The Tyrant Empress is Obsessed with Me

28 – The Frenzied Party (4)

Count Dvar was a gossiper.

If something meant to be a secret among close friends, like still hugging a doll in bed at night, was known by everyone the next day, then there must have been a gossiping friend among them.

Recently, Count Dvar had become fixated on an individual.

Ascal Debur.

If someone asked who was the most famous person in the empire these days, nine out of ten people would mention his name.

The remaining one would just be crazy.

“My lord, would you like some refreshments?”

“I’m fine.”

The count was busy.

Since I needed to observe Ascal’s every move and action.

Watching such a young man rise so high was delightful in itself. Either ascending to pierce through the heavens or crashing down to the ground.

“Which one are you, Ascal Debrur?”

The Count sipped his wine.

From a distance, he could see Ascal being greeted by the highest-ranking person, the Duke.

“Hmm, if he’s ignored by the Duke, he’s not worth discussing.”

Next to approach him was Prince Cain.

“Apparently, it was true that the Crown Prince was paying attention to him…”

Ascal received approval marks from the two most powerful people at the party.

Although everyone seemed to be minding their own business, they all subtly paid attention to Ascal.

The nobles, who wanted to be associated with him, and the ladies aiming for a night of mischief or more.

It was a kind of subtle contest.

And the one who broke the ice was Second Princess Serena Barba.

“Oh, Princess Serena is making the first move.”

While many people were afraid of or hesitant about Princess Serena, Count Devar liked her.

Because she was always proactive. She was the type that couldn’t be disliked as a bystander.

Muttering.

Murmurs from the ladies could be heard at the party. Even without listening, it was obvious they were talking about Serena.

However, Serena didn’t care and approached Ascal.

“Would you care to dance a song with me?”

Holding the hem of her dress and skillfully bending her waist.

A textbook-perfect dance request.

Any man would have a hard time rejecting this.

“Indeed, they say the brave win the beauty, but this time it’s the other way around.”

“I’m sorry. My leg hurts. I’ll take my leave, then.”

?

An unexpected turn of events occurred.

Leaving those words behind, Ascal disappeared.

The Princess was left alone on the dance floor, frozen as if in disbelief.

“Anyone has peanuts, give me some peanuts!”

Count Dervar hurriedly took a peanut served by a servant and put it in his mouth.

Crunch, crunch.

It was a sight too precious to be seen with a bare mouth.

Ascal was more interesting than he thought.

The duke’s mansion was larger than imagined.

This was because the mansion was not simply for eating and living, but rather it had various functions.

For example, gathering people for a party.

From No ble mt L dot c om

Or letting an unknowing imperial administrator wander the mansion forever.

“Where is she… Sisia…”

It was unbearable.

With every person he met, he had to say things like “Oh, nice to meet you. My name is so and so, if you have time, shall we talk about the continental situation?” or “The moon is beautiful. They say the moon has its partner, but where is mine?” And every time, he politely declined, feeling as if he had used up every ounce of his energy.

Nevertheless, he had done his minimum duty.

Now, all that was left was to meet Sisia, overwhelmingly win the cookie confrontation, go home, wipe his feet, and sleep.

But Ascal’s wish did not come true.

“We meet again, Ascal.”

“Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”

He had met the second least desired person to meet.

Cain greeted Ascal with a friendly smile, surrounded by young and capable nobles.

They were probably his faction.

“Nice to meet you. I am Baron Tahar.”

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Ascal Dervar.”

A noble, who at first glance seemed to have never experienced failure or frustration, approached with an aura of success. “You must be the same, right?”

“I’ve heard a lot about you. You’re really a competent person.”

“That’s an exaggeration.”

Baron Tahar requested a handshake.

As their hands met, he felt damp sweat.

‘If you had hyperhidrosis, you should have told me earlier…’

Ascal carefully wiped his hand without showing his feelings after successfully completing the handshake.

“But, no matter how capable a bird is, it is meaningless without a nest, isn’t it?”

Baron Tahar gave a cheesy smile.

The reason he could speak so confidently was that he had the tacit consent of the Crown Prince.

No matter how optimistic one might be, the Emperor’s life was not much longer. Naturally, talks about the structure of succession were spreading throughout the empire.

Of course, amongst the nobles, the Crown Prince’s chances were estimated at over 90%. No, even more than that.

Count Tahar was confident.

Ascal would gladly take hold of this golden opportunity.

‘What did he say?’

However, Ascal didn’t hear Count Tahar’s words as he was busy wiping his hands.

