Long Live the Emperor, Minus Me (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 25

“You said earlier that Her Majesty the Empress is a frightening and dangerous person.”

“That’s right.”

“But when I saw her at dinner just now, she seemed quite amiable.”

“That’s right.”

“Seeing that, I couldn’t help but wonder—does Your Highness keep distance from Her Majesty because she’s scary, or does he wish to stay close because she’s still family?”

Even though the question could easily be taken as impolite, the Grand Duke didn’t seem offended at all.

“Ah, I suppose it might look that way. But she’s frightening and dangerous only to enemies. If she can be counted as an ally, that’s absolutely preferable. So don’t worry—just accept her affection freely.”

It was a refreshingly straightforward answer. But the issue wasn’t solely about the Grand Duke’s stance. Though it was rather odd to ask such a question of a five-year-old, I trusted the sharpness he’d shown so far and pressed on.

“Do you think Her Majesty the Empress feels the same way?”

The Grand Duke’s hand, which had been stroking his chin, stopped abruptly. His clear, confident tone faltered, and the child stared at me silently. Had I gone too deep? Been too presumptuous? Or had my logic moved too quickly? As I mentally reviewed my words, the Grand Duke spoke again, his voice noticeably lower.

“…A three-year-old couldn’t possibly think of that.”

I barely managed to suppress a flinch. The Grand Duke was right. My initial question had been whether he viewed the Empress as an enemy or an ally.

He’d answered that he wished to count her as an ally, and I’d then asked whether she, in turn, saw him the same way.

As the Grand Duke pointed out, a three-year-old might wonder how the Grand Duke felt about the Empress—but would never consider whether the Empress reciprocated those feelings.

How could a three-year-old possibly grasp the ambiguity in their relationship? Then again, a five-year-old shouldn’t be able to either.

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