Seeing her face turn so pale did make her worry that they might end up holding a funeral.
But she couldn’t agree at all with the idea that he treated her well out of compassion.
Didn’t it sound the same as saying he was soft-hearted?
That, too, was a contradictory combination of words to Liselotte.
‘Someone like that wouldn’t look down on a younger sister who didn’t receive divine authority.’
It couldn’t even be called selective compassion.
A man with a heart that broad would never have believed only Diana’s words and proposed to send money as if giving alms to a beggar.
More than anything else, that was what displeased her the most.
Unable to watch any longer, Liselotte replied to Rula with a bright smile.
“That can’t be. My older brother is a ruthlessly cold-blooded person, you know. He is just as sharp and unforgiving even toward family.”
He would cut down even family, after all.
Anyone who frequently attended Imperial banquets would know how Liselotte had been treated within the Imperial Family.
Especially someone who was part of Diana’s inner circle would have at least heard about the constant clashes and the one-sided provocations Liselotte had endured.
Rula immediately grasped her intent and awkwardly averted her gaze.
“Ah, I see. Still, the way His Highness truly loves Lady Diana was very pleasant to watch.”
Quick to read the room, she lowered her tail at once.
Even in the midst of all this, Valen looked as though he had no idea what kind of exchange had just taken place.
He merely stared at Liselotte with a slight frown.
“What did you just say?”
“Ah, my ankle!”
Whipping forward and folding her upper body in half, Liselotte pretended nothing was wrong as she grabbed her leg and began to limp.
It was the perfect timing to make an exit from the banquet.
Perhaps startled by her exaggerated reaction, Eren quickly wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her up.
Holding the dangling Liselotte, he spoke in a voice that was quite frighteningly stern.
“Do not touch it. If you handle it incorrectly, you may end up unable to use your ankle.”
“That is a bit extreme.”
“We must assume even the worst-case scenario.”
He was so serious that Liselotte felt an unnecessary pang of guilt, her mouth turning bitter.
On top of that, she wasn’t particularly good at lying.
“I mean… it might not be that bad.”
When she subtly turned her head away, he pursued her relentlessly.
As if he had forgotten that countless eyes were watching in the banquet hall, he had long since abandoned basic etiquette.
When their eyes met awkwardly, it felt as though something snapped sharply in his gaze.
Above her head, his firm voice rang out evenly and decisively.
“We are going to see a priest. I will not accept any further refusal. This is a notice.”
In that instant, she felt her body flip.
Before she knew it, the chandelier filled her vision.
As her legs lifted and dangled in midair, a solid arm from behind securely supported her back.
When she came to her senses, Eren was effortlessly holding Liselotte in both arms.
The eyes of countless onlookers nearly popped out as they stared at them.
Arguing in public was one thing, but being carried like this in front of everyone was absolutely unbearable.
Liselotte covered her face, which had instantly flared bright red, with both hands and let out a shrill scream.
“Your Highness!”
“The words spoken by a mouth that tells lies are hard to hear.”
True to what he had declared, he didn’t listen to Liselotte’s protests at all.
The gaze looking down at her was sharp. He even seemed angry.
“I trusted your words that you were fine and ended up with the current situation, so from now on, I will act according to my own judgment.”
‘No. You’ve got it backwards.’
The first part was the truth, and the latter was the lie!
Yet the rebuttal was swallowed before it could pass her throat.
All she could do was press her shrinking body tightly against him, afraid she might fall.
Eren calmly delivered the same notice to Valen.
“My wife’s ankle seems injured, so I will take her to see a priest. We will return when His Majesty makes his entrance, depending on her condition.”
“…Do that.”
Valen replied slowly, glaring at Liselotte with a strangely subdued expression.
It was Eren who was carrying her without regard for decorum, yet she couldn’t understand why Valen was angry at her.
Strictly speaking, they had each done it once.
‘He hugged Diana too. Isn’t that a double standard?’
