Chapter 102

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 102

Chapter Title: A Duchess's Violet Dream

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The Duchess of Muzeon was visibly startled.

"Ah! I misspoke! What I meant was that Your Highness's eyes are so beautiful, I was staring at them as if entranced!"

Ah.

Right. The duchess's love for purple was legendary.

And my eyes were purple too. I'd nearly caused a dangerous misunderstanding.

I let out a sigh of relief and smiled.

"But your eyes are lovely too, Duchess."

The duchess's hair was purple as well... Oh, right. She'd said it was dyed.

At that, the duchess sighed as if she'd been waiting for the chance.

"Blue isn't bad, but it can't compare to purple."

She gazed at her son's eyes with overflowing regret.

"Truth be told, when I had children, I hoped they'd inherit their father's eyes. He has such beautiful violet ones."

No way she chose her husband based on his eye color, right?

The duchess spoke with a wistful look in her eyes.

I remembered that expression.

'Before my regression, she'd always given me that strange look despite us not being close... Was this why?'

Back then, I'd thought she just took a dislike to me.

"So I hope my daughter-in-law or granddaughter will have purple eyes."

"Mother!"

Aaron flushed at his mother's blatant favoritism for a certain color.

'Hmm, looks like her gushing embarrasses him a bit.'

He was called the continent's greatest knight, a sword master, but he was still just eighteen.

Right on the cusp between boy and man.

It made him seem awfully cute.

I smiled warmly at the mother and son bickering affectionately.

"You two get along so well. It's heartwarming."

Aaron's face turned so red it nearly matched his hair color, as if he'd grown even more embarrassed.

In any case, the duchess was still gazing at me—or rather, my eyes—with a dreamy look.

"Such a beautiful eye color. I'm so envious. Back in my youth, I even looked into spells or procedures to change my own."

"......"

Hmm. The duchess seemed like a far more extreme purple enthusiast than I'd realized.

Still, on top of saving her life, this gave her one more reason to like me. Not bad at all.

But what I wanted went beyond that.

I got to the point.

"Though I've asked Grand Duchess Kielern to serve as my head maid since the Crown Prince Palace isn't fully sorted yet, I'm worried it might be too heavy a burden for someone of her age."

The Grand Duchess, who had been standing by my side as head maid, didn't seem surprised.

We'd already discussed it beforehand.

Her status was too high for the role to begin with, and she was older too.

'That's why I specified it as temporary.'

In fact, when I'd said I was putting Grand Duchess Axion in the head maid position, Arpad had been a little concerned.

Not out of worry that his elderly grandmother-in-law would be overworked.

"Isn't that leaning too much toward the west?"

The west played a big role in establishing my authority and power. But that meant I owed them just as much.

Overdo it, and the west's influence could end up outweighing my own—a backlash effect.

That was what Arpad worried about.

I'd anticipated it.

"That's why it's temporary."

"So you have a real candidate in mind separately?"

"Want to guess?"

"...To avoid leaning too far one way, it'd have to be the north or south. The north's too insular, and House Teslan lacks a suitable lady of the house right now, so the south."

"Correct."

Arpad looked at me with a smile full of curiosity.

"I'm curious what magic you'll use this time to win someone over."

"I'm not a magician."

"Anyway, I'll enjoy watching your skills again."

"Look forward to it."

But Arpad wasn't here right now.

For some reason, a surge of grievance and disappointment welled up.

'He said he'd watch from the side, then where'd he go?'

This wasn't the time to dwell on that.

The duchess immediately grasped what I was getting at and asked,

"Are you proposing the head maid position to me?"

I nodded.

"Yes. I'd like you by my side, guiding and teaching me."

"It's a great honor, but this is so sudden..."

The duchess, who had been staring at my purple eyes like a schoolgirl, hardened her expression.

Now she was the lady of a great southern house.

Becoming my head maid meant House Muzeon as a whole would clash with the empress's faction.

From her perspective, with the situation still unclear, she had no reason to side with me yet.

'Of course, I did save her life, but that's probably not enough.'

But I already had the clincher.

"You heard that Ruth's daughter was there when you collapsed last time, right?"

"Yes, my son told me. Apparently she had an antidote, though I don't know if it worked."

I smiled gently and asked,

"Was her being there with the antidote really just coincidence?"

"...!"

The duchess and Aaron's faces turned to stone.

I smiled radiantly.

Victory was already sealed.

Just a week after sending word to Yulken, Arpad returned to the Crown Prince Palace.

"Your Highness! You're back!"

"Finally!"

"We were prepared."

Normally, the crown prince's absence would cause an uproar, but Arpad often stepped away citing his mania, so the palace staff were used to managing without him.

But even that had its limits.

No matter how capable the aides and retainers, the lack of final authority was always a pressure.

Yet the Crown Prince Palace he returned to after a week was remarkably peaceful.

The staff's faces brimmed with calm assurance.

What was the difference before and now?

Arpad realized it quickly.

'Hilia.'

Her presence alone had held the palace steady in his absence.

A reliable mistress of the house.

Arpad felt impatience rising to the back of his throat.

It was like hunger or thirst, but several times more intense.

Something gnawing at his gut, his very soul—a craving for her.

He wanted to rush to the Ivory Bedroom right now.

It was night. She'd be there.

But Arpad couldn't go like this.

'Not in this state...'

He'd just wrapped up an adventure worthy of a novel.

Covered in dust and monster fluids.

He needed a bath first, then proper attire.

Arpad patted the item in his pocket and smiled in satisfaction.

Couldn't hand over something this important looking like a dust heap.

Yulken, on duty, came running at the news.

"You're too late! Did you go slay a dragon or something?!"

Arpad grinned confidently at Yulken's aggrieved tone.

"Later. Tomorrow. Busy."

He tossed his dusty cloak at Yulken to shut him up.

"What the—! Ack! D-Dust...!"

Leaving Yulken coughing, Arpad bolted to the bath.

An hour later.

Yulken witnessed Arpad emerging fresh and clean, hair neatly combed up, dressed in his most extravagant finery.

"That color doesn't suit you. Where are the jewels? And the new doeskin boots from the other day?"

It was an unprecedentedly meticulous dressing session.

More elaborate and fussy than before the Artanus Hall banquet.

Thus attired, Arpad headed to the Ivory Bedroom.

Yulken glanced out the window.

Dark. Definitely night.

'The moon's out, not the sun?'

He understood soon enough.

Love was magic that raised the moon at noon and summoned the sun at midnight, after all.

Feeling an unfamiliar thrill, Arpad opened the door to the Ivory Bedroom.

"Hilia!"

There sat Hilia, wearing a rather pleased smile.

"Ah, welcome back, Arpad."

Surprisingly, her greeting sounded sweeter than honey in his ears.

But the moment he saw what she held, Arpad's expression froze.

He knew exactly what it was.

The ring the emperor had given Ludwig as a wedding gift.

In other words, Hilia and Ludwig's wedding ring.