《The villainess aims for a peaceful life》


 1 My Scum Prince

    "... so Your Highness, I hope that when you go about our engagement break you won''t do a show out of it. Like for example in the middle of the royal party that is going to happen next month. That would not only everybody see the Duke''s household as a joke but the Royal and the Baron''s household as well"


    Right now I''m currently at a gazebo, drinking tea with my fianc¨¦e, the Crow Prince. An ikemen with black hair, blue eyes, and with a body that a model would die for. Right now his beautiful face that usually has muscle paralysis is showing a face of someone who just saw a ghost, but well who wouldn''t when someone just said your more inner thought. But I am happy since the only face he showed to me besides the paralysis face was cold and disgust. Neh, I think I could get used to it.


    "W-what are you talking about? Who said I''m going to break the engagement with you?"


    I just want to roll my eyes. Did you even tried to hide your intentions?


    "Please Your Highness, you insult mine and my father''s intellect. You unceasingly tried to weaken our household power and you are very open about your show of love with Lady Julia. It doesn''t take a genius to see what you are aiming for"


    "He, you are as stupid as I thought. But you are in no position to ask me anything Cecile"


    "That''s not true, my dear Crown Prince. I think is in your best interest that you break this in private"


    What disappointment! He went back to the block of ice mask. *sigh* you could at least panicked about a minute or so. But I guess this is expected of a crown prince.


    "Why would you think so? You engage in so many unfavorable behaviors as a Queen candidate that will be very easy to take your position of. Even if you beg that is foregone conclusion"


    Why are you making an icy smile as if you despise me? *tsk* I wish I could just slap this arrogant, scum prince. Breath in, breath out... smile.


    "Your Highness, I think you misunderstood, I have no inclination whatsoever to withhold this position. And about the unfavorable behaviors, I wish Your Highness would stop defaming me. After all, that royal demon-like instructor will skin me"


    I shivered remembering my queen training. Do you have any idea what will happen if the phrase ''Lady Cecile doesn''t behave lady-like'' reaches that demon instructor? I will be D-E-A-D okay? So don''t ever spot such words, thank you very much.


    "Stop playing Cecile, you and your followers harassed Julia non-stop. That was even a life-threatening one, if not because of your social standing I would have you jailed"


    "Now, now. That''s not true, is it? Harassment? No. I just warned her, and very friendly may I say, that you ARE my fianc¨¦e, and even if two were together I asked her to not displayed at open as you guys do after all is very unsightly. And about followers, I don''t have those, but I do have two very intimate friends that passed through the same hurdle that is having your fianc¨¦e be more intimate with a random female than his fianc¨¦e. And just coincidentally Miss Julia was the random female for all of us, but all we did was warned her though."


    "Stop telling lies! I know that you are behind the attempt to push Julia downstairs. And Julia told me that you threatened her more than once for her to stay away from me."


    "Well, wouldn''t you say that even if I did I would be right? After all, you are my fianc¨¦e, I have a higher standing than her and she''s just unreasonable. But, unfortunately, I''m not so interested in you that I would burn with jealousy and do all that. Hell! I even told her that you guys could stay together just not in public ~ I''m so nice don''t you think?~ and about the attempt to Miss Julia''s life, there are many females on the academy that have more hatred for her than me. While they can say it was me that directed them, I have no interest whatsoever to murder her since the aftermath would be troublesome. Now my Dear Crown Prince, do you get it? I just hope to peacefully break this engagement with the scu-marvelous you"


    "You, you almost called me something really offensive didn''t you?"


    Oops, my inner thoughts slipped. *tsk* even if you threaten me with you narrow eyes I will pretend that I didn''t.


    "And who doesn''t know you are madly in love with me. Although you recently stopped you chase after me night and day you are known to be very selfish and pampered lady. So I think it is very probable that you can engage in these types of activities."


    Can I punch you? Please, I promise it won''t hurt... a little that is. Keep the smile... I''m a gentlewoman, I''m a gentlewoman, gentle.


    "Ah yes, I indeed liked you, but you see, I am the flower of the high society, many men pursue me, although I chased you rather severe, once you started to derail from our engagement seriously all of my precognition of you just broke away. Honesty, if I could break this engagement I would..."


    Albert - the Crown Prince- got up rather abruptly and grabbed my chin hard and made me look up to him. This f*cking hurts! Are you sure I can''t just kick this jerk?


    "What did you just said? Say that again Cecile. Breaking up with me? Who do you think you are? Did you perhaps found a lover? Remember I am still your fianc¨¦e you wanting or not"


    HOLY S*IT! It this the famous overbearing president? F*ck you! You can have one and I can''t? Deep breaths... beautiful beach... can''t punch, the life of all household is doomed if I do. Breath in... a gentle smile.


    "Your Highness, different from you I didn''t engage in an illicit affair. And exactly because I know of my identity this engagement still up. Can you please release me now?"


    Giving me a cold gaze, the Scum Prince let go of my chin and sat down again. Our conversation deviated let''s try to finish this up quickly, I still have the queen training. Urgh, why should I go even though the scum and I won''t be together? *sigh* my temples hurt let us just finish this.


    "So, can we schedule a meeting between our families so we can break this up?"


    Stop squinting at me, or else I will think you have an eye problem, shitty prince. Just get done with this! So troublesome.


    "... yes, I will talk with my father. You will probably be summoned next week."


    "I see. I hope you will truly be happy with Miss Julia. If you excuse me, I still have another appointment. Until next week Your Highness."


    Without waiting for his response I courtesied and quickly made my way out of the gazebo, I fear if I spend any second more there I will beat this Scum Prince.


    Finally, I am able to get rid of this engagement.

 2 Reminescence

    Looking at the busy streets I remembered how this world was unfamiliar to me 12 years ago. After waking up from a fall in which I hit my head, I remembered my past life.


    I lived in a different world and was one of those lifestyle bloggers. Because of my career choice, I traveled a lot and knew many DIY stuff. Also, I absolutely loved Japanese culture. From the ancient Japanese with geisha and samurais to manga and games I would obsess about every single thing. Because of this, I read many manga and love to play otome games. My favorite one was "My 8 Male Gods ~ Chase after Me". I know the name is stupid but I liked please stop judging.


    The game was about a commoner girl named Julia, who discovers one day she''s the daughter of a Baron. Her mother was a maid in the Baron household and after discovering that she was pregnant, she was ''asked to leave'' by the Madam. 14 years later the Baron looks for his illegitimate daughter and brought her back to the household. So that she could blend in the aristocratic circle, the Baron enrolled her in the Royal Academy. In this academy, Julia met many ikemens who held important positions inside the academy and were influential outside.


    One of those ikemens was the Crown Prince, Albert Atherton. With the dashing looks, that I''m sure the designers spent hours working on, Prince Albert was the favorite route. Being the Crown Prince he excelled in everything he did, he was a proud young man who held a promising future.


    However, something has to spoil this image right?


    That something was his fianc¨¦e Cecile Dubois, the daughter of the Prime-Minister the Duke Dubois. Being spoiled since young she was your topical villainess and would harass you if you got involved with the prince. Of course, the prince didn''t care about her and would shower you with his affection.


    And as a matter of course,when I woke up I realized that I was the most ~loved~ character Cecile Dubois herself! You can imagine my happiness (panic) when all the pieces clicked together in my mind. You see, the happy ending in Albert''s route the Dubois household is demoted and she''s exiled while in the bad one everyone in the household is sentenced to death. The only thing in my mind was: Say, ne, you did not need to be so ruthless right?


    But well the solution to my future was very simple: Don''t EVER harass the female lead-sama.


    As a vivid reader of manga/novels, I was well aware of how terrifying the aura of this b*tch is. And she is also equipped with the plot armor, there is no way a mere cannon fodder like me could be her opponent.


    My only thoughts were: Yes, let''s keep a distance from her.


    Furthermore, I absolutely loathed Prince Albert even before becoming Cecile. I could never understand why would an author create a scum man as a male lead. Why should he cheat on his fianc¨¦e? Sure she can be trash, but can''t you as the fantastic male lead first cut ties with her and then be together with b*tch lead-sama?


    Fandom screamed: It is true love! The Villainess deserves!


    True love my as*, no woman deserves this okay? Furthermore, he was supposed to be a gentleman even with that ice mask of his.


    Because of this, although I knew how to have a loving relationship with my scum fianc¨¦e, I chose not to. Plus being a Queen must be so tiresome, is better to marry in a noble household with a good nature husband, then the treacherous royal household with a scum husband who only dislikes you because of the political marriage.


    Resolving my priorities I started to plan.


    Bid time, destroy engagement, create my business empire, destroy the smug face of my fianc¨¦e, be rich and willful so that I can be in peace wherever I am.


    What a perfect plan, I must say.


    For years bid my time, researching similar plants, flowers, wood, and foods in this world to the ones I knew in my past life. Going through the hell Queen training I learned how to manage finances and people, the most perfect etiquette and response for the occasion. I started to build a relationship with merchants who passed to offer their services in our house and save money for my upcoming business. All the preparations were done Dear Lord!


    All to this moment! I will be finally free from the engagement!!


    I can''t hold my smile.


    I will finally open my stores and create my conglomerate dominating the country economy muahahahaha!


    Ops, my dark side leaked a little bit, but well you get my drift right?


    Now I need to get Father prepared for the upcoming battle for the parsimony and try to rob the royal family as much as we can So that I can have a larger budget for the stores *snicker*

 3 Talk to father

    "Welcome home Miss"


    "I am back Sebastian, is my Father in the study?"


    "Yes Miss, will you visit master at the study?"


    "Well, I have important business to discuss with him, could you prepare green tea and some pastries please"


    "Most certainly Miss, it''ll be there in a second"


    "Thank you, Sebastian"


    ...


    *knock knock*


    "May I come in?"


    "Enter"


    Sitting in his chair, Father was looking through some documents, and I must say a man focused on his job is the most handsome one. As a character of an otome game, of course, my fathers look is absolutely top-notch, with a built frame, silver hair like mine and blue dark eyes, the first time I saw him after remembering my past life I had to double check if I didn''t secretly drool. Seriously dad is just that handsome.


    "Hey Lil'' bunny, what brings you today here?"


    *cough*


    Ops slightly lost my composure to Daddy''s beauty. This beauty is a grave sin.


    "Father I came to discuss the arrangements I just made with Prince Albert"


    "Well"


    "As we suspected, he wants to break the engagement. Before our talk, he planned to announce the break of the engagement in the royal banquet but I-"


    "What?! This is outrageous! How could he even think of humiliating you like that? Who that little piece of shit think he is? Surely next time I that stupid face of his I must punch at least once"


    Oh Dear Father, he is the Crown Prince you know~? And as much as I want/hope that the scene of that ice mask being cracked by your fists could happen, he is our future king you know that also right~? We can''t do that.


    "Calm down Father, let me finish. That was his intentions but after negotiations, he said he will talk to His Majesty so that both of our families can reach an agreement"


    "Fumu ~ is that so? So what you want to do my bunny?"


    "Oh Father, we, of course, must ask for mental compensation and compensation for the time of my youth spent on him and all the royal b*llshit right?"


    "Of course my daughter, they must pay for ALL the damage done to you and our household"


    Father your malicious grin is showing, although you still handsome though. I think this grin is contagious hehe.


    "Yes, it is so. I must show them how hurt I am with this incident"


    *snicker*


    Haa... we truly like a villainous pair of father and daughter. I am glad that no one can see it.


    "Excuse Master, Miss here is your tea and pastries"


    ... you don''t count Sebastian.


    Drinking his tea, father''s smile slowly became smaller. Looking at me with worry in his eyes, father pointed something that I still had no solutions to.


    "What about your future marriage"


    You see this is a real problem since almost all the good ones are taken. And those who are not are either in the heroine-sama harem or are His Highness associate. Furthermore I will be an ''abandoned'' woman, not that this will have a huge impact because of my family status, but still leaves a bad state. But I have a super ally for this.


    "Let''s let Mother handle it, she will surely choose someone good"


    "Yes it is as you said, let''s discuss with her later"


    "Well Father, I will stop bothering you, see you later at dinner"


    ...


    Leaving Father study, I started to think about all the bachelors available and the plans for my conglomerate development.


    *thump*


    Which servant has a chest so hard? My forehead hurts. Looking up I see a young man with red hair and blue eyes.


    "Cecile look where are you walking, how can the future Queen behave like this?"


    "Sorry Brother, I was distracted for a moment"


    Yes, the man in front of me is my elder brother Louis Dubois. 2 years older than me and the same age as the Crown Prince he is one of the few close friends of His Highness and he is also in the b*tch lead-sama harem. Because of those two, our relationship as brothers is very strained. Louis would pick up every little mistake that I did and I would thoroughly ignore his existence. This just got worse as we enter the Academy.


    I will never get people who chose outsiders over their family, for me this is just a white eye wolf. So most of the times I don''t even bother to acknowledge his presence. Simply not worth is better to spend time planning my upcoming fortune.


    "It is only this? Then, excuse me"


    Bowing to him I tried to leave for my room but Niisama held my arm.


    "Well?"


    "It is true that you and His Highness will break the engagement?"


    "Ho, he already tried to gain advantage from his rivals in love hum? Who could have known that our Ice Prince was so competitive. Well, it is true, Father and I will meet the royal family next week probably. It is a pity brother that I cannot help you in the chase for your loved one. Now it seems that Julia-sama will be the future Queen ne? So I kindly advise, as your cute imouto, that you keep a respectful distance from her, after all, would be bad if she was (still) rumored to have many lovers after being appointed as the future Crown Princess, don''t you think so Niisama?"


    Releasing my arm from my brother, I quickly made my way out of this corridor as I saw the face of my brother gone from a blank stare to a furious one. Dear Brother, your face changes are as entertaining as the Crown Prince! Really be an ikemen is something so unfair to the rest of the population.


    "YOU-! Stop this instance for me!"


    Stupid Niisama, who would? Go cry to your bitch lead-sama, I now have more important things to take care of.


    "See you at dinner my beloved Niisama"


    Waving my hand to brother, I gracefully run towards my room

 4 Spero

    "Aah... this is so relaxing"


    Right now I''m having a bath in my fancy bathtub with my aromatic water


    ~ is so good to be rich Dear God ~


    Because I found many of the plants used in the confection of bath salts, perfumes and etc. I started to experiment on doing the products that I learned in my previous life. They are some of the products that I thought of selling at the conglomerate.


    When I woke from my head injury and went to take my first bath, I realized that here they only used soap to cleanse themselves from head to toe. Please, my hair couldn''t take this abuse ok? He should be shining and soft, not like some straw. As such the first products that I did were Shampoo and Conditioner. I made with honey and a flower similar to the rose I knew. Was a bit hard to find the chemical ingredients that I used in the previous life but after explaining what I wanted for my Father''s aid I got the rest of the materials. As a result of shining and soft hair, I had to make my experimental product to all my family.


    Since then I tried to make moisturizer, face and hair mask, bath bombs and salt and some colognes.


    Because I caught one of the servants trying to use some products, I posted a notice in the servantbuilding (yes building, I was shocked when I learned about it. People here are just this rich) as a side job to test the new products and submit reviews and opinions for my ''weird'' experiments.


    Surprisingly, a lot of the servants chose to be my lab rats. You may be thinking it was about the money, but the pay was not even that attractive. I learned later that the servants always wondered why I smelled so good or why my hair was so silky. I would like to answer them it that I was born this way, but well... 3 shouts for beauty products, I guess.


    As so, the people who worked on our household became prettier, I gained good data, and our family was one of the most sought places for working in the kingdom, even winning the Palace.


    This also attracted the noblewomen interest, when all said and done their most fervent pursue was beauty. As such, I gave my reviewed product as gifts occasionally to some noblewomen who have close ties to our family. I also asked for their review and opinions and hinted that maybe these products could be purchased in the future because of their precious opinions.


    New lab rats, GET! Future customers GET!


    And so, I built a vast social network, but it was deemed natural as I was appointed as the future Queen. I remember laughing once or twice about it. Sometimes this Queen status is quite useful.


    "Miss you shouldn''t soak for so long. And is almost time for dinner, you should start to get dressed"


    Taking me out of reverie was my personal maid and best friend Mary. Mary was one of the orphans who came to work in our household after being rescued from the streets.


    In my past life, I always wanted to adopt a lot of children just like some famous actors but unfortunately, I didn''t have money for it. As such, after waking up and seeing the amount of my family wealth I propose to father to rescue orphan/abandoned children from streets and build an orphanage for them.


    As I am the pearl on my father palm, my request was easily granted. And so I built an orphanage and start to rescue the children on the street. Of course, just having a place to live was not sufficient. So I hired cookers from some small restaurants that were not in good condition and some caregivers that Dear Father and Dear Mother found trustworthy. I also gave them the idea of having tutors for the children, from academic topics to more professional based tutors, the orphanage was almost a Boarding School. We also implemented a system of once a week some different professionals would come and explain how they were and how their job worked. I hoped that the children could grow up safe and have a brilliant future. Because of my wish for the children, I named the orphanage ''Spero''.


    Due to the high literature level of the children, the number of children adopted was high, but many of the children would choose to stay at Spero and work with some of our business partners or in our household after learning the suffusing requirements.


    So Spero was one special place for me, and who knows, maybe many years in the future Spero would be where many of our country important figures were from. I surely hope so. At least, for now, some of the children are enrolled at the Royal Academy and have a good academic stand.


    And since I went there every week, most of my friends are from Spero and know about my dream of building my own conglomerate. In a way, they are my partners in crime. Some of them took as their job to develop in a way that could contribute to our future empire. They are really good children, aren''t they?


    Well, let''s leave the bath before Mary throws me out of it.


    "Hey do you know Mary, our plan can start now. Next week I''ll finally be free"


    Giving her a sincere smile, I hugged her so strongly that I heard something going *pop*


    "It is true Miss? That is so good! But *ugh* could you release me? It is starting to hurt"


    Giving me a happy but troubled expression, I look at my cute friend who now has her dress wet.


    "Sorry I was just too excited... you should probably change your dress too. Ask Laila to come and help me with my hair while you go and get change. Also, convey to the others that after my meeting with His Majesty I will call them to start the opening of our business and discuss the plans with them"


    "Okay Miss, I will be right back after sending the message to them"


    Saying so, she bowed and left the room.


    Fufu~ peaceful life you are so close that I could almost kiss you

 5 Dinner in Family

    Sitting at the table is my family. Father is at the head of the table, while Mother is at his right and Niisama at his left. I am sitting next to mother and across me is my younger brother Lucius who is the copy of father. He is nine this is not me being a brocon but he is just so cute! He looks like a little angel who granted us a noble view of his perfect appearance so that he could purify our hearts.


    Seriously I''m not a brocon. This small nosebleed is because I hurt my nose. Yes.


    We are having some seafood pasta as dinner and normally we wouldn''t talk, but today we have serious things to discuss.


    "Mother"


    Putting her cutlery down, the woman beside me with her glossy fiery hair and sparkly green eyes look at me waiting for me to continue.


    "Today the Crown Prince express his desire to break the engagement and will be probably be summoned by the King next week to discuss it"


    Is my impression or the temperature just dropped? Lucius your angelic purifying face looks like the angel of the apocalypse now please stop, you should be the pure otouto to your Neesama. And Mother your Hannya mode is ON. I can even see some ominous aura around you. His Highness even if you don''t deserve I will dedicate a minute of silence for your soul. Even Father trembled a bit after looking at Mother. Mom, you''re seriously scary to even put the Prime Minister at your mercy with a look.


    "Eh, ah, hm... Mother,although the ideal is for me to dump him we all now that this is impossible, so having a peaceful break up is the next better thing right? What I want your help with Dear Mother is to find a good future husband, as I think Mother has a good taste for man"


    After all, you got married to the most wanted bachelor at the kingdom and tamed him to be your puppy, who would be at your call at any time. Mom, I must say I am your diehard fan. Please teach me all your wisdom Master.


    "No wonder Prince Albert chose Julia instead of you, you didn''t even break the engagement and you are already trying to hook up with someone else if you were more like Julia pure and-"


    As I listened to this ridiculous preach from Elder Brother, I saw a knife passing by his cheek and living a small cut. 3 pair of eyes are now looking at him as if they could kill him with their stare.


    Seriously bro, on whose household do you think you are right now? Even if you don''t agree you can just be quiet.


    "If you don''t talk nobody will think you are mute"


    Translation in my head: shut up before I kill you


    "M-Mother, but is the truth, shouldn''t she wait a bit? If she was more alike Julia she could capture His Highness heart"


    "And leave her to you, brother?"


    "As if I would accept somebody like that as my daughter-in-law"


    "Mother how can you say something like that of Julia?!"


    Brother, I really want to remind you to not walk towards your death bed but you seem to be too stupid right now. Maybe is true that love makes us stupid *sigh*


    "Ho, for her you even raise your voice against me. Let me just tell you what is her image in high society circles. A poor girl that is trying to climb someone''s bed. Let us hypothesize that this is not true and she only has the type of most pure love for His Highness, care to tell me why she has so many male friends with high status? Let''s hypothesize again that she maintain a pure friendship with all of you, why is it that she spend some time alone with each of you and has been seen to have close physical contact to all of you by multiple people? Let us not even enter in the part that most of them are engaged to someone else. How can you say somebody like that is purer than your sister, are you blind?"


    "This is slander! Mom you should not trust those baseless rumors, I am sure this is someone who spread false rumors because of jealousy"


    Even if you look at me, is not like I''m that free to spend my time building stories to ruin Julia''s reputation, I have an empire to build Brother!


    "Stop looking at your sister like that before I dig your eyes out. I saw her behavior with my own eyes, do you think I''m jealous and spread rumors about her too?"


    "N-no I''m sure you just misunderstood the situation Mother if you could know her yo-"


    Dismissing Niisama with her hand and casting him a disapproving look Mother release a critical attack


    "If you think that with your behavior right now you can inherit the Duke position you are wrong. I must remind that beside you, we have two perfect heirs to this title. Your only luck is that they don''t want it, otherwise you wouldn''t be the heir since a year ago"


    Blank. That is the face of my brother right now. I can see the loading sign above his head. Loading complete. His face started to get really pale, are you alright? Hang in there, bro!


    But Mom is right, I and Lucius can inherit the Duke and Prime Minister position if we wish to. We both have a perfect academic status and a good social network. Because he helps me in Spero, Lucius also has his fair share of beneficent work. Not to brag but we are called ''the heavenly brothers'' by the commoners hihi.


    Ignoring my K.O.ed brother, Mother turn towards me


    "I will see that you marry someone better than that s*tty prince"


    Although I absolutely agree with the prince nickname we cannot talk badly about the royalty so open, it will be bad ok?


    "Yes Neesama, I will not let you marry someone unworthy of you!"


    Kyaaaa! How can you be so cute Lucius? I want to pinch your cheeks so bad!


    Smiling to my family minus elder brother I thanked them for their support.


    "Also Mother and Father, next week I will start my business. I already have the stores bought and the factories built, I just need employees and heavy propaganda about the products and stores so I am counting on you!"


    "Fumu~ It is so. I will let the ladies know, they were always very interested in your products"


    "My friends all loved the teas and some novelty food that you thought of, I must let them now too"


    "Neesama count me in too! I will advertise to my friends at my tutor''s house"


    "Thank you!"


    Happy with the conclusion of our talk we all finished our dinner and left to our rooms.

 6 Is Freedom finally here?

    Today we receive a summon from His Majesty. Right now Father and I are in our way to the Palace. As we both fear that Dear Mother would be merciless towards Scum Prince, we deemed that was better that only both us attend this meeting.


    I can even feel the taste of freedom!


    ...


    "... and that is why I think you should still be the Queen, while Julia-Chan can be the second wife what you think?"


    What do I think? I think you are sh*itting me right now! There is N OW A Y I will marry this Scum Prince and have to endure for the rest of my life this pair of dogs.


    It is good that hell training made me know how to cover my inner feelings with an impeccable smile mask and how to control my body language, otherwise the face of our King would be disfigured by now. As I imagined me plummeting his handsome middle age face I answered the King with the most gentle voice I could summon


    "Your Majesty, allow me to politely refuse your ''kind'' intentions. It is not that I look down in the royal family or the prince (in fact I do look down on him), but that I think this marriage will not add any positive marks to the kingdom. First of all, everybody in the kingdom knows that Miss Julia is His Highness lover and that he is thoroughly disgust about me. Do you think that married to the same man could we live peacefully? Do you think your son will let me have a good life in the palace? Furthermore, is not like the Crown Prince will lose my family support (lie) as he is a good friend of my Elder Brother. If His Majesty is worried about Julia-sama etiquette and studies to be a future Queen, she still has time to learn until His Highness becomes the King. And I''m sure as someone that His Highness chose she must be amazing in all regards"


    "It is as my daughter said Your Majesty, besides the break-up, was brought up by the royal family and as my daughter did not commit something that would bring shame to the Royal household, I must say that this is unfair to her. The Royal Family will leave this matter unscathed, while my poor daughter is now depressed beyond words about the betrayal she suffered. How can she marry in the future, My King? How many years did she spend devoting herself to His Highness? I hope that you will release her from this suffering and help me console her"


    Father said that with such emotion that even I believed that I''m miserable. Clap clap clap. What great actor you are Father!! Let me help you. I will pretend that I''m trying not to cry and stay strong. Let''s sell miserable! Pity me! I want an Oscar for our Father-Daughter performance!


    "Prime-Minister, this is not true right? Cecile made an attempt to Julia''s life"


    Go tear make your job. Make my voice tremble in the beginning.


    "Y-Your Highness, please don''t slander me! Do you have any proof of it? I don''t even know in which building she studies how can I push her?"


    "Julia told me that you ordered your followers to push her!"


    "To think you would discredit me just because of her words. You''re taking this to far Prince Albert. I beg Your Majesty to investigate this matter, not only to prove my innocence but to punish those who hurt our future Queen"


    I don''t believe that this overbearing prince doesn''t know who did. Even if you want to splash dirty water on me it will not work.


    "No need Cecile-chan, I believe in you. Is a pity that you could not become part of the family. Fumu~ as compensation for my son''s behavior I will reward you with one thousand gold coins and a wish what you think?"


    "Wait, Your Majesty, do you know all the problems your son made to our family because he wanted to break this engagement? I summoned all the losses that he caused along the years in this dossier please have a look"


    I think I just saw a sign saying Evil Profit MODE ON above my Father''s head. Must be my illusion.


    Look, although still majestic I can see His Majesty hands are trembling slightly. Crown Prince, don''t start to slowly retreat, this is your fault you know.


    "I see. How about 50 thousand gold coins and a request?"


    "A million gold coins and a request"


    "Half a million and a request is the maximum I can give you"


    Actually, we would have settle for half of the amount. You sure are generous His Majesty!


    Poor King, you look like you just age 5 years, worry not your future daughter-in-law will cause you more headache from now on, after all, what is a Female Lead without problems? An extra is the answer.


    "Deal"


    "What is your request Miss Cecile?"


    Didn''t you get over our pass affection too fast Your Majesty? Not that I care though.


    "I am planning to open my own conglomerate and hope that the royal family won''t interfere with it"


    Yes, I only hope you don''t screw with me.


    "Ho are you going into business ojou-chan? May I know what business you are focusing on?"


    ~absolutely not your old fox~


    "This is a surprise Your Majesty, but when I open my business I will surely send my products to Your Majesty and Her Majesty and I hope both of you can enjoy them"


    "That''s a pity! But I''ll gladly use the products made by Cecile-chan. Well, I will grant your request. No members shall interfere with your business. Unfortunately, I cannot accompany you more as I have some memorials to go through. I hope that you have a smooth start Cecile-chan"


    Saying so the King dismissed us and ask for the Crown Prince to stay in the study.


    Fufu~ I think that went pretty well. Now my DIY based empire can be born!

 7 Prince POV 1

    Today''s the day that I will break my engagement with Cecile and finally can give Julia a righteous status.


    ...


    It not that I hate Cecile. Although I always disliked her it is more because she was someone chose for me rather than someone I chose. I can''t accept that. Why should I, the Crown Prince, don''t choose the one I am supposed to marry when even commoners do? As such, I always maintained by distance from Cecile since we were kids.


    In the beginning, she avidly chased after me so that we could become friends. Even though I thought her chubby figure with her white ponytails chasing after me that truly looked like a fat bunny was pretty funny, I still ignored her. As the years passed my little bunny seemed to lose interest in chasing after me. Although she still pursued me I could see in her eyes that she held no interest towards me who was her nominal fianc¨¦e. Well, not that I care, this is what I wished for.


    Was in this fashion that we enter the Royal Academy. Because I''m two years older than her, once she entered the Academy I was already a senior. But it was in the same year that I found my destined one.


    With fluffy pink hair and blue eyes, the first time we met she was lost in the campus and couldn''t find her classroom. Finding her amusing and cute I teased her a few times and helped her find her classroom. I learned in the way she was just brought back to the Baron Hartmann''s house and how she lived before. Her cheerfulness and how positively she saw her future were enchanting.


    Later on, we met more times and we fell in love. I knew that many other guys were after Julia, some were even my close friends. But luckily she chose me. I didn''t hide our relationship so that the other pursuers stop bothering her, and so the rumor about our love affair was quickly spread through the Academy.


    ...


    One day one of my close friends Louis Dubois grab my shirt and put me in the wall


    "What the f*ck do you think you are doing?"


    "What are you talking about?"


    "Your relationship with Julia"


    "First release me"


    Patting my shirt I thought he was jealous that I got the girl we were both in love.


    "What, jealous? Don''t be a sour loser Louis, it doesn''t fit you"


    "Don''t f*ck with me! Did you perhaps forget you are engaged with MY sister your piece of sh*t? Did you ever thought how hurt she was when you were fooling around? You are so dumb that even if you don''t care about Cecile do you know how this will affect Julia''s reputation?"


    Cecile? Yes, she is the fellow''s sister. Because he is a sis on and doesn''t know how to express himself they gradually became apart and is even worse now with him being in love with Julia.


    But well, I completely forgot about her. As the notion of that little bunny being hurt by my actions, the feeling of guilt crept over me.


    "Don''t worry about Julia, I can take care of her myself. I will talk with her about Cecile"


    Saying so I left my friend with his clench fists and seething with anger. Later that day I met Julia. She was with her uniform dirty and her hair all over the place. I asked what happened and she only sobbed and said that she deserved because she robbed someone''s fianc¨¦e. I immediately connect to Cecile. So all the guilt I had, vanish and I continue my loving days with Julia. Cecile would harass Julia sometimes demanding that she stay away from me together with her two friends. Who they think they are? She is my lover and she can only abandon me if I let her go.


    A year passed and in my final year at the Academy, something happened to Julia. She was pushed in the stairs but luckily Gerald, the Knight Captain Chief''s son was close and got her safe. Even if I was upset that he hug my baby, I was grateful to him for saving her. After asking Julia who they were, Julia said that they were Cecile followers and she heard that this was something that Cecile herself instruct them to do. Taken by anger I promised Julia that I would break my engagement to Cecile in the upcoming Royal Banquet and would announce our engagement.


    However, later when investigating I found that the real mastermind was a viscount daughter who planned to eliminate both of her ''rivals'' at one time. But even if I knew the truth I will use this incident to break the engagement with Cecile. Has been a year since I tried to weaken Duke Dubois power but was all for nothing. But with this, I can denounce her and have the engagement broken.


    ...or so I thought, but a week later she called me in the gazebo for tea claiming to have an important issue to discuss with me. As it was unusual for her to seek me I chose to meet her.

 8 Prince POV 2

    As I was sit down across Cecile I wondered if she only made something up to meet me, if it was so I would leave there immediately. After all, for me every time lost there was a time that I could have been with Julia.


    However, once she starting talking I couldn''t believe what she was saying my head was a mess. She knew I want to break up with her and she was fine with it? Why? Didn''t she always love me? Plus, I planned everything to break this up. If we talk this peacefully I would have to pay a huge sum to her family. So I started to argue with her. I did my best to show my contempt to the actions she had done in the past year, not only she was unmoved by my display and made sound arguments that justify her actions and painted me in a bad light, bad had the audacity to say that if she could she would have the engagement broken already.


    I couldn''t believe what she said. Did she have a lover? As I thought of her being in the arms of another man, something snapped inside my head. She was MINE, I never thought of her being in the possession of another man, even if we have broken up she would go to a monastery, or so I planned. She needed to remember who she belonged to. As I tried to convey this to her, the eyes that always showed me an affection gaze, coldly looked at me. As her words pricked my consciousness all the anger that was built crumbled.


    Yes, she was right, I have Julia. I was the one who is sorry for her. I should let her go.


    "... yes, I will talk with my father. You will probably be summoned next week."


    "I see. I hope you will truly be happy with Miss Julia. If you excuse me, I still have another appointment. Until next week Your Highness."


    Saying so, she left without even looking back. She looked like someone took off all the weight fro her shoulders. Was I a burden to you Cecile? Lost in thoughts, I went directly to my Mother''s study.


    Always when I was confused when young I would come to my Mom for advice.


    Seeing my appearance she asked me worried about what happened. After I told her all the story the only answer she gave me was a sound slap and told me to talk to my father because she couldn''t look at me right now without being disgust.


    Being bewildered I went to my Father''s chambers. After waiting for his break, not even waiting for him to ask me what happen I explained my situation and ask him to grant my wish.


    The day was way beyond my expectations and I could not tell right from left anymore.


    "Haa... you are simply too foolish. I understand you love Miss Julia but put yourself in Cecile-chan shoes. She chose to silently endure your betrayal and your attempts against her family. That she didn''t come herself to ask for to be free from you is simply your heavenly luck, because I would surely grant her. Plus, I''m sure that if Cecile did half of your love show, you would rack the brain of the fellow she was related to"


    Sure, I would do that but I simply could not control my love towards Julia. Staying silent was the best option now.


    "*sigh* next week I will summon then"


    Waving for me to leave Father went back to work.


    My last thought that day was: Was I truly wrong?


    ...


    Having Duke Dubois and Cecile in front of me I was slightly nervous about today, what if they refuse?


    But Cecile herself seemed to want this.


    "... and that is why I think you should still be the Queen, while Julia-Chan can be the second wife what you think?"


    What Father? You didn''t discuss this with me. Julia is supposed to be my one and only Queen.


    Before I could even say anything Cecile and her father rejected the King''s proposal and ask for parsimony. I can''t let that happen otherwise we will have to pay a huge sum.


    "Prime-Minister, this is not true right? Cecile made an attempt to Julia''s life"


    I can see the noble mask that she always has starting to crack. In someway this gave me some kind of pleasure, finally, I can see my bunny.


    "Y-Your Highness, please don''t slander me! Do you have any proof of it? I don''t even know in which building she studies how can I push her?"


    "Julia told me that you ordered your followers to push her!"


    "To think you would discredit me just because of her words. You''re taking this to far Prince Albert. I beg Your Majesty to investigate this matter, not only to prove my innocence but to punish those who hurt our future Queen"


    Looking at her frail look who wanted to stay strong maybe I have really gone too far. All the pleasure of having her finally showing her true feelings vanish and now I only had an urge to hug her and ask for forgiveness. But at this time the Prime Minister came with a dossier with huge losses from their household presumably because of me.


    ''Old fox''


    Seeing the numbers I got slightly dizzy.


    *gulp*


    Let''s diminish our sense of existence.


    After negotiating with Father, Father grant Cecile a wish. I wonder what that little bunny will ask, will she ask for a new marriage? Surely not, I can see she still loves me.


    "I am planning to open my own conglomerate and hope that the royal family won''t interfere with it"


    Conglomerate? How could I never know about this plan? Think about it, I actually don''t know many things about Cecile. I know she opened an orphanage and that she sometimes make some weird things that seem to be highly accepted by the noblewomen, but even what it is I am not sure. At this time I understood that maybe I never knew this fianc¨¦e of mine. And I only had myself to blame.


    Leaving with the truest smile I had seen her make, she walked away from my father''s study. She seemed so happy that she could fly.


    "I hope you don''t regret this decision "


    "Absolutely not I love Julia"


    Yes, I love Julia. It''s just because Cecile was always something that was mine, it felt uncomfortable when suddenly it was not. It will pass with time.


    "I sure hope so. I truly liked that girl. Right, Miss Julia is the illegitimate daughter of Baron Hartmann right? She needs something to upgrade her identity if you want to make her Queen. I will talk to your Mother so that she can instruct the tutors to give Miss Julia her Queen training. Furthermore, she has 3 years to prove to us that she can be a good Queen as good as Cecile-chan, otherwise, we will not accept her. You can only engage a year from now"


    "But Father-"


    "Shut up, that I even agreed to this absurdity is incredible. If you don''t agree you can give up your rights to the throne. You have a younger brother, that is just a bit worse than you, but still would become a good king. That he chose to support you and help you become the king instead of becoming your rival is your luck"


    Gritting my teeth I nod to my Father.


    "Also, I want all the money I just gave them back in 2 months. If you will open a business or take from your private possessions it doesn''t matter to me. It is your mess, take care of it"


    Waving his hand to me Father let me leave. I closed the door and start to think about the future.


    What now? I need to discuss with my aides what to do to have Julia status to rise and how to raise money in 2 months.


    *sigh*


    I hope that everything goes well from now on. Lets first meet Julia to tell her the good news.

 9 Plans to my empire

    Now inside my bedroom 12 of closest friends. They are part of the group that will help me build my DIY inspired empire.


    "Guys now we will finally start our plan. In the upcoming month I plan to open our department store, 2 restaurants and a tea house"


    Opening the blueprint of the department store I started to explain to them how i envisioned the store.


    "Sarah, Jaimes, Lily, Carl, Iris and Liam, you will be responsible for this project. We will build the department store in that 5 floor building on the east. The first floor will have a cafe and a place to leave the children. This cafe will serve our special pastries, like the quiche, croissant, cheese-bread and etc. and will serve those drinks developed from the bilue plant and dony plant. We will call the respectively cafe and chocolate. Also let''s serve some sweets like the cakes Lily invented and brigadeiros"


    Searching for plants that were equivalents to the ones I knew, I found the bilue plant (cafe) and the dony plant (cacao). Although They don''t taste exactly the same, it''s pretty close and have the same properties.


    "On the second floor we will have the beauty products. This floor will be divided in three parts. Customized products, bath essentials and perfumes, and make-up. In the customized section, the clients can choose what fragrances to mix and put in their final product and the recipient they want to . He will be charged by the price of the fragrance+the basic cost of the product+ recipient. If he has a membership he can also choose to save the recipe of his final product so that he can buy again in at a later date. The other two sections are the products that we developed. We will sell 3 lines per month. If one of the lines sells too well in one month, it will be put again in the next month. Also-"


    "Wait, What is a membership?"


    Ah right they don''t have this concept here. I will use the chalkboard for a better explanation.


    "Oh, right. Sorry. A membership will be a form to have exclusive pecks on our stores. There will be 4 types of membership:


    Silver: 10% of discount on all stores. Can save his customizations. Can access the private rooms in the tea shop if not reserved. Valor: 1 silver/month


    Gold: 20% of discount on all stores. Can save his customizations. Can reserve private rooms in the tea shop and restaurant. Will have access to some exclusive lines. Valor: 10 silver/ month


    Platinum: 25% of discount on all stores. Can save his customizations. Can reserve part of the tea shop or restaurant for some kind of event. Access to all exclusive lines. Valor: 1 Gold/ month or 30 gold for three years.


    Black: this is the employees membership. They will have access to all perks of the silver membership, 30% of discount and access to the exclusive line. Valor: be an employee."


    "Any questions?"


    Liam, Jaimes and Lily raised their hands at the same time.


    Teacher mode ON.


    "Lily"


    "How can we know who has the membership?"


    "We will distribute emblems with the correspondent color. I didn''t thought of the emblem design yet though"


    "Liam"


    "How will the people pay and we will know who paid?"


    "Right, I thought we could work with the Royal Bank. Every member must have an account in the Royal Bank. So every month the membership fee will be withdrawn from their accounts and put on the conglomerate''s. We will receive every month a list with the names of the payees from the bank and when the customer use his emblem the cashier will check the number engraved on his emblem, if it matches with some number in the list it means that he can enjoy his membership. Because you learned how the bank system works, you can improve something with plan if you think something will not work. Also go negotiate with the Royal Bank. They can have 5% of the fees maximum"


    How I wish we had some cards with chips here, my life would be much easier, boohoo.


    "*sigh* do you know how stubborn and scheming are those bankers my princess? But, oh well, what I wouldn''t do for you"


    Liam FIGHT! I will make your favorite strawberry cake when this finish.


    "Jaimes"


    "Miss why I''m always the last?"


    "Because you are older"


    "This is discrimination against the eldery. Alas. Don''t you think you are given to many advantages to the employees?"


    "Nah. We want our employees happy, also because they can have exclusive lines they will make free advertising for us, since it is in the human nature to brag"


    They will be our ambassadors in the commoner population and I will only pay a normal salary and give them some discounts. I think that is not a bad deal.


    "So continuing, the customers who had their products customized if they wish wait in the cafe or go shopping in the 3rd floor of the building they can, once finish the clerk will deliver the product to them"


    "In the third floor will be the clothes store. Divided in two parts feminine and masculine. Each of them will have a exclusive line and the normal lines. We will also provide a service of stylist. This service will consist on helping the client with cloths that fit them better according to their style. It will cost 5 silver coins."


    "And the fourth floor we will have accessories and shoes. Divided the same way as the clothing store. We will have jewelry, watches, canes, hats, and shoes. And the last floor will be your offices, the rest room and a common area for employees"


    Oh, thank you very much Mary, my throat was starting to get dry. This green tea is truly the best.


    "So Lily and Jaimes will be responsible for the cafe, Iris you will be responsible for the second floor, Sarah you will be responsible for the third and fourth floor. Liam you will manage the finances of the store and Carl you will be responsible for the security of the building"


    Their positions correspond to each of their specialties. I am sure they will do a good job.


    "Sarah and Iris take this list. It contains the people/ stores that I think we should employe to work for us. You have a week to convince 30 of these individuals. Good luck"


    Making a face that they would collapse at any time they took a list containing 100 names... what can I say money doesn''t wait for anybody darling.


    "Miss can we go and start the task?"


    "Yes, I want the store open with all the product within a month. At the end of the week you most report your situation"


    "We will be excused them"


    Saying so the department store crew left to accomplish their duty. Fly dear lil'' birds.

 10 Plans to my empire 2

    "Daniel and Sophie you will be responsible for one of the restaurants. The restaurant you will be responsible for will be located in the north of the city and will be called ''Fame''. This restaurant will have a different proposal."


    I opened the blueprint of my all-you-can-eat restaurant. Because I''m not sure what type of food to focused I''ll leave to the chefs to choose.


    "There the customers will buy at the entry a ticket fixed value that will permit them to eat how much they want. Daniel will be responsible for the dinner menu and Sophie for the lunch menu. In the first three months you can experiment with your menus, but after that I want a fixed menu. Any questions?"


    "Won''t we suffer a loss?"


    "No. You will calculate how much a average person spends to eat the dishes you produce. Then will add 40% of the price in the final price. So if someone spends 60 copper coins to eat in our store he will spend 84 copper coins. You can ask the guys from Spero to help you out. I want a report by the end of the next week on the amount we will charge and the ideas for the menus."


    "What if they come and don''t at lunch and only leave when the restaurant closes?"


    "We will have kitchen hours. From 11:30 am to2 p.m.the lunch kitchen will be open. When it closes the client can still stay on the restaurant and order drinks but no food will be served until dinner hours, when he will have to pay for a new ticket."


    "I understand Miss"


    "Your wish is my command princess"


    "You can also go if you want to"


    2 down, 2 to go.


    Opening a new blueprint I started to explain the idea for the 3rd Group.


    "Anna and Emily your restaurant will be a self service restaurant. It will be located in the Main Street and will be called ''Pondus''. So the amount of employees you need are less compared to ''Fame''. The proposal for this restaurant is that the food will be displayed in separate part of the restaurant in large quantities and the customers will go to the food and serve themselves. The food will be charge by weight. The menu will change daily. You can come up with a weekly plan that repeats every week you can choose. Your report must contain how you calculate the weight/price and the choice of your menu, you guys also have two weeks and can ask Spero for help. Any questions?"


    "Can we go?"


    "Yes"


    "Excuse us Miss"


    Looking at the last pair, I''m actually not sure if I make a Japanese tea house or English tea room. Lets make a vote. Showing Glenn and Calum the two blueprint I came up with, I hope we can choose one of them. But probably even with discard one of them, I will be making the other style on a later date.


    "Actually I am not sure which one we should do right now, so which one did you choose?"


    Both of them started to analyze the blueprints and discuss between them... mon~ can you not ignore me please? I am your chief you know? You should discuss with me too.


    "So?"


    " "this" "


    Haa... each of them point to a different one. What to do now?


    Right, making your good old survey always works.


    "Go to the streets, Spero, and the servants building. Ask people which one they prefer. The one with more votes will be the chosen one. You can paint or add minor details to the blueprint as to be more attractive. You have 3 days to report and then we can continue to discuss the tea house. You are dismissed"


    Go, sell your merchandise!


    Now I have to contact the masonry, the carpenters, and the glazier to reform the buildings. I also need contact the factories to hire more people so that we can produce a sufficient amount of products by the end of the month.


    Ah, also need to choose the place for our headquarters.


    *sigh* I hope that only the beginning will be like this, as my wish was to have peaceful life and not work to death...

 11 Reunion that smells like money

    2 weeks from our first reunion we were once again reunited. But now we are in our headquarters!


    A week ago I found that a couple who lived 3 blocks from our house would be going back to their hometown and was selling their house. Their house was medium size and had 2 floors and a basement, was sufficient for now to serve as the HQ. Making a slight reform so that it looked more professional, our HQ was ready by the end of the same week we bought.


    Right now we are in the meeting room. It contains a large glass table for 30 people. The chairs we were sit were similar to those I could see in offices in my past life, but instead of steel that doesn''t exist here, I opted for a very light and durable wood.


    Besides the 12 people present in the last meeting, Mary is also here.


    She changed from being personal maid to personal assistant. Now besides all the work she done as a personal maid, she also helps me with some business issues and accounts. I should probably raise her salary.


    Note to self: raise Mary paycheck and feed her with chocolate cake.


    "Okay guys. I have the name of our Conglomerate. Will be Imperium Pacem. IP for short. Our symbol will be the lilium flower, so the emblems will be a lilium with IP engraved in the front. Here is the design, what you guys think?"


    I showed them one of the emblems that I already ordered to be made. Is a small lilium flower painted in black with IP in golden on the center.


    "Can we customize ours?"


    "Sure. But only managers have this privilege"


    "What material will the emblems be made of?"


    "Depends on the emblem, besides the platinum all the other will be made of iron and be painted. The platinum will be made of silver and some other precious material to get the platinum color"


    Putting the emblem in Mary''s hand I urged them to begin their report.


    "Okay, Group 1 your report"


    Liam got up from his chair. They always leave the responsibility to him when they can, such a bad habit.


    "All things for the cafe are ready. For the beauty and fashion products only half of the products commissioned are ready. Iris and Sarah got 40 and 50 persons respectively to work under their command either on the line of production or serving the client. We already assembled the security crew. The Royal Bank agreed with our proposal, they will have 3% of the fees. We will start the employees training next week. Also the building is 3/4 done, we are only waiting for the glass work to be delivered and installed, so that we can cleanup and put the decorations. It should be done by next week. We can open 2 weeks from now"


    "Good job! I never thought you will manage to get this many people"


    "Is all thanks to the benefits offered by Miss. Like sick leave, pregnancy leave, annual holiday and the black membership, we actually had so many applicants that we had to filter the best ones"


    Right, people here don''t have the leave policy. If you miss a day of work is either discount on your paycheck or you will be dismissed.


    "Group 2"


    Scratching his head in embarrassment Daniel got up and delivered me a list a dossier.


    "Hi! Here is the list of the employees we got... most of the people are from Spero though. We have preliminary menus, Sophie will be more focused on meat dishes while I will be more focused on pastas. We will charge 70 copper coins at lunch and 84 copper coins at dinner. We also found better to charge the drinks apart"


    "I''m sure that 80% of our employees will be from Spero Dani. It makes sense to charge them apart. How is the restaurant reform?"


    "Is already done, we actually can still open this week"


    "Really? So, we will make a week of promotion, something like the first 10 customers each day don''t need to pay. Think of something, you can open the day after tomorrow. Reserve one of the rooms for my family please"


    "All five of you?"


    "Although I don''t know if Niisama will go, sure, for 5. I''ll be going at lunch and spend the day there with you, but they''ll only go for dinner"


    "Understood"


    "What about Group 3?"


    "We will charge 1 silver per kilo. Here is how we calculated. We chose to experiment 4 types of weekly menu in the first month, the favorite ones will be chosen to the final weekly menu. We also thought it would be nice if each day we serve a chef''s specialty. They would have smaller portions than the other servings. Also we thought that every time you got a kilo, you would gain a free cup with juice"


    "Well, I like your idea, but 1 silver is too much. Put at 90 coppers, although we will not gain much in a short term it will prove to be better in the long run. How is the reform?"


    "The room for the food and the kitchen are not ready yet. We need a week to open."


    "Okay, you can sit. Do the same procedure as Dani and Sophie, make some kind of promotion in the first week to attract customers. Report when you will open and reserve a room for my family"


    "Yes Miss"


    "What about Group 4?"


    My English tea room. Although I love the Japanese one, because the English one pass an aristocratic air that matches this country, most of the people chose it. It will have 4 private rooms, a room for the nobles that will have some couches and small table, a room for the noblewomen with the same design as the previous room and some books (most romance ones), a room for the nobleman that will have books and a place for smoking, the room for commoners that is exactly the same as the nobles+books, and the room that is a common area.


    I know segregation is bad, but here the nobles have a very high sense of superiority. And I am not strong enough to fight this yet.


    Because I wanted many rooms was kind of hard to find a building, but we eventually found a small mansion in the central area of the city. Luckily the mansion had a huge garden, so we opted to have some tables with a decorated parasol in some parts of the garden.


    "Here is the employee list, since all of them are from Spero, they know the tea etiquette, so we don''t need to worry about training them. We already bought the books and the tea sets are already done. Because the mansion was in good condition we did not have to do much. It can open this week too. We also found a that the garden has a part that could serve as place to showcase poems, songs or having literature discussions. We thought it would be interest if every week we promoted some type of literary event, what you think Miss?"


    "I think that is great idea! I will send invitations for the nobles for two days from now. So the ''Fame '' will only open 4 days from now ok? Great work guys! You are all dismissed. Don''t forget to get your money with Sebastian! See you guys later!"


    I can''t believe that my conglomerate will finally be created!

 12 The risks of BL

    Please Mr. Maestro, the drums!


    And now the trumpets!


    You are asking me why all this? Of course it''s because my first store will be open today!


    ''Temone'' is the English tea room, that will open the path to all other stores. So this opening needs to be perfect!


    I called all people from the noble circle. I even called that pair of treacherous dogs.


    Why should I called them? Simply because they are loaded! He is the freaking Crown Prince, and although she is not rich, she is the one that truly controls their spend. Furthermore, if the Crown Prince visit any shop, its status will surely rise.


    I also called people from Spero, so probably today will be full, but hopefully not crowded since the mansion is really big.


    Hm? Are you saying that maybe people won''t come? They don''t dare! After all I am the Prime Minister daughter, even if only by courtesy they would come to greet me. Hmph!


    Entering Temone, I am truly agape with the reform, although the mansion was not bad, it was a little bit gaudy. Now it passed an elegant but subdued feeling. I see all the employees dressed in black suits and black dresses. All of them have an small black lilium with a golden IP engraved on some part of their body. Some of the used as an earring, some as pendants either on a bracelet or necklace and some others used as a brooch.


    Nodding towards them, I let them continue their work while I check everything in the rooms. All rooms have a different color setting that we deemed more appropriate to the clients that they were design for. For example the nobleman has more dark red, black and gold details while the noblewomen has more pastel colors in the details and some embroidery.


    Walking towards the entrance I see 2 young mans in white suites each with a black lilium in their chest, discussing really close to each other. One of them had a green hair like moss and the other had a light blue hair. The Green hair one was taller and a more muscular built, while the other blue haired had a more lean built and his height was perfect for them to kiss.


    Seriously to all the BL fans all there, if I could send you a CG of this moment, I''m sure you would have a nosebleed.


    The couple of ikemens, seems to have notice my fervent gaze as they turn their heads towards me.


    "Young Miss"


    "Princess"


    With big smiles and subservient face they called me...and all the handomness crumbled and I''m left with two dogs. Give me back my nosebleed!


    "Glenn, Calum, is everything all right for the opening?"


    "Yes, Miss! You can relax and only enjoy this day. Do you want to eat some scones before we open? I''m afraid you are going to be really busy and won''t have time to eat"


    "Thank you for your consideration Glenn, I will accept your proposal. I will wait here."


    "Okay Miss I''ll be right back"


    "Are you nervous princess?"


    Even if I am, my noble mask will never crumble!


    "Do I look nervous?"


    "No. But we are childhood friends, I can feel that you''re"


    "This is creepy please stop"


    Not listening to me, Calum raised my chin so that I could look at him.


    Dude, your face is to close and you are too handsome. My can''t take it.


    "Worry not my princess everything will be alright"


    Bowing, Calum gave me kiss on my forehead.


    I could surely kiss him right now...


    "Calum what are you doing?! Release My Miss right now!"


    Taking me by my waist, Glenn passed from a puppy to a imposing guard dog.


    But well he save me from my impulse just now, I will let him have his way.


    "Hee, calm down Glenn, don''t be too jealous I can kiss your forehead too, but first release the princess"


    "Who wants your kiss!"


    Instead of releasing me Glenn hugged me tighter, can you guys please don''t involve me in your lovers quarrel?


    "As you wish"


    Making me sandwiched, Calum kissed Glenn on his forehead.


    Are we perhaps going to do a threesome? I feel something coming out of my nose, surely is my imagination.


    But different from my pervert thought, Calum quickly separate from us.


    "Princess what happened?"


    Making a worried face, Calum gave me a handkerchief.


    "Oh, maybe I''m too nervous"


    The art of lying, one of the seven arts the all proper noble have to be master on.


    "Hmm, Glenn the Princess told me that she needed a kiss to calm down, we should grant her wish don''t you think?"


    "Is that so Miss?"


    Went back to your puppy mode hum. I can even see a tail going from one side to another.


    But this is so stupid that I don''t even want to acknowledge you guys, let me focus on our preparations.


    "See she agrees"


    "Okay, but Calum we have to do on the cheek. You kiss the right one and I kiss the left one"


    Before I could even react to their words I felt two light pecks one in each cheek. Guys my nosebleed just stop, are you perhaps trying to kill me?


    "You-!"


    "Now Princess we still have some final touches to make, let''s go Glenn"


    Taking Glenn by the arm,Calum escaped as if Hades himself was trying to take him to underworld.


    *sigh* sometimes I have to control myself to not kiss these childhoods friends of mine, they are just too handsome and throw these types of acts every now and then as if it was natural. Even after 12 years I am still not used to.


    But well, at least their kiss served its purpose. I am less nervous right now. Calum is right, everything is gonna be alright.


    So lets get this party started!

 13 Random Noble POV 1

    My name is Thomas Alby. I am a Viscount and because of my middle noble status I know the high nobles and the one in the base of the pyramid.


    Some days ago all the kingdom was shocked with news we got early in the morning. The Royal Household and The Duke Household who held an engagement contract between the announced that this contract was now void. I''m sure as everybody read the news the only thought they had was: WTH?


    Sure I heard the rumors of the Prince''s lover but like the other nobles, I thought that it was only a summer love or something like. I mean, you can''t have something better than THE flower of society ok? She has this nickname for a reason.


    You maybe say that I''m biased because I don''t know the Prince''s lover, but the truth is that I am acquainted with Lady Julia. because I know her father, I ended up helping their family to reunite and had some meals with them.


    And is not like Lady Julia is ugly or rude. She is actually really cute and pure. Like a white rabbit I think?


    The problem is that rabbits are not Queen material.


    Besides she is only a illegitimate daughter, even if the Crown Prince doesn''t mind, those old geezers surely do.


    Furthermore she doesn''t have any merits in any of the societies be it the noble one or the commoner. While Lady Cecile is renown in both of them, in one she is called angel or goddess and the other she is called flower of the society. That he change them is a type of mystery for me.


