The Emperor's face was filled with embarrassment at my unexpected words. I answered him coldly, without a doubt.
"I want to leave the Duke of Babyloa's family."
The Emperor, whose expression quickly sharpened, quietly opened his mouth and asked, "If you leave Babyloa, you will lose a lot." The Emperor also had a good grasp of the situation. He was asking me if I could truly survive outside the protection of the Babyloa family. If I couldn't manage alone, I might die.
"Of course, I am not simply asking for excommunication." He raised the tip of his eyebrow. I continued without hesitation. "Instead, I would like to inherit the title of Marquis of Kinnoa."
Surprise began to spread across his face. "You wish to inherit the title of Marquis of Kinnoa…?"
"Yes. My mother was the last remaining direct blood relative of Kinnoa, the Marquis." It was as if he was treating someone he was seeing for the first time. The wizarding family, which was said to have been cursed by dragons, was Meldenik's maternal family. Of course, it was only now that I could hear the talk of being cursed as a lie, but most of my immediate blood relatives were dead, and my collateral family had hidden somewhere and fled. Most of the family's property and estate had belonged to Babyloa upon the death of Meldenik's mother, the last Marquis of Kinnoa, and now only the name remained. The family's descendants had also died or scattered, and the only remaining property was a shell temporarily belonging to the Imperial Family. And there was only one mountain of stones that remained and was managed.
However, I was willing to give up the glorious name of Babyloa and inherit the name of my maternal grandfather, Kinnoa. From his point of view, it would be surprising.
"Meldenik, are you going to establish your own family?"
I shrugged my shoulders without answering, but it seemed that was the answer to the Emperor. He muttered with a small admiration, "There's a strong will."
The Emperor immediately glanced down. The sand in the hourglass was almost completely fallen. The Emperor boldly turned the hourglass over.
"I want to talk to you more."
A private conversation with the Emperor was beneficial. I smiled contentedly as I held the 'something' that the Emperor had given me in my arms.
This is perfect.
The Duchess of Babyloa never thought for a moment that she would get an uppercut from me, did she?
Pleasantly contemplating the ferocious reaction of the future Hildegard, I tried to find Dominic who would be bored outside the garden.
"Mel!"
However, about ten steps away from the closed room, Axion stood like a sentry. The boy, who had swept his hair up in a pomade, saw me and screamed out of nowhere.
"I have something to say!"
I looked around. Seeing that there was no one else around, the Emperor must have escaped from the closed room through a different route, and since there was no one here, it was only natural for him to call me by my nickname.
"Axion?"
"Did Your Majesty allow it?"
"What permission?" A strange passion was spreading in Axion's eyes.
The boy said carefully, twisting his body, "…Love?"
I shook my head seriously. I think you're thinking in a strange way right now, you little guy.
"I told you something else."
"It's okay! Do everything you want to do!"
"Well, I'll do it all." I looked at the boy who was exaggerated and cut in half (meaning, overly enthusiastic and perhaps a bit silly), and shook my head seriously. The boy who wished for my happiness clenched his fists and shook them, full of fighting spirit.
"Yes, there's a lake in the garden, and the lakeside is beautiful."
"…Huh?" Axion's words hinted at a suspicious scheme.
"Wait a minute, take a walk with my brother!" I asked, glancing at Cassian, who was enjoying a quiet tea time under the shade of a tree. "Do you really need to take a walk with His Highness Prince Cassian?" No matter how you thought about it, it seemed very awkward…
"Yes, I have prepared a wonderful event. It's an event that the two of you must see together!" Axion clenched his fists and added, "If you don't like it, you can't do it. I never force it! I don't force a good article!"
When I heard Axion's words, I was so happy that I burst into laughter. Although my inner thoughts were as transparent as a mirror… How could I refuse a lovely little prince who would give me a wonderful event?
"I'm looking forward to the event. However, should His Highness Prince Cassian allow it?" But I didn't want to be awkward. I decided to use the so-called "floating strategy" (meaning, deflecting responsibility). I shifted all responsibility to Prince Cassian.
"Cassian will also be awkward and troubled by me, so I'll refuse." I smiled triumphantly and nodded.
"Yes, I understand!" Despite my vague answer, Axion jumped with joy and rushed towards my brother, who was sitting under the shade of the tree.
Unfortunately for Meldenik, Cassian did not refuse his brother's request. As a result, they were now standing side by side in front of Lake Aria. Cassian stood beside me, his mouth slightly open, and he stared at Meldenik as she looked around.
Why am I here?
"I didn't expect there to be a lake like this in the Imperial Palace!" She opened the conversation first.
