How to Capture Someone’s Heart
A peaceful morning.
I sipped my tea leisurely and smiled.
Thanks to my tireless efforts persuading people over the past few days, there were no more reports involving Jerome.
Even the subtle glances I used to receive from all corners of the Imperial Palace had vanished.
It seemed my message—that I had no interest in Jerome—had finally gotten through to everyone.
Now I wouldn’t have to deal with any more ridiculous misunderstandings.
It felt like I was finally one step closer to the peaceful Imperial Palace life I’d been dreaming of.
“Your Majesty the Empress.”
Just then, Marie approached me with a cautious voice.
Judging by her expression, she had something to say.
“What is it?”
“The book Your Majesty ordered has arrived.”
“Book?”
“You showed interest in a book I was reading the other day and asked me to quietly obtain a copy, remember?”
“…?”
Interest? Quietly obtain?
Of course, I had never asked her to get me a book.
Which meant Helena must have ordered it before I possessed her…
So why was a sinking feeling creeping up on me?
“What would you like to do?”
“Bring it here.”
I opened the box Marie brought, and inside were several books.
When I checked the titles, I was stunned.
“Oh my…”
What… are these books?
Every title screamed absurdity.
“101 Ways to Capture the Heart of the Opposite Sex”
“Practical Advice for Those Who Want to Be Loved”
“Why Did the Lady Give the Knight an Extra Scone?”
From advice on winning someone’s affection to blazing red covers too embarrassing to say out loud.
A very colorful assortment.
“Do they suit your tastes?”
Marie watched my reaction closely.
I couldn’t bring myself to be cold in the face of those sparkling eyes.
“They’re… really fascinating. I’ve been wanting to read these so badly.”
At my words, her face lit up.
“For Your Majesty, I’ll find as many books like these as you want! Ten, even a hundred!”
“Haha, it’s okay. Your thoughtfulness is more than enough.”
“If you ever need anything, please call on me!”
With that, Marie finally stepped away.
It felt like a violent storm had passed.
Of course, I had no intention of actually reading these books.
I had absolutely no interest in Jerome!
“Practical advice” for capturing someone’s heart, my foot.
They were utterly useless to me.
Especially the one about why that noblewoman gave the knight an extra scone—I couldn’t care less.
I placed the book on the terrace railing and let out a soft laugh.
‘Helena must’ve really liked Jerome.’
In the original story, she was portrayed as a crazed villainess desperate to steal the male lead.
But now that I’d actually possessed her body, she felt more like a woman starved for love than a villainess.
To think she watched his every move and even went so far as to get books like these…
“If he was the type to fall for tricks in a book, Helena wouldn’t have had such a hard time.”
I thought back to last night.
The night Jerome unexpectedly came to see me.
—Why did you say you did something you didn’t?
—What exactly do you think I am?
He’d said those cryptic words again and left without even waiting for an answer.
No—maybe he hadn’t expected one in the first place.
‘Why did he say that?’
I pondered over it again and again after he left, but nothing came to mind.
Ugh. The more I thought about it, the more my head hurt.
As I shook off my thoughts and turned to go—
Thump!
Something brushed against my fingertips.
The book I’d placed on the terrace railing had fallen off.
A dull thud followed.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
A person?!
I hurriedly looked over the terrace railing.
A man was rubbing the back of his head.
“I’m so sorry! Are you hurt?”
At my question, the man looked up.
“Your Majesty the Empress?”
“…Wait—Sir Leonard?”
To my surprise, the one hit by the book was none other than Leonard.
“Is this your book, Your Majesty?”
He picked up the fallen book and asked.
No—wait. The book?!
The title flashed through my mind.
I shouted in a panic.
“Ahh—don’t look! You absolutely must not look at it!”
At this point, I didn’t care about appearances or dignity.
No, no, no!
I sprinted down the stairs like a madwoman and stopped in front of Leonard.
He stared at me in surprise as I arrived, breathless.
“Haha, I’m really sorry. I dropped that and it just— Is your head okay?”
“I’m fine. But it must be quite an important book for you to rush down like this.”
“That’s right. It’s very important.”
So please hand it over.
I reached my hand out to take the book.
“…?”
But he didn’t return it.
Instead, he subtly moved it behind his back, as if he didn’t want to give it up.
I looked at him in disbelief.
“What are you doing?”
“Returning the book isn’t difficult, but…”
“Then please do.”
“My head still aches a bit. If it’s not too much trouble—”
His lips curled into a smile.
“May I have a cup of tea?”
“…Excuse me?”
