The Emperor’s footsteps were light. As soon as he left the western section of the Emerald Palace, his attendants swiftly followed him like shadows.

Without looking back, he commanded, “Prepare the Jasper Palace. Make it suitable for a child around 3 to 4 years old.”

Unlike his teasing demeanor with Blanche, the Emperor had already taken a liking to her. Not because she was merely smart; the Lertail Empire, being a great empire, had an abundance of talents. There would be geniuses in droves if one looked hard enough.

The Emperor liked Blanche because she didn’t seem like a typical 3-year-old.

Blanche was different from just intelligent children who often display all the traits of a 3-year-old: they cry easily, laugh easily, are easily deceived, are easily scared, take pride in their intelligence, don’t understand adult logic, and believe their own rules apply to the world.

What he wanted wasn’t such a ‘young genius’. He sought someone like his brother, a child who, despite being only 5 years old, seemed to have the eyes of someone who had lived for 50 years – indifferent to sweets or luxurious silks, with eyes that showed no regret, as if dying at that moment wouldn’t be a loss.

Such was his brother, and right before him, Blanche seemed like the perfect match for his sibling.

Like a nine-tailed fox resided within her, or as if this was her second life having experienced all pleasures, luxuries, wealth, and power, she showed no interest.

So, the Emperor decided to wrap Blanche in candies, chocolates, silks, and jewels, regardless of her interest – befitting the playmate of a prince.

“Are you planning to bestow gifts upon Princess Blanche?” interrupted his attendant, Shadow.

The Emperor, satisfied with his contemplation, turned to Shadow with a sly smile.

“Don’t you think it’s a waste to let such a talent rot away?”

Shadow had not been privy to their conversation and thus didn’t know why the Emperor favored Blanche so much. But Shadow couldn’t argue, merely bowing in agreement.

“It would be a great honor for the Princess.”

“The Princess should think so too,” the Emperor mused. Shadow might have taken this as a jest, but the Emperor was serious. He hadn’t forgotten he was the Emperor of a great empire, nor had he forgotten that Blanche was royalty from another country.

He wished those foolish enough to send a mere 3-year-old child as a hostage to another country would forget and let her settle here. For his brother’s sake.

With these thoughts, the Emperor continued his brisk, cheerful stride.

After the Emperor swept through, only fatigue remained in his wake. I sprawled in the chair, unable to get down, resting my head against the backrest.

“Princess…!”

Seemingly waiting outside, Thula hurriedly rushed in to catch me as I almost slid off the chair. Thankfully, if I had fallen off at this size, the injuries could have been quite serious.

“Are you alright?! Do you have a fever, are you tired?”

Her concern was welcome, but I had something more pressing to address. I grabbed Thula’s hand, which was gently caressing my cheek and forehead, and spoke.

“Thula.”

“Yes, Princess. Are you feeling unwell?”

“You are my responsibility (Neoneun nae chaegimida).”

Given that Ramore Kingdom appeared to have a laxer class system, I wasn’t sure what Thula thought. But having been responsible for others in the strict class system of the Jin Empire for a lifetime, my current role as a princess and Thula’s as a nanny meant that she was now under my care.

“If there’s anything, call me (Geureoni museun iri itsseumyeon nareul bulleora).”

If I hadn’t woken up in time, if I had been a bit slower in assessing the situation, if the Emperor’s curiosity hadn’t outweighed his anger, Thula might have died. And nothing would have changed.

I had experienced too much of this in my previous life, especially towards the very end.

That’s why, in this life, I didn’t want to go through that again. Even if it meant facing my second death as is.

“I will protect you (Naega neol jikyeojuma).”

I had said this before, to my daughter in my previous life.

Unlike my daughter who trusted me, I couldn’t be sure if Thula would believe me. After all, a 3-year-old child, albeit of higher status, promising to protect her might not sound sincere.

But at least she knew I was serious. I gently patted the back of Thula’s hesitating hand and smiled softly.

“Go rest (Geuman jagara).”

Thula seemed like she wanted to say something, hesitated, but eventually closed her mouth and left.

Left alone, I sank into thought.

My current goal is simple: to protect the children brought here because of me.

To do so, I had two choices: live quietly like a ghost or give an impression that messing with me would be troublesome.

The former was already out of the question, so the latter was the only option. Thus, I must pass the Emperor’s test and form a connection with the Grand Duke.

“But, to what extent should I go (Daman, eodikkaji ganyaga mundegekkun).”

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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