Chapter 49

As Gesualdo had said, Lilius woke up from a pleasant dream and felt quite happy.

It had been a while since she had dreamed of her family in the Kingdom of Freud.

(Yes, it must be thanks to Jed!)

In high spirits, Lilius's writing flowed smoothly, and by noon, she had completed the draft of the document she needed to submit to Gesualdo.

All that was left was for Frederick to check it.

"Hmm. It's well done, but this part lacks persuasiveness, this sentence is awkward, and this spelling is incorrect. And..."

Despite receiving quite a bit of criticism, she somehow managed to get a passing grade, and after making a clean copy, she submitted it to Gesualdo, which took her well into the afternoon.

Finally, she took a break and had a leisurely lunch with Frederick, when, to her surprise, she received a response from Gesualdo.

"Mr. Hu, what should I do...? He says he has some questions about the document from earlier and wants to ask me directly this evening. And the Emperor will be present too!"

"Well, of course. If Lady Lilius can recreate Shana, it could become a national project. May I also be present?"

"Of course!"

Lilius had only met the Emperor a few times, and she was naturally nervous.

However, Frederick seemed very excited.

Seeing Frederick's enthusiasm, Lilius began to calm down.

(That's right. There's no point in worrying now. Things will work out as they should.)

With a completely relaxed attitude, Lilius headed to the Emperor's private room in the evening, and her steps were light.

The meeting was set up as a slightly late afternoon tea with the Emperor and his son and daughter-in-law, as the content of the discussion could not yet be made public.

Lilius was a bit nervous when she first faced the Emperor, but that soon eased.

Surprisingly, the proposal to test Shana in Tuisen went smoothly.

"I feel like I'm in a fog..."

"Lady Lilius, that would mean you're dead. Wasn't it 'fooled by a fox'? Apparently, foxes in another world can trick people."

"Oh, right. That's true. Foxes in another world are amazing. And raccoon dogs too. They have trick battles... But that's not the point."

After returning to her room, Lilius still couldn't believe it, and Frederick pointed this out.

Lilius responded but realized she had gone off-topic and cleared her throat to correct herself.

Since she had just had tea, she planned to have dinner a bit later.

"After all, I didn't expect His Majesty to believe me without any doubt, prepare the old kiln for testing, and even find a skilled potter to help. They're even transporting stones from Bunmini."

"It's the Crown Prince who will be implementing it."

"Yes, but to decide all of this in just a few hours is surprising. They've already sent spies to Tuisen. It really is a carrot and stick approach."

"It seems foxes and raccoon dogs exist in this country too."

"What? Of course they do..."

"Lady Lilius, be careful. This palace is a place of tricks by foxes and raccoon dogs."

"Oh, I see..."

Lilius understood Frederick's apt metaphor.

The Emperor's calm demeanor was indeed just a facade.

While rumors about the Crown Prince being feared by everyone are not entirely false, the Emperor is admired for his charisma.

Despite taking strong measures in the past, such as being called an invader in some of the countries he annexed.

"But it's unfair. This makes the Crown Prince play the bad guy. Even if he agrees, I can't. And what about the future?"

"The future?"

"What if the Emperor falls ill or passes away? The current system would be shaken, if not collapse. To be honest, Conrad is not capable enough to replace the Emperor. And if the Crown Prince suddenly becomes kind, it would be unsettling..."

Sighing, Lilius was watched with narrowed eyes by Frederick.

Unlike most men who think women are weak and need protection, there are probably no other women in this world who can foresee the future and worry about the country's political system like Lilius.

"His Majesty must have some excellent spies in Freud."

"Huh?"

Not hearing Frederick's muttered words, Lilius asked for clarification.

Frederick then smiled slyly.

"It seems His Majesty—and probably the Crown Prince—know my real name."

"Really?"

"Yes. Their faces clearly showed 'You liar' when I introduced myself."

"I didn't notice... But if they didn't say anything, it must be fine. That means they trust me because of Mr. Hu. I see."

Nodding thoughtfully, Lilius received no comment from Frederick.

The Emperor likely intended to assign a role to Lilius.

While he might not know about her reality dreams, he certainly values her abilities.

Considering this, Frederick smiled cunningly, thinking the Crown Prince still had a lot to learn.

"But I've reflected a bit. I shouldn't judge based solely on dreams."

"Really?"

"For example, even if two men are plotting something in a dream, it could be a lie. One might be trying to frame the other. I still have a lot to learn. I judged the Emperor as too trusting based on a dream, and it was a big mistake. I'm so immature..."

Seeing Lilius lament, Frederick laughed loudly.

Naturally, Lilius glared at him, looking displeased.

"The hardest thing for a person is to know oneself. Since Lady Lilius understands this, you can grow a lot. Don't worry. I'm still learning too."

"Really? If Mr. Hu is still learning, what does that make me? Not even hatched from an egg?"

"The first challenge for a bird is to hatch from the egg. So, Lady Lilius, you are currently facing your first challenge with this marriage."

"Ugh, it's frustrating, but I agree."

Lilius faceplanted on the table.

Taina raised an eyebrow but said nothing, continuing to prepare dinner.

"Mr. Hu, please live a long life. And help this unhatched chick grow into a fine bird! ...Was that funny?"

"You still have a lot to learn."

"You're so strict."

Laughing at their usual banter, Frederick silently vowed to live a long life.

He didn't want to die without seeing such an interesting spectacle up close.

Smiling like a kind old man, Frederick gazed at Lilius, who was still face down on the table.