    But, apparently Lady Julia has a lot suitors in the Royal Academy. Maybe the youngsters tastes now are different from my time. Well, whatever, is not like I can change the Prince''s choice.


    The point is, because of this shocking news some nobles starting to get unrest. Some doubt that a Prince that would prioritize his personal affairs in something that afflicted the country was probably not the best choice, while others had close ties with the Prime Minister and Lady Cecile and took offense with His Highness choice. The result is that some people are starting to build a 2nd Prince Faction, even without the support of the 2nd Prince.


    And in the middle of this chaos, all the noble faction receive an invitation from the one who we all thought was suffering. In the letter she politely invited us to come to her tea room that would be open two day from now.


    What the hell? Aren''t you suppose to be suffering and being depressed because of your engagement? What is even a tea room?!


    Maybe I''m truly old, I can''t get these youngsters.


    But, because the one inviting is the flower, I swiftly I confirmed my presence. I hope she shows to all society that even without the prince she is still the most noble and beautiful of all the flowers.


    ...


    And now I''m on my way to Temone. I actually know the previous owners of the mansion, and even visited once before. I remember it being a little gaudy and tacky, I hope that Lady Cecile redesign the place.


    "My Lord we are here"


    As I left my carriage and enter the mansion I was in shock with the changes made. If not for the huge Temone written in the gates and the amount of familiarfaces I would have thought that I was in the wrong place. As I was lost admiring the place I heard a cold but calming voice


    "Hello Viscount Alby, I''m Cecile Dubois, daughter of the Duke Dubois, delighted to make your acquaintance. I''m truly honored that you could come to my humble opening, if you could please follow this gentleman he will explain our facility and guide you towards the room of your choosing. I hope that later we can have time time to chat"


    Haa... now I''m sure the Crown Prince is blind. Beautiful, educated, gentle and capable. What else do you want from a woman? Not even a woman, but a person, if my son had half of her poise I would die happy. Is like I just met the person we ought to be.


    "The pleasure is all mine Lady Cecile, I must say that the changes that you did to this place are wonderful. I hope we can chat in a later date. As I know you are probably to busy right now, I''ll take my leave"


    "Thank you for your compliment Viscount. Abraham could you please escort him?"


    "Sure Miss. This way sir"


    Signaling for me to follow him the young man wearing a black suit looked impeccable. He had some kind of noble aura that is lacking even some noblemen. Is this the clerk of this store? Maybe I should send my own son to study under Lady Cecile. I wonder if she would accept.


    "My Lord, we have a room for noblemen, one for noblewomen, one for all the nobles, one for the commoners and one for everyone. We also have outdoor tables and private rooms, but the private rooms are exclusive to members of the IP. Do you have any questions sir?"


    Of course I do! Although I know the meaning of each word I don''t understand when you put them together.


    "Explain to me the difference between the rooms"


    "Well, most of them is the details. The color pallet of each room changes and the literature contain in each room is different. Somethings like cigars and embroidery needles are exclusive to some rooms but can be taken out if asked."


    "Literature? Do you have books to read in this place for free, even for the commoners? Also can I go to the commoner room or the noblewomen room and vice-versa?"


    Pardon my confusion, but books are expensive on the kingdom. Even my house I only have 100 books that were collected trough many generations. A commoner sometimes can even die without touching one. And now he is telling me they have a collection you can access for free?


    "Yes each room has all kinds of literature but we emphasized on 3 types of literature for each room that we conclude through our research to be the favorite topic/genres in the target public of the room. And about your second question, yes everybody can room freely in all rooms besides the private ones. The separation was only made because we thought people would feel more comfortable around people they are used to"


    Lady Cecile is truly something from another world. It''s true that people will feel uncomfortable in a unknown environment and feel more open with people that they are familiar with. But it''s wonderful to not limit any one to those societies rules. If you want you can. Simple as that.

 14 Random Noble POV 2

    "Right, the private rooms, you said you have to be a member of IP what is this?


    "IP is the conglomerate under Miss name. The name is Imperium Pacem. We have 4 types of memberships, one of the is exclusive to employees while the other three you can join paying a fee once a month or pay a sum to have the membership for 3 years. Here is the catalogue explaining the advances of all of them"


    Looking at the catalogue I can see that more than half of people present will be signing the platinum membership, after all one of the seven arts that all noble must know is to flaunt his status in a discreet way. Although foolish I am one of the people who will become a member.


    "How do I become a member?"


    "You need to have an account at the Royal Bank. Are you interested sir?"


    "Yes, what are the procedures?"


    "Why don''t I guide you first for the room of your choice so that I can show you the contract you have to sign and explain how it works?"


    "Sure, the noblemen room"


    "This way My Lord"


    Guiding me to enter one of the rooms, once Abraham opened the door I was once again shocked with Lady Cecile insight. You could see that every detail of the room was well thought. The people that arrived before me were already seated in some couch or table, I can even see some of them in the balcony sitting under a parasol smoking cigars and reading the newspaper. They looked like they frequently came here. It gave such a familiarity that one could integrate to the environment easily.


    "Lord where do you want to seat?"


    "Somewhere close to the bookcase"


    "Please follow me"


    Guiding me to a table relatively close, he pulled the chair for me and gave me a hard paper that had the products offered at Temone.


    "Do you want to drink or eat something sir?"


    "I will get what you suggest for me, surprise me"


    I know this is a little unfair to him, but I want to test just how good is their service. But not even changing his face, Abraham answer me with the same polite smile he has since we begun to talk


    "Will be my pleasure sir. I hope you can feel at home, if you desire we also provide robes and slippers so that you can feel fore comfortable, do you want some?"


    So that''s why I saw some people using robes instead of their tuxedo or suit, I thought it was a new trend. Well let us emerge in the feeling that Lady Cecile want us to feel.


    "Please I want both of them"


    "Sure, some other employee will deliver them to you. I will be back shortly with the contract and the tea and appetizers, if you excuse me."


    Bowing to me my waiter who seemed to have a better education than my son, went swiftly but elegantly out the room.


    Fumu~ should I see what books did Lady Cecile chose for us?


    Looking at the titles in the first bookcase my mind was so happy that it stopped working for sometime.


    These books were all books that I always wanted to read! From where do I begin? Maybe this one that is about the theory of Markivelius or this one that is the compilation of stories about the creation of our kingdom. As I was behaving like a kid that just receive the toy that he wanted I heard someone calling.


    "Viscount Alby, here is your pair of slippers and your robe, do you want help to dress them?"


    Looking at me, and giving me the pair of black slippers and a dark red robe, was a cute girl dressed as a maid. She poise herself as the same grace and gave the same polite smile as Abraham.


    "Thank you, it will not be needed. But what will happen after I use this robe and slippers?"


    "Well, if you''re a platinum member you will have your exclusive robe and slippers. They will be embroidery with your name so that we can identify its yours. If not the robe and slippers will be washed and used at a later date by a random client."


    "I see"


    "Do you need anything else Lord?"


    "No, you''re excused"


    "Thank you My Lord, I wish you a pleasant visit"


    Bowing she left.


    Taking the Markivelius book and sitting at the table I chose, I took out my tuxedo and shoes and put the robes and slippers.


    Fumu~ truly comfortable.


    As I was reading the third page I Abraham came back.


    "Sorry to interrupt you Lord, but here is your tea and appetizers. Also this is the contract"


    As he put down I looked towards the tea that I never saw and the appetizers with a beautiful but unfamiliar shape.


    "Could you please introduce what you brought"


    "Sure. This tea is one of our exclusive black teas the ''Earl Silver''. It has a citrusy flavor from the bermount fruit. The natural sweetness of Earl Silver it''s perfect to pairing with many afternoon tea sweets, like scones, that was I brought them. Scones are a pastry that the Miss came up with, she suggests to eat them with jam, so I brought strawberry jam and jubi jam. I also suggest to put a bit of milk on your tea"


    "Milk is it? Sure"


    "Excuse me sir. Please taste it. I hope it will be to your taste"


    *gulp* holy sh*t who would have thought that milk will make that much of a difference. And the scones with jam perfectly match the tea with milk. It''s sweet enough that you don''t get sick of it.


    "You truly surprised me Abraham, thank you"


    "It''s my honor that you enjoyed the tea I made sir"


    "Well, let me read the contract"


    I see, so every month the bank itself will withdrawal from our account the money and deposit on the IP account. Then they''ll send a report saying the accounts that payed the fee. All the members will have an lilium emblem that will have your account number.


    "I have two questions, instead of paying from the bank can I pay 30 gold coins here directly? An what if I lose my lilium?"


    "Yes you can, but should provide us some type of identification. The number in your lilium will be the number of your choice. And if you loose the lilium you should bring your contract and a form of identification so that we can provide you the right membership."


    "I see, I want the platinum membership. I will pay now the 30 gold coins."


    I signed the contract and gave it to Abraham.


    "I will deliver your emblem shortly"


    "Thank you"


    Not paying more attention to Abraham anymore, I became fully absorbed in the book I was reading and my tea.


    Hmm... I think I may come here every day. After finishing 3 chapters, Abraham came to me and told me that the room would be closing soon.


    As I looked outside I could see that the sky was dark and the moon was up. I was so absorbed in my reading that I didn''t felt the time passed.


    Because my cup was never empty or the tea cold, I didn''t got distracted and was allowed to be fully absorbed on my reading. What a wonderful experience. And I could that were 10 or so nobles in the same situation. As I received my emblem and pay my consumption, I heard some nobles saying that they think that the Crown Prince came with his lover, but surely he was not so stupid to come to his ex fianc¨¦e opening with his new flame right?


    As I thought so and made my way to the exit, I saw Lady Cecile again greeting all the guests that were leaving. She was as impeccable as I saw her in the morning. Is she truly human?


    "Oh Viscount Alby, How was your stay? I hope you could relax a bit and enjoy your day"


    "Oh Lady Cecile, it was truly wonderful. I must compliment you for the impressive collection of books you gather and the excellent service that your employees gave"


    "Hoho. Thank you very much, did you liked the products that we offered?"


    "Oh my, how could I not? It was my first time trying them but I loved. I was wondering if you pretend to sell the tea for home making?"


    "I''m glad that suited your taste. As for our tea blend, the next time you visit you can ask for the waiter the blends available for buying, and he will show the ones that are in stock. Oh I see you became a member of our IP family, welcome!"


    "It looks like someone is calling me. I beg your excuse Viscount, I hope you can visit our other stores in the future as well"


    "Sorry for taking your time Lady Cecile. I will surely visit. Have a nice night"


    Bowing to the amazing little Lady, I walked to my carriage thinking that tomorrow I must bring my son to submit an application to work for the most noble and beautiful flower of the society.

 15 Temone

    ''Haaa... so tired''


    It has been 3 hours since we opened Temone. At the first two hours only people from Spero and my parents came. The Spero'' guys instead of being customers they started to help the employees with the preparation of the scones and tea sets.If you guys are not going to spend your money, go back to your house!


    Mother Dear and am Father Dear are each in one room where they will interact with the guests and convive them in being a member. Of course both of them are already platinum members. Profits know no family.


    But since a hour ago, the nobles started to come. Because of Noble Almanac that I had to memorize in hell training, even if I''m not acquainted with a certain noble, I know his family, his family history and which territory and business they manage. As such, when greeting then I could make small talk and send them to their respective personal butler.


    What is the personal butler? The personal butler, was an idea that Glenn came up with. Every client will have his butler/maid, that will only serve him. So each client has one person to serve him hole heartily during his stay at the tea room. If a client likes a certain butler/maid, he/she can be selected once you visit again Temone. But because of this personal servant the price we originally thought for our products went up a bit.


    "Hello Viscount Alby, I''m Cecile Dubois, daughter of the Duke Dubois, delighted to make your acquaintance. I''m truly honored that you could come to my humble opening, if you could please follow this gentleman he will explain our facility and guide you towards the room of your choosing. I hope that later we can have time time to chat"


    I think I repeated this phrase so many times that I''m probably in automatic mode. But until now everything seems fine. Most of the nobles signed the platinum membership and some random people on the street also came to see what this commotion was about. There still no complains or commotions, I''m sure it will continue like that...


    ... but of course it wouldn''t. After 6 hours that we opened I saw the carriage that is my golden turtle and 3 other carriages following it. As the first carriage open our dear Scum Prince appeared.


    Stratching his hand he helped a squirrel-like person to get out of the carriage. Dressed in the latest trend dress, and with her pink fluffy hair semi-tied, Lady Julia walked with her arms linked with His Highness. My only impression of her is that she is cute and fragile, not sure if this is the qualities you want for the future Queen, but we can never judge a book for its cover.


    The other 3 carriages contained some members of the harem. They were dear Niisama who shared the carriage with Sir Lukas, Tomas and Jacob. All four of them are His Highness aides. I cannot even fathom how weird must be their relationship. They all like the same girl and must help their rival in love to win his dreams, besides they are all childhood friends. Just too twisted for my taste.


    "Welcome to Temone Your Highness and Lady Julia. I''m pleased to have you grace our opening with your presence. If you could follow this lady, she will explain our facility and services, I hope you guys have a pleasant stay at our establishment"


    "Oi, shouldn''t you personally escort them? They are our future Queen and King"


    As Tomas said his words he looked at me as he was looking at a bug. I don''t even want to bother answering him, but as a good client service, the client is always right -not.


    "You are right Sir Tomas, but I didn''t went to guide them as I was going to greet you guys, if our Crown Prince couple don''t mind waiting until I can find someone to take my place I will greet you and guide you"


    Turning to the closest person I asked them to call Calum.


    "I also extend my welcome to my humble establishment to Niisama, Sir Tomas, Lukas and Jacob. That you could come to my opening I''m truly delighted"


    "We didn''t come for you"


    Tomas even if you grumble such rude things, if you spend money I couldn''t care less.


    "We were also delighted to have been invited wasn''t so Louis?"


    "Hum"


    It sure doesn''t look so. As I think how tough is going to be serve this group, I felt my hair being picked. Turning to see who it was, I saw Calum kissing my hair.


    "Did you call my princess?"


    For me this scene could not be more natural, this devilish handsome man would always do this type of things but for some people present wasn''t so.


    "Oh! How bold"


    "How can you do this in public?"


    "Cecile who is this guy?!"


    Now, now guys come down. Lets ignore them for now.


    "Calum, you startled our guests, I called you because I''m going to guide this group to their room. While I''m at it you should greet any guests that come and explain why I couldn''t welcome them personally but that I will pass on by their table later, understand?"


    As Calum looked coldly at the group at the entrance, then he turned back as if they were not even present. Baby Calum, Dear, Honey, they are our guests okay? Plus they are super loaded. we cannot act like this.


    "Why should you guide them? I can do this for you."


    "Nah, its ok. Stay here and do what I said, I''ll be fine"


    Combing my hair, Calum bowed to give me his typical forehead kiss, but someone came between us.


    "Don''t touch my sister"


    Say what again?


    "Sir Louis, you seem not to be the one in charge of her"


    Sh*t, things are going south. Lets just gloss over the situation.


    *cough* *cough*


    "Well Calum, go greet the guests. Come Niisama"


    Taking my brother by the hand and ignoring Calum. I started to guide the group as gracefully as possible.


    "So if you could follow me I will introduce our facility to you"


    Pointing to 6 of the butlers and maids that were also entrance I asked them to follow us as my daily dose of hell begun.

 16 Robbing the Harem 1

    "Cecile who is that guy?"


    Sure enough, Brother won''t forget the episode that just happened.


    "He is one of my friends from Spero and one of the managers of Temone"


    "Are you guys lovers?"


    As I heard the chilly voice behind me, I was surprised to see the one asking was actually the Scum Prince.


    At the same time, the hand that was holding mine tightened the grip. S*it what are you eating bro?


    "I''m not sure as how my romantic life is related to you, but for the sake of no misunderstanding the answer is no. We have a pure friendship for years"


    "You''re only friend and he can do things like that to you?"


    This words could have been said from any one but you b*tch lead-sama.


    "Dear Miss Julia, I''m currently single and his actions is more like a big brother caring for his sister. Please don''t be mistaken"


    "But-"


    ''Shut up squirrel''


    "So let me explain how Temone works. We have private rooms, the nobles room, the noblewomen room, the nobleman room, the commoners room, the general room and the outdoor tables. All of the rooms, offer books and a place to sit and relax. The books of each room are more emphasized on the topic or genre that is more popular among the target public of the room. The rooms differ in some details like the pallet colors used do decorate and some things that are available in each room. As for the outdoor tables-"


    As I was explaining the rooms a low sob started to get louder.


    ''What the f*ck do you want now squirrel?''


    "What is wrong Julia, are you hurt somewhere?"


    "No. *sob* you can continue don''t mind me *sob*"


    Even if I want to ignore you right now I can''t. Handing her a handkerchief provided by one of the butler that was accompanying us, I asked in the most gentle voice possible to not scare this little squirrel that could run with my bag of money at any time.


    "Did I perhaps done or said that make you upset?"


    "*sob* don''t you think is to sad *sob* that you discriminate against commoners?*sob*"


    Ohh, you were this type right. Completely forgot.


    "I guess you misunderstood me Miss Julia. Most of my friends are commoners after all, and regarding the rooms, although they''re divided like so the client can go to any room he chooses bedsides the private room, unless he is an IP member. We only thought that our clients would be more relaxed surrounded by a familiar atmosphere. When a commoner is surrounded by nobles or vice-versa they often don''t feel relaxed. But if you wish to go to the commoners room or they want to visit the nobles room, it''s not prohibited"


    "It is so?"


    "Yes. But since you probably were not the only who had this misconception I will change the name of the rooms, so people won''t become offended like you did. Thank you for your kind review"


    Well, even if I think you don''t need to cry for it, is actually a problem that I let it pass because I thought it wouldn''t matter.


    ''Note to self: Change the of the rooms.''


    "Well, I will finish explain the other two types of room and then you can choose the one you prefer or we can bust all of them for you to see which do you prefer. The outdoor tables are tables in our garden that are cover by a parasol. They are ideal if you want to appreciate flowers or a go on a date. And our final type of room, is the private room that is exclusive to the members of IP. Do you have any questions?"


    "What is IP? And why should one become member?"


    "Excellent question Lukas-niisama! IP is the abbreviation for my conglomerate. I named Imperium Pacem, this is only the first store, within 2 weeks we are schedule to open 3 more stores and I hope you can visit them and give me reviews!"


    "You mean you want me to spend as much as I can on your establishments right?"


    "Lukas-Niisama is no fun when you expose me like that! Oh right! Max, give our guests the catalogue explaining the perks for each of the membership. As you can see for your status the most fit one is the platinum membership, as all of you are high ranking nobles. And you can have access to the private room that fits perfect to your group"


    You can flirt like a harem do only in private so it''s the best option.


    "Oh? But I don''t think I need all these benefits"


    Lukas you can''t say that you all are the people I want to rob the most! Grabbing his hand I started to sell pitiful. For the sake of money, what is dignity? Sorry I don''t know this word.


    "Ne, Lukas-niisama, as a proper false niisama who love his false cute imouto, you would part with 30 gold coins to support her humble business right? You see that I''m so pitiful, so you should support me with this mere coins that means nothing to you. With that you can buy my eternal gratitude!"


    *flick* ouch my forehead.


    "Silly girl, I of course will buy it"


    See Niisama, this is how a proper Niisan should be. Giving a mature and sexy aura. Hm I seem to sense a dark aura behind me.


    "Cecile, stay away from this guy"


    Oh, is just brother being jealous of Lukas. Their relationship sure is good.


    Lets go back to business.


    "So did you chose the room you want to?"


    "We want the private room, where do I pay for the membership?"


    I knew you were my golden turtle Prince!


    "Let me first guide to your room, we current have 3 available, they have the same design so do you want to choose or can be a random one?"


    "Random"


    "All right follow me"


    Room 3. As I opened the door an elegant room decorated with blue, green and silver details appeared. The room was big as some houses at my previous life. It had 3 bookcases, 4 large couches and a mahogany table that could fit 8 people.


    Seeing the room one more time I pay myself in the back and compliment me for the good job.


    "If you could please sit down. Here are the menus with the teas and appetizers we offer. Do you perhaps would like to change you suits and shoes for a robe and slippers? As you all are platinum members the robes and slippers are all exclusive to you and you can personalize as you want. They will have your name embroidered so that our staff can identify as yours."


    "Yes, bring for all of us"


    Can you really choose for everyone in the room Your Highness? But no one complained, so it must be so.


    "Bring them the robes and slippers please"


    "You can ask any doubt you have about the menu for our staff, they will help you choose one. But if you want I can recommend to you the ones I think will suit better your taste"


    "Bunny-Chan just bring us the things you want"


    Lukas you are truly a god send helper.


    "If you say so"


    I will rob every penny that I can muahaha.

 17 Robbing the Harem 2

    As I instructed the staff about the order, Max brought the contracts.


    "Here it is. Please sign. Are you going to pay monthly or one time?"


    "I''m paying monthly, who knows how long a brat like you can survive on business"


    "Me too"


    Stingy guys. Just wait and see I will show you how dominate this country economics.


    "Well, please provide the number of you RB account. We will contact the bank. And once we receive the money we will deliver your emblem to your house"


    "What about my two lovely niisamas, you will surely pay the 30 coins right?"


    "Haha surely"


    "Here it is Cecile"


    I knew I could count on you guys!


    "What about the Royal couple?"


    "I will pay for mine and Julia membership. Here it is the coins"


    Ooh as expected of the Crown Prince! So rich!


    "Thank you for joining the IP family. Shortly your emblems and order will be here"


    Finally I can be free from this stupid group, they already are in robes and slippers so they should be comfortable enough to let me go. As I prepared to leave that commanding and annoying voice came behind me


    "Shouldn''t you also sit Cecile?"


    I should not Dear Prince


    "I still need to greet other guests"


    "I insist"


    Insist my eggs! I don''t want to be here


    "Dear you should let Miss Cecile go, she has more important things to handle"


    I am not sure if you just tried to screw me or help me, *sigh* it seems I''ll need to stay here longer.


    "What can be more important than the Crown Prince? I advise you to quickly abide to Prince Albert''s orders."


    I wish I could punch Tomas face. I need to manage my business!


    I instruct Max to tell Glenn to gift all the clients I could not greet a set of the teas they liked and to tell Calum I have to stay here. Finishing it,I bowed to my God of Wealth that I now needed to please.


    "Sorry it was me who didn''t conduct myself correctly I hope that the Crown Prince is magnanimous enough and forgive me"


    Waving his hand to dismiss my apology, he pointed towards the couch and ordered me as if it was the most natural thing to do.


    "Nothing, now sit down. Explain to us, what are the future shops of IP"


    I''m not your freaking puppy. Deep breaths. He is the golden turtle, just do as he says once.


    "Thank you Your Highness. Well, I will open 2 restaurants and a department store. It will spoil the surprise if you know everything so about the restaurants the only thing I can say is that they will have different proposals that the restaurants in this country. And the department store is a store where one could buy 3 types of product: beauty product, clothes and accessories. All the departments will have products for both genders and will have the normal lines and the exclusive lines. Each department will have something new from the shops that we know, but you will have to go there and see what is different. Also the first floor will have a cafe. My idea was when the men would accompany their partner they could wait until the partner finish the purchase. But besides this poor souls, anyone can go to the cafe."


    "What is this cafe?"


    "Is kind of a snack house. We will serve the variations of two kinds of drinks developed by IP staff, the coffee and the chocolate. And we will have many different types of snacks that our chefs created. I highly recommend the visit!"


    "I see, I once tasted the coffee at your house, I am sure will be a hit"


    Right, right? And if the don''t like coffee they will certainly like chocolate.


    As we are talking the tea and snacks came.


    "Please try, and see if it suits your tastes. If not you can ask for them to change"


    The first to taste was Niisama, but because he always have at our house I don''t care about his review.


    "Ho, I never tasted this kind of tea what is it"


    "This is the ''Earl Silver'' made by IP if you want to take for enjoying at home we sell the sachets. It goes well with these snacks called scones"


    Passing a thin layer of jelly I gave a scone to Lukas.


    "I also want one Cecile"


    "Here it is Niisama"


    "And how is your tea Jacob, yours is the only one I was not sure. But I remember when we were kids you liked light and sweet tastes, so yours is a different type of tea called ''Elise'' and I put a bit of milk on it, do you like it? Because the tea is already sweet I suggest you eat with these sandwiches, here take one"


    "Thanks Cecis, I like it very much"


    Jacob I''m so honored you spoke so many words to me! For the past 5 years you only answer me one or two words. Mom is proud of you son!


    "Tomas for you is ''Ignis'' that has a strong taste, it goes well with this scone with cream and fruit to break the tea taste, try it. And for our lovely Miss Julia is the one call ''Lily''. It was created by one of my partners and it has a sweet mild taste it goes well with the scones battered in sugar. For your Highness is our premium black tea ''Royal'', because I know you dislike sweets these sandwiches would be my suggestion"


    "Wow! You know us so well, is like you research about our preferences, you are amazing Miss Cecile!"


    Are you saying I''m some kind of creepy stalker? Again I''m not sure if you are trying to help.


    "This is nothing. In the Queen training I learned many things and one of them was to guess someone''s preferences by analyzing them. One of the test of this class is to please 10 random individual that I''m not acquainted with. Is one of the basic skills required to be a Queen, I''m sure in the future we will be more amazing then me"


    ''After all, you are the heroine.''


    Because of the topic the mood now is weird. Lets change the subject.


    "So, what are you thoughts about our products?"


    "Passable"


    ''Stupid Tomas''


    "Good work Cecis"


    ''Again 3 words. Mommy is really proud''


    "The same as at home"


    ''Shut up Niisan''


    "Is really good bunny-chan, I will take 2 boxes"


    ''What good Niisan you are Lukas''


    "Is so good Miss Cecile. Is a pity that you only offered for us to drink after you open your business, I could pass my life drinking this blend of tea"


    ''Every time you open you mouth I''m afraid to die b*tch lead sama, stay quiet''


    "It is as Julia says. Is so good that you should have offered early. I will take 3 boxes of mine and 3 boxes of Julia''s blend. Also pack a tea blend to gift for Father and Mother with the corresponding snacks that fit better with each"


    ''All Hail our God of Wealth! I knew I was right in calling you!''


    As this stupid group enjoy their tea and chat, I dreamed with all the money being won while pretending to pay attention to them.


    Finally after two hours of torture Glenn came to our room.


    "Excuse me, Misses and Sirs I am just passing to tell that the shop is closing, if you could follow me after putting back your attire, I will give you your orders and emblems"


    Glenn my savior! Actually he is announcing 30'' early than it was supposed to be, but who cares? As long as I can be free from them is ok.


    "It is so? Let us go then"


    After taking their orders and filling my pockets the stupid group finally is going.


    "It was Temone honor to have such distinguished guests, I hope that you had a pleasant stay and come back other day to grace us with your presence"


    Translation: come again to fill my pockets.


    As they bud good bye. I fixed my appearance to send our guests out on the first day of Temone.


    Well, at least everything went alright today

 18 Rest day

    Yesterday was so tiring but at the same so fulfilling!


    Temone had a great feedback and some observations that I''m sure it can help improve our service.


    For yesterday''s report we have:


    90% of the nobles who came sign the platinum membership. The 10% who didn''t signed the gold membership. It''s all thanks to Mother and Father amicable (pressure) conversation. Also I cannot discredit my amazing staff, we receive many compliments for the service and products.


    We also had many people who passed in front and enter our store. 50% only consumed some tea and snacks, while the other 50% signed membership (Silver/Gold). A lot of people also asked if we are hiring, what made me wondered what was so attractive in working at a tea house.


    Talking about hiring, one of the nobles that visited Temone yesterday sent me a letter asking if his son could works under me and could work in any position.His son''s name is Leon Alby, and if I''m not wrong he is in the top 10 of my class in the Royal Academy. I think I''ll make him my secretary. Answering to Viscount Alby, I asked his son to report in HQ tomorrow.


    *tock tock*


    "Miss, Master and Madam are waiting for you to have breakfast"


    "Thank you for telling me Mary. Could you ask someone to send this letter for Viscount Alby, as soon as possible?"


    "Sure Miss"


    ...


    "Good Morning, Mother, Father and brothers. Sorry I was answering a letter"


    "It matters not my bunny, sit down"


    "Excuse me then"


    Today breakfast is eggs, toast, some fruits and bacon. Taking my coffee I start to ask for their feedback.


    "So, do you have any suggestions, complains or praises?"


    "Well, I like the design you made in each room. And the noblewomen loved that they could read many romances there. They also liked that they could embroidery in a place that resembled a tea party. If I had to suggest something is that you should add cakes on the menu and have a separate part for the tea shop"


    "As for me, the nobles that I talked they liked that you offered cigars and all of them complimented the collection of books you gathered. One complain is the name of the rooms and one suggestion is open more private rooms"


    "Oh yes the name of the rooms. They will be changed: the commoner room -> rose room, the noblewomen room-> magnolia room, the noblemen room-> tulip room, the nobles room-> echinops room and the common room-> bouquet room. What you think?"


    "It''s better"


    "What about you Niisama?"


    "All my friends complimented you. You should just be careful with the books. Also tell you managers to behave appropriately"


    It seems he didn''t forget about yesterday. The best solution is to pretend to agree.


    "Well I know brother. About the books, each of them have the IP mark, so we can identify if the book is brought or ours and because every client is always has some staff with them is impossible to steal them"


    "It is so unfair that only me didn''t go!"


    Pinching the cheeks of my lovely otouto, I soothed his tantrum


    "I brought scones yesterday as an apology didn''t I? And tomorrow Fame is going to open and you are invited. Do you want to come with me at lunch or are you going only at night with our parents and Elder Brother?"


    "I''ll go with you at lunch, don''t you dare to abandon me at home!"


    "Yes, yes. You are the Master"


    "Hmph!"


    "Cecile, I forgot about the opening tomorrow and I booked an appointment with a friend of mine"


    "You can call them to Fame though"


    "Ah- is better not, we agreed to go to another place"


    Can''t go? Don''t tell me...


    "Brother She has a lover. Is improper of you to meet her at night, unless His Highness is also going?"


    "Is nothing much, she just wants to ask for some advice about Albert. Because she passes the day with him she is only available at night so..."


    "Preposterous!"


    "YOU!"


    Brother I will pray for your soul.


    "Have you ever thought what will happen if people discover that you are going to meet the future Queen at night ALONE?! Do you even care about your future career? If you don''t want to be the Prime Minister please tell me now, because I have to begin to train your brother"


    "What is so good about her that you still don''t give up on even after she chose someone else? If you don''t get your act together I will send you to the north border as a soldier, I''m sure your Godfather will be please with it"


    Niisama godfather, the general who is in charge of the north Brother, Marquis Brennan. He is a huge man, who talks loudly and loves to fight. He also extremely smart and cares about his soldiers. His is the cause that the nomadic tribes at north don''t attack us.


    I should talk with Brother after the breakfast, he is going to skew from his original path. Because the story of the otome game and the reality are not the same anymore I''m not sure how his future will be.


    Even if he is stupidly in love right now, is my duty as his baby sister to bang his head until he wakes up.

 19 Talk with Elder Brother

    After breakfast, I asked my brother to come at bedroom before dinner.


    "What is it? Are you also going to scold me?"


    "No Niisama. First sit down. I want you first listen to me"


    "Well"


    "Because you are close to the Crown Prince, I was never to close to you because I always thought you would treat me at a similar fashion. Nonetheless you were always someone that I deeply admired."


    "How could that be I-"


    Brother looked really flustered about what I just told him, but I always thought it was obvious why I avoided him.


    "Calm down let me finish"


    "After you met Miss Julia and all your group started to play Harem in school I was really ashamed, angry and disappointed with you and Albert"


    "We are not like this, is just that-"


    "First listen, you can argue later"


    *sigh* I remember the first time I heard about their behavior I could not believe. Although I knew how it happened in the game, but this is real life, they have to consider so many things about their status and family that I never thought that they would actually ignore everything they fought all their lives for just to chase someone they knew for less than a year.


    "I was ashamed of your public conduct. You both looked like those disgusting noble playboys who always try to do something with someone in a lower class than them. I was angry because you both never consider my feelings, you as my brother did nothing after finding their relationship and did nothing to stop them"


    "I warned them!"


    "SO WHAT? You warned and then? They did not stop and you did not even stop to see them. Instead the times you spent with me were less and less. Every time I saw you at the Academy you were either with her or with both of them, do you know how I felt? I *sob* was always been looked with weird stares because of you guys. And you even defend her instead of me **sob* how could you?"


    As I remembered how my own brother would ignore me to spend time with some random chick all the anger that I felt and always hold back escaped. I can''t control my tears of anger anymore. At least I still can stop myself for hitting brother.


    "Ceci.."


    "Don''t touch me! And do you know why I was disappointed? My handsome and brilliant Oniisama, who always has the best results, was smart, the one who always had the right answer, started to commit many mistakes. Now my brother instead of being known as smart and handsome was known to be one of the chasers of the prince lover! FOR FUC*ING GOD''S SAKE SHE IS THE PRINCE LOVER!Your friend and your Lord. Besides you are so skew from the things you always fought for and believed that Dad is really considering to revoke your heir title. You still have it because Mom and I plead for you!"


    "I-i "


    "SHUT UP! I''m not done yet. Furthermore you only know this woman for a year. A YEAR dear brother, are you going to throw all your hard work until now because of a woman that you know for a year!"


    *gasp* *gasp*


    I need to calm down. Lets take deep breaths.


    "*sigh* actually brother I care not if you throw away you hard work until now, but the premise is that it is for a future that you want. If you don''t want to be the Prime Minister or be a Duke I will support you, I will always be there for you brother. I just want to make sure that this is really what you want"


    Looking at my brother, I finally can say all the things that were hidden deep inside my heart. I feel liberated.


    "I suggest you go see Uncle Brennan. I think you need time to think about what you really want. Whatever you choose I will help you in what I can. Hell, even if you want to rob Alberts Princess I will help you with it"


    Closing my eyes so that the tears could stop. The only thing that I know is that I''m emotionally drained right now. I don''t even want to see the look on Brother''s face.


    "That''s it. You can go now"


    I heard him getting up. Not even trying to argue hm? Stupid niisama. If I could I would punch you.


    Then I felt something hugging me.


    "Hey Ceci, I''m sorry I was wrong. I was wrong for playing with the prince instead of you, I was wrong for not punching that bastard until he cry, I was wrong for ignoring you and was wrong for being such a jerk of a brother"


    "Yes you were stupid niisama"


    "Hey Ceci, can you forgive me? I promise to make up to you. You were always the one I was the most concern about. If you don''t forgive me I''ll understand"


    Sorry I can''t take anymore. I started to crying like a little kid. I cannot even talk. I should have talk to brother sooner.


    "Shh. Don''t cry Ceci."


    Brother hugged me tightly and brushed my hair while I soaked his shirt.


    As I slowly slept in brothers arm after crying to much, I remember listening ''thank you'' before I slowly descend to darkness.


    ...


    The next day, when I woken up starving I heard that Brother left to the border.


    ''Stupid niisama, not even said Good bye''

 20 Fame

    Today Fame is going to open. I instructed Dani and Sophie to put a poster in front of the store yesterday. The poster explains that the first 10 customers won''t need to pay, and that if you called a friend both of you only pay half. The promotion will be valid until the end of the week.


    The idea is to show how the restaurant works and to capture people''s stomach.


    Right now me and Lucius are helping the staff to get the last details in place. Outside the store there''s already a line. Maybe because of Temone success, a lot of individuals are curious about the new restaurant style.


    I''m not gonna lie that I''m a little nervous. What I''m trying to do is really different of what this country population is issue to.


    But as my grandma always said: we won''t know if we never try.


    "Miss everything is ready, can we open now"


    Wow, Sophie you are really excited ne?


    "You should first give a speech for your staff"


    "Me? No, no. Miss, you should be the one. I don''t know how to do it"


    I am too lazy to do, but Sophie looks really pitiful... haaa...


    "Only today. However, I want you create some routine to open the restaurant, a shout a dance I don''t care. This is your punishment"


    (Later on, Sophie and staff would open the restaurant and perform a dance. This routine was so moving that the regular clients would always join them in the end and yell WELCOME TO FAME to the clients that saw the routine for the first time)


    "Call everybody here"


    As I waited everyone to gather together, I saw that very few people were someone that I didn''t know of. The others were either acquaintances or my childhood friends.


    "Guys today is first day of Fame. I can''t put in words on how happy I''m for being here with you guys, even if you only knew me today I''m really happy that I can share my dream with you. This is the first All-you-can-eat restaurant of this country, so in some way we are all leaving a mark in our kingdom history! So have fun and make the most of today. Thank you for your hard work! Lets go team!"


    Some people yelled while some clapped.


    I really suck in making a speech.


    "Lucius come with me let''s greet our guests"


    As everybody went to their place the doors of Fame opened for the first time


    "Welcome to Fame. The Lunch Menu focus is meat. To enter Fame you need to buy a ticked worth 70 copper coins. The ticket grants you the chance to eat all the dishes provided on our many as many times as you want. Table for 1?"


    ...


    Fame is packed. Because started to get a waiting line, we decided to open the private rooms at the second floor for public use.


    Because of my status no one tried anything funny, but seeing the restaurant popularity I think I will hire some of the knight apprentice from Spero.


    I sometimes sat down and talked with the clients, besides asking their feedback for the food, I also asked about their life, like kids, relationships and etc. I also promoted the membership system and Temone, and told them that next week I will open another restaurant with a different proposal and a department store.


    Lucius would also go to the table and sell our products. Because of his looks he sells way more than the me.


    Mon ~ so unfair.


    On dinner time there was less people on the restaurant when compared to lunch time. But this was within our calculations. What surprised us was that 4 group of nobles came. All of them had a platinum member so they all opted to go to private rooms.


    Because the dinner is pastas, I gifted each group with a wine exclusive to IP stores. Because it has many spices and the brewing require a special technique it''s a bit expensive and we thought it wouldn''t sell so well, so the stock only had 12 bottles. The result is that in the end of the night there wasn''t 1 wine to tell the tale.


    2 out of the 4 groups asked me where did I bought the wine. Answering them that is the house wine they sweared that they would become regular clients.


    Maybe I should also open a winery?

 21 I seem to have forgotten something

    "Miss you have a guest"


    "Who is it?"


    "Sir Leon Alby, son of the Viscount Alby"


    OMG! I totally forgot about him yesterday! I was so upset with Niisan and worried on how well Fame opening would go that our appointment didn''t even register on my mind.


    "Ask him to come, bring some chocolate and sandwiches"


    No long after, the door opened revealing a medium size guy with blonde hair and big green eyes. He had a baby face that screamed bite me.


    "H-hello, Miss Flower, no Miss Cecile, I''m Leon Alby, I came to report for work"


    Miss Flower! Pff! He is even blushing, how cute! For me he could already be hired just for the unintended compliment.


    "Hello Sir Leon, please sit down. May I call you just Leo?"


    "Y-Yes! It would be my honor Miss Cecile"


    "Ok, so tell me Leo, what is it that you specialize on?"


    "Well at our Academy I am really in good in all subjects besides the ones involving physical activity and social interaction. Although I am not bad on those, it''s barely average."


    Bad in social interactions. It seems that the secretary job will be hard for him, but he needs to challenge himself so that he can get better at it.


    "I see. The position that I thought of is my secretary, what you think? I''ll drill all my knowledge of social interaction in you but you must be up to the challenge. Do you agree?"


    "Yes Miss!"


    "I will ask someone to make your contract, it will probably be done by the end of the day. Take these pile of documents and see if you find any mistakes in the accounts. If you have any question you can ask anytime. Also a week and a half from now we will be opening the Pondus and the department store. The department store still doesn''t have a name, I want you by the end of the week give me 3 suggestions of names"


    "Yes Miss"


    "You will use this desk in front. You can feel at home and do whatever you want with with your desk. In a bit Mary will bring our snacks. They are some of the products that will be available at the cafe"


    "Thank you Miss Cecile"


    "You can start now"


    As we went back to our work, I keep feeling that I forgot something.


    Mary only came back an hour after Leo entered. My dear did you perhaps went to plant dony?


    "What happened Mary?"


    "Sorry Miss, there was no bread anymore so I had to go back to Mansion to get some"


    The appetite of my employees is amazing.


    "Leo lets take a break"


    Cleansing my hand with hand sanitizer cream I passed it to Leo, who looked at me with a puzzled face.


    "What is this Miss?"


    "It''s a cleansing cream. Instead of washing your hands before eat you can just use it, has the same effect and hydrate your hands. It will sell on the department store. Do you want some?"


    "Can I? My mom will surely love it!"


    "Sure, before leaving ask to Mary, she will give you some. Also make sure to ask her to advertise the product to her friends"


    Sitting down and starting to eat, I wonder what reaction Leo will have to chocolate.


    "!!!!"


    If we were in a manga Leo''a eyes would be sparkling. He is so amusing, my days will be much more fun from now on.


    "This is amazing Miss! What is the name?"


    "Chocolate, it''s from the dony plant. Besides the drink we can also make many types of sweets from it. And we have many variations of this drink too. I''m glad that you like. For the next days we will taste different drinks that will be on the cafe menu, so that we can make adjustments"


    "Miss Cecile you are amazing! When all the girls of the kingdom are worried about the Royal Banquet two days from now, you are very relaxed about it and focus on you job instead!"


    Hm?


    I think I just heard something worrisome.


    "Repeat that"


    "Miss is amazing"


    "After that"


    "The ladies are worried about the social banquet?"


    Tilting his head, Leo looked puzzled


    "What is wrong Miss? Did I say something wrong?"


    I can''t tell the truth or else my image as a competent Boss will collapse.


    "No. I was thinking this is a perfect chance to advertise our department store. Let''s go, I will give you a tour of the factory and we will choose the products that we want. Did you family already have their attires?"


    Scratching his head, Leo look a bit embarrassed.


    "Mum bought but because the demand for now is really big, the quality we got is not one of the bests"


    "Is it so? So We will pick Mother first and then we will pick your mother. Come"


    ...


    "Mother, this is my superior now, Miss Cecile. She wants to give us the clothes from our store so we can attend the Royal Banquet with them and advertise the brand."


    "Pleasure to make your acquaintance Miss Cecile. I''m the Viscountess Alby. We will be delighted if we could use your brand. The clothes we got were not satisfactory but because the demand is big I couldn''t find anything better, you would be truly a life saver"


    "How can it be? That you could dress our brand is my pleasure. We should go before it gets too late"


    I need to make both of our families the prettiest of the party. My sales depend on that.

 22 Shopping is the best spor

    At this moment we are at the studio (inside the factory) that contains a model of each piece of the collection. We are trying to choose a dress for the Royal Banquet from the exclusive line. But there is so many dresses that is difficult to choose one.


    "What about this one Cecile?"


    Mother showed me a strapless red dress that had a modest slit. This dress emphasize the woman''s curves.


    "Don''t you think that it is a bit too sexy? I just broke make engagement..."


    "One more motive to use it. Show to that bastard what he lost"


    "I''ll try it. What about this one?"


    The one that I showed was a light blue mermaid dress all studded with small transparent crystals and a detachable train.


    "It looks nice too. Go try them, I will help Miriam chose one for herself too. Call Leo and ask which one he prefers"


    By the way, Miriam is Leo''s mom, in less then 30 minute mom and her became the best of friends.


    "Leo, come help me with something"


    "Yes Miss, what do you want?"


    "I''ll try this dresses and you will tell me which one do you prefer. Sit here I will not take long"


    I will first try the red dress. Because this is only the pilot dress Mary needed to adjust the dress to my sizes. And the final result was that I''m a true enchanting. I fear that my poor secretary can''t handle.


    I''m not kidding. The body of this life is something that I can''t even explain. A cup D, with moderate hips, thin waist and long defined legs. Maybe this is not your ideal body, but sure is mine.


    Making a messy bun, I went out of the fitting room.


    "What you think Leo?"


    As he looked at me Leo started to get really red all over and a few drops of blood escaped from his nose. So knew it.


    "*chuckle* Leo your nose. Quickly stop the bleeding. I will try the other one. Take some cold water meanwhile."


    Going back to the fitting room, we went through the same process of getting the dress in the right measures. Instead of a bun I opted for a complex braid.


    "Are you ready Leo?"


    "I don''t think so"


    It matters not.


    "So what about this one"


    Blank.


    This is the face that he is doing right now. A total blank. Perhaps it didn''t fit me?


    "Leo?"


    "Ah? What did you said?"


    "What you thin about this one?"


    "Goddess"


    "What?"


    "Ah? No. Hm... your are really beautiful. But I cannot choose between them as you''re s-stunning on both of them."


    Leo blushes so easy, is so cute!


    "For the Royal Banquet, what do you think will cause more impact and attract more clients?"


    "I think this one, because he has a more fine work. You can choose the red one for another occasion"


    "We will do as you say. Mothers birthday is next month, so I will dress him on the occasion. Thanks Leo"


    "My pleasure"


    Now we need to choose, the shoes and accessories. I will also take a perfume and a proper make up.


    Dragging Leo to meet our mothers, I introduces him some of the products that were in display a long the way.


    "Mother, Viscountess. Did you choose?"


    "Yes Cecile. I''m taking this black dress with black velvet details, and Miriam is going to take this dark blue dress with silver details. What about you, which one did Leo chose?"


    "The blue one. As for the red we decided to use on your birthday party."


    "Pity"


    "Right mom, we need to choose the jewelry and accessories"


    "Lead the way"


    Guiding the to the part of accessories someone called me.


    "Mistress, you are here!"


    "Iris! What a perfect timing! Mom, before choosing the accessories why don''t we show the Viscountess our make up products?"


    "With you"


    "Iris, I want you to introduce the Viscountess to our make up line and do a makeup you think she will like."


    "Okay Mistress"


    "While you guys do this, I''ll take Leo to choose his suit"


    Once again dragging my cure secretary, I started to think what color of suit will fit him better, brown, dark blue or white?


    "Leo try this 5 suits"


    "All of them? Can''t you just choose by looking?"


    "No. Now go"


    Making Leo prove many of our suits until he asked for mercy was so fun! I think I acquired a new hobby.


    In the end we choose a white tuxedo and a black satin like scarf.


    "Let''s go see your Mom''s transformation"


    When we arrived even I was dumbstruck.


    Iris was really amazing. The make up she did highlighted all Lady Alby good points and it seemed really natural. She was like one of those nymphs we see in paintings.


    "Lady Alby you are truly beautiful"


    "Mom you were always amazing but not you are stunning"


    "Two kids with a sweet mouth! But I must say I''m impressed with the final result, I hope I can send a maid to learn a or two technique from you ¨ªris-Chan"


    "It''ll be my pleasure My Lady"


    "Lady Alby, why don''t you get ready on our house on the day of the Banquet? Is impossible for your maid to learn in such a short time and Iris is the one who will make our make up and hair?"


    "Thank you for your invitation Miss Cecile, I humbly accept it"


    "Great so let''s choose the accessories"


    Because the factory was about to close we chose quickly. Mother chose a black heel studded with white gemstones and a silver set with green gemstone details to accentuate her her eyes. Lady Miriam chose silver heels, and a petal set, and I chose a silver heel with diamond set.


    After our not so quick ''shop'' we all (minus Leo) left the factory with big smiles. Shopping is truly the best sport.

 23 Banquet 1

    Today is the Banquet that were supposed to be the day of my fall. But because I could never let this be, now instead of my fall, it will help my conglomerate reach new heights!


    Dressed with the blue mermaid hair, my hair is done in a messy braid with a few blue gemstones along it. Because my hair is white like Fathers and Lucius, the blue gemstones make a nice contrast. As for the make up I opted for a more natural look since my dress already had to many details.


    Because stupid Niisama went to the border and I reaally don''t want to associate with the Harem, Leo is the one who is going to be today''s companion. So, from our house will leave three carriages:


    The Dubois carriage, with my parents.


    The Alby Carriage, with Leo''s parents.


    And the IP carriage, with me and Leo.


    All of us will be dressed from head to toe from IP


    *toc toc*


    "Are you ready little bunny? Leo is already waiting for you downstairs"


    "Yes Father. Just a second"


    As I open the door I see a god in front of me called father. With his dark blue suit and silver tie, Father right now is just to hot.


    "Bunny, or else you change your dress? Is to exposed"


    Wait for him to see what his wife chose for me. Thank god I chose this one.


    "Nonsense. We don''t have time, let''s go."


    As we descend the stars I see other god called Leo. Everybody is so handsome today, maybe I won''t be able to get to the end of the night.


    "Good Night Leo"


    "..."


    "Leo?"


    "..."


    "Leo!"


    "Ah!"


    Leo start to blush really fast.


    "Good night, should we go?"


    "G-g-Good night Miss Cecile, you are beautiful today, a mean you always were but t-today you are..."


    Haha is so cute when Leo is flustered.


    "Thank you for your compliment you are also very handsome today"


    "Thank you Miss"


    ''What is this cute creature??''


    "When we are out of work you can call me Cecis"


    "How could I?"


    "I insist. Call once for me to hear"


    "C-Cecis-sama"


    "Without the sama or else I will need to punish you"


    I finally understand the overbearing president routine! Is so funny to tease cute creatures


    *cough cough*


    Father you are still here? Go to your wife.


    "Well Father we are leaving. We will meet you there."


    Ignoring my Father''s displeased eyes, Leo and I made our way to the palace.


    ...


    "Lady Cecile Dubois and Sir Leon Alby"


    I could hear that the murmurs became louder.


    Linking my arms to Leo I remembered him to straighten his back and pretend that he owns the world. Although he is shy, once order to do something he will be 1000% committed to finish the ask. His task now is to be someone with high self esteem and poise. As we descend the stairs the murmurs were getting less and less until we got to the last step and there was a pin drop silence.


    Feeling the stiffness of my poor companion I lightly pinch his arm to signalize that everything was going to be fine. Gradually, as we made our way through the crowd that opened as if we were Mois¨¦s, Leo relaxed and open a noble-like smile.


    As we finally found a place and murmurs came back some of my friends came to talk with us


    "Cecile, how are you? I went to Temone but you weren''t there"


    "Hello Irene, I''m fine, I was occupied with the other stores these days and couldn''t pass by"


    "Hey aren''t you one of the top 10 of our class, I didn''t know you were acquainted"


    "Good evening Ladies, My name is Leon Alby, pleases to make your acquaintance. Cecile and I now work together"


    Ho, very good. No stuttering.


    "It is so? Nice to meet you Leon-kun. I am Irene and She is Martha."


    "Nice to meet you Leon"


    "And where did you bought this dress? Even Leon-kun suit is nice. I''m jealous ~"


    "Well, both of us are using from head to toe the exclusive line of our the department store, which will open next week~"


    "Hee, I feel that in the future all my allowance will be pocketed by you"


    "We are such pitiful souls you should at least send a dress or two for free. We can help advertise the brand"


    "I will think on your case~"


    "The Crown Prince Albert and Lady Julia Hartmann"


    Everybody stopped to see the couple of dogs.


    His Highness is dressing white military ceremonial uniform (just like mangas) with a cape and Lady Julia is with a light green princess dress.


    I heard many people complimenting how beautiful they were together or how their union must truly be blessed by heaven.


    I wanted to yell that I can hear them, but I must maintain my indifference facade and show them I''m above all this to care about them.


    Leo also heard the comments and hugged my waist and pulled me close to him. Are you trying to pretend to be a couple to protect me? How considerate of you Leo.


    "Truly disgusting, is good that you got rid of him Cecile"


    "Yes. He''s undeserving of you"


    "Thank you guys"


    As the Crown Prince and Julia descended, many nobles run to curry favor with them. This is one of the many think I will not miss from being the Crown Princess.


    "Leo, lets go to the dessert table I''m a bit hungry"


    "Okay"


    Without letting me loose, Leo walk me to the dessert table.


    Hmm... although not it can''t compare with our chefs they are not bad.


    "Bunny-Chan you are here"


    As we heard this sexy voice, the grip around my waist tightened.


    "Lukas-niisama, you are here"


    "And who is this?"


    "My friend and colleague Leon Alby"


    "Nice to meet you Lukas-sama"


    "Lil bunny, if Louis knows you are close to other guys beside me he''ll be drive nuts."


    "You are the one that brother must warn me about though"


    "Haha is true. But bunny today you are like a nymph that came out of my dreams, you are mesmerizing"


    As he look at me as if he wanted trap my soul, I felt my cheeks starting to burn.


    Get a grip of yourself Cecile!


    "She always beautiful Lukas-sama"


    "Yes, yes"


    "Thank you for your praise Niisan and Leo, but please stop or you gonna make me blush"


    At that moment a sweet voice came from behind us


    "Lukas you are here!"

 24 Banquet 2

    When Leo and I looked to the source of the sound we saw a green projectile heading in our direction.


    The green projectile AKA Lady Julia was so fast that I couldn''t react to it


    Luckilly Leo reacted fast and brought us out of its trajectory. When we moved out of the way, she almost fell but with Lukas aid we avoid a troublesome situation.


    "Why would you move out of the way? I almost fell"


    Why wouldn''t I? Is better for you to fell then for me to be hit. Unreasonable person


    In the first place why are you running? Is perhaps the Queen training not strict to her? Because is impossible to have this type of conduct otherwise.


    "We didn''t saw you Lady Julia, I''m sorry. We just ended our chat with Lukas and were taking our leave. Who would have thought you were so excited to see Lukas that you almost tripped. Is good that he helped. If we had saw you we would surely be in the same place so that you would not fall"


    "I knew you would do on purpose, but please pay attention next time"


    Is this girl stupid? Lord don''t give me strength otherwise her face will be disfigured.


    "Julia you are here. Don''t go around too much or I''ll be worried"


    "Hey Albert"


    "Lukas you''re also here"


    "Good evening Your Highness"


    As he turned his in my way, I saw a trace of surprise flash in his eyes, did you truly didn''t see me? I''m such a big human being. And why are you frowning I only greeted you.


    "Dear stop staring at Lady Cecile or I will be jealous!"


    "You are seeing things Love. For me only you exist in my world"


    As they started their cringe show, I held my vomit. I need to leave this couple fast.


    Turning to Lukas-Niisama I bowed slightly


    "We will take our leave then"


    "No, wait Al just got here, you are all childhood friends so you should talk don''t mind me"


    ''Oh Lord how can you create a being so annoying as this?''


    "Yes Julia is right, you didn''t even introduce the one beside you"


    ''Oh Lord how can you put together such an annoying couple together''


    What about their kids??? God bless the ones that will need to endure them.


    "Sorry for the late introduction. My name is Leon Alby, Cecis companion"


    Are we playing couple again? Leo sure is bold.


    Albert frowned and looked at me with an icy look with a tinge of anger


    "Lover?"


    I knew it. To this overbearing prince once his woman even as ghost I will still be his woman. But this is only your misconception hon.


    "Again His Highness, my love life doesn''t seem to regard you"


    "Don''t be like that Lady Cecile, Al is just asking because he care as a friend. Right, I loved your dress! Do you think it would suit me Al?"


    ''Not at all''


    "Everything is beautiful on you my dear"


    ''Royalty sure knows how to lie''


    Julia pulled Alberts face and gave him a big kiss.


    WTF? Etiquette for what? Morals for what? People are watching? Don''t care!


    As the couple in front of me broke all the three views that I had about this world and I blankly stare at them, I turned to see the look on Lukas.


    My poor sexy Niisama, all the color was drained from his face.


    I hope that this at least serve as a wake up call.


    "I truly love you Al"


    Scum Prince looks like a wolf that will eat the squirrel at any time.


    "I love you more"


    ''Disgusting''


    Leo also seemed disgusted as his grip in me was so tight that I was having trouble breathing.


    -pinch-


    "Sorry Cecis. I couldn''t control."


    "That''s alright I understand "


    As he made motion to continue, miraculously Julia remembered where they were


    "Not here Al, everyone is looking"


    No b*tch lead-sama even if you do a shy look now won''t work


    "So Lady Cecile, where did you bought your dress I want to commission one for me too."


    For the sake of empty your lover''s pocket I''ll answer this annoying you.


    "This is one of the designs that will be available on IP department store. We will open next week, I hope to see your presence there as I''m sure you will be delighted with our products"


    "This is also from your store? You are really a hidden gem Miss Cecile. Every time you surprise us with something new. That only one person could come up with so many thinks you must be 1 in a 1000 genius"


    I don''t even want to guess anymore if you are sincere or not. I just only hope right now that you shut up this trap of yours.


