Long Live the Emperor, Minus Me (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 9
“The tea’s fragrance is truly delightful. As expected of Dneath, famed for its tea ceremony.”
“The dessert brought by Prince Deluor is also exquisite. Truly, Orma is renowned for its gourmet delights.”
I listened to the passing conversation, inhaled the aroma of tea brewed from Dneath-grown leaves, and placed Orma’s traditional dessert into my mouth. Indeed, this was the advantage of active exchanges between nations.
The ability to enjoy the best each country had to offer.
“Princess Blanche, which macaron do you like the most?”
Without a word, I chose the green one. Unless absolutely necessary, I had no desire to subject them to my clumsy pronunciation.
“Have you tried the strawberry one? Your opinion might change—”
“What’s wrong with pistachio? I actually like pistachio the best myself.”
Another benefit of large gatherings: I could participate in the conversation just a little.
I left them to debate which macaron was the best and sank back into my own world.
To make the figures of the Emerald Palace obey me absolutely meant I was leading them.
That would essentially create a faction, but I had no intention of becoming deeply entangled with them. So, contrary to the Emperor’s initial request, I proved my ability by dramatically expanding the scope of the whole affair.
I gathered the hostages—no, the peace envoys—and built a social circle.
Well, it wasn’t particularly difficult. Everyone had been eager to meet me anyway.
I simply noted people’s hobbies and interests, then paired those who seemed compatible and arranged meetings. I connected these small groups to one another.
Thus, each person began bringing in their own personal acquaintances, and the social circle formed almost effortlessly.
It was truly easy if you had a good eye for people—and reading people was precisely my strongest skill.
In this way, within just one month, I successfully established a new ecosystem within the Imperial Palace—a highly satisfying social circle where members naturally gathered based on shared hobbies and conversational interests.
Originally, I’d intended to selfishly pursue only my own benefit, but once the work was done, everyone seemed genuinely happy, which left me somewhat bewildered.
Perhaps it was a lingering habit from the days when I lived solely thinking of the people’s welfare and happiness.
“Princess Blanche? What are you pondering so deeply about?”
Lost in thought, I was startled by the woman seated beside me. Had I been daydreaming too openly? Or perhaps my underdeveloped facial muscles simply made it obvious.
In any case, I couldn’t let them realize I’d lost interest in how this social circle operated, so I quickly swallowed my pride to smooth things over.
“Da neumuh masinneunde, baega bulleoseo da meogeul su eomseunikka meol meogeulkka gomin jungieoryeo. (Everything’s so delicious, but I’m full, so I’m wondering what I should eat since I can’t finish it all.)”
I blinked excessively, pulled my lips into an exaggerated smile, and abandoned any attempt at clear pronunciation.
My sacrifice paid off—gasps of admiration, both high-pitched and low, erupted from all directions.
“Cute!” “Adorable!” Even comments like, “How can she speak so distinctly?”—every possible compliment one might give a child seemed to pour out.
This young body, while making it harder to demonstrate my capabilities, had its own advantages. Had I been fifteen, openly speaking like this would have invited ridicule.
“Then shall we share mine?”
“No, with me!”
“Here you go. Open wide—ahh!”
Still, was it really an advantage that, just because I claimed to want to sample various flavors, bite-sized macarons were being thrust at me from every direction?
I was so startled I nearly blurted out, “Where do you get off sharing food so rudely right at the dining table? Everyone’s responsible for their own plate!”—but my shock left me speechless, allowing the moment to pass smoothly.
“How embarrassing for you! Don’t worry, Princess Blanche. It’s actually my fault for bringing them in such large sizes. Next time, I’ll bring them cut to a single bite.”
I’d hoped someone might point out how impolite this behavior was—but not a single person did.
Did that mean such conduct wasn’t considered rude here? Or was it simply acceptable when dealing with a child?
Was it really okay to indulge a three-year-old this much? Honestly, children these days!
But fretting over modern children’s manners wouldn’t make the macarons before me disappear. And refusing them now would only dampen the mood.
