The Obsession of the Tyrant Sub-Male Lead is Unnecessary

Episode 12

Verona deliberately tested her. Olivia, who seemed slightly startled, quickly waved her hands.

“No! I don’t dislike it at all. I’m just so surprised by such great kindness. Thank you so much, Princess. I’ll serve you well from now on.”

As expected of the heroine, she was very adept at handling the situation. Verona clicked her tongue. Olivia exclaimed brightly.

“I’ll bake lots of delicious bread for you from now on. I gave you scones last time, so I’ll bake something different this time. Hmm… what else do you like? Madeleines? Financiers?”

“Financiers. I like all nuts except for walnuts.”

“Great! Then I’ll make financiers one day and madeleines the next. You can look forward to it, Princess!”

Olivia smiled brightly and jumped into her arms. On the surface, she seemed so sweet and polite that it was hard to push her away once she was embraced.

Verona awkwardly patted Olivia’s shoulder, starting to think that maybe the incident had been a genuine mistake.

‘I’m glad I stopped Carlos from barring Olivia from entering the palace.’

However, that was a really mistaken thought.

* * *

“Hmm? Why aren’t you eating, Princess?”

As soon as they started staying in the annex next to the emperor’s palace, Olivia busily found her way to the kitchen, confidently telling Verona to look forward to it.

Though Verona had no intention of eating what Olivia made, she thought she might at least appreciate the look of the delicious-looking bread. But she was left speechless at what Olivia presented.

“This time, I didn’t put anything in it, Princess. Really.”

“I don’t think Olivia would have done it again.”

Verona said calmly. Olivia widened her eyes again.

“Then why…?”

Verona sighed, considering her words carefully. Despite her cautious approach, Olivia’s genuine or feigned sincerity made it difficult to outright refuse.

“It’s not that I think you’d do something like that again. It’s just…”

Verona hesitated, searching for the right explanation.

“But why aren’t you eating?”

“Didn’t you say you were going to make financiers? Why is this a walnut pie?”

“You said you liked nuts. I thought you might like walnuts more than the almonds in financiers.”

“…”

“What’s wrong?”

Verona sighed. She had clearly said she liked all nuts except for walnuts.

Olivia seemed to only hear what she wanted. She undoubtedly believed the world revolved around her.

‘Should I consider this endearing or frustrating?’

She had almost been touched by Olivia’s eagerness to bake as soon as they arrived at the palace. But it was clearly just an attempt to win Verona’s favor for her own benefit. Perhaps this was just expected behavior for the heroine.

“Please, eat it, Princess.”

Olivia clutched the tray to her chest, her eyes sparkling.

“I’ll eat it once it cools down. It’s very late, though. You should unpack and get some rest, Olivia…”

“Verona, what are you doing?”

A familiar voice interrupted.

Carlos, his voice low and smooth, opened the door and stared intently at her.

“Oh…”

Olivia blushed and stepped back to a corner. Verona, feeling relieved, quickly put down the fork. Carlos approached.

“Is this pie made by Miss Merelton?”

“Yes, she just made it.”

Carlos now focused solely on the walnut pie.

‘Is he interested because it’s made by the heroine?’

Verona found herself unreasonably irritated.

Carlos, without saying a word, beckoned Olivia closer with a gesture.

As she approached with her face flushed and her eyes downcast, Carlos picked up the pie and asked Olivia.

“Did Miss Merelton really make this?”

“Yes… Your Majesty.”

“In the future, bring such things to me first.”

“What?”

Olivia’s voice, as pretty as rolling silver beads, echoed in surprise. A smile tugged at Carlos’s lips.

“I want to taste what you make before anyone else.”

“If you wish, I can personally make and bring you…”

“No. That’s not necessary.”

Carlos suddenly pressed the pie in Olivia’s tray, crushing it.

“If more pastries need to be tested for poison, it’ll be a hassle.”

Olivia’s face turned pale. Carlos took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his sticky fingers, issuing a cold command.

“Now, leave us, Miss Merelton. I don’t want my precious time with my lover interrupted.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

Olivia bit her lip and quietly left the room. Feeling suddenly better, Verona decided to stay silent.

“So, Merelton started baking as soon as she arrived at the annex?”

“Yes, she was quite eager.”

Carlos sat down beside her, his expression softening as he looked at her.

“You handled that well, Verona. But remember, you don’t have to tolerate her nonsense.”

Verona nodded, feeling a strange mix of relief and gratitude.

“I’ll keep that in mind, Carlos.”

Carlos leaned closer, his voice dropping to a whisper.

“I’ll always be here to protect you, Verona.”

As his words lingered in the air, Verona felt a warmth spread through her, mingling with the lingering irritation and uncertainty.

Carlos, not sparing a glance at the dejected Olivia, took her hand and led her to the balcony, where they sat down.

“Oh, and I sent the letter you wanted to Waterfall. It should have arrived by now. I used the second fastest horse in the empire.”

“That’s a relief. My father must have been very worried.”

“And there’s one more thing I want to say.”

Carlos paused, playing with her hand resting on the table. He traced and caressed her fourth finger with particular interest.

Verona felt a chill down her spine and quickly pulled her hand back.

“W-what are you trying to say?”

“Oh, I got lost in thought for a moment. Sorry. It’s about our relationship.”

