The Tyrant Empress is Obsessed with Me

40 – Confession, Festival of Saints

In life, there are times when you have to do things you don’t want to.

If you give up on those things one by one, you’ll inevitably fall into a swamp that is difficult to escape from, no matter how hard you struggle.

As the Crown Prince, Cain knows this fact better than anyone else. It’s hard to even begin to imagine the weight hanging on the shoulders of a simple blonde young man.

So far, he has managed to endure it.

However, as a human being, he inevitably looks for moments to catch his breath. The Crown Prince, too, has developed a few tricks in his time. For example, he enjoys horseback riding or playing hooky when he has some free time.

As a senior, the Crown Prince decided to teach Ascal.

“Listen well, Ascal. I will teach you the way to break through this crisis.”

“What is that?”

Ascal only waited for the Crown Prince to speak.

It was a statement from none other than the Crown Prince of a country. He couldn’t help but have high expectations.

“Pee your pants.”

“?!”

Is he crazy?

“When I was young, I had more than ten tutors. As soon as I opened my eyes, I had lessons and more lessons. I didn’t want to do anything at all. One day, I really didn’t want to listen to my history lesson. Do you know what I did then?”

“…Did you pee your pants?”

“That’s right. Thanks to that, the imperial palace was thrown into chaos, and my ten tutors were reduced to five. Ascal, listen well.”

The Crown Prince spoke quite seriously.

“Sometimes, wetting yourself is the right answer.”

Ascal considered that option for a moment.

Twelve ladies are waiting for him to make an appearance. The protagonist of the matchmaking event finally appears, and in front of everyone’s watchful eyes, he boldly pees his pants.

That moment would mark the end of the matchmaking event, and the end of his social life as well.

“It seems difficult to do.”

“Really? I thought it was a good idea. But I’ll help you in my own way, so cheer up.”

With that, the Crown Prince patted Ascal’s shoulder and walked into the hall first.

All eyes were on the Crown Prince.

However, as a Crown Prince, such attention was something he had become accustomed to – it was an insignificant matter.

“Seeing such beautiful ladies makes my heart waver. Tonight feels like it’ll be a long night, so it’d be nice if there was someone to have a deep conversation with.”

A light entered the ladies’ eyes.

They weren’t here for ordinary romance. They had come to witness a matchmaking event that considered their potential partner’s status and family background.

Instinctively, the ladies began to calculate their chances.

Ascal Devere -＞ Cain Varva

In this empire, there are not many men who are as good as Ascal in terms of a suitable match. But what if that’s the Crown Prince? Do you grab the chance to become a royal family member right in front of your eyes?

You can’t miss it.

Even if the probability is faint, it’s too bright a flash to ignore.

“hahahahaha! Everyone, come this way!”

Ascal looked at the quiet hall.

Most of the young ladies followed the Crown Prince out to another place. It was a majestic presence that resembled the one of the pied piper in a fairy tale.

Yet, in the hall, three young ladies remained.

Lady Ria Sinass.

Lady Seri Ravnore.

And… who is she?

Anyway, Ascal heaved a sigh of relief. The huge burden that weighed like a mountain changed to a single big rock.

This matchmaking attempt has ended in a disastrous failure due to the interference of the royal family. Now, the only remaining task was to safely send these tyrannical princesses back to the royal palace.

“Would you mind if we all had a cup of tea together?”

At that moment, it was a young lady – not a princess, but stepped forward.

She looked modest in her impression and unlike other extravagant dressed ladies, she wore a solid yet practical dress. Even the adorned jewelry looked like it was barely chosen to match the colors.

But who is she, really?

Ascal was lost in thought.

Lady Arin Esht, the young daughter of a baron, had ambitions.

18 years old, born as a noble but terribly impoverished, there was nothing she hadn’t done to survive.

Other young ladies’, maids, governesses, or riding companion, among others.

She earned money, but her self-esteem was worn down as a price.

No matter how poor or insignificant a title may be, her blood was blue.

She never forgot her dream of someday living a life that suits her status.

And when the rumors spread that the empire’s sleeping dragon, Ascal Devere, was seeking a match,

‘This is an opportunity. I must seize it.’

Arin took out the dress she rarely wore in case it might spoil, and adorned herself with borrowed jewelry from everywhere.