＊ ＊ ＊
It was an audacious request, but I couldn’t flat-out refuse.
Even if it was an accident, I had dropped a book on him, after all.
“The tea is delightful.”
Leonard smiled brightly as he sipped the tea Countess Chloe had brought.
As always, his beauty was blinding.
He was just drinking tea—and yet it felt like watching a photoshoot.
Was that an exaggeration?
But with the sunlight streaming through the window and casting a glow on his features, it was hard not to be impressed.
You… your face is a crime.
I found myself unconsciously admiring him.
Then he asked a question.
“How often does His Majesty the Emperor visit this place?”
“…?”
What a strange question.
Why would he suddenly ask that?
“Almost never, I suppose…?”
Jerome had visited me recently, but that was a rare occasion.
Even in the original story, Jerome rarely sought out Helena.
The few times he did, it was usually to scold her for tormenting the female lead, Faye.
“…Is that so?”
“His Majesty has no reason to come here.”
Exactly. If anything, he’d go visit the Imperial Consort’s palace again.
“I don’t understand why His Majesty acts that way. If it were me…”
Leonard looked directly at me as he continued.
“I think I’d visit here quite often.”
“You make amusing jokes.”
What a terrifying thing to say.
If he came here every day, I’d live in constant anxiety.
Forget Jerome—just seeing this man often is bad for my heart.
Honestly, if I didn’t know his true identity, I probably would’ve been blushing and flustered by now.
“Have you finished your tea? Then please return the book.”
I cut to the chase, and Leonard smiled softly.
“It seems Her Majesty the Empress dislikes me.”
“Of course not. How could I dislike spending time with the most popular man in high society?”
“I see. Then why do I feel like Your Majesty doesn’t want to be near me?”
He lowered his lashes as if in sorrow, but his voice didn’t sound sad at all.
“I just want my book back.”
“So this book must be quite important.”
“It was a gift.”
I held out my hand to him.
“So please return the hostage.”
He gave me a mischievous look.
“What if I refuse?”
I furrowed my brows in disbelief.
Was Leonard always like this?
I’d always known him to be polite and well-mannered.
“You said one cup of tea was enough, didn’t you?”
“The tea is lovely. May I have another?”
“…You sound like you plan to drink every last drop of tea in the palace.”
“That wouldn’t be such a bad idea.”
“What are you…?”
I was speechless at his shameless behavior.
“Come to think of it, why are you here? This area isn’t even under your jurisdiction.”
“As captain of the Imperial Knights, I’m not assigned to a specific area. I oversee the security of the entire palace, and so I happened to come this way.”
Something about that didn’t sit right.
I narrowed my eyes and asked skeptically.
“So you just happened to be patrolling directly beneath the terrace I was standing on?”
“I was concerned that someone with ill intent might be able to scale that height in a single leap.”
“…”
Hearing him respond so smoothly made it clear.
He didn’t just stumble upon me.
If it had been any other knight, I wouldn’t have suspected a thing.
“Be honest. Why did you really come here?”
“A simple security check. Unless…”
He tilted his head slightly and added,
“…perhaps I just wanted to see Your Majesty.”
I laughed lightly, brushing off his words.
“I’ll be honest with you. I find you a little intimidating.”
“Oh dear. If I may ask, why is that?”
“More importantly, shouldn’t you tell me why you came to see me? What’s your business here?”
“My business…”
He touched the rim of his teacup.
“Your Majesty seems convinced I came with a specific purpose.”
I nodded.
“Yes, I do.”
“Why?”
“Because…”
I shut my mouth before the word “villain” could escape.
Right. The man sitting across from me…
Sir Leonard, the Captain of the Imperial Knights…
Was the true mastermind of this story.
Perhaps even more dangerous than the protagonist, Jerome.
I didn’t know what scent of trouble had drawn him to me—
But for the sake of my safe and happy Empress life, he was Priority Number One to avoid.
“Because… it’s just a hunch.”
I answered vaguely.
It’s not like I could tell him I knew his true nature.
“A hunch?”
“Yes.”
“I see. Understood.”
He gave a short nod.
Then he stood and bowed.
“It’s been a pleasure, Your Majesty. I’ll take my leave now.”
He turned toward the door—but then,
“Wait.”
I stopped him.
He turned back, puzzled.
Don’t give me that innocent face.
“You should at least return the book.”
“Ah, the book.”
He held it up, and then casually said,
“I’ll return it next time.”
“…What?”
“I’m quite interested in it myself.”
He whispered with a lazy smile.
“How to capture someone’s heart, after all.”
