“The engraving is all finished, Your Highness.”
“Good. Well done.”
Putting aside my complicated feelings, I decided to focus on Her Majesty the Empress’s birthday celebration in a few days.
Although Leoprick is handling the preparations, I also have plans to make the celebration shine as brightly as possible.
The engraving work for the real gift I commissioned through Betty was finished earlier than expected, and now the important thing was to maintain secrecy.
I subtly signaled to Betty while asking how Her Majesty the Empress’s gift was coming along.
She then approached with a box she had prepared.
Pretending it was just completed today, what Betty brought was the fake I had commissioned for deception.
I carefully received the box and opened it.
“Did you compensate them generously?”
“Of course. I compensated them generously for their discretion.”
Betty answered with a wink.
This was also a bit of theater, conscious of everyone in the imperial palace.
I closed the box again and handed it back to Betty.
“Keep it safe. It’s a precious item.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
This is my room, and besides Betty and the trusted palace staff she selected, hardly anyone enters, but you never know.
There are many listening eyes and watching ears in the palace, so it doesn’t hurt to be careful.
Especially for important matters like this one.
“Also, please find out how Her Majesty the Empress’s birthday celebration is progressing. Even though His Majesty said he would handle it, I can’t show no interest at all.”
“I will, Your Highness. I’ll look into it discreetly without His Majesty knowing.”
“Good. You may go.”
As soon as I finished speaking, Betty bowed and left the room.
That box will likely be hidden somewhere in the office or quietly disposed of without others knowing.
No one should know that I have secretly hidden the ‘real’ one.
After finishing this play that wasn’t really a play, I got up and headed straight for Leoprick’s office.
The Empress’s birthday celebration was right around the corner.
To properly finish the preparations I had made for that day, I needed Leoprick’s help.
I decided to ask for help from him, who had been strangely distant lately, for that day just a few days away.
“Is His Majesty in the office?”
“Yes, Your Highness. Jen confirmed it earlier.”
“Mr. Arnold’s assistant said His Majesty will be in the office all morning today! I didn’t mention at all that you asked, Your Highness!”
Jen, who Betty had brought as head maid saying she was trustworthy, answered in a lively tone.
…In my past life, I had treated her coldly because of that bright personality.
I still feel sorry for hating that delicate child just because Lloyd liked her smiling face.
Seeing Jen being especially affectionate, probably because I’ve been treating her well with all my might in this life, I smiled slightly.
“Thank you, Jen.”
“It’s nothing, Your Highness! It’s only natural!”
Jen said energetically, her eyes shining.
I gently patted her shoulder and left the room.
I saw Betty approaching from a distance, seemingly having finished her work.
As I walked towards Leoprick’s office, I adjusted my pace to allow Betty, who had hurried over, to fall in behind me.
“Did you store it safely?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Good work.”
As Betty fell in right behind me, Jen, who had been following me, quietly withdrew.
Soon after, Betty informed me in a small voice that everything had been taken care of well.
If it’s Betty, she would have handled it well.
Not paying much attention, I arrived at Leoprick’s office.
Betty knocked on the door, there was movement inside, and then the door opened slightly as Arnold appeared.
“…Your Highness?”
“Is His Majesty inside?”
“Oh, yes! He’s inside. Would you wait a moment please?”
Arnold, with a startled face for some reason, hurriedly opened the door then closed it again.
Were they perhaps talking about me?
As I tilted my head in confusion, and Betty also looked at the door with a bewildered expression.
“P-please come in, Your Highness.”
Arnold quietly opened the door.
[This is the timeline separator]“What brings you here, Amelia?”
As I entered the office, Leoprick guided me to a seat with a face that hadn’t quite lost its surprised look.
Seeing both Arnold and Leoprick like this, it really seems they were talking about me.
I spoke to the two of them with a faint smile, as if joking.
“I have something to say to Your Majesty. But you two look like you were just talking about me.”
“Ah….”
There was a moment of silence.
It was very brief, and Leoprick immediately opened his mouth to speak, but…
“…We were discussing work. More importantly, what did you want to tell me?”
Seeing Arnold completely flustered, I could tell they really were talking about me.
When he gets that flustered, it makes me curious about what they were discussing.
I thought about teasing Arnold a bit more to find out what they were talking about, but then decided against it and looked at Leoprick.
“Do you have a moment tomorrow, Your Majesty?”
“It will be busy with Her Majesty the Empress’s birthday celebration the next day, but I can spare a moment. Is something the matter?”
“If you have time, would you like to have a cup of tea together tomorrow?”
“…Tea, you say?”
Was my suggestion to have a cup of tea together that strange?
Leoprick’s eyes widened.
A face that seemed somewhat surprised, and also flustered.
I blinked at his reaction, which seemed somewhat off-kilter.
And I couldn’t help but ask.
If there was some problem.
“Did I make a strange suggestion?”
“No, that’s not it.”
Leoprick shook his head and even waved his hands, saying it wasn’t that.
Then he immediately nodded, resulting in a strange gesture.
“That just now was to say my suggestion was strange…”
“No. I sincerely… mean that I’d be glad to, Amelia. I always have time for you.”
“Well, if that’s the case, then I’m glad.”
“It’s fine. Really.”
Leoprick relaxed his posture with a much-improved expression.
I also slowly nodded.
“Then please set the time, Your Majesty. I’ll be ready to come whenever you contact me tomorrow.”
“Would that be alright? We can adjust to a time that’s convenient for you.”
“You’re the busy one, Your Majesty. I’m fine with any time.”
