By Zephyria 
“…I’ve been deceiving you from the beginning. I’m not Young Master Hamilton’s attendant. Let me introduce myself properly. I’m Noah Hamilton, the prospective Crown Princess.”
“What… what is that…?”
Seeing the young eyes trembling faintly, not knowing what to do with the bewilderment, Noah gritted his teeth and hardened his expression even more coldly. He had been watching to see how long he would be fooled, but he didn’t expect him to come out so innocently, while His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was not by his side, the Archduke was not a bad playmate to have, etc. He left behind sharp words that would hurt his heart as much as possible.
“Just a moment… wait a moment, no. That can’t be, it can’t be…!”
“How can you properly govern this harsh land when you’re so naive? Anyway, it’s been fun so far. Please take care of yourself.”
Leaving Carlisle, who was in confusion, and turning around after spouting only what he had to say, Noah’s heart, of course, was not comfortable either. But he couldn’t help it. He was just crushing the cause in advance to avoid greater pain later.
Although there were still a day or two left, Noah went to the Grand Duke that way, said goodbye, and suddenly returned to the capital. Although he had never reported it separately, the Grand Duke also roughly guessed the reason why Noah and his only remaining son had been interacting in the castle, and why Noah suddenly hurt Carlisle and was trying to leave right away, so he thanked him for his consideration and finished his farewell.
When he returned earlier than expected, Adrian came to see Noah with a happy heart. He said he was sorry for making him come back alone when he was going to pick him up. Noah smiled and replied that he wanted to see His Royal Highness sooner. And a week later. He received the Empress’s crown side by side with Adrian, who ascended to the throne.
God appeared before Noah, who had become the Empress, a little more frequently than before. He said that he was frustrated because he couldn’t watch Noah’s appearance while he was in the north, specifically, while he was in Graham Castle, and ordered him to stay in the capital as much as possible in the future. Noah bowed his head obediently, saying that he was already the Empress, so where could he go?
“Yes, that’s a good boy.”
God stroked his head, saying he was admirable. He liked that touch so much. Noah wanted to pluck out his head that felt that touch was good.
Was it better when he couldn’t taste freedom and was locked up all the time? Just like when he failed miserably and was caught in the short escape with Lennox last time, the sense of deviation and liberation he felt in the Ducal Palace flickered before his eyes even when he was still. Moreover, even God couldn’t watch Noah’s appearance in the Ducal Palace, could he?
Noah, who had become the Empress, couldn’t escape from his chronic depression and sometimes sobbed alone. Because it was a problem that no one could soothe, he tried to cry secretly, only when he was alone, but even that was not enough for the Empress, who had a string of attendants following her.
Adrian always said that he was wrong. He said that if he told him what it was, he would solve whatever it was. Noah couldn’t answer. Because it was a problem that no one could solve.
Noah only repeated like a parrot that there was nothing wrong with Adrian and tried to hide more thoroughly from Adrian.
It was an impossible attempt from the beginning in the Imperial Palace, where the Emperor’s people were spread out like a spider web.
About half a year after a new sun rose in the Empire, the representative of the Northern Autonomous Territory came to greet the young Emperor. The one selected as the representative of Graham was, of course, Little Duke Carlisle Graham.
Incorporating, checking, and managing the vast northern territory into the Empire’s territory was always one of the Emperor’s most important tasks, so Adrian, who had become the Emperor, also held a splendid banquet to welcome the Little Duke and show off his power.
The Little Duke who appeared at the banquet still looked like a young child who didn’t even reach the shoulders of an adult, even though he was old enough to have already passed the Day of Blessing.
There was a commotion in the Banquet Hall. It was by no means meant to ignore or doubt the successor of Graham.
However, even among the nobles of the Empire, there were some who knew about the information about the special constitution of the Graham Clan, if not the true identity of the Graham Clan.
The Graham Clan can only grow when they meet their imprinted partner, and if that growth is not completed, they never allow contact with external nobles. That was a long-standing unwritten rule passed down in the north… Carlisle Graham broke that unwritten rule and confidently stepped into the Imperial Palace of the Empire. It was the first time since the north was annexed to the Empire.
