lyle forbade her from meeting
with other nobles so that Medea’s amnesia would not leak out.

Now, Lyle’s and Medea’s relationship has improved a lot, and they have a
child in between them, so it didn’t matter if her amnesia leaked out.

There was no need to get close since she remembered Marquess Bermon
was a villain. Now that she thought about it, Medea was sure that
Marquess Bermon encouraged the orginial Medea to be absurd and
attempt suicide.

“Your Majesty, please tell me if I did anything wrong! I’ll… I’ll fix it—I’ll do
anything!”

Chapter 96

Rosemary had been begging with her head against the floor as if
something bad would happen if she left the imperial palace now. She
approached as if she was about to grab Medea’s skirt, but the quick-witted
maids quickly blocked her.
Medea was now with the Emperor’s child. If she was startled, Lyle would
not hesitate to cut off the maids’ head.

“You didn’t do anything wrong. It is Marquess Bermon’s fault. ……I don’t

want to see you anymore.”

As she continued to talk, the maid bowed deeply.

“I’ll send her out right away, your Majesty.”

The maids surrounded Rosemary, who was mortified. She wanted to plead
to Medea again, but the maids’ eyes were sharp. If she made any more of
a fuss, the maids, not the Empress, were going to get angry.

Medea turned around, not watching Rosemary follow the maid. She
pretended to be calm, but she was in turmoil inside.

‘Why? Why has Rosemary appeared? Didn’t the conspiracy begin because
Medea was dead?’

***

Lyle was frowning, deeply irritated.

He didn’t want to admit it, but the previous Medea was a pretty good buffer
for Lyle.

That was the case, when people tried to stuff women next to him.

If someone wanted to introduce a woman to him, the old Medea wouldn’t

stay still. Whether openly or secretly, she had always retaliated and
harmed them.

People gossiped about the Empress’s surly fury so his Majesty couldn’t
even chase women. It was a welcome rumor for Lyle, who disliked women.
He didn’t want Medea to pester him, but she was good excuse to dodge
women thrown at him.

But….

“Your Majesty, how do you feel?”

Lyle looked at Duke Lance, who poured alcohol and hinted at him, with a
smooth face.

He knew what the current rumors were about. The Emperor finally put a
leash on the fierce Empress. It was rumored that the Emperor conquered
the Empress in the bedroom so the now tamed gentle-as-a-lamb Empress
followed the Emperor’s words.

Well, yes, it is true that I embrace Medea a little too much, but…….

‘Gentle lamb?’

Recently, the rumor caught on widely because Medea did not attend any
ball for fear of revealing her memory loss. The number of balls hosted at
the Imperial Palace was reduced to less than half, and Lyle only briefly
made appearances.

‘Even if that’s the case, you dare to do this trick…….’

Lyle clenched his teeth as he watched the dancer dancing gracefully in the
middle of the banquet hall.

Medea’s vigilance had become lax, so this was a masterful attempt to try
and capture his heart. Whether it’s a concubine or a mistress, they wanted
to win his favor.

Their designs were obvious, but this time the strategy was too outrageous.

The dancer had an uncanny resemblance to the person Lyle misses most.

She looked like Empress Grace, his mother. The unfortunate Empress who
lost her life while being imprisoned in the tower.
The dancer resembling Lyle’s mother, raised the excitement and
anticipation in the banquet hall.

‘Did you think I wouldn’t reject a woman that looked like my mother?’

It is true that he grieved and missed his mother his whole life. However, he
didn’t want her memory to be ridiculed in this way.

He has a wife named Medea, and he also has a child with her.

My mother suffered because of the plentiful woman in the former Emperor’s

harem all her life. Do you think I’ll take that woman in and make Medea
suffer just because her appearance resembles her? Why—do you think it’s
hard to do it all the time because she’s with child?

“Are you enjoying the dance?”

The Duke asked with a subtle smile. He was so confident that Lyle had
taken a liking to her and that she was to his taste. He was infuriated by
that.

Slam!

When the glass of wine loudly banged against the table, the hall became
silent. The musicians stopped playing and the dancer Camilla also ceased
dancing and looked up at the Emperor and Duke Lance.

“Vulgar.”

“What?”

“How dare you use a woman who looks like my mother as a laughingstock
for a drinking party…. Are you trying to insult me?”

At the Emperor’s cold words, Duke Lance panicked. The Duke knew that
Lyle hung a portrait of Empress Grace in the hallway leading to his
bedroom and occasionally stared at it—he didn’t know his gesture would be
interpreted like this.

“No, it’s not! That’s… I just thought your Majesty would like Camilla’s
dance.….”
The Duke of Lance’s head remembered Marquess Bermon advice: His
Majesty has a noble taste, so it would be better to introduce a woman as a
supporter than to introduce him to a dancer at a banquet.

However, Duke Lance, who knew that the nobles who were introduced as a
supporter in similar ways were rejected one after another, and could not
consider that tactic.

Rumors were circulating that the ascetic Emperor had recently discovered
the joy of a married couple with the Empress. The Empress’s giggles and
moans were so loud that it crossed and echoed in the hallways of the
palace.

That’s why he had ignored Marquess Bermon’s insistence and invited the
Emperor to the banquet.

Chapter 97

“What is it other than insulting me to have a woman who resembles my

Empress Mother dance in front of men naked?”

