The Villain’S Daughter-In-Law Is Inherently Powerful [EN]: Chapter 65

* * *

“It’s been a while, Duchess.”

“Hansen! It’s been too long. How have you been?”

“I am well, thanks to you. I, Hansen, am relieved to see that you seem to have regained your strength, Duchess.”

“Yes, I’ve caused you a lot of worry.”

Wow, Lady Inanna is talking to the Chief of Staff of the Imperial Palace.

A Chief of Staff is naturally a noble from a family with legitimacy above the Marquisate. As he attends to the Emperor’s every move, he is an incredibly powerful figure within the palace.

Seeing such a Chief of Staff treating Lady Inanna with such respect made my heart flutter with admiration.

Could I ever be like Lady Inanna?

“His Majesty wishes to have a private audience.”

“That simply won’t do. Isn’t she just a child? How could I send her alone?”

Wow, Lady Inanna is standing her ground before the Emperor’s command.

Ian and I stood quietly, watching the situation unfold.

We were supposed to be escorted to the Emperor to pay our respects, but Lady Inanna was adamant that she couldn’t send me alone.

The Chief of Staff looked troubled, but with Lady Inanna being so firm, he eventually said he would speak to His Majesty again and went somewhere.

“Wait a little. Soon, His Majesty will say that he will see both of you together.”

“I don’t have to go alone?”

“Yes. Ian, you must stand by Florin’s side and support her.”

…I’m glad I came with Ian after all. I was worried that this kind of situation might happen.

I breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at Ian.

“Huh? Are you nervous?”

“N-No! I just wondered if Ian was nervous.”

“I’m not nervous at all. I’m fine.”

Ian gave a faint smile.

After scrutinizing his face, I realized that Ian was telling the truth and was a little impressed.

Come to think of it, hasn’t Ian grown a lot taller lately? The difference in our sitting height seems quite significant.

When I drew a line from above my head to Ian, I realized that Ian had indeed grown much taller than I remembered.

‘Surely, I’m not the only one who hasn’t grown?’

Of course, there’s a difference in species, but I still want to grow taller too.

“I got taller, right?”

As if he had noticed, Ian turned to me and smiled beautifully.

For a moment, it felt like a flower garden had unfolded behind Ian, and I was speechless.

“His Majesty has granted permission for you to enter with your partner.”

“!”

The Chief of Staff returned, and I was barely able to tear my gaze away from Ian.

“Alright, you two go and come back safely. I’ll go to the assigned bedroom first, so come there when you’re done.”

“Yes, Lady Inanna!”

Ian silently offered me his arm.

I gently placed my hand on his arm and followed the Chief of Staff.

I was honestly curious about what Emperor Sang-Guion, the father of the enchantingly beautiful Yuri, looked like.

* * *

“You must not open your mouth before His Majesty speaks first. His Majesty dislikes those who act rashly, so be mindful of your behavior.”

I had to pass through four doors to get to the audience chamber where the Emperor was.

After proving our identities and undergoing a body search, we were finally allowed to enter. To top it off, the Chief of Staff warned us before clearing his throat and announcing us to the Emperor.

“Your Majesty, this is Duke Ian Driblianne of Driblianne and Lady Florin, who is scheduled to become the mistress in her twenties.”

“Let them in.”

Although the door was closed, the Emperor’s voice was heard as clearly as if he were speaking right next to us.

That was amazing, but I tried not to show it and entered the audience chamber, which was… surprisingly vast.

“Come closer.”

It seemed like it would take at least twenty adult steps to get from the door to the throne. Wouldn’t it be more than thirty steps for a child?

Following what I had learned, I carefully moved forward without raising my head, keeping my eyes lowered, and eventually reached the place where I had to stop.

“Closer.”

“……?”

However, the Emperor demanded that we come closer.

I was told that we should stop around here because of safety concerns…?

After hesitating for a moment, I moved according to Ian’s movements.

The Emperor told us to come, so it should be okay… right?

“Hmm. Yes, now I can see your face clearly. You were so small that I couldn’t even see you.”

