The Camellia Tattoo - Chapter 78
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
this book is completely translated on luna kofi (advanced chapters for the website will follow)
Igmeyer glanced at the prince with a gloomy look.
The prince bristled in response.
“Why no response? Do you not know that sighing at a prince’s words could be considered an insult to the imperial family?”
Igmeyer decided to ignore him, sensing his poor temper was beginning to annoy him. He figured the situation wouldn’t deteriorate too much before the high priest intervened.
His judgment proved correct.
“Your Highness.”
The High Priest, Mikael, called out to the youngster with a low voice. The prince, who had been wildly ranting, flinched.
“Why such excitement on such a fine day? Please, maintain your dignity.”
The prince clenched his fist at Mikael’s warning, delivered with a smile.
With that, the situation seemed to settle, and Igmeyer thought to take another sip of his drink.
Then.
“You should apologize.”
The voice, firm and cold, carried a sharpness.
It surprised not only Igmeyer but everyone else. The appearance was completely different from the smiling one.
The prince and the High Priest both turned to look at Amber, who had spoken.
Especially the prince, who seemed too stunned to even comprehend what he had just heard.
“Words always carry the speaker’s intent. You’re not a child, so I trust you won’t excuse yourself by claiming you spoke without thinking.”
“Huh! Apologize? For what, exactly?”
The prince demanded, with veins throbbing on his forehead. Amber’s face went expressionless.
Perhaps because she was always smiling, such a stark expression seemed all the more shocking.
At the same time, Igmeyer felt a tension on his lower body.
“Firstly, please apologize for referring to me as ‘a beauty from Shardroch.’”
“To call a beauty a beauty, what’s wrong with that?”
“This is not the imperial palace, Your Highness. Moreover, I am the Mistress of the North. It was quite displeasing to be judged first and foremost by external criteria.”
In truth, if he hadn’t been a ‘prince,’ such a statement could have warranted a duel in a normal noble gathering.
Referring to a noble lady as a ‘beauty’ or similar is considered rude.
Especially, referring to her as the ‘beauty from Shardroch’ now that she had become a part of Niflheim was also impolite.
Actually, every word the prince spat out was distasteful.
Amber pointed out exactly that.
“To get disliked being called beautiful is a first for me. Alright, let’s say that was my mistake. If that’s the first point, do you have another?”
The prince’s lips twitched.
The High Priest chose to quietly observe the situation, and Igmeyer suppressed his laughter, pretending to be dignified.
In this tense atmosphere, Amber spoke again.
“Of course, there’s another. Secondly, my husband is the master of the North. Please apologize for belittling the hero who stands against Nidhogg for his cultural levels.”
There was no trace of aggression in Amber’s tone. From start to finish, she was serious and calm.
That made it difficult to counter. Since there was nothing wrong with Amber’s attitude, it was impossible to find fault for a counterattack.
“When did I say that?”
“You said, ‘If your level of culture is low, you wouldn’t even be able to have a conversation with your wife’. I believe most of those seated here heard it.”
“Huh, so the prince must watch his words? Me, the son of the great Emperor?”
As he lost ground in the face of Amber’s momentum, Loki Asgarden revealed his true colors.
From beginning to end, defending himself solely with his status as a prince was the strategy of the lowest of the low. Such a shallow individual had no chance against Amber.
“I am offended, it is Your Highness who is tarnishing the image of the Great Emperor. How is it that on your first day in someone else’s home, you create discord with your light words?”
If this had been Shardroch or the imperial palace, Amber might have attacked in a more cunning way.
But this was her home, Niflheim, and she was the Mistress of Niflheim.
Why should she watch her words? No host caters to their guest’s whims at the expense of their own comfort in their own home.
Therefore, Amber was rather direct in rebuking the prince.
She was angry, but it also reflected how much she had assimilated into Niflheim.
“I regret it, I regret it! Is that enough?”
Mistake.
Regret.
This is how royalty apologizes for their wrongdoing.
Loki Asgarden glared at Amber with a face turning red and pale alternately.
Now that his gaze was no longer that of viewing a ‘beautiful woman’, Amber felt satisfied.
“Thank you. Lastly, please also apologize for presumptuously judging and assessing our marital relationship.”
“What…!”
“Unless that was your purpose for coming here.”
After pointing all that out, Amber smiled. Radiantly enough to steal one’s soul.
Though the prince never said sorry to the end, it was certain he would not dare to carelessly speak his mind again.
That much was certain.
* * *
“Damn it!”
In the bedroom.
After the meal, Loki, who was left alone, was unable to contain his boiling frustration and erupted in anger.
“That woman… she’s shamed me!”
