Chapter 86
Aria could easily read the Emperor’s expression.
At the same time she felt great discomfort. It meant that in her previous life he had tamed Aria to her liking.
‘I had to match the mood and comfort of the Emperor one by one.’
Aria’s past life flashed through her mind quickly.
Days filled with pain and misery. It was a memory she would rather have cut out.
“I can understand why Grand Prince Valentine looks unfamiliar after not showing his face for a long time, but everyone, please welcome him.”
It was about the time she was getting fed up with the ignorant gaze as he scanned them up and down.
The Emperor smiled kindly. And he looked at Aria and Lloyd and told the avoiding nobles, as if it was too much.
“Isn’t he our hero who silently defends the empire in the dark?”
A hero who defends the empire.
The nobles, who had no idea what was going on with Valentine, put on an expression saying, ‘What kind of nonsense is that?
As if there was any reason to call the devil a hero.
As if they had heard a funny and horrendous joke.
They will never know.
They will not even try to know.
‘Pretending to praise, but saying that you’ll be eaten by darkness for the rest of your life and you won’t be able to become a hero.’
Lloyd seemed to read the inside too, but he only raised his eyebrows for a moment, and showed little reaction. Because he didn’t feel anything.
Rather, it was Aria who was angry.
‘How dare you say such a thing.’
Aria flapped her lips.
The only thing that allowed him to safely ascend to the throne. It was because of the sacrifices of each individual Valentine who gave up on love, happiness, and the future.
She wanted to shoot back like that. But then she bit her lip.
‘You can’t mess everything up with one impulsive mistake.’
Instead, she smiled mischievously.
– Greetings, Emperor, the sun of all nations and the bright light.
Aria gently curtsied by grabbing the hem of her dress, which Marronnier painstakingly picked, and then releasing it.
It was a message using the mana stone.
Her cheerful voice echoed through the heads of the nobles in the venue. That voice had the power to make people stop all thoughts and listen to her words.
“Oh, you are the rumored Grand Princess.”
The Emperor looked startled at her voice for a moment.
It was pure. The sound of clear and transparent water drops falling on the lake reflecting the clear blue sky.
And the Emperor showed a hint of disappointment on his face.
‘It’s a pity she can’t speak.’
He seemed to think so.
Aria had to do her best to gather the expression on her face, which was about to become hideous for a moment.
“I’ve heard rumors that Grand Prince Valentine fell in love at first sight and gave you a keepsake generously…”
I don’t think it’s a false rumor.
The Emperor’s gaze, which added so, reached Aria’s earring. Exactly the crystal on her earrings.
‘Field Steel.’
At first glance, it seemed worthless as if it was just crafted from a piece of iron.
But in fact, it was difficult to obtain even with money, and it was a gem with a value that could never be bought no matter how much you paid. It was because a lot of wizards had to stick together in order to craft that jewel.
– Oh, you recognized it.
“I also have a knack for jewelry.”
The Emperor replied playfully.
Aria knew it too. Even when the treasury ran out when he went completely crazy, he didn’t spare money on buying jewelry and luxuries.
‘Valentine’s wealth, are you jealous?’
It was already predicted long ago that Valentine’s wealth would be something that even the Emperor would envy.
So, she smiled innocently and said,
– Your Majesty’s eyes are as good as I have heard.
“Hmm, was it rumored like that?”
Aria spoke to him, who she seemed to be in a good mood, in an elegant tone that showed no sign of malice.
– To a pig’s eyes, a pearl necklace would just look like a worthless stone.
A clever twist on the proverb of a pearl necklace around a pig’s neck.
At first glance, it sounded like a compliment to the Emperor who recognized the value of the earrings. But the smile slowly disappeared from the Emperor’s face when he heard those words.
‘I’m glad. He got it.’
She was worried, but he seemed to understand what Aria really wanted to say.
Because it meant that the Emperor and all nobles who ridiculed Valentine’s value without recognizing it were nothing but pigs.
“Pig. Sure, that’s right.”
