Amy quickly looked up as a grey-winged carrier pigeon fluttered down, landing on a nearby branch.

Skillfully, she caught the bird and extracted a small note from the tube attached to its ankle. She read the contents swiftly, and a smile soon appeared on her face.

The Second Prince was curious about what it was but held back his questions. Amy had promised to explain everything after they left the capital.

“Amy, is everything going well?”

He couldn’t hold back this question, though. Although Amy had been calm throughout, his innate sense and years of experience told him that she had been extremely anxious lately.

‘Besides, she injured her ankle.’

The thought that it was all because of him made him feel disheartened.

“Yes, everything is going very well.”

Amy smiled gently and reached out to smooth the Second Prince’s disheveled clothes.

The Second Prince stared intently at Amy, unblinking. It was a smile he hadn’t seen since she declared her intention to become his housekeeper, several months ago.

‘When she was the housekeeper for my brother, she used to smile more often…’

He blamed himself, thinking he had become a burden to her. But seeing her smile so brightly now seemed to lighten his heart too. It was as if a bird had flown into his small chest, fluttering loudly.

The Second Prince’s entourage left the palace. Since he had dismissed most of his servants, his close attendants consisted only of Amy, the housekeeper, three coachmen, and two servants for menial tasks.

The Emperor, concerned that people might think the Second Prince was being slighted, offered to assign royal guards as a favor.

However, the Second Prince, stating that his destination, the harsh northern lands, were far and desolate, and that the royal guards, who had a duty to protect the palace, couldn’t be taken along, declined with dignity. It was a very reasonable and logical response.

‘Did the Second Prince always speak so well?’

Some might have found this strange, but it was soon forgotten.

The north was so challenging to survive in that it faced extreme cold in winter and drought in summer. How long could a young prince endure there? In reality, it was as if he was walking into a death trap.

But now, the Empire would receive a stable tribute annually in exchange for recognizing these barely tax-paying lands as a duchy. For the Empire, it was a profitable deal.

‘Esmaein Lady is clever.’

It was Lady Esmaein who suggested turning the Second Prince’s territory into an independent duchy. She cited the barbarians across the northern mountains, with whom the north had always had bad relations.

‘There have been 23 disturbances in ten years, and they are becoming more frequent recently. So far, there have been no casualties, but it’s like being on the brink of war. If we keep the Second Prince’s territory as a mere province of the Empire, we might have to fight these wars on behalf of the duchy. But if we make it a completely independent duchy under the Second Prince, any potential war would be irrelevant to the Empire.’

Her argument made sense. Plus, with the condition of annual tributes, if they fail to meet this, the territory could be re-absorbed into the Empire.

Through this, Lady Esmaein definitely made an impression on the Emperor. In fact, all these ideas came from the advisor of the Esmaein Duke. When he was about to be commended, he declined and asked to retire to the countryside, citing health reasons.

‘You are from a foreign slave lineage, aren’t you? Wouldn’t it be better to stay with our family?’

Lady Esmaein didn’t intend to insult anyone. She simply discriminated against and insulted foreigners as naturally as breathing, due to her belief in her superiority as a pure-blooded noble of the Empire. She was completely unaware of her own prejudice.

‘Health issues… cough. Actually, I suspect it’s a contagious disease…’
When the advisor coughed with a pale face, Lady Esmaein immediately threw him out of the mansion. With a meager severance in hand, he headed towards the bustling city streets and checked into a pre-booked inn. There, he wrote down everything that had transpired and sent it off with a carrier pigeon.

That same pigeon had now landed in Amy’s hands. This meant that she was the mastermind behind everything.

The Second Prince tilted his head in confusion.

“Is it really that important for me to become a Grand Duke and for the north to become a duchy independent of the Empire?”

Traditionally, people of the Empire believed that the barren north survived only under the Empire’s wing. So, Amy’s actions to break away seemed odd to them.

Amy smiled gently.

“Of course. Just trust me. I will make your duchy the richest country on the continent.”

“If Amy says so, then it must be,” the Second Prince nodded, not doubting her for a moment. Amy looked at the boy fondly, thinking to herself.

‘Once separated from the Empire, all the gold and jewels we accumulate will belong entirely to the duchy.’

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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