TTMLPTWW ~ Chapter 162

* * *

While Masera went to complete the discharge procedures, Count Queensguard sat across from Cynthia with his arms crossed, silently watching her.

Cynthia, who was brushing her hair, asked with a curious expression,

“Why?”

“It’s nothing.”

“I’m asking why you keep coming to stare at me.”

She couldn’t understand why he kept coming back, looking at her with an expression that said he had something to say but couldn’t bring himself to say it, plus the eyes of a man with a story.

The Count, having been caught off guard, ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

“I quit cigars.”

“…So?”

“I’m not interested in the Royal Family’s inheritance, nor Nox’s oil. I won’t harm you either.”

“Aha.”

“The train station… I’ll take it from someone else.”

What on earth was he trying to say?

“Is that lip… did you get hit?”

The Count, who had been explaining his harmlessness in great detail, asked.

Cynthia, who hurriedly covered her swollen and scabbed lips, gave an awkward smile.

“It’s a glorious wound from a six-hour battle.”

She only told part of the truth.

But why was this man, who usually had no interest in others, asking such a question?

She barely had time to wonder before the Count suddenly became serious and straightened his posture.

“What do you think of me?”

“……?”

At the Count’s question, Cynthia’s face quickly turned sour.

‘Does she hate me so much that she feels nauseous?’

Considering what he had done, he fully expected such a reaction, but he couldn’t help but feel a little sorry.

“You’re old enough to be my dad, what kind of nonsense is that?”

Cynthia began to glare at him with contempt.

The Count frowned, realizing that she had misunderstood him in a completely different way.

“I have no such hobby. I just wanted to know how much you hate me.”

“I don’t hate you?”

“So, you think well of me?”

“No? I don’t think anything. Isn’t hatred only possible when you have some kind of emotion?”

In other words, she didn’t think he was worth wasting her emotions on.

The Count was a man who was well-versed in being indifferent to others, but when he was on the receiving end, he didn’t know what to do.

“And I told you not to call me ‘old man’.”

“Then what should I call you? I don’t care if it’s long or difficult. I probably won’t have many opportunities to call you anyway.”

Saying such heartbreakingly cruel words with such a kind face.

The Count tilted his head back and pondered for a moment, then lowered his chin and looked at Cynthia again.

“A strategic title to use whenever you need me, or when you summon someone to perform insults and personal attacks on your behalf.”

Cynthia, who had been bewildered, raised one eyebrow and made an uncomfortable expression.

“……Dad?”

The Count’s eyes curved gracefully as he heard the words he wanted through a highly suggestive question.

“You can use it anytime. When you want something, or when you want to eat something delicious…”

“I’ll see how it goes.”

Cynthia, seeing Masera entering the hospital room at that moment, gave a perfunctory answer and got up from her seat.

“Please get discharged now. Rumor has it in the hospital that ‘the man who performs insults and personal attacks on your behalf’ is a freeloader.”

Following Cynthia out, who had spat out harsh words, Masera glanced at the Count.

The Count, seeing the fleeting smirk, covered his face with one hand.

“That…”

That mischievous bastard. He couldn’t exactly hit Medea’s Most Elite Commander.

He couldn’t bear the feeling of defeat, as if he had been robbed of his treasure with his eyes wide open.

* * *

After the crackdown on the gun-smuggling Organization, many things happened.

The first was that all the high-ranking officials involved in the Organization were caught and imprisoned.

However, not a single case of corruption was found against Count Queensguard.

He was a thorough man who never left anything that could be a weakness.

At this point, even orchestrating a fraudulent marriage by deceiving his children’s bloodline wouldn’t have any impact on him.

‘Wouldn’t the one who touches him be the one to break?’

He was the man who had destroyed the Royal Family, so it wasn’t impossible.

What on earth was he?

Anyway, he didn’t seem to have any intention of killing me, and he was helpful in his own way, so I decided to leave him alone for now. In the current situation, it could be like poking a hornet’s nest.

Meanwhile, Helene, a stubborn woman who valued her pride, received a fair trial.

“Considering that a gunshot wound by a third party was found on the victim’s body, that the defendant has a disability and is unlikely to flee, and that there was coercion and manipulation by the Organization, we sentence her to three years in prison, suspended for five years, and 120 hours of community service.”

Helene seemed more distressed by the light sentence, with a sad and complicated expression.