“Carlisle of Graham, who rules the vast Mountain Range, pays respects to Pearson, who reigns in the sky.”
The young Little Duke did not kneel and only bowed his head appropriately, and it was a legitimate right as the Empire’s only Grand Ducal Family to be respected for the position of Monarch he originally held, although there was a difference in status, even in front of the Emperor.
“Nice to meet you, Little Duke. You look different from what I expected.”
Meanwhile, Noah Hamilton, no, Empress Noah Pearson, who was watching the scene of Carlisle and Adrian greeting each other one step behind, wanted to run away from that spot right away. It was because he couldn’t even guess what kind of expression he should face Carlisle with.
He thought that he would definitely run into him once more in his life, but it was too early. He had expected that he would come out of the Grand Duchy Territory and come to greet the Emperor after completing his growth, so he thought it would take at least a few more years…
“Ah, let me introduce you. This is Empress Noah Pearson. She went on a trip to the north a while ago… but the regulations are strict, so it’s probably the first time you’re meeting.”
“…Nice to meet you, Little Duke.”
Noah managed to maintain a decent appearance and safely extended his hand to Carlisle. Carlisle, who had been fixing his gaze on the Emperor, slowly turned his head towards the Empress.
It was customary to receive the hand and kiss the back of that hand, but when he urged Carlisle, who was somehow frozen blankly, again, “Little Duke?”
“…Little Duke?”
“…!”
Their eyes met.
And then, like magic, in front of everyone’s eyes…
“I’ve finally met you, Your Majesty the Empress.”
The only successor of Graham achieved a dramatic ‘growth’. If it weren’t for the fact that the partner who imprinted Graham was already married, and that too, the Empress who was receiving the respect of the entire Empire, it would have been a wonderful scene that popped out of a fairy tale.
Noah had no idea how the banquet ended after that. He only remembered being led back to his residence by Adrian, who was very angry and showing signs of anxiety.
However, the Emperor’s blatant jealousy was nothing more than oil to make the scandal between the Empress and the Little Duke burn even hotter.
No matter how much Adrian complained, the nobles didn’t try to miss the exciting scandal that had come their way after a long time. After all, as long as problems related to succession, such as conceiving a child, didn’t arise, adultery was always the nobles’ closest friend. The Imperial Family was the same. Rather, the nobles were eagerly waiting for when the beautiful Empress, who was loved by everyone under the Emperor’s absolute surveillance, could enter their playground, so they applauded and welcomed the Empress’s first scandal with great pleasure. Anything is difficult the first time. If the Empress only learns corruption, they will be able to become the second and third partners. The nobles, who didn’t know their place, took in a lot of hot air.
“Have you… met him in the north?”
“…Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
Adrian rarely asked Noah in a reproaching tone.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Your Majesty… I thought I said it well enough to understand, so I didn’t tell you, but I didn’t know things would turn out like this…”
Adrian couldn’t bring himself to add any more words to the Empress he loved so much. Instead, he tried to immediately capture and kill the impudent brat who dared to declare imprinting on his spouse in a public place…
“…Send the Little Duke back to the north immediately. If he disobeys, don’t let him out of the townhouse even a step while he’s staying in the capital.”
He was the Emperor who had to peacefully govern the Empire before he was Noah’s spouse. The price on Carlisle Graham’s head was too high to cut off just to vent his anger.
It seemed that all the turmoil had come to an end like that.
“…Woof, woof!”
“Huh…? Why is there a puppy in a place like this…?”
“Oh my, I heard that one of the puppies that His Majesty was raising as a hunting dog went missing a while ago, so it must have wandered all the way here.”
“Your Majesty the Empress. This child is so gentle and cute, can’t we just take him to the Empress Palace? Just for a moment!”
“Yes, if that’s what you all want, let’s do that.”
If only a puppy with particularly shiny black eyes hadn’t mixed into the Empress’s residence, it would have been truly so.