The Sub Male Lead is Burning with Jealousy - Chapter 7 Part 3
Rahil was certain that neither the Marquis nor Francis was cunning enough for such a scheme, so it must have been Anais herself.
Why? How?
It would have been impossible if she had grown up in the capital, but she was raised in a rural estate because her mother was always ill and needed rest.
Her mother’s death might have been the catalyst. Even so, Anais’s beautiful appearance would have been a source of pride for a young noblewoman, so it was strange that she had tried to hide it.
At the café entrance, some lower-ranking nobles who had probably been driven away by the escort knights were gathered. They were too low-ranking to recognize either Anais or the Emperor.
Without giving them a glance, Rahil entered the café. When he and Anais had come in earlier, there had been other customers on the first floor, but now it was empty. It seemed the lower-ranking nobles outside had scared them off.
One of the escort knights approached Rahil, who gestured towards the front of the café.
“What’s with them?”
“They tried to speak to Her Majesty the Empress and were chased away. We didn’t reveal Her Majesty’s identity; one of the knights simply intervened, so they shouldn’t know who she is.”
“At least there wasn’t a fight.”
The Empress was on the second floor, so they wouldn’t have resorted to force. The knight replied nonchalantly, indicating it was a minor issue.
“One of the knights revealing his status was enough.”
Rahil regretted having the escort knights remove their armor for the date. If they had kept at least the formal uniforms with the imperial insignia, the crowd outside might not have gathered.
‘Then again, real nobles might have gathered instead.’
He remembered the times he had roamed around with Theodore. When they were outside the capital, it was manageable, but revealing their status in the capital always caused trouble.
Rahil glanced at the café owner and staff. They seemed appropriately respectful, without any signs of disappointment or discomfort.
‘Anais probably instructed the knight to compensate them for any lost business.’
Some things were clear just by looking at expressions. Rahil headed towards the second floor where Anais was. His hand holding the bouquet felt sweaty, making him anxious.
* * *
It was the first time Anais had sat by the café window without a veil. When she was younger, she had sat there with her friends occasionally, but as she grew older, it became a rarity.
It all started with a trivial incident. During an outing, she had a dispute with a high-ranking noble’s child. Her family’s status was higher then, so they could suppress it, but remembering the original story, she thought it wouldn’t be wise.
In the original story, the Marquis of Ruol was hardly mentioned. There might have been a few lines, but she couldn’t remember them, which made her uneasy.
Her mother was ill, and her father was always at war, so even as a marquis’s family, it wasn’t strange for something to happen. Her brother was reliable and strong but lacked social skills. Most importantly, he had little experience dealing with people.
With the Emperor looking for any pretext to attack the Marquis of Ruol, anything conspicuous could become a weakness.
Anais didn’t think her cautiousness was a bad thing. The Crown Prince had come to see her once. If she hadn’t sent a maid in her place back then, trouble would have ensued.
‘Though it turned out like this anyway.’
Who could have predicted she’d get entangled with the sub male lead? It was foolish to attend the wedding without heavy makeup or a veil, thinking she would be completely safe, if it’s Rahil. But still…
‘I was just being cautious. I’m not some exceptional beauty…’
Anais didn’t think much about the crowd of people outside the café. Though most were men, she just assumed they had gathered because they recognized the Empress.
Waving her hand might cause a cheer and commotion, and ignoring or chasing them away would create bad rumors, so she decided to leave them be.
Being Empress now, she thought no one could threaten her besides the Emperor, so she relaxed.
‘The saying that the position makes the person is a lie. This is hard.’
She sighed and took a small bite of cake. About eight minutes ago, there had been a commotion downstairs, but it seemed to have quieted down. When she asked the escort knight, he simply explained it was a dispute over seat reservations.
“Anais!”
A bouquet was presented with a bright fragrance. Anais widened her eyes and looked at Rahil. Despite his hurried return, he was not disheveled. Holding the bouquet had kept him composed. If he had run, the flowers would have been ruined.
So, his flushed cheeks must have been from excitement. Or perhaps tension, or something similar.
“…”
It was one of the outcomes she had anticipated. There was no racing heartbeat or childlike joy at an unexpected gift.
Yet, why do I feel this way?
‘I was just looking.’
It wasn’t because she liked flowers. Their beauty caught her eye. She liked the expressions of happy women, the looks of lovers gazing at each other.
She had thought she could have that someday.
It was true that she had unknowingly hoped for this. She hadn’t wanted a grand position, a beautiful or special lover, but someone who loved her and a peaceful, happy home.
‘Ah… really.’
“Anais?”
At Rahil’s puzzled voice, Anais reached out. Her lowered gaze cast shadows on her cheeks, and her slightly flushed cheeks caught his eye.
“Thank you…”
That muttered response instantly swept away Rahil’s uneasiness.
His decision to buy flowers wasn’t deeply thought out. It was because Anais’s gaze at the couple looked envious. From which, he thought ‘Surely it couldn’t be because she liked the unimpressive man next to the woman, it must be because the bouquet in the woman’s arms looked pretty.’
‘Ugh.’
Rahil’s hands trembled with the urge to hug Anais, who had responded so sweetly. He wondered why he couldn’t embrace his wife at will but remembered they were outside the palace.
‘Besides, I’m not a loved husband.’
