I Was Just Having Fun With The Time Limit – Chapter 152

Chapter 152

“As many of you know, I have been in a friendly rivalry with Princess Isabel since I was young. I think our relationship probably started at the Olympiad competition. At that time, Her Highness took the top rank.”

Reina, starting with this, showed off her deep friendship with the Princess.

“Relatively recently, we met in the Jirdel Kingdom and had a long chat.”

Narmore could understand Reina’s intentions.

It seemed that Reina was trying to gain an edge over other successors by revealing her friendship with Isabel.

Narmore scoffed inwardly.

‘She’s using her head now that she’s gotten a little older, huh?’

The Reina who had openly displayed hostility was not here.

At least outwardly, she seemed to be acting like the Duke’s daughter who got along very well with the Princess.

‘She’s also about the age to officially enter the social world.’

Was Raydo eleven or twelve years old?

He wasn’t sure, but it seemed likely she would officially make her debut in society soon.

This seemed to be a rehearsal for that.

Reina was hiding her true feelings and spitting out sweet words.

“I’m very proud of Her Highness. There were some minor growing pains due to some misunderstandings, but I still respect Her Highness as a friend.”

Narmore could see right through Reina’s tricks.

‘She thinks she can reach out to Her Highness like that? Her Highness has a very kind heart.’

So, she would think it’s okay to approach her like that.

He was certain that she had judged that she could improve her relationship with Isabel and become close to her if she pretended to be friendly.

‘She was trying to humiliate Raydo in any way possible.’

It seems that won’t be necessary.

‘Does Her Highness look like a fool to you, Raydo?’

Isabel was certainly kind.

She always wanted to help someone and wanted the world to remember her as a good person.

She was a very beautiful person who did her best every day to achieve that.

‘But you don’t know how resolute she can be when she needs to be, Raydo.’

Reina had even framed and persecuted Yuri, Isabel’s best friend.

Isabel replied with a bright smile.

“I didn’t know Lady Reina thought of me that way. I guess the image of you threatening to sell my precious friend for money is too strongly etched in my mind.”

“……”

Reina, who had seen Isabel as an easy target, seemed greatly embarrassed.

She thought that if she reached out first, Isabel, the spring and sunshine of the Imperial Palace, would be happy to hold her hand.

“The feelings I have for Lady Reina are not so good that they can be dismissed as a slight misunderstanding.”

“Th-that’s……!”

“However, if Lady Reina sincerely apologizes, we can be good friends.”

Reina breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.

“Of course. I’m ready to apologize to Her Highness anytime.”

“Not to me.”

“Then……?”

“To Yuri.”

“Yuri?”

Reina had completely forgotten about Yuri.

Because she was just one of the many children sponsored by the Rossild family, she wasn’t a very significant person to Reina.

“You’re not saying you don’t remember doing something so terrible, are you?”

Isabel’s face, which always had a bright smile, was hardened.

A chilly wind blew through the conference hall where all the windows were closed.

It was artificial mana wind.

“Because of that incident, Yuri almost lost her mother. I guess it was such a trivial matter that someone couldn’t even remember it, Lady Reina of the Rossild Dukedom.”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

After the Special Royal Assembly was over, Holy King Rahella and Uncle King Valkio were traveling in the same carriage.

“Did you see that? That mana wind?”

“I saw it. I knew Isabel had learned magic, but I didn’t know it would be to that extent. The level where magic manifests in response to her will. It was a kkapnol, kkapnol.”

“What’s kkapnol?”

“It’s short for being startled. I made it up.”

“Then wouldn’t it be kkamnol?”

“……”

Valkio was momentarily flustered but soon regained his composure.

“I just made it like that. I’m a trendsetter, you know?”

“You mean trendsetter, right?”

“Yeah, trendsetter. Anyway, if you hadn’t tipped me off back then, it would have been a big problem. I saw it clearly today.”

A few years ago, Rahella had told him.

Isabel is the Bilotian Empire’s No. 1 political strategic asset.

“Exactly. She showed exactly why the Special Royal Assembly was held.”

Special Royal Assembly.

This meeting had a literal special purpose.

The purpose of showing the Bilotian Imperial Family’s will to reclaim the ‘financial power’ that had been given to Rossild.