    "Maybe I''m really a hidden gem waiting for someone to realize how precious I am. But you are wrong in one thing Miss Julia, the products of IP are the result of teamwork. Because of my amazing staff, I have many amazing products. So I must humbly thank you for your praise on behalf of IP family."


    "His Majesty, The King and Her Highness, The Queen"


    "Mother-in-law and Father-in-law are here! Al, let us greet them"


    Without even greeting us, the b*tch lead-sama made her way to the King and the Queen.


    I''m sure her Queen training is not the same as mine. Is impossible to be like this.


    "Lukas-Niisan, sometimes I wonder what is wrong with your group''s eyes"


    Lukas gave me a weak smile


    "Haha, even I wonder that sometimes bunny"


    At least you are aware of it.


    "I hope this serve as wake up call Niisan. If you want I can always be your bride haha"


    I know that I laughed but I''m not kidding, I can totally be your wife.


    "Oh bunny, I would surely eat you throughly, but I first must defeat the dragon that guards you"


    "En! Good luck Niisan. We now need to meet our parents so that we can go talk to our sovereigns, if you excuse us."


    "Leo, did you see our parents?"


    "En, let me guide you"


    Still holding my waist, Leo guided me to the east side of the hall.


    "Would you really be his bride?"


    "Impossible"


    ''After all he only has eyes for Julia''


    "Oh"


    What a weak response. But before I could ask about it we arrived.


    "Cecile here you are, we must greet His And Her Majesty"


    "That''s why I came, are we going now?"


    "Yes"


    "Well, see you later Leo"


    "I''ll be waiting here for you Cecis"

 25 Banquet 3

    Walking behind Mother and Father, I start to analyze today''s royal attire.


    His Majesty has a similar uniform to Scum Prince, but his is black. By his side is Her Majesty, with a burgundy dress with golden details, Her Majesty is beautiful as always. And behind her is someone I didn''t see for a long time.


    Wearing the royal attire in the same color as his mother''s dress is the Second Prince William. Although we cannot be said to be friends we were always in friendly terms, but after Julia appear we met less and less. He is one of the few bachelors at our age that never chased Julia. If he was not Albert''s brother I''m sure he would be at the top of Mother''s ''son-in-law to be'' list.


    And of course by his side is the couple that everybody loves.


    "Good evening Your Majesties and Your Highnesses, The Dubois Family hopes that you are all fine"


    Us three bowed to the Royal Family.


    "Ceci-Chan you are here!"


    Without waiting for her husband to talk the Queen pounced on me


    "Is this one of the dresses that will be available in your store? Is so beautiful, of course the model also helps. It seems that I will have to go incognito there. Also the tea blend that you sent by Albert is the final product of our little experiment right? It was delicious does, but it sell it well?


    I envied Albert so much that he went to the opening mon~"


    Yes, my ex mother-in-law and I are friends. She helped me test many products and gave many ideas. Also she always gave tips on how to make hell training become just a hard training. She is one of the few thing I miss about my engagement.


    "Is Laura also dressed by your brand? Next time be sure to send me the catalog so that I can chose a few for me. Also Ceci-chan I miss the pastries that you brought with you. Even if you got rid of that dead weight you must still visit me otherwise I''ll be lonely you know?"


    The dead weight... this your son My Queen.


    "I missed you too, after my stores are open I''ll go and bring our novelties"


    "En, is promised then"


    Are you a kid?


    "Alas. Auntie is sorry for you, if not the stinky brat bad eyes how could I loose my dream daughter?"


    Queen your daughter to be is behind you and your elder son looks really ugly right now.


    "But thank god I gave birth to two sons. I know the first one was bad, but I promise the second is good. He is handsome and smart, 1st place of the class, and is not close to any females. You may be wondering if he is gay, but auntie tested and he is 100% straight. Also he loves all the things that Ceci-chan creates, he sometimes sneakily steal come of the things you gave me, and.."


    "Mother enough! You will make Cecis uncomfortable"


    "Are you sure not talking about you?"


    Right now Prince William is like a tomato.


    "Hoho, I didn''t now you like my inventions Prince William, I will surely send you a special packet later filled with love"


    "Oh Ceci-Chan what a great idea! Perhaps this way he will stop taking mine"


    "You two, please stop teasing me"


    "Haha but serious now I will send one of our tea party sets. But you must be sure to share with your aides and help me advertise my merchandise. Also 2 days from now I will open a restaurant, although not very noble like I feel that you will like."


    Why would I feel that way? Because the man in front of me has a black role in the place of his stomach. He eats sooo much that is frightening.


    "Oh it seems our time is up Ceci-Chan. Don''t forget to visit me later"


    After bowing we left the royal family that started to talk with another household.


    "I''m back Leo"


    "Is good to be back"


    30 minutes after we started to chat a music made her way through the hall.


    As the King and the Queen don''t dance anymore, the first couple in the venue was Prince Albert and Miss Julia. Although they were beautiful dancing together my mind couldn''t gloss over the errors:


    ''Wrong tempo''


    ''Wrong posture''


    ''Put your left arm down''


    Suddenly a hand appeared in front of me


    "Could you grant me this dance my flower of the society?"


    It belonged to Second Prince William


    "It would be my pleasure my national husband"


    As we enter the venue we slightly bowed to each other and started to dance on the opposite side of the other couple.


    To my surprise Will was actually a better dancer than Scum Prince.


    Because we started to get excited with each other''s dance level, we started to perform more complex movements. When the music stop we were slightly out of breath. While bowing to each other the thunderous applauses sound through the hall.


    We were so focused on our dance that we didn''t realize that the Scum couple stoped to dance before us, and there was only us on the venue.


    Bowing to our audience, Will escort me out of the venue.


    "It seems that I need to send a very special gift for you "


    "I''ll be waiting"


    "Cecis here is water"


    Separating me and Will, Leo gave me a cup of water.


    What a good secretary you are Leo.


    "Thank you Leo. Won''t you dance too?"


    "I don''t know to. Could you teach me?"


    "She just finish dancing, she''s tired" "Sure wait a second"


    As me and Will answer at the same time I looked weirdly at him


    Aren''t your control too wide pal? Sure enough they are brothers.


    "Worry not, I still can dance all night. Come Leo. If you excuse us Your Highness. I will be sending your present tomorrow, look forward to it"


    Now, I need to teach this baby how to dance.


    "What dance do you know?"


    "Basic valse"


    "Ok, let''s begin"


    Holding me a bit too close that I can smell the IP perfume I gave him, Leo started to dance.


    "First follow my tempo, then try to conduct me"


    Because of our closeness it will be easier for him to feel the tempo So I will leave like that


    After some mistakes he finally got it.


    By the time the music ended he was already guiding like a pro.


    You are fast learner aren''t you?


    "Sorry for the bother"


    "No, I had fun"


    "I''m glad if it is true. They are starting to serve the food lets sit down"


    "En"


    After enjoying a nice dinner, both our families went to their respective house.


    And this closes the night that I laughed in the face of destiny.

 26 Fan POV

    My name is Aubrey Klunn. I''m from a Count Household and I''m in my second year on the Royal Academy.


    Although I have a high status because of my introvert personality I''m usually alone, but all this changed when an angel appeared on my life.


    Seeing that I always had lunch alone my angel Cecile-sama ditch her friends once a week so that we could have lunch together. At first we didn''t talk much but gradually I became more and more comfortable with her.


    As we talked I became more mesmerized with her. Before I only admired her because of her perfect conduct known in society, but now I learn how kind and strong she is. My angel would help the needed without hoping for anything in exchange and had plans to open her own business!


    In the end I became part of her fan club. And as a part of the fan club, I was outraged by the commotion caused by His Highness Albert, I couldn''t understand how could he do something so low to a being so pure. If not for his status he would have disappear like many other bugs around angel-sama.


    Some of the fan club thought that if they couldn''t harass him they would harass his lover. But I thought it only smeared the reputation of our angel so I didn''t took part on it.


    When we heard the news about the engagement break, we did a party commemorating that our angel finally escaped from the clutches of that bad man. And as good fans we did it in our idol'' store.


    I must say angel is really on another level compared to us mere humans. Her stores are innovative and amazing. They are the talk of the noble circle and the new favorite place of many. Even my Father became a regular on her restaurant because of some wine he tasted there.


    Because we are in summer break I can''t have lunches with my angel anymore and I kinda miss that purifying smile. But thank god I can see her tonight, I wonder if she could get a dress on pair with her beauty? Aaah I need to prepare myself too and not shame angel sama!


    ...


    Inside the hall that is been held the Royal Banquet many groups were already forming as I waltz my way to look for my friends someone called me.


    "Aubrey here"


    Oh a fellow fan, it seems some of the fandom is getting together. Lets stay with them for a while.


    "Lady Cecile Dubois and Sir Leon Alby"


    Aaaah my angel is here!!! But wait Leon? Wasn''t he one of the top 10? It seems while we weren''t around an annoying bug came close to our angel.


    Leaving this matter for later I focused my eyes on the stairs that my angel would descend. But once she came in view something in my mind went ''BOOM''


    H-how can a person be this pretty Lord? As expected of angel-sama.


    All around me I could hear someone talking about the pair


    ''Beautiful''


    ''Goddess''


    ''They are pair of heavenly couple''


    But as they grew closer and we could look better at them it was like all the breath on our body was taken out.


    Today Cecile-sama was no angel, she was a goddess that descend and grace us with the look of her noble visage.


    As she and her companion pass through the crowd many people started to talk again


    ''Her dress is amazing''


    ''Do you see the jewelry set she is using? The design is lovely''


    ''Leon-kun is also dress nice''


    ''I think I just bent, I want to marry my goddess''


    ''Father, don''t you think we should send a marriage proposal to the Duke''s house''


    ''Are Leon and Cecile an item?''


    ''Even without Prince Albert, Cecile still my Queen''


    Many similar comments about Cecile-sama were going around but she seemed unbothered by it. As expected of the goddess.


    Not long after the Crown Prince and that disgusting person also arrived. When I saw the couple descending the only comment I could think was ''just so''. They weren''t half mesmerizing or noble as Goddess and puppy couple.


    But of course a lot of people still compliment their union and looks. A bunch of boot licking people if you ask me.


    In some part of the party that disgusting couple had the audacity to direct the world to the Goddess and even showed a affection play right in front of the Goddess!


    How could them! I must slap this pair of dogs! But as I moved my eyes to make sure that the Goddess was not crying, I saw how composed she was, is like they weren''t even worth of entering her eyes. Yes, how could I forgot that we always must conduct ourselves with calm and poise. Goddess always told me that handle things in a gentle way we''re more effective than exploding.


    But once I get home I''ll be sure to convince father to support 2nd Prince. How can this disgusting couple become our sovereign? I refuse!


    And as if god heard my plea, once the dance started and the disgusting couple initiated the dance , 2nd Prince brought the Goddess to the venue. Even staying still their aura already overwhelmed that pair of dogs. But once they started to dance all the eyes were glued on them.


    You can even dance like that? They look like they forgot that we are here and were dancing to their hearts content.


    If it was any other couple dancing at their hearts content it would be a warm scene, but the dance would be filled with technical errors. But not theirs.


    Every move they made was as perfect as it could be. Instead of being a warm scene was mesmerizing. We were so submersed in watching the pair that everyone forgot to join the dance or watch the other couple. Once the music stopped, the sudden silence took us out of the dream that both of them created.


    My Goddess is truly the best!


    As the night passed although I couldn''t talk with her, I saw her dancing with other nobles and eating with a perfect etiquette.


    At the end of the night I confirmed the sentiment that I want strive to be someone half as good as the goddess!

 27 Leon POV 1

    My name is Leon Alby, and I''m the heir of the Viscount Alby Household. Because I excelled in the academic subjects on our Royal Academy I am on the top 10 of our class. However in contrast I''m barely a serve in etiquette and the physical classes.


    Father''s always nags me how I don''t conduct myself as a noble, but even if you tell me this I don''t know how to do.


    One day he came home with a terrifying idea: Working under the flower of the society.


    Father do you know how scary her fans are? If they know I''ll be dead meat. But because we need her approval first, I relaxed. I''m sure she will decline father''s proposal.


    I didn''t got a day feeling relief though. On the same day that she received the letter she answered Father asking me to report to her company HQ the next morning. I wanted to refuse but I could never go against my parents. Owing to this fact, I encountered myself in the next morning in the gates of her office, I was welcomed by the employees present after I said the motive of my visit but after I waited the whole day I didn''t even saw her shadow.


    Was she just messing with Father? But if I tell him he will be disappointed. I will try again tomorrow.


    Because her staff knew why I was there in the next morning I was quickly put inside. Apparently the flower was here today. I can''t deny that because she didn''t see me yesterday my impression of her fell a bit.


    "Are you here to meet my Miss?"


    "Yes, my name is Leon Alby, she asked me to come"


    ''I''m not here because I want to ok''


    "Wait a moment"


    As the cute girl in maid outfit enter the office I wondered if I would be refused and how would I explain to Father.


    "Miss will see you now. Yesterday Moss has to open one of the stores and couldn''t come. Was my neglect that forgot to warn you not to come. I''m truly sorry Sir Leon"


    ''So that''s why''


    "That''s ok"


    "Please enter"


    The door opened and I could see a girl with her glistering emerald eyes looking attentively at me.


    "H-hello, Miss Flower, no Miss Cecile, I''m Leon Alby, I came to report for work"


    S*it I got nervous with her look, I even called her flower! This is all Father''s fault!


    "Hello Sir Leon, please sit down. May I call you just Leo?"


    This smile is foul! How can a person be this beautiful


    "Y-Yes! It would be my honor Miss Cecile"


    "Ok, so tell me Leo, what is it that you specialize on?"


    Yes I should focus on my objective here. I can''t be lost in her beauty


    "Well at our Academy I am really in good in all subjects besides the ones involving physical activity and social interaction. Although I am not bad on those, it''s barely average."


    "I see. The position that I thought of is my secretary, what you think? I''ll drill all my knowledge of social interaction in you but you must be up to challenge. Do you agree?"


    I of course agreed. Although I don''t I can really be of use, I came to learn all that I can from her. Finishing our talk she gave me a pile of documents to go through.


    As I went through I was surprised of how detailed and accurate the reports were. Did she made them or did the people under her did? Either way it only proves that the girl in front of me is amazing in more ways then one.


    Not long after we started the maid came back with some weird snacks.


    ''What the hell is this?''


    But because she seemed eager to see my response I couldn''t refuse.


    "!!!!"


    ''What is this? Is so good''


    Apparently this is one of the products that the staff of IP developed.


    "Miss Cecile you are amazing! When all the girls of the kingdom are worried about the Royal Banquet two days from now, you are very relax about and focus on you job!"


    Yeah, while all the kingdom is turn upside down because the ladies are worried about what to dress this incredible woman is expanding her business.


    "Repeat that"


    ''Did I say something wrong?''


    "Miss is amazing"


    "After that"


    "The ladies are worried about the social banquet?"


    To all the reactions that I thought she would have I never expected that she was thinking on how to promote her products. Not only will she wear it she proposed that my family also did. Truly different from other women.


    As such, me, my Mother, Miss Cecile and Duchess Dubois went to the factory to choose our attires.


    The factory was huge. I discovered that IP has a variety of products and as I inspected more my admiration for The Flower grew.


    "Leo, come help me with something"


    "Yes Miss, what do you want?"


    "I''ll try this dresses and you will tell me which one do you prefer. Sit here I will not take long"


    Not sure I''m the best person, but your wish is my command.


    When she went out of the fitting room I could her a ''BOOM'' inside my head. My throat dried, my temperature rose, my heart was beating like crazy and I felt my nether part starting to swell. If this was not embarrassing enough I felt something wet leaving my nose.


    ''What is this enchanting''


    "*chuckle* Leo your nose. Quickly stop the bleeding. I will try the other one. Take some cold water meanwhile."


    Aaaaah so embarrassing I want to quickly find a hole to hide.


    But just as I started to relax, she left the fitting room again. Aren''t you too quick? Embracing myself I looked at her.


    And just like that my mind went blank as my soul flew away,


    "What you thin about this one?"


    "Goddess"


    Ah I said it out loud!


    "What?"


    "Ah? No. Hm... your are really beautiful. But I cannot choose between them as you''re s-stunning on both of them."


    In the end we chose the blue one for the banquet. I gave her a lousy reason that she accepted, but the truth is that I can''t have her using that red dress in front of anyone else besides me. I have a month to convince her not to use it in her mother''s birthday.


    You would have thought that I would become immune since I already saw her once but the same scene repeated again once I saw her ready.


    ''I want this woman''


    This is what I decided when I saw her coming my way.


    With this resolve I escort her to The Banquet.

 28 Leon POV 2

    Once we enter I got nervous, there''s too many people looking at us and I''m not use to. But Cecis (I can call her that now!) pinch me and I remembered all the things she teach me how to conduct myself. To be a man worthy of her I need to try harder. Relaxing and open the smile we trained I lead her to a corner of the hall.


    Not long after we arrived her ex fianc¨¦e and his lover arrived. As I looked at them I saw the Prince looking at Cecis and staring at her.


    Before my mind could process anything my body moved and I hugged Cecile by the waist.


    The Prince has to take his eyes away because his lover pulled him. But... what exactly I''m doing will she blame me?


    But oppose to my anxiety, she silently stayed in my arms.


    Does it mean she accepts me?


    "Leo, lets go to. The dessert table I''m a bit hungry"


    "Okay"


    Seeing her eat gives me a kind of pleasure that I never felt. Actually anything she does gives me a emotion that is new for me.


    "Bunny-Chan you are here"


    Bunny? Who''s this guy? Don''t you see she is with me.


    As he openly flirted with MY companion we were interrupted by the Prince''s lover that almost hit us.


    After I took us out of her way she even had the audacity to complain.


    ''Is this girl crazy?''


    Just after her arrival her lover came and stared at Cecile. Again she is MY companion. You already have your lover take your dirty eyes of her.


    As the Prince questioned our relationship I had to control every cell of my body to stay silent so as not to be rude to this scum.


    The dog couple was not satisfied in only disgusting us with words so they resolved to kiss in front of her!


    ''I can''t beat them, I can''t beat them, I can''t beat them, I can''t beat them''


    -pinch-


    "Sorry Cecis. I couldn''t control."


    "That''s alright I understand "


    I just hope they quickly leave here.


    We were saved by the announcement that the King and Queen arrived. The rude woman dragged the scum. Could not had appeared in front of us at all if you ask me.


    As she bid goodbye to Lukas-sama, she said that if he wants she can be his bride.


    You are kidding right? What is even so good about that playboy? My baby is so perfect it can''t go to someone like that.


    "Would you really be his bride"


    "Impossible"


    *sigh* yeah why I''m getting work up with? She was trying to console her friend.


    Because Cecile need to greet with her family I stayed alone for a time.


    "Do you like her?"


    "It has nothing to do with, does it Lukas-sama?"


    "Maybe"


    What do you mean maybe? Do you also like her? Didn''t you like that disgusting woman?


    "Relax puppy I only came to warn you that if you want her you need to take down many obstacles. Well, that the best man win I guess?"


    Saying so he left.


    What do you mean obstacles? And the best man wins? Didn''t you chase the Prince''s lover leave Cecis alone!


    After Cecis came back we started to chat, but not long after the music started and the first couple started to dance. As I about to ask her to dance someone was faster. The 2nd Prince took her and even if I hate him right now I must say that they were truly beautiful dancing. Finishing their performance they came to where I am.


    I need to separate them.


    "Cecis here is water"


    "Thank you Leo. Won''t you dance too?"


    "I don''t know to. Could you teach me?"


    Since I can''t compare to the Prince William I will pretend to be a beginner.


    "She just finish dancing, she''s tired" "Sure wait a second"


    "Worry not, I still can dance all night. Come Leo. If you excuse us Your Highness. I will be sending your present tomorrow, look forward to it"


    ''Yes, please don''t meddle''


    Think so I took her hand and guided her to the venue.


    When we enter the venue I brought her close to me, because I said I''m a beginner I can just say that I didn''t now the right distance right?


    ''She smells so nice''


    "First follow my tempo, then try to conduct me"


    As we started to dance I purposely made some errors to support my white lie and ''improve'' as we danced.


    Unfortunately the music didn''t took long to finish and I had to let go of her.


    "Sorry for the bother"


    "No, I had fun"


    If you had fun nothing else matters.


    "I''m glad if it is true. They are starting to serve the food lets sit down"


    "En"


    Going back to my house I thought of all the competitors I have.


    *sigh* this is going to be hard.


    Lets see that smile once more tomorrow to refill my fight spirit.

 29 Talks about an problem magne

    After the banquet I received a lot of letters asking about the dresses and jewelry that we were wearing, so after discussing with the department store managers we decided to send invitations to the nobility like we did to Temone''s opening. And for the general public we will distribute pamphlets in the busiest street telling about the opening.


    The group also reported that the products were already done and that the store could be open two days earlier. So the opening is schedule for three days from today.


    I can already smell the money!


    ...


    Today me and Leo came to Pondus for its opening. The promotion that the girls thought was free drinks for a week and if you come in a group of 5 each customer will have 30% discount.


    Today''s Pondus menu is:


    Lasagna bolognese


    Filet with mushrooms


    Rice


    Spaghetti with bacon and ail


    Soup


    Salad


    Chief special: lamb risotto


    As the manager of Pondus, Emily was the one chosen to give the speech to our lovely staff. Her speech was so much better than mine, I even caught myself with a few tears.


    As we opened, a lot of workers groups of close shops came. We are full!


    I''m glad that everything is running smoothly.


    "Miss, the Second Prince came"


    ''Oho, my God of Wealth 2 came''


    Walking towards the door I saw the Will and his 3 aides waiting for me to guide them to the table.


    ''Such a considerate child even brought friends and didn''t reach the quota for the 30% discount''


    Plus all of them eat for 3 persons. Sure is good to have a fast metabolism.


    "Welcome to Pondus! I am delighted to have you grant us your presence here Your Highness, Sir George, Michael and Andrew. Do you perhaps have the platinum membership?"


    "Hello Cecis, yes we do. Here it is"


    "Okay. Do you want a private room or are you going to eat on the common area?"


    "Private room"


    "Okay, come with me. First you need to go pick the food and then you can sit down."


    "Oh?"


    I guide them to the self-service part and started to explain how it worked


    "Well, this is today''s menu, you can see the description of each dish at the plaque in front of them. You put how much you want in your plate/plates. At the end you will weight your plate and you will pay for how much it weights. Any questions?"


    "What about the desserts?"


    "They are a separate price"


    Passing them the cleansing cream I let them start


    "Clean your hands and after you pay I''ll guide you to your room"


    "Yes Ma''am"


    Each bear child got three plates, they were so full that I had to call 2 waiters to help us. Of course I was not carrying any as I''m only responsible for the beauty right now.


    "I will guide you to your room"


    The private rooms had approximately 10x15 ft. And had a glass table and leather brown chairs. It also had a button to call the waiter when needed.


    "Do you guys want to drink something?"


    "We want that carbonated juice you put on my gift. 2 grapes and 2 oranges"


    As the waiter took their order, they sat down and started to eat. Well, I will check the things in the kitchen I guess.


    "Where are you going? Sit down. Let''s talk"


    Or not.


    "What you guys being doing in this break?"


    "For me is the same as always. Cleaning my brothers mess, helping father with some documents and training"


    "Helping the Prince and taking care of my garden"


    "Training with the guards"


    "Working as an intern at father''s company"


    "You guys, sure are busy"


    "Not as much as you though. But you seem happier. You let your true smile show more often"


    Do I? But I do have many things working for me now.


    "I heard your Brother went to the border"


    "Haaa... you guys know that he was head over heels about Miss Julia right? After I talked with him , he decided to distance himself and re-think about his future. That bastard didn''t even said good bye"


    "He was one of her victims too hum? Seriously after she appeared the things are harder to handle. Her pursuers are like maniacs"


    As Andrew said that all of us looked at George.


    "Why are you guys looking at me?"


    "You are clearly one of them!"


    "Am not! I just find her lovely"


    "If you start to act like a fool like the others I will tell your father"


    "You can''t!"


    *pffft*


    "Ceci what are you laughing about?"


    " Nothing you guys relationship is really good. But I believe that George won''t cause much trouble"


    Even in the game, although he was part of the Harem he was the most sensible one in it. He never hurt anybody, he didn''t have a fianc¨¦e and his route didn''t had a Villainess.


    Scratching his head, George looked a bit embarrassed. Because he is tall and muscular his embarrassed look cause a moe kinda feeling.


    -CG saved inside my brain in file ''Hunks''-


    "Oh I have a doubt! Does Miss Julia perhaps has a lighter Queen training than mine? If it is, this is so unfair mon~"


    "Haaa... I wish. No she didn''t even begun the training. Instead if she''s is not pestering mother, she is glued to brother. Mother is so annoyed with her that she prohibited Julia to enter her chambers"


    "Auntie is annoyed? Miss Julia must have worked hard, because since I have known her Aunt never even frown"


    "Well. First Julia tried to cook something, but she put a drupe, that mom is allergic. We had to rescue her really fast. After Mother prohibited her to go to the royal kitchen, she would go to Mom''s chambers at any time. You know that the Queen has many responsibilities right? So sometimes she refused Julia. If Julia was refused shewould run to brother crying as if she was bullied by mother. That created many arguments between the two. But seen how adamant her daughter to be was, mom decided to open a time of her day only to Julia. But according to Mother, Julia spouts very rude things and maintain a face of purity and innocence. This was the last drop of her patience, and now Julia is banned"


    ''I know exactly what the Queen is talking about. That girls spout a lot of nuisance with a straight face''


    "This caused many cracks in Brother and Mother relationship. Actually, that girl is like a problem magnet. There is always trouble around her. We already discover so many people plotting against her or problems that she caused that sometimes I had the urge lock her somewhere"


    But it can only be so though because she has the curse of the Female Lead, so obviously she will be surrounded by trouble. This is just how the law of the FL aura works. The world challenges his chosen children by throwing trouble right and left towards them. The number of challenges won=charm+luck (AKA protagonist aura)


    "Will is right is so hard nowadays! Sometimes I even caught myself going towards your house to cry and ask you to come back"


    "It was not my choice ne? And It''s impossible to go back"


    "Dreaming is a free hobby"


    "Sure is hahaha"


    After they left, the rest of the day was calm, and with Leo help we didn''t encounter any big trouble and could safely close the first day of Pondus.

 30 Squirrel comes asking for help 1

    We are now in the rush to open the department store. Leo came up with three names: Valpurdis. Elysium and Asters. We had the staff vote and Asters won by a very large margin. Now mine and Leo''s task is to find someone that can do the signboard done in 2 days. And the guy who I really liked the work refuse to accept a work that has a rush due date. He said it would be sloppy job so he couldn''t accept. *sigh* I can not even argue with his work ethic.


    ''Oh Lord of the DIY please help me''


    "And Miss the chandeliers will be delivered tomorrow only, is that okay?"


    "Light, sign... hey Leo, the place that is Asters is almost always in the shadow right?"


    "? Yes besides at midday, the sun is blocked from our store"


    "That''s it!"


    Soon I delivered a list to Leo.


    "Get this materials ASAP, I''ll do a temporary sign. And then contact the guy that had a very detail art. Say that he has as much time as he want to produce the signboard he has"


    "Yes Miss, I''ll be on my way"


    ''The Lord of the DIY is really great and might. Amen''


    I remembered that there was this simple signboard DIY that I once did to a party that I held in my previous life. I just needed some materials to make the ''mold'' I wanted and a light and taraaa now we have a light projection signboard.


    I also thought in doing the letter filled with flower signboard, but because I want an unisex vibe I gave up on this idea.


    Because it''s a light projection I will need to cover the part where the signboard is going to be a little, so we will be making a simple black awning with some high-end materials so that it doesn''t look to shabby.


    Taking me out of my DIY filled thoughts a knock sound.


    "Come in"


    "Excuse me Miss, you have a visitor"


    Visitor? Who could possibly come when I was in middle of chaos? Everyone knows that I''m busy with Asters opening, so maybe is something urgent.


    "Ask them to enter"


    But opposite to my order Mary was still looking at me with a troubled face. Is something so terrible? Think so I shivered.


    "If you want to say something just say it."


    "Miss the visitor is Miss Julia"


    FML! What is this annoying girl doing here? Is she purposely coming in a bad hour?


    I need to take a deep breath. Inhale, exhale. Haa... no, she is just stupid. She is the epitome of innocence and purity so she is just plain stupid like all the FL that have the Mary Sue aura going on for them.


    I really want to refuse, but if she ran to the Prince with that hateful wrong expression of hers, he will come and I will need to spend my time watching their stupid play. It''s better to handle her just once. I''ll do like I do when taking out a band-aid, quickly and waiting for the pain.


    "Matters not Mary, ask her to come in. Bring a cappuccino and some light sweets for our guest and me please."


    I sat in my white leather armchair that had a coffee table in front and three couches of the same material around.


    *knock knock*


    "Please come in"


    ''Oh Lord give me patience so that I don''t faint from anger in these meeting''


    Making a quick pray I waited for the b*tch lead-sama to show herself.


    Today she was wearing a white dress that I can see that is made by Ms. Portmann, who is the most famous fashion designer of the kingdom and my good friend. The dress make her seem holy, but it also gave me a desire to tear it down. Be an antagonist sure is frightening. Is good that I can control this type of impulse.


    "Please sit down. What can I do for you today Miss Julia?"


    And like I just made some kind of spell, large tears starting to drop.


    Where is this, what''s going on,who am I?


    "Please stop crying or others will think that I bullied you. Here"


    Pushing the glass of water that Mary prepared beforehand and giving her a handkerchief. Right now I''m even more puzzled about her reason to come here.


    "Did you calm down now?"


    "Y-Yes thank you"


    "You''re welcome. Please state your purpose. I''m busy right now and can''t give you much of my time"


    "Yes, sorry. Miss Cecile I need your help!"

 31 Squirrel comes asking for help 2

    You may need but why should I help you?


    "I know you may hate me but me and Al are really true lov-"


    "Stop. You have a minute to say why you came"


    "I-I need your help, you are the only one who can help me. Please look over our past hatred!"


    Julia had her eyes full of tears again. WTF are you a broken dam?


    "If you cry again you can leave the office. What do you want my help with?"


    "Sorry sorry. I want your help to make the Queen like me. You need to help me!"


    I wonder with what confidence this squirrel came to the ex-fianc¨¦e of the man she robbed to ask for help. Anyone in my position would refuse her right? Why I would help the new flame of my fianc¨¦e? And she said that I need to. Hon, the only thing I need do is make money to live without worries.


    However, as we all know all those who oppose the heroine would have a bad end. So for the sake of a peaceful future let''s help the squirrel in front of me.


    "I have a condition"


    "I-i can''t leave Al or do bad deeds. Besides that you can ask me anything"


    I would I even want you to leave him?


    "Nothing like that. I only want when you see me you can keep as quiet as you can"


    Yes, if you don''t talk I want have the urge to punch you. For a suggestion that will help with your future Mother-in-law is a rip-off deal.


    Julia made a "o" with her mouth and looked at me incomprehensibly.


    "Only that?"


    "Can''t do?"


    ''Did I perhaps ask too much for this stupid girl?''


    "Can can"


    Nodding her head like a chicken Julia agreed to me. I just hope you remember.


    *knock knock*


    Mary entered with the snacks I had asked. Hmmm... this strawberry torte is truly the best.


    Julia also ate some. Her eyes were so sparkling that I wondered if I should defend my portion.


    "*cough* so I have 2 suggestions for you, that I personally think you should do. The first one is go to the Queen training, it exists for a purpose and you can ask for help to Her Majesty, she will surely help you. Second don''t talk much. Is better to listen to what the Queen says and put a comment or two. You will probably learn a lot . She''s a talker you should be her listener always"


    Julia looked like a diligent student trying to absorb all my words.


    "What if it doesn''t work? Can I come here again?"


    "It will. And you can''t"


    Why should I entertain this nonsense again? I refuse!


    "Go to Temone and ask them to the tea party set that the Queen likes. Take that to her. Also before barging into her study check her schedule, only go when she has free time. She is a busy person and can''t entertain nonsense all the time"


    Ops my true thoughts slipped. But it seems that she didn''t notice.


    "I recommend you before meeting her you should go to the Queen training and fix how you conduct yourself. Because me and the Queen were drilled with the Queen training we are picky about things like etiquette. Is okay to be like your are beside your loved ones, but she and you are unfamiliar and she is your elder, the way you behave in front of her now is, saying kindly, disrespectful. Of course if you will follow my words or not is up to you. I did my end of the bargain I hope you do yours. Anything else?"


    "No, no, no"


    Are you a broken record?


    "If it''s so, Mary see the guest off. Also pack some of the sweets for her to take. I wish you success Miss Julia"


    "Thank you, I know you hate me but I hope that someday we can be friends and you could bless Al and-"


    "Miss Julia, What did I said? Be quiet ok? You are more lovely that way. Mary."


    "Lady Julia, please"


    I saw Mary almost dragging Julia out. My friend is so strong, Julia didn''t even stand a chance.


    *sigh*


    I sat down again to start my work again.


    ''This is what I can do to help you, Auntie and Will. I hope that it will make you guys have a easier time around her''


    Enough of the problem magnet. I need to go back to making money.

 32 Preparations

    Maestro, a roll of drums please!


    Ladies and gentlemen give a round of applause for Asters!


    The so awaited department store from IP is opening today.


    I was so anxious for today''s opening that I barely slept last night.Rushing to Asters I arrived one hour early than everybody.


    Without delay I started to check everything.


    First of all the temporary signboard. We tested yesterday and the visibility was enough that a passerby can see it. But because white light can be overshadow easily I decided to add some color to the ''mold'' and the final result was a purple signboard.


    Afterchecking that everything on the signboard was working fine I went to the cafe. Let''s start with wiping the tables so that when the staff arrived they can focused in more detailed aspects.


    "Miss what you doing?! This is supposed to be our job! Please quickly stop it"


    "Don''t mind, don''t mind. James go check the coffee machine and Lily check if all ingredients are ok"


    "Okay, but promise to not force yourself, if Mary-neesama knows that we let you do this she will kill us. Stop before she gets here, I''m begging you"


    Mary is truly frightened ne?


    Don''t worry I won''t let her know.


    "Sure~"


    When I finished wiping the table Mary and Leo arrived. Also half of the cafe'' staff is already here. I instructed them to let things semi-done so that the when the client order, it won''t take too long to be ready.


    Looking at the cafe staff with their uniforms, I must confess that I drooled a bit. The women have a black skirt at knee length with a bit volume, black tights and heeled oxfords, black vest and a red buttoned shirt. While the man are with black pants, oxford and vest with a red t-shirt. Because our emblem is black with gold it matches the uniform.


    "Miss Cecile, should we check the other floors?"


    "Yes, go to the beauty department, Mary help the accessories section and I will go to the clothes part. After you are done go to the 5th floor so that we can check with Liam the security details"


    ""Yes Miss""


    ...


    The clothes department didn''t need much help. We checked the clothes to make sure they didn''t have any flaws and add price tags. The clothing staff uniform is a white jumpsuit with a blue blazer for the women, and white shirt and pant with a blue blazer for the man. Also they have a golden tag in their blazer with their name.


    After getting everything, because I was a bit worried about the beauty section I went there to help Leo.


    Just as I entered the 2nd floor I heard a sound that made my heart skip a beat.


    *CRASH*


    ''Dear Lord, please tell me that is something that can be fixed''


    I quick made my towards the sound.


    "What was that sound? Is everyone okay?"


    "Ah Miss you are here thank god! You see the Line Passion of perfumes just broke. What should we do"


    ''Thank you Lord of DIY for your protection. At least it broke one that I know the recipe''


    "Nothing, quickly clean this mess. How many were?"


    "15 bottles"


    "Let me see if we have enough ingredients... hmm we don''t. Leo come here I need what is in this list in 15 min. Go"


    ''I''m sure we can do in time. There''s 2:30 h to the grand-opening, everything must be perfect.''


    "Somebody call Mary and Liam here, tell them we will discuss the details while I do this"


    Not long after Mary and Liam came, Leo came running with the rest of the ingredients. Poor Leo was sweating buckets, thank you Leo, I promise to reward you later."


    "Liam at the cafe I want two people guarding, at the other floors you should put 4 individuals one in each corner of the floor and 1 or 2 walking you decide. At the entrance I want your two best mens."


    "Okay, What about me?"


    "You should divide your time to each floor. You can choose where to start and the time spent"


    "I understand Miss"


    After an hour making the perfume and having my body covered with sweat the perfume is finished.


    "Put them in the bottles. Leo we should go take a bath and change our clothes. Mary tell Sarah to send clothes for me and Leo"


    "Yes Miss"


    "Let''s go Leo"


    Taking his hand I walked to the rest room on the 5th floor.


    Pointing to the bathroom I am not sure if Leo use our bath products.


    "There''s the shampoo and conditioner from the Fruit line inside. Do you know how to use them?"


    "Yes Ceci"


    "Okay see you later then"


    Saying so I entered the lady''s bathroom.


    ''Haa... a hot bath is everything when you are tired''


    ''This smell so nice''


    The Fruit line. This line is made by some fruits that I only saw in this world. After I experimented with many proportions of them this was the final result. Is one of my favorite line.


    ''Can''t take too long here''


    After drying myself I putted a white cotton robe and left the bathroom.


    "You''re already done"


    "A, eh , yes, Ceci why are you l-like this? Please go back to the bathroom "


    Leo in front of me is already fully dressed with his face so red that a tomato would bow to him and call him king.


    "Hmm? Don''t you like what you see Leo? Is it that I''m not beautiful enough?"


    "I like ver- No, that''s not it. I shouldn''t see you like that!"


    I hooked my arms in his shoulder and made him bow at my height. Putting my lips close to his ear I whispered


    "Are you sure?"


    I felt his body tighten fufufu~ is so fun to tease Leo.


    *cough cough*


    Hearing the coughing, Leo quickly escape my clutches and is if chase by a ghost run out of the room.


    ''Lil'' bunny come back here, I''m not done yet''


    "Mary you just spoil my fun"


    "You shouldn''t tease him like that Miss. Come we don''t have much time, Iris came to help with the make up and hair, please sit down here so we can start"


    "Sure, sure you are the boss"


    After 30 minutes I was finally ready. There''s only 15 minutes to the opening. Thank god I don''t need to give any speeches.


    Now is time to mesmerize this kingdom inhabitants, the doors of Asters are open.

 33 My 2 God of Wealth

    It''s been 2 hours since we opened the doors and I think I can say that Asters is a success. Right now we are packed any floor you go can see many people buying or trying our products.


    And of course today both Gods of Wealth are coming and I plan to get as many coins as I can for both of them.


    Speaking of the Devil.


    "Prince William you are here, where are your sides?"


    ''Don''t you know is your job to bring them so I can rob them?''


    "They will be coming later with their families. Why, am I not enough for you?"


    "Only if you spend as much as you can. Come I will introduce to you our store."


    "*sigh* please be kind with my wallet"


    "I''m always kind Prince. Here is the beauty section, are you going to get gifts for Her Majest of course right?"


    Will smiled weakly at me.


    "Haha, of course. Do a package of the ones you recommend for her but just one line ok? And for father a perfume should suffice you can let my brother gift him the rest."


    "What about you?"


    "Haa... give me what you recommend."


    "Sure~"


    Pulling one of the attendants apart I assembled all the products in different gift boxes and ask to be sent later the Palace.


    "Should we go to the next?"


    "En"


    On our way to the 3rd floor one of the security guards came to me


    "Excuse me Miss, the Crown Prince has arrived, Sir Leon is talking with them and asked me to inform you"


    "Thank you, you can go"


    Turning to face William I thought I should drag him with me to endure the annoying couple.


    "Your Brother is here, let''s meet them"


    "I''m really fine without seen them though."


    "Shut up. I need a suffering partner"


    Dragging him we soon met two annoying birds and a suffering soul.


    Looking at Leo''s face you could see traces of impatience, anguish, anger and tiredness. Hang in there Leo, I''m here to save you!


    "Prince Albert, Miss Julia. I''m honored to have you come to the opening of my store, I was just about to guide Prince William to the clothing section, would like to come with us?"


    "Yes please"


    Quick and concise. Without her routine nonsense Julia is abiding to our deal


    ''She is more lovely this way indeed''


    "Please follow me then. Leo stay here to welcome the guests please"


    "Yes Miss"


    I can feel how relieved he is that he don''t have to come with us.


    I started to walk in front of them and Will quickly came to my side"


    "Oi what did you do to her? Teach me"


    "Fufu~ we made a deal~"


    "Oh. What deal?"


    "She came to ask for help to fix the status quo with your mother. In exchange for my advise I asked her to be quiet as possible when she sees me. Isn''t she more lovely this way?"


    "So you were the one behind her sudden interest to the Queen''s training. I thought that Brother create courage to put her to do it"


    "Please stop dreaming. The probability of your brother forcing her into something has negative values. We are here"


    I will ask for Sarah''s help so we can make this quick


    "This lady will help us find attires that matches with your tastes. Lady Julia why won''t you come first"


    "Lady Julia nice to meet you, my name is Sarah. What can I be of help today?"


    "I need 3 summer dresses and 2 evening gowns. I want something similar to what Miss Cecile used at the Royal banquet. And for the summer dresses I want something colorful"


    ''Too little''


    "Sarah, bring that striped jumpsuit and three sets of summer clothes besides the ones Miss Julia asked."


    "Sure thing Miss"


    "But-"


    "Trust me, now that you''re the future gown princess you need a lot of clothes to attend the gatherings."


    "En"


    You should always be obedient like that dear. Is so less annoying.


    "What about the two of you"


    "You can do the same as the previous floor. Father doesn''t need anything from here. Ah, mother asked me to buy a dress for her to attend you mother birthday"


    "I''m just here to accompany Julia"


    "I have the perfect dress for Her Majesty! And Prince Albert we cant have that, even if you don''t buy for yourself you should at least buy some gifts to the Queen. You don''t have to worry, I know Her Majesty preferences. I''ll select a few clothes for her what you think?"


    "*sigh* with you"


    "Great! Oh here it is the cloths for Miss Julia, quickly go to prove"


    ''Let''s ply doll dressing''


    "Sarah, while she tries the dresses can you please select 3 sets of working cloth, 2 sets for evening party , and 4 casual sets for Prince William? Also do you know that strapless black dress that has gold embroidery? Get it for Her Majesty and select a few pieces that can be used in a tea party"


    "Yes Miss, I''ll be right back. Will His Highness try the clothes?"


    "No need. I trust Ceci''s people"


    Julia didn''t take long to show us the cloths, and I must applaud my team of designers, the clothes really are to die for. Maybe the FL aura helped a bit, but my clothes are still the main point of my appreciation.


    "We will take them all"


    This phrase even when said by the Scum Prince is still music to my ears.


    "Thank you for your patronage. For where should I send to?"


    "The Royal Palace, of course"


    Hm?


    Maybe I heard wrong.


    "Royal Palace right?"


    "Are you deaf?"


    "... I don''t want to commit any mistakes"


    Deaf? No, non. Is just that the phrase is too absurd.


    Is she living in the Royal Palace even without being his fianc¨¦e? Isn''t this prohibited?


    "Oi, Will, they are living together?"


    "Haaa.... they are. They are even sleeping in the same room, can you believe it? Mom doesn''t talk to brother anymore. She gave up on correcting him. We are all so tired of their nonsense that we let almost anything they do pass. That''s why we were really happy when Julia went to the Queen Training"


    "Holy fondue! Doesn''t it mean you''ll be soon be an uncle?"


    "Don''t even joke about it. I just got goosebumps all over. Do you ever imagined how annoying their child will be?"


    ''I did. And also imagine that the child will have a high status then me and I won''t be able to teach him''


    "Haha. Good luck"


    "Come, lets go to the last floor and then I will take you to the cafe so you can try our specialty drink"


    ...


    "Prince Albert and Miss Julia why don''t you get a jewelry for couples?"


    "Sounds interesting, show us"


    "What about a necklace? We these models, please have a look"


    I bet 10 gold coins that he will choose something that screams Crown Prince''s property, keep out.


    "This one"


    ''Sure enough''


    The design that he chose is an image chosen by the client. Each necklace has half of the image and in it is written his/hers only that.


    "What pendant do you want? A heart? A circle?"


    "Do it with royal crest."


    "... is this even permitted?"


    William please come and put some sense into your brother.


    No, don''t ignore and pretend this is not your problem, come back here!


    "Didn''t I say to do it? Just do it, this is not something you should worry about"


    I should never had asked. Spent my good intention.


    "Sure, I will show Prince William somethings that Her Majesty asked. This Lady will show to you the rest of the products available. I hope you enjoy what we offer, if you excuse me"


    I can''t take this Scum anymore. Dragging Will to the other side of the floor, I chose some jewelry for Her Majesty and a pocket watch with His Majesty initials engraved. As for William, I one of each product on the masculine side to him.


    He should compensate me for all the neurons that were burn since his brother arrived.


    Passing by the Scum Prince and Squirrel I remember them to pass by the 2nd floor and pick some beauty products and that they should create their own perfume so that just both of them.


    As possessive as Albert is, is a foregone conclusion that he will buy it since is another way to mark his territory.


    And now the finally awaited cafe!


    Maybe you were not awaiting, but right now I''m starving.


    After enjoying a nice cappuccino with a torte and making Will taste almost half of the menu I bid him send him out and went back to just sell beauty.


    I should go back and escort the Crown Prince you say? Sorry don''t know who this is. Look that Count seems to need help. Let''s go there and help.

 34 Solving and getting problems

    The Asters opening was a success! We almost sold out everything on the store.


    Money, soooo much money.


    ''I thank thee, oh God of DIY, who made possible for me who was a business graduate to know how to do so many things''


    As always a pray for my patron God, DIY kami-sama.


    Now that all the four are open I will wait until their heat die down to continue the expansion of my empire. If I open all the things that I want at once the element of surprise will disappear and the profit with be lower.


    So for the next 4-5 months the focus of IP will be to maintain a stable clientele. Because in 2 months we will be changing stations the department store will bring different designs. I''m excited to see what the designer will come up for autumn.


    Ah, IP will also be working on Mother''s birthday party. Because I''m the organizer I decided that we will not do at home like everyone else does, we will make at Temone.


    Since Temone was initially a mansion anyway it won''t be hard to organize a party there.


    What we will do is close the tea rooms and use only the main hall. We will move some of the sofas to hall and puts some tables for the guests.


    As for the theme of the party will be a Masquerade Ball. I will send the invitations tomorrow, in which inside besides the invitation will be a catalog with 40 different types of mask. The guest when confirming his attendance will have to say which mask he chose and what color. A day prior to the party the mask will be sent to the him according with the specifications given.


    Of course if the guest wants to prepare by himself it''s okay.


    For the other details I still have two weeks to think about, now I will focus on the reports that keep coming to my desk.


    ...


    The department store is all about having different brands in one place. So this week I schedule many meetings with different types of stores and designers meetings to convince them to sell some of their products in Asters.


    Independent of the fame or size the store, we decided that 15% of the price of the product will IP''s and the 85% will go to the brand. After many and many meetings 20 stores agreed with our terms. 10 of them are clothing brands, 8 are accessories brands and 2 are beauty products. Between the brands that agreed with us the one I''m most excited about is ''Papillon''by Ms. Brennan. She is one of my favorite designers and I originally wanted to pull her to my side but she refused my invitation since we had different goals to our brand in mind. But now that I will have Papillon dresses in Asters the clientele for sure will grow, since many are faithful clients of Ms. Brennan.


    Besides the many meetings that I had to attend this week, I had to solve the same problem in two different places.


    Both the cafe and the tea rooms were having a high demand of to-go type of orders. This caused big lines to people who just wanted to pick something there and go home and disturbed the traffic of both stores.


    For Temone was simpler to solve since the mansion is really big. We just had one of the vacant room redesigned and put someone as clerk. We also needed to ask for the factory to send in more quantities some of the tea blends that were usually sold out.


    But in the cafe was different. I didn''t have space sparing. As such I spent the whole week negotiating with the owner of the building beside Asters. I wanted to buy and he only wanted to rent. After a fierce tug of war I finally bought the building for three times the price I originally bid.


    When I signed the contract I needed to recite ''I am rich'' as a mantra to see if the heartache of spending so much money became nonexistent. But alas, was for nothing it gutted so damn much!


    Until now I can feel my money flying far, far away from me. Baby don''t gooo!


    With tears in my eyes and maybe murderous aura I ordered people to reform the building to a patisserie. Although it won''t be one the design fits what I want. The store beside will sell all the snacks that the cafe has + different types of bread. It will only have sofas in case the client need to wait for one of the products to be done. Also the store is linked to the cafe. So now when the clients want to take some food home, he will need to go to the cafe express (name of the anexed store) and order there.


    When I finally finished dealing with all that I looked at calendar


    ...


    I think I''m blind.


    I completely forgot moms birthday and now I only have two days to prepare everything teehe~


    Teehee~ my eggs I''m screwed


    online, urgent etc. #I forgot my moms birthday What now?

 35 DIYs are life savers

    One of the things that I learned with DIY is first check what you have easy access to. Do projects that you need to spend a lot of resources to get the materials are probably not worth.


    Thinking so I went to the factory. There are probably a lot of unused materials in there.


    Hmmm... white cloth, fake pearls, oh these crystal should be of use too.. feathers and more feathers, invisible thread, these cloth flowers too. I think is enough.


    "Please ask them to send all of these to Temone by today."


    Now I need paints, leafs and candles.


    After I bough the paints and candles and caught enough leads I entered Temone by the backdoor.


    ''Now is magic time''


    First the leaves and 1/4 of the feathers. We will paint them gold.


    Now with the invisible thread, connect the crystals. I will make big and small crystal rows.


    I don''t have anything to glue them on... let''s go to the kitchen see if we can find anything useful.


    " Princess why didn''t you tell us you were here?"


    "Don''t mind me Calum, I''m here to do the decorating for tomorrow."


    "Do you need any help?"


    "Yes I do~ just come with me. Also ask someone to call Lily over, I need her to make a cake. And tell Sophie that she''ll be in charge of the dinner tomorrow"


    "Okay. I will ask somebody to send the message"


    "I will be in the kitchen"


    Walking in the kitchen I saw empty barrels, although not what I was looking for it gave me an idea.


    "I''m here Princess. What do you need help with?"


    "Calum, I want these empty barrels split in half, can you do this for me?"


    "Your wish is my command. Do you need them now?"


    "Preferably, yes. is itpossible?"


    "Give me half hour and it will be done"


    "You are the best"


    Now, the main object.


    "Do you perhaps have any chipped saucers that can''t be used to serve anymore"


    "Yes. We have 14. Do you want Miss?


    "Please"


    ''So many expensive saucers are chipped but at least they will help me.


    "If Calum looks for me, tell him I''ll be on the upstairs in the second room"


    Now that I''m back to the room let''s paint the saucers silver and glue the rows on it. Perfect.


    "Princess here are the barrels"


    "Great help me paint them."


    "Which color?"


    "White and after painting we will glue some white and golden feather on them. For 5 white fethar you put a white one."


    We took the rest of the evening doing this.


    I''m exhausted but tomorrow we still have more.


    ...


    Another day another drama.


    Today I decided to spend the day at Temone.


    "Mary you are coming with me to Temone, bring the things I will be wearing together please."


    "What about the makeup Miss?"


    "I''ll do it myself, my mask is very flashy I don''t need much"


    "Okay, I''ll go prepare the thing and we can leave"


    ...


    "Calum I''ll need some people to help me get this done"


    "I can only give you 10 people"


    "It''s enough, ask them to move the things on the second room to the main hall"


    "Yes, do you need anything else?"


    "Buy me some glassware. I need 40 thin big vases. How many small glass cups we have at Temone?"


    "About 200"


    "I''ll need all of them, but you can give me them after you close the store"


    "... understood. I''ll call the ten people. Excuse me"


    "Mary let''s go to the main hall"


    The main hall is a large room with a capacity of 1500 people. It has a very big and beautiful chandelier in the center and some paintings on the walls.


    First let out the things that go in the ceiling. From the luster to the walls, the 4 stripes of white cloths will be hanged. Between the stripes the crystal cascades will also be hanged.


    "Mary let''s swipe the floor so that we can put the other decorations"


    "I can do that alone Miss, you can stay sorted on that chair."


    ''For someone who cleaned the bathroom when living alone, swiping the floor is nothing''


    "Stop the nonsense we don''t have time"


    Taking the mop from Mary''s hand I start my Cinderella job.


    ''Haaa... I''m already tired''


    Floor clean now we need to move the tables to the room. For this we have those 10 handsome men at our mercy''s that will willput the tables in opposite to the entrance.


    "Princess, here is the vases that you wanted, because of the large quantity they are not exactly the same is that ok?"


    "Even if it''s not, we can''t do nothing about it. Thanks Calum, you can go back to your post"


    The tables will be covered with a black cloth and a smaller white cloth above the black. The center pieces will be the thin vases that Calum got filled with the feathers. Around it I will put the small glasses filled with pearls and small candles.


    "Guys can you move the barrels to there and there. Move that one more to the right. Perfect!"


    The barrels are now filled with a substance that is between water and jelly. Above the substance is some of the cloth flowers and candles. Some of the half-barrels are between the tables while other are scattered around the area that is suppose to be the dance floor.


    At the right side of the hall there will be a large table filled with some sweets and the cafe and at the left side will be other table filled with snacks. Their decoration will be similar to the smaller tables but instead of the pearls be inside the glass they will be scattered together with white and black cloth flowers.


    What about the leaves you ask?


    They will be scattered at both sides of the hallway that leads to the hall. Above them there will be some black small pedestals with aromatic candles on it.


    "Miss the decorations are done, should I instruct people to start putting the tableware and the food?"


    "What time is right now?


    "That is an hour to the guests arrive. Madam should be here half a hour from now"


    "Glenn do as you said. Remember to leave 4 people at the entrance to welcome the guests and check their invitation. I''m going to get ready now. See you later and thanks for the help"


    "Anytime Miss"


    Leaving with Mary, now is time to turn into a enchanting fairy.

 36 A bunny in the wolf’s den 1

    I''m all set. Today''s outfit is the red dress that Mom liked last time, a black mask with lace details, a small black flower and 3 black feather at the right extreme of the mask, red lipstick, black gemstone choker and slightly curl hair. Although it''s a ''simple'' outfit in some situation less is more, right?


    "Hi Mom, did you liked the decoration?"


    "It''s incredible hon. Thank you very much and I see you are wearing the red dress that I chose for you, it looks incredible"


    "I like very it much too, I''m just worried about Father''s reaction"


    Speak of the Devil and the Devil shall appear. Curse this crow mouth of mine.


    "Dear did you see- What are you wearing bunny?!! Go change it right now"


    I can see the despair from Father''s face, eyeing my Mother I try to convey to her ''deal with your husband''


    Getting my meaning she hook Father''s arm.


    "Now now Dear, doesn''t she look great, I was the one that chose the dress for her, are you saying that I made a bad choice? Besides today is my birthday"


    Utterly defeated, Father just hanged his head and sighed.


    Mom, once again you proved how awesome you are. Who would thought that the Ice king, the Prime Minister of the country is a wife slave.


    "Mom is right Father, sister is so pretty tonight!"


    "Fufu~ thank you Lucius, you are also very handsome. Do you want to welcome the guests with me?"


    "Sure sister, is already time for they to arrive right? Let us go welcome them"


    Slowly the guests came. By 40 min. after the party started the hall was half filled and the only ones missing right now were the Royal family and a Duke.


    "Ceci you are so pretty today! Is this dress also from Asters?"


    "It is, I see you also went to fill my pockets, thank you very much"


    Not only Irene is dressed with Asters dress, more than half of the guests have one or more piece from Asters. Also most of them have mother some present from there. I''m happy and helpless about it, because I think the only one that received gifts were me.


    "Of course! You now even have a line from Papillon! I''m going bankrupt because of you. Not only bankrupt but also fat, those cakes from the cafe are so dreamy that I can''t stop eating"


    "Maybe I should build a sweet store dedicated to you"


    "Please don''t, otherwise I''ll really become a pig. Us normal humans struggle with what we can eat and can''t. We are not like you that eat everything you wants and still keep this gorgeous body. And is even worse with this dress today, all the men are ogling you right now"


    "I feel like a fresh piece of meat thrown to the starving beasts. I fear for my virginity"


    The men right now are like they about to pounce on me, although I expected some kind of response I didn''t think it would be so exaggerated.