No sooner had she grumbled inwardly than Valen’s eyes narrowed.
He even slightly lowered his head as he stared intently at her face.
Had he realized it was an insult?
Or did he simply find everything about Liselotte irritating?
It was probably closer to the latter.
After all, he looked utterly clueless.
With no face left to show anyone now, Liselotte could only hope that Eren would leave the Great Hall as quickly as possible.
***
Valen was someone who knew what it meant to call another a good friend. And having just seen a living example of that, he was quite impressed.
Rula, who showed such deep concern for Diana, looked admirable.
To think they cherished each other enough to wait two whole hours just for tea time.
It could only be described as a truly devoted friendship.
However, what followed afterward, directed at him, was somewhat ambiguous.
‘Can it really be praise to say that someone destined to become the ruler of an Empire is preoccupied because his fiancee is ill?’
From his studies as the heir to the throne, one of the fundamental virtues an Emperor was required to possess was cold rationality.
Only one who was not swayed by personal emotions and could make decisions that benefited the Empire the most was called a great Emperor.
An Emperor was taught to regard the Empire itself as his child, his parent, and himself all at once.
His father, Larde, was an Emperor who embodied those principles as if drawn from a painting.
After all, he had sent Liselotte off to marry into the North without hesitation.
And yet, the sole Crown Prince, Valen, he…
‘…I’m not sure.’
Did he truly appear to others, as Rula suggested, to be someone who acted out of compassion and emotion?
If it was said by a young lady who had never studied the principles of kingship, it was highly likely that it had been intended as praise out of ignorance.
And if she was that close to Diana, then he ought to overlook the foolish mistake of a naive young lady with a generous heart.
And yet, at that moment, Liselotte spoke up in anger on his behalf.
“That can’t be. My older brother is a ruthlessly cold-blooded person, you know. He’s just as sharp and unforgiving even toward family.”
She was describing him as someone who possessed the qualities to become Emperor.
‘She’s not usually like this. What is her intention?’
It was hard to believe she was saying it simply to mock him; she was genuinely angry.
Clutching her injured ankle, she was deliberately defending him, wasn’t she?
It was a fresh shock.
They had never been particularly close, nor had he ever thought they would grow closer.
Seeing her snugly embraced with Eren made his expression twist involuntarily.
Before he could even think, his face reacted first.
‘How can something look this unpleasant?’
That alone showed that Valen and Liselotte were a pair who could never grow close. It had always been that way.
Their personalities were utterly incompatible. When they were younger, he had merely touched her hair once, and she had spilled tea all over his book.
If he entered her room, she would throw books and shout at him to get out.
From the start, their temperaments clashed, so they fought constantly.
They were enemies, nothing less.
Eventually, they each gave up to some extent.
Even if she caused trouble, he would simply shrug it off and remain indifferent, which reduced their friction somewhat.
There were times Valen even thought that, since he refused to accept her, she took it out on Diana or other nobles instead.
And yet now, she had taken his side.
Valen stood dazed, staring at the spot where Liselotte had been standing.
His thoughts grew tangled.
‘Did marriage make her mature?’
To hear her say something so utterly reasonable. It left him feeling strangely unsettled.
***
At banquets held in the Imperial Palace, priests with divine power were always on standby in case of emergencies.
Finding an empty lounge, Liselotte sat down on a sofa and awkwardly revealed her ankle.
Eren stood rigidly beside her, staring seriously at an ankle that was hardly even swollen.
The young priest, who looked rather easygoing, knelt down in front of Liselotte.
“The condition is not serious, so the treatment should be finished quickly.”
As he reached out a hand toward her ankle, Eren asked in a chilling tone,
“Is it absolutely necessary to touch the ankle?”
Oh my god. The brother is a complete moron 😬😬😬
He gets better, keep reading 😂
Reading his pov I thougt I’m the one losing my sense, thankyou for the enlightment