12.
“Young Master, everything is prepared as you requested,” Hesti said with a bright smile, Lancel following behind her.
“You’ll be surprised.”
“To what extent?”
“You’ll see.”
Her voice carried a hint of excitement.
“Marigold, I’m coming in.”
“Ah, wait just a moment!”
“Too late.”
Hesti pushed open the closed door.
“Oh.”
Lancel’s eyes widened.
The first thing he noticed was Marigold’s face, hastily covered by her palm. Light makeup adorned her skin, completely concealing the small scars she had accumulated during her harsh mercenary life.
Next, his gaze fell upon her attire.
A transparent veil, pure white fabric, and golden embellishments that shimmered in the sunlight—it was a dazzling and extravagant outfit, unlike anything she had ever worn before.
“How do I look, Young Master?”
“Beautiful. The dress suits you well.” Lancel spoke sincerely.
‘As expected of the main character.’
“If you look at me that way…….”
Marigold squirmed awkwardly, trying to avoid Lancel’s gaze.
“Hmm, maybe it would have been better to commit to the charm route from the start.”
“Huh?”
“It’s nothing.”
The Emperor has summoned them.
As soon as Lancel heard those words, he had already decided to take Marigold there.
Why?
Because the place they were headed was none other than the infamous secret garden.
The secret warden was a restricted hideout exclusively for the Imperial Family, a place where encounters with Imperial Princes were almost guaranteed, and the Empire’s most secluded location.
It made no sense to not bring Marigold there in the first place.
============
—Marigold found the rented Imperial Court Noble’s Dress uncomfortable, but coincidentally, it suited her perfectly.
※Charm, Allure, and Dignity has gone UP!
============
‘Even on the warrior route, she’s like this…’
Lancel’s gaze continued to scrutinize Marigold’s face, which was flushed with heat.
“I think I know why there are so many mercenaries rushing to ask Mary for her hand in marriage these days. Don’t you think so, Young Master?”
“What? Those bastards!”
Lancel reacted sharply, startled.
‘No way! How dare those mercenaries flirt with the woman who will become the imperial consort?’
The mere thought of it made his blood boil.
“Didn’t you say there was one yesterday?”
“Yes, Sir Godman.”
“That crazy old man.”
Lancel was speechless. Godman was a mercenary well over 40-years-old, more than twice Marigold’s age, who wasn’t even twenty yet. A man like that proposed to her?
‘Godman. You’re in trouble.’
Lancel resolved to deal with him as soon as he returned. He had to make an example of Godman so they would never dare dream of such a thing again.
After all, the “Warrior’s Path” already had that damned trap ending: “Marriage to a Mercenary.”
“So what did you do with Godman?”
“I knocked him flat!”
Lancel was relieved.
‘But did you hate the idea that much?’
“Sir Godman is a good person, but he’s not someone that I like. Marriage is something that should happen between two people who love each other.”
Marigold grinned, raising her fist triumphantly.
“You think so too, right Master?”
“Well, generally speaking, yes.”
“Me too.”
Marigold took Lancel’s answer as an affirmative and smiled.
Dressed in pure white court attire, her smile was so dazzling it momentarily left him speechless.
‘Marigold, you are now the imperial consort. Your life has finally blossomed, you lucky woman.’
Lancel planned to use this opportunity to secure this position when he met the Emperor.
Indeed. A solid, undeniable fact that would firmly bind the Fifth Prince and Marigold together.
“It’s time to depart, Young Master. The Count of the Palace is waiting.”
“Let’s go.”
When we went outside, Count Iceford’s carriage had already arrived.
“Why are you so late!”
“I can’t go to see His Majesty covered in dirt, Your Excellency the Count of the Palace.”
At the Count’s urging, Lancel and Marigold quickly climbed into the carriage.
‘What would the Emperor look like?’
Although Lancel’s memories of the Fallen Noblewoman Simulation were quite vivid, information about the Emperor was somewhat limited.
‘It’s telling that his character didn’t even have a single illustration.’
From the start, his sister, the game’s creator, had shown little interest in the Emperor. Her philosophy was simple: an Emperor was an Emperor—what more was needed?
Thanks to this, the Emperor’s presence in the game was practically nonexistent, making it pointless to even discuss whether his role was significant or not.In fact, wouldn’t it be more correct to view him as an extra?
But that was the game.
This is reality.
In this world, the Emperor held absolute power.
The Imperial Family of the old Empire had fallen, and the current Empire’s ruler had seized their vacant throne.
“Begin the procession.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
The carriage began to move along the widest road in the capital.
13.
Only when the colossal Imperial Palace began to loom into view did Lancel truly feel that he had entered the heart of the Empire.
“From here on, I’ll have to blindfold you. The fewer people who know the way to the secret garden, the better.”
“I understand.”
A black cloth covered Lancel and Marigold’s eyes.
As if intentionally trying to disrupt their sense of direction, the carriage circled around several times before soon moving straight toward a destination.
“Oh…I feel nauseous.”
“Try to endure it.”
“I feel like I’m going to throw up.”
“Just don’t get your clothes dirty.”
“No, I’ll try. Ugh.”
Even blindfolded, Lancel could sense Marigold’s complexion getting worse. It was the perfect situation for motion sickness.
“We’ve arrived.”
When the blindfold was removed, the carriage was parked in the middle of a garden decorated with flower bushes.
“Where is this place…?”
“I only see flowers, Master.”
A soft gasp escaped Marigold’s lips, who had been groaning only moments before. The vibrant blossoms filled their vision, making them feel as if they had stepped into a fairy tale world.
The garden was truly worthy of the Imperial Family.
