Chapter 21

Right now, Riorem was not in the bedroom.

Perhaps because it was the official day of entering the palace, the morning was busy.

A week had already passed, and today was the day the problematic regular meeting was held.

Maybe that’s why everyone was busy today.

Since it was the day the retainers officially met the king, many people were entering the palace, and each of them had to dress properly for the occasion.

Even Teumesha, who usually dressed plainly to the point of being dull, appeared with the hair ornaments that the Arete women wore.

Today, instead of a maid, Teumesha had brought the ointment.

She was probably the only one who had taken care of the ointment until now.

“You said everything that needed to be said,” Teumesha, who had been silent until then, finally spoke.

Her tone was still blunt.

The advantage of receiving me as compensation was that it became known that Riorem Velik had succeeded in a long revenge.

Everything else was a disadvantage.

So I told him to demand the king’s solid support, and to do so not just verbally but in a recordable form.

Perhaps the reason my whole body hurt so much was because of that story.

Every time this topic came up, Riorem would get angry.

But I didn’t give up and repeated what I had said.

Even though Riorem got angry at my pretense of being noble, I didn’t stop.

Because that was probably the easiest way.

“What do you think? It seems your demands to drive me out didn’t work.”

“Your advice wasn’t much different from mine, so it doesn’t matter,” Teumesha answered, ignoring my provocation.

“Then tell me the main point, Teumesha. Since you came while Riorem wasn’t here, it can’t just be to bring ointment.”

Teumesha searched her uniform pocket at my words.

An old pen dropped with a heavy sound onto the bed.

“It’s poison.”

“Poison?”

“Yes. If you press the pen tip without opening the cap, the sealed poison will be released. If the body is well trained, it will only cause paralysis, but an ordinary person would die immediately.”

Her dry voice continued as if she were talking about business.

“If things go badly today and the situation gets complicated, use it. If you can escape, you can use it against the opponent… you know, right?”

I chuckled involuntarily.

So that’s why she came secretly. She expected me to die for Riorem if necessary.

For now, I took the pen containing the poison.

Regardless of my unwillingness to listen to Teumesha, it was a useful item.

Teumesha, who had been watching me, left the bedroom without even saying goodbye.

As if all business was finished.

Her somewhat rude attitude was not unusual.

“Because she must return to her place before Riorem comes back.”

If it was for such a purpose, she must have come to avoid Riorem’s eyes.

But despite such efforts, Riorem appeared less than five minutes after Teumesha left.

Bang!

The bedroom door was flung open roughly.

“Hoo.”

I stopped raising my teacup and admired.

I had heard that the regular meeting of the Arete Kingdom was what people commonly called the nobles’ meeting.

A place where the high-ranking members of the kingdom dressed gorgeously and competed with each other.

But I didn’t know Riorem could look this beautiful.

I thought she would wear something similar to when she was summoned by the Arete king before.

The level is different.

Today, Riorem was wearing a white uniform with a blue outer garment.

The collar and sleeves of the uniform were embroidered stiffly with silver thread, perfectly sharp and crisp.

The jacket fit Riorem’s body tightly without a hint of looseness, revealing every curve.

Over it was draped a long, ornate outer garment like a net.

The intricate emblem of the Arete Kingdom, embroidered in gold thread on elegant blue fabric, seemed to reflect his standing in this country.

“The pearl-buttoned shirt looks modest in comparison.”

I thought, looking at the shirt adorned with a string of pearls no bigger than finger joints.

It wasn’t just the outfit that was lavish.

The brooch holding the cloak in place was clearly a carefully crafted piece.

The raw blue gem also appeared extremely valuable.

The ring decorating Riorem’s pinky finger along with the lord’s seal was also luxurious.

The delicate gold mold shaped like a bunch of grapes was something that couldn’t even be made in a country unfamiliar with goldwork.

Besides that, the belt emphasizing his slender figure, leather boots, and even the faint scent of perfume from his hair—all showed meticulous attention.

“Truly dazzling, Riorem. No wonder all the servants fuss over your dressing.”

I admired sincerely.

But despite my praise, Riorem’s expression did not soften.

Instead, with an even colder voice, she asked me,

“Did you call Teumesha? Or did she come on her own?”

“How should I say it, the one who had always ignored my summons finally came today. Did I call her first? Or did Teumesha decide to come today on her own?”

“Why does my adjutant keep coming to you?”

“That’s a misunderstanding, Riorem. There are only three people in this castle I can call on. I contact you and that maid more than Teumesha.”

Riorem fell silent as if at a loss for words.

Instead of pressing her further, I lifted my teacup again, with an exaggeratedly elegant and relaxed movement.

Her blue eyes scanned me thoroughly—from my fingers holding the cup, to my lips sipping the tea, to my upright posture.

“So drinking tea is included too, huh.”

I swallowed the tea without revealing my thoughts.

I recently noticed something—Riorem got aroused whenever I acted like Princess Peroa.

Quoting classical poetry, reading books, even picking out jewelry with an erection was proof enough.

She was probably that excited even when writing the letter to the king.

“In that case… I should ask for a writing tool.”

I remembered the item I had put away in the drawer of the side table.

The pen Teumesha left was placed closest to the bed.

It was originally a spot for simple accessories, so the worn pen stood out.

Of course, not enough for Riorem to notice, but you never know—she’s suspicious like that.

“I’d better say I’m going to write a diary. That would make it natural to have a pen in the drawer.”

I came to a rough conclusion and put the teacup down on the tray.

I never really enjoyed tea, especially not lying in bed drinking it.

So this was purely an act to gain Riorem’s favor.

Perhaps my effort paid off, as Riorem didn’t react much and let me leave the bed and walk toward her side.

I slowly stood before Riorem.

Then I placed my hand on her chest and removed the decorative pin pressing her throat.

Riorem’s body stiffened.

Not noticing it, I proceeded to unwrap the several layers of packaging tightly encasing Riorem.

I loosened the tie choking her neck, and removed the belt that pressed her flat, slim lower abdomen.

I also took off the jewel chains hanging over her cloak and some other uncomfortable-looking accessories.

Finally, I took off all the rings except the old ring engraved with the lord’s seal and the grapevine ring reminiscent of the vineyards of Dynamis Castle.

“That’s better now.”

“…Did I look strange?”

“No. I told you before, you looked good.”

“Then why…?”

“I guess it just didn’t match your taste.”

I put the jewelry on the table.

Even after removing one out of every three pieces, the weight was considerable.

After weeks of experience, I came to understand Riorem’s tastes a little.

At some point, she had been choosing my clothes.

At first, the sheer number of clothes she bought was overwhelming, but now I could easily guess which dress she would put me in.

The same went for accessories.

So I had to know that everything I removed now didn’t suit her preferences.

Above all, Riorem disliked accessories that constricted the body.

Aside from the fun of teasing her, I didn’t want to see her go out wearing clothes and jewelry that didn’t suit her taste and made her uncomfortable.

(Of course, she didn’t seem to even know what her own taste was.)

Riorem looked embarrassed. It seemed she was flustered that I was speaking about her preferences she herself didn’t know.