Her heart filled with excitement as she took a rented carriage and departed to the Devere family’s estate.

That is, until just before her arrival at the estate.

‘Lady Emilia, the Countess? And Lady Catherine, the Viscountess?’

Arin instantly felt small.

Even though Ascal Debur was quite popular these days, she never expected that such high-ranking ladies would gather for the matchmaking of a mere eldest son of a viscount.

And when Prince Cain appeared at the mansion, she almost fainted.

‘Pull yourself together, Arin. You can do this.’

As soon as she saw the prince leaving with many ladies, Arin thought this was her chance.

It was a much wiser choice to aim for Ascal, who was at least from the same viscount family, than to try reaching for the unreachable star-like prince.

Arin checked her attire and took a step forward.

Looking around, there were only three ladies left, including herself. Already, that was a one-in-three chance.

‘The young lady of the Count of Sinas… and the young lady of the Viscount of Raviorn. It’s worth a shot.’

Although they were beautiful ladies, their families were not as prestigious as the dukes and earls who had left earlier. Even for someone from a mere viscount family like herself, there was potential.

“Would you like to join me for a cup of tea together?”

Suddenly, all eyes were on her. As Arin wondered if she had said something strange, the young lady of the Raviorn Viscount laughed.

“That’s a good idea. My throat is a bit dry. Let’s sit down and have some tea.”

While saying that, the young lady of the Raviorn Viscount was staring at the young lady of the Sinas Count. Her eyes were somewhat intimidating.

“I don’t particularly want to be with a woman who clings without knowing her place, but since it would be a disgrace for ‘Assistant’ Ascal to have a sore leg, let’s move.”

Not knowing her place?

Was she talking about herself?

Arin swallowed hard.

‘Please help me, Father… It’s so scary here.’

“Two pieces of sugar in black tea. Sweet. That’s how you like it, Ascal, right?”

“Th-thank you. You really don’t have to.”

“Only two cookies. Too much sweetness is not good for your body.”

Today, Lia was here as the young lady of the Sinas, but she was deliberately acting as an assistant by Ascal’s side.

Her intention was clear.

It was for the sake of winning over Seri Raviorn, the second princess. It was as if she was saying this: I already know this man’s taste. I even make his tea personally. What are you going to do now?

“Loser.”

“What?”

“It’s nothing. You must have heard something wrong.”

Seri was desperately holding herself back.

She was never good at patience in the first place. Even now, she wanted to flip the table and ruin everything.

From No ble mt L dot c om

Yulia usually pretended to be a calm and wise princess, but more often than not, she showed her true colors when dealing with Serena. The long-standing ill-fated relationship between them had become tiresome.

“Do you still sleep with that doll? Hmm, isn’t that the one you snatched from me when we were eight? You really like taking things from others, don’t you?”

“…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“What do you mean you don’t know? You’re probably not going to tell people the truth about your identity, are you?”

Lia hurriedly used the telepathy spell on Serena.

-Are you insane? Do you plan to reveal your identity here?

-I was wondering where you were hiding all this time. Were you working with the evaluation department? And your boss doesn’t know your true identity?

Serena was known for her sharp intuition.

Stabbed right at the core, Lia hardened her expression.

-You won’t benefit from revealing your identity, either. If word gets out that the second princess came to this place…

-Why is it just you? I can reveal my identity, can’t I? Huh? Shall we all make a princess confession together?

-Then, would you be okay with it being known that the second princess frequents theaters every night?

-Ugh. How did you find out!

Neither of them were backing down from their coming out threat.

Ascal sensed the unusual atmosphere and sipped his black tea, which tasted like nothing to him.

Glancing to the side, he saw an unfamiliar young lady trembling. A strange camaraderie was felt amongst those caught between the quarreling pair.

The two, now silent, clashed with body language.

They deliberately placed tea cups far from one another, or picked up and ate the dessert their opponent had been eyeing.

Even a fool could tell that a subtle psychological battle was taking place. Aarin could no longer sit idle, and stood up from her chair.

“Everyone, please calm down! On such a joyful day as the Holy Night Festival, this atmosphere is horrible, ah!”

