A Korean Office Worker Who Became a Nuisance Villainess in a Zombie Story - Chapter 183

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

This world has a peculiar custom.
It’s called the morning dressing ritual.
Nobles set up folding screens in their dressing rooms, and within them they dress and undress, add and remove jewelry, apply makeup as a finishing touch—essentially, they display their entire preparation process to others, right from the moment they wake up.
They place a sofa inside the screen, seat someone there, and then—
“Should I wear this today, or that instead?”
Are these people perverts? Why would anyone show others how they dress?
In any case, such a ritual exists.
It’s a rather venerable custom of the Empire.
(Incidentally, many people apparently develop romantic feelings while doing this.)
They also favor this ritual when sharing secrets.
The host and guest dismiss the servants, pretending they want to be alone, then plot treason or war inside the screen.
I mention this because my Mother once asked me to invite Praha to this ritual, and Pochacha—only sixteen years old from Sodom—had invited Praha to hers.
I’m bringing this up because—
Ever since the Empire found stability, Praha has been inviting me to his morning dressing ritual every single day.
Asking me to watch him dress.
“Your wardrobe contains only black clothing?”
“I prefer wearing similar outfits daily. It saves time choosing clothes.”
“When you were Crown Prince, you wore red clothes too.”
“That was Mother’s preference.”
“Ah, so now that you’re Emperor instead of Crown Prince, you dress according to your own taste?”
“Yes. I consider it the Emperor’s sole advantage.”
“I’m sorry, but your taste is far too drab.”
“That’s acceptable. From today onward, I intend to dress according to your preferences.”
“So you mean you want me to come watch you dress every day?”
“Yes.”
….
“I will do my best to look presentable.”
“What are you trying so hard at!”
His flirtation skills grow sharper by the day.
Where does he even learn these things?
Anyway, that’s why I reacted the way I did when Praha said he came because he felt “empty”….
“No. No way. My Praha isn’t a pervert.”
Praha has only recently ascended to the throne, and I’ve been occupied managing my newly acquired Territory. Since we’re both so busy, we can barely see each other once a day unless we carve out time like this.
Still, we’re the Emperor and Grand Duke—we have duties to perform and people to lead. The citizens are watching us…!
So this morning dressing ritual is essentially our reserved date time together.
“Watching a freshly bathed handsome man choose between shirts and cologne in front of the mirror, sipping a drink while offering unsolicited advice—’try this one, try that one’—is actually quite an enjoyable experience….”
When we’re together like that, an hour passes like a minute.
Still, seeing Praha chase after me through a Portal all the way to the Southern Region just because I missed one day to fix Kiriel’s leg makes me feel both tender and amused.
Today, the day after we returned from the Southern Region holding hands.
I’m heading to the morning dressing ritual a little earlier than usual.
“Yawn.”
“Yawn.”
Tangerine and I stood there with puffy eyes, yawning repeatedly.
‘Now that I think about it, I really do need to recruit more Guard Knights.’
Currently, Tangerine and Dazling were taking turns protecting me.
I’d selected them because they were the most trustworthy knights I knew, but having only two meant their workload was far too heavy. To smoothly carry out missions like searching for hidden terrorists in the men’s bathroom, I needed at least one male knight.
When I asked Praha who would be good, do you know what he said?
‘My lady, you may freely recruit any knight you desire. However.’
‘However?’
‘I would prefer if he were a married knight enjoying a happy family life.’
‘Why?’
‘An unmarried knight would fall for you and neglect his duties.’
‘Praha?’
‘Yes?’
‘Don’t say things like that in public. People will mock you.’
Moreover, the people he recommended were all overqualified.
What if I assigned such individuals to my guard detail and they thought they’d been demoted and resigned?
So I decided to recruit someone myself, but I don’t know any Imperial Knights personally. I have no idea who would be suitable.
I considered recruiting Tangerine’s older brother, but apparently relatives can’t serve in the same unit. They could die together, or so I was told.
The Knight Commander of the Imperial Knight Order keeps urging me, so I need to make a decision soon….
‘I can’t ask Tangerine or Dazling either.’
Though I trust them, others might perceive it as them pulling strings.
Should I ask Cyprus? He’s even less helpful.
He insists he’ll do it himself. Honestly.
What am I supposed to do?
Lost in thought, I arrived at Praha’s quarters.
By the way, I’m the only person who can enter Praha’s space without announcing myself.
He says to come in quickly rather than waste time announcing and waiting for permission.
The doorkeeper Attendant who saw me coming was about to open the door.
But someone emerged from inside first.
Tall and lean. A young man’s body, smooth and muscular. A thick neck. A face that looked somewhat arrogant, yet quite handsome.
The knight whose eyes met mine widened them in shock, forgetting to greet me.
I narrowed my brows.
Wait. This person… isn’t he that person?
‘Wait a moment!’
That….
‘Take this with you.’
‘My lady, that doesn’t make sense right now….’
At the Artificial Island Imperial Villa, he’d scoffed at my words trying to save them, and then was bitten by a zombie….
‘There’s nothing to worry about. Look. Even when I grab him by the hair like this, he shows no reaction whatsoever, does he?’
H-he… he…
“Sir Kimon!”
Kimon, whose name I had called, hastily bent at the waist. At an angle nearly ninety degrees. His height was such that his expression remained perfectly visible regardless.
Bewilderment was written plainly across his exposed face.
“It has been a long time, Princess… or rather, Grand Duke.”
“Yes, it has been a while. You’ve returned alive, I see.”
“Yes… thanks to your grace…”
“Right. Well.”
You didn’t listen to me back then—no, it wasn’t just not listening, you completely ignored me—and since you were one of our few combat assets, you became a zombie so pathetically that it raised the difficulty of our escape from the Villa by several notches.
But in the end, we escaped from there without you and saved the world.
Seeing your face after so long brought back that frustration. I gritted my teeth and smiled.
“While you were a zombie, many things happened. Isn’t that right?”
“Miss Yusara, do you know Kimon?!”
Tangerine, who had been brushing cookie crumbs off her clothes (again), asked from beside me. She tilted her head for a moment, then.
“That’s right. Kimon went on an escort mission to the Villa back then! Together with my brother!”
She recalled the answer on her own.
“I read the report. It said a knight ignored Miss Yusara’s advice and acted recklessly, becoming a zombie. So that was Kimon!”
She deduced it herself.
“That idiot was Kimon!”
Tangerine’s eyes sparkled brilliantly as she gazed at Kimon, still bowing.
“I thought I’d hunt him down and teach him a lesson when I had the chance, but I’ve run into him right here!”
At Tangerine’s words, Kimon’s long eyelashes trembled.
Was he really trembling that much?
Even for someone as arrogant as Kimon, it seemed Tangerine—a senior knight—was terrifying.
“Don’t worry, Miss Yusara! I’ll take full responsibility and give him a proper attitude adjustment!”
Tangerine giggled.
It was truly a cat and mouse scenario. Cold sweat beaded on Kimon’s forehead as he brushed his hair back neatly.
‘How amusing.’
I felt not the slightest bit of sympathy.
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
“Kimon!”
The one who came to Kimon’s rescue was an unexpected figure.
The person you’ve all been waiting for.
None other than.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————