My Dream is to Get My Own House - Chapter 40

Episode 40

“Yes? That’s right.”

It wasn’t like he caused me any harm.

What’s so difficult about giving a blessing?

And it didn’t even cost anything.

He took my hand without saying a word.

“…I understand.”

What does he understand exactly…

He looked at me with a slightly courageous expression, as if he wanted to ask a question.

But before he could express his doubts, he naturally placed a small pastry in my mouth.

“Go ahead and eat. It’s a freshly baked baguette. I brought it because it seemed like you didn’t have lunch.”

It tastes delicious.

After attending cooking classes for the past week, it seems like my culinary skills have improved.

I was chewing the baguette absentmindedly when I suddenly panicked.

Come to think of it, the Emperor is right next to me and yet he’s the only one who’s taking care of me…!

As I was pondering over it, I quickly turned my gaze towards the Emperor.

But…

“What, what is it? How can a person’s mouth be torn apart like that?”

He was laughing joyfully as if he had gone insane.

“Yes, keep going. I truly love and admire seeing beautiful couples in love.”

…Admire too?

Is he really the Emperor? He seems so similar to Emmanuel…

At that moment, the ballet performance began.

A melancholic melody echoed in my ears throughout.

The young male ballet dancer, who had been trapped in the Winter Castle, kissed a beautiful ballerina like the sunshine.

But I didn’t care about their performance at all.

The food Dylan put in my mouth, his irregular breath, and the gentle touch of his skin brushing against mine bothered me much more.

It felt like I was only experiencing half of the ballet performance.

* * *

The dinner time with the Emperor and the emerging nobles had begun.

Before the Emperor entered, the nobles were seated at the dining table.

The lady wearing a veil was equally stunning, wearing a dress that was dazzling enough to blind the eyes.

Viscount Lorelei glanced at them with a somber gaze and was taken aback.

“To wear a veil, what kind of person is she?”

“I heard rumors that she might receive a minor title. It’s even a hereditary title!”

The Emperor was struggling to suppress the power of the existing high-ranking nobles who opposed the imperial authority.

His alternative was to create numerous new nobles within the central politics.

However, most of them would only receive minor titles without inheritance rights.

“That much, huh? If Dylan, who is known to have the favor of His Majesty, is escorting her, then she must have accomplished something truly remarkable.”

Everyone’s attention shifted towards the veiled woman.

But she remained silent, sitting gracefully in her place.

At that moment, Soldika was seated at a spot about midway along the long table.

She glanced around the table to assess the atmosphere.

However, there was no lady as beautiful as herself no matter where she looked.

“Hello, I’m Soldika Lorelei.”

The emerging nobles sitting beside her whispered among themselves.

“The Lorelei family?”

“Oh my, the one with the terrorist…”

“Is she still being interrogated?”

“I wonder what happened to the Blue Moon.”

The topic of Ishael was still a hot conversation here.

There were also those who openly expressed their reluctance at the mention of “Lorelei.”

As the atmosphere became tense, Lady Mahsa was startled and clapped her hands.

“That woman imprisoned in the dungeon is not my daughter.”

“What did you say?”

“Really? She’s just a terrorist causing trouble.”

Lady Masha frowned at the derogatory comments from the emerging nobles.

“We severed ties with her a long time ago.”

Next to Lady Masha, Viscount Lorelei took out official documents from his pocket.

“When we became viscounts, we officially excluded that terrorist woman from our family.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“That woman caused trouble like a terrorist before she could do anything, so she left the house altogether.”

The emerging nobles around them exchanged glances.

“I see… I see.”

Lady Masha raised her voice in defense, feeling unjust.

“If you see that child, you’ll understand. She acts as carefree as a street mouse.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. She could never be as elegant and refined as our Soldika, right?”

She didn’t know Ishael’s appearance.

Since Ishael left the house, they had never faced each other.

The emerging nobles who looked at her nodded in agreement.

An awkward silence hung in the air.

At that moment, Soldika saw a veiled woman sitting right next to the head seat exuding a grand atmosphere.

