“No, I just came to see if Her Majesty the Empress had spent her first night without incident.”
Duke Martins shrugged his shoulders in response.
Did he request an audience just out of curiosity?
“Everything is fine, so far.”
“Rather, it seems Her Majesty the Empress has something she would like to ask me?”
Duke Martins glanced at the audience room door and slightly bent his upper body forward as he spoke.
He was right. There was a curiosity that hadn’t left my mind all night.
“Is the royal knight order still looking for Princess Resilia? How is that going?”
“What do you… hope will happen?”
Duke Martins asked slyly, lifting one corner of his mouth.
Taken aback by Duke Martins’ unexpected question, I just swallowed my spit.
I casually asked about the whereabouts of the princess, but I was lost for words at Duke Martins’ counterquestion.
I should have immediately said that I wished for the princess to be found quickly.
Up until yesterday, I had wanted to get out of the position of the deputy empress as soon as possible.
Yes, that was true, but why now…?
“It seems like Her Majesty the Empress is already settling into her role, doesn’t it?”
At Duke Martins’ teasing words, I blushed as if the fire god within me had been waiting for this moment.
Afraid that any reply would make my face even redder, I remained silent.
“Let’s not mention this part to Prince Tesla, shall we?”
Duke Martins spoke as if he was doing me a big favor.
He looked down at my hands that he was fidgeting with and gave a small laugh.
His demeanor was oddly annoying.
“It’s quite comfortable to be surrounded by people from the Rafion royal family and only have people from the Chateoneil kingdom left.”
The Duke was the first to change the topic.
“I’m sorry to dampen your comfort, but I am no longer a person of the Chateoneil kingdom. Now, I’m a citizen and empress of the Rafion Empire.”
Though I may soon have to step down as the acting empress.
At my teasing words, Duke Martins’ facial muscles subtly twitched.
“Why didn’t I know that Her Majesty the Empress was such a good speaker before?”
“There was no opportunity to speak. Didn’t you try to communicate mainly through eye contact on the way to the Rafion Empire? Ah, was it the gaze you’re giving me now, perhaps?”
“That’s…”
Just as Duke Martins was about to reply to my words, Sharon entered the audience room again.
It felt as if she had been listening to our conversation outside and entered just in time to cut off the Duke’s words.
If Sharon really entered at this timing on purpose for me, it was perfect timing. I would want to promote her from a servant to my personal maid.
“His Majesty the Emperor asked the chief servant what Her Majesty the Empress is doing now.”
As she placed milk tea in front of me and Duke Martins, Sharon cautiously delivered the message.
“Is that so?”
Unexpected…
I never thought that Emperor Linnel would be curious about my whereabouts.
“Yes! He also said to prepare meals with your favorite food.”
Did he read the document with information about me?
A document had been prepared before the national soul ceremony, listing my likes and dislikes, my favorite food, my least favorite food, any allergies, my health status, and even my menstrual cycle.
I had personally skimmed through the document before it was finally handed over to the emperor’s secretary.
I wrote ‘In fact, I’m just an acting empress.’ in my mind at the very end of the document.
“It seems His Majesty is very considerate of you!”
Sharon spoke for me, expressing great joy.
“He’s quite affectionate.”
I gave Sharon a brief smile.
I felt Duke Martins’ observing gaze.
After sipping my milk tea, I looked at the Duke and slowly opened my mouth.
“Duke. Why are you scrutinizing my face so much now that I’m the empress, when you wouldn’t even look at me when I was a countess?”
Duke Martins was caught off guard, unable to hide his flustered face.
“I’m sorry. I was rude.”
He apologized to me, putting down the teacup he was holding.
“No, it’s only polite to look at the other person’s face when you’re talking. That’s the proper way, isn’t it, Duke Martins?”
There was a lot of bite in my words.
For the few days we were traveling to the Rafion Empire, Duke Martins had always kept his eyes on the ground, even when he had something to tell me.
Although she wasn’t hurt, the feeling of being ignored was not easily forgotten.
However, once I had become the empress overnight, I felt somewhat disgusted by the penetrating gaze of Duke Martins, which was suddenly fixed on me.
Although I’ll be returning to the status of a mere Countess before long, I spoke unabashedly as befits my position as the Empress.
The perfect act of an empress.
That was also the task given to me.
Instead of showing a displeased expression as I had anticipated, Duke Martins surprisingly broke into hearty laughter.
Unlike when he was tightly holding his mouth shut, seeing him broadly smiling made his sharp impression surprisingly docile.
My Step-brother Is Obsessed With Me (Female-dominant)
A gentle female protagonist vs pitiful in the early stage, and a sick male protagonist in the later stage
Cheng Songer transmigrated into the body of a vicious cannon fodder female supporting character with the same name as her in a female-dominant novel.
In the original story, the cannon fodder female supporting character was inhumane, committing domestic violence, gambling excessively, being lustful, and even wanting to sell her stepbrother to a brothel for money.
As luck would have it, she just happened to transmigrate at this time.
Seeing Cheng Qingzhi biting his lip, enduring the tears in his eyes, looking pitiful, her heart softened.
She stuffed the money back into the Madam’s hand and reached out to him.
“Brother, come home with me.”