“Yes.”

“I think we should announce it to others.”

“…Announce?”

Why speak so grandly? They were already in the imperial palace; wouldn’t everyone just assume they were together? No one would question the emperor living with someone for a while.

“I want a formal relationship.”

“And what kind of formal relationship are you thinking of…?”

“How about we get engaged?”

Carlos’s deep green eyes sparkled.

“Three months is a perfect engagement period, don’t you think?”

“Engaged?”

“Yes. So, I’ve already sent invitations to the high-ranking nobles.”

“What? Invitations?!”

She was flabbergasted. What had this man already done?

“I’m planning an engagement party.”

Carlos looked very pleased.

“The chamberlain is discussing the concept for the banquet hall with the head maid. Usually, the head maid handles everything, but if you want to get involved, I can send you the reports.”

“Why plan such a grand party and even prepare reports…?”

“It’s an official engagement party to announce our marriage, so it should be grand, don’t you think?”

He said this very smugly.

“Of course, for Verona Roselil Clorence, even that might not be enough.”

“…I’m still Verona Waterfall, you know?”

Where did he sneak in the empress’s name?

Verona was impressed, in many ways, by Carlos’s impressive efficiency. It felt like he was using every method to tie her down.

“So, what’s your engagement fantasy? Oh, and while you’re at it, you can tell me about your wedding and proposal fantasies too. I’ll use them to plan the engagement party as a prelude.”

“I don’t have any.”

Verona curtly replied.

“I’ve never thought about it.”

“Of course. You’ve never wanted to marry anyone else, so that makes sense.”

Hey, Your Majesty… Aren’t you mistaken too much?

His sheer audacity made her wonder if it was a perk of absolute power. Verona shook her head.

“Anyway, I wanted to let you know that the engagement party is in five days. Get plenty of rest today since you’re tired. You can wake up late tomorrow. I’ll arrange the maids for you.”

“Yes… do as you please.”

There was nothing for her to interfere with. After all, this was the emperor’s palace, and whatever she did, she would return to her place in three months. Yawning, Verona decided to let things be.

After Carlos, who lingered late into the night, left, she luxuriated in the large bedroom, enjoying a long, restful sleep.

The next morning, Verona woke up to the sight of the sun shining through the window.

Just then, she heard a very gentle knock on the bedroom door.

“Princess, are you awake?”

Carlos had said he would send maids, and it seemed they had arrived. Sitting up, Verona replied,

“Yes, come in.”

The bedroom door opened, and a line of five or six maids entered. The woman at the front approached Verona and knelt politely.

“I am Luigi, the head maid. I’ve come to serve you by His Majesty’s command.”

The warm-looking woman introduced the other maids, who were carrying washing water and towels.

“These maids have been serving in the Empress’s palace. They will now attend to you.”

The maids bowed respectfully and began washing her face and helping her dress.

Just as they finished the simple preparations,

“Princess, are you awa… Oh! You’re already up.”

Verona turned to see Olivia entering with a bright smile. Luigi frowned at the sight.

“I’m sorry for coming late as your personal maid, Princess.”

“It’s fine.”

Verona answered nonchalantly, having no intention of accepting Olivia’s service anyway.

Now that Olivia was her personal maid, Verona spoke informally to her. Olivia, looking a bit awkward, cheerfully said,

“It looked like breakfast was being prepared just now.”

Olivia subtly approached and clung to her side.

“Shall I fetch it? I also baked some scones yesterday.”

Verona was about to refuse, wondering if Olivia had already forgotten what Carlos had said yesterday, when she heard a familiar voice crying out.

“Princess!”

“Mary?”

Verona turned to see Mary running toward her, tears streaming down her face.

“Princess! What happened?”

Mary flung herself into Verona’s arms, sobbing. Verona instinctively opened her arms to receive her.

“You left without saying where, and we didn’t hear from you for days! His Highness was so worried! I thought something terrible had happened to you!”

“Haha, it was quite an ordeal. I’m sorry I couldn’t contact you sooner. But Mary, how did you get here?”

“His Majesty had me brought here.”

While Mary was wiping her nose, Luigi interjected,

“His Majesty thought it best to have someone familiar around you for your comfort. His Majesty truly cares for you.”

“Ah…”

Luigi then launched into a speech about how understanding Carlos was. Even Mary, who had obviously never met Carlos, joined in enthusiastically.

“I’ve always been worried because our emperor has never had a woman close to his heart. I feared he might never find a partner. But seeing him so smitten with someone as wonderful as you, Princess, makes me so happy.”

“Oh my! Then our princess is His Majesty’s first love?”

“Of course! That’s absolutely right.”

Before long, Luigi and Mary were chatting away like a well-matched pair, their conversation resembling a comedy routine.

Breakfast was served in the meantime. Verona listened to their chatter with interest as she ate.

‘Wait, where’s Olivia?’

She had forgotten about Olivia amid the conversation ranging from stories about Carlos to the latest trends in the empire.

Looking around, she finally noticed Olivia standing quietly in a corner. When Verona looked at her, Olivia raised her head. Her cold violet eyes suddenly turned warm.

‘What was that just now?’

Verona felt a chill at Olivia’s seemingly innocent smile, as if nothing had happened.