“…She’s strangely unpleasant.”

There was a sense of discomfort in her chest, but she brushed it aside.

“Maybe she’s hiding her face because she’s ugly.”

In this place, the most beautiful and eye-catching lady was none other than herself.

As she comforted herself, it happened.

“The Emperor is here.”

All the nobles stood up to greet the Emperor.

“To the glory of the Empire, eternal homage to the Sun! We greet Your Majesty, the Emperor.”

The Emperor entered and took a seat, flashing a bright smile.

“Please be seated, everyone. This is a relaxed dining occasion.”

Soldika was half-distracted by the Emperor’s beautiful appearance.

“This is a gathering to meet and pay respects to the emerging nobles. It’s a pleasure to see you all. Ah, Ishael. It’s time to remove your veil.”

Ishael? That “Ishael”?

Not only the members of the Lorelei family, but also the emerging nobles were surprised, their eyes widening.

The meticulously stitched opaque veil fell to the ground.

Soldika, who confirmed the woman’s face behind the veil, was astonished, her eyes widening.

It was the real Ishael.

Her sharp gaze stared at the Lorelei family.

“I’m Ishael. Sorry for the late introduction.”

People stared at her with a curious expression.

“Everyone is only looking at Ishael!”

Soldika understood the situation, but there was nothing she could do.

“How on earth did she come here?”

Lady Masha was so curious that she was almost going crazy.

But no one dared to mention the major terrorist incident in the presence of the Emperor.

After such a brief exchange, it was time for the nobles to present their offerings to the Emperor.

“Water infused with walnut tree leaves and pottery crafted by an artisan from a foreign land.”

“Fascinating, isn’t it? By the way, you said you came from a different continent.”

“Yes, that’s correct. I’m deeply honored to be able to present this to Your Majesty.”

Viscount Lorelei sneered as the other nobles presented ordinary items.

He himself had brought the “Blue Diamond” with the sponsorship of Orlean, the rejectionist in the magic tool industry.

On a continent where the power of gods had almost disappeared and even the trace of divinity was concealed, the “Divine Grass,” which possessed one-tenth of the sacred power, was a tremendous artifact.

Viscount Lorelei smiled brightly and kneeled down.

“I present the Blue Diamond to Your Majesty!”

The sparkling Blue Diamond, wrapped in shining packaging, was presented to the Emperor.

“Oh, this is one of the rare artifacts containing sacred power, isn’t it?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

The Emperor cast an interested gaze.

“It must be quite a burden in terms of price. Mining it is not easy.”

“As you know, I recently started running an orphanage. You should see how much the children in our orphanage love me.”

“Well, I’ve heard reports that your virtue overflows.”

“Yes, whether it’s because of my virtue or because I formed a relationship with Viscount Orlean, haha. He made a donation to our orphanage.”

Noble society was truly a place where connections were as important as skills.

The gazes of those looking at Viscount Lorelei became more interesting.

The Emperor felt the same way.

“I see. Quite an interesting story.”

“I am honored to present the Blue Diamond to Your Majesty!”

The Emperor gestured and calmly spoke.

“Very well. Now, return to your seats.”

Viscount Lorelei respectfully expressed his gratitude and bowed.

At that moment, a small laugh was heard.

“Lucky me.”

It was Ishael.

Viscount Lorelei opened his eyes wide and spoke softly.

“It’s not luck that we mined the Blue Diamond.”

“No, Viscount Lorelei, not you.”

Ishael raised the corner of her mouth and spoke.

“I’m talking about me. Is it my turn now?”

As she stood up, she handed a small box to the Emperor.

Compared to the sparkling Blue Diamond, the box seemed insignificant.

Inside were three small plants.

Plants shaped like four-leaf clovers.

Red fruits were clustered near the four leaves.

Soldika laughed dismissively as she saw Ishael present such an insignificant item to the Emperor.

Presenting such a plant to His Majesty, the Emperor? That was laughable.

It was a laugh that meant “you’re only at that level.”

But it was precisely at that moment.

“This is…”

The Emperor’s pupils shook violently.