The crime of being in contempt of the imperial family was a felony that
could easily earn a beheading on the spot. The duke was blue in the face
and knelt in front of Emperor on the spot. Slamming his head to the ground,
he implored Lyle.

“I could never do that……. How could I commit such a duplicity to your

Majesty?”

“Even if you claim you didn’t do this, don’t your actions say otherwise?”

Duke Lance trembled, dripping sweat. He thought he would fall in love with
Camilla because he missed his mother, and didn’t expect he would get so
angry.
Camilla was also tactful, so she was kneeling on the floor of the banquet
hall quickly putting on her gown again according to the gestures of a
servant, which she had taken off before.

“…… Because that woman is only guilty of resembling my mother, so I

can’t punish her. But she won’t be able to sell her smile in front of men
again*.” [t1v: *she can’t do sex work]

Camilla, who had studied Lyle’s preferences and dislikes from both the
Duke of Lance and the Marquis of Vermon, wondered what was going on.

“Give that woman an appropriate amount of money and send her out of the
country. It will be at the Duke’s own expense. In addition, the repair project
of Graxon Castle, which you had mentioned before, will be funded entirely
with the Duke’s treasury.”

Duke Lance’s eyes almost popped out when his brain calculated the
amount but when his eyes met Lyle’s gaze he put his head back down.

“If I ever hear a report that she danced in front of the men again or that the
repair job was done poorly…….”

Lyle smiled coldly and glared at the duke.

“You should be prepared then. Do you understand me, Duke Lance?”

“Of course, your Majesty.”

The Duke of Lance, who barely raised his head, answered with a shiver.
Lyle stared at him with a look that showed he was still dissatisfied and got
up from his seat.

“I will be watching you.”

When he stepped up and left the banquet hall, his escort knights and
attendants quietly followed him. Even after the Emperor left, Duke Lance
couldn’t readily raise his head and was still perspiring. He only raised his
head when the door closed as the last servant exited.

“Ha…”
Quick-witted Camilla quickly left the banquet hall before the Duke’s anger
engulfed her.

‘Did he even notice?’

The former emperor indulged in lust but Lyle, the current emperor, was too
competent. He was about to put a woman who resembled his mother in his
eye, getting him addicted to drugs, and stimulating him from behind…….

‘I haven’t run out of luck yet…….’

The Duke of Lance withered without being able to reveal his feelings
because he was afraid of the eyes of other nobles gathered at the banquet
hall. The servants approached and quickly raised him, but the duke angrily
shook off their hands and woke up on his own.

‘I… Are you going to leave like this?’

He ordered Camilla to be sent out of the country, but he did not tell him to
send her out immediately. So just because it was delayed for a few days,
punishment wouldn’t fall.

‘I’ve planned this for several years…….’

Duke Lance forcibly smiled, while casting off the words of other high-
ranking aristocrats who comforted him in one ear and out the other.

***

‘What the hell is going on?’

The incident was taking place as if the original novel had already begun.
Although it has not yet revealed its specific form, Rosemary’s appearance
seemed to be one of the signs.

‘Though Seira saves Princess Emilia’s life…… But there’s no Seira next to
me right now!’
The knight’s examinations were held only in spring. At the moment, there is
no justification to assign Seira to her side as a knighted guard. Even more
so….

‘Seira wasn’t even Emilia’s guard. She had accidentally heard a scream
and saved Emilia.’

Whatever the reason, it was clear that Seira was key in blocking the
incident, so Medea wanted her by her side. Her life was important, but she
was also anxious about the life in her womb.

‘I can’t even discuss it with Lyle.….’

Until now, she had been ignorantly blissful like a child. She had been
relieved that she had only a little morning sickness and her lower stomach
didn’t hurt at all as she had heard that it hurt a lot as the uterus stretches to
make room for the baby.

‘And to think I was rejoicing in the perks of being in a romance novel!’

Medea wanted to cry because she couldn’t confide the truth and her
worries to anyone. She was even more scared because she had a baby in
her stomach.

‘I don’t know anything else, but I know my child has to be safe.’

Without knowing that she was feeling jittery* after being pregnant, [t1v:
*Studies show pregnancy changes people’s brains and makes them more
paranoid and hypervigilant] Medea sat on the sofa in a depressed mood.
The maids attempted to lighten the Empress’ mood.

“His Majesty is here, Your Majesty.”

“Your Majesty?”

Often, Lyle would stop by as soon as he had time. After Medea became
pregnant, he came by even more frequently.

“Millie.”
The door opened and Lyle entered. She burst into tears. Feeling like his
heart was collapsing, he rushed towards Medea.

“Your Majesty!”

Embracing Medea in his arms, Lyle’s puzzled gaze was directed at the
maids, asking what happened. Noticing his question, the maids explained:

“Earlier today… Lady Laurent came saying she was the new maid-in-
waiting.”

“How dare that little girl disturb the Empress’s mood?”

At the voice of an angry Lyle, Medea raised her head and grabbed onto the
hem of his clothes. Listening to his voice, he seemed ready to cut off
Rosemary’s head just because she made Medea cry.

“No, just seeing your Majesty…… makes me relieved. I feel safe now.”

“Millie.”

Lyle answered in a soft tone and gave the maids a hint. The maids bowed
their heads silently and escaped.