It seemed like he was saying something, but Ascal didn’t catch any of it. Still, ignoring him would be impolite, so he decided to offer him a cookie.

“Would you like to try one of these cookies I baked?”

“… A cookie at a time like this?”

Count Tahar was taken aback. Did this man even hear what he had just said?

“Ah, cookies. They remind me of my childhood. My siblings and I used to share one.”

Crown Prince Cain took a bite of the cookie Ascal offered.

“But now, as we’ve grown, one cookie is not enough to satisfy all three of us. Yet we all still want cookies.”

“That’s fortunate. There are plenty of cookies.”

Ascal carefully took out more cookies. The Crown Prince laughed and ate another one.

“Would you like another?”

“Yes.”

It was hard to refuse his offer, and the cookies didn’t taste bad. However, eating cookies without something to drink made his throat feel a bit clogged. The Crown Prince swallowed his saliva.

“Ah, there are still many cookies left. One more?”

“I think this amount is enough.”

Cain was bewildered.

When will this guy’s cookies ever end?

And did he understand the ‘message’ he had conveyed?

Wait a minute.

A flash of insight passed through Cain’s mind.

“Fortunately, there are plenty of cookies.”

In other words, this was interpreted as:

‘The empire is too vast for one person to consume alone. There is no need for the three of us to fight.’

“Indeed.”

Ascal Deber.

There might be a reason why this man hasn’t joined any factions yet. From the beginning, this man had a ‘different perspective.’

‘What a proud one, Ascal Deber.’

No matter how huge an empire is, without a core point, it’ll quickly split apart.

However.

Given that it’s Ascal speaking, who has left countless achievements so far, it’s weighted differently.

And has there ever been a man who has expressed his opinions so confidently to himself before?

Everyone else had merely nodded their heads, agreeing with whatever he said.

What he needs now might be someone who can confidently tell him ‘no.’

The Crown Prince’s taste buds were excited.

He started to crave this man even more.

‘I’ll definitely have you, Ascal Deber.’

So Ascal, after a long ordeal with the Crown Prince’s gang, managed to get away.

‘I must find Sushia quickly…’

This is the real limit.

I feel like I’m going to die from exhaustion.

Though I looked all around the corners of the first floor, it was obvious that Sushia was on the second floor since I couldn’t see her.

As Ascal climbed the stairs, the surroundings became quiet.

The second floor was more like a living space, unlike the party hall on the first floor.

‘I feel like I’m intruding.’

At that moment, a tiny voice could be heard through the gap in the door.

-The current situation is…

-Then the progress of the plan…

It was the voice of a middle-aged man with a young woman.

Ascal unintentionally eavesdropped on them.

When he turned to head down the stairs, he ran into the person he had been looking for.

“Oh. Chief. What are you doing here?”

It was Sushia.

She usually had an unpleasant countenance, but right now, there was nothing more welcoming than seeing her.

“Finally found you. Seriously, have you been hiding like a cookie?”

“Water… of course. You’ll be surprised when you try it!”

It was just when Sushia was about to say something.

The door opened.

A stunningly beautiful woman with platinum blonde hair and sapphire blue eyes appeared.

The woman wearing a dress had a golden brooch that was only allowed for the royal family.

Ascal instinctively thought of one person.

“Ria?”

The woman who was about to leave her seat turned her back and stared at Ascal.

Her gaze was extremely cold.

“It seems like you’ve mistaken me for someone else, haven’t you?”

“Your… Your Highness!”

Sushia bowed her head.

She then pinched Ascal’s thigh and whispered.

“What are you doing, hurry up and apologize.”

Ascal immediately bowed his head.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness.”

“No, anyone can make mistakes.”

With that, the 3rd princess, Yulia, left her seat.

Somehow, her departing footsteps seemed unusually quick.

“……”

Ascal thought hard.

It felt like he had experienced this before.

It was as if back in elementary school days, when he accidentally called his teacher ‘Mom.’

The feeling was similar to that time.

Embarrassing.

But why didn’t Sushia recognize Ria? Was her eyesight bad? It’s true that glasses are rare in this era, so that’s possible.

“Ha… Ha…”

Yulia moved with quick strides.

Finally, when she reached a place where no one could see her, she covered her face with her hands.

‘Did he find out?’

The person she had just encountered was Ascal Devere.

Her superior, who didn’t know that she was the Third Imperial Princess.

…A precious person.

Yulia tried her best to calm her heart.

But it wasn’t easy.

If he were to find out that she was Yulia, the Third Imperial Princess of the Empire, what would happen?

Could she still stay by his side?

If not, what then?

The thought alone was terrifying.