“I clearly saw it too. She completely suppressed Rossild. Oh my, telling her maid to make a sincere apology. I thought maybe, maybe, but I didn’t know Isabel was such a cruel person.”

This happened in a place where all seven kings and their successors were gathered.

Telling her to apologize not to the Princess, but to the maid, meant complete submission.

“I don’t think it’s simply cruel. That method was certainly elegant and classy. Princess Isabel dealt with Reina gracefully, and Reina was completely defeated. In the end, her face turned red and she refused the offer.”

“That’s the thing. If Reina had accepted, it would have been good for the Imperial Family to receive the submission of the Rossild Dukedom. If she refused, it would have been good to create an excuse to break ties with Rossild. The calculation is truly meticulous and terrifying.”

Valkio, who had been silent for a moment, stroked his chin.

“Hey, Rahella. Would it be too late if I had a son now?”

“What?”

“Taking Isabel as my daughter-in-law. Ehehehe!”

“Are you serious right now?”

“Of course I’m serious! Ehehehe……”

Valkio glanced around cautiously.

If he continued, Rahella seemed like she would get very angry, so he quickly moved on to the main point.

“I’m saying that because there seems to be no stronger guarantee than that in the coming world.”

“Well, let’s say you give birth to a wonderful son. What then?”

“Marry them off. These days, a 10-year age difference is nothing, isn’t it?”

“From what age is marriage possible in Jirdel?”

“It’s possible from 14 years old. So, as soon as they turn 14, we’ll marry them off right away.”

Rahella shook her head.

“At that time, Isabel won’t be in this world.”

“……”

“Have you forgotten?”

Valkio seemed shocked and was blank for a while, then nodded.

“The aura I felt from that child was so clear, pure, and innocent that I forgot for a moment.”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

The Royal Assembly was over.

I headed to the Arena Palace with Narmore.

“Want to take a walk together to clear your head?”

“Sure.”

Narmore smiled brightly at my suggestion to take a walk.

“You usually hate walking because it’s bothersome. Are you okay?”

“It’s not bothersome today.”

“You’re not saying it’s not bothersome just because of me, are you?”

“You know I’m not that considerate, right?”

“That’s true.”

We walked slowly, enjoying the night breeze.

I was a little dissatisfied.

“What’s so hard about apologizing once?”

If she had sincerely apologized to Yuri, I would have been willing to be friends with Reina.

Anyone can make mistakes, and Reina was very young.

She was still young even now.

So, I was going to be friends with her if she apologized, but it seemed like we were not meant to be friends.

“Sometimes, there are idiots whose pride is more important than their lives.”

“What does apologizing for your mistakes have to do with pride?”

“There are a lot of people who can’t apologize even when they know they’re wrong. Especially the higher their status and the stronger their power, the more they tend to be like that.”

“My mom and dad apologize to me right away when they’re wrong.”

My mom and dad are the Empress and Emperor.

Even though they are people above all others, they readily apologize for their mistakes.

“Duke Rovena of the North, Chief Aide Viaton, Deputy Chief Aide Armitel, Captain of the Guard Kiruen, Chief Attendant Dailtha, they are all people of very noble status, but they honestly admit when they are wrong. They are people who apologize well when they need to.”

Narmore smiled.

He found Isabel’s grumbling very cute.

It felt like he was watching his youngest sibling whining, so his heart softened.

“That’s because they are strong people. Only truly strong people can admit their mistakes. And those people also become strong and firm only in front of Her Highness.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I’ve barely seen His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress, so I don’t know about them. But I’ve never seen Sir Viaton apologize to anyone other than Her Highness.”

“I-is that so?”

“Captain Kiruen is also only docile in front of Her Highness. And so is Chief Attendant Dailtha.”

Despite the initial topic of the conversation, the flow of the conversation drifted towards Narmore’s flattery.

“Her Highness is like a baby angel who makes the people around her strong.”

“……”

Isabel was momentarily speechless.

A baby angel?

She defined herself as ‘an attention-seeker who loves compliments,’ but this was a bit much.

‘Huh?’

But she spotted someone loitering far away in front of the Arena Palace.

Narmore also spotted him and frowned.

He instinctively felt a little bad at the sight of his handsome face, even in this darkness.

‘Arun or Almond or whatever. What’s he doing here?’

The apprentice knight who had recently become very famous among the maids.

He was in front of the Arena Palace.

As if he was waiting for someone.