Chapter 93

Celestine de Oria, with her hood pulled deep over her face, quietly entered the shop.

Her face was completely hidden, so Conrad couldn't see her expression. A nobleman who seemed to be her attendant and another female attendant followed her.

When he saw the female attendant, Conrad almost let out a cry.

It's Celeste.

Her hair was up and she wasn't wearing her glasses, but there was no mistaking it—this was undoubtedly Celeste.

Celeste, too, seemed surprised to see Conrad, pressing her lips together.

“Welcome today. It's a pleasure to meet you. I am...”

The former emperor offered a seat to the princess regent and began to introduce himself.

Although they were from neighboring countries, the princess regent had never met anyone from the imperial family before.

The reason was that the relationship between the two countries had become too strained during the reign of the Hero King, the former king of the Eastern Kingdom.

This was supposed to be a historic meeting, but today's venue was an izakaya (Japanese pub). How would future historians describe this?

The nobleman La Catan, who accompanied the princess regent, was also seeking a handshake from the former emperor. Conrad had heard his name many times from reports by spies. He was strongly connected to the young king Yugo and had taken it upon himself to be the princess regent's watchdog.

But to Conrad, none of that mattered.

“...Celeste?”

“Mr. Conrad?”

They spoke to each other with their eyes, as if confirming each other. The former emperor, standing, gave a puzzled look to the two of them for a moment, then bowed deeply to the hooded woman.

“Welcome to the empire. Thank you for coming from so far away.”

“I would not have traveled so deep into the empire if not for such an opportunity. It has been a very good experience.”

Both of them had smiles on their lips, but it was as if they were facing each other with swords in hand.

This was what a tense atmosphere felt like.

In contrast, Conrad and Celeste just stared at each other.

Despite having talked so much, there was something in Celeste that made it feel as if they still had more to say.

The princess regent and Celeste sat down facing the former emperor and Conrad, with Sebastian and La Catan standing to the side.

“Now, I apologize for the trouble, but I would like to request that this meeting never happened.”

Conrad stared at the former emperor, surprised by the unexpected words. What was the point of the argument just now?

The former emperor's expression was direct and dark, and it was clear that he felt uncomfortable.

“After all, as I said before, my granddaughter does not seem to be enthusiastic about this matter. I had hoped...”

By saying "before," he must have thought it was a low-probability bet.

“I was also reconsidering this matter...”

The princess regent's voice was also heavy.

Despite the effort put into the preparations, the meeting had been a failure from the start.

It was a hasty political marriage between two enemy countries, trying to marry the unwilling Conrad and the much younger Celestine.

Even if this was a meeting, considering their positions and feelings, it could have been handled more carefully.

While thinking about it as if it were someone else's business, Conrad's gaze did not leave Celeste.

Meeting her again felt like a miracle.

“Very disappointing.”

“Yes, from our side as well.”

The former emperor and the princess regent of the Veil sighed in unison.

It was understandable that they had come all this way just for the sake of each other's dignity.

If the person sitting there had been Celeste, Conrad would have accepted the proposal without hesitation.

Despite having just harshly criticized Celestine, such things didn't matter.

What surprised him was that the former emperor really had no intention of forcing the meeting.

He had thought the grandfather didn't understand the granddaughter's feelings, but perhaps the granddaughter didn't understand the grandfather's.

“...Well, the princess regent has come all this way. Shouldn't you at least greet her, my grandson?”

The former emperor tugged at Conrad's sleeve, trying to encourage him to greet the princess regent.

But Conrad didn't move. There was something more important to do.

He took Celeste's hand, facing her.

Looking at his grandson, the former emperor, the emperor of the empire, declared. His tone was surprisingly clear.

“...Grandfather, I want to marry this woman.”

After saying it, he realized he hadn't gotten Celeste's agreement.

Celeste didn't pull her hand away. She just blushed and nodded.

The former emperor seemed to be at a loss, looking back and forth between Conrad, Celeste, and the princess regent with a bewildered expression.

“Hold on. The meeting is off, but this is in front of the princess regent... Surely, that's...”

The former emperor tried to stand up, but Conrad quickly stopped him with a hand.

“No, Grandfather. I am the emperor of this empire. If I can't choose my life partner, what is the point of the imperial throne?”

“But...”

The former emperor, looking uncomfortable, suddenly began to chuckle. The laughter grew louder and soon became a hearty laugh.

“What's going on?”

The former emperor, flustered, watched as the princess regent removed her veil, wiped away her laughter tears with her index finger, and turned to Celeste.

Under the veil was a woman with a build very similar to Celeste's, with freckles.

“Y-Yes, ‘Princess Regent.’”

The princess regent called Celeste by her title. Celeste, when addressed, responded with a bright smile.

“Yes, I, Princess Regent of the Eastern Kingdom, Celestine de Oria, humbly accept the proposal of Emperor Conrad V of the Empire.”

Saying this, the two princess regents began to laugh, and the other people in the shop could only stare in amazement.

Conrad, the former emperor, Sebastian, Taisyo and Shinobu, and Reinhold—all six of them had expressions as if they had been tricked by a fox.

“...Celeste, so you are Celeste?”

Conrad's question was a bit awkward, but he had no other way to ask.

Celeste nodded.

“Yes, I am Celestine de Oria. The real princess regent is me. This is Charlotte, my attendant and body double.”

“Body double...”

Celestine and Charlotte, who had a similar build, bowed respectfully.

As a body double, her movements were completely identical to Celeste's. It might have been impossible to tell them apart with their faces hidden.

Given that this was a meeting in the ancient capital, an enemy territory, it was natural to be cautious with only a minimum number of attendants.

The tense atmosphere suddenly turned warm.

“...I want an explanation later.”

The former emperor, with a forced smile, whispered, and Conrad, standing next to him, responded with a strained smile.

“It was love at first sight. What can I do?”

“It depends on the time and place. ...But well done, my grandson.”

The former emperor placed his hand on the emperor's shoulder. The gesture was warm.

At that moment, empty applause echoed in the izakaya.