AWWEWNR Chapter 52

“Her Highness the Princess?”

 

“Yes. We have also confirmed that the letter bears the name of the young lady, Hanaella.”

 

At Edward’s words, Hanaella took a sip of the Lomel tea she had ordered.

 

When Edward had asked her which tea she preferred, she had chosen this one without hesitation. Its refreshing yet sweet smell tantalized her nose. 

 

The faint, zesty orange scent that lingered after stirring was pleasant, and again, it had a calming effect. 

 

Edward felt a strange sense of pleasure as he realized that it seemed to be a perfect match for Hanaella.

 

“Her Highness is very interested in the dark arts. She used me to invite her to the last tea party at Thearine’s, and then used her to make sure I couldn’t refuse.”

 

“So she used both of you at the same time.”

 

“Yes. She’s quite clever in that way, and I’m sure she’ll find a way to make me accept this invitation as well.”

 

Edward sipped his tea wordlessly. Its refreshing, sweet flavor filled his mouth. It was a scent that reminded him of Hanaella. 

 

Even the lingering, fragrant aftertaste. I had a feeling I was going to like this tea.

 

“Speaking of which, I have another request for Ron.”

 

Edward looked at her at Hanaella’s words.

 

“A request.”

 

“Yes…can I see Ron?”

 

“… It’s not possible.”

 

‘…I see. I’d rather talk about this in person with Ron.’

 

“So I’ll just have to ask Duke Edward again?”

 

“Yes. You can ask me. I’m the one who’s handling the request for Ron.”

 

At Edward’s words, Hanaella paused for a moment, then spoke to him in a low tone, as if she were afraid someone might hear.

 

“Everything I’m about to tell you is an important secret that must not be revealed to the world at large.”

 

Edward nodded once, unable to help himself at the seriousness in Hanaella’s eyes.

 

“They keep trying to get me to marry Count Tharrott, despite several unsuccessful attempts.”

 

“…”

 

“I know what Count Tharrott wants to get out of marrying me, and that’s why I will never marry him.”

 

‘Well, that’s good to hear.’ 

 

“But they will continue to extend their evil hand to me.”

 

“…”

 

“I have a vast amount of black magic until the end of the contract, but if they have their way and trick me into feeding Delphiter, my power will be useless.”

 

“Yes. Delphiter is a drug that puts you to sleep instantly in small doses.”

 

“I have black magic that puts people to sleep, such as the Dark Sleep, but unless I’m a god, I can’t use it to recognize when they’re doing something awful to me.”

 

“I see.”

 

“That’s why I’m hoping the Duke can help me.”

 

Instead of answering, Edward lifted his teacup and took a sip of tea. 

 

Looking at him, Hanaella continued, “I’ve seen through what they’ve been trying to do to me, and I intend to give it back to them.”

 

“Let’s hear it.”

 

Edward said, setting down the teacup he was holding.

 

“First of all, I need a Delphiter, and I hope the Duke can get me one.”

 

Edward paused at the mention of Delphiter. 

 

“And?” he asked.

 

“Once I have the Delphiter, I will invite Count Tharrott to my home, and I will feed the Delphiter to Count Tharrott.”

 

“…”

 

“Then I want the Duke to take Count Tharrott to Lady Brandz’s house without anyone noticing.”

 

“…You mean Lady Andredel.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Hanaella nodded. On the day of Brandz’s tea party, she had spoken privately with her after Rosaryn had left in a huff. 

 

As she racked her brain for ways to get revenge on the Thearine siblings, she remembered that Brandz had a crush on Tharrott.

 

Granted, she’d only spoken well enough of him to her because of her dealings with Rosaryn, but basically, Tharrott was popular with the nobility, and she remembered Brandz blushing when she saw him. 

 

So Hanaella offered her a deal, with a price that was higher than the building that Rosaryn had offered Brandz.

 

At first, she thought Brandz would be reluctant, so she asked her to only pretend to sleep with Tharrott, but Brandz said she would do it for real. 

 

Since nothing could be done while he was asleep, the idea of pretending to sleep with Tharrott when he woke up and then actually sleeping with him seemed to be an opportunity for Brandz to take advantage of Hanaella’s offer.

 

If she was lucky, her night with Tharrott would result in her marrying him, and even if that didn’t happen, she figured he’d be able to help her with her family’s problems. 

 

Brandz accepted Hanaella’s offer, saying that she had no prospective lover and would gladly accept a one-night stand with a handsome man like Tharrott.

 

“It will be Lady Brandz and Count Tharrott for the night.”

 

“…”

 

“Of course, I could use my sleep magic without Delphiter, but my magic has a very short duration, and since it’s designed to be used on demons, it might fail if used on humans, which is why I need Delphiter.”

 

“…More than that, did Lady Andredel accept your offer?”

 

“Of course. We couldn’t do this if she didn’t say yes.”

 

Edward nodded.

 

“Fortunately, Lady Brandz seems willing to take advantage of them, so I don’t want to miss this opportunity.”

 

“Very well.”

 

Hanaella’s face brightened as she agreed without much thought.

 

“And the fee…?”

 

“Shall we start by settling the cost of the tea party?”

 

“…And show you some of the black magic I’ve learned?”

 

“Yes. Then the commission afterward.”

 

Edward’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

 

💫

 

“The Duke of Delioffe?”

 

Lloyd, having sent someone to watch over Hanaella because of Lionel, looked puzzled at the unexpected mention of the name by the man who had come to report.

 

“Yes, Your Majesty, I can confirm that the Lady Hanaella traveled to Duke Delioffe’s residence this afternoon, and that she is still there.”

 

‘Still…? What on earth could there be to talk about that she’s still at his house?’

 

Lloyd’s mind began to spin. He didn’t particularly want to get involved in who she was seeing or what she was doing. 

 

But now that he was impatient for the rest of the day’s teatime to come around, and she was casually wandering in and out of a stranger’s house, he found himself in a mixed state of mind.

 

‘Crap.’

 

Lloyd set down the pen he was holding nervously and leapt to his feet.

 

“Your Majesty, there’s still something you need to take care of…”

Jarez panicked, rising to his feet, but Lloyd cut him off quickly by raising an eyebrow.

 

“The bathroom.”

 

Part of him wants to run to Edward’s house right now and demand to know why Hanaella was still there, but he’s annoyed because he couldn’t leave the palace unprepared, and he has no right to do so. 

 

He wants to ask her if they should stop faking it and start a real relationship, but he doesn’t have the courage to do so for fear that she would tell him the truth and reject him.

 

As Lloyd walks down the hallway, he stops abruptly and shields his eyes with his hands.

 

“What are you doing, Ren?” 

 

The Crown Prince is so agitated that he’s standing up over matters that need to be dealt with.

 

“Huh…”

 

He’s just gotten a report that Hanaella was with another man, and he’s agitated. 

 

Why, for what reason, how long have they known each other, how close are they? 

 

Unpleasant questions swirl through his head. It seemed to him that Hanaella had become too important to ignore.

 

— ‘Hayden’s darkness… can you handle it, Ren?’ 

 

Hana would never want to be by my side, no matter how much I wanted her to. 

 

‘To feel this way when there’s no way I can keep her by my side for the rest of my life is a sign of the weakness of the man who will lead an empire.’

 

Pressing his hand to his forehead, Lloyd let out a long sigh, and when Tran came to his side and asked if he was all right, he removed the hand covering his eyes and returned to his office.