“To the great master of the Magic Empire, the ruler of the seas who holds light and darkness, Ian Driblianne and Florin Driblianne offer their greetings.”

Feeling uneasy, Ian and I bowed simultaneously as we had been taught.

Now, the Emperor should tell us to raise our heads.

“So, you’re the little rascal.”

But… the Emperor chuckled and spoke in a mischievous voice.

“Such a cute little thing. Are you trying to deceive me?”

Is this a question? Or not?

I don’t know whether I can answer or not.

‘If you don’t know, the answer is to remain silent.’

It’s safer than accidentally saying the wrong thing.

I just kept my head down, sweating profusely.

“Well, it’s the fool who gets fooled. Since a Saintess has appeared in the Magic Empire, I’ll consider it proof of your power and let it pass.”

Fortunately, the Emperor didn’t dwell on the subject for long.

In response, I lowered my head further to express my gratitude. This was a more lenient outcome than anything I had imagined.

‘I’ve been bowing for so long that my back hurts… When can I raise my head?’

But the Emperor only tapped the armrest and didn’t say a word about whether we could raise our heads.

I felt his gaze slowly scanning Ian and me.

Just like how his voice felt like it was right next to me, I felt like someone was watching me right next to me, giving me goosebumps.

After what felt like a long time to me.

The Emperor finally spoke again.

“He must be here somewhere anyway. Come out, Kiraxus.”

It’s okay to get up now… wait, Kiraxus?

‘No, why are you suddenly looking for Father, who should be safely at the mansion?’

I had a thousand question marks floating above my head. I couldn’t keep up with the Emperor’s words at all.

But that’s when it happened.

“I don’t recall ever giving you permission to call me by my name so familiarly?”

“?!”

Huh. No, wait a minute. Why is Father coming out from here???

I was so dumbfounded by the unexpected situation that I froze. I couldn’t hide my expression for even a moment, so it was fortunate that I was keeping my head down like this.

‘I thought the Emperor was talking nonsense… But if you really appear like this…?’

But Ian didn’t seem surprised at all. I glanced sideways, but his expression was calm, and he didn’t even flinch.

At this point, I was bewildered, wondering if everyone had joined hands and just hadn’t told me.

“Tsk. Both of you, raise your heads.”

Fortunately, the Emperor’s permission had been granted, so I hurriedly raised my stiff neck.

My father was reflected in my widened eyes.

Dressed in a jet-black suit, my father had a very relaxed expression even in front of the Emperor.

‘No, is that just brazenness…?’

It seems like he just followed us without going through any of those numerous checks…?

“Obviously. It’s too much trouble to come in formally, so you snuck in. How brazen and sly.”

Ah…….

I almost agreed with the Emperor’s words and rolled my eyes.

Then, I stealthily shifted my gaze towards His Majesty and stopped breathing.

“…….”

There was a peerless beauty there, as if God had sculpted him with the noblest hands in the world.

Long eyelashes fluttered beneath dazzling platinum blonde hair. The man, whose beauty could not be expressed with words like beautiful or pretty, possessed mesmerizing violet eyes.

‘Oh…… my.’

Anyone who saw the Emperor would forget what they had been saying until just now.

It was as if I had seen a vision of radiance shining beyond his noble face that had transcended the human dimension…….

‘Yuri resembles that face exactly……?’

God. Thank you for creating two such results in the world.

I unknowingly thanked God.

‘Shark people, hooray [referring to the Emperor’s shark-like captivating features].’

He’s unrealistically beautiful even with a bored expression, so what would it be like if he smiled even once?

I was넋을 놓고 황제를 보다가 무례를 깨닫고 얼른 고개를 숙였다. [넋을 놓고 황제를 보다가 무례를 깨닫고 얼른 고개를 숙였다: I was so mesmerized by the Emperor that I realized my rudeness and quickly lowered my head.]

“Lady Florin.”

“Yes, yes……!”

“Let me ask you one thing. Is this guy handsome, or am I more handsome?”

“……?”

My father crossed his arms and looked down at me quietly. The Emperor was also looking at me with his head tilted.

Somehow, the atmosphere was as if both of them wanted to hear that they were more handsome.