They Say an Age Gap Like This Doesn’t Even Need Matching - Chapter 75

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Regardless of the Crown Prince’s warning, the Emperor’s gaze never left me.
What dwelled in those eyes was far more than mere curiosity.
Something to gauge, to test, and then….
‘Eyes that sought to possess.’
I lifted the wine glass to my lips with an untroubled expression.
The crimson liquid swirled slowly within the bowl of the glass.
The sinister gleam caught the light and drew the eye, yet I did not look away until I brought it to my mouth.
Holding the Emperor’s gaze, I took a slow sip.
The smooth sensation of the wine spread across my tongue.
“Bold for a woman.”
The Emperor spoke with admiration.
It would be troublesome if he were impressed by merely this.
If he were to witness my true self, he would surely faint from shock.
I set down the glass.
“Would it not be more disrespectful to show nervousness before Your Majesty?”
I refrained from overstepping while speaking my mind freely.
“Haha….”
The Emperor let out a short laugh.
He rested his chin on his hand and studied me intently.
“An amusing child, indeed.”
I offered no particular response.
There was no need to react. This was not a conversation, but rather a form of reconnaissance.
“I hear the soil of Eastern Bardia is barren.”
I tilted my head in confusion.
Did they not say people there farmed and lived off the land?
“It is not quite so barren as that.”
“Then, is it prosperous?”
…So he was testing me.
“We manage merely enough to sustain ourselves year after year.”
At my response, the Emperor chuckled.
“Luxury must be difficult to afford.”
“Indeed, it is.”
The Emperor’s gaze shifted to my hands.
I felt him examining the hand that held the glass intently.
From fingertips to fingers, and even to the wrist.
‘My hands are not particularly delicate.’
Yet they were not overtly rough either.
It would be difficult to question my noble status based on this alone.
My mastery of Bardian etiquette was flawless, even if not in the Imperial style.
“Let me ask you directly.”
The Emperor leaned back in his chair after completing his inspection and spoke.
“You approached the Crown Prince to stop the war.”
It was not a question but a confirmation.
“Why would you say such a thing? I lack the power to do so.”
“You lack it? Do you truly believe that?”
“Of course. If I earnestly begged you to end the war, would you grant my request?”
“…What?”
The Emperor’s eyebrows rose sharply.
“Do you believe a mere young woman possesses such power?”
Referring to myself as a young woman felt somewhat awkward.
Still, to the Emperor’s eyes, I would appear to be in my early twenties, so I spoke with confidence.
“…Perhaps you may not understand.”
The Emperor let out a hollow laugh.
“If you’re doing this without knowing what influence you wield, that makes it all the more amusing.”
His lips twisted upward.
“For that fool to withdraw his army because of a single woman—this is unprecedented.”
“Your Majesty.”
The Crown Prince, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.
“Enough. Why do you speak of matters between us to her?”
“Why. Does it displease you?”
At the Emperor’s mockery, the Crown Prince’s jawline hardened.
“It would be wise to cease such baseless speculation.”
“Speculation?”
The Emperor chuckled.
“Then explain it yourself.”
His gaze turned entirely toward the Crown Prince.
“Why did you stop? Can you explain why you withdrew your army without my permission?”
“Did I not tell you? Now is not the time to strike at Bardia.”
I watched the two of them exchange sharp words with interest.
There was no place for me to intervene in this conversation.
‘The atmosphere grows increasingly tense.’
Then suddenly, the Crown Prince’s gaze turned toward me.
In that brief moment our eyes met, I lifted the corners of my lips slightly.
As if to say it was alright.
The Crown Prince’s eyes wavered for an instant upon seeing this.
The Emperor would not miss such an opening.
“Ah.”
He let out a short exclamation.
“Now I understand clearly.”
His gaze turned back to me.
This time, he was far more direct.
“You’re manipulating that man.”
I tilted my head as though I didn’t understand what he meant.
“Me?”
“Don’t deny it.”
Why was it, I wondered.
Despite piercing through the truth with remarkable accuracy, there was no hostility in the Emperor’s gaze as he looked at me.
Only excitement gleamed within those eyes.
‘He doesn’t seem the type to throw me in prison or order my execution.’
In that case, it might not be unwise to provoke him further.
I lifted my wine glass again and smiled softly.
“All I’ve done is share my heart with Your Majesty.”
The moment those words left my lips, the surroundings fell silent.
In the stillness where not even a breath could be heard, I sipped my wine without the slightest concern.
“My.”
The Crown Princess’s lips trembled as she suppressed her laughter.
“She’s far more dangerous than I thought.”
At her hushed murmur, the Crown Prince’s eyes flashed toward her.
“Hold your tongue.”
It was a low and chilling warning.
“Don’t be upset with me, brother.”
The Crown Princess shrugged her shoulders.
“Shouldn’t you refrain from showing your anger toward family in front of someone whose heart you’ve shared?”
While the Crown Princess needled the Crown Prince, the Emperor’s gaze never left me.
“You’ve shared your heart with the Crown Prince?”
The Emperor murmured softly, then reached his hand toward me.
“Your Majesty.”
Ignoring the Crown Prince’s call, the Emperor grasped my chin.
With narrowed eyes, he scrutinized my face intently.
I did not avert my gaze.
There was no reason to do so.
“Stop this.”
The Crown Prince’s chair scraped against the carpet as it was pushed back.
Just before he rose from his seat, the Emperor spoke.
“Do you desire the position of Crown Princess?”
“…!”
At the Emperor’s words, which seemed to acknowledge the bond between them, the Crown Prince froze.
“If you desire it, shall I grant it?”
“You would accept me into the Imperial House?”
“Even though I’m merely a maid from Bardia?”
“Bardia will soon be subjugated by Cradian anyway. You are essentially an Imperial citizen as well.”
Quite the confidence.
It would be better to wake from this dream sooner rather than later.
The Crown Prince narrowed his eyes, as if trying to gauge what the Emperor was thinking.
“Why? Do you not believe my words?”
“How could I doubt Your Majesty’s words? I was merely surprised by such unexpected remarks.”
“It seems you require proof to believe me.”
Why go to such lengths?
Honestly, I had no interest whatsoever in the position of Crown Princess, so I could only feel bewildered.
Yet I continued to play along, purely to buy time.
“Since you’ve come to the Imperial Palace, why not choose something? The Imperial House’s treasure vault is here.”
“Are you truly taking this woman as the Crown Princess?”
At the Crown Princess’s startled cry, the Emperor released my chin and spoke.
“Has it not been over a year since the Crown Princess position fell vacant? That fool has been thoroughly smitten, so there’s no helping it.”
The Emperor lifted his wine glass and moistened his lips, then instructed the Crown Princess.
“You shall guide her. Show her the treasures the previous Crown Princess selected as well. It would be best if there’s no overlap.”
“How many pieces?”
The Crown Princess asked with a sullen expression.
The Emperor held up three fingers.
“This much should suffice.”
The Crown Princess simply nodded once without further comment.
This was a moment when she should have objected more vehemently or glared at me, yet her demeanor was surprisingly docile.
From this, I sensed something.
‘A trap.’
The Emperor and the Crown Princess were clearly exchanging signals the Crown Prince knew nothing about.
‘Are they trying to dispose of me in this opportunity?’
They seemed to believe that if I fell into the Emperor’s hands, the Crown Prince would be unable to move.
Well, even if that weren’t the case, if relations between the Emperor and the Crown Prince deteriorated, their contract would naturally be broken.
‘How cunning.’
Unaware that I had seen through her scheme, the Crown Princess was trying to seize advantage so shrewdly that I found her almost laughable.

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