    "Well, you should just get someone to protect. Where''s Leo-kun he did a good job last time"


    "He''s with some of his friends, they were curious about his work at IP. Maybe by the end of the night I will get some efficient workers"


    At this time the murmurs from the entrance grew louder, wondering what happened we looked at the entrance. Oh it seems the Royal Family is finally here.


    "Hee... it seems that scum arrived together with that disgusting person. You should go and greet them and take that b*tch down with your looks"


    ''Aren''t you too aggressive?''


    "I don''t plan to take anyone down but I do need to greet them. If you excuse me I''ll be going"


    "Go I''ll look from here how regret and lust fill Scum Prince''s face a moment from now"


    Shaking my head to Irene, I went to the Royal Family. As one of my biggest supporters they are all in Asters.


    "Your Majesties and Your Highness Thank you very much to grant us Your presence in my humble birthday party, I hope you have a great time tonight"


    Mom even if you don''t like Julia you shouldn''t ignore her, she will be our future Queen you know?


    "Oh Millie, is our pleasure to be invited to your party. The organization is so beautiful and different, is the first time that I see a decoration without using flowers. Who did you hire to do? I will be doing a tea party for the Young Misses next month, I will be delighted if the party have the person organized it"


    "Oh you praise too much Your Majesty, the one who organized the party was Cecile so I''m not sure who did it"


    "Your Majesties, Your Highness and Miss Julia Thank you for coming to myMothers birthday. And the one who did the decoration was me, so thank you very much for your praise, I''ll be delighted to organize your tea party next month if you allowed me"


    "Oh my!Can you do it Cecile? Alas, I really did loose a perfect daughter."


    "It''ll be my pleasure to do it Your Majesty. Let''s not stand here let me guide you to your seats"

 37 A bunny in the wolf’s den 2

    After I guided His Majesty and Her Majesty to their table, Crown Prince and Julia came to talk with me.


    ''I really didn''t want to deal with them tonight, Will where are you? Take your brother away from me''


    I scanned around me but couldn''t find him, boohoo no one is here to save me.


    "Hello Cecile, Have you heard from your brother?"


    ''Oh, how weird, he is actually being a bit friendly. I smile as a reward for your change''


    I actually receive brothers letter every week. In the beginning he seemed to be suffering from the harsh training impose on him by Uncle, but in his last two letters he seemed to have grown used to the rhythm there.


    "I did Your Highness, he said that he is training hard with uncle so that he can be of better use for you. He said that he was sorry that he left without telling, but hopes you can forgive him."


    "He better be, he left a lot work behind, tell him to contact me and ask forgiveness by himself and stop binding behind his sister"


    ''Hehehe brother you are screwed who told you to leave without a word''


    "I''ll pass your message to him. Miss Julia you are lovely with this dress, it suits you well"


    ''Let''s try to keep the friendly atmosphere by safe complementing his lover''


    "Thank you very much Miss Cecile, it is one from the Papillon line in Asters. Ms Brennan is amazing as always. But I can''t compare to you, as truly look stunning today, don''t you agree Al?"


    "Too exposed"


    ''Would hurts to compliment me? Whatever I will just ignore like always''


    "Thank you Miss Julia for the compliment "


    ''And patronage~''


    "I heard you talking that you were the one who organized and decorated the party, it''s really different"


    ''Is this a compliment or an insult?''


    "Yes, all the decorations were made by me, I''m glad it was well received"


    "What do you mean you made the decorations? Didn''t you bought them somewhere and just placed them Miss Cecile?"


    This squirrel even with a few words they are sharp as always, but today I''ll need to disappoint you.


    "Literal meaning ~ I made the centerpieces, the small barrels with the flowers, the golden leaves and etc. don''t you think that I did pretty well?"


    "How could you do that, this a job for the servants"


    ''What are you so worked about Scum Prince? I like and I want, what does it have to do with you?''


    "It''s nothing much, everyone was busy and I like to do these things myself, is like a hobby"


    Can anyone come and save me from the annoying couple?


    "Bunny-Chan found you~"


    Grabbing my waist and hugging me from behind my sexy-niisama is here.


    ''Hm, I feel something poking my butt... maybe? Nah, impossible, the Harem only lusts for the heroine''


    I turned slightly my head to see him ''wow there, you are too close''. With our noses almost touching I can feel niisan breathing. Looking at his face I can see from upclose his long eyelashes and that plump lips ''these lips are Too kissable''.


    Without taking my eyes of his I wonder If he came to save me.


    "Hello Lukas-niisama, you look very handsome with this mask. What were you looking for me for?"


    Getting close to my ear Lukas released a hot breath that made my legs soft.


    ''Oh Lord don''t test me because I will loose to lust without a second thought''


    Nose keep together, we can''t bleed right now.


    With a bite in my earlobe that made me tremble a bit, Lukas stated his purpose, not that I cared at this point, if he guided me to a room I would probably follow as I''m to groggy with all these attacks to process anything.


    "Of course to protect the little bunny who is too tasty today, we can''t have some random wolf snatching you can we"


    Before I could even process what Nisan said someone abruptly pulled my arm and woke me up from the spell I was under.


    ''S*it it hurts''


    With a tight grip in my wrist that for sure will leave a purple mark behind, Albert scowled at Lukas.


    "Release her"


    "Prince Albert, I''m just talking with my sister I don''t see how it concerns you"


    "I''ll just say one more time, release her"


    "What if I don''t?"


    Albert when is serious Sure is handsome and Niisama also look really handsome with his eyes narrowed. Hmm don''t this make a beautiful CG? No, that''s not time to indulge in beauty. The grip of both of them is hurting.


    ''I''m not a rope to your tug of war''


    "Both of you are hurting me! Release me right now!"


    "Are you Okay Cecile?"


    "Ceci are you fine?"


    Like two knights protecting their princess Leo and Will appeared by my side and freed me from the clutches of the Harem men... the only problem is, how come I feel I just change the people but the situation is the same?


    ''At least it doesn''t hurt anymore''


    "Thank both of you, you can let go now"


    "Yes Prince should release her, let me take her to the table, don''t you see she looks tired?"


    "Sir Leon we will not bother you, we know that you need to talk with some nobles about cooperation with IP. I will take Cecile so you can do your job without worries"


    They exchanged stares and started to grip my arms tighter.


    ''Haa.. so tired. The situation calls for the secret weapon''


    I pulled them close to me as so that both of their were lightly pressed against my cleavage ''first jab'' now for the knockout.


    *kiss* *kiss*


    As they received the kiss on their cheek, both of them seemed to have received a electric shock instado and release instantly.


    ''My chance''


    Released from the (evil) knights clutches I escaped from yoga terrifying place.


    Don''t you know that the first specialty of a bunny is escaping?


    Irene, my safe port, where are you?


    Men are to scary for this bunny to play with.


    ''I won''t bow to the evil forces (lust) but because I don''t have the power to the resist I will escape as much as I can''


    For the rest of the night toYou could see a frightened bunny escaping from hungry wolves.

 38 Wolves POV 1

    Duke''s heir POV


    -


    Today I came to accompany my father to the Duchess Dubois birthday party.


    Dubois family is the talk of the high society right now because of the many novel shops that their daughter opened.


    Because I am 10 years older than Miss Cecile, I never had a proper talk with her and rarely meet her because of my absence in official parties.


    As such, my impression of her is limited to what I hear from her. Known as the flower of society people portray her as pure and gentle goddess. Between the men she is known to be someone to appreciate from a far.


    But such notions were shattered when she and her little brother welcomed us.


    With porcelain skin, plump red lips that begged to be kiss, and ideal measures, the woman in front of me is wearing an red dress that highlight her perfect curves and have a slit that show her slender legs and make you have the urge to see more.


    When she bowed as the etiquette demands her abundant cleavage seems to invite you to drawn on them.


    ''What is this enchanting?''


    "Is something wrong Sir Cale?"


    ''Of course it is, I''m at my limit right now''


    With every cell of mine asking me to drag this woman to a room and eat her clean, it took all my forces to control my urges and answer as politely as I could in this situation.


    "It''s nothing Miss Cecile, I was just mesmerize by your appearance"


    ''More like enchanted''


    "Fufu~ thank you very much for your praise, I was unsure about today''s outfit I''m glad it could captivate your sight"


    ''Please Miss Cecile don''t act like this or I''ll really loose myself to you''


    I need to get far away from this woman.


    "I''ll go greet your parents, we should catch up another time, if you excuse me"


    As I fled from there, I start to think of how wonderful if she could marry to our house, Father would stop nagging me and She seems as a perfect partner for unfortunately... right she doesn''t have a fianc¨¦e anymore... hmm I''ll try court her from now on.


    But seriously, the Crown Prince tastes are really different from other people, I can''t see why would he leave her. Well, thanks to that I have an opportunity now.


    ...


    Lukas POV


    "Aunt Millie, Happy Birthday you look more gorgeous every time I see you"


    "Fufu~ what a sweet mouth you have"


    "Where is bunny-chan?"


    "Oh, she went to solve something about the food, she should be back in a minute"


    "That''s okay, I''ll meet her later, I''ll let you greet the other guests now"


    Bidding good bye to Aunt I went to find my friends.


    As I passed through a group of noble heirs I heard something that made me chuckle.


    "Did you see Miss Cecile tonight? She is so hot"


    "I never noticed how big her cleavage was, I had to recite a mantra to stop stealing glances at it"


    "Cleavage? Did you see her bottoms? They are dreamy."


    "What do you guys know. Her long and well defined legs are the best part"


    "Well independent of the best part of Miss Cecile body I really wonder how could the Prince let her go, if it was not because I''m already engage I would court as if there was no tomorrow"


    *sighs*


    "Right? If she was my fianc¨¦e I would cling to her and never let anyone see her best parts"


    "Alas"


    Hee... it seems my little bunny is too savory today. If Louis was here he would already flew in rage with these comments.


    Oh found Jacob and Tomas.


    "Hey guys, finally find you. You don''t know what I heard while looking for you "


    "About Ceci"


    Jacob how can you be so sure?


    "That woman purposely dress herself like that so that she would be gawked, I''m sure. That huge cleavage that she always hide it is in full swing today"


    *chuckle*


    "Oh, it seems that we have another Cecile cleavage fan here guys."


    "Who would like those plump things of hers? I-is not like I wanted to touch or anything"


    Tomas you would be more convincing if you were not blushing right now.


    "You didn''t see her Lukas?"


    "No, when I arrived she was gone to solve something, is she truly as everyone says?"


    "Let''s say that even I reacted to her. If Louis was here he would never let her dress like that"


    Wow if even Jacob reacted it seems bunny is really mouth watering. You must now that he is known in our group as unmovable monk, since he doesn''t react much even to Julia who is the target of our group affection.


    "It seems that I need to protect my bunny from the wolves"


    "*snort* more probable you eat her clean after you see her"


    "Remember that Louis will have your head if you do something to her"


    "Don''t worry, don''t worry. Then I''m gone"


    Bunny of mine where are you?


    I scanned the hall my eyes fixed on a silhouette.


    Like the fire that start to burn inside as a laid upon her, the dress kissed her graceful curves.


    As I approached her I could see her white exposed shoulders. ''Would a bite mark look nice on her skin''


    Thinking that I hooked her waist and pulled to my arms, I felt her body temperature on mine.Her body is really soft upon touch.


    ''S*it, something started to get hard, I hope she doesn''t notice''


    As she turned to me I realized that I maybe got wrong all this time. This is clearly a fox and not a bunny. But I''ll keep this finding to myself.


    Her face is so close that I can feel her hot breath, if I bow a little I can taste her cherry lips.


    "Hello Lukas-niisama, you look very handsome with this mask. What were you looking for me for?"


    ''My little fox, why are you staring at my lips, are you trying to seduce me? We can''t have that can we?''


    Little fox let me lure you into my den~


    Releasing a hot breath on her ear I felt her body going soft a she leaned her generous cleavage on me.


    ''Louis, my friend, I''m sorry. But I need to have a taste of the little fox''


    Biting to her ear and answering her in a husky voice I felt her trembling


    ''Her reactions are just too good. I''m having the urge to have her tremble under me''


    "Of course to protect the little bunny that is too tasty today, we can''t have someone snatching you can we"


    "Release her"


    Oh Al you were here too? Oh Julia too. What did you say, release her? Don''t want to. The little fox reactions are just to fun.


    "Prince Albert, I''m just talking with my sister I don''t see how it concerns you"


    "I''ll just say one more time, release her"


    This dude is just too much. You are already have Julia, let me savory the fox by myself.


    "What if I don''t?"


    I can see Al gritting his teeth, but even if you want her you can''t have her anymore.


    But two little idiots took my baby fox from me. And now after their brave rescue they look like to puppies fighting for the loot of the hunt.


    But little fox clearly doesn''t want to be hunted today, as I saw the mischief in her eyes I wonder how she will escape.


    To my surprise the baby fox is bold enough to kiss the puppy wolves, that were delighted that they let her escape. I must confess that I was a little jealous. Seeing the red figure disappear in the crowd I felt that urge to lock this mischievous fox.


    ''Clever fox, lets see if you can escape safely tonight''

 39 Wolves POV 2

    Prince Albert POV


    -


    ''What is this enchanting?''


    Seeing my ex fianc¨¦e in front of me I felt my throat drying. Feeling my weird state Julia pulled my arm, looking her to assure that I was okay, I couldn''t help but compare her to Cecile.


    Julia is a very petite girl, with a cute face. When you look at her you have the urge to protect her, this feeling is one of the things that made me fall in love with her. Cecile is the opposite of it, she only passes a confident aura of someone you can rely upon at any time.


    Because of her commoner background Juli has a more tanned skin that most of the noblewomen while Cecile has a very pale skin that never looked appealing to me until right now.


    With her fiery dress as contrast her flawless skin was so attractive, that I had the urge to fill the exposed white skin with marks ''wouldn''t it look nice?''


    Not only her skin looked more attractive, her silhouette also screamed ''look at me''. This dress made you feel the urge to rip him to see what is beneath him.


    Compared to Julia, Cecile measures are bigger. If with Julia my aim was make her ask for mercy in bed, if it was Cecile I the aim would be to make her submit.


    Seeing she leave after guiding my parents and all the eyes ogling her I quickly went to her with Julia. But what should we talk about? Do I ask Julia help? No, it would be too weird. Is not like I have immoral thoughts about Cecile, I''m just protecting her in the place of her brother. That''s right, Louis that bastard went to the border, this is a easy topic.


    "Hello Cecile, Have you heard from your brother?"


    "I did Your Highness, he said that he is training hard with uncle so that he can be of better use for you. He said that he was sorry that he left without telling, but hopes you can forgive him."


    "He better be, he left a lot work behind, tell him to contact me and ask forgiveness by himself and stop hinding behind his sister"


    "I''ll pass your message to him. Miss Julia you are lovely with this dress, it suits you well"


    "Thank you very much Miss Cecile, it is one from the Papillon line in Asters. Ms Brennan is amazing as always. But I can''t compare to you, as you truly look stunning today, don''t you agree Al?"


    Cecile is really stunning tonight, but...


    "Too exposed"


    ''Cant you see the number of eyes ogling you? Their stares are irking me so much''


    "I heard you talking that you were the one who organized and decorated the party, it''s really different"


    I couldn''t thought that this woman was capable of so many innovating ideas, each time she surprises me more and more.


    "Yes, all the decorations were made by me, I''m glad it was well received"


    "What do you mean you made the decorations? Didn''t you bought them somewhere and just placed them Miss Cecile?"


    "Literal meaning ~ I made the centerpieces, the small barrels with the flowers, the golden leaves and etc. don''t you think that I did pretty well?"


    What? How could you soil your hands with such a rough job


    "How could you do that, this a job for the servants"


    "It''s nothing much, everyone was busy and I like to do these things myself, is like a hobby"


    "Bunny-Chan found you~"


    I saw my friend coming to us. It always irritated me that he called her by an affectionate nickname, but because I know of his nature I couldn''t do nothing about it. Before any of us react he hugged her.


    As I saw how close they were anger started to take control of me.


    ''Breathe, is just how Lukas is, he won''t do anything outrageous''


    Just as I calmed down I saw him biting her earlobe and whispering something in her ear, for which she reacted by trembling.


    Trembling! Not even I had her react like this why should let other have?


    The scene was the sufficient to make my last drop of reason fell.


    "Release her"


    Seeing my friend look that he just realized he had an audience made me want to punch him.


    "Prince Albert, I''m just talking with my sister I don''t see how it concerns you"


    What are you doing Lukas? Don''t you know that something was once mine can''t be anyone else


    Not punching this bastard required all the self control I learned these years as a Crown Prince.


    "I''ll just say one more time, release her"


    "What if I don''t?"


    I can''t create a scene here and this bastard know. I don''t believe that he is opposing me for Cecile, and he is even holding her so tight that I can''t pull her.


    "Both of you are hurting me! Release me right now!"


    Hearing that I hurt her I subconsciously let her go, before I could ask her if she was only two more meddlesome individuals came, and they are both grabbing her too. These people are really testing my limits today.


    When I saw that they were both trying to take Cecile away and I was going to intervene Cecile was faster. She pulled both of them close to her bosom, kissed them and quickly made her escape.


    S-She just kiss someone beside me?


    Good Cecile, very good.


    ''Cecile you better pray to not fall in my hands tonight otherwise I''ll make you remember whose you are''


    ...


    Leon POV


    -


    This week was a really busy week in IP. We made deals with many designers and stores so that they would sell their products on Asters and solved the problem with the demand of orders to go in both the cafe and Temone. After that Cecile disappeared to solve her mother''s birthday party and left me to deal with all the paperwork while she was gone. Because of this there''s been two days since I last saw and I forgot how she would be dressed in the party.


    "Leo, you are lucky to have Miss Dubois as your boss. Damn, I would work to the bone just to have a peek of this amazing piece of body everyday"


    "You are right, Miss Cecile is really stunning today. I always saw her at the Academy and thought she was like an Ice Godess, she had this aura around her that transmitted ''keep distance'' kinda feeling, but now she is like fire attracting the stupid bugs to her"


    "You guys only know about her amazing body now because you -and almost all the Academy- never went to the sport events"


    "Oh, what happened then?"


    "A word for you: swimsuit"


    "S*it just imagining the scene a bit of blood fell"


    "Hehe, is because you were not there, the few people who saw had an extreme reaction, be it a man or a woman. And the worse of all is that she''s clueless on how deadly her charm is. Because of her 10 people fainted the last time"


    Hearing my friends talking I only wanted to punch them. My jealousy is so big right now that if I could erase all the images of Cecile in the minds of the men present I would.


    How I wish she could just go upstairs and change this dress.


    Literally, 90% of the men are undressing her with their eyes. I wanted to yell ''Is her immaculate body something that you dirty can see'' but first she was not mine (yet anyway) and second am I worthy to see her body? I don''t know. I only know that I want this party to end soon.


    When I search her with my eyes I saw that scum couple is harassing her again.


    ''Don''t they get tired of harassing her?''


    I went to help her but when I was close, one of the nobles we are trying to close a deal with to have a better price with some materials stopped me to talk about the deal, seeing that Ceci could still handle them and that she really wanted this deal to be done, I chose to deal with him first.


    When I finally got the deal done and went to Ceci, I saw her being held by The Crown Prince and Lukas-sama, while both of them stared at each other.


    "Both of you are hurting me! Release me right now!"


    Hearing this I sprint towards the group and pull her from them. To my surprise I was not the only one. The Second Prince also came to help her. After confirming she was fine I saw that the Second Prince didn''t let her go


    "Yes Prince should release her, let me take her to the table as she looks tired"


    " Sir Leon we will not bother you, we know that you need to talk with some nobles about cooperation with IP. I will take Cecile so you can do your job without worries"


    ''Why the royalty always pester Ceci?''


    As I stared in disbelief at the shameless Second Prince, I felt something soft in my arm when I saw what it was my mind went blank. And without getting my mind around the softness Cecile kissed me.


    ''Boom''


    I''m sure this was a sound in my mind. I don''t remember what happened in the rest of the night or how I got home.


    ''How should I face her tomorrow?''


    ...


    Prince William POV


    -


    Since little I have a crush on the Duke''s daughter, Cecile Dubois. However because she was going to be my future sister-in-law, I chose to keep my feelings to myself and don''t interact with her more than necessary.


    When I could almost forget her my brother starting to be seen with a Baron''s daughter and didn''t take long when the news that they were dating spread at the Academy. I remember only thinking two things when I heard ''is brother stupid?''and ''is Cecile Okay?''. Worried with her reaction I secretly went to see her, but she was just like she always was, she didn''t seem to car a bit with who my brother was spending his time with.


    After a year of his cheating, something that I imagined in my wildest dreams happened. The Royal house and Dubois house e a meeting and broke the engagement between them.


    I finally had the chance to pursue the one that I love. I was so happy that even having to take care of my Brother''s mess was okay. I little by little tried to close the gap that I intentionally created before.


    I took every opportunity that I had to meet her, and today was one of them.


    Duchess Dubois birthday party.


    I remember she said that I should have high expectations to both the party and her outfit. I wondered how she would surprise me today.


    When I entered the hall I must confess that the party was really amazing but when I saw her outfit I wished that she could not surprise me like that.


    When I laid my eyes or her, my heart started to beat so loudly that I wondered if people around me could hear it. My breathing become faster, my temperature rose, my throat dried and my body tightened. When I thought it couldn''t be worse my nose started to bleed.


    ''How shameful. I can''t let her see me looking like this''


    And do I fled from where she was and tried to compose myself. When I finally got together she was nowhere in sight. As I searched for her I heard her voice


    "Both of you are hurting me! Release me right now"


    My body reacted faster than my mind and when I saw I was with one of her arms in my hand. When I confirmed how she was I saw that her secretary was also there and he wasn''t going away.


    "Yes Prince should release her, let me take her to the table as she looks tired"


    ''Are you s*itting me I just got the chance to be with her alone, scram.''


    " Sir Leon we will not bother you, we know that you need to talk with some nobles about cooperation with IP. I will take Cecile so you can do your job without worries"


    This when I felt the two most wonderful sensations that I have ever felt since I was born. First Cecile snuggle my arm in her bosom and after she kissed me. Because I was startled with her initiative I subconsciously release her and let her escape.


    I smiled and touch my cheek where she has kissed.


    ''Oh Cecile, I tried to be a gentleman, but it was your own initiative to send home, don''t blame me later.''


    I spent my night trying to capture the naughty bunny who escaped.

 40 A storm came

    I would like to say that Mother''s birthday went without a hitch, but the truth is that because of the visual impact of the dress I was chased relentlessly for the whole night.


    The next day I receive many letters with either requests for my help in organization of parties or dates. Ignoring the date letters I started to wonder if I should open an store that focus or oganizing parties, I could be in charge of the store and leave Leo like the active CEO of IP.


    This way I could have fun, get the money and don''t have the headaches of having to manage my beautiful empire.


    Alas, is too early to think about this right now. We barely started and everyone is still unused to the stores operations. Furthermore IP didn''t pass through any big storms, if I''m not inside the boat with everyone else, won''t I be an incompetent captain?


    Since I don''t have too much time to spare, I decided to organize the parties of those who were very close to our family, whereas the ones that I was not familiar with I declined to organize, but said I could give them suggestions if they wrote to me their ideas/wishes.


    ''This way I won''t offend nobody and I won''t close the doors to event organization business''


    -


    Do you know when I said that IP didn''t passed through any storms?


    Welcome sailor! We are now on board of the ship Imperium Pacem. We suggest that you grab tightly the rails since we are about to enter a furious storm!


    I really do have a crow''s mouth *sigh*


    What storm can possibly shake me this much, you ask?


    Let me give a run down of the situation.


    A week ago stores similar to Temone, Fame and Pontus started to open. It''s normal that popular things to be reproduce by other sources besides its original one, and we always knew that if the stores succeeded we would probably have similar types opening after. The stores offered the same concept with a cheaper price. The ''imitation'' stores made our clientele drop significantly, leaving only our regulars as a stable client. However I was not to worried about. The price we charge is based on the food and service offered, if they could reproduce the same standards in a cheaper price and still get profit, I will certainly bow down to the evil forces. As such, I reassure my employees to not worry and offer the same type of service they always have.


    ''We shall see who is the best''


    Said and done. After 2 weeks of the new stores boom, their heat died down and some clients that went to the new stores came back complaining how inferior they were. Cheap food and horrible service. The thing about copycats is that they will never be as good as the original. It''s a fact.


    Our food was developed with so much care for so long and most of our staff was trained personally by me, when I needed partners to suffer the hell training together with me, so having them serving is like having trained nobles serving you. It''s impossible that stores that barely opened could offer the same quality. Maybe one or two can come close but again, originals are always better.


    When we thought that the storm went down, another huge wave hit the our ship. 15 of our 20 partners on Asters asked to be release for contract.


    This time I panicked a little. I couldn''t understand why partners that only gain with our deal would suddenly withdraw. But because it was always a possibility to, there was a term on the contract stating that the side that wanted to break the contract to need to pay for the other side the whole value of loss that would cause based on the sales made and the time left on the contract.


    Although I lost money on a long term, I was not to bother by it, we should just recontact the other stores and re-offered the deal. Since Asters has grew in popularity, I was sure it would be an easy task. However, to my surprise most of the stores denied to sell their goods on our store. At the end of a tiring week only 5 brands accepted to work with us. From 20 brands, now we only have 10.


    "To many things are happening at almost the same time"


    "You are right, I barely had any sleep yesterday"


    "Don''t you think is weird? The stores were expected to open only a month or so for now. Besides, the sales from our partners were good, but not good enough for them to go solo again"


    "Hmm... now that you said makes sense. Leo, ask someone to investigate if there is someone moving strings from behind. The faster the better, I think that the mastermind will still attempt something"


    Thinking about it, I wonder what was the next step of our opponent.


    If I wanted to destroy a company what would I do?


    Hmm...


    I would discredit their products and do a equal or better version of their products after the fall in the company''s reputation.


    Think so I quickly went to the Royal Palace.


    ''It''s time to use my connections''

 41 A cornered bunny is a dangerous bunny

    Entering the Royal Palace I asked for an urgent meeting with the Queen.


    ''The people who want to fight with me truly don''t know how terrifying a bunny bite can be when he is cornered''


    "Ceci-chan, what happened that you need to meet me so urgent? Has somebody bullied you?"


    "Actually somebody was bold enough to do so, do you believe Aunt? So I''m here to ask Her Majesty help. I promise that the Royal Family will have profit in return for your help"


    "Oh? Say, what happened and what do you want to do"


    "Someone is targeting IP. We are currently investigating to see who the mastermind is. They tried two tactics that didn''t work and I presume that their next step is to discredit our products and once our reputation is in the mud they will try to copy the products and sell them. As for the solution it needs the help from the Royal Household"


    "Say"


    "For the attempt of throwing our name on mud, I will put a plaque with a declaration in the front of each store stating that our products are fully tested, but that some people may be allergic to some of the substances inside, before using the client should see what ingredients the product contains. Plus the declaration will also instate that the employees and the households with the crests that I will gather and put on the plaque use and approve our products. So I need the crest of the Royal Family"


    "Well, you shall have it. After all, we do often use your wonderful products. But aren''t you afraid that if you put the materials used on your products, the rate of fakes will rise?"


    "That brings me to my second solution. We will implement a system of Patents. The Patent System will work like this: the creator will register their products on the Royal Bank. He will need to prove that the product was his creation, by showing some kind of evidence. In the case of companies they should show that the creations by their employees were allowed to be own by the company. For example, in IP we had our staff sign a contract that any inventions created on workplace or using our materials shall be owned, even if partially, by the company. When registering the product the individual shall state the name of the product, What is the use of the product and what it needs to be created (measures, materials and etc.). After registering only the individuals who pay a certain fee can use the idea of the product."


    "But what if someone register the same product under different names?"


    "If the name or the how to of a product is the same of a register product it shall be denied. And if individuals are caught using unauthorized products they shall have to pay a penalty"


    "For whom the money of the patent goes for?"


    "I thought something like 50% for the registered person, 25% for the bank and 25% for the Royal Family. What do you say my Queen?"


    "Oh Ceci-chan you became an amazing merchant!"


    "Fufu~ its all thanks to the quick-wit developed by that hell tutors"


    "I will submit the Patent System to His Majesty, I''ll try to put into work by the end of the week. I can''t have my daughter to be, being bullied can I"


    Smiling to the Queen, I decided that for the sake of saving IP, I would let the daughter to pass.


    Letting an evil grin I thought how fun the next days will be


    ''Oh my dear opponent let me see how you crumble in despair''


    ...


    Leaving the Royal Palace I went to gathered as many emblems as I could. At the end of the day I gathered 30 emblems of all types of nobles.


    The next day I went to a blacksmith opened by someone from Spero and explained what I wanted. After 30 minutes I had 4 rose gold plaques written the following:


    "The products of this establishment are all tested before being used. They may contain some allergen, please check the ingredients list before using. The products offered are used and approved by the employees and the following households: 32 noble emblems. graciously IP Director.


    Before the opening of the stores the plaques were hanged at the entrance of each store. Because it had the noble emblems and the royal emblem, some people stop to read it. But even so, 2 days after the plaque was hanged people came to complain on Asters about the side effects of some beauty problems. Since I couldn''t say if the individuals bought before or after the plaque being hanged I took them to the doctor to see if their symptoms were really due to the products.


    ''Seems that the mastermind is at least a bit smart. If he just paid someone to pretend it would backfire and people would realize that someone was trying to smear IP''s name. But your trick it''s still manageable''


    "As the Director of IP, I am extremely sorry for the results of our negligence. Because this is our fault, I would like to pay for your treatment and pay you a handsome compensation for the pains you suffered due to the product. Once again I''m extremely sorry"


    Bowing to them, I can see the surprise stamp on their face. I can even imagine what they are thinking just judging their expression. It must be something like ''how could be so easy''


    "After you finish recuperating you can go to IP and discuss the compensation. I promise to be fair when compensating you"


    "How can we believe you?"


    Fufu~ how silly you are of course...


    "You don''t have another choice do you?"


    If you don''t trust me then what? The plaque is there. They can''t prove that they bought before and the products are popular. Can you sway the crowd? You can''t.


    Seeing the silence in the room I flashed them a smile and left the room.


    ...


    "So, have we found who is behind?"

 42 Checkmate

    "Sorry Miss, as of now we can only conclude that is someone from the Merchant Guild"


    "Hmm... for the person to use the Merchant Guild they must be one of the big guys. Check who of them suffered the most losses after we opened the stores. Also covey to the beauty section of Asters that they will have to stay overtime for the next week as I will have them go through an extra training. They will be paid overtime"


    On the side effects incident I realized that in my rush to success I neglected some key points on beauty care. The staff don''t know that some types of products are not suitable to some skin and they also don''t know how to identify the types of skin. This made me remember that the best people to identify skin types are the makeup artists, and I foolishly I didn''t put anyone to do free makeup on the clients. This would help them see how the products work and would increase the sales of makeup.


    The beauty week training will approach:


    -The ingredients properties


    -Types of skin


    -What product is suitable for the client


    -Makeup training


    I hope this will diminish the number of side-effect cases from now on


    ...


    At the end of the week as the Queen promised the Patent System was created. Because we were warned before, as soon as the Royal Bank opened, me, Leo and Mary were there with all the documents needed.


    After 2 hours we registered all our inventions, from the big ones like the self-service restaurants to the small one like the mixture of two fragrances.


    ''Check''


    Looking at how beautiful the sun was shining I couldn''t help but smile.


    ''How will you save your king dear opponent?''


    ...


    The final version of the Patent System had


    some modifications from my proposal. Now the Patent protected the creator for having others from making, using, selling, and importing his invention. The creator would define how much he would charge to let others use his idea, and after buyer paid to use the Patent, he would have to put the creator mark in some part of his product that was visible to the client.


    So for example, if any of the new restaurants wished to buy the right to use the Patent they would have to put IP emblem somewhere in the restaurant. Don''t you think it''s a beautiful image to see you competitors beside having to pay you also having to put your emblem in their things? I found enchanting.


    But although I loved how things worked out, the Patent System wasn''t well received by all.


    After the Patent System was created it made a huge commotion on the merchants world.


    Of course a large part of the Merchant Guild were unhappy. Most of these guys gained money by robbing ideas of smaller merchants or obscure creators. Because of their huge financial resource it was easy to discredit the honest or inexperienced target by buying people and make them do their binding. They probably target IP because they taught I was a perfect target. A fat and stupid bunny is the easiest to hunt and the most the delicious to eat right? Unfortunately, they got the wrong prey. Even if the bunny is fat and inexperienced if he has a lot of friends, you can only be the punching bag for the bunny''s kicks.


    Alas, they should have left me alone.


    But aside from the merchants that used of despicable means to obtain the fortunes, the other merchants were happy to have a way of protecting themselves of the awful harassment suffered before.


    Because the news that I was the one who came up with the idea was released by someone inside the project, many of the merchants that were happy with the changes extended an olive branch for me. This result in many cooperations for now and the future. Fufufu~ is time to expand the empiiree~


    Yet, beside the huge benefits I got because of the release of this news I also got in a very dangerous situation, since I''m the target of hate of many.


    Through two months, threatening letters, kidnapping and murder attempts became a daily appointment with me and the poor souls contracted to do the deeds.


    This also gave the Royalty the chance to clean some of the unscrupulous merchants that roomed between the white and black markets.


    ''It must be close now''


    One day, I woke up and looked at the strange location I encountered myself.


    My wrists were tied together and the same went to my legs.


    As I was assessing the situation the door opened.


    A big fat man dressed in gaudy fashion entered the door.


    "A beauty, a pity it is smart. Ne doll you should have given up when I was gentle, now is to late, I''ll have to smear this pretty skin oh yours, alas, I''m really reluctant"


    As I felt his disgusting touch, I analyzed the man in front of me.


    Marc Hills, the president of the Merchant Guild.


    He was known to be involved in all kind of business. There were also rumors that he was the big boss of the underworld of the Royal City.


    Because I''m a ex-fianc¨¦e if the Crown Prince I know that the rumor is actually true but that his influence is so big that the Royal Family can''t do anything without any evidence.


    Looking into his eyes I saw the lust he was conveying without bother covering


    ''Disgusting''


    "You are the one who made all those incidents"


    "I was. I must confess that I was impressed that you could counter me in the bright side. Unfortunately for you I''m the king of underworld. You can never win me now that we are dealing in the dark side doll."


    Trailing my face with his sausage-like finger Marc smiled.


    "You lost my noble doll"


    Hearing an almost imperceptible noise I smile at the man in front of me.


    "I know who you are, but you are wrong, you are the one who lost dear king of the underworld"


    As my voice fell, a group of knights surrounded Marc without giving him the chance to react.


    Looking at the man who was making the final struggle my evil grin escaped.


    ''Checkmate Marc''

 43 Choosing my reward

    Mom did you see? I caught a bad guy!


    Marc Hills was caught by the Dubois knights and given to the Royal Family, so that the aftermath don''t cause to much trouble to my family.


    Sentenced to death for plotting and harming a member of a Duke Household, Marc left an empty position and a huge amount of wealth and lands.


    As the one who caught him I was given the choice to choose something from his possessions.


    ''Should I choose the empty position?''


    Just kidding. Too much troubles and too many difficult people.


    ''I already know what I want after all''


    "I want the slums"


    Although we had a very good monarch in power right now, we still have slums at the Royal City. The slums are filled with all types of people from the honest and bright type to the scheme and dark types. This is a place filled with tears and blood. Despair is a constant while fear is something that has become your companion. And right now I will own this place.


    "Are you sure Cecile? He owns a lovely chalet at the north of the town. I''m sure you could make good use of it"


    "Thank you Your Majesty, but I''m certain that this is the reward that I want."


    "Well, this is the deed... take the chalet deed too as a reward. Cecile I know you are a kind child but be careful and remember that every life is a life"


    "I know Your Majesty"


    ''Even a bandit''s life is a life right Your Majesty? Worry not. I''ll make great use of their lives''


    With the last experience I had with senior merchants, I realized that only developing the bright side although noble is not a very realistic idea if I want to dominate the market.


    ''So why don''t I use those who already have experience with it? But first they need to be disciplined with fists of love''


    I don''t want to develop a force from scratch with good people doing bad deeds. Since I need bad deeds done, bad people should be doing it.


    ''Let''s meet the future ''Cerberus''''


    As I enter a dark alley on the northeast of the town, I saw a dark tall building that was being surrounded by Dubois knights.


    "Young Miss you are here"


    A man in his mid-twenty with short brown hair and green eyes approached me. Wearing the Dubois knight''s armor, he was the captain of the team father appointed to protect me, Theodore Lancaster.


    "Theo, did you had any problem?"


    "Some of them tried to escaped but were quickly captured"


    "Hm. Follow me then"


    The sight that greeted me when I opened the building was 30 men utterly beaten on the floor. I turned a questioning glance to Theo who dodge my eyes and scratch the back of his head.


    "They were not obedient and kept spouting nonsense"


    Accepting his lame excuse, I turned my sight again to the group in the floor


    "Who is the leader here?"


    No one answer, or looked at me. It appears they don''t want to even acknowledge me.


    "Hee... let me tell you one thing, Marc is dead. You are all mine now, and as a good owner to my new puppies I will give you 3 choices"


    I know I sound very cold and cool right now, but I''m actually a little scared. These are all people who killed someone once.


    "First choice is to submit to me like good dogs. I will have you do the dirty job that you are used to. The second choice is to try your luck with the Royal Family. Because you also participated in my kidnapping what is your destiny is hard to tell. The third is the easiest one. You die. How about it? I''ll give you thirty minutes to discuss, I''ll be waiting outside, come Theo"


    After we were out Theo looked at me with confusion written all over his face.


    "Miss, what are you trying to do?"


    "You know Theo, I discovered that even if you try to be spotless clean, a few particles of dust will always try to stick to you. So I decided that I won''t bother with a few particles of dust if I can keep being clean enough."


    "I don''t understand Miss"


    "*chuckle* merchants are people who live in the grey area do you understand that?"


    "Yes"


    "Right now I''m one of them. Although I don''t to get involved with the dirty side of the business, sometimes I don''t have a choice. I don''t want to drag the people who followed me since litte to the dark side. The people inside the building have always deal with the dark side so I''ll make them work for me. To not sacrifice the people close to me I''ll use those who were always at the dark"


    Silence greeted me.


    ''I am really selfish, I know''


    "Are you disappointed Theo? But you know Theo I can''t be good to everyone. They are bad people and should be punished, their punishment will be to have their lives at my mercy anytime"


    "This is not it Miss. I just didn''t thought you had this in you"


    "Fufu~ did you thought I was some kind of saint? Nah. I do what I feel that is right, is only a coincidence that most of the things that I feel right are deemed to be good deeds"


    Shaking his head at me, Theo looked deeply into my eyes.


    "I believe you are truly good Young Miss"


    "Fufu~ you do know how to boot-lick ne. Well, the time is up Theo let''s go back"


    The sight that greeted me this time was much more organized. Sat down on the floor in rows, they had a mid-thirty man with brawny features at front.


    "Your choice"


    "We will become Miss dogs"


    I patted his head and smiled gently at him.


    "What a smart dog. Don''t try anything funny. What do you think it''s faster the needle in my hand or the knife in yours?"


    Poking his head lightly with the needle between my fingers I sensed his body tensing followed by the sound of knife dropping. I caressed his head ''his hair is so soft''


    "Good dog. Try once more and you will die okay~"


    After seeing the panic on their faces I picked a chair that was close to me I sat down and look at the men in front of me.


    "From today onwards you will be called ''Cerberus'' and your function is to be the guard dog of IP. You will be divided in 3 groups of 10. The first group will deal with intelligence gathering, the second group with spying and the third is a more fight based I guess. My only limit for you guys is don''t hurt innocent people and people who doesn''t have anything to do with us. If I found out you went against the orders you die."


    Maybe they will need to kill someone in the future, but if they have to it should be an enemy when there is no option left.


    "And for your first assignment. We will destroy the northeast slums!"

 44 Slums reform

    "What are you talking about?! A hundredth of people live there"


    "En, I know"


    "So how could you-?"


    "Can you let me finish? We will destroy the slums and rebuilt as a big villa"


    Yes, I will turn the big slums in my new establishment that will have as inspiration the Japanese hot baths.


    "We will transform the slums in a big villa. The villa will offer services for relaxation and beauty. We will give the inhabitants two options: the first option is to have a compensation money that covers the price of a house and the hassle they were put in. The second option is to live and work at the big villa. Each individual or family that chooses to stay will have a proper house on the villa. The children can go participate in Spero''s classes and the employed adults will have the same benefits of all IP worker + salary. Any questions?"


    Scratching the back of his head one of them raise his hand


    "Talk"


    "Young Miss, there is a lot of bad people inside the slums, are you sure you want them to work for you? We also have a lot of children who were used to pickpocketing for Marc"


    "The ones you know are not good flowers will join you, if you have any disagreement with them just give them the money and ask them to leave. As for the children... ask if they want to go to Spero. If they choose to stay here, we will have they do simple errands at the spa, and they will have house, food and salary. They can choose what they will do. Anyone else?"


    "Are we the ones that will give them the news and the money?"


    Looking at the men. who spent their whole life struggling to survive, flash a trace of greed in their eyes, I couldn''t help but sigh in my mind.


    ''Bad habits stick worse then gum in the shoes''


    "Yes. But you if you still money you will be punish okay~? We are a proper organization now you know ~"


    Playing with the needle in my hand, I could see these hoodlums tremble a bit. ''So funny''


    "Young Miss, the people from the slums know us, so they might not believe us"


    "Ah! You will be wearing your uniforms. Theo bring it here. From now on you will always wear the uniforms, we can''t let people know that my employees were former hoodlums right?"


    Theo brought 3 big boxes with him. Inside the box were fox black and white half-mask and and black yukatas.


    ''I guess foxes are dog''s relatives right?''


    "This will be your future uniform. After changing, Theo will assign a group of knights to go with you to recruit people. When you finish come back to report"


    After seeing the unrecognizable men leaving, I took a paper and started to put into life the ideas for the spa.


    The Spa will be inspired on a onsen spa and resort. It will have the main house, that will have the rooms, where the guests change to a yukata, and a beauty salon. Right beside themais house a building with the ''hot springs'', sauna, and massage rooms will be built. The houses for my future employees will be separated from the spa by an artificial lake and a bamboo-like plant forest. Their houses will also be inspired in small Japanese houses. They will have to pass through a small bridge for to go to the spa from their houses and vice-versa. Beside their houses, in a later date I may construct other facilities to facilitate their life like a small school or restaurant at the other side of the bridge.


    For now, I need to ask IP development department to figure out how to do the ''hot springs'' and a sauna in a form that we don''t expend too much resources.


    "Miss we are back."


    "So?"


    "100 people chose to leave. They were already paid and ask to leave in a week. 50 individuals were chosen to join Cerberus and 340 individuals chose to stay and work for the Young Miss."


    "Good, we will start the reform next week. The people that chose to stay will be moved to the chalet. Meanwhile the reform is being done our future staff will go to a training so that they can serve in the same level that we have in other establishments. You guys from Cerberus will also have to do the training. I think is all for today."


    Turning to group of fox masked men I threw them an warning look.


    "Please do be obedient otherwise I will hunt you down ''kay? You can chose to go to the chalet or stay at this building. I will meet you in a week"


    ...


    Two months passed since then.


    IP development staff already figured out how to make my requests. As always they are amazing.


    As for the future staff of the spa most of them are undergoing a hellish training to drill the etiquette into their bones. Some of the less culture ones are also having basic math class and writing/reading class. Most of them now know the basic calculus and to identify and write simple phrases.


    We found some talent people inside the slums. Because their talent could be used better in other parts of IP, I gave them the choice that after the training they could go work in other sections of IP.


    The reform on the slums is about halfway done. We started with the houses, so that the people can come back to have a house quickly. I think about a week from now they will be done. After finishing the houses the two spa buildings will be next and the last will be the artificial lake and the forest. I also decided to built a small garden between the two buildings and the bridge.


    Cerberus is also already working, although only the intelligence gathering group, that is being commanded by the mid-thirty man that was chosen as a representative for the first time, whose name I discovered is Carl.


    Right now Carl just reported something that I would be better without knowing.


    "So you are saying that these nobles are plotting to have the Crown Prince disabled so that the Second Prince can rightfully inherit the throne?"

 45 Visiting Father at work

    Hmmm... I really want to ignore what I just heard. It seems so bothersome to get involved with it. But at the same time I need to, since this stupid geezers will affect not only my business but the whole kingdom.


    ''What a pain''


    "Do we know what they have planned?"


    "They are trying to hire someone to do the job at the end of the year banquet. Because one of the nobles of this group was close to Marc we were the first ones contacted."


    "What you answered him?"


    "I told him I would pass the word to the new boss and I will contact him once we decide"


    "Well done. Delay the answer as much as you can. Pay attention if no one accept the job in the meanwhile. If the situation changes you should report ASAP, do you understand?"


    "Yes Miss"


    "You are dismissed "


    Haa... I should meet Father and give him the report with the names of the nobles.


    Picking the gifts to give to Their Majesties I made my way to the Palace.


    ...


    *toc toc*


    "You can come in"


    "Excuse me"


    "Bunny you came to visit me!"


    When Father stopped his work and looked up to see who came to him, I could see the clear transaction of a frost winter to a hot summer. The quickness that Father change his face is fantastic.


    And in case you still unsure my Dear Father is soo dreamy. Although I like the way he is around me, when he emits that cold aura of his is also nice for a change. Ah, it seems I''m off the topic... what did I came here to do here? Right, the coup on the most deserving prince.


    "Hello Father, I hope I''m not in the way of your work"


    "How can it be? You are the most important anyways. This things can wait for later? Do you want me to accompany you around the Palace?"


    Father please stop. Your assistants are all looking at me as if I just insulted their family.


    "There is no need, I came here today to discuss business"


    I can see puppy ears in my father''s head dropping... maybe my imagination (?)


    "Is that so bunny? I thought you came to see me. Hm, you can sit down"


    ''Fufu~ father is so silly.''


    "Of course my business is only an excuse for me to see how awesome my Father is at work. And as always you looking dashing!"


    Look! The puppy ears went up! It is my imagination right?!


    "Hoho. Truly the best of all my kids. Come here bunny, tell me is someone bullying you again"


    When he mentioned bullying I could see a murderous flash passing in Father''s eyes. In the last incident if not the quick thinking of my knights to give Marc to the Royal Family, I''m sure that he wouldn''t have a entire corpse.


    ''Thank god is not me, otherwise if another Marc appeared I''m sure you would wreak havoc in the capital''


    "No, this time is not me. Hmm... please ask everyone to clear the room and look at this list"


    After asking everybody to clear the room, Father picked up the list in front of me. After reading the list, he casted me a doubtful look


    "This is a list of a noble party that is trying to forge an accident for the Crown Prince, so as to make him disabled and giving the Second Prince a rightful chance to the throne."


    Raising his eyebrow at my words, Father doesn''t seem as concern as I picture him to be.


    "Do you already knew it?"


    "I did not. But I can''t say is surprising, actually I would be more surprised if they didn''t attempt anything. However, I AM surprised as how my noble and pure daughter know the deal of those old geezers with the dark side of the city."


    "Hehe"


    Laughing sheepishly I avoided Father''s sight.


    ''Shit, I forgot I couldn''t tell Father about Cerberus''


    "Hm, eh, you see Father... Do you remember the guys who worked for Marc? So... His Majesty leaves their future on my hands. Hm... they now are working for me. They are gathering information so that I won''t be in a disadvantageous situation anymore."


    I can see a storm brewing.


    "Cecile-"


    "Don''t worry I have Theo supervising them, and you know that I''m also training in self-defense."


    I quickly got up and went to Father.


    ''I need to distract his attention''


    After a light peck on his cheek, I started to massage his temples.


    "You look tensed Father, let me give you a massage. Right, what do you want to do with the nobles? Is better to report to His Majesty right? My guys are delaying them as much as they can"


    "Your guys?"


    ''Can''t hear you''


    "It would also better to have a meeting with both princes maybe if they pretend to follow the plan or second prince pretend to have the same aim as them, we can capture them red hand. What you think?"


    "Your plan may work, but I still need to discuss with His Majesty. Are you going home now?"


    "No, I''m going to visit Her Majesty to give her the new product that we developed"


    "Hm, I know. I''ll meet His Majesty right now. Once I finish I''ll pick you up. Don''t think I forgot that you right now have hoodlums working under you. When we arrive home we will talk"


    Sigh... I guess I''m signed for a long lecture.

 46 Ordered by the Shitty Prince

    After the long, loooong lecture, Father told me about the meeting with His Majesty. Apparently he summoned both of his sons to discuss the problem. Although I was surprised with His Majesty choice, when I stopped to think about it made perfect sense. Even though the Crown Prince made a lot of blunders recently, he still had his position and - believe or not- was extremely smart.


    In the game, Prince Albert was shown as a wise and just Prince in no personal-matters and completely irrational and ruthless when involve him or those close to him. Maybe because he seemed dumber since Julia appeared we all forgot about this. But he is a guy that is known in the noble circle to be very cold-blooded and calculative. Only thinking about the rumors about him I get goosebumps.


    I will offer a pray to all of the stupid nobles souls.


    So the calculative Crown Prince ordered that my dear subordinates must accept the task, and the I ought to report to him the details...


    ORDERED...MUST... OUGHT TO... (¨s¡ã¡õ¡ã)¨s¦à ©ß©¥©ß


    Who this shitty Prince think he is?! I don''t want to!


    But of course I have no choice. Even Father and William opposition were for naught, don''t mention mine. So I as good Noble must oblige to my Shitty Future Monarch.


    Haaa... I think I need a break. When will the onsens be ready?


    Thinking such useless thoughts I arrived at the villa where must of the Cerberus guys were.


    "Hello Miss, are you here to supervise our training?"


    "No, I''m looking for Carl"


    After saying my purpose today I could see the body of lovely subordinate visibly relax. I don''t understand why would they fear me so much. I teach them the same way I was reached in the Queen training when I was 10. It got so much harder later on... so it must be that they are to weak... should I intensify their training them?


    As if he could feel that I was heading to a dangerous direction my subordinate quickly told me where I could find Carl, after thanking him, I went to the living room where Carl was.


    "Hey Carl"


    Looking at the man in front of me who was with a clean appearance and Cerberus uniform, and comparing to his image in the first time we met, I must say that the clothes truly make a man. He was almost unrecognizable with the clothes, it was even more so after he learned etiquette. And was not only him, everyone who came from the slums look so much better. They look healthier and happier above everything else.


    "Miss, were you looking for me?"


    "Yes, lets go to the study upstairs"


    Because this was a sort of a holiday villa the study was a bit small, but it still served his purpose.


    "Carl, we will accept the nobles task"


    "Sure Miss I''ll- what did you just said?"


    "*sigh* His Highness, the Crown Prince himself, ordered as to do it. After you contact them we will meet the Shit-Crown Prince and report the situation to him. I hope you can do this by tomorrow, as he is not the exactly most patient person in the world"


    "I understand Miss. By the end of the day I will have an answer so we can meet the Crown Prince tomorrow"


    "Okay, go do your thing them. I''ll supervise the trainings since I''m here"


    Fufu~ let''s have F U N.


    ...


    Now me and Carl are on our way to Prince Albert''s study.


    "Are you nervous?"


    Scratching the back of his head Carl answered me.


    "To say the truth. I am a bit. In the underworld Prince Albert is known for his ruthlessness. Just before he started to chase after his fianc¨¦e he had just wiped clean the second biggest force on the south part of the capital. We thank god after he found the girl he was with now"


    "Is it?"


    "I-it''s not like we support them or anything Miss. We are always on your said"


    *Pffft*


    "Haha, Don''t worry. My engagement with Albert was a political one. I may have liked him sometime before, but after I saw how he behaved after he was in love, I thanked the gods that I was not the one loved."


    "So that''s how it is Cecile?"


    A-Albert?


    "Y-you are here! We came to report the situation for you"


    "En. But before shouldn''t you explain your statement to me just now"


    "Ah-hm- I was just explaining to Carl that our engagement was political and that you never loved me and all"


    "What about the part that you thank god you were not the one who received my affection?"


    I avoided his gaze that showered me with blame.


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about"


    Hugging my waist so that he could pulled me close, Albert pinched my chin and made me look at him.


    "Cecile, you know how much I hate when someone lies to me. So tell me, won''t you like to receive my affection?"


    I don''t know why, but the Shitty Prince seems to really like to pinching my chin. This position is so uncomfortable for so many reasons, that if it was someone else I would just punch his stomach.


    "Prince Albert, the way we are right now is indecent, please keep your hands to yourself since we don''t need more useless rumors going around. And please do remember that you have a fianc¨¦e and shouldn''t be casually touching other women"

 47 Meeting with the Shitty Prince

    "Different from you, Julia would never go mad in her jealousy. Whatever. Come with me."


    ''I never did though''


    After we entered his study, I sat down in the chair across Albert''s and Carl stand behind me.


    "And Who is this?"


    "The one who contacted the nobles"


    "Was he also using this ridiculous uniform?"


    "First of all, the uniform is really nice. Second, are you doubting my intelligence?"


    "Yes"


    Breath. Breaath Cecile. He is the Crown Prince. Hitting him is a capital offense.


    "He met the nobles on the attire he used before. Anymore useless question?"


    "Cecile I must remember you that I AM your superior"


    "I was wrong. Do you have any more questions my dear superior?"


    Albert opened a smile like he was enjoying all this. How. I. Wish. To. Rip. That. Smirk. Off.


    "Nah, you can start your report now"


    "Carl please"


    "*cough cough* the noble who contacted me was the Viscount Clemens. He is not someone who has a lot of influence in the group according to our research."


    "And how reliable is your research?"


    This bastard is making his best to leave here with some type of mark on him today right?


    "My subordinates research is reliable enough. But if you don''t trust us, maybe you can do yours my Dearest Crown Prince?"


    Come. I dare you you do your own investigation. Tsk. Doesn''t do nothing and still comes to complain. Not here b*tch.


    "I was just verifying"


    "And I was just saying~"


    We opened two noble-like smiles and kept staring each other.


    Dude I can keep this the whooole day.


    "*cough cough* may I continue?"


    Seeing my subordinate cough this much I patted his back. We can''t have him sick now, can we?


    "Are you sick Carl?"


    "No, I''m fine Young Miss. Can I finish the report?"


    I can see tears in my subordinate''s eyes. How important is this to you?


    "Yes please"


    "As I was saying, the one who contacted us was the Viscount Clemens. He asked us to create an accident on the end of the year parade. He emphasized that we must not, under any circumstances, threaten the Crown Prince''s life. He left the details for us to arrange. He also said that if we could kill Lady Julia while at it, they would reward us a bonus."


    Haaa... Carl Dear, do you know that your final phrase just sentenced the destiny of all the nobles in this stupid plot? Look at Albert. His eyes is so bloodshot that he looks more like a beast than a man.


    "They dare!"


    "And how much did they payed you to do?"


    "A million gold coins for the accident and half a million for Lady Julia''s life"


    ...


    Should I just go black?


    "I see..."


    "There''s one more thing. They asked to meet the one who is in charge now."


    "Hee... lets use a fake one then... say that your boss will only meet if their leader also show up"


    "I knew you would say that, so I took the liberty to find someone to replace you and schedule the meeting for 2 days from now"


    Aren''t you a good secretary too Carl?


    "En. Good job. So what do you want us to do now Prince Albert?"


    "Meet the one who organize all this bulls*it and report back. We will follow their plan and you will ''kill me''. Once they apply to replace me for Bill, I will arrest them. You will need to come up with a list of the participants before so I can collect evidence of any crime they did. And for the evidence of this crime you will need to collect by yourself. Don''t disappoint me"


    I really. REALLY. Want to take that smirk off.


    "But is a matter of course that you will send one of your aides to assist me right?"


    "N-"


    "RIGHT?!"


    "*sigh* who do you want? Your brother is at the border. I only have two of them"


    Don''t sigh as if I am difficult to handle. If anyone should be sighing now it should''ve been me.


