Chapter 57

“Lehan!”

“…Johannes Frache, what do you think you’re doing?”

“Keirhan, this is a complete misunderstanding.”

“What is?”

Lehan looked like he was about to grab Frache by the collar. It truly was a complete misunderstanding.

“Sir Frache seems to be having a hard time winning over the Saintess. He was asking me for advice.”

“I’m trusting that he wasn’t using that as an excuse to get closer to you.”

“Of course not! Don’t you trust me?”

“I don’t trust anyone but Edelis.”

“Is our friendship so weak that it could fall apart over something like this?!”

“Especially men who get close to Edelis. I trust them even less.”

Even though Lehan spoke coldly, Edelis felt her heart warm. In contrast, seeing Lehan jealous made her heart sink. She smiled faintly and decided to explain things to help ease his mind.

“Lehan, Sir Frache was just curious how I managed to capture your heart.”

“…Why?”

Even with Edelis’s explanation, Lehan’s sharp gaze toward Sir Frache didn’t waver.

“Well, I want to win the Saintess’s heart too!”

“In that case, you’ll have to be reborn. Edelis has been charming since the moment I first saw her.”

“What are you even saying right now?!”

Lehan praised his wife so casually that Edelis became flustered. But Sir Frache’s gaze didn’t waver—still fixed on Edelis, his expression serious, which only made her more flustered.

“So, Your Majesty, what method worked best?”

“Ah, well…”

It was a bit embarrassing to talk about this with Lehan standing right there. But since he was giving her a pointed look, she couldn’t just make something up.

“I honestly didn’t mean to do it this way…”

She had to preface everything with that. She truly didn’t intend it like that!

“When I was with other men, Lehan got jealous, and that seemed to work a bit.”

“…Edelis.”

“Uh, um? Like I said, I didn’t do it on purpose!”

What she did try on purpose were things like acting possessive, being clingy, pretending to indulge in luxury and pleasures. But acting possessive would just push the Saintess away, and being clingy wouldn’t work because Sir Frache was already spending lots of time with her. And luxury and pleasures for the Saintess? That combination of words felt completely off.

“…So I should make you jealous too, then?”

“I’m already jealous every day, so there’s no need for that.”

Edelis spoke firmly. She didn’t want Lehan getting close to the Saintess under any circumstances. It wasn’t just about jealousy—she also feared he might follow the story in the book. Not that she liked seeing him near other women either, but that was a conversation for another time. For now, just saying that she was already jealous seemed to lift Lehan’s mood.

“So jealousy is the answer, then.”

“It’s just one method.”

“But it has its drawbacks. If I mess up, a marriage proposal could happen right away…”

In society, Sir Frache was the most sought-after bachelor. So many proposals came in daily that the ones filtered and forwarded to his father, the duke, still numbered over five a day. With the Emperor rejecting every suggestion to take a concubine and being seen as utterly devoted to the Empress, marrying the young duke—who was seen as rising in power—seemed the better option. Since Sir Frache neither accepted nor refused outright, and had no known romantic partner, the proposals just kept coming. If he acted close to someone to spark jealousy, her family might submit a proposal immediately.

“Don’t you have a childhood friend or someone you can collaborate with?”

“I submitted a marriage proposal when I was nine years old.”

“Oh.”

Even assigning a trustworthy maid wouldn’t work—most were daughters of noble families. Even if the maid herself wasn’t interested, her family might pursue the match anyway.

“Can’t you refuse the marriage offers?”

“I don’t know if I can stir up jealousy and still refuse the offers. Maybe I could, but my father would likely accept one instantly.”

Being a young duke seems tough, too.

“Edelis, you don’t need to worry about this so much.”

“But I want Sir Frache to win the Saintess over.”

Not like in the book. That was her concern—how to go about the jealousy plan when they had so few options.

“Why don’t we take a short break with some tea?”

“Isn’t it Lehan who needs a break?”

Edelis chuckled quietly at Lehan’s words. All she had done was read under tight security or do embroidery. Lehan, burdened with state affairs all day, was now telling her to rest. It was a bit ironic.

“Then how about we have a tea break together—for my sake?”

“Sounds good. Maybe we’ll come up with a new idea. Sir Frache, care to join us?”

“I’d be honored!”

“…”

“R-Really, I’d love to.”

Even under Lehan’s silent pressure, Sir Frache didn’t back down. He must be that desperate. With not much time left before Lehan had to return to state affairs, they quickly set a table on the terrace. Because Sir Frache had such high hopes for Edelis, she couldn’t let him down and kept thinking. They exchanged opinions, laughing at some of the absurd ones Lehan suggested.

