Chapter 33 (1/2)

*POV: Shane*

Recently, I feel that I have had less opportunities to see Leo-sama. Our “Oth.e.l.lo Meetings”, which we had every night until a while ago, have become scarce. Instead, a small bouquet of flowers would be delivered on the days when he doesn’t come.

Suddenly losing something that had become a habit affected me a lot.

One day, Elma-sama, one of the concubines that I became friends with since the tea party, came to drink tea in my room.

“Shane-sama, you haven’t been looking well lately.”

“I’m fine, I’m just a little busy with work. Thank you for worrying.”

Well, Elma-sama, who was blus.h.i.+ng a little, looked really lovely when she was sipping her tea.   She must have had some good reason for becoming a concubine at such a young age. Even so, she doesn’t show her dark side at all. (?)

“By the way, I’ve heard some bad rumours in the inner palace but don’t worry about them”

“Isn’t that a bad thing? I can’t go wrong with knowing.” (??)

“Oh, is that so? Then, don’t worry about it.” (???)

(????) Although Elma-sama interrupted herself impatiently, I was rather interested in continuing the topic.

“Please tell me without putting on airs. Elias, do you know what the rumors are?”

I quietly asked Elias, who was holding back, but he hesitantly answered with “no”, “that is…” and other things like that.

“If you know, hurry and answer me.”

“Um, that, it’s just a rumor, so please do not mind it… His Majesty the Emperor seems to have gone back and forth to the inner palace lately, and there are rumors that he had finally gotten bored with the Empress”

Oh, that must have been difficult to say to me.