    "I want Jacob. Tomas would never cooperate with me and you know this. Ask him to meet me tomorrow at Temone. I heard he liked there, so it won''t be suspicious if we meet there and pretend it was not scheduled"


    "Or you still do it alone"


    "Hm, I will meet him tomorrow. I''ll send him a letter just in case. Now if you excuse me, I have another appointment this evening"


    "Who could be so important that you would leave a meeting with your Country Crown Prince I wonder"


    "... your Mother Your Highness"


    It''s a lie. The meeting is with William but if I tell you the truth you will just be mad at me.


    "I see. Since I also need to see her, why don''t I come with you?"


    It''s so hard to hang the smile when I want to punch him goddammit.


    "It will be my pleasure"


    As we went our way, I whispered in Carl''s ear for him to tell William where and who I was going to/with.


    "Won''t you subordinate accompany us?"


    "He must prepare things for our plans"


    "I see... what do you think about the nobles who put together the plot?"


    "Stupid, naive and soft."


    "Ho? How so?"


    "Stupid because they forgot how you really are. Naive if they thing that if you are crippled you will not fight for the throne and William will accept the throne. Soft because why crippled if you can kill and look like an accident"


    "Would you kill me if you were then?"


    "Sure. It would fits better my plans"


    Why would you go silent? Did offend Albert again?


    "Why do you think that they forgot how and who I am?"


    "Do you want the truth?"


    "... give me your best"


    "You must promise me to not be mad at me"


    "Just say it"


    "Promise first"


    "Sure. I promise whatever you say I want be mad at you"


    "Since Julia appeared you became stupid"


    "CECILE!"


    "You said you wouldn''t be mad! That''s why I didn''t want to talk. I didn''t even got to the words part"


    I saw Albert taking a deep breath. Yes, yes you should take a deep breath.


    "Continue your analysis"

 48 Lecturing the Crown Prince 1

    "Continue your analysis"


    "Don''t want to"


    "This is an order"


    I swear that it''s times like this that I found the royalty superiority to be super annoying.


    "*sigh* remember this is what you WANT to hear, not what I want to say... Since you met Julia you have been making doubtful decisions. It was like you forgot all your duties as a Crown Prince and could only focus on your love life. Is hardly a very reassuring attitude from our future ruler right?"


    "... was it that bad?"


    ''Is it possible that this person didn''t realized the mess he is making with Julia?''


    "You hardly interacted with other people beside Miss Julia and your aides after you met her. What is even worse is that all of you like her and didn''t even tried to hide it. The rumors about you guys can be said to be... bold?"


    "What is with this question?"


    "...they are hard to define I guess. Let''s just say that if you guys continue like that your son or daughter will be questioned about their bloodline"


    "Preposterous!"


    "Is it really? If I was surrounded by 4 guys who are in love with me and we always pass time together in someplace alone. Plus, even though I am engage with one of them I am constantly alone with someone from the group. Please do tell me, if I appear pregnant, would you believe that this child was my fianc¨¦e''s?"


    "No... but Julia is not like this"


    "You only know that because you are close to her, for those who are outside is hard to tell how are the relationship between the 5 of you is. Is even worse because we are nobles and this type of gossip always are the hot topics"


    I looked at Albert who was lost in thought. Maybe with this incident he can reflect on his behaviors.


    "Is only that?"


    "..."


    "Just say what you want"


    "You do know that you dumped me for her right?"


    Albert looked at me as if to say ''don''t you think you are this hot shit''. But excuse me sir, I''m exactly the hottest shit in the kingdom right now.


    "You dumped the one called "Flower Of Society". With the best background between all of her generation, she possessed the beauty and elegance that was fit to be Queen. And even though she had everything to be arrogant, she cared for the life of those who are abandoned and excluded from society. Building an orphanage she transformed those poor children into respectable young ones"


    As I continue to say what was constantly said about me I heard a stifled laugh. Looking at the source I saw Albert trying to maintain his poker face, but unfortunately his lips were twitching.


    " I''m impressed that you aren''t even blushing after saying such embarrassing about yourself"


    "Why should I? I passed my whole life hearing this discourse. I''m just repeating to you what was said about me"


    Is true. It''s not like I think this of myself... I-I am not this narcissistic okay?


    "I''m sure you are exaggerating"


    "... ask Jacob later."


    Don''t look at me with this pity look. I''m not sick enough to promote me like that for my ex ok?


    "Anyway, you not only disdain me for all those year but also replaced me with someone with ''inferior'' qualifications"


    "Cecile pay attention to your words, don''t go to far"


    "... tell me three things that is useful to be a Queen that Julia does better than me"


    "She is gentler"


    "This is one and is not even a quality that is wanted in a Queen, you know this. Besides you don''t know me well enough to affirm that right? Furthermore her gentleness is only show to those who are close to her... and as much it does seem cocky of me, I made many things through the years that would pass this impression. Just let''s drop who is superior and move on with the conversation please"


    "...well"


    "When you tried to reckless break our engagement, you used your power as a Crown Prince to weaken my family just so you could wed Miss Julia. This set a wave of fear through the Heads of the Noble Households. If you can try something so insane to one of the most powerful Household when you were just a Crown Prince and your beef with them was an engagement who could be broken peacefully, what would happen once you were a King and they, who are from a less powerful Household than the Dubois, oppose your national decisions? They thought that you had the potential to become a tyrant"


    Albert didn''t even look at me when I paused to get air. I can''t say if he is ashamed of what he did or he doesn''t care about it.


    "Actually Your Highness when I knew what you were doing I wondered if your head was filled with sh*t"


    *gulp* I can feel an ominous aura beside me, b-but I''m not afraid of it! I need to use well this opportunity.


    "Y-you must agree that was a stupid move political wise. The image of our household is too good for you to weaken our power and transfer it to others. Plus you don''t have who to transfer to, your aides are not mature enough to handle this type of responsibility and the other nobles are either unfit or already deal with too much. The results of your move was: fear among nobles, the Prime Minister as an enemy and your popularity among your citizens dropping. Don''t you think it was stupid?"


    "If everything went according to plan I would just have to deal with the nobles"


    "How much do you look down on me and Father? It was impossible for you to succeed in any case"

 49 Lecturing the Crown Prince 2

    "How much do you look down on me and Father? It was impossible for you to succeed in any case"


    "... whatever. But this is all on the past, I didn''t made any moves against any other household and I am now trying to implant a system that will improve the treatment of patients. Two of the consequences you said should be minimized by now"


    "Yes. And all could go well if you and Miss Julia made actions that would make people forget how your relationship begun and the results of it. But what I heard was that you guys are spending a lot of money and Miss Julia offended a few noblewomen in the small quantity of parties that she went. Besides, although you are making some projects to improve the livelihood of the population, they will take time and have no immediate effects. Plus Miss Julia didn''t engage in any social activity with the commoners even though she lived part of her life as one"


    "Why should she be obligated to interact with them just because she was one? It''s absurd"


    I couldn''t help but shake my head. Love is a scary thing isn''t?


    "You are doing it again. In a normal situation she would be expected to make favorable projects to the commoners since she should know their needs and preferences better than us. However, she not only did not address their needs but also is seen constantly spending money. If the public didn''t have anyone to compare it would be okay, but unfortunately they do"


    "Even I find difficult to match your popularity though"


    "... I was talking about Her Majesty, but sure, the comparison is even worse with me since I used to have her title"


    Miss Julia sure have it hard, but it''s not like this situation that can''t be fixed. The problem is that she has too little allies and too many enemies.


    "Actually, you managed so bad the question of a new fianc¨¦e that Miss Julia popularity in any circle is bad, be it commoner, noble or royalty. And since we are in the topic shouldn''t feel ashamed to let your little brother to handle your and your fianc¨¦e mess? He is really tired these day because of you, you know? Plus, why didn''t you make Miss Julia do the Queen training? Do you want her to embarrass herself in future formal occasions? I know you don''t want to force her in anything, but she is not only your woman, she is now our future Queen and she can''t be a paper tiger, or else she will endanger not only herself but the kingdom"


    I stopped and turned to Albert and looked in his eyes.


    "If you don''t like this option you can either let her go or renounce"


    Albert kept looking at me as if to find something. Passed a minute in silence he finally stopped staring at me and returned to walk.


    "And what do you think I should do?"


    "You should act like a King"


    "Oh?"


    "You must know that the way that you are expressing your love now is troublesome if you want to keep the throne. You will have opposition from all sides and don''t think you can suppress all the problems. The more you suppress the severe it gets. You will not only put the Kingdom in chaos, but you will endanger your fianc¨¦e and your future children. Why would you put them through so much just because you don''t want to change? Is your arrogance and pride worth that much?"


    I was waiting for a fierce opposition but only silence greeted me. Picking at Albert''s face I saw that different from the storm I thought it was having, his face kept the same block of ice face.


    It should be fine to continue right? Well, if I feel his aura changing I''ll do what I do best: escape.


    "Engage with your citizens. Make Miss Julia do her role. Rise both your popularity. Stop making a mess everywhere"


    ''And above all else, leave me alone''


    But I can''t say that can I?


    "Alright I know"


    Fufu~ it was easier than I thought. Won''t I be acclaimed to be the National Heroine if this conversation occurrence was made public? I can even promote more merchandise with this title.


    My proud smile was half open when the Stupid Prince opened his mouth again and blocked all the little coins who should become mine.


    "You will be my new aid"


    Father, Brother... I think this bunny was caught in a trap.

 50 Our old times

    "Sorry I think I heard it wrong, can you please repeat?"


    Bunny Cecile chose [deception]


    "Become my aid. I have a free spot anyway"


    Prince Albert chose [straight jab]


    [straight jab] broke Bunny''s [deception]. Player Bunny Cecile suffered a critical hit. -199 HP.


    "Crown Prince is surely jesting. Why would you ask your former fianc¨¦e, who you just recently dumped and harmed her family, her aid?"


    Bunny Cecile chose [Counter]. Prince Albert suffered a critical hit. -199 HP. [Counter] made Prince Albert dizzy. His turn pass.


    "Plus, this ex-fianc¨¦e now has her own business to take care of, but still took a little time to help the Royal Family stop a vicious plot aiming to your life. It would be a joke to ask anything more from her after cheating, hurting and burdening her for so long, don''t you think so, MY. DEAR. CROWN. PRINCE?"


    Bunny Cecile chose [All-out pummeling]. Prince Albert suffered a critical hit. -1999 HP. Prince Albert was K.O.


    Bunny Cecile won this battle.


    "Can you just consider the idea?"


    "Considered. Denied. But I thank Your Highness for the opportunity given"


    We were almost in the Queen''s quarters when my royal savior came.


    "Cecile, Oniisama. Are you also visiting Mother? What a coincidence, may I join you?"


    Stupid Prince looked at us with a suspicious gaze.


    "Hoo... to think that would be such a coincidence that we ALL need to talk with Mother today, right my dear brother?"


    "Haha, is a wonderful coincidence indeed brother. Mother should be really happy that we came together just like old times"


    Like old times... indeed. When I was 6-7 years old and just appointed as Crown Prince''s fianc¨¦e, the older generation forced me and the princes to interact more. We would come to Her Majesty room, where we would eat many pastries and run around. Unlike when we were older, Albert was more friendly with me and William was always glued in me. Thinking now, it was a really fun period.


    "What are you smiling at Ceci?"


    "I was just thinking how was cute when you got all teary when I had to go home and refused to let go of my hand"


    "I-I don''t remember that. I''m sure you are remembering it wrong"


    "Hee... to think you were a crybaby even in front of Cecile Bill"


    "I-I did not. I just escorted her because brother would always abandon us halfway"


    Haha, Will is so cute. His cheeks are so red that they are calling me to bite them... I must not let myself lose to temptation.


    STAY STRONG CECILE.


    "Yes, yes. It''s Albert''s fault to be such a dull person since young. By no means you were a crybaby"


    "Of course I would go away, Bill would always glare at anyone who came close to Cecile. He was like a protective watchdog. I would hate to spoil the precious time that my little brother got with his puppy love"


    "You! It was not like this! I was just trying to protect Ceci from those hateful noble brats"


    *pfft*


    "You guys are having fun on my expense. I won''t care for you anymore, just wait until we get to Mother"


    "Haha, are you going to tell on us Bill? How very mature of you. In this way you will never get a girl"


    Will is just too cute. He is even a bit teary.


    "Albert we should stop, Will is about to cry. And you shouldn''t worry much about your future wife. If everything goes south, this Onesan will marry you Okay?"


    "Will you really?"


    "That you need Cecile to step up so that you won''t be left out, it''s too pitiful my brother. I will morn for your poor soul"


    "You seem to be having fun"


    A soft voice took us out from a rare moment of harmony. Just like that, we remembered that we were not so close as we used to be. Before we could be in a awkward situation, Prince Albert addressed to the voice that took us out from our ''reverie''.


    "Julia! What are you doing here?"


    "I came to Her Majesty to ask advice. Why? Shouldn''t I be here?"


    I know she is not purposeful, but I hate when she talks like she is a victim. Holding my urge to roll my eyes, I answered her.


    "I''m sure is not what Prince Albert meant Miss Julia. We are also going to meet Her Majesty, why don''t you come with us?"


    "Yes, Cecile is right. Let''s us go together Juli. Of course I''m glad you are here"


    Prince Albert hugged Miss Julia and went his way to Her Majesty''s room, completely ignoring us.


    Looking at me with a dumbfounded face, Will spoke with a defeated voice.


    "We should follow them"


    "Right"


    In silence, it didn''t took long for us to arrive at our destiny.


    "To think that I would have all of you coming today. But I can''t lie that I''m intrigued to why we are having this rare reunion"


    "For me is of course to have one of my most important clients to approve my new products. You can seat down and I will make the new tea for you"


    "Wonderful, I''m sure that will be superb as always"


    "I will help you"


    "There is no need Miss Julia, you can relax together with Her Majesty and the Princes. It won''t take long"


    "Come Julia, Cecile products are different so only her knows how to prepare them right, just let her do it. We should sit down"


    "Yes, yes. You can go and relax. I will be there soon~"

 51 Julia POV 1

    Hey there, I''m Julia Hartmann! I''m currently the Crown Princess of my country, but before I actually lived as a commoner can you believe it?


    How I did it you ask?


    Well, you see... until I was 14 years old, I lived alone with my Mother. However, on my 14th birthday, I gained the best present of them all: my Father. Telling us that he was sorry for not finding us sooner, he took us to his mansion.


    In the way I found out that while working in the Baron Hartmann Household, Mother fell in love with her Master. After many accidents the two found that their feelings were reciprocal and started a relationship. However, their sweet time ended when the Madam found not only their relationship but also that Mother was pregnant. Waiting for Father to travel, she threatened Mother and expelled us from the Household, telling Mom to never show herself again in front of the Baron. When Father came back, Madam told him that ''the maid'' had run with the baby because she couldn''t take the pressure. Since then, Father has always looked for us.


    Hearing my parents story, I couldn''t help but shed tears. Why would the Madam do something so hurtful? I know she is Father''s Wife, but it can''t be helped, can it? Mom and Dad are true love, while she and Father are just a political marriage. Shouldn''t she bless them and also try to find her loved one? Everyone would be happier if she did so.


    But well, not long after we moved to the Baron Household, the Madam went missing. The whole Household was in somber atmosphere for a week. After I asked Mother what happened to Madam, she only told me she had gone to a better place.


    Yes! Finally the Madam went her way to find her happiness and Mother and Father could begin a happy life without any guilt!


    After Madam left, Father brought another good news: I was going to start attending the Royal Academy!


    Before my first day of class I was so excited that I could even sleep!


    I can''t even tell you guys how was the first day, since I was just so hyped that I don''t remember anything.


    Through the days I met many people who I thought that I could never see, between them the one who made my heart go faster than a horse, this country Crown Prince, Albert. Although in the beginning he was a bit cold, the more we interacted, the warmer he became. Before I knew it, I was in love with him.


    I would spend my days with him and his group and we soon became friends. But because all of them were awesome a lot of girls envied me.


    It''s not like I don''t get where they are coming from, so usually I would let them be even if they bullied me. Occasionally one of my friends would protect me, which for some reason make the next bullying attempt worse. Everything was like a dream until I received a letter:


    ''Dear Miss Julia Hartmann,


    I would like to invite you to a tea party tomorrow afternoon at my chambers, so we can discuss things pertaining both of our futures


    Ass. Cecile Dubois''


    Cecile Dubois. If you summarize every rumor about her you would write perfect. Perfect status, perfect appearance, perfect manners and I even heard that she had a perfect fianc¨¦e. I didn''t know what such a person could possibly want with me , but even so I still went to the meeting.


    The first time I saw Cecile Dubois, I thought that a Goddess had descend to the mortal realm. I remember thinking: ''I want to be friends with this person''. But all shattered after she open her mouth.


    No, no. It''s not like she has an ugly voice or she was rude, but her gentle and composed words, hurt more than my usual bullies.


    "Hello Miss Julia, I''m Cecile Dubois from the Duke Dubois Household, pleased to make you acquaintance"


    "M-me too. Is nice meeting you!"


    "I can see what His Highness saw on you"


    I blushed with the mention of my crush.


    "Do you know Al?"


    "Al? Fufu~ aah truly is different when we love someone. To answer your question, yes I do. Actually he is the reason why we came here to talk?"


    "Are you also chasing Albert?"


    ''Shoot, I talked what I thought again''


    "Chasing? Hmm... not quite. I once did it but he is so dull that I got tired. Not that I need anyways, since he IS my fianc¨¦e"


    ''Hm?''


    "Sorry, are you saying you are Al''s fianc¨¦e?"


    "Yes, we are engaged since I was 6 years old can you believe it? So, for everyone was sake I hope you can maintain a distance from everyone''s fianc¨¦e, not just mine. You see, in the noble circle is improper to have such an intimate relationship with others fianc¨¦es"


    "They are my friends! You have no right to break us apart"


    "Ne, you don''t need to yell. Is just a suggestion. And probably even if you follow those morons willbring you back to their side. You guys are really troublesome"


    "You are not qualified to say bad things about them!"


    "HAHAHAHA!"


    "Sorry ahaha, I''m super sorry for my uncouth behavior. Hmm... I see, because you are new in your circle you don''t know. I''m their childhood friend, partner and sister. You can see how funny is for you to say to me I''m not qualified? But forget it. Is good that your feelings for them are genuine. They are always surrounded by people with hidden motives so it''s refreshing that someone has a pure interest in them. Oh, it seems that our time is up. Thank you for meeting me and good luck in your next weeks here"


    When I left her quarters my mind was a mess.

 52 Julia POV 2

    ''What did she meant by good luck?''


    The day after the meeting I got my answer. The bullying got worse than before. Was at this time that Al confronted me about what was happening and I broke down in tears. I told him about the bullying and its relationship with Miss Cecile and in the middle of my crying I also ended up saying that I loved him... and for my surprise he also had the same feelings about me!


    After that we started dating. I was first surprised that we were so open, but Al said that we didn''t need to hide anything from anyone. When I asked about Cecile, he said that he needed time to solve their engagement since involved the two families.


    Although I felt pity for Miss Cecile, I was unable to hide my love for Al. And in the end we are true love, someday for sure she will understand everything and bless us!


    The bullying, as one would expect, only got worse after we started dating, but if that was the price I should pay to be with Albert, so be it.


    However, everything changed because of one bullying incident. One day, I was going in my usual route to meet Al for lunch, when I felt someone pushing me from behind.


    "You should just die. Miss Cecile is the only right one for the Crown Prince!"


    I fell from the stairs hearing such a horrible thing. Luckily George caught me and I didn''t suffer any injuries. We went to the infirmary because of George''s insistence, and it didn''t took long to see Al opening the door breathless.


    "Juli! Are you alright?"


    "Yes, it was just minor scratches thanks to George. You should thank him, otherwise you would have an all patched girlfriend haha~"


    "You-! How can you laugh after such an incident! Right, did you see who made it?"


    "No, they were behind me and ran faster after they pushed me. But they did mention Miss Cecile... do you think is her doing Al?"


    "Cecile! To think she would be vicious to such a point! Don''t worry Julia, I''ll handle her fast. I won''t let her get away with this"


    "Al, don''t hurt her too much. She only does that because she loves you"


    "Fool, that is why people bully you. You are too good to these foolish people"


    "Nah, I have you and that''s why I don''t care about anything else"


    After the incident Al and my friend became super busy trying to deal with the engagement break. But all this was for naught. Miss Cecile got a wind of the whole plan and ask to meet Al. I thought that everything would go south, but not long after the engagement broke up and I became a legitimate lover per se.


    I thought that after they broke the engagement my happy ending was very close, however reality once again deferred from my prediction.


    Everything starts to get weird with one invitation.


    Lady Cecile who all of us thought was too sad to even leave her room, send a invitation for all the noble circle to come for the opening of her new shop.


    When Al opened the invitation his face was filled with anger and pride.


    "Are we going Al?"


    "Of course we are, she dared to invite why wouldn''t I dare to go?"


    When we arrived at Temone with all our friends, I was sincerely amazed by the environment. But more dazzling then the beautiful shop was Miss Cecile. She greeted us with a big smile and seemed much happier than the last time I saw her.


    Seeing her shine in the society even without Al, I was genuinely happy for her. I don''t think that if Al ever leave me I could do the same as her, in a way, I really admire her. She even looked like she got a lover! Good for you Miss Cecile!


    Although she denied, I''m sure is just because she is shy. Fufu~ to think that even Miss Cecile can be shy sometimes.


    "So let me explain how Temone works. We have private rooms, the nobles room, the noblewomen room, the nobleman room, the commoners room, the general room and the outdoor tables. All of the rooms, offer books and a place to sit and relax. The books of each room are more emphasized on the topic or genre that is more popular among the target public of the room. The rooms differ in some details like the pallet colors used do decorate and some things that are available in each room. As for the outdoor tables-"


    ''How could they be so cruel? I know that nobleman tend to disregard the commoners, but I never seen a evident discrimination! Is so sad that there are people like this''


    "What is wrong Julia, are you hurt somewhere?"


    "No. *sob* I can continue don''t mind *sob*"


    "Did I perhaps done or said that make you upset?"


    "*sob* don''t you think is to sad *sob* that you discriminate against commoners?*sob*"


    "I guess you misunderstood me Miss Julia. Most of my friends are commoners after all, and regarding the rooms, although they''re divided like so the client can go to any room he chooses bedsides the private room, unless he is an IP member. We only thought that our clients would be more relaxed surrounded by a familiar atmosphere. When a commoner is surrounded by nobles or vice-versa they often don''t feel relaxed. But if you wish to go to the commoners room or they want to visit the nobles room, it''s not prohibited"


    "It is so?"


    "Yes. But since you probably were not the only who had this misconception I will change the name of the rooms, so people won''t become offended like you did. Thank you for your kind review"


    ''I''m glad that Miss Cecile is just how people say. I''m sure her business will flourish!''


    After we spent the whole afternoon in Temone we went back to the Palace.


    "Juli, because the Royal Banquet is soon and will be your first time introduced as my official partner, Mother said to let you start the Queen''s training"


    "Queen training? Did Miss Cecile also did it?"


    "Ah- yeah. Since she was 6. If she has a good reputation nowadays is for sure due to the training"


    "So can I also become like her?"


    "I''m sure you will surpass her in no time"


    Hearing the words of incentive of Al, I went to the training fired up, however...


    "How can someone be so useless, even that stupid brat Cecile could do this at 10 years old. How come you can''t even compre to a child?!"


    "Are you sure you want to be a Queen? Seriously I spent so much time training that dumb child just to have the Crown Prince to change the candidate for someone dumber than her"


    For a week I went through hell and back many times. I must say that my respect for Miss Cecile grew a lot in that week. To think that what I found hard she already could do at 10! If this is not a genius I don''t know what it is.

 53 Julia POV 3

    When we arrived at the Banquet me and Al were showered in compliments! Thank god the hell week paid off! Everything was going well until...


    "Alas. Auntie is sorry for you, if not the stinky brat bad eyes how could I loose my dream daughter?"


    I don''t know why, but I felt a slight grievance hearing what the Queen said. Wasn''t I good enough?


    But that was probably because the Queen saw Miss Cecile grew up. I was sure that if I interacted more with Mother-in-law, she would come to like me.


    And so, I started my hell mission: Mother-in-law conquest. I tried everything, cooking, tea, novels, embroidery... nothing worked. I couldn''t ask anyone advices, since no one passed by my situation... of course someone did! Miss Cecile!


    Because of her kind heart, I was certain that she would help me. And thank god I was right. She gave me her precious advices and only asked me to talk as little as possible. She even complimented me!


    If I was not already in love with Al, maybe I would fall for her. She is just too dreamy!


    And her advices worked! Although I can''t say that Mother-in-law already sees me as daughter like Cecile, we are in a more harmonious situation than before.


    In gratitude, of course I also kept my part of the deal, for example, in her Mother''s birthday party, I tried to talk as little as possible with her. Even when Al was fighting with Lukas because of Miss Cecile, I kept quiet.


    That party was really funny though~ Miss Cecile seem to be having fun while she run from a side to another. She looked like she was escaping Lukas and Al. That seemed a really fun play. Maybe later I could also ask Al to play with me.


    Ah! Seems I got out of topic! Well, so as I was saying I followed Miss Cecile advice and sometimes I come to have tea with Mother-in-law, today is one of those days.


    "Of course I would go away, Bill would always glare at anyone who came close to Cecile. He was like a protective watchdog. I would hate to spoil the precious time that my little brother got with his friend"


    "You! It was not like this! I was just trying to protect Ceci from those hateful noble brats"


    *pfft*


    "You guys are having fun on my expense. I won''t care for you anymore, just wait until we get to Mother"


    "Haha, are you going to tell on us Bill? How very mature of you. In this way you will never get a girl"


    In the next corridor was Al, Brother-in-law and Miss Cecile. They were laughing and joking with each other.


    Looking at Al, I saw a face that I have never seen before.


    The more I looked at them, the more I felt uncomfortable... it was like they were in their own world and no one could intrude... I tried to keep to myself, but the sourness became worse.


    "You seem to be having fun"


    "Julia! What are you doing here?"


    ''What I am doing here? Shouldn''t he be delighted that he is seeing me? Why does he has a reluctant face?''


    "I came to Her Majesty to ask advice. Why? Shouldn''t I be here?"


    "I''m sure is not what Prince Albert meant Miss Julia. We are also going to meet Her Majesty, why don''t you come with us?"


    ''Why would you know what he meant? They are all going to visit Mother-in-law and didn''t even bother to call for me''


    The more I thought the more wronged I felt.


    "Yes, Cecile is right. Let''s us go together Juli. Of course I''m glad you are here"


    After seeing my eyes filling with tears, Al hugged me. Taking me in the path of Mother''s quarters, he didn''t let me go or looked back once. Slowly my grievances slowed down.


    ''Julia-Baka! Of course they would interact like that! They are childhood friends, is only normal for them to know a lot about each other''


    While I felt really stupid, we arrived at Mother''s room.


    "To think that I would have all of you coming today. But I can''t lie that I''m intrigued to why we are having this rare reunion"


    "For me is of course to have you approve my new products. You can seat down and I will make the new tea for you"


    "Wonderful, I''m sure that will be superb as always"


    Why is everyone sitting like is normal? Isn''t Miss Cecile a guest? Shouldn''t me or the Queen tell the instructions? No, I can''t let Miss Cecile act as a host, or how else will I show my progress in the Queen training for her and Mother-in-law?


    "I will help you"


    "There is no need Miss Julia, you can relax together with Her Majesty and the Princes. I will be there soon"


    "Come Julia, Cecile products are different so only her know how to prepare them right, just let her do it"


    "Yes, yes. I will be there soon~"


    Although I still felt uncomfortable, I sat with Al in a couch across Mother.


    "Mom you wont believe it! Brother and Ceci ganged up and bullied me! Please protect this pitiful son"


    "Wow! I can''t believe that you really told her. If the Prince William fan club found this side of yours they would disband"


    "It doesn''t matter. Ceci will have my back anyways, right Ceci?"


    "Yes, yes. I will marry and have your children is this enough?"


    "Hoho~ it seems that someone is going to marry next month then~"


    "Don''t even joke Auntie, I have to many things happening right now. Here is your tea"


    Cecile gave a cup for each. Hmm... it has such a refreshing taste!


    "Areare. It''s superb! I want this for the tea party that will happen in the summer. Could you also come up with sweets that are also refreshing?"


    "Sure think Auntie! Your wish is my command. Next time I come I will bring the prototypes"


    ''I wonder when I can also call Mother-in-law anything else other than the formal greeting. It seems nice''


    "So how are the preparations to take that stupid plot?"


    "I just finish discussing the details with Cecile. Everything will be alright in no time, no need to worry Mother"


    "Haa... and I thought that I could finally be King. I even have my Queen candidate already *sigh*"


    "Is Cecile ne? Maybe I should join the opposition party then..."


    "Mom am I your biological?!"


    "Fufu~"


    ''What are they talking about? Miss Cecile also knows?''


    The feeling of being excluded came once again. Although I know I promised not to talk to much I couldn''t stop myself.


    "What plot?"


    "Oh... bro, you didn''t tell Julia? What if she said something that she shouldn''t because you didn''t tell her?"


    "I just didn''t want her not to worry ok?"


    "Al, what plot? Can I help?"


    "Ah, it''s nothing to worry about. Some nobles are trying to forge an accident so that my dumb brother can claim the throne. Cecile is going to help me caught them. So you can stay relaxed hon"


    "Who are you calling dumb? Are you challenging me?"


    "But isn''t it dangerous for Miss Cecile? Why should she help you, she is not related to the Royal Family anymore"


    "..."


    "Did I say something wrong?"


    "*pfft* you did not. And your logic is absolutely right. I have no ties with the Royal Family anymore, however I got hold of the information and said it to the Crown Prince. Because it would be troublesome for my business and family the change of heir, I am helping."


    "*sigh* such a pity, you could become a powerful aid if you wanted Ceci-Chan"


    "Nah. My life is good right now"


    "Seriously this is the first time that I was rejected three times in the same day"


    "Is it? Let''s make them four, since I think it''s a prettier number. I thank thee for thine invitation, nonetheless I am unworthy of such a title. Please wait for my Dear Brother to serve you"


    "Hahaha! You are awesome as always Ceci!"


    As they entered again in their world. I realized that I lacked many things compared to Cecile in a broad sense. I always thought that Albert could do anything so I never tried to meddle in his business, but seeing him relying on Miss Cecile I admit that I became a little jealous.


    However, starting today I will try to become more useful to Albert so that he won''t need to rely on outsiders. I must be strong for our future family!


    Miss Cecile watch me, I am sure to surpass you!

 54 Meeting the mastermind

    "Where is your real boss? If you don''t bring him here right now, we don''t mind going to the Red Command"


    A fat middle age man with gaudy clothes was staring at my subordinate with an arrogance, that if you didn''t know, would make you think is us that were begging for this job.


    "I''m the boss. Marc just died and I was the one that got the reins, do you have a problem?"


    With a ''do you? Then bite me'' my subordinate easily irritated the arrogant man, who started to get red all over.


    "YOU-!"


    Before he could do anything, a thin man, that came with the middle age man, took his cloak off.


    "Now, now Boris, there is no need to get upset. I apologize for my friend behavior, but it would be more reassuring if you could come to this room instead"


    Eyeing me, who was in the next room, the thin man made a smile that sent shivers through my spine.


    I thought that no one would realize that the two rooms were connected in a way that it permitted to peep on one of them.


    ''Tsk. It''s all his fault. Daddy will freak out once he knows who is the mastermind''


    Taking a deep breath and erasing the loathing I felt towards the thin man, I entered the room.


    "Fancy meeting you here Duke Fournier, I am delighted that you graced my business with such a job. If you please"


    Indicating for them to seat again, I took the main sit from my subordinate.


    Studying the man in front of me, it''s no wonder he is my father''s political rival. Duke Valentin Fournier, head of the third powerhouse of the kingdom after the Royal and Dubois Household. Different from most nobles, who disdain businessmen, Duke Fournier has a large business network giving him a very tight grip of this country''s economy.


    Although I never met him in person, Father often complains how smart this guy is, but that is a loss to this kingdom that he only uses his wits for self gain instead of using for the kingdom. He is also suspected of having multiple ties with the underworld, but because the Crown and Father could never caught his handle he is unpunished until now.


    ''Thinking of it, there was a rumor that he was friends with Marc''


    "Hoo, to think that the Old Goat''s daughter was involved with such a dirty business, I must say is unexpected"


    "Duke''s words are wrong. My men are now reformed, we only work with cleaning"


    ''The clearing of my enemies~''


    "Is that so? That''s wonderful! You see, I have now this big stain in my house that was made by a squirrel, is there anyway it can be solved?"


    "Of course! I will have my best professionals working on it. For when do you want to schedule the cleaning?"


    "Hmm, how about a month for now? But you don''t need to erase it completely... I got attached to it you see?"


    "I understand, I have a similar one at mine, that coincidentally enough was also caused by a squirrel. I will make sure that the stain is visible but not glaring"


    "To think that we are in a similar situation! Alas, if you could also eliminate the annoying squirrel I would be grateful"


    "Fufu~ is possible, however the Duke will have to pay more, after all the squirrel is now an animal that is protected by the Crown because of its cuteness. Your Excellency must pay the according price ne?"


    "You are right Miss Cecile. Should I make 30% of the deposit before the job?"


    "Your Excellency jokes, of course is 70%"


    "Miss Cecile must I remind you that you are not the only one in the cleaning business?"


    "I am, of course, aware. But I thought that the Duke came here because he wanted the bests to avoid that the stain instead of getting lighter become darker and bigger, was I wrong? Furthermore because of a similar problem I had, I know to deal well with it"


    Duke Fournier stared at my face as if to find something. But I must disappoint you, Duke, my mask is impeccable after 10 years of training.


    "Haha. Such an eloquent child, no wonder that Old Goat brags about you every time. You are right, I will follow your directions since I was the one who sought you first"


    Duke Fournier signaled to the noble who was with him to bring the money.


    "He''ll be right back with the money. Right! Won''t this job be affect by your constant visits to the Royal Palace? I am actually amazed that you still visit that place after all that happened, you can even have a private meeting with your ex-fianc¨¦e and after with almost the whole family. Won''t they be sad if you eliminate the pest that they find precious?"


    "Duke jokes, I''m not the one that will perform the job since I don''t have the qualifications, so Your Excellency don''t have to worry. And well, they are my dear customers, the amount of money they spend on my stores is amazing. Duke should learn with them and spend a lot of money in there fufu~"


    "And about the pest... if I don''t talk and you don''t talk, who will know that I am the one behind?"


    Just as I finish talking the door opened and the fat noble entered with the money bag.


    "I hope we have a pleasant cooperation"


    Taking the money bag, I flashed them my villainess signature smile.


    "Yes, lets have a wonderful cooperation"

 55 I am a good person

    After sending the guests off and handing me the newest reports, Carl and the subordinate that impersonated the boss, Ethan, kept staring at me with blank expressions.


    "What?"


    Carl scratched the back of his head and with the dumbest expression I have ever seen finally asked what was on their mind.


    "Miss, are we going to clean a stain in the Duke''s house instead of harming the Prince?"


    Hearing the ridiculous statement made by Carl, I resisted the urge to laugh and decided to tease them a bit. It doesn''t hurt to have a little bit of fun at your employees expense right?


    Narrowing my eyes at them, I spoke with my voice filled with disappointment.


    "What? You can''t clean properly? Is the training to bland? Maybe I should be a bit more strict to you guys..."


    "NO!"


    Ethan quickly and strongly denied my statement. As if he realized his rudeness and eagerness, Ethan quickly tried to redeem himself.


    "Miss what I mean is that you don''t need to overexert yourself. W-we can clean a place spotless clean right Carl?"


    Bobbing his head so quickly that I thought it might fall, Carl agreed with Ethan.


    "Yes, yes. Miss need not to worry, we will make cleaner than ever before"


    "Is that so? I don''t mind teaching you personally though"


    "No, no. Miss need not to worry about us AT ALL. You have so much to handle... the stain will be cleaned as per requested, worry not"


    Seeing their flustered appearance I couldn''t hold any longer.


    "*pffft*"


    Seeing my two lovely subordinates looking at me flabbergasted with the reaction they got, I started to explain the conversation with Duke Fournier.


    "The plan with the Prince Albert is still up. The stain that the Duke Fournier refers to is Prince Albert and the squirrel is Julia, do you get it?"


    "Sort of.... but why a squirrel?"


    "I could say is because she looks like one, but this is only partially true. The truth is because she''s cute but is still a ''rat'', so the noble circle came up with the nickname... I heard that Miss Julia rather liked being compared with such adorable creatures, that''s why Prince Albert still permits the nickname as long as he doesn''t hear it. I wonder if we can make squirrel plush toys a thing. We can ask Julia to advertise..."


    "As I thought, nobles are really different. Even the way of cussing is refined and could be mistaken as a compliment"


    Ethan nodded to Carl''s statement.


    "Yes, they are scary. Miss and the Duke transformed an assassination and a crime against the Crown in a talk about pest extermination and cleaning. Miss is even more amazing since she will make the Lady in question sell a plush toy that it''s an insult to her "


    "You are right, no one knows how to take advantage of a situation as well as our Miss!"


    "You do realize I''m still here right?"


    Averting their eyes to the floor, both of them spoke in monotone.


    "Miss is the Society Flower"


    "Miss is unique"


    '' '' our Miss is the scariest of them all'' ''


    Deciding to ignore the stupid duo, I started to think how should I disclose to Father today''s meeting.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    "You''re telling me that, that snake-like person is behind all of this?"


    "Yes, he was the one that showed up at the meeting and discussed the details with me"


    "...hahaHAHA"


    A loud laugh filled Father''s study. I think Father''s grudge against Duke Fournier was bigger than I thought. I never saw Father laugh so loud and happy in my life!


    "Finally! FINALLY CECILE!! This time he''s doomed! And is all thank to you my dear"


    Saying so, Father gave me a hug so tight that I thought that some bones may brake.


    "F-father.. I-I can''t b-breath"


    "I''m sorry little bunny, I was just to excited"


    Releasing me from the torturous hug, Father went back to his chair.


    "*cough* *cough* where were we? Yes. The mastermind is Fournier. Hmm... when did he wanted you to execute the task?"


    "Next month. He didn''t gave us a exact date, but we have the Royal Parade and New Year''s party next month. He left to my discretion which one to take advantage of"


    "I see... putting both events on a scale, the one which is more favorable to act is the parade. You can mix your people with Royal soldiers and commoners"


    "No. Too risky. If I put guys on the Royal guard I will need to involve more people then necessary and in turn it will increase the chances of leaking our plan. I thought in having many disturbances a long the path chosen to the Parade"


    Father went silent for a few minutes. I know it''s a bold move, but is the most effective one Dear Father.


    "Father-"


    "You want to do terrorism?"


    "... such an ugly word. No, I''m helping the country by scaring a few people..."


    Father didn''t even acknowledge my argument with a sound and just kept staring at me.


    "Hm-eh... maybe is terrorism. But listen to me first. I will strategically blow the black organizations'' stores that are in the path. I already put someone of trust to study their architecture so that when blown it won''t hurt any innocent bystanders. Plus, just in case I will make free clinic consults for the people at strategic points so that this won''t happen. The clinics will be open an entire week so that it won''t be suspicious"


    "You seem to have thought well about this..."


    "Of course is for the sake of our country!"


    "...how for example besides receiving money from the Task, rewards from the King you will also eliminate your competitors from the Underworld"


    ''Hehe... seems that I was found out''


    "As I said for the sake of our country!"


    "Yes, yes. You''re very patriotic indeed. How will you deal with the nobles in the aftermath? They will probably spread rumors saying that your benevolence was nothing but a sham to hide your dirty real face as the Boss of the Underworld"


    "I already have a plan. You will ask the His Majesty to make an edict ordering me to be in charge of the lives of those man. I will play the saint role and make them redeem themselves by giving them a chance to ask forgiveness about their past with a honest life and community works. This way, even when accused of being a sham, the population will be by my side as always"


    After all I have a big credibility in the society as a role. The many social projects I did and my benevolence is well known fact amongst everyone.


    "I remember reading somewhere that the receptivity of the masses is very limited, their intelligence is small, but their power of forgetting is enormous. In consequence of these facts, all effective propaganda must be limited to a very few points and must harp on these in slogans until the last member of the public understands what you want him to understand by your slogan."


    "... your slogan is ''I am a sant''?"


    "No way, it''s too tacky. ''I am a good person'' is the slogan. Is not a lie anyways right Father?"


    "Yes my Dear, you are the best of them all, but may I now where did you read this phrase?"


    ''I want this book. Where it is'' is written all over my father''s face. I guess previous leaders quotes are a good study material to any type of leader.


    "Don''t remember... but I will look for you"


    It seems that I''m forgetting to report something...


    "Right! Father Duke Fournier has a mole inside the Palace. He knew that I had a private meeting with Her Highness, the Princes and Lady Julia. You should report this to His Majesty as soon as possible"


    "As expected. At least now we have a smaller range os people to investigate. You did a good job today bunny. You must be tired, you can retire now if you want"


    "I''m glad of being able to help Father. I''ll be going now but you shouldn''t stay until too late also, otherwise Mom will scold you later"


    "Ah, yes. I will be over soon"


    After seeing the pale face of my Father after mentioning Mother''s scolding, I went to my little paradise: my bed.

 56 Busy month

    ''Oh Dear Lord, could you make so that the day have more hours than the normal? I desperately need them!''


    A mountain of papers is in front of me and I can swear that they are have smiles and are mocking me right now... I need a break you say? I couldn''t agree with you more, but you see, I can''t.


    Because is the last month of the year all our establishments are very busy. Asters having the spotlight, every establishment has a unique promotion and products for this time of the year. Both in Asters and Temone, the products are being sold out almost daily, and the closer we get to the Royal Parade and the New Year''s party the frenzy gets worse.


    Oh, the Villa is almost finished. The residences for my employees and their family is done, so they have already moved there in the end of the last week. Now the only thing missing is the hot baths, as such my Resort-Spa should be opening in the beginning of the next year. I''m anxious about how it will be received by the public since is a business that involves invading a bit of people''s privacy. Well, if everything goes south I will put the Royal Family in game and the popularity will soar for sure.


    We are also making the final touches for the Task ordered by Duke Fournier. Me and Albert are exchanging secret mails through his weekly tea purchase. He fixed some details in the plan, such as the Duke''s Fournier escape route, and helped me in the assembling of the temporary health centers that will be open in the Parade''s week.


    In our letters I also sold him the idea of making squirrels plush toys and have Julia sell them. At first he was reluctant but after I explained that in this way she could be a more public figure and re-mean the squirrel nickname, he finally agreed with me. We will release the squirrel plush toys line next week. The squirrels will have 5 colors: brown, pink, purple, blue and green. Each one will have a specific smell, for example brown- chocolate, and will be accompanied by a box of the assorted favorite sweets of the year. We aim to have it sells as a present for a kid or a maiden mostly. The two are the best of spread any type of news.


    I am also happy to say that different from everyone''s expectations Lady Julia didn''t screw up our plans! I''m not sure if Will''s surveillance is that good or having her occupied with the squirrels was the solution, but the point is: she is behaving herself so much this month that I got the chills every time that I think of.


    Signing one more document in front of me, I heard a loud noise.


    *THUMP*


    Raising my head to see what exactly happen, I see Leo supporting his forehead and having a painful expression.


    "Don''t tell me you just fell and had your face knocked on the table?"


    Hearing what I said, instead of answering me, Leo blushed.


    "*pfft* so funny! Your forehead even have a small protuberance!"


    "Ceci please don''t laugh it could have happened with anyone"


    "Haha, yes, my bad. Come here, let''s put some ice on it"


    Picking up the ice that was inside my glass and rolling it on a small cloth, I grabbed Leo and pulled him to the sofa.


    "Y-you don''t need to do this. I can do it on my own"


    "Stop taking out my fun. Now lay down here"


    "In your lap?! I can''t Miss!"


    "Who is Miss? Stop whining! Or else I will give half of the documents on my table"


    As if caught between death and hell, Leo made an utterly despair face, that amazing enough was still cute. The power of being an ikemen is incredible indeed.


    Making a face of resignation, Leo finally laid down, grumpy, at my lap. I gently applied the ice on his red forehead and after a minute or so, he was in deep sleep once again.


    ''Seriously how tired must you be to sleep with ice be applied on you''


    Looking at his angel like features, I was drawn to every detail on his face.


    Don''t get me wrong, is not like I crave for him in a sexually or romantically way. It''s just that he is so beautiful that is only natural to admire the perfect work made by Madame Alby.


    Trailing his face with my finger, I couldn''t help but envy his flawless skin that didn''t require a single cream. The Gods sure are unfair sometimes.


    As I continued to play with Leo''s face and hair, sleep soon also caught me and my office that 10 minutes ago was filled with productive sounds, was now filled with two even breathings that matched.

 57 Hope we can stay like this

    There''s still a week for the Royal Parade and the city is a festive mood. All the streets are decorated with the colors of the Royal Household: Red and gold. There are a lot of unique events this week promoted by nobles and merchants all over the city. Like a big festival, this is by far my favorite part of the year.


    I''m also happy to report that the squirrels are selling well. We can see kids holding their plush toy all over the city. Julia is promoting the sells by visiting schools and she also donated some to the orphanages. This actions made her popularity rise over the days and made Crown Prince so happy that he made generous purchases at IP stores.


    All hail the all might squirrel!


    Cough. I got a bit excited with all the money, sorry.


    Meanwhile, the clinics'' project was realized by IP in cooperation with the Crown and some smaller nobles. Since we had a lot of support we opened clinics all over the town and not just at the Parade''s path. It fills me with joy when projects with random aims help in the end many people. In this case, is even more touching to me since a lot of nobles embraced the cause of providing free treatment to the citizens in need.


    Although they were all good news, for me the best news this month is that Brother is coming back to spend the holidays with us! As a matter of fact, he is arriving today, so we will have a small welcome party for him. We opted to not call his friends since we would have to call the power couple of the moment and their two candles for the dinner, what it would make his return awkward. Being so, the dinner will only have our family.


    It''s been a long time since we shared a meal together. Just thinking about it makes me a bit nostalgic.


    I quickly went to our house entrance. Just like me, Mother was fidgeting. Maybe she was the one who suffered the most of us having Brother away since this is the first time that any of us live outside.


    "Ceci you are here. Your Brother is late. That brat doesn''t change, if he takes more than 10 minutes to arrive I won''t wait for him"


    Opposite to her claims Mother didn''t sound a bit impatient or had the willingness to go away.


    I was just about to tease her when we heard the sound of the carriage in front of our door. Before I could invite her to come with me to the front, I saw just the colors of Mother''s dress flashing by. Not to be outdone, I chased after her. Hmph, I won''t let you greet him alone.


    Hearing the cluck from the door opening, both of us stopped at our tracks and quickly fixed our appearance. By the time the door was opened, we had impeccable appearances once again.


    "Oh my dear daughter, are you leaving to work now? Your Brother was supposed to arrive earlier but it seems you will miss him"


    "Oh well, it''s regrettable, but I can always see him later"


    I must say that I''m always astonished on how well nobles can act. Like really, we can easily win Oscars for our little performances.


    Ignoring our Oscar-awarded performance, Brother opened his arms and said deliver the words that we had been waiting.


    "I''m home"


    At the cue, Mother enveloped my poor Brother in such a tight hug that I could see him turning red from lack of air... what can I say to you guys... never underestimate a Mother.


    "Mom you will kill him like that, let him breathe a little"


    Being a little disconcerted with her hasten, Mother quickly released Brother. It was then that I could see angels starting to sing in the background and sudden light illuminate the background behind my Brother.


    Dear Creator God, just... thank you. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. You in your wisdom permitted us, mere mortals, to evolve to such a beauty, you are truly the most powerful one.


    Creator God LIKE+1.


    I don''t know the other things but Brother handsomeness just went to a whole other level. With the wild aura of the soldiers and the manners of the nobles, Brother was the clear example that sometimes opposites just go too well together, like sweet and salt or breakfast for dinner.


    "Mother, you seem even prettier compared to when I went o the border and Cecile... what are you doing?"


    Waking up fro my daydreaming,I was just like a little boy who was caught red-hand stealing food... I hastily checked if there was any evidence of my crime in my face.


    "N-nothing. Nada. Is not like I was daydreaming or anything"


    "I didn''t even say anything yet... were you perhaps mesmerized by my appearance Dear Sister?"


    "ANYWAY. Tell us how was your journey? Was the border too cold? Is Uncle okay?"


    "Shush Cecile, don''t rush your Brother like that. By the way, didn''t you say that you need to go to the office, You should be leaving by now, poor Leo must be waiting for you"


    HOHOHOHO. Dear Mother, you are so naive if you think you can evict me like this.


    "There''s no problem, yesterday I went ahead and did most of today''s work. So WORRY NOT Dear Mother"


    Taking my Brother''s hand I tried to take him to our living room, but Mother also took his other hand and pulled in the opposite direction. Like two little kids fighting for a toy me and Mother pulled Brother from a side to another. The poor him could only look helplessly to us.


    I couldn''t even believe that this scene that happened many times on the past could happen again after Julia''s interference... I really hope we could stay like this forever...

 58 Brother’s anger

    ... and of course, we didn''t.


    "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY CECILE?"


    Haa... its only squirrels right, furthermore Miss Julia rather happy with the sales and even the Crown Prince is happy why would Brother be so upset?


    I know I''m making money by the degrading nickname, but I''m only trying to re-mean it you know~?


    "Brother, even the Crown Prince is not bothered by the plush squirrels why you are so upset?"


    "Who would car about stupid squirrels?! No! That''s not it. We will talk about Julia''s issue later. What I want to know is how my sheltered sister, who was raised like a Princess, is now the Boss of the most terrifying dark organization in our country!"


    When Brother stopped his ranting, he took deep breaths. Yes, breath or else you might explode, you are almost purple dear Brother.


    "Wow there, are you okay, Brother? Do you want some tea to calm your nerves? You know you shouldn''t stress yourself this much it is bad for your health"


    "C E C I L E"


    Gritting his teeth, Brother pronounced my name like King Yama calling my soul from hell. I never saw him so angry, not even when we argued because of Julia. His eyes were staring at me so intently that I could only avoid his intense gaze and concentrate on the circles that I was making with my foot while trying to think in ways to minimize his anger.


    "Ah, hm, you see Brother, not long you left, IP was attacked by Marc. You know Marc, right? He was my predecessor, and he was actually-"


    "Cecile"


    "Right you don''t want to know about him, sorry. So he attacked me and after I brilliantly planned a trap for him we were able caught him and sentence him with the punishment imposed by the law. The thing is that he had too many people working for him. The King didn''t know what to do with them, and I coincidentally needed subordinates that do the kind of job they were specialized. This was the best option don''t you think?"


    Brother only sighed and put his head in his hand in response.


    "You shouldn''t be so worried they are great people now after a pleasant training. Besides, you know that Father wouldn''t let me face danger more than I need to. He assigned Theo to be 7/24 with me. Is kind of tiring but this was the only way that he stopped his nagging, so Brother-"


    "I will visit your dark organization base"


    "... okay. When do you wanna go?"


    "Now"


    "Na-an. Can''t do it. Today is your first day back if I drag you somewhere that terrifying woman will kill me"


    "And can I know who the terrifying woman is Cecile-Chan?"


    With a voice filled with dangerous warnings, Mother, who just came back after calling her husband and son to come and welcome her first born, was glowering daggers at me.


    "No one that Mother knows of, since she is a very wonderful woman not a bit terrifying"


    "*hmph* you cheeky brat. If I see you calling me terrifying once again, you better pray for your soul"


    Although she spoke in a very friendly voice, the content of her speech made shivers go all over my body.


    "YESSIR!"


    Mother only snorted at my response.


    "Let''s sit down. I guess your sister already updated you about all the happenings. Louis, you should go to the Crown Prince tomorrow. He must have something for you to do about their plan to stop Fournier''s Plot"


    "Fournier, as in Duke Fournier? What plot are you talking about?"


    Father looked at me who could only pretend that I didn''t see the accusatory glance he showed me. Is not my fault okay? Brother freaked out before I could even mention the plot.


    "... *sigh* Fournier is trying to forge an accident to have the Crown Prince injured enough to not be able to reign. He wants the Second Prince to assume the throne instead of Prince Albert. We suppose he thinks Prince William is better to manipulate than Prince Albert. That old fool finally showed his tail"


    "Oh, that''s good to hear. It''s been long since you wanted to get his hold Father. Who was the lucky spy who managed such a wonderful piece of information? "


    Mother and Father''s sight glued in me in response while Lucius was focused on the sweets in front of him and ignored the room situation completely.


    "It was one of your subordinates, Cecile?"


    "Yes! Was one of the people who were from the Underworld society that got the information. They are rather useful, aren''t they?"


    "I guess that they do have their value. And who is the one making contact with the Duke?"


    Once again, Mother and Father didn''t answer Brother and just looked at me. Father even seemed amused by my struggling act.


    "... who is it Cecile?"


    "Why don''t you tell your brother little bunny? I imagine that like me he will be delighted"


    "Fine! I''m the one in charge of the whole operation and the one that contacted Duke Fournier. He knows that I took Marc''s seat too. I''m helping Prince Albert with everything in the plan"


    Complete silence. Brother just stared at me while processing the words I just said. Until he grabbed the teacup that I handed to him earlier and threw it.


    "THAT DAMN BASTARD PRINCE!"

 59 Meeting of future in-laws?

    After having called the Crown Prince of all sort of names and trashed the room enough to vent his anger, Brother sat down again and ordered me to explain everything from the beginning.


    "So let me see if I understood correctly. You first caught the King of the Underworld. As a reward, you received the slums and his subordinates and decided to conceal from Father the fact that you are now the most powerful person in this country''s underworld-"


    "You are wrong Brother, I didn''t conceal it, I just- yes I will shut up"


    With only a glance, Brother managed to shut me up. Seriously, everyone in this family is scary; my only safe heaven is my angel Lucius.


    "... one of the subordinates that you got was contacted by one of the Nobles from Fournier''s faction to do the job. You reported and that bastard Albert decided to use you instead of one of his people who can surely handle better than you. In a reunion with Fournier, your disguise was blown and now he knows that our family is somewhat related to dirty part of the kingdom. Did I got something wrong?"


    "Well technically since they came under my command, they didn''t do anything dirty anymore..."


    "Cecile shut up"


    "Yessir"


    "So, when is the plan happening?"


    Father shrugged his shoulders. Right I didn''t report to him yet.


    Seeing the silence extending Brother almost ate me with his eyes.


    "... can I talk now?"


    In response, Brother''s gaze became even more fierce. I touched my nose and fearfully answered him.


    "*gulp* next week. Everything is almost ready at my side. But you should check with Prince Albert how is it going in his side"


    "Oh, I will. Quickly explain what is going to happen in the specific day"


    Before I could begin, Mother interrupted me. She had the authority aura all over her.


    "Enough of this. I already have to hear about the Royal Family every day. My son just came back can''t you put it to rest a little. Today, any talks about the Royal Family are prohibited. You all are only allowed to talk about the Dubois Family. Did I make myself clear?"


    Like four obedient students, we meekly answered Mom.


    "Yes"


    Mother is such a strong woman! You truly are my savior, Mom!


    I sincerely apologize for having called you terrifying before.


    Because of Mother''s words, I spent a leisurely day with my family and went to sleep happy and free from Brothers questionings.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The next day, I woke up rather early so that I couldn''t meet Brother. Just as I was quietly making my way to the exit, a voice scared me.


    "Did you know that I picked up the habit of running before the sun comes out when I was at the borders?"


    Motherf- who wants to know about your habits? Did you really need to scare me like that?


    I needed to take deep breaths to calm down the deer that was madly galloping in my heart.


    "Of course you did. Good Morning Brother, have you slept well?"


    "I did. But I would sleep better if my little sister was not involved with too many dangerous people"


    "... right. I imagine you are ready to come with me?"


    "Of course, I was almost going to wake you up"


    "*sigh* let''s go. First, we will pass on the headquarters and then we can go to the Underworld part"


    "Sure"


    Once we arrived at my office, I was surprised to see that Leo was already there.


