ALL NOVEL Chapter 52
The peaceful tea time had come to an end, and a tense atmosphere hung between Lars and Acella.
The bodyguards standing near them could feel the heavy silence in the air, so intense it was almost stinging.
‘Here we go again.’
‘The princess is bound to win anyway.’
‘It seems the teacher has something to say this time.’
The bodyguards maintained their serious duty while observing the two.
The Moonlight Palace had felt like a sticky swamp filled with threats while Empress Camilla held real power.
Even at her young age, Acella’s charisma far surpassed Camilla’s.
Now, the Moonlight Palace resembled a sharp ice palace with blades spread all around.
Yet, thanks to Gothberg’s attending physician, interesting events that couldn’t be missed often occurred.
The bodyguards were determined not to miss a moment of the two.
Lars was the first to speak.
“You seem to be misunderstanding something, Your Highness.”
“Oh, are you saying I have no reason to misunderstand?”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
“I heard that Heike proposed the position of betrothed to you.”
“If you isolate that statement, then yes, it’s true.”
“Ha.”
Acella turned her head in disbelief and scoffed.
‘So it was true.’
‘Heike, the First Royal Princess, set her sights on the teacher?’
‘That’s a pretty big deal.’
‘But the age difference… did the First Royal Princess lose her mind?’
‘Hey, the lady is older, so it actually fits.’
‘Do you want to be executed by Lady Acella?’
‘Get a grip. It was a high-level provocation.’
The knights of the Moonlight Palace were more skilled than any other faction in the imperial family.
They could exchange detailed messages just by moving their eyes, a skill honed for surprise attacks on enemies during operations.
Now, they were mindlessly wasting that elite skill by spectating the romance battle between the princess and her betrothed.
“The conversation you think is sociable wasn’t that at all. It was a metaphor that popped up during faction negotiations.”
“What negotiation?”
“A proposal for a temporary alliance.”
“Alliance?”
“Currently, with hostility towards Togin Palace, the Moonlight Palace is underfunded in knightly resources. If we become hostile towards Mokhwi Palace as well, our actions will be heavily restricted.”
‘The teacher may be right. We need allies.’
‘I doubt the teacher initiated anything, right?’
The knights’ pupils darted left and right as they carefully watched the two.
“Do you think I don’t know that? Why is the word ‘betrothed’ coming up concerning your safety?”
“Even Heike referred to it as a joke…”
“What a delightful joke that keeps me in stitches.”
“You’re wearing a serious face.”
“My vision is normal, you know. I clearly saw Heike’s mischievous face.”
Acella’s sharp tone made the teacup on the table tremble and crack.
‘Things just got more serious.’
‘The First Royal Princess poisoned the Moonlight Palace.’
‘Has the princess ever reacted so violently to provocation from another faction?’
‘This is getting uncomfortable. Someone save me.’
Lars let out an inaudible sigh. His patience was wearing thin.
He thought he made the right judgment in this situation and, in fact, he was right.
Why was Acella so upset over that one sentence? A slight headache crept in.
“So how did it feel?”
“It felt like nothing at all. I immediately rejected the First Royal Princess’s proposal.”
“…Really?”
At Lars’ testimony, Acella tilted her head back and slightly leaned away.
“Of course. It was obvious that it was a trap to test my loyalty.”
“Of course. Hmm.”
Acella found herself at a loss for words, absentmindedly biting her lips.
She didn’t want to be looked down upon by Lars.
Yet a squirmy emotion blossomed in her chest, though it didn’t quite overshadow the anger that filled her head.
Determined to find some fault in him, Acella pressed on, though her tone had lost some confidence.
“…If there’s something as important as an alliance, you should report it to me first. How can you just sit here drinking tea?”
“Your Highness.”
A small girl who had been quietly observing from the corner stepped forward.
Neria Gothberg once again made a formal greeting and spoke clearly.
“I am Lady Neria Gothberg of the Gothberg family. If it’s not too much trouble, may I say a word?”
Despite already knowing each other, she lowered herself to show respect to Acella.
No matter what, even Acella wouldn’t lose her temper with a little child.
“I grant you permission.”
“Brother… Gothberg-sensei must have been on his way to report to the princess. Because I showed up without notice, he was delayed in attending to you. This incident is my fault, so please don’t blame my brother too much…”
Neria spoke in her clear tone.
“Lady, what I mean is…”
Acella, ready to respond, suddenly paused unknowingly.
Neria’s innocent eyes seemed about to break into tears at any moment.
Though Acella wouldn’t normally be swayed by such things, Neria’s expression was too powerful.
Somehow, she resembled Max.
‘The princess just missed her chance to be angry!’
‘There’s a time for anger. If it passes, it gets vague.’
The knights eagerly observed the atmosphere between the two.
In scientific terms, Neria could be chosen as a saint.
This confrontation could be seen as a preview between absolute good and absolute evil.
And the outcome of this confrontation was.
“Wahh.”
The small animal-like sound that escaped Neria’s mouth as she could no longer bear the pressure marked the absolute victory of good.
Acella, feeling a sense of vindication from bullying Neria, averted her gaze.
“Alright. I was concerned about the delay in reporting. Now that I understand, I won’t mention this matter again.”
Everyone could see that the core of this gathering was Heike’s proposal of engagement, yet Acella smoothly changed the subject.
‘The princess is… making excuses?’
‘She chose to escape from an inconvenient situation.’
‘Lady Gothberg’s attack power is considerable.’
The knights silently applauded Neria, who had held her own against Acella.
“My apologies, Your Highness. I will ensure that this does not happen again.”
“…Very well.”
Acella awkwardly accepted Lars’ apology.
Her gaze fell on the notebook that was on the table before Lars.
“What is this?”
“Oh, it’s nothing for you to worry about, Your Highness. It’s a matter concerning our family.”
“Then I need to know even more.”
Acella quickly skimmed through the contents about the pharmaceutical factory business.
“Seems like a lot of funding will be needed.”
“Indeed.”
“I’ll invest from the Moonlight Palace.”
“Are you serious?”
Lars’ face brightened at the mention of investment.
Wait a minute, if he keeps asking for shares even after retiring, that could get annoying. He thought a time limit might be necessary.
“Sure. It’s a promising business. If the funding circulates as allies, it will eventually reach the Gothberg Marquisate. Prince, from now on, consult me on such important matters right away.”
“I will keep that in mind. The proposal will be delivered shortly.”
“And be aware.”
“What kind of awareness?”
Acella closed her eyes and frowned.
Why does this man always speak so obliviously when he seems to have made a good point?
Though her insides were bubbling with irritation, she could no longer get angry. The observing knights understood the reason.
‘She has already changed the subject. If she raises her voice again, it will only diminish her dignity.’
‘Truly, the teacher. He must have driven several women mad in the marquis family.’
‘Unless the princess gives a clear command, the teacher won’t lower his head first.’
Who would be the first to bend their pride?
Or would they boldly continue this way?
All eyes were focused on the knights.
Eventually, Acella pointed at Lars and said in a clear voice.
“I mean the awareness that you are betrothed to this lady.”
Upon hearing that, Lars maintained his composure and responded with a bow.
“I will keep that in mind.”
Seeing his response, Acella turned sharply and left the reception area.
Her footsteps were unusually loud.
‘She’s sulking.’
‘She is definitely sulking.’
The bodyguards followed Acella in awe at the unexpected victory of Gothberg.