I Became the Tyrant’s Servant - Chapter 63

“The Duke is a woman of love.”

Love what?

While I was smiling in shock at Cardan’s terrifying words, he stole the prince’s attention with a beautiful smile again.

“A duke who only knows work and has no intention of getting married will not be of help at all.”

“Oh, that’s……. It’s a shame.”

As the prince clapped his lips with a noticeably disappointed face, Cardan nodded with a satisfied smile.

“I’ll be more helpful in that area, so don’t worry and you can discuss it with me comfortably.”

“Thank you…….”

“Young Lady Linoa of Count Linoa, who actively trades with the East, is a woman famous for her elegance and high culture. The lady of the Marquis of Treve, is especially famous for being clever and intelligent.”

Cardan smiled softly, referring to Lady Linoa, whom he had the audacity to speak ill of, referring to her as a wild animal who did not know any manners, and Lady Treve, whom he harshly criticized in front of the ministers for being stupid.

I finally came to my senses when I realized that I was on the verge of losing my chance right under my nose.

“Me too! I’m thinking of getting married!”

Prince Lionel rejoiced at my declaration.

“Really, Duke Baloa?”

“Yes! I’m also very interested in living abroad.”

A head of a family would be much more attractive as a political marriage partner than an ordinary aristocratic family’s young lady.

I boldly gave up showing off my female charm in scissors-hands and began to emphasize my political advantage.

“I’m the only one in this empire who has the surname of Baloa. There are some aristocrats from the side, but only those who were excluded a few generations ago from the succession of the Duke of Baloa.”

Fortunately, it seemed to be working well for the prince.

“Duke, you are a very precious woman.”

He smiled, his sky blue eyes twinkling.

“We have four territories, a large number of mines, a top that monopolizes several key markets, and recently, we’ve received several ships from Count Linoa.”

I felt Cardan’s eyes getting sharper and sharper looking at me, but nothing stopped me in the face of the opportunity for an asylum free pass.

“Anyway, unlike ordinary noble women, I’m a woman who doesn’t have to rely on my husband’s wealth. Self-sufficiency, self-survival, a person who has a strong living ability to live well on her own if she is taken to the East continent!”

I smiled broadly, gently emphasizing the ‘just put me on the East continent’ part.

I felt like a salesperson promoting a new product, but the effect was immediate.

The prince, who was pondering my words, burst into laughter.

“I’ve never seen a woman as funny as the duke.”

The prince leaned toward me.

“I want to know more about the Duke.”

Then Cardan stepped in between us and smiled dazzlingly at the prince again.

“The duke is funny, but sometimes she’s frivolously excessive and doesn’t fit in with the imperial family.”

“…….”

“Aren’t the clothes she’s wearing weird? There are times when the duke often makes an unknown stunt like that.”

“Puheut– keuk!”

I almost spilled my tea.

I managed to bite my tongue and stop coughing, but my anger didn’t go away.

‘What? My clothes are weird? Weird?!’

I wanted to hit my chest because it was unfair, but I had no choice but to quietly shut up at Cardan’s gaze.

“Look at this. She’s no good, so she even spilled all the tea she was drinking.”

Cardan clicked his tongue and rubbed his thumb around my mouth. Why did his thumb slide all the way down to my chin, not wiping it, but instead spreading it out?

In an instant, my chin was dyed with the blueberry stain.

I wiped my chin with a napkin and raised the quivering corners of my mouth.

“Haha, I will continue to choose outfits with Your Majesty’s recommendation.”

I began to think seriously.

The Cardan of the original novel, was he interested in men?

Considering his brilliant record, it was possible.

Moreover, based on his current behavior, it is obvious he is trying to seduce the prince of the East.

Whenever the prince’s attention is directed at me, he smiles with his eyes and flirts with him, or he openly speaks ill of me.

By all accounts, this was clear jealousy.

“Haha, that’s cute, too.”

As I was pondering over this shocking fact, the prince looked at me and smiled warmly.

“It makes me want to protect and help from her from the side.”

First of all, I’m glad that the prince doesn’t seem to be into men. However, I wasn’t confident in beating Cardan even if he wasn’t into men.

At the time when I was sweeping my chest, I heard a low laugh.

“Protect.”

Bloody eyes sharper than snakes scratched me.

It was a sharp gaze enough to fall into the illusion that the air had cooled.

“The Duke is far from someone who needs to be protected. It’s you who has to protect yourself from not being bitten by the Duke, don’t you know?”

Unable to refute due to my colorful records, I lowered my head and only fiddled with my teacup.

As I lowered my head, Cardan jumped to his feet as if there was nothing more to see.

“It’s time to get ready for the dinner party, so shall we get up now, right?

I didn’t want to see him raise the corners of his mouth as if he was laughing at my defeat.

“Haha, is it already that late?”

But I had no choice but to stoop as usual.

***

Cardan secretly summoned Knoxus to his bedroom.

Before Knoxus sat on the sofa in the reception room attached to the emperor’s bedroom, Cardan immediately brought up the main point.

“The relationship between the Prince of the East and the Duke of Baloa is serious.”