    "Good Morning Leo, you arrived rather early today"


    "Morning Ceci. I could say the same to you though... I only came earlier than usual today because yesterday I wasn''t able to finish all the papers"


    "Sorry about yesterday, my Elder Brother got home, and I spent the day with my family... oh right! Leo, this is my brother Louis. Brother, this is Leo, my assistant"


    "Hello, I''m Leon Alby. I''m honoured to finally meet the Brother that Ceci would always talk about"


    "Ceci?!"


    Oh-oh. I know this tone and this face. Once he lowers his voice and narrows his eyes Brother is about to become super-overprotective. I must prevent this at all costs or else Leo is going to suffer a Dubois fury only because I asked him to call me Ceci.


    "He is only following orders. Release his hand, Brother. I need it to process all the documents, or will you find a hand for me?"


    "I will. A woman''s one"


    "I was kidding. Leo is my assistant. Please don''t hurt him"


    ... or scare him. Just the mention of getting fired made Leo pale. Sorry Leo, I promise that this troublemaker won''t take long here.


    "Brother, you either help or you stay quiet. If you delay or job, I can''t take you to the place that you want or explain to you anything"


    With this threat, Brother finally got quiet and let us do our job. Although he was still making holes in Leo with his eyes, he helped us with parts of the papers.


    However, when I thought we could proceed like civilized adults, the two of them started a ridiculous competition of who processed more documents and because of that the piles quickly were taken care of. Of course I tried to help them, but I was refused by them simultaneously.


    Are, are... it seems that this will be a long morning.

 60 The squirrel may blow the plan

    After spending a pleasant morning having two dedicated (but slightly troublesome) assistants, I finally took Brother to meet the dark side of the company.


    "... this is where the Underworld mob is?"


    "Yes! Isn''t that fantastic? They''re in training right now"


    Brother''s reaction was expected. Right now we are outside the villa, which once belonged to Marc in the city''s outskirts. Although most of the people that were living here already moved to their new houses on the new ''onsen'', the guys from Cerberus would usually stay here instead of their original headquarters.


    Training daily to become the best hosts, my most new subordinates were truly dedicated to their new way of life. It filled me with pride that they were moving on from their criminal life to a more regular and law-abiding type of life.


    Opening the door, Carl was there to greet us.


    "Good morning, Miss, good morning, Young Master"


    "Morning Carl, Our news department works rather well"


    "Yes, they sent the word soon enough to have your pastries and favourite tea prepared"


    Filling the role of a butler, Carl took Brother''s coat and mine and gave to another guy that came to help him. Guiding us through the villa, Carl introduced the real state to Brother, whom he knew, apparently, came to visit the business.


    It seems I would need to give the guys responsible for the news and Carl some kind of reward for the excellent job they are making.


    "Do you have anything to report Carl?"


    "A few. This week''s most commented topics were the Royal Parade, Miss initiative for the clinics, and this new trend with squirrels. It seems some cloth and accessory stores are making a related product. Miss Julia''s popularity seems to have gone up among the regular folks. Although not as high as Miss'', the disapproval that she had is becoming less as the time passes. Our guys also noticed that the rice and vegetables are getting more expensive each week. They still didn''t find the cause though"


    "Oh? To think that they beat me in the launch of new products and here I was thinking of working that little squirrel to the bones... is strange that the food is getting expensive. This is probably related to Fournier, since most of these products have some connection with him. Tell the team that is investigating this case to have him as the prime suspect and to rush the answer. Is too suspicious that he''s trying to do this close to the Parade"


    "Yes Miss, I will pass the order. This was the news related to the plebe. Among the nobles, the most talked topics are the squirrels, but different from the commoners, it''s more mocking than anything else. There were also rumours that Mayne Fournier was seeing trying to befriend Miss Julia. This is also the report that our spies could take from the possible new trends that the nobles could come to like"


    "Mayne Fournier as in Mayne the son of Duke Fournier? The well-known prick?"


    "Ehm- I don''t know about the prick part Miss, but yeah, the Scary Duke''s son. But the Crown Prince has prohibited them to meet"


    I don''t know why, but I have a bad feeling about this. This is clearly that time on the story that the silly protagonist who is trying to help those around her, is cheated by the villain and screw up everyone''s plans and after many chapters, and by pure protagonism power, they solve everything.


    Although I very much want to believe that Julia won''t screw this up or that the armour plot is powerful enough, but I''m not willing to bet everything on it. Plus, always on this type of female lead screw up the supporting characters always get hurt. Why should I pay for Julia''s stupidity? Nah, I refuse.


    "... starting today put our guys in the most usual and unusual escape routes. They will work in cooperation with Dubois''s knights. If they spot any unusual movement, they should interfere"


    "Understood Miss anything else?"


    "No, you can leave us alone for now Carl, thanks"


    "Miss is too polite. I''ll take my leave then"


    After Carl closed the door, I looked at Brother who stayed silent until now. Honestly, I''m surprised that he didn''t defend his flame not even once, or commented anything about her popularity rise.


    "So, what do you think?"


    "Unexpected"


    "*pfft* please, did you think they were like those normal hoodlums? Nah, I want them to be the elite, so of course, they should have the poise of one. Don''t you think I did an excellent job?"


    "You always do Cecile, but that doesn''t make this less dangerous. Do you understand that I''m only concerned with your safety?"


    "I know Brother. But I promise that I don''t take my safety lightly. I now know some self-defence movements, and Sir Theo and his team are always with me. If you are truly concerned though go to the Palace and investigate what''s the real relationship between Mayne and Julia"


    "What are you suggest- "


    "I''m not suggesting anything outrageous Nissama. I just want to make sure they''re not in contact"


    "*sigh* I understand. I promise that I won''t let anyone hurt you anymore. Not even Julia"


    "I know"


    Putting my head in Brother''s shoulder. I quietly enjoyed his presence until he went to the Palace.

 61 Louis POV 1

    Hello, my name is Louis Dubois, the Prime Minister heir and a proud older brother of the most perfect imouto to ever greet the earth!


    Since Cecile was born, she was glued in me. We were inseparable until the King appointed me as Albert''s study partner and her as his fiancee. The longer we spent carrying our duties, the more distant we grew from each other. At some point, she started to avoid me, and I, as immature as I was started to pick on her so she could still look at me.


    As I entered the Academy, my time with Cecile was almost none, but here and there we still had our sibling''s time. However, they were crushed once Cecile entered the Academy, and I met ''her''.


    I remember that I was making an inspection around the Academy to make sure Cecile''s first day would run without any problems when I first met her. With fluffy hair and a baby''s face, she had the opposite beauty of Cecile''s. Seeing that she was lost, like a good senpai, I went to help her. But that was when my fall began.


    Julia was like the sister I lost for the royal engagement, na?ve and pure, my obsession with getting Cecile back was all transferred to Julia. Foolishly, I became so enthralled with the fake that I forgot the original. Many times I got on arguments with Cecile, in which I would say that she should be more like Julia so that Albert could like her. Only I knew, deep down, all the arguments were so I could have the real cute imouto chasing my back again.


    Surprisingly enough, my ''new imouto'' also was charmed by that damn Albert. I couldn''t believe when I saw that he was dating Julia when he was engaged with Cecile. It enraged me that he would do such a disgusting thing with my precious sisters, but after confronting him an idea sprout on my head: If he stayed with Julia, I could have my lovely imouto back. It would be the perfect resolution!


    So I close my eyes to all that Albert did. His cheating, his scheming against the Dubois and his lies to Cecile. I could gain everything back after taking the poor Cecile from this idiot''s clutch. But I was too na?ve.


    When I thought Albert was finally done with his preparations, nothing happened, there was no Dubois fall or the public engagement break. Apparently, my sister took to her own hands to stop the demise of our House and broke the engagement with a particular meeting with the King.


    I was happy about having my sister back without having to pay any price. However, there was a problem. I didn''t know how to interact with Cecile anymore. Not only interact, I knew nothing about my little sister. In less than two months, she opened to stores with so many products and ideas that I was honestly amazed and lost.


    Yes, lost. How can I not know that she had this talent? I was constantly praised and asked about her by my friends or colleagues, which only sparked a wave of anger inside me because I didn''t know. I DIDN''T KNOW MY SISTER. And I released all this frustration on Cecile, who would usually take it with a cool head.


    But, oh dear how I was wrong...


    When I saw the tears staining the face that should only know how to bask in a smile, I felt that my heart was shredding to pieces.


    What a fool I was... thinking only in my desire to live on the past, I did not see what was in front of me: a poor girl who was being attacked by mistakes that were not hers. Instead of protecting her, I took stones and also threw at her.


    What was even more heart wrenching, was the fact that even though I was such a sorry excuse of a brother, my little sister, different from me, never gave up on me. She always had and always will have my back.


    After she told me I had her unwavering support, I was glad that she closed her eyes and slept, or else she would see the pathetic scene of a big man crying like a kid. That night I decided to follow my little sister''s advice and made my bag and departed to the border.


    The months I stayed at the border with my godfather opened my eyes there were cloudy. Each day that I passed there, I saw a reality that someone who grew up sheltered in the capital didn''t know. Knowing different realities and different people, I realized how selfish and stupid I was until going there. The guilt that I felt only became heavier and as I went back to the Royal Capital my wish to make things right not only with Cecile but with my whole family grew stronger.


    When I entered the capital, I could hear here and there about Cecile''s achievements. I was so proud of her as her Elder Brother that I wanted to praise her to the heavens. But all the praises died in the tip of my tongue once I knew her most recent achievement. My Princess, the little bunny, the sheltered Young Miss, the flower of the society was now the most powerful figure in the Underworld Of this kingdom. What''s worse Father and Mother didn''t destroy this career path for her and that bastard Albert even made her work for him.


    Yet, in the next day after seeing the sparkle of happiness in Cecile''s eyes after showing the Cerberus, the plans I made the night before vanished. I will let her play as she wishes and if anything goes wrong... heh, I didn''t spend months in the border for nothing.


    After I reluctantly parted with Cecile, I finally went to report to my Dear Bastard Lord.


    *knock, knock*


    "You may enter"


    I opened the door and the study where I spent my life coming to either study or work was exactly the same. Nothing changed, nor the place or the people.


    "Hoo, look who decided to greet us"


    "Greetings Your Highness, I''m back"


    My long-time friend instead of adopting a Lord-subject stance came to give me a hug with a huge smile on his face.


    "Welcome back Lou- OUCH, what was that for?!"


    I feel much better now. I wish I could punch him more, but seeing that he is my future King, let''s leave at that.


    "For Cecile"

 62 Louis POV 2

    My three other friends who were coming to Albert''s aid stopped in their tracks and averted their eyes. Humph, if I didn''t know that you guys have to follow his every whim, I would trash the three of you.


    "Why are you not helping me?"


    "It''s unavoidable when it comes to bunny-chan Prince~"


    "You were wrong"


    "... what about you Tomas?"


    Tomas scratched the back of his head.


    "No matter what that bit- Miss Cecile did, she is still a young lady. She shouldn''t be dealing with this type of thing"


    "*hmph* what you guys know? She is an accomplished miss. If she didn''t refuse my invitation, she would now have Louis''s position"


    "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAID?!"


    Did Albert''s brain become a paste? He wanted my lovely sister to become the chief of half of this kingdom''s spy. Hehehehe. This dude is dead; we have William to take his position, anyway.


    Just as I was about to beat him senseless, Lukas held me back.


    "Jacob, Tomas, take His Highness to the infirmary to treat his eye. We can''t have the Crown Prince appearing in the parade with a black eye. And you, My Dear Brother, will calm down"


    Jacob and Tomas dragged Albert out of the room. Tsk. Too cheap for him.


    "You can let go now"


    "Shouldn''t you be happier now that you came back to your lovely family?"


    "How could I possibly happy when my little sister is freakin'' ruling the Underworld? I''m mad that everyone is okay with it"


    "*sigh* although I hate to agree with the Prince, Cecile is indeed capable enough. Because you were not here, you couldn''t see how she turned from a merely noble''s daughter to a force to be reckoned with by anyone... she has a terrifying potential. I bet your family is receiving many marriage proposals"


    "Don''t even start, I just met one of this suitors *hmph* there is no way I''m giving Cecile so soon to anyone"


    "... I can always wait until then"


    "What?"


    "Nothing. Don''t you want to see Julia? It will delight her to see that you are back"


    "Julia... sure. I need to talk to her, anyway"


    Lukas walked with me and told me everything that happened in my absence. I can only say that my sister is as perfect as one could be! And Albert... hehe. Let''s just say that he would get more than one punch if he was in front of me.


    As we talked about the time we spent apart, we quickly arrived at Albert''s quarters, where he and Julia live together. No, don''t! Don''t get me started to how improper it is. I know, you know, they know. However, our overbearing Prince won''t ever hear the voice of reason when it comes to Julia.


    *knock knock*


    "Julia is Lukas. I have a surprise for you"


    Immediately, the room''s door opened. We could see a petite lady with her trademark fluffy hair that would remind one of a squirrel. Surprise was written all over her face, and with a big smile, she threw herself at me.


    I was so surprised with her move that I subconsciously step aside and... well... our future Queen reunited with the ground. I had to suppress my laugh and immediately asked for forgiveness, helping her get up. I could see that Lukas, like me, was having a hard time not laughing too.


    "Why did you did that for?"


    "Sorry Julia, it startled me"


    "Poor Louis, that border must be scary if only a hug would startle you this much! I''m so sorry for having you suffer that much!"


    "It was nothing. I had a great time there, everyone was nice and I could know- "


    "Oh Louis, you don''t have to be considerate! How can someone live a nice life in a barren and cold land? It''s good that you are a back from that poor place. Come in."


    ¡­


    ...


    Sorry, I don''t think I heard right. She is calling our best trade routes poor?


    How could the future Queen of our country show so much distaste and ignorance for one of our lands like that?


    Besides, those people there live a very happy and fulfilling life, sometimes even more than us from the capital.


    Although I was outraged, I let it slip. Maybe she was not educated about the border yet and how it is one of the major entries for imported products.


    "Did you bring any presents for me?"


    Sparkling her childishness Julia looked like a little girl waiting for candy.


    "Why are you staring at me? Is there something on my face?"


    "Sorry, I got distracted. Sadly, I didn''t bring any gifts for you"


    Weird. I used to be attracted to her because of this childishness, but now I only feel that is kind of stupid.


    "That''s okay. Did you come to tell your suffering? I have nice chocolates from Miss Cecile''s store. It''s a good complement to stories don''t you think?"


    "Sure is. But I only came to pay a quick visit to see how you are doing"


    "Fufu~ you are considerate as always! At least accept the tea"


    "Sure. Thanks, Julia"


    We sat down and the tea smell permeated around the room. How should I ask her about Mayne?


    "Juli-chan I''m sooooo jealous"


    "What happened Lukas?"


    "I heard rumours that you are now close to that Mayne guy! You can''t Juli-chan he is a well-known womanizer!"


    Nice Lukas! Although it''s hypocritical of you to be complaining about womanizing, you did a good job!


    "Fufu~ don''t be jealous, Lukas. Mayne is a nice kid; He just lacks love, so he chases after girls. It''s a pity that Al doesn''t let me befriend with him mon~ ne, Louis, couldn''t you talk about it with Al later? He aaaalways gives in when you talk with him. Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease"


    "Julia, do you know who is his father?"


    "Yeah. Isn''t Duke Fournier? So?"


    So? So he is just the one who is trying to hurt your beloved.


    Sigh.


    How could I ever think this stupid girl was anything like my perfect princess?


    "Do you know who is trying to hurt Albert?"


    "Hmm... I think I heard him saying was some Duke that started with an F... no way!"


    At least she realized the situation she is in...


    "But don''t worry! There is no way that Mayne would do something bad. He is a good kid after all"


    Oh, Lord. Can I survive to be the Prime Minister with Albert as a King and Julia as a Queen?


    Maybe I should resign from my position as an aid and apply to Cerberus''s boss. At least this way I could peacefully deal with the annoying bugs that are attracted to Cecile, like that shit*y secretary of hers...


    Daydreaming so I didn''t yell at the future Queen, I couldn''t possibly imagine a peaceful future ahead of me.

 63 Satisfying scene

    "... I confronted him and he said he would help us. So I thought it would be all right to bring him to help you"


    "...sure you did"


    Today is the Parade! The streets are all decorated; the people are in a festive mood, and our plan... well our plan just flew away.


    I didn''t want to tell you this because I really hope this is a nightmare, but in front of me, Julia is holding Mayne FREAKIN Fournier''s hand. I don''t even know who to curse. Of course, this stupid b*tch that endangered all of our lives is to blame. For her own selfish kindness, she trusted a stranger over her close ones.


    But she is stupid and the protagonist. Everyone knows that she has the highest chance of screw everything, so why the hell she doesn''t have a guard 24/7?!


    What happened to all the men who promised to keep an eye on her and her interactions with Mayne.


    I hate soooooo much this protagonist aura that just makes everything happen because the damn protagonist wants. I even suspect that if I kill her right here and now the entire world would collapse. This is how favored this b*tch squirrel is.


    Taking a deep breath before I disfigure Julia, I looked at Mayne.


    "Does he know?"


    "Everything. He should be escaping to the neighbouring kingdom as we speak"


    Of course, he is. Who would be stupid enough to stay in a country where the royalty is plotting against you? If news of his escape comes to knowledge, the image of the Royal Family will suffer a heavy blow.


    "What are you still doing here?"


    "I''m here to take what is mine"


    "Squirrel?"


    "And a flower"


    ...


    Pfffft. Did he just say I''m his? This is the best joke so far.


    "Right. Do you want to go to jail on your own or do you want some help?"


    Maybe grabbed my arm and pulled me close to him. He bent down his waist so that his head stayed at the same level as mine. Whispering in my ear he tried to put his hand around my waist.


    "I always loved this temper of yours. I''ll make sure you have a good time on my bed"


    And my dagger pierced his heart before he could do anything.


    Just kidding!


    But it was the image I had in mind. I just put my dagger in his heart''s position and made pressure enough that it could pierce his skin a bit.


    "My, my. Is good that you like this temper of mine. I know this awesome room that I can take you, wanna go?"


    I flash a bright smile to the boy who winced with the little pain I inflicted on him.


    "Little wild cat, do we need this toy? I like different types of play, but I much prefer to inflict the pain though~"


    This perv! I pushed the dagger more, causing more blood to stain my blade.


    "C-Cecile! What are you doing? Quickly put your dagger down and I promise that Mayne will forgive you!"


    Holy S*it! How dense and stupid can one protagonist be? I applaud the Author-san who could write a whole game story with this lady as his/her female lead.


    Snapping my head at the dumb squirrel, my eyes were so ferocious that Julia retreated a few steps from us. Good choice squirrel-chan or else the dagger must go to you.


    "Shut up"


    "But- "


    "Our deal"


    This was enough to make Julia shut up for a time. But looking at her conflicted expression it wouldn''t take long for her to interfere again.


    "Mayne, I think we should go somewhere more private, what you think?"


    I slightly parted my lips and raised my eyes to clash with his. I remember reading somewhere that this would make any man crazy. It may be bulls*it, but taking into account that the guy in front of me is a womanizer, I thought I should try.


    And it worked rather well. His eyes, which were alert, are now gazing at me a lecherously.


    Good. Now I just need to guide him to one the room with my people. I was about to guide him when Julia plunged herself at us.


    "Just as I thought I can''t let you hurt my friend because of our deal. I''m sad that it came to this, but maybe Al is right and you are an evil person"


    She took his wrists and pulled him in the opposite direction that I was. Well, I command your try, but what kind of villainess would I be if I let you escape this easily?


    "Go"


    With a wave of my hand, the Cerberus that were blended in the crowd encircled them. Mayne and Julia tried a desperate struggle, and Mayne even tried to throw a bottle that in my guess has poison, put my guys are faster and subdued the two with no injuries.


    "Miss what should we do with them?"


    "Throw him on the room we prepared especially for his family and her..."


    I looked at the girl who had her face on the ground and a man with a knee on her back. Tears made their way out and made the part that was touching the floor be soiled with mud. This picture is particularly satisfying...


    I quickly averted my eyes and could see people were staring at us. Because Cerberus were between them and my two prisoners, they still didn''t identify Julia but is too dangerous to prolong this. It will be quite troublesome if I''m rumoured to mistreat the future Queen.


    "...take her to the Royal Family and only deliver her to either of the Princes, don''t let her run, or with some guard. If you pity her... heh, just wait later for the punishment. Also, put something on their head so that no one can recognize them. Disperse"


    Waving my hand, I dismiss them.


    Now I need to catch the mouse that is trying to escape.

 64 Brother’s change

    What should I do now?


    I get the feeling that I''m doing more to solve the problem than the people who have their life in stake. I not only had to deal with the brainless squirrel and the womanizer, but I now also have to chase Fournier...


    Sigh, the problem is that it''ll be troublesome for me too if he escapes. Being a major influence in the business world, if Fournier talks about my appropriation of Marc''s empire in a negative light, it will affect IP business severely.


    I wish that I could talk to Father, but he is right now by His Majesty side, and if I go now people will start to speculate what national problem happened so that the Prime Minister had to leave during the Parade. This will cause an unnecessary and undesirable commotion.


    I should go to the second best then.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    "Nissama, I thought you said you would handle Julia?"


    I met Brother who was talking with one of his subordinates. By his face, he probably received the news about Fournier escape.


    "Cecile you are here. Sorry, but this is not a good time. Ah, and you can be relaxed, Julia is under thesupervision of one of the Royal Knights. She probably already met Albert and they should getting ready to parade"


    She indeed met Crown Prince, but this was all due to me and you still have the gall to dismiss me?


    Ignoring my Brother, I sat down in front of him. Right now we are in one of the restaurants that has terrace, making it possible to Brother monitor the situation.


    "Did the news that you just received are perhaps about Fournier?"


    Brother stopped whatever he was doing and looked at me with surprise written all over his face.


    "How do you know? Your guys caught him? No... Julia?"


    "Plim, plim, plim! You got the right answer! As a reward for it you will receive the duty of helping me catch Fournier"


    Nissama''s face changed so many times that I wonder how it didn''t get cramps. First from curiosity it turned to realization and then anger. Who would have thought that Julia''s yes-man in the game would ever do this face for her.


    ''It seems that the tables have turned, isn''t that right Julia?''


    After a heavy sigh and a resigned expression, Brother looked like he would resign at any time.


    "What exactly happened?"


    "Different from what Will and my dear Onissama promised, Julia still met Mayne. She confronted him, and apparently she revealed too much information. He told his Father and deceived Julia into think that he would help us and made her brought him to me"


    "To you?"


    "Yeah. Some disgusting bulls*it about coming to take his flower"


    *CRACK*


    The pen in Brother''s hand split in half. I could see the vein jumping in his handsome forehead.


    Gnashing his teeth he asked me.


    "Where is that scum?"


    "My guys locked him. Don''t worry, he can''t go anywhere for now"


    "Good. What about Julia?"


    Ho. Even in situations like this where we don''t know with can capture our foe or not, Brother still thought in Julia''s safety.


    I know I should''ve expect that, but I thought that he would change, even if it''s just a little after going to the border. Alas, it was only my wishful thinking.


    "She was delivered to Prince Albert"


    "*sigh* you did well Cecile. Now that she is with him, that stupid girl can''t hinder our plan anymore"


    Hm?


    "What did you say?"


    "She can''t hinder us anymore"


    "Not that. What did you call her of?"


    "Sorry I know I shouldn''t say something like that about our future Queen"


    I immediately looked to the sun. Nope, it seems it''s normal.


    "...what are you doing?"


    "Checking if the sun rise from the right side. But it''s all good, apocalypse isn''t coming"


    "I''m unsure what type of nonsense is apocalypse or why did you thought that the sun would rise from the other side, but I do know that we should think of countermeasures to the Duke''s escape instead of be daydreaming here"


    Of course the wrong sun rise and the apocalypse would happen because of your remark about Julia, but I''ll surely be reprimanded if I tell him that.


    "Because I thought that this might happen, I order my men to go to all the exists they knew of and guard. It''s unfortunate that the Duke now knows of my collaboration to the Crown and will probably use an exit that''s unknown to any of us"


    "You are right, I already order the Royal Knights to look for him in the roads that leads to any of the other 3 countries, but I''m not confident in catching him"


    "Seriously, Julia''s amazing in her own right. We should check Mayne, I get this feeling that the Duke wouldn''t let him alone here without any plan"


    I couldn''t predict on his right my words were. Being a crow''s mouth must be a gift.

 65 Too many birds with a single stone.

    ''Why... who...how''


    As questions appeared in my head my breathing quicken and my heart was pounding so loud, that it was all I could hear. The smell of blood made me sick and I couldn''t avert of my eyes of it''s source.


    I felt as if the room was becoming smaller and smaller, my head felt a cold sensation, which spread all over my body until it made me start trembled. In my inability to look elsewhere or to take this scene like any other, my state of panic only grew worse and when my body was about to to give in, a strong hug caught me.


    Putting my head on his chest, Brother blocked my view from the horrendous scene in front of me. Smelling his fragrance, the deep breaths that I were forced to take became normal. Brother patted my back and coaxed me like a little child.


    Once he saw that I was feeling better, he took me out of the house.


    "Aaah"


    Feeling the warmth on my skin, I tried to forget the scene inside. I looked at beautiful blue sky and the festive mood that still permeated even though something terrible just happen.


    It wasn''t their fault. They didn''t know the struggles happening behind the scenes and it was the job of nobles to keep this under the rug.


    Yes, it''s their job. My job.


    Taking another deep breath, I forced my mind to be clear. This was not the time to be panicking, the sh*t was just sent flying to the fan, and she should come with a cleaning method that it wouldn''t dirty her too much.


    "Cecile, you can let me handle things here. You shouldn''t be involved in this at first place"


    I looked at my Brother, who had worry almost overflowing from him. This familiar sight, made a small, still a bit strained, smile appear on my lips.


    "Maybe you''re right and I shouldn''t have got involved, unfortunately it''s to late now and I need to be involved if I want it or not"


    "Alas. Brother''s sorry for you, my Princess"


    "Don''t be Brother. This was my own choice"


    Yes. I chose to be part of the plan. I could have just informed Dad and let the government handle it. Although it could affect me, I''m sure Father would do things in a way it would only benefit me. But I still chose to participate. Why should I you ask? I''m not even sure myself. Maybe pride or maybe I just wanted to show how powerful I''ve became even after being thrown away. Maybe it was both. Well, it didn''t matter now. It didn''t matter if I could Albert regret his choices or if I manage to make people stop looking at me with a pitiful gaze.


    What I really wanted right now by the end of this event was Fournier''s head. I won''t stop until I get the bastard behind this.


    Looking once more to the happy faces around me and the warm and bright sun, I chose to return to the dark and gloomy house.


    ***


    In front of me laid five bodies. Four of them had armors, while the fifth had noble garments.


    Guilt weighted on me seeing the four knights on the floor. I knew all of them my whole life. They played with me and watch me grow all this years. They had been protecting me since always, but now they laid down on this cold and filthy floor.


    I wish nothing more than to avert my eyes from their lifeless bodies, but I forced myself to keep looking so that I could engrave this scene. This were my pride and over the top ego took me. I won''t let this happen a second time and will catch the bastard who is responsible for this.


    Making this pledge that I was not sure if it was for my soldiers sake or mine, I could hear my Brother''s bewildered voice.


    "Although I knew Fournier was a ruthless character, I didn''t imagine that he would sacrifice he only son to make a comeback at us"


    I could only scoff at Older Brother''s remark.


    "He should be trying to dispose of him for a long time, he just used the opportunity that he got"


    "Why do you say that?"


    "Although Mayne was a bit clever, he was nowhere near his Father. He was always more concerned about girls than his duties or his family''s business. I am sure Fournier was dissatisfied with his son from a long time ago. Hell, who knows he may even have an illegitimate son that is just as an old haze like him and will promote him as heir after the dust settles down"


    "It makes sense. Even so... damn, it''s his son. I can''t wrap my head around this"


    "You should get used to it, as the Prime Minister I''m sure you''ll see things even worse than this"


    Finally taking my eyes off the bodies on the ground, I looked at Brother who was apparently still musing over the ruthlessness of the Duke.


    "Nissama, ask your men to investigate the scene quickly, I want the body of my men by the end of the day"


    "Sure, they''ll start now. What are you going to do? The aftermath of this incident will affect you quite a bit. Of course we can protect you and I will help with whatever you need. I will follow you whatever your next steps are"


    I could help but clench my fist.


    Yes, I''ll be VERY affected by this. I apprehended the Mayne in a public place and now he appeared dead. Besides, his Father escaped like his life depend on it. With this Cerberus will come to light and they will be accused of killing a noble. The reputation that I built will crumble and my company will suffer a hit.


    I will not only be scorned from outsiders but also by people close to me. With the death of four of their companions Dubois Knights, who already disliked Cerberus, will see them as the murder of the brothers and me, the one who shelter and cared for the murderer, will be excluded and distrusted.


    Aside from affecting me, Fournier could make it appear as if it was all Father''s orders, who supposedly was tired of their fight and decided to eliminate him. He could sue Father for the attempt and pin his son murder on him. Even if Father was pled innocent in the end, his prestige would fall and the nobles would get suspicious and exclude the Dubois Family for self-protection.


    It was a well-thought plan that kill to many birds with a single rock. In the end the result of it would be the Dubois''s fall.

 66 Uselessness equals death

    ''The first step''


    I grimaced. The first step would be decisive for the future outcomes. It would decide how I would be seen and if I''m able to manage my own things.


    I turned to Carl, who since he got here, tried to diminish his presence fearing he would be attacked by the Knights.


    "Where''s the traitor?"


    "He''s on the room next door. Sir Theo is with him"


    Nodding to acknowledge his answer I made my way to the next room.


    Threw in the ground bound by ropes, was one of my subordinates severely beaten. He breathing was so shallow that at first I thought he was dead. It was not until Theo kicked his ribs that the man appeared to be alive.


    "ARGH"


    "That''s enough Theo"


    Mentioning to Theo step back, I caught the closest chair around me and sat down. Looking at the disfigured figure in front of me, I thought how nice it would be if I could do the same to some annoying rodent that I know.


    "Why?"


    I only had this question for him. It didn''t matter for me when he started to associate with the Duke or if he was paid or not. These were questions for his upcoming torture and had nothing to do with me. I only want to know why would he betray the trust that I gave him and chose to give up a life clean of sins to stay in the center of human dirty.


    "Why? Hahaha- *cough, cough*- haha- *cough cough* oh my dear Miss, you probably asking why I followed the Duke, but I have one for you as well, why should I follow a brat who knows nothing like you?"


    "I see. I''ve to kind to all of you. Thanks for your cooperation I now know what to do with your companions"


    The man looked at me with confused eyes, but snorted after some time.


    "Theo, take him to the Royal Knights under the charge of killing a High-rank Noble"


    "Miss, I don''t think this is a good idea"


    I looked at Theo confused why would he think so. But soon I understood. Looking at the guy that was still coughing blood, he clearly thought the same as Theo.


    The idea was so absurd that I couldn''t help but laugh. At first was a small chuckle, but the more that I thought of their ridiculous assumption the louder my laugh became. Maybe I seemed a bit crazy, because even Brother and Carl entered the room and looked at me strange.


    Finally managing to stop my laugh, I dried the two tears that formed in the corner of my eyes, and looked at Theo.


    "My dear Knight, are you suggesting that the Duke that just killed his son would save him? Since when the king would care for pawns? For a king pawns are honored to even be selected to die for him. Don''t delude yourself, this guys was discardable from the beginning"


    Although the guy didn''t understood the chess metaphor, he clearly understood that he won''t be save.


    He started to yell desperately as if the louder he became more probable what he was saying would happen.


    "YOU ARE WRONG! THE DUKE PROMISED ME HE WOULD GIVE ME THE LEADERSHIP OF THESOCIETY. I AM HIS SUBORDINATE HE WON''T FORSAKE ME"


    I stopped paying attention to the pathetic guy who couldn''t even convince himself, and put my gaze on Carl.


    "I want every single member of Cerberus on the old base in 30 minutes"


    Without waiting his response I exited the house that would become my nightmare in many in the future.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Half a hour later, all members of Cerberus were here. I could tell from their faces that they didn''t expect a positive outcome from this exchange.


    Some of them were grimacing while others looked at every escape route.


    "Don''t bother, you won''t be able to leave here or put up a fight"


    Hearing the news all the members checked their bodies and felt they didn''t have much strength.


    "YOU DRUGGED US!"


    Outrage was written in most of their faces. The fewer who didn''t looked somewhat... disappointed?


    "Miss why?"


    I glanced at my right-hand man who asked me this. To his question I smiled gently.


    "Sorry to aggrieve you Carl, any harm won''t befall you, but this is a protective measure, I hope you understand"


    Although still a bit disgruntled, Carl accepted my explanation.


    "Yes Miss. I trust you"


    It was at this time a sneer was heard.


    "Are you stupid? This lass won''t take two thoughts in exchange our lives for the life of her Knights"


    "Jay shut up! The Miss wouldn''t-"


    "Nah, he is right"


    Carl who was defending me snapped his head at my direction with disbelief.


    "Don''t look at me like. They are my family who I grew up with, and you are people whom I met not long ago. It makes perfect sense to choose them"


    "Bwahaha I knew it! You never saw us in a favorable light"


    "That''s also not true. I gave you all a chance. You could grab and become part of my family or you could abandon. And. By the look on most of your faces that''s what happen"


    I looked at the faces who were filled with contempt for me. I couldn''t help but chuckle.


    ''I was to lenient and kind, my memories from the other world still affect my behavior... well, this was a lesson to know how one with this type of power should behave''


    "But it seems that you misunderstood something. Although I called you subordinates, you are in fact my slaves. I bought your lives from the King because of their utility. However it appears that you think you have some kind of free will... sorry to break this to you but the only reason why you are alive is because you had use to me. If you don''t... why should I keep you?"


    The contempt in the faces quickly faded. Even the ones that didn''t showed negative emotions paled at my words.


    "I was nice because you are indeed people under my hand and I thought you would cherish the opportunity that I gave you. Clearly I was wrong. Since it''s this way, you are to be disposed. Dubois Knights will be the ones to judge if you should keep your life or not. Of course those who served me well, will only be detent without any questioning until I settle everything. For all of you who survive this ordeal, thank you for trusting me and I''m sorry for the things you are about to experience. Sires you can take them"


    At my words, a group of knights stormed in. They apprehended all members and took them to our dungeon.


    Looking at the back of my people the fake calm facade that I built broke. My hand started to tremble and I felt light-headed.


    ''So many death and only because...''


    I couldn''t complete my thought otherwise I would be consumed by hate and couldn''t help but commit murder.


    Taking deep breaths, I could feel the drug I put to subdue Cerberus members in my body. It gave the one drugged a feeling of powerlessness. I couldn''t even walk that I felt the urge to sit down.


    Whatever. This will be perfect to my next plan anyway.


    Thinking on what was about to happen, a crazed smile spread on my face.


    ''Fufu~ since I''ll be ruined I''ll drag every single one of them with me''


    With weak steps and a pale complexion, I made way to my next destination.

 67 Making a show

    I calmly made my way through the crowd. All those who recognized me, I would give a weak smile in acknowledgement and proceed in my path. I received many concerned questions and care from the surrounding people.


    This continued until I got to the platform that the Royal Family was. Dropping in its path, I knelt down and waited for the driver stopped the car that was pulling the platform.


    As the procession finally stopped, I could feel the curious gazes directed at me. Even the King was unsure what I was doing and didn''t stop me.


    ''Your loss my King''


    "Miss Cecile what are you doing?"


    Bowing my head to the King I stayed knelt on the hot floor.


    "Your Majesty I''m here to confess my sins!"


    "What? Quickly go help her"


    The Royal Knights tried to take me, but my Knights blocked their path. I could see His Majesty face turning grim by the second. I am sure he already inferred what I''m about to do. Not that I care. He can''t do anything at this time of the show or else the audience will revolt.


    "YOUR MAJESTY I COMMITTED A GRAVE SIN. I FAILED YOUR EXPECTATIONS"


    I made a dogeza to the people surrounding us and knocked my head three times. Then, I told them how His Majesty entrusted me to take care of Marc''s subordinates and the task that Fournier passed to us. I told them how I ended up involved and what was supposed to happen today.


    By this time, the face of the whole Royal Family was so black that it was dripping. Right now the public view would label them as heartless people who put a young lady to manage their dirty work. Well, is not like anything that I said is a lie, I just... omitted a few things.


    "AND THEN, UNFORTUNATELY, OUR PLANS WERE SPOILED. THE KIND AND INNOCENT MISS JULIA GOT TRICKED BY FOURNIER SON AND TOLD HIM ABOUT OUR PLANS. FOURNIER ESCAPED AND HIS SON CAME BACK TO KIDNAP ME AND MISS JULIA. FOR SUCH A CRIME I ORDERED HIM TO BE DETAINED, BUT ALAS I DID NOT NOTICE THAT SOME PEOPLE THAT WAS ASSIGNED TO ME WAS STILL TOO CRUEL. MAYBE FOURNIER DIED AND WITH HIM FOUR OF MY KNIGHTS THAT TRIED TO PROTECT HIM. THE CULPRIT SAID THAT HE WAS PAID TO TAKE MAYNE''S LIFE AND IS NOW INTGE HANDS OF THE ROYAL FAMILY. I- "


    I felt my tears falling. Although I planned to force them, they''re genuine tears made by the guilt that I feel for losing all those lives.


    "I-I FAILED TO SEE THE DARKNESS AROUND ME AND CAUSED UNNECESSARY DEATHS. I ASK HIS MAJESTY- NO I BEG YOU, PLEASE, PLEASE PUNISH THIS UNWORTHY ME WHO FAILED THE TRUST OF THE ROYAL FAMILY AND OF MY SUBORDINATES"


    Please, I beg you. Punish me so that my guilt can fade at least a bit. Punish me so that those who die don''t constantly haunt me. I need some. I deserve some.


    My whole face was probably all messed up from the tears. I couldn''t stop crying and I''m sure I probably look like a lunatic by now, but I didn''t care. I only looked at my sovereign, who in turn looked at me with pity.


    "Cecile cease this. I''ll forgive you, my child"


    By this time, some Royal Knights got free from my Knights.


    "If not my King, I please beg from the audience, any punishment that you all feel it''s right for this dirty me, I''ll humbly accept"


    "It''s not your fault, Miss Cecile!"


    "Don''t blame yourself!"


    "I''m sure that our brothers died happily for perishing in duty Miss"


    Many shouts in my favour were yelled by those in the audience. Be it plebeian or noble, most of the public that listened to my little show was on my side. Even my knights that seemed disappointed and angry with me earlier looked milder at me. There were dissenting voices, but the overwhelming majority quickly drowned them.


    I looked around and saw that the Royal Knights were already close to me. Tooling a last glance at the platform where the Royal Family was, I saw the woman who I wanted to ripe her throat. The anger that I had put aside to look pitiful came back in full swing.


    Bluntly staring at one culprit to this result, I gritted my teeth.


    "YOUR MAJESTY, I BEG YOU TO FAIRLY PUNISH ALL THOSE WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE UNFAIR DEATHS TODAY"


    "THIS IS NOTHING FOR YOU TO JUDGE MISS DUBOIS, STOP THIS NONSENSE NOW. GUARDS TAKE HER"


    Heh, looks like I finally got into his nerves. Serves him right. He''s no less guilty than his son in this mess. It''s impossible for him not to know Julia and Mayne''s friendship. He could stop them, but he permitted and here are we. It''s the same for the other two from the Royal Family.


    The Royal Knights finally got to me and yanked me up. Before they could drag me like some kind of criminal, Brother and Father came and took me behind them.


    "Thank you, gentlemen, we will take from here"


    The Knights looked at the King who nodded in acknowledgement. Bowing to my family, they took their leave.


    "Your Majesty, I''m sorry for my daughter''s behaviour. I request to be dismissed from the Parade so I can accompany and properly punish her. Later I will give Your Majesty a proper apology"


    "Yes, you can go"


    Hearing the King, Father took my hand and took me to our carriage, which was already waiting for us outside the crowd.


    Just as Brother entered and closed the door, the solemn facade that Father has cracked and a booming laugh filled our carriage. Clapping in my direction, Father had a proud expression instead.


    "Good Cecile! Who would have thought you would have done that! Wahaha that sly king can''t protect that woman this time! And you will be less judged by anyone. Even if the commoners don''t get that Julia is stupidly disrupted your plans the nobles will, and the popularity she just gained will turn negative again. I didn''t expect less from you!"


    "It was the least that I could do for my Knights that died so unjustly. But it''s okay now that Fournier is not here. Since I revealed his plot, his business in the kingdom will fall and he''s doomed to come back. The real battle will start then"


    "Don''t worry bunny. Now that he''s had as a traitor to the kingdom, I''m sure that a lot of his partners will die to snitch on him. Even if we can''t gather proof of his involvement in the plot or his son''s death, we will successfully charge him with other crimes. I won''t let him escape this time and let your efforts be in vain. We will get him bunny"


    I hugged my dad.


    Yes, we will get him. Him and all those involved. I won''t let anyone leave scout free from this.

 68 Aftermath 1

    A week has passed since the disastrous Parade, and I only can say that I''m so freaking tired!


    A lot has happened since then and my workload only keeps increasing. Every time my dear friend and maid/secretary enters my office with a new pile of documents, I have the urge to throw everything off my table.


    I have 8 huge piles in front of me, each corresponding to the day of the problems origin.


    All chaos began with my speech. After that, I found out most of the people on the streets left the venue that the Royal Family would pass. This seriously was not my aim, but it sure felt damn good to strike at least once on those who are untouchable. Unfortunately, the King wouldn''t let this show of disregard for his power go doing nothing. Just as he got into the Palace after the Parade, he punished us. The Dubois House was fined by having to pay a huge sum to the Crown and ''gift'' them with a plot of our fertile lands. It didn''t affect us much financially, but this was just a warning by the king for us to remember that he can dispose of us at any time.


    So the first pile of work is the proposals that my dear subordinates submitted to minimize the damage in our fief. The pile was most about taxes and new agriculture techniques or products. I had to review each of them to see what we could apply in the fiefdom and submit do Father.


    The second pile was smaller and consisted mostly of the reports of how people reacted to the Parade fiasco article published in the next day.


    The article "The huge conspiracy and the complacent Royal Family", talked about how Duke Fournier tried to hurt the Royal Family so he could be king himself. The article details Duke''s plan by showing the suspicious food market movements that all had somehow a connection to his house. It claimed that the Duke allied himself with our neighbour country and in the war that would follow the Crown Prince''s fall, the food would be scarce because of the movements and we would lose the war for the lack of food. The Duke would then slay the Royal Family with a proper and just cause and would become King.


    The article also analyzed the complacency of the Royal Family for only knowing about the incident, and this was only because I told them so. And here is the part that I love the most from this article! Once my name appears in it, the author explains how I am just a victim of circumstances. How the King forced me to accept Marc''s subordinates (...hehehe) and how I was involved in this plot when the Royal Family could send someone with more expertise than me.


    In a few words, I am just a poor woman forced by the Royal Family.


    Although until here the writer put me as a ''useless'' woman, she after talks about Julia, and here friends, it''s where the sh*t goes all out.


    Starting with how her carelessness and stupidity causeD the death of five people and destroyed the Royal Family''s plan, author-san put all the mistakes made by Julia in the last months. Little arguments in the academy, her closeness to other males, her disregard to proper conduct and royal works and a few small things were all included. Author-San then compares her with me. It''s needless to say that I win with a large margin. Although I dislike being compared with Julia, it felt refreshing to see someone support me with full force.


    The third pile is also related to the article, but instead of being full of rumours, these reports are about the safety of each member of the journal. After reading, I was sure that they would shut the journal down, and amazing author-san would suffer three layers of hell because of her article, so I warned them and put them under my wing. Fortunately, and unfortunately, author-San didn''t show in the journal anymore. My men are still looking for clues about her so we can keep her safe from Albert''s wrath.


    The fourth and fifth files are about the impact that the whole thing had on our stores.


    And thank God Lady Luck smiled for us once more!


    IP''s stores are with full force. Only a few products declined in its sells, but most are being sold at a steady pace. The ones who suffered the biggest fall in the charts were the squirrels'' related products.


    Although I had the urge to throw every product in a big fire, I decided against it. To honour all the time my subordinates spent and the materials used, I donated them to the orphanages and slums in the Royal Capital and its proximities.


    The sixth was about Cerberus. Apparently, Fournier and another Duke had 4 more spies in the group each. We took confessions about both of the Duke''s orders and from them started to investigate the events. A few others had malicious intent in the group, and they were executed or sent to the mines after a beating. With this, the overwhelming feelings of my Knights also settle down for once. The group that had 30 men now only had a bit more than half. They went back to their homes and were under the surveillance of Theo''s team.


    The seventh was the route and connections used by Fournier in his escape. We manage to track down most of it, and from them, we also gathered more evidence related to Fournier''s wrong deeds. I will only read most of this pile and send to Father''s and Brother''s office.


    And the eighth... I''m not sure what is, let me see...


    *knock, knock*


    Opening the door was Mary. Please God no! I can''t handle any more documents!


    Mary probably saw my desperation and quickly appeased me.


    "M-Miss is not another pile of documents- "


    "Oh, thank god! So what it is?"


    "... I''m not sure is better though... hm... the Crown Prince summoned you to submit your report about the Parade"


    Dear God, I''m deeply sorry to have complained about the pile of documents, please let me just handle them and you keep Albert out of my life.


    "... must I really go?"


    "I assume that Yes Miss. Master also sent a man to tell you to go"


    "Haaa... I understand. Mary prepare the coach I''ll be going to the Royal Palace now"


    "Understood Miss"


    "Do you want me to accompany you?"


    My angel assistant offered me his hand, but unfortunately, I can''t take it.


    "I really do, but we both now that someone has to stay here to manage all this"


    I pointed to the mountain of documents of both mine and his table.


    "*sigh* I guess you are right. Be careful Ceci. I doubt the Crown Prince is happy with you now. Here is the reviewed report from the Parade"


    "I know. I''ll be going now, thanks for the report"


    Taking the documents, I bravely left IP headquarters.

 69 Aftermath 2

    *knock, knock*


    "A moment, please"


    Opening the door was Tomas. I could see that behind him were Jacob, Lukas-nissan and Prince Albert. Bells started to ring on my head when I saw that Brother was not with them.


    ''This sh*tty Prince is up to no good''


    "Oh, is just you. Took you long enough to come here"


    Not even sparing a glance to this uncute boy, I entered the room.


    I really don''t want to pens much time here, so after greeting everyone present I put the report in Albert''s table and turn to leave.


    "Where do you think you are going?"


    "My office. Not everyone is as free as your lover"


    "Since you have much time to spit your venom at random Cecile, read the report aloud to me"


    "Why must I? You have your assistants. I''m not your subordinate if you do not remember Your Highness"


    "Everyone is my subordinate. If I say you''ll report, you''ll report"


    I silently stared at Albert for a long time. Making all the calculations on my head, I concluded that will be the least time consuming to heed by his words than to confront him. Sighing in resignation, I took the report.


    Albert smiled slightly in victory. I could only till my eyes to such a childish punishment. I sometimes wonder where is the mature and ice-face Albert. Wherever you are dear know that I miss you and anxiously wait for your return.


    "The plan followed the schedule until Miss Julia Hartmann, future Crown Princess (and this Harem''s b*tch) interference. Holding hands with Mayne Fournier, she talked with Miss Cecile Dubois. Mayne Fournier wanted to kidnap both Misses to the neighboring country. Miss Dubois attacked him while Miss Hartmann threw a tantrum. Miss Dubois apprehend Sir Mayne Fournier and our four knights and a few other subordinates guarding him. After 15 minutes, the knights and Sir Fournier were dead, and the other subordinates were missing. We manage to apprehend the killer and the others. They then delivered the culprit to the Royal Family, and Dubois House executed the others after taking their statement. We attach the statements in the document in case you want to read. Anything else?"


    In response, Albert only tapped his fingers in his mahogany table and looked at me. After a moment that appeared like a lifetime, Albert got up and came closer to me.


    "Do you know what you wronged Cecile?"


    "En. Trusted that any of you could take care of Julia. Actually, the first wrong was to get involved with this in the first place. If I didn''t, four good men could still be alive instead of dying because of someone''s stupidity"


    "Ha! For the commoner''s lives, you decided to be at odds with the Royal Family and bad-mouth Julia?! You- "


    *PA!*


    "YOU F*CKING SHUT UP TO THIS LADY! COMMONER''S LIVES? SO WHAT? THEIR LIVES ARE AS MUCH LIFE AS MINE AND YOURS"


    "YOU-! You dared to beat me?"


    "Beat you? Ha! I have the urge to spit on your disgusting face! What happened to you Albert? You just showed disgust to your subject''s lives. Since when do you discriminate between nobles and commoners? And what is so wrong to fight with your family when it was YOUR mistake and not MINE that costed my Knights lives?! Julia was the one to screw this up not me. Why don''t you go yell at her? She is your fianc¨¦e and keeps getting entangled with all man she encounters. Don''t you satisfy her enough? You should-"


    "Enough!"


    Lukas came behind me and put his hand on my mouth.


    "Enough Cecile. You took it too far. We all know you are grieving but remember who you are and where you are"


    I closed my eyes and controlled all the rage that I felt. Once I opened again, I was back to the exemplary Queen bearing that I''m known for. I bowed to Albert, symbolizing that I knew my mistake.


    "Sorry Prince Albert. I''m unstable because of my grief and said things that I shouldn''t. I hope the Prince doesn''t take to the heart. But I would also like to express that I won''t involve myself with the Royal Family anymore. After this event, I realized that I don''t fit in such a family or environment. I hope that the Crown Prince and his familiars don''t contact me anymore. If you excuse me."


    Bowing once again, I left the office with my hand red. Walking fast through the hallways, the only thing that I want right now is to leave this suffocating place. Unfortunately, before I could do that a voice called me from behind.


    Subconsciously turning to see who it is, I see the last person I wanted in front of me now. Julia ran so fast that before I could escape from her, she held my wrist.


    "What you want?"


    I looked at her with the most cold glare I could muster.


    "You! Why are you so rude? People should see how your true face is, rude and merciless. You are just a bad guy"


    "And you are a brainless fool. I''m gonna ask you again what you want?"


    "I-I want to know if you went at least to Mayne''s tomb to ask forgiveness"


    "... forgiveness? Me?"


    "Yes, you! You are the one responsible for his death! You should kneel and- "


    I took my wrist back and *PA*. Slapped Julia''s face. She fell on the ground with her eyes filled with tears. I don''t know if I had this much force but I''m done trying to get along with the main couple. I AM the villainess anyway. Since she wants to be the saint, I''ll do my role as a demon properly.


    I condescendingly looked at the pitiful form that Julia was right now.


    "Me? Kneel? Ask for forgiveness? Are you sure not talking about yourself? Because of you four good men died. They left wives, children and parents in this world. Because of your selfishness, they can''t go back home.Because of your stupidity, the plan that would take the biggest cancer on our kingdom fell apart and the enemy of YOUR liver escaped. Are you sure I''m the bad one here? Maybe you are right since for me you aren''t good enough not even to be bad. You are just some useless trash that Albert thinks is a treasure. A useless fool who sees the world in pink glasses. Go now, go cry to Albert how bad I was. I''ll be waiting for the retribution"


    I squeezed her face with only one hand and brought my face close to hers.


    "But do remember my dear. Every time that I see you now will be one slap. I''m done playing nice with you. I thought you could change for the better, but is clear that I was wrong. You better run when you see me now little squirrel or you will taste hell"


    Throwing her face, which was in my hand, I went back to my office.


    Once I entered my carriage, all the solemnity disappeared.


    Mama, I did something today!!


    I. SLAPPED. THE. SCUM. COUPLE.


    Soooo satisfactory!! I have waited too long for this! Finally, dear god, finally! It was so good that I might be addicted to it; I don''t even care more about the repercussion.


    The only problem is... it huuurts! My hand is pulsing so much! And is red like it will bleed at anytime.


    In the stories, people slap each other like its nothing, how come mine hurts? Maybe I''m doing wrong... I should study how to properly slap, so in the future only hurts on the receiving party.


    Beaming with happiness, I returned to the office.

 70 Aftermath Crown Prince POV

    Prince Albert''s POV


    I could only blankly stare at the door close. Today I summoned Cecile so I could lightly punish her for her behaviour in the past few weeks. She not only public challenged the King but also supported those who were bad-mouthing Julia. I thought she would comply and looked at the other way like always, but...


    "Don''t be like that. You know how much Cecile treasure those that work for her"


    Lukas tapped my shoulders in comfort. Yes, I know she treats all her subordinates as her family, but I never thought she would turn her back on me because of them.


    Sigh.


    "I need some time alone. Leave"


    Nodding in acknowledgement, my friends left the office. I tiredly sat down once again on my chair. Touching my cheek I could still feel the stingy pain for the slap.


    "Did I really change?"


    Thinking through everything that happened the last few months, I let a mocking laugh. Not only did I let my enemy escape, but I also failed to see his real intention. If not for Cecile coming to warn us and that damn writer uncovering the food market movements, I would be in the dark and caught unprepared. Although I''m confident that I could cope with whatever they put in my plate my recent carelessness could cost too much for our Kingdom and those who would suffer the most would be the common people.


    Recalling what I just said about my biggest support, the mocking sneer in my face couldn''t help but get bigger. If the writer of "The huge conspiracy and the complacent Royal Family" knows about what I just said, for sure her next article would be "The Hypocrite Crown Prince". How could I discriminate with commoners when my future Queen is half-commoner herself? Maybe I just wanted to hurt Cecile, but even so, I feel that somehow I really believed the words I said to her...


    ''I have the urge to spit on your disgusting face!''


    The furious eyes that glared at me while she said those words made a shudder pass through my body. But worse than the flames in her glare, what really made me fear was how the fury changed to a cold indifferent.


    I only saw Cecile looking at someone like that once. A girl that was one of those trying to be the next Crown princess harnessed Cecile when we were 10-12 years old. Cecile would always let her be, but she completely destroyed the girl in the social circle once the girl hurt Cecile''s maid. The moment the slap hit Mary, Cecile who was still amused by the girl''s action completely changed her look to the cold glare she gave me. Since then I have never seen the girl in this Kingdom''s social circle. I heard that her father sent her to study in a neighbouring country.


    I ran my hand through my hair imagining what could Cecile do in revenge, and each option that popped in my mind would be horrible.


    *crack*


    Taking me out of the reverie, Julia broke in and threw herself in my arms. All the depressing thoughts escaped once I saw my lover I didn''t see for a week.


    After the parade, we had a fight because she kept crying and mumbling that cursed Duke son''s name. After that, she was filled with grief and got occupied with all the aftermath of the event and barely talked again.


    The happiness that I felt quickly turned to concern and the fury, once I saw her crying and the red mark on her face.


    "Are you all right, babe? Who hurt you?"


    "Boohoo Al. I-i t-tried to talk with Cecile but she was unreasonable and hit me so hard that I fell! She even threatens me!"


    ''Cecile?''


    "Why did she hit you, Julia?"


    "I only went to ask her if she already went to ask forgiveness in Mayne''s tombstone"


    Hearing the name of that bastard name, my fury only grew. But once I processed her phrase, I could only stare at her with complex emotions.


    Feeling my unstable mood, Julia looked me with her puppy eyes filled with tears.


    "What''s wrong, Al?"


    A tired sigh escapes my lips. Picking her, I put her on the sofa and sit across her.


    "Julia we need to talk"

 71 Aftermath Julia POV

    Julia POV


    My tears fell quickly because of the burning pain on my cheek. How could someone be so vicious? I only wanted to know if she properly asked forgiveness but she instead hit me and placed the fault on me...


    Was it my fault?


    I walked aimlessly in the corridors of the Royal Palace ignoring all the looks that were aimed at me until I found myself in in front of Al''s office door. I hate how Miss Cecile was right in saying that I would come running to Al to complain.


    If she''s right about this could she be right about me being at fault? No, no, no. It was her fault. If she didn''t arrest Mayne in the first place, perhaps he and the other four would be alive. I am not at fault; I just wanted to help my friend.


    In my anxiety, I flung the doors opened and threw myself in the arms of my long missed fianc¨¦e. After he asked me who hurt the tears fell even more fiercely. After I explained the motive to Miss Cecile''s vicious action, the comfort I was waiting for never came. I looked at Albert and saw that the pity that I thought I would see in his eyes was absent. Albert''s eyes had disappointment, anger, and helplessness. In my confusion, Albert sighed and carried me to the couch. Different from always, instead of sitting me on his lap or his side he sat across me.