However, the hem of Aarin’s dress caught on the edge of the chair and she stumbled forward. Flailing her arms to regain balance, she inadvertently knocked over the tea kettle.

In that moment, the kettle rotated a full 360 degrees, spilling its contents everywhere. The slippery table made things worse.

“Ahhhhh!”

Aarin let out a scream.

It was a magnificent Aqua Splash.

Everyone, including herself, was soaked.

“…What a mess.”

Ascal saw the two princesses rendered speechless and sensed his opportunity.

“What on earth are you all doing!? Fighting amongst yourselves on a sacred day like the Holy Night Festival! Aren’t you ashamed before the gods?!”

Acting was something Ascal was quite confident in.

Ascal feigned anger as naturally as possible, exaggeratedly wiping his clothes with a napkin before standing up. He then quickly walked towards the exit.

“Thank you so much. Nameless young lady.”

For bestowing upon him such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

In an instant, Ascal had vanished.

Confused by Ascal’s departure, Lia didn’t even think to wipe her clothes and reflexively followed after him.

“Hah, unbelievable. He was acting so snobby all this time, but this is the first time I’ve seen him act like that. Must really like that guy, huh?”

Angrily, Serena sat down and looked at Lia’s back as she hastened away.

What could it be? Since earlier, Serena had the feeling that if she didn’t follow as well, she’d regret it for the rest of her life…

Shaking her head, Serena dismissed it as a delusion. She wasn’t as foolish as Yulia. Usually, she was not the one swayed by men but the one doing the swaying.

“I’m so sorry! I will clean it right now! Eek!”

“……It’s fine.”

Serena sighed once more as she watched Arin tripping over her dress again.

Starry Night Festival.

Stars were falling.

Planning to distance himself from the princesses, Ascal unknowingly came to a halt, mesmerized by the falling stars in the night sky.

One of the rare advantages of this era was the astonishingly clean and clear sky. Thanks to that, the falling stars were clearly visible.

“A…Ascal!”

“Lia.”

He had never seen Lia looking so out of breath before.

Ascal looked at Lia, who had rushed to him wearing her uncomfortable dress.

“I’m sorry. It’s just that…”

“It’s fine. I wasn’t really angry.”

There was a tradition for the Starry Night Festival in this place.

During the time the stars fell, only the truth should be spoken.

That’s why Ascal’s words were also the truth.

It was merely an excuse to leave the situation, Ascal was not angry at all. On the contrary, he was in a good mood because he could escape the situation unscathed.

“The stars are beautiful.”

“Yes, they are.”

The two of them gazed at the night sky in a daze, without saying another word.

There was magic in the sky where the stars fell.

Lia, no, Yulia took a deep breath.

The stars were so beautiful, but she couldn’t fully enjoy them in her present world, as there was always something prickling her heart.

“Lord Ascal, I have a confession to make.”

“A confession?”

Ascal felt uneasy.

Was this the moment he’d been dreading would come?

Regardless if it was late or early, the situation would eventually arrive. Ah, now the good days are over. Today is the day the tables will turn.

“My true identity is…”

Crash!

Just then, along with a tremendous noise, a meteor fell from the sky.

The sound was so loud that it almost deafened them.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes. I’m just startled, but I’m fine.”

“It’s cold tonight, we should go inside.”

Ascal naturally tried to get up from his seat.

Lia nodded her head. A dress wasn’t suitable attire to walk around in at night, especially when it was wet. Catching a cold would be a disaster.

Thank you, meteor.

My life extends by one more day, thanks to you.

Ascal turned towards the mansion, preparing to go inside.

And then.

“In truth, I am the Third Princess of the Empire, Yulia Varvara. I apologize for deceiving you all this time.”

In the end, there was no way to avoid the inevitable.

Ascal turned his head toward her.

Yulia looked down at the ground with a flushed face, uncertain of what might happen next.

“I see.”

“Yes.”

Ascal spoke.

“I knew it already.”

“…Really? Yes?”

Yulia looked at Ascal’s face in confusion. He looked completely unfazed, as if he wasn’t surprised at all.

Yulia was overwhelmed. When on earth did he find out? When they went to the palace? When she was away from her seat? When they left Zurat?

Ascal touched her cheek.

“You’ll catch a cold. Let’s go in.”