“Then what if I talk about how I thought Lehan looked so cool when he was training with the knights…”

Edelis had just started saying how impressive Lehan looked with a sword and that maybe Sir Frache should try showing a similar side. But then, from the terrace, she locked eyes with the Saintess, standing in the garden.

‘Since when has she been there?’

Too far to make out her expression clearly, but she hadn’t just passed by. She was standing there until their eyes met. It didn’t feel pleasant.

“There’s the Saintess.”

“She’s been there for a while.”

“Why didn’t you say something?!”

Sir Frache hadn’t noticed because she was behind him. When he waved, the Saintess gave a slight nod and quickly disappeared.

“…What was that?”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s just… I think her expression looked a little down.”

“The Saintess?”

“There’s no way she didn’t see us clearly… May I go check on her?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

Maybe Sir Frache had good eyesight or maybe he was just incredibly attuned to the Saintess—either way, he immediately ran to her. Lehan, on the other hand, locked the doors and left for his next meeting, saying the jealousy tactic was utterly useless. As Edelis finished her tea, Sir Frache returned.

“Did you talk things through?”

“…Your Majesty.”

“Yes, what happened?”

Sir Frache, looking as if he’d lost his soul, suddenly slapped his own cheek.

“Wha—Why did you do that?!”

“I think… I need to go through with the jealousy plan.”

“Do you think it’ll work? But why the sudden change…?”

He had run off so suddenly and was now back with renewed determination—Edelis was confused.

“If you help, Your Majesty, I think there’s a real chance!”

“Me? Well… I should hear what happened first.”

Sir Frache nodded eagerly and told them what had just happened.

“Saintess!”

“…Johan.”

“Where are you going?”

“I was just returning from the temple.”

The small talk was normal, but the Saintess’s demeanor wasn’t. Just as Frache was about to ask if something was wrong, she spoke first.

“Um…”

“Yes?”

“Are you… close with Her Majesty?”

“…What?”

“You looked like you were enjoying yourself.”

She seemed unusually flustered. If asked whether he was close with the Empress, he could honestly say no. She was royalty, not someone he could be friends with. But years on the battlefield had honed his instincts—and they were telling him to not answer truthfully.

“Ah. Her Majesty was telling an amusing story.”

“What story?”

“Uh, just…”

What could he say? He obviously couldn’t just say, “We were discussing how to win over you!” That’d make him sound insane. But dodging the question somehow seemed to work, as the Saintess’s interest in him grew.

“Johan.”

“Yes?”

“I’d prefer if you stayed closer to me than Her Majesty. Would you?”

“Yes.”

From that alone, one hypothesis presented itself.

‘Could it be…?’

Was the Saintess jealous of the Empress? He wanted to confirm it immediately, but he wasn’t dumb enough to ask her directly.

“Then… would you be willing to spend time with me sometime soon?”

“Of course!”

He silently cheered at his success and felt newfound respect for the Empress. Truly, she was incredible.

“Then I’ll come back soon to schedule something.”

“Oh, I’m actually free now.”

“Apologies. I was with Their Majesties just now, so I should return.”

“…The Emperor too?”

“Yes. Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

“That’s what happened!”

“It does seem to be working.”

That’s what Edelis said, but internally, she was getting more confused. Was the Saintess jealous of Lehan? Or of Frache being close to her? It didn’t seem her affections had shifted completely to Frache—after all, she reacted to Lehan at the end. Still, the Saintess did react. That much was clear.

“Then, Your Majesty, will you help me?”

“How, exactly?”

“Please help me make her jealous!”

“…Lehan won’t like that.”

To provoke real jealousy from the Saintess, this level of interaction wouldn’t be enough. Edelis had already tried leaning on Lehan or holding his hand in front of the Saintess. But she couldn’t do that with Frache.

“Even just chatting together like before might be enough, right?”

“…Let me talk to Lehan first. We’ll proceed based on how things go.”

“Thank you!”

Sir Frache looked as if he had an army behind him. He rushed off to persuade Lehan. When Sir Pasis came in to take over the shift, Frache returned—with a clear bruise on his face but a victorious smile.

“…Sir Frache, what happened to you?”

“Ah, well…”

“It’s a secret, Sir Pasis. Right, Sir Frache?”

It didn’t seem wise to let many people know. Especially not Pasis, a devout follower of the Saintess—he might let something slip. She approached Lord Frache and whispered her thoughts into his ear.

“Ah, right. A secret. Between me and Her Majesty.”

Hearing that, Sir Pasis’s face went stiff with shock.