    "Julia we need to talk"


    I became even more tense with this phrase. Isn''t this what people say when they are about to break up?!


    "You know Julia, I liked you since the beginning because you never approached me because I''m Prince Albert or the Crown Prince, but just because you were interested in the Albert. Even Cecile wasn''t by my side because of ''me'' only, but because of my position. I fell in love with your childness and pureness that I can''t anywhere in the noble''s world. In the noble society that is filled with treachery and lie, where we learn from the beginning to be bound by rules and never show weakness or our true self, you who grew up free and always stayed true to yourself was like a fresh breath of air"


    I smiled at Al''s words. It was not the first time listening to him boast about me and telling me why he picked me from all those gorgeous girls, but it always made me happy listening to it. It made me think at least that I could beat Miss Cecile.


    "I thought I could keep you like this even after we marry and I made you the Queen. I would work for both of us and protect to you from all the dirty of this filthy society and all would go well. But this event made me think otherwise. I realized that I can''t protect you and keep you like you are at the same time. If I increase the security around you, you would probably feel cage and something in you would change, and I can''t let you keep doing what you doing either"


    I tilted my head to Albert. I don''t understand.


    "What am I doing wrong?"


    "*sigh* Julia do you understand why Cecile is so upset?"


    "Hmm... to tell the truth no"


    "The men that died were people that watch her grow. She knows their family and treats them as her family. What you did... what you said to Mayne and the fact you had a friendship with him spoiled all our plans. They only died because Mayne was there, and Mayne was there because of you my love. I know you didn''t want to hurt anyone, but people in the noble society are treacherous and our enemies used your kindness"


    "I-i"


    "Shh. Let me finish. I know and she knows. But she also knows that someone in the Queen seat, the one she trained her whole life for, can''t be occupied by someone like you my dear. It happened once, for sure it can happen twice. The outcome of having the Queen of our country cheated is disastrous..."


    Albert pauses and looked at me with guilt... why would you look at me like that?


    "... I know is very selfish of me to ask you this, but for the safety of my country and citizens, I would like to ask you to change your ways. I know this is unjust to you, so I understand if you break up. I''ll give time to think"


    I looked incredulously to Albert. I can''t believe he''s saying to break up!


    "It isn''t there another way? Do I really have to change to become as vicious and lifeless like the other nobles? Would you abandon me if I don''t?!"


    Almost screaming the last part, I looked at Albert hoping he would say this was all a big joke.


    "Sorry my love, but I can''t see another way..."


    I blankly stared at him until an idea hit me. I was so thrilled with my idea that I jumped out of the sofa. Clapping my hands I opened a big smile to Albert.


    "I know! Why don''t you just abdicate from the Crown Prince position, you can ask for the King give you a fief and we can live happily away from all this filthy!"


    Albert got flustered with my idea. Hehehe, didn''t think of it hm? Ain''t I smart? I looked at Albert waiting for his positive response.


    "I-I- "


    Before he could express his happiness with my genius idea, a knock came.


    "You can come in"


    A man with red hair opened the door. Sir Sebastian, Tomas father and His Majesty''s aid bowed to us.


    "His Highness, Miss Julia"


    "Hey Uncle Sebastian, how are you?"


    Opening a kind smile to me Uncle Sebastian answered me.


    "I am fine, Miss Julia. Your Highness, His Majesty is summoning you to his quarters"


    "I understand, I''ll go with you. Julia we''ll talk later"


    Getting up, Albert followed Uncle Sebastian and exited the room.


    Looking at the close door, a wide smile appeared in my face.


    ''Fufu, should I look for fiefdoms good to raise children?''

 72 Aftermath Royal Family POV part 1

    King POV


    Taking my eyes off the report, a sigh escaped my mouth. Honestly, this was the first time that I felt so drained in all my years as King.


    My eyes trailed to my family, who was silently waiting for me to explain why were they here.


    If this was a normal day, it would delight me to have all of them here, since it was always hard to match our schedules. But today I only felt irritated.


    "Albert, Cecile-chan came today... what happened?"


    I prayed that my son wouldn''t have pissed off that little fox anymore. The parade speech that she gave was still giving me a headache now and I would much appreciate not having to handle anything more.


    Hearing my question, Albert raised his head that he kept down since entering the room.


    It was then that I saw the palm mark in my son''s face. Instantly, I knew that the talks didn''t go well. There were very few people who would dare to hit Albert in our country, and the Dubois siblings are on top of the list.


    The more I looked, more glaring the mark became. I had to hold my urge to laugh of my son deserved a red face. Cecile-Chan really gave her upmost on this slap. Hopefully, it will the love-sick fool in front of me a lesson.


    "We... we argued. Things got a little out of hand."


    I raised an eyebrow at my son answer.


    "A little? Don''t try to fool me. I watched that lass grow up and know perfectly well she won''t lose her bearing if you did nothing outrageous. So I''ll ask once more. What happened?"


    Albert fidget a bit in his chair and averted his eyes, which were previously on me. These small behaviours shattered all the hope I had. This idiot for sure increased my workload once more.


    "I may have downplayed the loss of lives of her knights"


    "By saying...?"


    "... that she shouldn''t have to confront our family or bad mouth Julia because a few commoners lives"


    ...


    GOOD WORK CECILE-CHAN!


    I can''t believe the heir I groomed so painfully turn out like that. If not for the fear of being expelled from sleeping with my wife tonight, Albert would feel my love with fists.


    My face didn''t betray any of the fury or indignation I felt inside. The smile has since the beginning of our talk stayed like it was glued on me.


    "It seems you don''t wish to be King anymore"


    "Father, that''s not it! I-"


    "Enough. Anything else to report?"


    "..."


    "Blurt out"


    "She said that didn''t want to be associated with anything related to the Royal Family"


    A mighty roar came from my wife-son duo.


    "WHAT ABOUT ME?!" "THIS IS ALL THAT WOMAN''S FAULT!"


    Another sigh escaped with their reaction. ''Who cares about you! I want to know what about my nation!'' Is all that I want to scream but reciting my mantra ''I''m a King with a noble bearing'' until I calm down.


    "William, if I''m not wrong, you told Cecile that you would monitor Lady Julia, was it not?"


    My son only lowered his head with my comment. Haaa... with my two sons like this is near impossible to have Cecile as a daughter-in-law.


    "And you, my Queen... do you really think Cecile is stupid to not notice your involvement on this matter?"


    "D-does she knows? But how? I-"


    "Please. You groomed her. It''s obvious she would know you let Julia escape even when you easily prevent it"


    I put the reports in front of her. These were already revised, and I highlighted the problems and troublesome news.


    "Look at the results of your foolish action. Can you say that as a Queen, you made the right choice? Even if you achieved what you want, was it worth it?"


    The consequences of being unable to stop Fournier alliance with Boudin (neighbour country) were drastic. Food market prices soured and there were fewer merchants visiting our country, and our population was panicking.


    Things only got worse when the Royal Family was painted in a bad light by the most famous journal. Adding to the fact his family just insulted the most popular figure in the capital, you might as well say that his kingdom was doomed if he did nothing to reverse the situation.


    "*sigh* The three of you should try to be in Cecile''s grace for now. She''s a famous figure heavily supported by commoners and nobles. She''s also controlling part of the economy in the capital. Most of the exported products from here comes from her stores. Plus, I just received a report that Louis is trying to secure most of the base material to all Cecile''s products. Knowing him, he will make unnecessary big to sustain his sister. In the end, the Dubois will control part of our raw materials and finished products"


    Sometimes I wonder if I can just exchange my children with Victor (Prime-Minister). The kingdom would surely flourish under the hands.


    Looking at my sorry excuse of an heir. A sigh came, yet, again.


    "I told you, you could have your engagement a year from the breakup and prove to me that Julia is capable in 3 years... I changed my mind. You have one more year to prove that Julia can become a passable Queen and if she proves herself worthy of the throne, you can marry her, otherwise forget it. Also, she WILL be punished by her traitorous act. Stop. I don''t care if she was deceived or not. She is 15 years old not a five-year brat for crying out loud! She should know you can''t associate with foes of your loved one. That was it... you are dismissed. The three of you have half a year to fix things with Cecile"


    After seeing the three of them silently leaving, I told my aid to call the bringer of misfortune.


    Fifteen minutes later a knock came from the door, and a girl with fluffy hair appeared in my study. Although she gave a very warm feeling to whoever looks at her, I only had the urge to strangle the lass in front of me.


    Refraining my thought, I smiled while I remembered what Victor told me when we talked about Miss Julia recently.


    He said that she had a power capable of pulling a hidden part of people. I couldn''t help but agree with his evaluation. Because of her, my family showed a rather shameful part of themselves and even me, when close to her, would perform un-kingly.


    "Miss Julia, I''m glad you are here please sit down"


    After she clumsy bowed and sat, I caught myself admiring how could she have not mastered even the basic etiquette after a year and a half inside the nobles society.


    "Do you know why I called you here?"

 73 Aftermath Royal Family POV part 2

    "Ah? No... oh! Did perhaps Al asked you already?"


    Although I had a tingling feeling that it would be a bad thing, I still asked her, "What should Al ask me?"


    With a dazzling smile, she answered me as if it was a matter of course, and made me control every single fibre of me to hold back the slap my body subconsciously wanted to hit her.


    "Ask the land for us to live outside the capital when he abdicates... was I wrong?"


    ''I am a king with a noble bearing. I am a king with a noble bearing. I am a king with noble bearing...''


    ''F*ck this. What did she just say?''


    "Ah! Didn''t Al asked you this? Sorry. I spoiled the surprise"


    Seeing the terrified face and the ridiculous scream, I realized that I lost my cool and spoke my thoughts. After taking a deep... deeep breath, the kind smile came back to my face.


    "He didn''t, but I will discuss with him later. Actually, I wanted to talk to you alone"


    The fear in Miss Julia''s face and a misleading ''I''m behaved'' face appeared.


    "Say, Miss Julia, I''ve heard that some Misses in the Royal Academy bullied you, right?"


    "It was mostly Miss Ceci-"


    "What would you think if Albert befriended one of them behind your back even when he knew you hated them?"


    "That wouldn''t happen"


    "Lets supposed it does okay? Would you feel betrayed?"


    "Hmm... I guess so"


    "Right? What if because of his new friendship, you started to suffer bullying from those that were nice to you and the bullying from those mean got worse, what would you feel?"


    "Of course I would be sad! But as I said it''s impossible for Albert to do this"


    "You''re right. It''s impossible for HIM, but YOU just did that to him"


    "... me? No? You are wrong!"


    "Let me explain this to you in a form you can understand. Because you are stupidly na?ve, Duke Fournier, who allied himself with Boudin, took advantage of you by having his son befriend you. You knew he was our family for and still became his friend and told him our plans. Because of that unnecessary deaths followed and our country was prone to change royalty"


    I looked at the feeble girl in front of me and couldn''t understand what exactly Albert saw in her.


    "You endangered my family, my citizens and my kingdom. I don''t care if you did unknowingly but I will punish you for all of this"


    I raised my hand to stop for having her spouting nonsense.


    "Your punishment won''t change if Albert abdicates. This may be the way you find to escape from future situations, but let me ask Miss Julia... why should Albert give up on his life dream because YOU can''t stop being silly? I don''t need an answer. You should reflect on yourself. Honestly, I never thought you would become someone worthy of the throne, but I hoped you two could prove me wrong... alas"


    I beckoned Sebastian to come closer.


    "Miss Julia henceforth isn''t allowed to enter the Royal Palace until further notice. She must perform the social duties in the slums and the poorest population for three months. She also may not spend the money from the Royal Palace. She''s banned from accepting help from anyone in the noble circle. You can take her away now Sebastian"


    After the door closed, I shut my eyes and sunken in my chair.


    ''I hope this nightmare ends soon''


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Queen POV


    "Was it worth it?"


    The voice of my husband kept repeating the same phrase inside my mind.


    I remembered the hatred and the hurtful glare that Ceci-chan gave us in the Parade and felt my eyes becoming a little watery.


    Cecile was like a daughter to me, and hearing today she so resolutely cut ties with made my heart ache much more than the time Albert took that deplorable girl side instead of mine.


    A depreciating chuckle escaped my lips. This all started because of this incident. My pride as mother took a severely hit with Albert siding with an outsider instead of me. Since then I decided to separate both of them.


    All the shameful actions that I took in the past week replayed inside my head and shame crept onto me.


    What was I thinking? Is not like I''m unoccupied to spend my time with such futile things.


    I groaned in frustration and looked at the city visible outside my window.


    ''I almost destroyed all this for a petty jealousy''


    Closing my eyes, I started to think what could I do to redeem myself. Hmm... let''s first start with a sincere apology to all those who suffered in the process.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Prince William


    "Why do you have this face, I am the one supposed to be like that"


    I looked strangely at my brother who looked like he just received the news about the end of the world.


    "You don''t understand Bill. No one can... I tried to talk about Julia today... she needs to change right? And she..."


    "She what? By the look of your face obviously didn''t agree. Did she said she would escape here?"


    Amused by my own ridiculous idea I laughed.


    "...yeah. But she wants me to go with her. What should I do?"


    ''You should drown this b*tch'' is what I wanted to answer, but I looked at my desperate oniisama and gave up.


    "It must be harsh to be told to abandon what you trained your whole life to"


    "Yeah"


    "But is be a king your dream or something others expect of you?"


    "... I don''t know"


    "It''s a pity we don''t know someone to pass through for something similar. You could use some advice"


    My brother only nodded, and we continued our walk in silence.


    In the middle of nowhere, brother stopped, and like he just found the answer for a terrible disease his face had a huge bright smile.


    Saying nothing, he ran in the exit direction.


    As I saw my brother back leaving, I felt a tingling sensation of bad omen but attributed to the day I was having.


    Forgetting my love fool brother, I started to rack my head to plan an apology to Cecile. If only I knew where he was going by that time I would never let him leave the Palace

 74 DIY: How to make a sweet romance story into a Yandere 1

    Prince Albert POV


    I ran desperately to find the only one who could help me, but once I got in front of the building I stopped.


    What am I doing? She just said she wanted nothing with us and here am I running to her...


    But if I don''t get an answer, I won''t be able to see Julia...


    S*it! To hell with that! Worse that can happen is another slap... right?


    I walked with not so much confidence into the building, thinking about what I could offer the woman inside.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Cecile POV


    I looked conflicted to the royal seal stamped beside IP''s mark.


    I was planning to take it off since I already said to Prince Albert that I won''t deal with any bulls*it more from his family, but mother came here after knowing of my visit just to ask for me to not proceed with it.


    Her argument is people will think we and the Royal Family cut ties, what is partially true, however, it will cause massive unrest in the people who are already terrified with the prospects of a battle. It also may cause a political party against the Royal Family, and it''s needless to say how dangerous this is.


    I understand all the repercussions, but it just doesn''t feel right.


    Uurghhhh!


    I can already see Albert smirking and calling me a hypocrite.


    IT. MAKES. ME. SO. MAD.


    While I was thinking how much I wanted to slap that pretty face again, I heard a commotion outside and before either me or Leo could get up to see what was happening the door opened.


    "You can''t enter!"


    The pretty face that I was dreaming of slapping appeared in front of me. I had to blink a few times to register the reality.


    Albert sat down in front of my table while Mary looked exasperated. I could see Leo getting up to drag this trash out and.


    I looked at Leo and shook my head. There''s no way Leo can contend with Albert. I could see all my Knights in the floor blackout. Leo, who understood my meaning, still came to my table and stood beside me.


    This stupid loyalty sure is lovely.


    "I need to talk to you"


    "But I don''t"


    "I see you realized you can openly cut ties with us. Why be stubborn?"


    "Mary, try to catch with mother''s carriage and ask Theo to come back"


    "Yes, Miss!"


    "You know he won''t be able to take me out"


    "Still unseen"


    I ignored the man in front of me and looked through the rest of the reports left. Although his presence was upsetting, I couldn''t actually do anything with my punny strength and Leo''s.


    "Cecile, I really need your help"


    ''Whatevs~''


    *scrib, scrib*


    "I can give you whatever you want"


    ''I want you to cram far away from here''


    *scrib, scrib*


    "I''ll make your life a living hell"


    ''Let''s see who makes the better hell then~''


    *scrib, scrib*


    "I-I am sorry"


    ''You-''


    I finally stopped working and put my pen down to look at the prince in front of me. Did I hear right?


    The egomaniac, overbearing and arrogant Prince Albert just say he was wrong?


    I looked outside, but the sun was in the right place. Sick?


    I once again looked at Albert. But what I saw completely scared the s*it out of me.


    Mommy, I''m scared!!!Albert is doing a scary thing with his eyes!


    So, so scary. Please stop this.


    But not only stopped it grew even worse.


    Tears that were only filling his eyes started to spill. For Christ sakes, what should I do?


    I looked at Leo, who also had an unbelievable face. He glanced at me with guilt.


    No. You can''t! NO!


    "Ceci, I will go check if Theo is close. Excuse me"


    Leo slipped faster than I ever see him moving. Where is the stupid loyalty? Give me back the thump my heart gave when you came to ''protect'' me.


    "Ce-Cecile I really need your help. Please, I beg you"


    More tear fell in the pretty face I want to ruin.


    "Urgh. Stop crying is disgusting. Tell me what you want. I may or may not help you. Whatever my choice is you need to leave. Understand?"


    "But-"


    "Take it or continue your useless and disgusting crying"


    "*Sniff* I understand *sniff*"


    If I didn''t know this bastard, my heart would have melted with this moe gap. But the feeling of pity for this idiot won''t ever exist. Whatever is his problem, I''m sure he deserves it.


    "How did you deal with the loss of your future throne?"


    "... do you came to rub salt in the wound?"


    "No. It''s a genuine question"


    "Tell me why you want to know"


    Albert didn''t answer, and I took the pen back.


    "Okay, please don''t go back to work. Hm... is about Julia... because of what she did I asked her to change her ways... I know it''s selfish for me to ask her that, but I told she could break up if she didn''t want to change..."


    You said what?! Breakup??? Who is this stranger in front of me?! Did Albert hit his head?


    "...and then she suggested- ouch! What are you doing?"


    "Just checking if you are really you or not some kind of disguise"


    "Where did you see a disguise this perfect"


    I only shrugged. Is not like I can say on TV, right?


    "*sigh* whatever. Let me finish the story. Julia suggested for me to abdicate the throne and go live with her in the countryside"


    OMG! I never thought Julia could think of this. What a G E N I U S. Hahaha.


    "Can you stop laughing this is a serious matter"


    "Haha but is so funny. Is actually a wonderful idea! Who would have thought the stupid girl would think something like this! So what did you answer her?"


    "... nothing. I don''t know what to do, that''s why I came here"


    "You realize that I''m not your friend, right?"


    "... sort of. But you are the only one that I know who passed through something similar"


    "Oh, in my case was not an option, right? I HAD TO abandon what I spent my life training"


    "I- no- well-"


    "I don''t need you to say anything. For me was actually liberating to be released from the future crown princess position. I stopped liking you a long time ago, and you never liked me. Our marriage would suck. Plus, being a Queen is too tiresome"


    I looked at Albert''s eyes and asked something that I always doubted.


    "Have you never feared to put a dumb person like Julia in the Queen''s throne? I never understood how you, who always put the kingdoms and the citizens in the first place, chose such a terrible person as partner disregarding everything"


    "I love her"


    "You''re the future king, not some commoner who can avidly choose who he wants to marry. You should dumb her"


    "I can''t! She is the love of my life"


    "So abdicate"


    "Urgh. I can''t! I have so much that I still want to accomplish!"


    "There you have the answer. You don''t want to move to the countryside because you still didn''t achieve YOUR dream"


    "But... what about Julia?"


    "If she loves you, she will understand. She only has to get smarter right? Plus, is not she didn''t know what she was dealing with from the beginning. Because you and your aides pamper her too much she as dumb as a door. You may find her naivety cute and all, but for the rest of our circle, she is just bothersome. She behaves like a child instead of a 15-year-old Miss. Unless you want people doubting the mentality of your future Queen, do something about it"


    "I know. But what?"


    I had to control the villainess trademark smile trying to break free. Fufu~ I have the perfect solution for yo~ou~


    "Lock her"


    "... Cecile, I''m not joking"


    "Neither am I. Lock her in a place she won''t want to leave. Must have everything that she loves and your aids (and her only friends) should visit her every day. Put many people in the security. Don''t let anyone else visit her... if you want you can try to educate her slowly. But who are we cheating? She spent 15 years and still as dumb as they can be, she won''t change suddenly"

 75 DIY: How to make a sweet romance story into a Yandere 2

    Albert scratches his head.


    "Isn''t this a bit excessive?"


    "On the contrary, my dear prince. She won''t have to break up with you, she won''t have to change, and she will leave peaceful without the prying eyes. You will provide comfort and safety, I don''t quite see how is exaggerated"


    I looked straight to Albert''s eyes.


    "Plus, you are still nice enough to let her see her ''friends'' despite the rumors"


    Albert''s face instantly turned black. The rumors about Julia and her harem were wild. I once heard one saying that all of them enjoyed her at the same time. Although I don''t want to believe because I trust my childhood friends integrity, I actually don''t believe because I can''t see how she could withstand so much. But, oh well, she''s the female lead, so I guess it''s possible...


    Cough. Sorry, my thoughts went to the dark side for a second. Do erase this image from your mind.


    Focusing once again in one actor of the orgy, my smile grew once Albert''s face soured. Fufu~ I just knew it bothered him more than he showed. No one would be happy with rumors about a special relationship between your lover and your best friendS.


    I honestly can''t wait to see him isolating her from everyone. He will be obsessed and he will suffocate her. She will try to escape and he will catch her. Mama, I''m excited to see the dog blood romance in the future!


    "You are right, I''ll do as you say... what you want in return? I tried to think something you would like but couldn''t come up with anything"


    And here I present my ex-fianc¨¦e guys. He passed 7 years as my future husband but still can''t think of ANYthing to my liking. Is so bad that is funny.


    "You will send envoys to Boudin in the future right? I want to go. Also, I want you to nominate titles to my Knights who died. Give them a Medal of Honor"


    Of course, the biggest present is the squirrel lock in a cage for years.


    "W-"


    "Don''t bargain. I just helped your personal matter and evict a future crisis in the country. What I''m asking is not much for you. Do you have anything else to discuss?"


    "... no"


    "Good. Please show yourself out. I''ll be waiting for your good news Your Highness"


    I got up and performed a quick bow and sit once again to do my work. Picking up the document I was previously reading, I completely ignored my Yandere in development.


    Albert silently got up, and as he was opening the door, he turned to me.


    "Mother and William are regretting their decisions. I hope you can forgive them soon"


    Without waiting for my answer Albert strode out of the office. Not long after, Mary and Leo walked inside with Theo and Mother accompanying them.


    "Dear are you alright?"


    "Yes. Albert just wanted to know how to tame a pet. Sorry for making you come back. Do you want to wait? after this report I''m going to Fame to lunch, I would be delighted if the prettiest Madam in the kingdom grant me her presence"


    "For your knowledge is the prettiest in the world. Yes, I guess I can do this favour for you today. Rejoice"


    "Yes, yes my Empress"


    I made a deep bow to my mother jokingly. I and Louis always joked about mother''s title in society and because of her domineering attitude we sometimes would her Empress.


    "Mary bring our best snacks for the prettiest flower in the kingdom please"


    "Yes Miss"


    As Marry bowed and left, a fidget Leon came beside me.


    "Ceci there are still many documents left to go through"


    "Yes, I know"


    "So..."


    "So my dear secretary who didn''t have any qualms about walking out of his work 15 minutes ago can finish them all at once"


    "Ceci-"


    "You have until tomorrow. I believe you can do it. If not your salary by the end of the month will be discounted"


    ''Humph. I want to see if next time you will abandon me again''


    After my little vengeance, I went back to the document and went to lunch after. At night, while we were dining Father dropped bombastic news. Julia was punished by the King to visit the slums and the poorest commoners, besides being banned from the Palace and expand the money from the national treasure.


    After hearing the news mom and I laughed. Although it''s a punishment, I can see that the King tried to help her improve her reputation by helping the needy. Sure is a good strategy, but it only works if the person choose Is someone who can make a difference in these places, and I''m not sure if Julia even knows what to do.


    I also have the feeling Julia will come to where my resort & spa is located now. Although it really was a slum not long ago, it now looks more like a little village. It''s even more resourceful than some of the merchant''s neighbourhoods in the capital. I should just let Carl knows that if she comes by she should be barred and they should report to the King.


    Brother commented that the Crown Prince calmly reacted to his lover''s punishment different from what we expected. But he still went to appease Julia, and according to Brother his face when he went back to his study was not good. Apparently, they had a fight about the punishment and their future together.


    Fufu, the circus is about to be on fire~!


    Let''s see how powerful is their so-called ''true love''.

 76 Ex-slum

    The next day, just like I thought Julia went to Moor (ex-slum). At first, Carl wasn''t aware of her presence there. With her sweet nature, she charmed the residents in no time. All was going well for her until she opened her golden mouth to spout golden s*it.


    She first commented that although they were still poor, she thought the slums would be dirtier and more dangerous. After saying many biased things, the people who were interacting with her began to get angry. They chided her a bit about what she said and explain to her how it was before and how they got a reform in their neighbourhood.


    And that was when things escalated. Once she heard people praising me the squirrel went mad in rage and started to argue with the people. The people who heard what she called me and the bad things she said all started to rebuke her and the argument started to get heated. Thank god, someone called Carl, who calmed down the situation before Julia wasn''t able to leave Moor. Don''t look how behaved they''re right now. I learned, talking to them, that living in the slums is quite savage sometimes and they know how to protect themselves once needed.


    Carl sent her to the Palace and asked the guard to report to the king. Not long after, a letter from His Majesty was in my hand apologizing for the misunderstanding and guarded it wouldn''t happen again, since he put Lady Caroline, one of the few royal female knights, as Julia escort.


    After reading the letter, I marvelled how neither of the princes could hold a candle to their father. Knowing how well Julia can charm men, he purposefully chose a female knight. Lady Caroline was like those knights in stories where their liege''s orders are the law. She was noble and strict as one could be.


    Plus, with this, he can raise female knights'' prestige among society. Although is just an escort job, it''s, nonetheless, for the future Queen of the country. He''s such a clever king that I sure hope he stays for a long time before he passes the throne to either of his sons.


    "Miss we''ve arrived"


    Looking outside the window of my carriage, my jaw almost hit the ground. Moor was amazing! Because of the whole parade fiasco, I couldn''t see the finished product. And looking at it now, I must applaud all who made this come true. If I didn''t saw the slums here before I couldn''t believe it was here.


    In front of me, there was a huge building with adjacent gardens and small buildings all in Japanese-ish style. Although the architects of the project saw nothing in the style, I asked they perfectly caught the main points and with their adaptation, they designed the stunning Moor.


    Although I was itching to come inside and tour in the spa and the little village, I forced my legs to bring me to one of the tall buildings at the extreme of Moor. On the two ends of the Moor fa?ade, two similar towers were raised. This is where Cerberus headquarters are now.


    I decided to destroy the previous one used by Marc and construct my own, as a form to totally erase the influence that Marc had on my subordinates.


    "Miss"


    The two guards on the building''s entrance saluted me.


    ''Hmm... I don''t remember their faces though''


    "Good morning. Are you the new recruits?"


    The guards are probably my age or maybe Louis''s. The one that seemed younger answered me with a slight blush.


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    "Yes, Miss. I''m Julio and this is Piero. Carl recruited a few of us three days ago"


    Piero gave a light slap on the back of J¨²lio''s head.


    "Miss didn''t ask our names. Only answer what you are asked. I apologize for this guy''s behaviour Miss"


    "Oh, sorry miss. I won''t do again"


    Piero made Julio bow in apology.


    "Fufu, that''s quite all right. I''m sure you know, but my name is Cecile. You don''t need to be stiff around me ''kay? So you''ve been here for three days now, right? have you been to the training yet? Did you enjoy it?"


    On the mention on my ''fun'' training both men paled.


    Come on now guys. Is not even that terrible! What can be more fun than do all the activities while trying to equilibrate books on top of your head?


    "Y-Yes. Yesterday was Mrs Agnes tutoring, it was quite... intense?"


    Oh! Mrs Agnes sure is ''intense''. Just remembering the wood rod she had to correct our posture give me chills.


    I patted both of their shoulders trying to transmit my thoughts to them.


    ''Stay strong brave soldiers''


    "...you get used to it eventually. Keep the good work"


    Saying so I left the poor souls who will be beaten black and blue with a wood rod in the near future, and entered Cerberus'' building.

 77 Don’t you hate me

    "Miss you are here"


    "Hello Carl, lets sit down first"


    "Yes. Please follow me to the meeting room"


    Carl guides me to a big room by his office side. Different from most of the things of IP which tends to a more innovative style, the room had a very classic feeling to it. Whereas the other places scream novelty, the whole Cerberus building gave a very ''homey'' feeling.


    "I like what you did with the place"


    Carl scratched his head.


    "Thank you for the praise Miss, but I''m not the one respond for it. In truth one of the boys fussed about how my decoration was crude and all, and took over the reformation"


    "Is that so?"


    Honestly I''m impressed. If you told me anex-hoodlum would be this great of a designer I would have trouble believing it. Regardless...


    "You should offer my praise to him"


    "Sure thing Miss. The lad will probably cry loud when he knows you liked his design. But leaving that aside, I presume you came to see the reports right? Here"


    Giving me a pile of documents, Carl started to report the events of this week.


    All the rumors, the nobles movements and the market tendencies were detailed in the papers. They apparently also found the columnist who wrote that amazing article.


    But something is really bothering me.


    Carl is acting normal. Like this is any other day.


    I know that is very hypocritical of me, but shouldn''t he be mad or at least a bit disturbed?


    "Is there any problem Miss?"


    Probably noticing my frown whilst he reported, Carl stopped his speech and questioned me with a very puzzled face.


    There is!


    "Sorry Miss. What''s the problem?"


    Ops. My indignation with the current situation is so big that I thought aloud. What a slip for the one crowned as the master of etiquette.


    The troubled face my subordinate was giving aggravated the problem.


    *sigh*


    "Sorry, Carl. I didn''t mean to trouble you more. But I''m honestly curious about something"


    "That''s nothing Miss. What''s the problem?"


    "Don''t you hate me?"


    The troubled face was replaced by puzzlement.


    "Why should I?"


    I feel a piece of my heart just fell off.


    Wouldn''t a normal person be angry with someone who killed his friends even with a motive? Is this an angel who gives the other face when slapped? Or did I dream of killing traitors but everyone is alive?


    I nervously play with my nails. Urgh. This is so hard. I should just leave it be, but this situation is making me crazy.


    "Y-you know... the ones who passed away last week..."


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    Carl''s face went blank before a thunderous laugh exploded. He laughed so hard that he had tear in his eyes... or are they perhaps of sadness?


    "Are you Okay?"


    "*haha* I''m so sorry Miss but *haha* is such a gap having a kind boss that the laugh came naturally"


    "O-Oh I see..."


    "*haa* too good. To answer Miss, no, I don''t hate you. I don''t have reasons to. I know it may seem abnormal to you, but we from the underground are rarely attached to each other... death among us is quite common..."


    I really don''t know how to follow this...


    Luckily, Carl continued.


    "Of course it''s impossible to not have any attachment at all, so we have to choose the ones we are carefully. The ones you claimed their lives, none were from my group of friends... they always had something amiss. Besides, even we have our rules. Treason is a big no-no. There are many that do, but they''re always in the future excluded. No ones wants to take a dog who bites his owners hand for a strange, right?"


    "*sigh* it is as you say. I''m glad you are alright"


    "Miss is too kind. Even if some ''Brother'' were in the group who was killed I wouldn''t resent you. A good boss like Miss is really hard to find. I''m you wouldn''t take a life if you didn''t had to, so be at ease"


    "Thank you Carl, you really lifted a stone from my heart. Now that we have dealt with it, tell me more about the journalist"


    "Her name is Aubrey Klunn, the second Miss from the Count Klunn. She''s in the same class as you Miss in the Academy. Apparently she found her love for writing in an academic club and is working in the paper hidden from her family. She chose to not attend her office these days because of the big impact the article had and- Miss is there something?"


    There is Carl!!!


    Mphksbhph


    I freaking forgot the Academy!!!!!

 78 Family be

    Holy macaronis! I totally forgot the existence of the Academy!!


    With all that is being happening around and the development of my stores, my studies were completely neglected...


    The good thing about the Royal Academy is that instead of being obligatory is more a status thing among the nobles. Most of us only go there to build our social network and poach young talents instead of studying only.


    I was one of the few who entered for the classes offered. Although I retained my past life memories, there are many fields I''m a complete noob that would help in my plan of a peaceful life.


    Different from the other noble ladies, beside attending the basic classes which we are required to do once we enter the Academy, I also chose to do Agriculture and Economics as my electives.


    And here my dear friends it''s where lies the problems.


    My agriculture professor Mr. Dawson is a old man with a very grandpa friendly aura, and he really is very amicable, well, at least to those who aren''t his students.


    Among us, his students, he''s called the Senior Demon. Strict, short tempered and obstinate, he doesn''t accept lazy students or disinterested ones.


    Thinking on how many classes I missed... hehe. Maybe I should just drop. I cannot begin to imagine how it would be once I attend his class.


    You may be thinking why I, the prime minister''s only daughter would be afraid of a mere teacher... let me enlighten you.


    Senior Demon-San is teaching in the academy for about 30 years now, meaning even father''s generation was his student. This means at least 80% of the agriculture ministry was his student, making him one of the few people I have to be careful dealing with, since his students all highly respect him (as do I) and listen to him (...as do I?).


    This is problem number 1, problem number 2 is my other elective teacher, Mr. Dawson Jr. a.k.a, Junior Demon.


    Son of the Senior Demon, Junior Demon has always a smile plastered on his face and is quite handsome,being always courteous and pleasant towards the students. This gained him quite a few admirers and a space on Julia''s harem as the hidden characters in the game.


    Like his father, the good part is only a cover for his true personality. The truth is that he''s a big sadist who enjoys the suffering of not only his poor students, but whoever he get his eyes upon. In the game, he always likes to bully Julia and see her with tears in her eyes. Of course, the tears could only be made by him and no one else, otherwise this guy would go in a rampage.


    As if they thought a sadist teacher was not enough as a character background, the game''s developers put another layer on him: he''s also the chief of the country spies.


    How a simple teacher from a scholar background became one of the most dangerous persons on the kingdom was never explained, but the fact is my future is grim because of the pair of father-son.


    As I exited the room I could hear Carl''s concerned voice but none of his words registered as I stormed off the building. Inside the carriage, I tried to formulate countermeasures to my current predicament.


    Drop was not a option, unfortunately. I just offended the Royal Family and offending two more powerful figures wouldn''t be the best approach. It would not only hinder my future, but also my family, especially father who needs to interact with all of them constantly.


    The only option left is to appease their anger, but how? Senior Demon, I probably could handle. If I bring him some new method (plagiarized directly from the other world) and discuss with him, he probably would only grumble a bit but let it pass.


    The problem was Junior Demon. I''m sure he will not only punish me because of the classes missed but also because of Julia. I can only hope his interactions with her were limited by Albert and he''s not to attached to her.


    Getting home I started to prepare two projects for each professor having my shallow modern knowledge as base. I tried to put less mistakes as possible in them, but I''m not exactly the pro here, so I could only try my best.


    By dinner time I was exhausted but still went to dine with my family.


    Sitting at the table with all family members, I glared at each one of them.


    "What is it Cecile? Do you have something in your eyes?"


    To my Mom''s obvious sarcasm, I only snorted.


    "Onesama, did I do something wrong?"


    My cute younger brother looked at me with testy eyes and wronged expression that almost made my heart shred in pieces. Urgh. How can a child be this cute?!


    I patted his head with a reassuring smile.


    "You didn''t my angel, but the other three *Hmph*"


    Dad put his fork down and just looked at me, waiting for my explanation.


    "Why no one in this house asked me about the Academy?! Don''t we have a image to maintain or something among these lines?"


    "Tsk"


    Hm? Did Mom just clicked her tongue? Why is she passing something to Father? And why Nissama is giving both of them something? Wtf is happening here?


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    "Who told you about the Academy? One more month and I would have won!"


    "...what?"


    "*cough* Cecile, didn''t you make the exam to receive the diploma early?"


    "Eh- not exactly... I-I forgot about it. If not Carl today..."


    "*sigh* it seems I really lost"


    "*hmph* I told she should have forgotten to attend it. If not for this Carl your Father would finally take me on a date after all this time"


    "Now, now my dear. Even if you didn''t won, we will go next weekend on a date okay?"


    "You can''t go back on your world!"


    Like this a confusing family dinner passed without me venting my anger. Later I found out that my parents and elder brother made a bet to see if I have forgotten or only graduated and for how long I wouldn''t attend the Academy. My family seriously surprise me sometimes.


    Sigh. Leaving that aside I hope tomorrow goes as peacefully as it can be.

 79 My demon teachers

    Next day, after almost six months, I finally went back to the Academy. Many people stared at me with questioning gazes, but I guess it''s normal. They probably thought I graduated already.


    After talking with the Dean and scheduling my missed exams, I went to my beloved Senior Demon office. I was obviously assaulted with his angry screams and given smelly face, but all reverted after I showed him the plant rotation technique, which is by all means fairly simple, but it took humans a few centuries to come up with it.


    In love with the simplicity of the solution for a long time problem, Senior Demon discusses fervently and even improved the technique I ''came up with''.


    One down, one to go.


    Reaching out to the knob from Junior Demon''s office, I can hear my heart pound loudly. I curse myself for getting me in this situation. How stupid am I to forget to attend classes?


    "You should just come in"


    ''Curse this master spy for knowing there''s someone here''


    I take a deep breath and open the door.


    Sitting behind a black elegant table, is Mr. Dawson Jr., my beloved Junior Demon. With a kind smile, he looks up to see who is his guests, and thickens his smile even more when he identifies me. I am unsure if he''s already enjoy my desperation or if he''s imagining how can he make me suffer. Either way, his smile gave me shivers in my back.


    "Look who''s here. To think I would be graced by the person of the moment. The woman who achieved what no one could. The person who can even scorn her future Queen. I must say I''m delighted to be in your presence. Please, forgive me for not bowing in your presence. You see, my loyalty is still to the Royal Family, although I admire you"


    The small smile that I mustered to plant on my face was almost pulverized by his poisoning tongue. I''m really bad dealing with him. Maybe if I was not so scared of him, I could answer back, too bad his lifeline is terrifying.


    "Professor jokes. I am but a humble student in front of a wise and noble teacher. I don''t hold the power you so much boast, I am still a little girl in front of the Royal Family.


    "This indeed you are, but I think you''re mistaken in the first part, I don''t think I have a student like you. There was indeed someone like that, but you see, she didn''t attend months of classes. I unfortunately had to take her down"


    As he said the last word he stabbed the pen in his hand in the table, putting at least half of the pen inside the table. The creepiest of all is that his smile never left his face. If you ignore the pen deep in the table, he''s still the kind teacher the ladies go crazy for.


    "You see teacher... I was under the Princes orders, but I promise I didn''t lag behind my studies. I can make a test if you want. I even came up with this idea about how we can better divide our economy to increase our efficiency and-"


    Mr. Dawson Jr., raised his hand and made me stop on my barrage of words.


    "I''m sorry Miss Dubois, I''m afraid I can''t let you attend my class any further. It would be unfair to the rest of the class"


    "But I-"


    "No buts Miss. I''m really sorry, but even if you were under His Highness order, you should have made time. Besides, even the future Crown Princess and the Crown Prince are attending classes, are you implying they made you do their work too, because I can''t another explanation"


    I held the snort that almost came out. Of course I''m more busy than the pair of dogs. I almost did all the dirty work. If I didn''t no better I would start to question where was the spy master of the kingdom when that stupid Mayne died. But I did. So I just opened a strained smile and denied whatever accusation he thrower at me.


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    "My faults are inexcusable. But if teacher is kind enough to help me come up with a solution for my problem I would be in debt to you"


    "Of course I would help a poor student. Although I can''t put you in my class anymore, what do you think about having private classes?"


    Although he asked me in a very gentle voice, his eyes were telling me I had no chance whatsoever to deny it. I am sure that all the ladies would die for a chance to have a private class with him, but for me this was like the doom knocked at my door and said he came to me.


    Before I could think of how to dodge the proposal, Junior Demon came up with a pile of books and put in front of me.


    "Is good that you agree, be here at Wednesday and Thursday at 5 p.m. okay? I want you to memorize this books for next week. I unfortunately can''t make you company any more since I have another appointment now, but I hope to see you next week Miss Dubois"


    As he said that, he got up and escorted me out of the room.


    "Oh, and thanks for the sandwiches and tea. They are my favorites"


    Taking away a basket where my lunch was, he closed the door on my face.


    After seconds staring at the door, and understanding everything he said, I looked at the books in my hand and could only sigh to my future torment.


    ''At least was better than I hope. I am sure I can handle the private classes just as well''


    Walking away from the office., I had no idea the big flag I just raised.

 80 Mentally tortured

    A month has passed since I went back to the Academy, and I''m happy to announce I''m quite adapted to my new routine.


    Going to the office at morning and to the Academy afternoon, I found out that my schedule is the opposite of Leo. I was so frustrated that I was the only one who completely forgot about studying that I vented my dissatisfaction on Leo, making him know hell for a week in the office.


    Hmph, he should at least warn me or something!


    I know is quite childish and petty, but everyone has defects right? Or else I would be boring~


    In this month, I managed to keep up with the classes that I missed, and I wish to say that my academic life is perfect, but unfortunately...


    "Why are you spacing out for? Tsk. Flower of the society my ass, more like sloth. How I wish to show to your fans how their goddess is lazy. Just imagining their worlds falling apart gives me shiver all over"


    "pervert"


    The young man in front of who was looking nowhere in particular with ecstasy all over his face from imagining people''s despair, instantly eyed me with a thick smile after my comment.


    Passing his hand through my hair, he rolled a lock of my hair in his fingers, and approached me. With his mouth almost touching my ears, he asked me with a very sexy voice:


    "What did you just said my dear student?"


    The voice made me shuddered Not because of my appreciation for this very sexy CG, but because of fear. Absolutely fear.


    With my stiff body, my mouth instantly answered him while my brain was in state of shock.


    "Teacher is the most handsome in the professor in the academy"


    "That''s right. Have you finished?"


    "Yes. Here is the review"


    Passing to him the 15.000 words review from the book he passed as assignment this week, I couldn''t even sigh in relief before he gave a bigger book than the last one.


    "This is the assignment for the next class: besides the 10.000 word review, I want you to come up with a project for this city having the book as base"


    "...sure"


    Feeling the weight of the book, I took my leave before he could torment me more. My days now all have this disagreeable individual throwing sharp remarks and making psychologic torture to me.


    At first, he still maintained his gentleman facade and only passed heavy assignments. But as the day passed his mask slowly cracked after he saw I wouldn''t tell on him about his behavior.


    ''Sometimes I regret not telling father about this pervert. But always when I get close to daddy to tell him, I always remember the scene of the game where Junior Demon kidnapped and starved Cecile for three days... it''s still better having his poisonous remarks than starve''


    To think I even dreamed about he treating me like he treated Julia on the game. Sigh. I''m truly naive. Like Albert was attracted by Julia simple personality that oppose his, Junior Demon is attracted to her because of purity different from him that is tainted by the blood of this kingdom''s enemies.


    Well, in my opinion is just a crazy dog chasing a brainless squirrel, unfortunately the crazy dog is quite dangerous.


    He''s on of the reasons I don''t seriously start with Julia. He only snarls now to my disputes with Julia, but I know that if I do something serious to her, the collar of this mad dog won''t be able to contain him and I will be in danger.


    Leaving the Academy with the thoughts of Julia and her dangerous harem behind me, I lookedat the blue sky cloudless I smile.


    ''Fufu~ it seems I chose a good day to open the spa''


    Some minutes later, I find myself in front of the spa which has many noblewomen entering for the opening.


    And just as I step out of the carriage a golden carriage arrives.


    I don''t even need to look at the emblem to know who it is.


    Opening the door a imposing woman and a cute Miss enter my visual camp.


    Making a perfect bow, I greet my guests without betraying an ounce of emotion.


    "Her Majesty. Miss Julia. I''m humble to have you presence of my opening. If you don''t mind following me, I''ll escort you inside"


    Waiting only for Her Majesty consent, I turn to the entrance.


    Just before I turn myself entirely I could see Julia''s expression going from fearful to proud and remembered the promise I made.


    ''Fufu~ you just wait my dear squirrel. Let''s see how I will play with your cute face today''


    Turning my back to them, a full smile worthy of my villainess character blossomed on my face.

 81 The slap doesn’t need to come from me 1

    Walking in front of the two, I introduced the establishment and the services available. Because of their status the best rooms were reserved for them. They came for a special assignment in Julia''s training, which will be supervised by the Queen herself. Apparently, the Queen will try to make Julia start her social network.


    Due to the unbecoming behavior of Julia in the parade, the Queen couldn''t risk Julia ruining the Royal Family''s reputation anymore and the training she had to do became 10 times harsher. According to my friends that work on the Palace, after being expelled and had her Queen training becoming the real deal, Julia almost never encounters Prince Albert, and even if she does, both of them quickly go apart. My friends said that since the parade both of them seemed to have fought and Albert doesn''t show the same interest for her as before.


    Thinking about the not so unpredictable result I shook my head.


    ''That he woke up not to late, it seems my ex-fianc¨¦e still has some kind of brain. But, I can''t say for sure if he did... it can also be one of those typical misunderstanding in novels... if it is, I hope god help us all, as Albert''s brain hole will grow even bigger''


    After leaving the Queen in her room to change, I guided Julia to hers.


    Looking side ways, I could see she has, at least, being working hard. With dark circles in her eyes and not so perceptible tired marks, Julia is nowhere near on how fresh she looked before. What''s even worse it''s the arrogant expression she has since she thought I couldn''t hurt her in front of so many (and important) people. The annoying arrogant expression mismatch the fluffy and cute atmosphere that Julia is known for.


    Honestly, if I could I would take a picture of her right now and show to her fans. ''I wonder if that sadistic teacher and Albert would still claim she''s pure and cute after''.


    With idle thought like that, we both walked in silence to her room. I''m done playing nice and she probably is afraid of saying something that would bring not only my wraith but also the Queen''s.


    "We are here Miss Julia. You will find the robe for changing inside the room. This two ladies will help you out if you need anything and will guide you to meet the Queen after you are done changing"


    Signaling to her room, I wait beside the door for her to pass.


    Just as she was about to close without even acknowledging me, Julia stopped and turned to me.


    "It seems you still know how to respect the Royals". With that she turned again and entered the room.


    I only chuckled at the little squirrel fierce attitude. As a proud predator, looking at the false hope in my prey''s eyes gives me an unprecedented thrill.


    I can''t wait to see the Julia''s face when I give her my little present.


    A few people know this, but a massage poorly done can make someone''s muscles be pained for days. What''s more (fortunate) is that this kind of injury doesn''t leave marks.


    Because if I make the squirrel my punch bag it will leave to many evidences and I don''t have a probable cause to hit her (besides my utter disgust for her that is), this method is the best I could come up with in this short time.


    This way (hopefully) not the prince or the mad dog could complain or accuse me of anything. Having only her complaining of the services after everything of the past few months, will only seem that she is trying to accuse me without proper ground.


    The pain and despair (for not being believed at) that Julia will go through make my walk lighter.


    ''Urgh. Since when do I enjoy torturing people so much? Have I started to have similarities to Junior Demon?''


    Shaking my head to put away such scary thoughts, I walked to the other noblewomen that came today.


    Because the women will be waking in robes, today it''s the women''s opening, while two days from now I will have the noblemen coming to try our services.


    At first both would be coming today, but in the trial-service with my parents, Dad forbidden Mother of coming here if I didn''t separate the women''s and men''s part.


    When building the onsen-spa I completely forgot that different from my first life, people are not so open here with their intimacy.


    So after making a few adjustments to the layout, the onset opened being gender separated.


    Going through a few formalities, a desperate scream was heard by everyone one inside the establishment.


    I could few my face muscles twitching while I fought the smile that was trying to form.


    Assuring everyone I would investigate what happened and give them an explanation I went to the massage room where the Queen and Julia were.


    Getting close to the room I could hear the arguing.


    "Stop this! I said STOP! Didn''t you hear?! I''m this Country Crown Princess! You a mere peasant dare to defy me?"


    "Julia calm down!"


    "Mother! This peasant hurt me! She needs to pay for it!"


    "Okay. Can you first calm down? Let me see where you are hurt"


    "No! She needs to apologize first!"


    "Miss you were told in the begging this treatment may hurt, since it depends on the degree of you muscle tension due to stress and exhaustion. I assure you that this pain is normal. If I don''t complete the massage, you will end up with more pain"


    "Who believes you! I''m sure this a plot planned by Cecile to hurt me! That b*tch, she dares! Not only she was responsible for Mayne''s d-


    ''PAH''


    As I opened the door, I saw a see a scene that almost made me clap.

 82 The slap doesn’t need to come from me 2

    The Queen slapped Julia (with a good amount of force if I may add), and glared at the girl who was now on the floor holding her cheek.


    With teary eyes and a trembling voice, Julia looked pitifully to the Queen.


    "M-mother you hit me?"


    "Don''t look at me like this, it''s disgusting. This little trick may work on those hairy boys who follow you up and down, but it will only make people who are more mature look down on you"


    The Queen continue to stare at Julia with a cold gaze. Because the show was too good I stayed at the sidelines eating melons.


    "*sigh* let''s start your lesson earlier. First lesson: little tricks are for Mistress, the legal wife''s should have a strong backbone. Even if you want to cry you must endure it. Cry later in the intimacy of your room or with your loved ones, but never show weakness in front of the others. It''s even worse if you want to be the Queen. You must never show any openings to your enemies. This pitiful appearance will only make you be despised and used. Just like you already are"


    "I''m not used"


    "Child, that you cant see it, it''s even more pitiful. Honestly abide by my words and don''t make a fuss anymore. Get up for the ground and let me see where are you hurt"


    Julia got up with her head low. Although I couldn''t see her face, I knew she was crying since there were small drops of water on the floor.


    She pointed where it was hurting, and when the Queen went to see, she of course, didn''t find anything.


    "I don''t see anything"


    The Queen poked the place indicated by Julia and a new and louder scream permeated on the room.


    The Queen frowned at Julia''s reaction. She probably thought that the squirrel was exaggerating, but as the master perpetrator, I''m confident that this was a genuine scream.


    "What are you yelling for?! I didn''t apply any force for you to scream like a pig being slaughtered"


    "M-mother it really hurts! You clearly want to hurt me"


    Faking worry I got close to the duo mother-in-law and daughter.


    "Is everything okay? What happened Julia? Is the injury this severe? The other women are also very worried about you now. With the scream you gave, everyone had quite a fright"


    The more I talked, more the Queen''s gaze became colder. Not only she has lost face in front of me and the people in this room because of Julia, but the noblewomen would come up with all kind of theories if this wasn''t explained properly. And because of the enmity the nobles had to Julia, the theories would be quite mean.


    The Queen turned to me with a fawning expression that it was foreign to me.


    "Ceci-chan, you see this..."


    As goosebumps made their way through, I had to control the twitching in my face for having the most powerful woman in the country pleading.


    "Don''t worry my Queen, I will handle everything properly. I just hope Miss Julia won''t slander my establishment or myself anymore, when clearly we are not at fault"


    "Of course, of course. I will handle this little girl myself. I will make sure Julia won''t affect your business"


    "I appreciate Your Majesty''s favor. If you''ll excuse me, I retire so I can explain what has happened. You two, come with me. The Queen and Miss Julia need some time alone"


    Signing to both girls who were serving the Queen and Julia, I left the room with them in tow.


    Just as the door closed, I could here the sound of another slap.


    ''Hehe, poor squirrel didn''t I said you would be slap every time I saw you''


    After encountering the noblewomen again, I explained ''what happened''.


    "Don''t need to worry my dear ladies. It appears Miss Julia is quite shy and got scared when she was asked to be with minimum clothes in front of her mother-in-law. Isn''t she such a pure lady?"


    "Haha. To think this was only a shy little girl! She gave me quite a fright"


    "And me! I thought somebody was trying to kill her! She''s quite exaggerated, isn''t she?"


    A young girl who was listening to the Madams conversation snorted.


    "Tsk. Shy? Exaggerated? She''s quite false, that''s what she is. You Madams may be unaware, but this Miss Julia it''s not even a virgin anymore. She and the Crown Prince rolled sheets almost everyday"


    "You are right Miss Lily. I heard that the Crown Prince even missed work because they were together"


    "To think... does the Queen knows about it?"


    "If we know of course she does..."


    "My, my. It''s not our place to talk about royal affairs right?"


    I immediately interrupted the dangerous conversation. Although I want to make Julia''s reputation fall, I don''t want her to drag anyone besides the Crown Prince.


    "...but if may put you at ease, by His Majesty order she''s not living with Prince Albert anymore. And now even she wasn''t shy, she was probably surprised right? A mean... this is the Queen we are talking about..."


    "Miss Cecile you are to nice to that wench. She''s just probably trying to attract attention to herself"


    "Yes, yes. She probably feel threaten with your success"


    "This... shouldn''t be right? She has Albert after all"


    "Miss Cecile..."


    And like this, as my reputation became more bright,Julia''s reputation almost went to the abyss.

 83 No one is allowed to touch them anymore

    "So I heard that yesterday you open a new store. Some sort of relaxing entertainment as far as I heard, is that right? You even had the privilege to receive the Queen and the Future Crown Princess in the opening"


    ''Holy Mother of all Lords say to me this guy didn''t discover my little tricks''


    A blood-thirst, smiley Junior Demon was in front of me asking question.


    By all rights, we should be right now going through the freakin'' review he made me do about a boring book, but instead he''s questioning me about yesterday events.


    ''Dear Holy Mother, God, Buddha or whatever divinity govern this world I offer a pray to you. I''m too young to die now. I beseech you to at least protect the feeble life of mine in the next few minutes''


    Although cold sweat slide in my back, my noble mask never left or betrayed my uneasiness.


    "Yes, they did. It''s unfortunate that Miss Julia made a slight mishap and angered the Queen"


    "Oh? I heard that it was because she was in deep pain because of some sort of treatment"


    I slightly narrowed my eyes.


    ''It seems this guy still maintain some sort of contact to Julia. I wonder if Albert knows about it. Just the prospect of the future dog blood plot if this gets in his ears makes my blood boil in excitement''


    "Yes, that was what Miss Julia said. But we didn''t find any sort of injury on her and even the Queen agreed that the girl was exaggerating"


    The Junior Demon only snorted.


    "I really hope you''re as innocent as you depict or else you will suffer a worse fate than your subordinates"


    Whatever fear I had disappeared with this single phrase. Hearing his threat, my mind suddenly went blank and give way to a monumental anger.


    No one. Absolutely no one is allowed to hurt my people. This is my inverse scale and it was already touched to much this year.


    I tugged the collar of his shirt, pulling him down to my eyes level. Looking at his eyes that are as dark as the abyss, I uttered each syllable within gritted teeth.


    "You better not mess up with my people, or else even the King won''t be able to protect you"


    The smile was wiped from his face leaving only a menacing blank face staring at me.


    "Is this a threat?"


    "Threat?" I shook my head. "No, it''s a promise"


    We stared each other a few seconds before I push him away and left the room.


    Before I closed the door, I looked back at the guy who still had a menacing look as he stared at me.


    "You better not forget yours, mine and hers stand. You are powerful but not all-powerful. Remember that"


    Without further ado, I close the door and left this place.


    I gracefully took steady and quick steps away from the classroom, or is what I like to believe. I probably looked as if I was running for my life -which I was.


    I would spare nothing to protect and avenge those close to me, but it doesn''t mean I forgot how dangerous that sadistic pervert of a teacher is. He''s the type that would skin someone alive with a smile on his face just for his enjoyment.


    I shook my head trying to dispel the scary thoughts about the devil I left behind.


    ''Whatever. I doubt he will touch anyone under me after what I said last. If I don''t remember wrong, although he''s interest in Julia his loyalty to Albert is unshakable''


    But, since to many things already differ from the game and I should do countermeasures either way.


