MTLNOVEL Chapter 47
“Huh, huh?”
Did he just throw that out of nowhere?
I was caught off guard by the sudden call from the crown prince, and I hesitated before quickly signaling the duke beside me.
This was what I called the swan tactic below the surface.
“Ahaha…”
First, I drew attention with a laugh, then, under the table, I started slapping the duke’s thigh with my palm.
Please…! Help! Help!
I desperately rubbed my palm against his leg, enough to set it on fire, hoping he’d catch on!
I even started increasing the intensity, changing up the rhythm, doing everything I could to grab his attention!
Yet the duke didn’t even flinch, let alone glance in my direction.
At this point, I switched from my palm to my fist, thumping his thigh hard. When that wasn’t enough, I even resorted to pinching him out of sheer desperation.
But the duke remained steadfast in his determination to ignore me.
Was he really leaving me to deal with this alone?
“I…”
Just as I was about to begrudgingly open my mouth, drowning in betrayal—
“April Pepper. A distant collateral relative of the Blaire Ducal House.”
Huh?
Before I could even say anything, the duke had spoken first.
He had ignored my desperate attempts for help, yet now he was stepping in on his own?
As I stared at him in confusion, I felt a gaze from somewhere else.
More precisely… from the crown prince.
“Hmm, I see. From what I’ve heard, you’re the one responsible for the overall flow of the comic book? What was it… a messenger? You listen to the characters’ stories directly?”
Oh, crap.
So, the rumors had already spread.
I cast a resentful glance in the direction where the empress was likely seated before quickly preparing an appropriate response.
But once again, someone else beat me to it.
“She has a rather strong sense of her own world, so she holds philosophies that are difficult for the average person to understand.”
It was the duke again.
To an outsider, it might sound like I was completely out of my mind, but at least it was some kind of help.
Taking that as a signal to play along, I tapped his thigh lightly this time.
‘Keep going! Keep going!’
…Did his body just flinch a little? Was I imagining things?
Meanwhile, another exchange between the duke and the crown prince was unfolding.
“I’d like to hear the young lady’s story directly.”
“She has yet to make her social debut and has been in seclusion, so she is quite ignorant of etiquette. To prevent any possible offense to Your Highness, I will speak on her behalf, and I ask for your generous understanding.”
“Ah.”
At this point, the duke was practically dragging my reputation through the mud, but I simply nodded absentmindedly.
Yeah, maybe playing this kind of role would actually make things easier for me down the line.
As I barely managed to endure the situation with sheer mental gymnastics, I made sure to avoid eye contact with the crown prince whenever our gazes accidentally met, pretending I knew nothing.
Actually, saying I’m clueless about etiquette isn’t entirely wrong…
Recalling how casually I had acted around the crown prince yesterday, I was hit with the sudden urge to bury myself under a blanket in embarrassment.
And then.
“I appreciate the duke’s concern for me, but do I seem like the kind of person who would treat a talented individual carelessly?”
T-Talented individual? That sounded ominous.
Looking at how he maneuvered the conversation, the crown prince was definitely no pushover.
He smoothly dismissed the duke’s words and turned to the others, seeking their agreement with the ease of someone who had done this sort of thing countless times before.
“Y-You are absolutely right, Your Highness.”
“It’s well known across the continent that His Highness does not discriminate when recruiting talent.”
Compliments poured in from all directions.
Yet, even in this uncomfortable situation, the duke did not speak again.
“How dull.”
In the end, it was the crown prince who lost interest first.
Switching his gaze between the duke and me with an unreadable expression, he muttered in a bored tone and gestured.
“…Oh dear, the tea has gone cold.”
At his words, a waiting maid swiftly stepped forward to serve a fresh cup.
“Oh?”
At the same time, an idea flashed through my mind.
A tumbler… that keeps tea warm?
Wouldn’t it be great to produce tumblers as merchandise for the comic book the empress had requested?
Even considering my long history as a fan, tumblers were one of the safest, most practical goods out there.
And this world doesn’t have tumblers yet!
In this bleak world without even a proper boiler, having one ready before the dry and cold winter arrived would be a huge help to me, too!
But I was so lost in my own thoughts that I failed to notice something.
The crown prince had been staring at me intently for quite some time.
* * *
Ever since entering the imperial capital, Kayan Blaire had been in a terrible mood.
More precisely, it started when he met the empress and was discreetly summoned by Raiden Kletan.
“It’s been a while. You look well. You should come by more often. After all, this is your home too.”
“I will take those words as mere courtesy, Your Highness.”
Every word dripped with insincerity.
It disgusted him how Raiden only called him in like a dog when he needed something.
That was why he had left the palace in the first place—but even after all these years, that sickening feeling hadn’t faded.
“Oh, by the way, about the woman you brought with you. The empress seems to have taken a liking to her.”
“…….”
“Shall we make a deal? Hand her over, and I’ll return the remains of your late consort. What do you say?”
Just hearing it felt like defiling his ears with filth. No matter how much he washed, the disgust wouldn’t go away.
“Kayan, the fact that you’re so protective of her only makes me more curious.”
Maybe that’s why… he couldn’t ignore it.
Why Raiden suddenly suggested a tea party with painters, despite having no prior interest in art.
Why he specifically insisted that April be present.
“Greetings to His Highness, the Crown Prince.”
His foul mood lifted slightly thanks to April, who didn’t even bother to hide her distaste.
But the moment he saw the crown prince’s face, Kayan felt an odd sense of unease crawl over him.
That gaze… The way Raiden looked at April was different from how he looked at any ordinary talented individual.
Yet, Kayan couldn’t quite put his finger on the exact reason why.
“Ah, we recently imported a new type of tea from beyond the continent. It has a delightful taste.”
After the usual small talk, the real tea party began.
And the first to speak was the crown prince.
“Young lady, what is your name?”
Why did it feel so unsettling?
Kayan found the seemingly ordinary question oddly irritating.
If he stepped in first, Raiden’s curiosity about April would only deepen.
Just as he decided to remain silent instead of responding, something unexpected happened.
‘Huh?’
A hesitant touch.
A peculiar sensation brushed against his thigh.
Both of his hands were resting on the table, and the only person sitting beside him was April.
Which meant—April was fumbling with his thigh.
‘What… is she doing?’
For the first time, even he couldn’t suppress his bewilderment.
Kayan instinctively began to turn his head toward April but quickly stopped himself.
Meanwhile, the touch on his thigh grew more blatant—more aggressive.
‘Is she… harassing me? Out of nowhere?’
“I lost my senses for a moment because you’re so handsome….”
“What?”
“I haven’t seen many people this good-looking. I think… you might be my type.”
Suddenly, April’s past remark flashed through his mind.
Back then, the gas she had inhaled had caused mild delirium, but not to the extent of making things up.
Which naturally led him to assume that everything she had said at the time was true.
‘But why now, of all times?’
Just as his body was about to react involuntarily to the intensifying touch,
April took it a step further—pinching him, as if demanding some sort of response.
‘She’s always been unpredictable, but this is a whole new level.’
Then, a far more serious thought crossed his mind.
‘Could she have taken the wrong medicine?’
On the surface, the Kletan Imperial Palace appeared peaceful.
Yet, despite the Duke having relinquished his claim to the throne and retreating to the North, the Crown Prince still kept him in check.
As for the Empress—though she remained quiet for now, she was once a ruthless woman who had done far worse.
If the mother and son had conspired together, they might have decided to use this situation to eliminate him, a lingering thorn in their side.
Unlike himself, who was obsessively cautious, approaching someone close to him would have been far easier.
Someone like April, for instance…