Seeing that, I wondered if Markiel had shot him to cover up Helene’s crimes.

After all, when I went back to Helene at the time of the terrorist attack, the heavy panel that had been lying on top of her had been removed.

I wondered if two people who were clumsy with their emotions had met and ended up with a failed love.

Meanwhile, Edford, who seemed to be in shock in many ways, left for a foreign country after talking with Helene.

“It was a truly tumultuous time.”

Returning to the official residence and lost in thought, I sighed as I neatly folded my clothes and put them in my luggage.

Crackdown on the gun-smuggling Organization and arrest of corruption related to the Organization, thanks to Princess Cynthia’s efforts.

Because Masera gave me the credit, I even received an award like the ‘Brave Citizen Award’.

“It will be dangerous if it is revealed that you are the only Royal Family member. This has been communicated to Helene Queensguard in advance, and she and Edford will maintain their Royal Family status until the inheritance is completed.”

This was Masera’s idea, and I agreed because I was still the first in line of succession.

Anyway, I ended up attending a very difficult, heavy, and authoritarian event.

* * *

Lumantis Empire, Imperial Palace.

Masera and I were attending a conference hosted by the Lumantis Imperial Family.

Sitting in the ornate conference room, decorated entirely in emerald and gold, made me feel uncomfortable, as if I were wearing clothes that didn’t fit.

It was because of the incredible lineup of Royal Family and royalty from the Lumantis lineage.

“Among the liberated countries, there is no place with records that can be officially adopted as a country ruled by the Bariesa Royal Family in ancient times, so we tried to identify it through the Royal Family’s inheritance, but we cannot know with the inheritance found so far…”

Basically, they were thinking of giving me the right of succession to the throne of a country that the Bariesa Royal Family had ruled in the past, but they couldn’t give it to me because they didn’t know where it was.

From Masera’s point of view, and frankly, I didn’t need such a thing, but there was one thing I was planning separately.

But then, one of the Royal Family members raised a question.

“Um, I don’t quite understand why the descendant of the fallen Bariesa should receive the throne. Didn’t the Bariesa Royal Family face a national crisis due to the failure of their predecessors’ rule?”

Of course, it wasn’t wrong, but Masera, who had the value of ‘if you object to Cynthia’s words, I’ll beat you with words’, calmly launched a barrage of attacks.

“It’s not something for someone with a predecessor whose head was only on a silver platter to say. I suppose that descendant also wants to somehow live in the palace as royalty.”

As Masera said, that Royal Family had failed even more spectacularly than the Bariesa Royal Family.

I clicked my tongue inwardly.

‘Do you think the rulers of superpowers don’t know that?’

Giving the right of succession to a fallen Royal Family was something that even the great powers would benefit from, but they didn’t seem to know that.

“Isn’t that the same for your Princess?”

The Royal Family member, whose pride had been hurt, retaliated, but Masera was like an indestructible diamond that deflected attacks several times over.

“My Princess is already recognized even if she doesn’t ascend to the throne and live in the palace.”

The Royal Family member, recalling her wealth and achievements that she didn’t need, lost their words and closed their mouth with an embarrassed face.

Masera, who had been sitting upright like a soldier, subtly took my hand under the conference table.

He was looking at me with eyes that said, ‘I did well, didn’t I?’

‘Cute.’

That’s right, there’s no way a male lead from a tragic novel would do something so cute, right?

* * *

“Then, I hope you have a good night.”

After the conference and banquet, we were finally shown to a room used by state guests at night.

“Look, the Princesses gave it to me as a gift.”

I changed into a Russian nesting doll-like dress and showed it off to him.

During the banquet, I had become close to the Imperial Princesses of the Empire, and we had exchanged 100-question profiles and decided to become pen pals.

“Why is she so popular even with women…”

Masera had a very displeased look on his face.

Was his jealousy starting to extend that far?

“So, I asked if it suits me.”

When I asked again, putting strength into my voice like a madman, Masera hurriedly nodded.

“Yes, the braided hair suits you well too.”

“Hehe.”

It felt like I had forced him to say it, but I had received a compliment, so that was enough.

I confidently straightened my shoulders and said,

“Then shall we combine now?”

Seeing Masera’s face turn blank for a moment, I quickly added,

“No, I couldn’t think of the word… I mean combining the music box spring and the parts that were in the necklace.”