"Everyone is surprised. It's quiet and cozy." At Cassian's words, Meldenik exclaimed and walked around the lake. He was a person whose everything was smeared on his face (meaning, his emotions were easily readable). He was comfortable with Meldenik, who didn't have to guess his intentions.
Following her steps without conversation, Cassian remembered a letter his brother had sent him earlier.
Brother, please come to my palace as soon as possible, I miss you!-Axion
He was kind, but there was an invisible line. I was going to lightly dismiss the letter from my younger brother and then write, 'Let's meet next time.' Cassian was busy. Every minute and every second of the prince, who would become the next Emperor, was well planned. However, Axion casually said, "Meldenik is coming!" That's why I came here.
Even if I had brought out the chan (a reference to something else, perhaps a specific magical item or a plan), I should have gone back.
Instead of playing Axion's favorite gacha game, he had a lot of chores to deal with instead of walking around the lake with Meldenik. However, he left all those options behind and chose to walk along the lake with Meldenik.
Why… I'll stay here.
He looked down at the woman who was a foot and a half smaller than him and thought solemnly.
Because he was the only one who reached out to my nightmare?
The dreamcatcher that Meldenik gave him as a gift was still hanging in his bedroom. It wasn't just a dream catcher. As soon as he realized that he didn't have to endure bad dreams, his nightmares were reduced by half.
But let's be sure. In fact, he didn't believe much in salvation. He wasn't that soft-hearted. But it was true that her unintentional hand saved his dream.
…It's complicated.
Anyway, for this moment, he wanted to continue to observe her lively expression. Cassian followed the back of Meldenik, who had already run far ahead of him.
Meldenik turned his head and smiled brightly at him. His smiling face was witty and humorous, so he also raised the corners of his mouth.
"There are lakes like this. After all, the Imperial Palace is amazing, isn't it?"
It was definitely fun to be with her. Next to Meldenik, who was walking excitedly, he followed her with a straight and neat stride. He had never walked fast or slow. He always walked at the same tempo. His behavior was the same. The pitch of his voice asking the question was always constant.
Even now, he asked her with moderately composed manners. Half affectionate, half cold, just like you would do to others.
"Is this your first time coming to the lake?"
"Yes!"
After giving a short answer, Meldenik walked vigorously without stopping. Sometimes she walked slowly, and other times she suddenly walked too fast. Now it was the former.
"Earlier, Axion said that if you walk on this lake together, you will become lovers?"
"Oh… There was such a legend." He rubbed his earlobe. It was because he felt like he was getting hot.
"Then we're the first to be lovers!"
"Yes, that's right." Cassian, who was moderately affirmative, immediately looked at Meldenik.
"You can be friends! Wow, butterflies are flying around here!" In the meantime, Meldenik moved her body endlessly. She didn't mind that the hem of her dress was rubbing against the dirt and kept looking around. She admired her face by the lake, and she stopped at the place where the flowers were, smelled the scent, and smiled warmly.
She did so much in less than five minutes.
"I'm sure I've never seen someone like that before."
Seeing the woman walking by his side on the lake and admiring it made him feel strange again. Is it correct to say that it becomes strange? Can he describe this feeling as if one side of his heart was showing off its presence?
Cassian did everything according to the standard. He had never been wrong. For him, Meldenik was a mysterious being.
If it were me, tomorrow is a trial of excommunication, so can I be happy about trivial things?
Tomorrow was scheduled for the excommunication trial of Meldenik Babyloa. All the nobles who had been bribed by the Babyloa family were pressuring her to be excommunicated. It seemed that there was a dispute on the outside, but on the inside, there was a consensus. At this point, it was obvious that Meldenik would be excommunicated. As a smart person, there was no way he didn't know about such a situation, so why could she smile so happily?
He suddenly became curious. However, he was not the type to blurt out curiosity without being polite. However, when he saw Meldenik's bright smile, his vigilance was strangely relaxed. Unknowingly, the words leaked out of his mouth without calculating.
"Are you happy now?"
Meldenik stopped and naturally asked, "Are you happy?"
"Yes." Cassian, who had been walking steadily, also naturally stopped his body. It was the moment when both of them stopped and looked at each other.
Did Axion's mischievous prank only now activate? Pointed confetti fell from the sky like a drizzle. It was a childish situation where a young child who could go to an academy thought it was an event and planned it.
Meldenik caught the confetti falling from the sky one by one.
"Yes!" She threw the pile of confetti that had fallen on her hand back into the sky, and she shouted cheerfully again, "I'm really happy!"