Knoxus, who had participated as an escort and aide to the Duke at the afternoon reception in the distance, nodded with his firm face.

“You and I both seem to be in a difficult situation, so why don’t we cooperate?”

Knoxus glanced at Cardan with a suspicious look.

“I’m in a difficult situation, but why do you think we are the same, Your Majesty?”

“…….”

Cardan, who seemed caught off guard for a moment, soon smiled.

“The Prime Minister of my empire is becoming too close to a foreign political figure, so of course I should be wary. She is Duke Baloa who knows all the state’s secrets, so she should not be sent out to foreign countries alone.”

Though not completely convinced, Knoxus nodded slowly, showing signs of acceptance.

“All right, I’ll cooperate for now.”

Cardan furrowed his eyebrows. It was very annoying to see a person who used to crawl in front of him unconditionally, going under the duke and raising his head stiffly in front of him.

But this time, he decided to move on because there was a person who was more annoying.

“I’ll be in charge of the prince, so you should do a good job of cracking down on your master.”

It was a natural division of roles because a commoner could not take charge of the prince, but strangely, his mouth was stuffy when he said this.

“That’s what I was hoping for.”

In addition, when Knoxus even smiled satisfactorily, his face that states he didn’t like it became even more unpleasant.

When he saw Cardan’s cool eyes in an instant, Knoxus cringed a little.

“On a day when your master betrays the empire in partnership with the prince of the East, you will not be able to avoid the execution table.”

At the brutal threat, Knoxus tilted his head slightly inside.

Of course, he didn’t want his master to get married, but from the emperor’s point of view, he couldn’t figure out why marriage was a betrayal of the empire.

But as long as their goals are consistent, he’d better cooperate.

“Your Majesty must help as much as you can to prevent that from happening.”

The two men, who shook hands with eyes that kept each other in check, ended the conversation like that.

***

“What? Knoxus was called to His Majesty’s bedroom?”

I couldn’t believe my ears, so I asked again and again, but the attendant only nodded.

“To the bedroom…”

I stumbled a little as soon as I sent the attendant away.

I barely led myself to the sofa and sat down, but my head was still dizzy.

It was certain. Cardan seems to have gone beyond playing around women to men.

That’s why he was so nervous when I recommended the concubine candidate.

“Knoxus is handsome, though.”

I chewed my nails and murmured.

Not as much as Cardan, but Knoxus was also a good looking man. Overall, he’s built, so he looked dignified.

“On top of that, the original novel’s genre includes r-19….”

But no matter how much I think about it, Knoxus didn’t seem to be interested in him…….

I stopped tearing my hair and screaming inside.

I’m his master, and I can’t even protect my subordinates properly…… I really had no face to see Knoxus.

Then the door burst open.

Cardan and Knoxus came into my office together.

“Uh…!”

I took a deep breath.

The servant was right. The two were together.

“Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?”

Cardan stared fiercely at me, as if he was still in a low mood.

Half of my heart wanting to pretend not to know the whole situation in front of my eyes, and half of my heart wanting to rescue poor Knoxus, collided inside me.

I finally decided to take a little courage.

“The two of you were together……?”

“I had something to do for a while.”

Cardan looked away as if the question itself was uncomfortable. It was just the look of a person hiding something.

“Well…”

I covered my mouth without realizing it.

“Why do you look so shocked, like you’re looking at a person with shame?”

As Cardan’s eyebrows twitched, I shook my head in a hurry.

“Oh, no.”

I decided to take Knoxus to exile with me, in my heart.

I originally intended to do so, but this incident has made my resolution firm. Even if I have to throw some heirlooms into the sea, I will make sure to make a place for the Knoxus to be able to ride on the ship.

Cardan, who didn’t know what I was thinking inside, threw clothes at me with a brazen face.

“I brought it because I thought you would need it at the banquet.”

When I opened it, it was a pair of scissors hand clothes with a different design.

But I took it without any complaints at the thought of Knoxus, who had been plagued by Cardan ever since the tea party with the Prince of the East.

Compared to what Knoxus had suffered, I could wear a hundred more clothes like this.

“It suits you very well.”

He once insulted me in front of others saying I was dressed strangely, but now I laugh satisfactorily.

In the first place, it was absurd for him to bring it himself instead of a servant.

I’m sure he’s here to keep an eye on me so I don’t show up at the party in different clothes.

Everything was ridiculous, but I forced myself to raise the corners of my mouth.

“Haha, thank you. As expected, I feel reassured even before a big banquet because I have the clothes Your Majesty chose for me.”

“The Duke’s eye is not trustworthy, so I have no choice but to care. Then I’ll see you at the banquet.”

When Cardan turned around after finishing his business, I stared at his back.

This must have been a move to remove his competitor by keeping me in check who is aiming for the Prince of the East.

“Ah…”

At that time, Cardan was about to leave, but stopped for a while and touched Knoxus’ shoulder.

“You should prepare for the banquet steadily, too.”

I covered my mouth again at the sight of Cardan, who persistently rubbed the shoulders of Knoxus who gave a deep look.

(t/n: the misunderstandings ?????)

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