So I squeezed my eyes shut and ate the offered macaron.
“Guh, guhmaeyo……. (Th-thank you…….)”
Sighs of delight rippled through the room once more.
Though they meant it as kindness, this incident only strengthened my resolve to reconnect with the Emperor as soon as possible.
*
Fortunately, that moment arrived quickly. The Empress had sent another invitation—this time even granting permission to attend a meal with the imperial family.
Not just a meal with the Empress, but with the entire imperial family. The Empress might pretend to dote on me outwardly, but I had no reason to meet the other royals.
Perhaps this was meant to arrange a meeting between the Grand Duke and me? If the Emperor had something to say, he’d come to the palace himself—and as for the Empress Dowager, who else would I possibly meet?
That confirmed it: the Emperor and Empress truly operated as one. My suspicion hardened into certainty.
“What did you say?”
Tula, brushing my hair, asked gently.
“Onsil-eul boyeojusigedae. (She said she’ll show me the greenhouse.)”
At least this time I had a week’s grace—some time to prepare. Tula, momentarily silent while tying a ribbon, spoke again only after finishing my hair.
“Oh, that famously beautiful place?”
“Un.”
It truly was beautiful. I recalled the flower Tula had helped me turn into a bookmark.
Might I receive another blossom this time? I knew the circumstances were different from before, when I’d needed to display favoritism publicly… but still, it had been lovely.
“Oseun? (What about clothes?)”
“They’re preparing them as you instructed.”
“O il aneuro daekka? (Will it be ready within five days?)”
Since plans can always change, it’s better to set an earlier deadline.
“I’ll go check on it.”
“Geudae. (Alright.)”
After sending Tula off, I held the invitation to my lips and sank into thought.
Just what sort of child was the Emperor’s younger brother—the one he worried was so clever he might poke out of his pocket like a gimlet?
In my mind appeared a quiet boy with downcast eyes.
Soft-spoken, gentle-voiced, harmlessly smiling—never showing outward arrogance, effortlessly using honorifics even with younger girls, and remaining perfectly composed amid torrents of hostility as if feeling nothing at all.
Yet once turned against you, more troublesome than anyone else. That kind of child.
Somehow, I felt it would be Melchizedek Georges Pendleton, Grand Duke Randolph. The boy I needed to win over felt exactly like that.
And my instincts rarely missed.
I selected several approaches for dealing with a cautious, guarded five-year-old who rarely showed vulnerability.
“Geugeoya shipji. (That’s easy.)”
I might not know how to handle children, but I knew precisely how to deal with those who prided themselves on being clever and mature.
I viewed the situation with optimism.
*
The timing was so uncanny that Blanche’s misunderstanding was unavoidable—but the Empress hadn’t been waiting for Blanche to produce results.
Imperial schedules were always set a month in advance, so they’d simply arranged the meal as soon as possible, which happened to land a month later.
“By the way, I’ll be having lunch with Princess Blanche next week.”
Berken, receiving the same notification on the same day as Blanche, widened his eyes in surprise.
“Huh?”
“Princess Blanche. From the Ramore Kingdom. You did invite her to eat together, didn’t you? Did you forget?”
Of course he hadn’t forgotten. Berken kept important matters in a special compartment of his mind.
But he’d hoped Liana wouldn’t find out—specifically, that he was trying to pair Blanche with Melchizedek.
So he feigned ignorance, and Liana was completely fooled—not because she was naive, but because she trusted Berken too much.
“Was it just a polite offer? Should we adjust the plans even now?”
Berken quickly shook his head. He’d wanted to deceive Liana, not break his promise.
“No, no, I meant it sincerely. I just forgot after some time passed. Next week, you say? Got it—I’ll let Melchi know too.”
“Oh, right! Now that you mention it, Melchi probably forgot too.”
“Seems likely.”
Though his reaction suggested otherwise, Berken went along with it. Whether Melchizedek remembered Blanche or not made no real difference anyway.
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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