    While thinking how to cope with any situation it may arise because of my little confrontation with teacher I arrived at the library.


    Looking around, I quickly found who I was looking for.


    A tall girl who was concentrated in reading a rather thick book completely oblivious to her surroundings.


    Different from most of the noblewomen who acted all soft and cute since they saw Julia captured the hearts of the golden bachelors, the tall girl had a rather serious feeling. Just being around her people would unconsciously straighten their backs which was quite funny to see.


    Approaching the table where she was, I could see she didn''t realized that someone was close to her and was giving all her attention to the book, which spiked my curiosity on which book was so interesting that could capture someone''s attention this much.


    But just reading the title I had the urge to flee. Wasn''t this one of the books that Junior Demon made me write a review on? Who in their sane mind would read something like that on their free time? Was perhaps some assignment pass by some other teacher?


    "*cough* Uhm, excuse me, are you perhaps interested in the works of this author?"


    The girl looked at me with a touch of annoyance and incomprehensibility. But as soon as we made eye contact she became flustered and... shy?


    "Wha- no, uhm, I-I find him interesting"


    "Sorry for interrupting you, it''s just This is kinda of difficult book to be read by someone of our age and I, as someone who read it, couldn''t stop myself in asking. If I''m a bother I will leave"


    "No, no, no. Please stay!"


    I looked at the adorable flustered tall girl. Who would have thought that the girl who had a serious aura seconds ago would react this cute to a common inquire. The moe gap is too much for my heart to take.


    "Fufu, thank you my lady for excusing my rudeness. Would you mind discussing this book over a cup of tea in the gazebo?"


    "I would love to!"


    "I''m glad to hear it. My lovely lady please"


    Making a move for her to follow, we proceeded to the gazebo.

 84 Aubrey

    As I set across the nervous talk girl I examined her face and the more I looked the more familiar it seemed.


    By the investigations made I knew her name was Aubrey Klenn, and I certainly knew who her father was in a glance but her... wait! Wasn''t she...


    "Abby?"


    The girl across me made a surprise face. Sure enough it''s her.


    "You remembered!"


    I couldn''t help but smile. This girl is still stupidly cute as before.


    "Of course! It has been too long and you change so much! Who would have thought that the small girl who loved to show her poems and would blush for anything would become so slender and serious woman ah! You look absolutely fantastic"


    Aubrey blushed and shocked her head.


    "You''re more deserving of such of praise Cecile-sama"


    "Oh please Abby! Sama? Seriously?! We can be considered childhood friends, it''s only right to call me Ceci"


    "H-h-how could I?"


    "I insist"


    "Can I really?!"


    To this helpless friend I could only nod.


    "Ceci!"


    "Ah"


    "Fufufu. Everyone in the club will be dying of jealousy"


    "...club?"


    "*cough* *cough* never mind. Uhm Cecile-sa- eh no- Ceci asked me about this author right? Do you perhaps enjoy his writings too?"


    She showed me the book with sparking eyes with faint expectations for my answer, which made me don''t have the power to say how tiresome was reading to this.


    "... you could say that. My teacher passed as an assignment. I had to write a review on it a few days ago"


    "Really? I didn''t know that were teachers here that would appreciate this author since he is not well regarded in the nobility because of his birth. But you know, I think birth has nothing to do with how someone intellect is. He has very interesting views"


    "I must agree with you. I could see many things on a different perspective because of this book"


    Aubrey looked at me with such a sparkling gaze that a foreshadowing feeling came up.


    "Yes! What do you think of what he talked about..."


    And here friends I will omit all the boring jargon that was expelled so we can move on to what interests.


    I smiled patiently at her and gave my insight to some things and only when she paused to drink the tea my ears could rest a little.


    "*sigh* how nice is to discuss with someone like this. We should do some other time"


    Ugh. Thank you but no. I''m not really made to this philosophical conversations. Although I can participate in them I''m not in the slightest passionate about them.


    But, hehe, I know who is.


    "Why don''t I introduce you to my teacher? I''m sure he will be delighted to exchange ideas with you. Plus, he will be more of a interesting partner than me who still has a shallow comprehension"


    Aubrey looked conflicted. Girl let''s do this!


    "Will that be okay? Some teachers really don''t like to be bothered"


    "It will be fine. Let''s go to his office later. What you think?"


    "Sure"


    Ah I''m genius! This way demon junior will be busy enough to not come to often to me and Aubrey will get a perfect conversation partner.


    "Oh right Abby! I have a favor to ask you"


    "Anything"


    I shook my head. Still as naive as the first time. I should guard her better lest she will be taken advantage.


    "Don''t rush, first hear what I say and take your time to think about it. I remembered how well you use to write and wanted to offer you a job in my company. I would like you to be in charge of the propaganda department. Also I thought in doing a small journal with interesting news that could be distributed inside the establishment. What you think?"


    "... you want me to work in your company?"


    Aubrey pointed to her nose and then to me.


    "Yes"


    "Me?"


    "That''s right"


    "Are you sure?"


    "Absolutely"


    Aubrey took a huge breath... is this rhythm going to turn me down? No right?


    "I''m not a professional writer"


    But to this statement I only smiled at her.


    "... you know... hahAHAHA! Of course you would! Please count me in! I''ll be delighted to work under you"


    "Not under. With me"


    "Yes yes"


    She nodded her head like a chicken.


    "This is like a dream coming true! I can finally help you with something!"


    "What are you talking about? Didn''t you already helped me when we were younger? You would always make me company"


    But she just shook her head with a kind smile and appreciative eyes.


    Please don''t look at me like this, I like boys...


    I shifted my eyes from the uncomfortable gaze and changed the subject.


    "So how about we go meet my teacher. He is free right now"


    The appreciation faded and a craze look took place.


    "Yes please!"


    I took her arm and shook my head. Who would have thought this enthusiast was the taciturn girl reading books at the library early.


    After walking through the corridors we arrived at the door I fled from not long ago.


    *knock knock*


    "Come in"


    The voice that causes me nightmare came from inside.


    Opening the door teacher looked nothing like when I left. Early he was the perfect picture of the most vicious person and now he looks like a perfect gentleman. I can only sigh to how good he is in concealment.


    "Teacher is me"


    Teacher immediately paused and raised his eyes with a sharp and cold gaze. But after seeing we are not alone the mild and kind gaze reverted back.


    "Hm"


    "I brought someone to introduce you. This is Aubrey Klunn she is interested in many authors teacher is too. So I thought you could exchange ideas"


    Aubrey Bowes a little and directed a fervent gaze to teacher.


    "Mr. Teacher Cecile told me you know this book and the ideas preached by the author! Could we discuss a bit if it''s not inconvenient"


    Teacher was a bit unsettled with how enthusiast Aubrey was but nonetheless nodded. It would probably be terrible if his father found out that he turned down such an eager student.


    Hee... so you also have today hum.


    Aubrey didn''t even sit and began to spill everything that was on her mind probably. She was like a machine not even stopping to breath.


    At first, teacher was still uncomfortable but through Aubrey barrage he began to become serious and insert his ideas in her discourse.


    And just like that a normal, living - and beautiful if I may add- human became just like any other furniture in the room for their discussion. But I couldn''t be more delighted to see this result.


    Silently raising my thumbs to Aubrey in my heart I left the room.


    Let''s go home and prepare a little gift to my new partner.

 85 Such a peace... urgh

    As I sat in my balcony watching the sunset while ding wine and eating salty chocolates I cannot help but emphasize how happy I''m right now.


    It has been a month that nothing annoying or extraordinary happens.


    It has been a month that nothing annoying or extraordinary happens.


    It has been a month that nothing annoying or extraordinary happens.


    Important things should be repeated three times!


    Yes, my comrades! There was not a stupid squirrel or a idiot scum ruining my mood or a demon teacher putting me through hell. Only saying this words my eyes fill with tears of pure happiness.


    After the slap incident with the Queen and Julia, none of the royals or affiliates contacted me. Although it''s a bit strange not even seeing William for such a long time or any of the other people of both entourages (except Big Brother of course), if their disappearance is linked to me not seeing the scum couple I will gladly not see them for a month more or two.


    The other annoying person that has been harassing me lately was completely subdued by Abby. Because of their heated discussion both of them often forget about my existence in the room and would go hours discussing philosophy allowing me to escape from the fury Uro is tutoring many times this month.


    So just like this peace came in my social life and combine with the business going well I could finally relax like I planned to do since the engagement ended.


    Taking a deep breath, I smelled the sweet smell of vanilla and lavender that was planted in the balcony.


    Life like this is truly enjoyable if only...


    Before my brain could even process the big flag itself raised a loud knock came from the door.


    "Miss Leo came to see you. He says it''s very important"


    ...hehe.


    Maybe if I close my eyes and even my breathing Mary will give up and go away.


    The knocks repeated twice before everything returned to silence.


    Come on, Mary! I believe you and Leo can absolutely resolve any difficulties. I promise that tomorrow I will come to help but please let me take this late night of peace.


    "Miss don''t pretend to sleep. Come, let me help you brush your hair and put a dress, so that you can meet Leo as soon as possible"


    Mary pokes in my weak spots which completely broke my acting.


    "Hahaha okay, okay, I get it. I''m getting up. Jeez, you know I''m absolutely sure you and him could figure out. You make such a good partnership!"


    Mary paid no heed to my teasing and began to groom me up.


    "Of course we have. We are both equally dedicated to serve you purpose Miss"


    Although your argument is convincing I don''t believe it.


    Trying to tease my friend two more times and being completely ignored, I was dragged to the living room where Leo waited for me.


    "I brought her"


    ... how do I feel like a package being delivered?


    "Great! Thanks Mary! I will invite you to dine later"


    "I''ll hold on you for that"


    Oi! Please stop flirting in front of this single dog! I absolutely refuse to be fed this dog food!


    Unwilling to see this love show I gently cough. Have I known that the single me would be so greatly abused I would stay in my room.


    My cough broke their -lovingly- eye contact and focused on me. I can''t deny that after having their sights on me I was completely ashamed of my petty behavior, but refusing to acknowledge this shortcoming I calmly sat down and diverted to the original topic.


    "What is so urgent?"


    After a ''see you later'' that I read by lip reading, Leo sat in front of me while Mary excuse herself. Probably the girl left to dress herself.


    *sigh* go on, continue to abuse this single dog.


    Without noticing my depression or perhaps ignoring it, Leo said what''s business here was besides kidnapping my lovely maid.


    "Ceci, we received a letter from the neighbor country saying that they would like to meet you"


    "You can set this by yourself, so what''s the problem?"


    "They''re asking to meet us tomorrow. The neighbor country sent an envoy to the Kingdom trying to mend the relationship that was wounded because of that disgusting traitor since the parade. The thing is, the envoy that they sent was their first prince. I heard that he would study on the academy for a period. Because of all the political connotations that could be involved with this meeting I decided to consult you first"


    First Prince of the neighbor country.


    According to the information that Cerberus gathered this person was shrewd and resourceful person.


    Different from what we have here, the Royal situation there is completely opposite. With no harmony between the royal heirs, the battle to the throne is known to be ruthless and with few survivors.


    But this person, since he was born was always held as the Crown Prince and completely suppressed the other competitors and is already acknowledged as the Future King by the majority of the population with little discordant voice.


    Although we have no evidence of his involvement, my gut says he was at least one of the coordinators of the plan with Fournier if not the mastermind.


    That such person would like to meet me makes my blood boil with excitement and rage.


    Since some people want to die fast, why should stop?

 86 The pursue of your first love Eric’s POV

    My name is Eric Wells, and I''m just your normal guy who enjoys playing with his friends and has a secret crush on a girl for years. I''m really pretty normal... except that my family relationship is not as harmonious as one family should be and that my is the Emperor of an nation, everything else is pretty normal I swear. Oh... there''s the thing that I''m a Crown Prince of my homeland, but I''m promise that this I the last exceptional thing about me! So if you just ignore this insignificant things I''m just your very normal next-door guy.


    As normal next-door guy, I obviously have a huge crush on my neighbor. If you are asking yourself why it''s secret crush, you probably never had one yourself, no one wants a secret crush if you can have the real deal okay? Unfortunately for me, my secret crush is a tad difficult to become the real deal.


    First problem is she is engaged. Yes. I love someone else''s fianc¨¦e, but what can I do? She''s just too overwhelming perfect and I couldn''t control my feelings after getting to know her. And she''s not only engaged, but her fianc¨¦e is my rival since birth. Just knowing they were betrothed made me had the urge to go rack that guy with my sword.


    Second problem is that although we''re neighbors, we are not next door neighbors but next country neighbors. If you''re thinking that we are not technically neighbors I would like to inform you that not mere where she is she will be my neighbor, room, house, neighborhood, city, country, continent, planet, galaxy...


    This is our conscious so please stop meddling, thank you very much.


    And the third problem is that we barely saw each other after we grown up, so she may not even remember me. It would be kinda of awkward confess to someone who doesn''t even know who you are right?


    But maybe god heard my prayers and something like a miracle happened this last months. First, that (thank god) stupid rival broke his engagement with (my angel) the girl. I heard he had someone else and all. To this kinda of stupid Yi can only say that I''m furious and glad at the same time.


    So first problem solved.


    And then comes the second and third problem. Even if I would like to travel to the other country and profess my live for her, because of my social standing, it''s impossible.


    I needed a legitimate reason to leave my duty as Crown Prince and visit our neighbor without causing any diplomatic difficulties.


    And just as I was racking my brains to figure out how, my problems were solved for me.


    Yes, just like that. Maybe god is really hoping that we be together.


    How you ask? Hmm... it all started a month after the Crown Prince from the neighboring nation broke his engagement with the Prime Minister''s daughter and decided to have an illegitimate baron''s daughter as his lover.


    To this day, I really couldn''t phantom what goes to Albert''s mind to make this move. As a king it was an unwise move and even if we shouldn''t judge others love affairs, in my opinion it was still a dumb move. It''s like trading platinum for golden. Maybe the last is more popular but it''s not even near the value or use of the first. But whatever, he making a mistake it''s actually a huge victory for me and my nation.


    Just like me, apparently most of the people in his kingdom thought he was stupid. He started to loose support and some of the nobility of his country started to have ideas. One of them was a count, who was very influential there.


    The count wanted to make a coup and looked for help in our Empire.


    Because in our culture polygamy is the normal trend, my Father has many wives, resulting in me having many (MANY) siblings. Unfortunately the harem relationship is not very peaceful and the relationship between siblings or father and child can barely be considered neutral.


    As I''m the Crown Prince, my life and title are always in constant danger since my brothers and sisters vie for my position night and day, and as far as I am concerned, Father would change the title if any of my siblings ever surpass me.


    So after Count Fournier contacted my third brother and offered many privileges for him like lands and alliance to the Empire, my stupid brother agreed in helping him with his plans. Although me and Father knew of their plans, neither of us stopped them.


    For me, it didn''t matter if my brother succeeded or not, I would be on the winning end either way... or that''s what I thought.


    His plan failed miserably and his partner fled to our Empire. Until here it was fine. He will loose father''s trust and is one less brother to concern myself. But can anyone explain to me why did he ever make an attempt to my (future) wife?! Not only she almost got hurt, she''s even furious at our Empire! How am I suppose to get her to accept coming over now?!


    But even if it was in unfavorable conditions, brother did give me a reason to visit her country and herself. For that, I will spare his life and exile him to our wastelands in the north.


    So after settling things down, I hastily left to the neighbor country in a diplomatic mission or as I prefer to call wife catching!


    "Your Highness, don''t you think we should visit the castle first?" A baron chosen to accompany me in this diplomatic trip asked me.


    "Tsk! What do you know? This is called sincerity! Our people made so many wrongdoings to poor Ce- Miss Dubois, that I as the Crown Prince should come to apologize don''t you think?" People are trying to pursue their wives, don''t meddle!


    The baron nodded with an unconvinced look.


    "I agree. But isn''t that too many presents?"


    The baron pointed to the three other carriages following us and I shook my head.


    "I heard she lost her guards in this endeavor. This can not even begin to match her or their families loss"


    To this I only heard the baron whisper something like isn''t that just some guards, which I ignored. It''s sad how people in our standing think of life as sesame seeds, that''s why, for me, how Cecile cares for everyone and anyone is dazzling.


    As we approach her state I couldn''t even hear the sound of the horses galloping anymore or the baron''s bagging.


    My heart was beating so fast and so loud, that I thought that any moment now he would jump out of my rib cage.


    Looking at the door of the Dubois state I opened a big smile.


    Wife, I''m finally here to bring you home with me!

 87 A bright god or a sunny next door guy?

    I''m now sitting across a breath-taking creature.


    I always thought that after living surrounded by beautiful people I would have immunity to any kind of beauty and wouldn''t be seduce by color... but I was without a doubt terribly wrong.


    The man in front of me has a different appeal from everyone I had ever meet. People in our country have delicate appearance than our neighbors. Even Alfred who has a permanent face paralysis and Lukas who is a playboy, are more of a stern angel and naughty angel. But this man in front of me completely exudes an innocent and sunny charm.


    When he looks at you, it compels you to smudge his bright and honest appearance with the little darkness inside me. Or maybe it''s just me who has this bad taste.


    If I was asked to describe him would be the sunny boy next door. But instead of boy is a god and instead of sunny is like the sun itself? Hm. In other words dazzling but normal... if that''s even possible.


    I looked down blocking the heavenly vision in front of me.


    ''God am I a joke to you?''


    Otherwise why would you do this greek god be my enemy? Don''t you know people easily forgive beautiful people. It''s science!


    Calm down Cecile, lashing out on God is not the solution. I should first try to understand why this man came to (seduce) visit me.


    After making a mental countdown, I broke the silence that stood since he came in and we exchanged our little introduction. I don''t have the nerve to prolong this little battle of nerves any longer or I may fall to this guy''s beauty.


    "What do I have the honor for this unexpected visit?"


    I tried to make my voice carried a palatable intolerance. Even if otherworldly beautiful He is still the culprit of the deaths of my friends and for the mess in my kingdom.


    But even so, my irritable remark only result on a playful smile of my opponent.


    "Of course I came to see the owner of the biggest business and the most important Miss of the kingdom. Do you know your products are even popular in the empire?"


    As the last phrase registered in my head it was accompanied by the old sound of the cash register.


    It made me completely ignore the beauty in front of me and I started to madly think about how to successfully enter the Empire. Instead of a sexy devil the Empire''s Crown Prince seemed like a big fat cow ready to be slaughtered.


    "Is it? I''m delighted to know"


    But even if delighted about the prospects of entering the Empire''s market early than scheduled, I still have to maintain a uninterested facade.


    The last thing I want is for this to become an opportunity for the person in front of me. If possible after I establish myself I can even lend a helping hand for his adversaries. A gentleman''s revenge can wait years.


    "Yes my Mother and sisters always make a huge fuss when you launch a new product. Honestly you''re probably the number 1 enemy of our treasure staff"


    I only smiled.


    ''Hmph. I would empty your treasure room if I could''


    Seeing I''m not following his lead, the Prince also smiled.


    "Cecile you really don''t remember me"


    Saying that the dazzling light in his eyes dimmed a bit.


    "I remember you calling me handsome brother left and right back in the days. Do you remember that time that you got lost trying to catch a bunny in our palace? The whole palace went crazy looking for you and once I found you, you were calmly eating berries with the rabbit, completely oblivious to the mayhem you caused"


    The prince said to me laughing, but this words caused a 10000 crit in me.


    God! Oh God! Am I really a big joke to you??? Not only this man in front of is beautiful beyond words, he is even my first love!


    Boohoo, I want to hide from this bid evil right now! It''s not fun to play anymore!


    "Your Highness what have you come here for? I highly doubt it was for revisiting old memories"


    Please state your business and leave, otherwise my perfect queen mask will collapse.


    The Prince became serious making me sigh in relief. Honestly, this is way more nerve wrecking that I thought it would be.


    "I came to apologize"


    ...huh?


    "Although I was not the one who orchestrated, I indeed knew of the plan for the coup. For me if it failed or not, would only result in gains"


    I could only smile chilly to this. So for gains, what is a mere sacrifice of others lives right?


    The person in front of me seemed panicked a little after my smile. Panic? I denied myself immediately. How could he panic because of me.


    But contrary to my thoughts not only he seemed panicked he even grabbed my hand.


    "Cecile you must believe me! I really didn''t know they would endanger anyone''s life... well besides the royals. But if I ever knew they would try to cause so much damage to the population or you, I would never, ever, let them proceed"


    He took a breath to calm down.


    "I brought gifts with me. They are for you and the families of your guards... I know it cannot even begin to match your loss, but I hope that you can see our. No. My sincerity in expressing my apologies"


    Although not entirely convinced, I believe 50/50 in his statement. I will probably have to order Carl to investigate the Empire side further.


    "What about the culprit?"


    The man opened a big smile.


    "I sent him to the wastelands!"


    I swear to you that right now in front of me the crown prince transform himself in a big dog shaking his tail for praise. Just too cute!


    Cough! Cecile get a grip!


    I retracted my hand that was moving by itself to pat his head.


    Standard smile.


    "Thank you Your Highness. I will convey later to the families the news"


    "Hm-Eh- Ceci- I"


    The prince became flustered and seemed uncomfortable.


    "Is there a problem your highness? I would do my best to solve for you"


    The prince scratch his head with an embarrassed look.


    "Cecile, won''t you calm me big brother Eric like when we were younger?"


    He downcast his eyes and had a blush in his cheeks and ears.


    100000000 crit in my heart.


    Oh. My. Gosh.


    What is this absolutely cute creature in front of me???


    I think my noble mask is crumbling and the evil big sis tendency is coming. Cecile baby hang in there.


    Shakes my head to deny my thoughts and his request.


    "That''s not very appropriate"


    "T-then how about Eric? Surely you can right? For the old times sake"


    I paused a bit and opened my mouth.


    "Yes, Eric. You can call me Ceci, if you would like to"


    Eric opened a big smile that almost made me blind as if I had given him the world and a bit more.


    "Ceci"


    "Yes"


    "Ceci"


    "Hm"


    "Ceci"


    "..."


    I think I just turn the crown prince from the neighbor country silly.

 88 In the carriage Eric’s POV

    After finally leaving the euphoric state of having my darling call my name as I called hers, I looked at the baron who probably had an incredible face since coming out of the state.


    "You want to know why I''m courting her"


    "Yes"


    "Cecile she''s a great woman"


    "I don''t mean to be rude but we don''t lack great women in our Empire Your Highness"


    I nodded.


    "You know I loved her since I was kid. Unfortunately she was not available at the time. Wouldn''t be delightful to marry someone you love?"


    "...yes" he answered me with a disagreeable face.


    I chuckled.


    "Of course for an Emperor is almost impossible to do it. We must consider all kind of things to our future Empress or concubine. Plus love is not something our lovely nobility looks for in their sovereign"


    I look outside the window. My country is a beautiful place with amazing people living on it. All my life all I wanted to do is to improve my subjects lives and enrich my nation. That''s why I''m still the running as heir of throne and putting with all the s*it from the royals and nobles all these years.


    Even my love I was willing to give up. After all I wasn''t going to start a war and let millions die because of this petty reason.


    But now I don''t have to do this anymore. I can just simply combine the useful with the pleasant and everything is going to be perfect.


    ... well, that''s is if she accepts my pursue.


    But I''m confident in myself!


    "Cecile Dubois. The only daughter of the Prime Minister, is known to be the perfect image of what a lady should be by the nobles and an angel by the common people. Plus she has one more identity known to everyone the biggest business owner of the kingdom. If she one day decides to stop her products, this kingdom will face a crises"


    I tapped my finger in the armrest.


    "Not only this kingdom. Our Empire will also face some difficulties since she not only imports large quantities of materials from there but we also import many of her products or of her family fiefdom"


    I took my eyes back and looked at the baron that was flabbergasted. Yes, Cecile now is actually a very dangerous person for both nations. She controls too much of our economy that not even my father or this country''s king can mess with her.


    Actually the best option was probably have someone to deal with her in silence on the beginning. But because of her family and status, it wasn''t easy. In my investigations I fount that both sovereigns tried to undermine her business a bit, but it was so easily solved by her competent subordinates that she probably didn''t even know of their attempt.


    My investigation also showed that...


    "And as the cherry on top of the cake, she has one more identity"


    The baron looked at me intently and I smiled.


    "She''s the owner of the biggest underground organization of this kingdom. So do tell me dear baron, which lady do you know in our Empire that could rival her? I will gladly meet her when we go back"


    The baron became silent. Not that I expected anything more. Cecile is truly a scary person when you think about it. She is loved so much by the nobility that when Albert broke their engagement, he and his fianc¨¦e were ridiculed behind their backs and ostracized. Well, not that that piece of ice noticed. He has fallen too deep to that girl. Is laughable actually.


    She is also loved by the commoners and has a large institution of charity that develops one of the most outstanding people here. Most of them go work for her, but those that don''t are now everywhere. Other nobles house, important guilds like the medical association and the pharmacist association, the guards, the royal castle and some of them even manage to get small nobility titles.


    All this was started by her kindness when she was a kid, and now after more than ten years the people who benefited from it can easily mobilize the kingdom if they want. And all of them is deeply grateful to her and idolizes her to the maximum.


    She also controls the economy and the underground of the kingdom. I''ll say again, that Albert actually broke his engagement with her is laughable. With one word from her his kingdom or at least his family sovereignty would be over. Fortunately for him, she really likes his family and has no thoughts about the throne.


    "Having her by my side is like having this kingdom by my side. Do you understand now Baron?"


    He nodded hastily and patted his chest.


    "That woman is truly scary"


    I laughed to his comment.


    "Nah. Don''t you think she''s cute?"


    He looked incredulous at me.


    "Do you know that her aim was never any of this?"


    Yes. Knowing her, she probably just wanted to be richer so she made some business. She felt this people were poor and she helped those that she could. She didn''t want embarrass her family so she trained harder than anyone else to be the Queen.


    "That''s why she''s cute. Her sincere feelings for each thing she does is what attracts people to her like butterflies to the most sweet flower"


    And I''m one of these butterflies. Since young her sincerity it''s the nectar that drowned me and made me deeply addicted.


    "So I want to make her my Empress. I don''t wish no one else by my side"


    ''And no one else would be if not her'' I smiled thinking in all the ways to approach her and invite her to follow to my territory.

 89 The Harem

    "Rumor has it that your harem now includes the crown prince of the neighbor country too. ''He was so fascinated by Miss Dubois charm that the first thing he did after entering the country was courting her''. Ceci you''re a simply my idol!"


    Aubrey commented with thumbs up and stars in her eyes as we enjoy our afternoon tea as we usually did after becoming friends. Usually we talk about some new gossip or what not. Today''s gossip seems to be unexpectedly about me though.


    "Harem?" I asked a little baffled.


    Since when did I started one? Why don''t I know?


    "Unofficial one of course. You have so many bees and butterflies that they are now known as your harem by the noble daughters. I thought you knew it"


    I shook my head. It seems I need to scold Carl a bit. Not even news about me I''m hearing anymore.


    (Carl, who was in the middle of an interrogation felt a subtle chill and trembled a little. Did Boss started to think about training him again? No, no, no. How could he let this happened. With this thought the whip that was trailing to the wall change its direction and fell on the prisoner''s back)


    "Oh, Let me introduce you then! First we have Leon, your faithful sidekick. Then we have Lukas, the sexy older brother. Then we have Cale, the playboy who is now wholeheartedly in love with you. There is also Prince William, the younger brother type and now the new addition is Eric, the next door Prince!"


    Aubrey said counting with her fingers.


    "In other words, you''re amazing please teach me the secret!"


    "Be rich, be beautiful and have a high status"


    I smiled at her and answered generously.


    Hearing my answer she pouted.


    "...really impossible"


    I chuckled a bit.


    "You''re wrong you know"


    She looked at me with curious eyes.


    "Most of the men attracted to me right now it''s not love but admiration and lust. Wouldn''t you admire and crave for a successful and not so crooked man?"


    Aubrey seemed to think about someone and nodded. Oh? It seems my little journalist is in love. I wonder if it''s that demon teacher.


    "Cale, only came in interest after I entered the limelight because of my stores and the banquets. We not once held a conversation before. Although now, we saw a few times, love is not something I see in those eyes... maybe lust and a desire to conquer is more accurate"


    I sipped my tea a bit.


    "Lukas..."


    I shook my head.


    "I don''t know what is happening to him. He always treated me like a young girl. It''s like suddenly he found that I''m now a woman. His feelings... I think when the novelty of his finding pass, they will fade as well"


    I sipped again. Seriously the tea Aubrey brews is too delicious.


    "Leo... actually I thought that if I didn''t find anyone I liked, I would accept his pursuit. It was unfair to him but he''s really somewhat close to my type. But who would have thought he and Mary would fall in love! Apparently after multiple nights of handling the company affairs together, they grew close and he realized that rather then love he admired me and yearn to be someone like me and for Mary was his true love. So a few weeks ago he confessed and they''re now together"


    Aubrey seemed a bit shocked. Don''t tell me about it. I was also pretty shocked myself when I learned all the ins and outs from Mary. Their love story is actually a bit clumsy but is very sweet to hear about how they slowly realized their feelings to each other. I''m guessing that the wedding it''s not that far.


    "Will"


    I sighed with this one. His feeling were very obvious since were young.


    "He''s a nice and cute guy. But unfortunately because of everything that happened, we are impossible"


    There''s no way tht I''m marrying my ex-fianc¨¦e brother and become part of his family. Will, doesn''t have any fault but I just can''t stomach the thought of having that scum couple as in-laws. Plus I always saw Will as a younger brother rather than a possible live target.


    "What about the Prince Eric?" Abby looked at me as if I denied this one too I would break all her dreams.


    I pinched her cheeks in amusement.


    "He has so many options in his kingdom, why would he fancy me?"


    "Money, beauty, status!"


    Abby lifted her three fingers and said righteously making me laugh at her.


    "Well, I''m sure he has someone like this somewhere in his vast territory too. Rather than fancying me, I would rather he fancied my business. Think about it, the IP stores all over the continent!"


    "Continent?"


    "Of course! The Empire is just the door for me expand my business. If I can I will put the IP brand in every country!" And then put my cute subordinates to manage it, while I live spending my endless wealth. I added in my heart.


    "Not only IP will expand but your journal will too. Don''t you think it''s better than be looking for love?"


    Aubrey sighed.


    "Seriously, you only have money in your eyes that''s why Ryan its always complaining, but I like it! Let''s put our brand in the world Boss"


    "Ryan?"


    "*cough cough* Mr. Dawson"


    I just simply looked at her and gave my thumbs up for which smiled embarrassedly.


    "You go girl! To tame the demon, what are you, an angel?"


    "So about the promotion of the new line..."


    Aubrey started to babbling about some new product to divert my attention. Hehe, I will spare you of this embarrassment, but lil'' Ryan Dawson in 30 minutes will be seriously teased.


    I smiled wickedly and listened to Abby''s babbling while enjoying my afternoon tea.

 90 Informations

    "So I heard that the Empire Crown Prince visited you before he started his official agenda"


    Mr. Dawson said looking at me with sharp eyes. Yo, I''m not one of your prisoners so quit looking at me like that, it seriously gives me chills.


    "And I heard that you and Aubrey are now in first name basis"


    We both stared at each other without anyone backing out.


    "You should know that his visit prioritizing you is no way near beneficial to anyone"


    Junior Demon said tapping his fingers on the table.


    "It is not like I could refuse his visit"


    Junior Demon just stared at me silently.


    "Stop probing me ''kay? Just ask what you want to know and I''ll tell you. But in return you have to answer my questions about your relationship with my little Aubrey"


    He continued to tap his fingers on the table. The constant sound was beginning to get in my nerves, but fortunately he didn''t took that long to answer.


    "Fine"


    Seriously I don''t even know why you hesitated.


    "What was his intention in visiting you?"


    "He said he wanted to apologize for all the damage cause"


    "The presents?"


    "Na-ah. My turn, are you serious in perusing Aubrey? What about Julia?"


    "I only have a subject and master relationship with Miss Julia. About Abby- *cough* Miss Aubrey I mean...yes, I''m serious about her"


    Junior Demon said and a slight hue could be seen in his ears. Holy moly, I think I''m hallucinating! The demons is blushing. The demons is blushing. The demons is blushing.


    Important things must be said thrice.


    Maybe the unbelief in my face was too strong, Mr. Dawson coughed trying to brush the awkwardness.


    "The presents"


    "A symbol of apology to the families of those who were lost. So, how far did you guys progress? Holding hands? Kissing? Or-"


    "Cecile how can you even ask if we did it!"


    Demon Junior said a little flustered.


    I put my hand in my heart and feigned a surprise expression.


    "What are you thinking! I was going to say hugging! Tsk, tsk. To think you had such dirty mind"


    I said shaking my head. Of course I knew you guys wouldn''t do it before marriage. Although not uncommon (just look at the scum couple), it''s not actually something well seen. And knowing how proper and uptight Aubrey is with this things there is no way in a million years that it would happen. I just wanted to see the man in front of me embarrassed hehe.


    "So, how far?"


    I insisted in my question.


    "We only held hands. K-kiss this type of thing, how cane we- I do it?"


    He asked as the hue in his ears got stronger.


    No way.


    No. Freaking. Way.


    "You never kissed anyone?"


    I asked in astonishment.


    It''s not that I''m discriminating, but Ryan Dawson was in his 20s and always roamed in the underworld I thought for sure he was an all-round experienced man.


    "There is no way I would. Wait. Is that uncommon?"


    "Urgh. I don''t know. The males around me are not exactly your standard noble right? Lukas for sure kissed. I think he even got farther. My brother too. Albert... well you should know better than me"


    I think that only pure land around me is Will, but I don''t think that even if he had kissed someone he would let me know.


    "To think that I''m that behind... is Aubrey disappointed that we didn''t progress any further then? This shouldn''t be. I''m sure that they are the abnormals"


    Mr. Dawson muttered under his breath.


    "What about you?"


    Sorry, wasn''t this interrogation about Prince Eric''s visit?


    But seeing the eager face, I still answered. It''s not something I thought as a secret anyway.


    "With Prince Albert. But was just a light peck in the midst of children curiosity"


    "Did I loose to a child?"


    "... why don''t you try the next time with Aubrey then. Give her a peck on the cheek first and see her reaction"


    "Isn''t it a bit abrupt?"


    "I kiss her cheeks all the time though?"


    "Why would you- *sigh* forget it. And then? What after?"


    "You can progress further in future encounters, more pecks on the cheek, a peck on the mouth, a more serious kiss-"


    "Okay, I think I got the idea"


    He said raising his hand signaling me to stop.


    Such a innocence from the Demon Junior, I must say that is unexpected.


    Unfortunately, the innocence didn''t last long and the frigid and boring Demon was back.


    "Did Prince Eric mentioned anything else?"


    Urgh, I can''t believe that this will continue.


    Baby Aubrey come save me, your man is bullying me!


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    After a tiresome interrogation I finally left the Academy and went to Moor to meet Carl. Apparently they finally found who helped Fournier and some clues to where exactly in Boudoin he was.


    "Miss you''re here"


    I nodded and sat down in the chair he pulled for me. Without any delays a warm tea and some snacks appeared in front of me.


    Once more I marveled in the training that my cute subordinates have.


    "Carl you''re becoming a natural! If one day Mary abandons me for Leo I''ll bring you to be my attendant"


    "Miss don''t joke, if big sis hears that she is not only going to skin me alive but will also stop all contacts with Leo. The poor boy won''t know how to cry by then"


    Carl commented with a foolish grin.


    "Hmph. Deserve it! Who told him to feed me with dog food every time he meets my cute Mary"


    Carl only helplessly nodded to my little tantrum.


    Please don''t look at me with such a pity when you''re a single dog yourself!


    "Right, you said that we have results"


    "Yes. Do you want me a oral report or the document?"


    "Oral"


    "Yes Miss. About the person who helped Fournier in his plot, we found that the person was from the Boudoin''s Royalty. We had some difficulties to find out who exactly was since the matter was covered up by the Boudoin''s Emperor, but after some pleasantries with our prisoners, we finally found the third prince as the mastermind"


    "Third Prince, not the Crown Prince?"


    Carl shook his head.


    "No, third prince. The Crown Prince didn''t participated in the matter in anyway until the end, when he exiled the third prince to the wastelands. Personally I think he knew everything that was happening but chose not to act"


    Hmm. It seems that Prince Eric was telling the true yesterday.


    Unknowingly, this fact gave me a slight relieve. Probably I didn''t want to admit that my first love was such a terrible person. Fortunately the young me still has a good vision.


    "Then?"


    "We sent someone to teach our little compassion to our benefactor"


    I nodded.


    Maybe is my sense of justice or my hypocrisy but I felt I need to personally punish those involved or else I wouldn''t know how to face the families of those that weren''t here anymore.


    Although I didn''t want the life of anyone, I still want to teach all those involved a lesson, but how far the lesson will be depends on my subordinates~


    "What about the state of Boudoin?"


    "Politically they are much more complex than here many factions and contents for heir exist. However the Crown Prince faction seems to be the one with highest power besides those loyal only to the Emperor. Economically, they are very rich and produce much more raw products than our kingdom. Here is the list of the most successful business in the empire"


    I took the document over and analyzed it.


    It seems that IP can open a branch there without much problem. But because there''s so many faction is bound to attract some of them once we try... only thinking about it makes my body refuse to go.


    But putting the political struggle aside, the demand for our products there is relatively high among nobles. Probably because they''re imported products, our products doesn''t seem to appeal much to the general public. It would probably be best if we could develop some products with the Empire special products and bring a sense of familiarity to the customers.


    I started to devise an action plan to enter the Boudoin''s market and after having several meetings with my subordinates, we finally came with the final version of our action plan.


    Seeing it in my hand, a villainous smile appeared in my face.


    Boudoin, honey, I''m coming!

 91 Another boring banque

    "Baby, are you not going to the banquet?"


    I tiredly entered my home and saw my mom dressed lavishly with a dress of course of yours truly.


    I nodded in appreciation to the beautiful picture I was granted entering the estate.


    Wait, mom just asked me something.


    "...banquet?"


    "To receive the envoys"


    I blankly stared at my mother.


    Hehe.


    "Mary!! MARY WHERE ARE YOU WE HAVE AN EMERGENCY!!!"


    I said as I dashed to my bathroom in desperation.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    I boredly sat down in some quiet corner of the venue.


    Although I don''t mind socializing and even enjoy it sometimes, today was a very tiring day and I didn''t have an ounce of interest in mingling among the noble social circle.


    I slowly drank my bubbly drink as I looked at the people in the salon.


    Some were dancing, some were gossiping, others just looking. They are all smiling and speaking amicably to each other.


    Because as nobles we always have to mask or feelings, my favorite pastime is to try to guess what are they truly thinking.


    For example, that group of misses right there. By their surreptitious glances at Lukas and one of the lady in their group, I can bet my money that she is the current rumored new flame.


    Their probable conversation was something like:


    "Fufu~ I heard that you and Sir Lukas are close"


    "Please, don''t make me blush. Lukas is so kind so we occasionally talk"


    "Yes, Lukas-sama is kind and rich, making him very popular"


    "Ah~ if only he was not a playboy, he would be perfect~"


    And blablabla.


    What they really mean is:


    "I heard you tried to seduce Sir Lukas"


    "We, Lukas and Me, are very, VERY, close"


    "B*tch please, who doesn''t know what you''re aiming for"


    "Not only he is close to you but he is also close to more 20 ladies" a voice by my side said my thoughts.


    I looked at my left and a dashing man was sit on my side.


    Seeing that I had my attention on him, the man flashed me a smile.


    "Did I guessed wrong?"


    I shrugged.


    "Don''t you think 20 is a bit too much Eric?"


    "Not according to what I''ve heard about him"


    "It seems our king still has to pay more attention to spies then"


    We stared at each other for good few seconds and broke into laughter.


    "I didn''t know you still played this game. Do you remember how once we hid below the table and spent a whole party playing this game?"


    "Ah, yes. If I remember correctly the table we were hiding had some people from the north, a minister from your land a Viscount from here. I think they were talking about trade? But really they were trying to sound each other territory''s market"


    Eric nodded.


    "Two hours of boring conversations"


    "You hurt my feelings this way. I thought we had fun"


    I said holding my chest with a fake hurt expression.


    "That''s not what I meant! No matter if their talk was interesting or not, spending time with you is always fun Ceci"


    Eric said looking at me with the brightest smile I had seen so far.


    I averted my eyes back to the main hall trying to shield the sun burning by my side.


    "It''s okay for the star of the banquet be here?"


    Translation: go before someone troublesome appears.


    "Are you telling me to leave?"


    He asked amused.


    Oh, so you know!


    "How could I? I just think that people are probably looking for you"


    Translation: go quickly, shush!


    "What to do? I don''t really want to accompany them, unless..."


    "Unless?"


    "Unless you come as my companion"


    Haha, funny joke.


    There is no way I''m going.


    Noooo waaaay.


    "Oh Miss Cecile, so you were accompanying Prince Eric all the time"


    "I''m happy to see that the best person in the kingdom is entertaining you Prince, I hope your visit is comfortable so far"


    Nobles flocked around us with some small chats, some inquiries, some probing.


    Eric looked at me with his puppy eyes begging for rescue from these evil people.


    Urgh.


    What can I say? I''m really weak to puppy eyes from a handsome man. Even more so if the handsome man is my first love.


    We greeted and chatted with some nobles that came to us and Eric seemed interested in.


    "Are you tired?"


    Eric whispered in my ears making me tremble a bit.


    Ears are totally foul play! Please stop!


    "I''m still okay, but I''m a bit thirsty"


    I answered with a thin tread holding my impeccable noble''s mask, trying to regain whatever barring I could after the surprise attack.


    "Do you want me to get juice or a drink?"


    I was about to answer him but someone else interrupted our conversation.


    "Heh~ Eric I see you still are shameless clinging to Cecile"


    Sigh. I knew troublesome people would I appear...


    Eric looked at the incoming person with dislike written all over his face.


    "Albert I see that you are as dislikable as always"


    The two princes stared at each other for a moment and then opened a huge grin hugging each other.


    "Sorry I couldn''t greet you yesterday. I was busy with some matters"


    "It seems I have to thank whoever kept you busy. And this lady is?"


    "Right, this is Julia. Julia this is Prince Eric from Boudin. You don''t really have to pay attention to him though"


    Albert said with a dismissive tone but I saw the squirrel''s eyes shining to Eric instead of showing indifference.


    How could I forget! The man by my side is the last member of b*tch lead-sama harem.


    I curiously looked at Eric, but I couldn''t see a trace of favorability in his eyes. Hell, I could even see some dislike on them.


    "So you''re the famous Miss Julia. I must say that''s a long awaited name"


    Julia blushes a bit and held her checks shyly.


    "To think that the Prince was concerned about me"


    ...


    Say what again?


    With which ear did you hear him saying so?


    "Sorry Miss Julia, it seems that you misunderstood me. It''s just that there are many rumors about you"


    Eric smiled awkwardly.


    "Ah? I thought for sure-"


    "Eric, I heard that you''re going to spend this semester in the Academy. Unfortunately I''m not attending anymore so you''re probably going to be lonely"


    Albert interrupted whatever nonsense Julia was going to say and abruptly changed the conversation.


    "Yes. I''ll be doing some complementary study"


    "That''s amazing! I also go to the Academy so I could show it to you!"


    Julia said with so much enthusiasm that I thought she was going to start to jump like a kid with sugar high.


    "That won''t be necessary since Ceci already offered herself to do it"


    Sorry when did I ever said that? How come I do not know?


    "Prince Eric must not be aware but Cecile barely attends the school"


    Julia argued back.


    Squirrel b*tch, does your lover knows you try to hook with other guys? Oh, wait. Your lover is actually by your side right now!


    I could see Albert''s face color changing in a blink.


    Ladies and Gentlemen, tonight we will have squirrel as the mains dish. We have a lot of variations, fried, sashimi, boiled and cooked. The squirrel was personally hunted and treated by our Dear Crown Prince!


    As fantasies run wild in my imagination, Albert clenched the soon-to-be cooked squirrel''s hand making her frown.


    "Julia, my love, unfortunately you don''t have the time now to be Eric''s tour guide since you now have extra lessons right?"


    Albert bit the ''my'' with such strength that I thought his teeth were going to crack.


    But he was right, she probably didn''t have much time now with all her Queen''s lessons. I didn''t have much time to breath when it was me, I can''t even imagine how is going for her who has to do what I did in so little time. If I think like that I can almost feel pity for her.


    "Al I can always skip the extra lessons right? It''s not like they''re important. And Eric is our friend so we need to make him feel welcome"


    Does this girl speaks human? What is this nonsense about the Queen''s training and how can you be friends to a person you literally just met and he is disgust with you?


    How can she even dare to say that with a straight face???


    Look at Albert''s face! He looked like he just swallowed a fly.


    Once again I caught myself thinking if I should have fought for the Queen seat... I really fear for my country in the future. Hopefully our King will stop this madness in time.

 92 I can see Albert POV

    Today was mine and Julia''s first public appearance together since the parade. The event is merely a welcome party to the envoys so I have confidence that Julia can pass the event without any problems and finally score some points with the nobility and my parents.


    I put my white coat and saw a little bouquet in my bouquet with blue and pink flowers. The delicate flowers evoked a smile on my face.


    ''What to do my lover is just too adorable''


    "Where is Julia?"


    "She''s finishing her preparations in your mother''s chambers"


    My guard answered. Just for today (unfortunately), Juli was granted permission to enter the Royal Castle once again. Sadly, father didn''t let her to stay the night in the castle, so today is just another day without her my side.


    Since she left, I''ve been waking up every night and sleeping poorly. The carnal desires that I have are also much more intense than they were, but fortunately I''m used to control myself since young.


    I laugh at myself. Honestly I''m just like a drug dependent in withdrawal.


    As I amused myself with silly thoughts I finally got in the room that Juli was preparing herself. I must say that I''m a bit nervous in seeing her. I feel that we didn''t ended up our last conversation the way we should, but seeing the flowers in my coat once again, my nervousness faded. Right, Juli is such a lovely girl, I''m sure that we will overcome whatever is in our way.


    I knocked the door.


    KNOCK. KNOCK. KNO-


    Before the third knock, the door opened and my beautiful fianc¨¦e plunged herself into my arms.


    "Al I missed you so much!"


    "And I, you baby"


    I said giving a kiss on her forehead.


    "Are you ready?"


    "Yes!"


    I smiled seeing her little dimples and picked her hand guiding her to the banquet.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    After we arrived at the banquet a swarm of nobles flocked around us. Some complimented Julia, others me, and some others tried to probe some kind of information.


    I absentmindedly replied them with half-hearted answers and look glanced everywhere trying to find the person I was looking for.


    It was only when I was about to loose my patience that I finally found him. I excused myself and brought Julia to greet this bastard.


    "Heh~ Eric I see you still are shameless clinging to Cecile"


    Seriously can''t this guy at least converge a bit? He just arrived in the country and can''t wait to declare his intentions towards Cecile.


    Although I knew he had a crush on her when we were younger, I never thought he would still maintain the same feeling for her for years.


    Seeing him embracing her still made the uncomfortable feeling of have my things snatched away, but just as I was about to say something, I remembered the disgusted face Cecile showed me some time ago and all the words died in my throat.


    "Albert I see that you are as dislikable as always"


    This bastard still is uncultured as always. Seriously, this way he will never get the little bunny in his harem.


    Probably noticing my disdain, he stared sternly at me, which I obviously answered with the same stare.


    Our little war didn''t last long until both of us looked away at the same time after noticing how the our surroundings were less noisy and that the nobles around had their attention here.


    We both broke into laughter breaking whatever rumor it may start due to our state contest.


    "Sorry I couldn''t greet you yesterday. I was busy with some matters"


    I tactfully changed the subject, apologizing for not being able to receive him in our castle yesterday.


    Due to some weird movements of the North in the border coupled with all the problems with my future with Julia, I was kept rather busy the past few days.


    "It seems I have to thank whoever kept you busy. And this lady is?"


    Eric said looking at Julia. Fortunately I could feel that he didn''t harbor any lust or interest towards Julia unlike most guys, so I introduced the two without losing the opportunity to discredit him in front of my baby, hoping she also wouldn''t show any interest in him. For my disappointment after Eric said some empty flattery Julia blushed a bit and held her cheeks shyly and said something that almost made me punch something.


    "To think that the Prince was interested in me"


    "Sorry Miss Julia, it seems that you misunderstood me. It''s just that there are many rumors about you"


    Eric smiled and looked at me awkwardly. In his eyes I could clearly see he asking me ''what the f*ck is this girl?''


    "Ah? I thought for sure-"


    Not being able to hear Julia''s nonsense anymore I interrupted in hopes she could regain her sanity.


    "Eric, I heard that you''re going to spend this semester in the Academy. Unfortunately I''m not attending anymore so you''re probably going to be lonely"


    But to my despair, Julia couldn''t get my hint.


    "That''s amazing! I also go to the Academy so I could show it to you!"


    Hearing the enthusiasm in her voice my jealousy began to burn even more fiercely inside and I had the urge to drag her out of here and lock her somewhere where she couldn''t contact anyone from the opposite sex.


    Fortunately, Eric refused and even threw Cecile, who was clearly clueless, in front to block Julia''s enthusiasm.


    I looked at Julia thinking she would give up but once again she disappointed me.


    "Prince Eric must not be aware but Cecile barely attends the school"


    As Julia argued back I could see the thick mockery in Eric''s eyes and for the first time of my life I felt a deep embarrassment due to my choice of partner. Not only embarrassment, but also jealousy and anger.


    Trying to hold my sanity I still kindly reminded her of her queen lessons and busy schedule, giving her a step for her to retreat.


    "Julia, my love, unfortunately you don''t have the time now to be Eric''s tour guide since you now have extra lessons right?"


    I bit the ''my'' trying to remind her of who she belonged to, but Julia only looked innocently at me and said something that made the last thread of reason within me snap.


    "Al I can always skip the extra lessons right? It''s not like they''re important. And Eric is our friend so we need to make him feel welcome"


    SNAP.


    The thread was broken and an immeasurable anger begun to cloud my eyes. Fortunately before I could do something that I would regret for a life time I felt a soft hand grabbing my raised arm.


    "Not here"


    Cecile''s composed and cold voice.


    I looked around and sure enough everyone stopped to see the play here.


    I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.


    Once I opened again I was back to normal.


    "It seems that I need to discuss with these two lovely ladies who will have the pleasure to be your companion in the future, if you excuse me"


    I nod to Eric and dragged Julia to the Royal Family lounge.


    I was afraid that Cecile wouldn''t keep up with me due to our bad blood, but fortunately she tightly followed behind us.


    As soon as we closed the door, I shook Julia''s arm attached to mine.


    "Julia Hartmann, do you know your mistakes?"


    I asked trying to hold back all the anger inside or else I''m sure I would once again raise my hand to her.


    "I did not such a thing. I-I was just trying to be friendly! Why you are being fierce to me? And why is Cecile here??!"


    Julia sobbed and almost screamed the last part. I could also see Cecile looking at me with an inquisitive look, but I couldn''t care less about explaining the reason why I called her together, since I, myself, didn''t know.


    "Friendly? You were almost throwing yourself to him! He clearly stated that he didn''t want involve himself with you, why were still persisting? You made a fool out of me and even worse, you made a fool out of yourself!"


    "You, you are humiliating me!"


    "Am I?"


    I asked mockingly. I was just telling what everyone saw. I have been tolerating this behavior of hers for so long, but maybe because this was in front of Eric and Cecile or maybe my rival''s mockery got to me. But for the first time I wasn''t willing to swallow Julia''s bs.


    Perhaps Julia saw the unusual of our situation, so she stopped questioning me and started to excuse herself.


    "You know I was just a commoner. Among commoners this level of friendship is common between sexes-"


    "Bulls*it"


    Cecile murmured behind Julia, making Julia turn to her.


    "What did you just said?"


    Julia asked aggressively.


    Unfortunately for her, Cecile wasn''t even a bit intimidated by her appearance.


    "Just that you''re not only a noble now, but the future king of this country"


    "But I''m still not well versed on the manners of the nobles, you know this Al!"


    Julia turned to me again and said with grievances overflowing from her eyes.


    I blinked at the face screaming ''in being bullied'' and smile.


    "Yes I know"


    I nodded to her, making relief visibly appear in her face.


    "So that''s why I''m confused as to why you said the extra lessons are not useful, when you clearly need them"


    "I-I-I"


    Julia seemed lost and tears spilled even more fiercely from her eyes. My heart begun to soft with each tear dropped.


    Julia looked at me and Cecile who were silently waiting for her answer. She stomped her feet and pointed to Cecile.


    "Didn''t you say you hated how nobles were full of masks and tricks like this dirty w*ore? Isn''t that why you love me? Why should I learn to be as boring and cold as Miss Flower of Society and the Queen? They are just some bad people pretending to be something they are not! Especially the Queen-"


    As I was about to shut the mouth that I love to kiss for good, someone was faster than me.


    A loud sound of flesh hitting one another sounded on the room.


    As a result of the sound Julia held her cheek on the ground glaring daggers to Cecile who blowed her red hand.


    Julia looked at me waiting for me to revenge her, but I only avoided her look fearing that I would completely deform her face otherwise.


    "Are you choosing her side? I hate you Albert!"


    Saying so Julia dashed out of the room and banging the door very loudly.


    I propped myself in the sofa and held my head with both hands, Cecile sit in the sofa across me still blowing her hand.


    "I thought you would revenge her or at least run after her"


    She said mockingly in between her blows.


    "Can''t you comfort me for a bit?"


    "Nah"


    "You''re ruthless"


    "And you''re blind"


    I laughed of our tit-for-tat that erased a bit of my foul mood. I raised my head and after seeing Cecile still blowing the palm of her hand, I got up and sat down


    by her side.


    I took the little palm that was completely red and hot and blowed it, even with Cecile''s futile attempt to take it away.


    "It seems a bit swollen"


    "This is not for the Crown Prince to care"


    Is it for Eric to care then? Is what I would like to ask but still quietly blowed her hand while ringing the bell.


    Not long after a maid came in and out to get something cold for Cecile''s hand"


    I continued to blow the hand that Cecile''s gave up to get off of my grip.


    "Thank you for today"


    I finally said after putting the pack of ice that the servant brought in her hand.


    "As long as you don''t get upset with me hitting your lover"


    Cecile said indifferently.


    I opened a bitter smile and rested my head in her shoulders which made her immediately give a rejection reaction.


    "Let me be here just a bit Cecile"


    I said trying to appease her but she still tried to push me away with her other hand.


    I grabbed her hand and closed my eyes.


    "I command you to let me rest a bit in your shoulders"


    She stopped struggling and took her hand back. Although I had to use the royal power, the silence and the comfort I had from her presence made it worth.


    "Do you think we could be friends?"


    "Probably before her arrival there was this possibility"


    "You know being friends with the royalty could give your business a lot of opportunities"


    "With all due respect your highness I don''t need the royal family friendship to move forward in business now"


    We became silent. I couldn''t refute her claim and she probably didn''t want to talk with me.


    "I think I''m begging her to like more and more the idea you gave me about Julia"


    "As a citizen under your future reign, I''m eternally grateful for not letting that mad squirrel wrack a havoc in our country"


    I smiled at her answer and raised my head to look at her.


    "But I can''t let no one taking care of the Queen obligations, so I have a proposition. I don''t you assume those obligations?You wouldn''t be my Queen or be bound to me personally but rather to the kingdom. A new court position would be created for you and the palace would pay you the same salary as your father"


    Seeing the strong refusal in her eyes I put my finger in her soft lips.


    "Don''t answer now. Go talk with the Prime Minister and your brother. This is something I just thought so it''s not a fully matured idea or was it approved by anyone. I just hope you can consider it and even if you refuse I hope you can appoint someone as a candidate to the job, what you think?"


    Cecile slapped my hand and got up.


    "Although I don''t think the answer will change, I shall do as the Crown Prince said. And now if you will excuse me, I will take my leave"


    Not waiting for my permission Cecile left me alone in the room.


    I laid down in the couch and once again closed my eyes.


    ''Although I can see now, for my stupid pride and love I still need to pretend to be blind and do some preparations for the future'' I thought bitterly to my self as I thought my sleepiness take me from reality.