It really didn’t matter to me.
As long as I met him before the birthday celebration, it would be fine.
After saying that any time was fine, whether late or early, and to just let me know, I stood up from my seat.
“You seem busy, so I won’t take up more of your time. I’ll see you later tonight.”
“You’re leaving already?”
As I stood up, Leoprick made a disappointed face.
Even though he had a completely nonchalant expression until just now.
For a moment, I thought he was cute, changing his expression so dramatically in such a short time.
I smiled faintly and curtsied slightly as I greeted him.
“I can’t take up Your Majesty’s precious time. Then I’ll be going.”
“I’ll see you out.”
“It’s not even far to the door. It’s fine.”
I adamantly refused his offer to see me to the door and left the room.
“I wonder what you two were talking about?”
Betty asked in a small voice after we closed the door and walked a bit down the corridor.
“I know. I’m curious too.”
That was the part I was most curious about as well, but it was awkward to ask further.
Pondering the same question as Betty, I thought about what I needed to prepare for tomorrow’s tea time with Leoprick.
Now, the big event was right around the corner.
[This is the timeline separator]“…Amelia didn’t think it was strange, did she?”
After Amelia’s presence had completely disappeared, Leoprick looked worriedly at Arnold.
But how could he know something his superior didn’t?
Arnold shook his head, still with a flustered expression.
“Anyone would think it strange seeing Your Majesty’s expression.”
“…You should look in a mirror too.”
Leoprick looked at Arnold with a grumpy face.
Faces no different from each other looked at each other and let out long sighs.
Who would have thought Amelia would come in at that moment?
“She didn’t hear our conversation, did she?”
“It doesn’t seem like it.”
“That’s a relief then.”
She really shouldn’t have heard…
Arnold muttered quietly.
Right, of course she shouldn’t hear.
They had just been listing out the suspicions that had arisen about her.
The matter of sending support to the East, and sending priests to the North.
And on top of that, unfailingly applying for the imperial family’s support projects.
They were talking about how she seemed to move without any gaps, as if knowing everything that would happen in advance.
And Leoprick was thinking that it was somewhat suspicious.
“Well, it’s not like we were saying anything bad about her.”
“No matter what, talking behind someone’s back isn’t pleasant.”
“Well, that’s true.”
Arnold muttered something to himself, then shrugged his shoulders with an “Ah well.”
“It’s already in the past, what can we do? As long as Her Highness doesn’t make an issue of this, it’s fine.”
“She’s not the type to make an issue of it.”
“Then it’s even more okay!”
Arnold grinned and straightened his shoulders.
Then he sat down, saying he would continue with the work he had been doing.
Leoprick also smiled slightly at him and picked up his quill pen again.
The thought that she was somewhat suspicious still lingered in his mind, but it was dangerous to make a definitive judgment based on suspicion alone without any evidence.
Moreover, it didn’t make sense.
Amelia is not a member of the imperial family, nor is she well-versed in magic.
For someone like her to have regressed together with him and have memories of the past.
Even though she had been a member of the imperial family for a long time and bore the name Reinhart, they were strangers who had never even shared a bed.
Their blood had never mixed, so Amelia was Reinhart in name only, still truly a Vermerian.
For someone like her to be aware of magic and realize the regression?
It’s nonsense.
It’s impossible.
Leoprick erased that suspicion as he read the documents spread out before him.
Male lead is a Destined Young Husband (Female-dominant)
One-sentence summary: Wife-master, listen to my explanation!
Li Ruantang, a young lady from a prestigious family, stumbled and fell. When she woke up, she saw a noble and beautiful young man sitting by her bedside, wiping away tears.
The young master had slightly reddened eyes, and his every move exuded charm.
The sight made Li Ruantang’s eyes hot and her heart flutter. After all, she had made a bet with the young master Meng from the neighboring family. If she couldn’t marry a husband before the end of the year, she would have to admit defeat and give up the jade she had worked so hard to obtain.
Outside the window, the flowers were in full bloom.
Rather than losing the bet, the jade, and her face, Li Ruantang calculated that it would be better to seek marriage with the young master in front of her, killing three birds with one stone.
…
Meng Jun never thought that an accident during a spring outing would lead to them rolling down a cliff and into a river, yet still survive.
Now they were trapped in an unknown village, and Meng Jun had overheard that the family who had rescued them had their own intentions.
After all, it was Li Ruantang who had lost her mind and sought marriage first. He was only trying to protect himself!
Glancing at Li Ruantang, who was listing her own merits, the young husband’s voice softened, and he blushed as he lied, “W-wife-master, Wife-master, don’t you remember me?”
The young husband’s voice was clear and handsome, coaxing Li Ruantang’s heart to be soft and sweet, and she spared no effort to protect him.
It wasn’t until they returned to the capital that Li Ruantang suddenly remembered.
When they had fallen off the cliff, in order not to implicate Wei Yunruo, whom he secretly admired, the young husband had instead pulled her, who was slightly farther away, down the cliff with him…
Short summary by Yuushi L: Initially, the male lead (ML) liked another girl, while the female lead (FL) liked the ML. Both fell off a cliff. The FL temporarily lost her memory, and the ML, fearing others might take advantage of him, claimed FL was his wife while they were staying in a village. Later, when they returned home, the FL regained her memories and remembered that the ML liked someone else, so she kept her distance from him. However, during their time living together in the countryside, the ML’s view of the FL had completely changed. From this point, his pursuit of the FL begins.
Link to read
