Chapter 47

"Well, well. Then, with this, one problem has been resolved, hasn't it?"

"It's not something to laugh about. I feel so irritated... I think it's because the result this time was disappointing."

"Hmm. That was indeed unfortunate. However, there's no need to rush. To be honest, if you're going to work in Toyosen, there might be harmful effects from smoke and dust."

"…I hadn't thought of that. Yes… um."

It wasn't until Frederick mentioned it that Shana realized that even if she didn't do the work herself, she could still inhale smoke and dust while supervising nearby.

Thinking about it, maybe it was for the best this time.

"…Maybe nation-building comes before having children."

Lilith muttered softly, and Frederick laughed out loud.

After glaring at Frederick, Lilith focused on the document she was writing.

She was still in the draft stage but had been working on it since morning, determined to submit it to Gesualdo as soon as possible.

However, she knew that her inability to summarize it properly was due to her mind wandering.

Ever since that dream—since she found out that Queen Corina was truly pregnant—she couldn't settle down.

Lilith sighed deeply, and Frederick looked up from the documents he was reading and smiled.

"Lady Lilith, would you like to take a walk in the garden? I haven't seen this garden yet."

The strict teacher Frederick wouldn't help with the content of the document, but he would give advice if asked.

This suggestion was unusual, but it was probably to help her change her mood.

"Yes. I haven't seen all of it either. Let's do that. Which garden should we choose?"

The imperial palace has several gardens.

There's the central garden, the east, west, south, and north gardens, as well as a maze garden and exclusive gardens for nobles and the royal family.

Frederick thought for a moment and chose the noble's garden, probably because it was close to this room and required Lilith's presence.

So, Lilith, Frederick, their attendant Taina, and two guards headed to the garden.

"…It's a bit too formal, isn't it? I'm sorry, Mr. Frederick."

"No, no, Lady Lilith, there's no need to apologize. I expected as much. Besides, I learned some interesting things."

Nobles who were also taking a walk approached Lilith to greet her but completely ignored Frederick.

In the end, Lilith was busy with greetings and couldn't enjoy the garden. She decided to return to the room when the time seemed right.

"Well, indeed. They greeted me politely, but I could see their true feelings in their words. It was more obvious than at the tea party."

Lilith muttered, sounding exasperated, and Frederick laughed.

This walk seemed to be a kind of assignment as well.

As soon as they returned to the room, Frederick's smile turned sly, and he asked Lilith:

"So, how did you feel, Lady Lilith?"

"The road ahead is difficult. To be honest, the history of this country is still shallow. Yet, the nobles' minds seem quite rigid."

She paused, handed her walking accessories to Taina, and sat on the sofa, looking tired. She gestured for Frederick to sit opposite her.

Lece brought cold tea, and after taking a sip, she continued:

"I thought this country had grown so much in a short time because the emperor and his subjects were flexible in their thinking, but I was naive. I felt this at the tea party too. The old nobles who have supported this country for generations and the new nobles who have recently been granted titles are definitely at odds. Additionally, the pride of the former royal families of the absorbed countries—now dukes and such—and the condescending attitude of the men towards me, a country girl, were very noticeable, even in just a short conversation."

"Yes, indeed. When a country becomes this large, the palace becomes a battlefield of emotions, regardless of history."

"Stop it, don't scare me. Yes, my thinking was naive, but I don't intend to lose. I am a princess of Freud. I'm not some young girl who will cry in her room because she's being mocked as a country girl."

"You spend most of your time sleeping in your room, though."

"Stop teasing me. In short, Mr. Frederick, you're saying that even if I can fire Shana in Toyosen, there will still be many challenges, right? And you're telling me not to waste time here, right?"

Frederick smiled gently in response to Lilith's confident question.

It seemed she had passed the test.

Frederick, a strict teacher who was never gentle, was reliable when it mattered and sometimes gave hints.

He must have grasped the general situation in the palace through various rumors, reports from his students, and his own observations.

He was warning Lilith based on that.

"Complacency is the enemy. Think deeply. Be prepared for danger. And focus your mind. Charge forward!"

"No, no, Lady Lilith. The last part is strange, especially the last part."

"Is it? When thinking doesn't work, action is the only way. If that doesn't work, I'll think again. We must be making some progress."

"…You don't consider the possibility of moving backward?"

Frederick laughed, poking fun at Lilith's declaration.

Truly, since meeting this princess—now empress—his once dull life had become incredibly exciting.

His students, who knew the old, perpetually grumpy Frederick, were now afraid of the current Frederick and marveled at how much a person could change with age.

Of course, he had scolded them for it.

It was unclear how much the emperor and crown prince knew, but there was undoubtedly a great darkness in this palace.

Frederick was determined to watch over Lilith so she wouldn't be consumed by it.

(On the contrary, Lady Lilith might illuminate even the darkness with her brightness…)

Thinking about it, he began to understand the meaning of this sudden and forceful marriage.

Frederick hadn't met the emperor yet, so he couldn't be certain, but he suspected that the emperor had foreseen everything from the moment Lilith was chosen as the bride.

(Hmm. Given how much he has grown this country, he can probably pretend to be a kind-hearted person even after being betrayed… In any case, he is definitely not someone to be underestimated.)

Satisfied, Frederick turned his warm gaze back to Lilith, who had resumed working on the document for Gesualdo.

No matter what schemes were at play, he believed she would blow them all away and move forward.