Lloyd muttered next to her. Like talking to himself. His eyes were scanning the Emperor up and down.
It was an unexpected reaction.
‘You can’t say that here?’
Aria forgot to be polite and almost burst out laughing while holding her stomach. But she desperately endured it.
It was because she was here right now, and if she laughed, the acting would end without a gain.
The Emperor struggled to hide his trembling lips.
“…you say impressive things.”
Hmm?
‘It’s strange. At this point, he would throw everything aside and run wild.’
Aria swallowed a puzzlement and looked up at him.
Hiding his anger in an instant, the Emperor said with a polite ‘face that seems to have a plan’.
“My heart is heavy because of the manamont incident that made me doubt you who are loyal to me.”
She doesn’t know if it was because it was before he went crazy. He maintained his composure, even while covering the crazy couple, who turned the Emperor into a pig, with loyalty.
Aria was deeply impressed.
“After today’s banquet is over, I have prepared a separate dining table for you, so I hope you will come.”
Then that’s right.
Judging from the fact that they were summoned separately, it looks like the Emperor was really planning something.
‘It should rather be good.’
Just try to play tricks on Lloyd.
Aria thought she would put him to sleep with a song and just get away from the place.
***
She got a contact from Vincent.
Aria, taking a brief break in the break room, accepted without hesitation.
– Sir Cloud, don’t move it like that! Treat it as delicately as if you were holding a newborn baby!
– I don’t remember holding a newborn baby.
– Have you ever seen a person holding one?
– Yes.
– Ah, don’t you know a metaphor? Metaphor!
As soon as she received it, she could hear Vincent and Cloud fighting again.
For some reason, the pattern of conversation between these two people remained the same even after several years.
– Sister-in-law!
At that time, Vincent from the communication greeted her with a bright face.
After having a meaningless argument with Cloud, he belatedly realized that Aria answered the contact.
– I have some very good news.
Aria rummaged through her bag in anticipation.
She couldn’t use even the best mana stones as stacks, so she had to communicate with cards again when using the communication sphere.
[Did you crack the password?]
– Not yet, but it’s almost done. Hopefully, I will be able to solve it all within this month.
Then why did he call her?
– You just thought, what am I calling you for then?
[I didn’t say anything.]
– I can read all your facial expressions!
Ummm, was she too obviously disappointed?
Aria patted her own face with her hand, gently avoiding his gaze.
– Don’t rush me too much. No matter how much data I have and I am a genius, do you think it’s easy to learn a new language?
Vincent started making lengthy excuses from time to time.
– Besides, this Atlantean language is so different from the official language of the Empire in its structure…….
In any case, the fact that the progress is slower than planned is absolutely not due to his lack.
It was a lengthy explanation.
– Anyway, I’ll let you know as soon as it’s finished. This is not something that takes long…….
Aria picked up the card as she cut his endless excuses halfway through.
[I know. Where in the world is there a talented person like you?]
Maybe it’s because he’s always scolded, but at an unexpected moment, he was given praise.
Vincent didn’t respond right away.
It wasn’t an empty word to make him work hard. Her expression was telling him that these words came from the heart.
Vincent hesitated for a moment, unlike him, and then asked with hesitation.
– Did I become Sister-in-law’s person?
‘Well? Maybe this is what I said about the 0.1% chance?’
Aria was speechless.
She really didn’t know that Vincent would still care about it four years later.
[It has been like that since a long time ago. Idiot.]
She showed the card as if to tell him why he was asking something like that.
Then Vincent, who had been staring blankly, answered with a bright smile like the sun.
***
“You’re here.”
The dinner the Emperor invited was overly extravagant than expected.
And the place was too wide. It was just that there were no people, but with a little exaggeration, it looked nothing like the banquet hall they had been in a while ago.
‘Ah, I guess…….’
Aria knew this place well. She would know better than anyone.
There was not a trace of it now. But right in the middle of this wide hall, there was going to be a huge cage that could fit a person.
Aria was locked in that cage, and for about two years she sang for the Emperor.
‘The nursery.’
The Emperor called the cage that way.