It seemed as though they’d simply thrown money at this place.
“I never would have thought that a secret garden made for clandestine deeds would be this luxurious.”
“Clandestine deeds?” Marigold tilted her head, puzzled by Lancel’s absentminded mutterings.
“Stop spacing out and hurry up.”
“Ah, yes.”
They walked for some time along a path lined with flower beds in full bloom. Soon, the path opened onto a breathtaking view.
A lake.
A tranquil garden.
And someone standing inside.
‘The Emperor?’
A large veil was drawn around the Emperor, so that the only visible form was his vague shadow.
‘There are no illustrations here either,’ Lancel thought to himself, kneeling down on one knee.
Marigold, sensing the proper etiquette, followed suit beside him.
“Your Majesty, as you commanded, I have brought with me Lancel Dante of the Dante family.”
Lancel could feel the shadow behind the veil staring at him. A sticky sensation of magical power briefly swept over him, confirming his suspicions. The Imperial Family of this Empire were certainly prone to suspicion.
“Are you Lancel Dante?”
The voice sounded frail, as if it might break at any moment. Yet Lancel sensed the tangled mass of magical power clinging to the speaker’s lips.
The veiled figure was altering his voice with magic.
‘How much of yourself are you trying to hide?’
“I hear that one of my sons holds you in high regard. That is why you stand before me now, Lancel Dante.”
Though the speaker didn’t name the son, Lancel already knew who it was.
‘There is no one else that it could have been other than the Third Prince.’
The Third Prince was certainly a man who couldn’t keep his mouth shut.
“Though I have no recollection of meeting him, Your Majesty, it would be an honor if he holds me in such high regard,” Lancel replied mechanically, bowing deeply.
“It’s enough that you recognize it as an honor. The reason I summoned you here today is to bestow upon you a gift in accordance with his favor.”
‘A gift?
Out of the blue?
Is it money?’
As Lancel stood there bewildered, the Count of the Palace nudged him sharply with his elbow and shot him a pointed look.
“What are you waiting for? His Majesty is bestowing a gift upon you.”
“I wasn’t aware I was here to receive a gift today.”
“Since he’s offering, you should just take it.”
“Well, since it’s free, I suppose I should?”
“Are you refusing?”
“You two, they can probably hear us.”
A hushed conversation passed swiftly between Lancel, the Count of the Palace, and Marigold. Lancel bowed his head even lower.
“I am deeply moved by Your Majesty’s boundless grace.”
The Emperor paused for a moment before he opened his mouth.
“I will grant you the position of a court knight, Lancel Dante. That is the gift I have prepared for you.”
It was bigger than Lancel had expected.
For a knightly family, having their son appointed as a court knight was undoubtedly a great honor.
It wasn’t bad news for Lancel either. In essence, it granted him the right to enter and exit the Imperial Palace freely.
“I want to reward good knights by keeping them by my side. Take pride in this.”
And yet …
‘Hmm.’
“Your Majesty.”
Lancel still desired something more.
“Could you perhaps propose a little more?”
Everyone’s eyes widened in shock, from the Count of the Palace, to Marigold, to even the maids and knights who were attending to the Emperor.
14.
“……What?”
Lancel repeated himself, undeterred.
“I asked if you could write a little more, Your Majesty.”
“I heard correctly, then.”
The Emperor seemed to have thought he was hearing things. Perhaps everyone else did too.
One of the knights who was assisting the Emperor began to tremble.
“How dare you speak so disrespectfully to His Majesty…!”
Indeed, Lancel had changed in one crucial way over the past two centuries, marked by death, injury, and even being dragged to the pyre to be burned alive.
He had lost all fear.
“You…”
Through the veil, Lancel could see the Emperor’s frozen figure. He appeared deeply shocked.
Lancel continued to speak without pause.
“You said you would bestow a gift upon me, Your Majesty, but frankly, I don’t understand.”
“What is it…?”
To his right, the Count of the Palace kept nudging his shoulder and muttering urgently (mostly profanity-laced words of dissuasion).
To his left, Marigold tugged at his collar, half lost in thought (her mumbling, barely formed into words, was barely audible).
Lancel neatly ignored them both.
“I don’t recall having done anything worthy of receiving a gift from Your Majesty.”
“I’ve given gifts without reason many times before, but you’re the first to question it, Lancel Dante.”
The Emperor seemed beyond shock, utterly dumbfounded.
“Perhaps it was more strange that others accepted gifts without question, Your Majesty.”
“Hmm. Your words are contradictory. What do you mean, claiming that you didn’t do anything to deserve a gift and yet demanding more?”
The Count of the Palance and Marigold, who had been trying to restrain Lancel, momentarily agreed with the Emperor. Now that they heard it, it was indeed a contradiction.
“I interpreted this gift as a sign that Your Majesty will expect much of me in the future.”
“Are you dissatisfied? That a knight should become the Emperor’s man? That I should expect something of you?”
“If you wish to make me a knight of Your Majesty, you will have to offer me more.”
There was a chain reaction of astonishment.
“You dare to bargain with me, Lancel Dante?”
“Everything in this world is weighed on a scale, Your Majesty.”
“Even if I were to sever your head from your neck right here and now?”
The Emperor’s voice trembled with suppressed fury. He must have expected Lancel to cower by now.
“If that is your desire, then do so.”
The Emperor’s mouth hung agape before snapping shut once more.
Lancel had no reason to fear.
Because…
After all, this man isn’t even the real Emperor.
Lancel had already discerned his true identity.
Previously, it had been mere speculation on his part, but the Emperor’s earlier reaction had confirmed his suspicions.
