The Princeliest Prince of All - Chapter 26
Before she knew it, she was already in front of the prince’s palace.
Should she go in and talk to Leonard now, or go back to the annex and talk tomorrow?
Sera wandered around the garden in front of the prince’s palace.
Gardeners, under the prince’s command, were busily planting flowers, but Sera was lost in thought and didn’t notice.
I can’t wait until tomorrow!
With her decision made, Sera marched down the hallway with determined, heavy steps.
However, she couldn’t find Leonard in either the bedroom or the office.
Somehow, this fueled her resolve even more.
Evan, whom she encountered in the corridor, hinted that Leonard was in the library.
Snorting, Sera headed towards the library as if she were going to a fight.
Emily, who had come to clean, widened her eyes in surprise as she saw Sera’s fierce demeanor.
“Your Highness…!”
Without even knocking, Sera flung open the library door.
Leonard, leaning against the desk, welcomed Sera without a hint of surprise.
“I told you to take a day off. What’s going on?”
“I heard something strange!”
Why is he so calm?
Sera scoffed and approached Leonard.
He placed the book he was holding on the desk.
He lightly massaged his gloved hands together.
“Today! Her Majesty the Empress invited me, so I went….”
So it was all a ploy by the prince.
Leonard nodded calmly.
A long silence followed.
Why isn’t he saying anything?
What’s with that expression?
No romantic confession?
Sera tilted her head.
“She told me to marry you, Your Highness.”
“Yes. You should.”
The atmosphere was completely different from what Sera had imagined, and she frowned.
The prince’s attitude was no different from the empress, as if it was an imperial command that had to be obeyed regardless of one’s feelings.
This isn’t right.
“Do you want to marry me?”
Sera threw a direct question at him.
She had practically laid out a mat for him to confess, thinking he couldn’t avoid it now.
Yet Leonard’s expression didn’t crack even a little.
He calmly took off his dirty gloves, found the clean pair he had prepared, and put them on.
“Sera, our marriage is a given. You’re the only woman I can touch right now, so it’s only natural for the sake of the country.”
What Leonard said was neither a proposal nor a confession Sera had hoped for.
It wasn’t love but a practical, indifferent statement.
As if he had no feelings but had no choice because there were no other options, and it didn’t matter what Sera thought of him.
Slowly, Sera crashed back down to reality.
She chewed over Leonard’s dry words.
And she realized.
On her way back from meeting the empress and the princess, she had been more excited than she thought.
She had been thrilled.
She had deluded herself into thinking Leonard truly liked her in this fake world.
“Whether it’s wealth or power, I’ll give you everything you want. If you bear an heir, His Majesty the Emperor will surely bestow great rewards upon the Brandt family.”
Satisfied that the new gloves were perfectly clean, Leonard lifted his head.
Sera stood silently, her head bowed.
Even so, Leonard wasn’t worried.
Thinking of the Sera he knew, he believed she was probably calculating what she could gain from the terms of their marriage.
“…Is that all you have to say…?”
At Sera’s cold voice, Leonard flinched and looked at her.
But Sera was smiling as if nothing had happened, or rather, as if she were pleased.
Relieved, Leonard nodded.
“What else is there?”
Another silence followed.
Sera lowered her head deeply.
Leonard hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should say more.
Maybe he should have explained more about the lavish gifts and the immediate wealth she would receive.
“Of course, you’ll have all the rights immediately. If there’s anything you want, you can have it. You might not know, but the imperial family has countless treasures passed down as heirlooms….”
The words Leonard was mumbling trailed off as he sensed the cold air.
It seemed like an illusion, but it felt as if a frosty aura surrounded Sera.
Standing frozen like a statue, Sera slowly opened her mouth.
“…Fvcking hell.”
A tiny whisper cut sharply across the library, piercing Leonard’s ears.
No way she’s saying that to me.
Leonard worried that maybe his mother had said something misleading.
“Sera?”
Sera suddenly lifted her head.
But instead of looking at Leonard, she scanned the library.
Leonard tilted his head, puzzled by her incomprehensible actions.
Unable to find what she was looking for in the room, Sera opened the door and dashed out into the hallway.
Emily, who had been peeking through the door out of curiosity, recoiled in surprise.
Sera’s gaze fell on the cleaning tools Emily was holding.
Specifically, the bucket of water for rinsing rags.
“Emily. I need to borrow this.”
“Huh? Oh….”
Pushed by Sera’s determination, Emily nodded.
Sera lifted the heavy wooden bucket with both hands.
The dirty rag that had been resting on the edge plopped into the water.
With a grunt, Sera staggered back to the library.
Leonard stood there, looking utterly bewildered by Sera’s actions.
Using all her strength, Sera lifted the bucket to her chest.
Her arms trembled.
“Go to hell! You bastard!”
With a satisfying splash, the filthy water soared through the air and drenched Leonard.
The rag swimming in the water followed suit, landing squarely on Leonard’s face.
His once pristine appearance was now that of a drowned rat.
