Don't Concern Yourself With That Book
Chapter Side Story 1-3

Side Story 1-3

Translator: yun

Ira found Marissa’s low, mezzo and husky voice a delight to hear. 

And Antecke who could not win against Marissa’s subtle glances hurried over to Ira. 

“W-Well then, I shall leave her in your care, head templar.”

Ira did not care who was guiding her. 

‘But if she’s a head templar, doesn’t that mean she’s quite the important figure?’

Rather, she merely thought this was peculiar as she quietly followed behind Marissa. 

For some reason, the templar called Marissa could not stop smiling at her. Her face was plastered with satisfaction. Oddly enough, her gaze reminded Ira of how parents would look at their children. 

‘It’s strange.’

As silence continued to hover over them, they turned the corner. 

“Do you know what the Imperial Palace is most famous for?”

“Well, I’m not sure.”

Ira tilted her head at the question Marissa suddenly threw at her. 

Its white marble, beautiful architecture and golden roofs or its countless statues? Ira hesitated because there were so many possible answers. 

“Were you perhaps thinking about something along the lines of its beautiful palaces?”

“Yes. Was that not the answer?”

Marissa let out a small chuckle. 

“You aren’t wrong. But in this day and age, within the Empire’s palaces…”

Marissa’s voice gradually softened. 

“There’s something much more special.”

“Special?”

“Yes.”

Marissa’s voice made her next words sound so confidential, it sounded as though her voice was close to melting. Ira had no choice but to listen attentively like she had been possessed. 

“Ducal princess, do you like handsome and beautiful men?”

Ira blinked blankly for a moment. After contemplating for a moment, she answered cautiously.

“Is there anyone who doesn’t like handsome men?”

“Yes. That’s the answer.”

“Huh?”

“I mean, this Imperial Palace is filled with it.”

“You mean…”

Marissa quickly narrowed their distance before whispering. 

“I’m talking about handsome men.”

Marissa’s red eyes curled. Just as Ira expected, a mischievous and playful smile appeared right before her eyes. 

“This is where Her Majesty, the Empress, and her consorts reside.”

Her deep voice whispered as though she was revealing a secret.

“Her consorts?”

“Yes. But to be exact, they are her consort candidates.”

‘I don’t think she’s joking.’

She had the ability to make people fixate on her every word. The quick-witted Ira could tell that Marissa was not the type of person to play jokes like this.

“That’s an interesting piece of information. Perhaps, is there a white-haired man among the candidates?”

“Oh dear. Have you already met Hernan?”

Marissa laughed playfully. 

“You must have.”

Ira held a small sense of admiration. Even in Walter, the king had multiple wives. 

‘But I heard that the emperor only had eyes for one person. Had I been misinformed?’

Wasn’t the emperor of this Empire a woman? The only difference was that a woman had taken the throne but everything about her reign felt unique and fascinating. 

“Are there really consorts?”

“Yes. And they’re all outstanding. You’ll know what I mean soon.”

The moment Marissa spoke, her smile deepened as she noticed someone walking around the corner. 

“Speak of the devil.”

Ira turned her head around. Two men, each with dark hair, were walking towards them. One of them stopped in their tracks.

“Head Templar?”

Ira’s head unknowingly moved with the unknown man’s words. And she was met with a brand new world. 

“It’s been a long time, Head Templar.”

Now that he was 24, his looks now seemed to embody the essence of autumn as is. It felt as though even the wind had to halt at the sight of this handsome man. 

“It’s nice to see you, sir Dane.”

Ira snapped out of her daydreams upon hearing Marissa’s voice. 

“Were you returning from the 4th Administration?”

“Ah. I was.”

The pair of red eyes in front of her were as intense as rubies and burned like flames. His crimson lips and drooping eyes. As she stared into them, it felt as if she would only continue sinking into them. 

The man, with hair the colour of soft brown–reminiscent of moist soil, slightly curled his eyes at the sight of Ira. He shifted his gaze a little. 

“… And she is?”

“A ducal princess from the Kingdom of Walter.”

“Aha. What a distinguished guest.”

Under his dizzyingly intense gaze, Ira could not help to blush. But before he could introduce himself, the man sputtered out.

“That diary, I mean, notebook, did you receive it from someone?”

Ira’s shoulders flinched. 

“Ah, uhm, yes. I did. Do you happen to know the owner of this book?”

“Yes. I do.”

The man flashed a soft smile. 

“You must be part of the delegation from Walter. It is nice to meet you. I am Dane Rowell, the head of the 2nd Administration.”

The lips that grazed the back of her hand kept the greeting brief enough for it to be considered polite. But his introduction had shocked Ira.

‘T-t-the devil of the wastelands?’

He was the one responsible for scarring Walter with nightmares of the war against Kaltanias five years ago. Rumours spoke of his surprising intelligence that drove Walter to defeat with every battle along with his horrifyingly accurate strategies. 

Ira had heard many stories about him. He was the one who dyed the western continent red with Walternian blood. 

It was his schemes that managed to reverse Kaltanias’ disadvantageous position and turned what was meant to be Walter’s easy victory into hell. He was the one who held up Walter’s goblet of defeat. Those who returned from the war alive had nicknamed him the ‘Devil of the Wastelands’ out of the malice and respect they held for the man. 

To think that the devil of the wasteland was such a young man… the observant Ira turned cautious. 

He was different from the white-haired man she had encountered earlier. Those strange eyes that remained fixed in their position looked manly yet sensual. And his crimson lips… Ira believed that anyone would be bewitched if he were to just curl his eyes.

“Ah, well, it is an honour to meet one of Her Majesty’s consorts.”

Ira looked at Dane warily. Perhaps it was because she had yet to process Marissa’s words from before but those words left her lips without her control. 

Then, for some strange reason, the man’s eyes widened. However, when he glanced at Marissa, he soon tilted his head as though he understood. 

“Yes, that is the most honourable title I have.”

He smiled brightly before whispering. 

“My dream is to one day pull Her Majesty, the empress, out of her position and take her place.”

Just then, Marissa choked and cleared her throat. 

“Huh… what?”

“I was just teasing.”

Dane’s eyes curled into crescent moons. Even if he might not mean it, he sounded very convincing.  Sᴇaʀch* Thᴇ N0ᴠᴇFɪre.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

“A-a joke…”

“Yes. A joke.”

No matter how she looked at it, it sounded like he was speaking the truth but Ira decided to swallow her words. 

“Pardon me, ducal princess, but this is a beautiful colour.”

“Huh?”

Before she could resist, Ira found herself blinking as she stared at the strands of her hair in Dane’s hands. 

“Ah, t-thank you.”

Ira noticed Dane’s eyes fixated on one spot. As if noticing her staring, Dane smiled.

“It’s beautiful.”

Seriously, Ira wouldn’t even notice if she was being eaten alive in the meantime.

‘Someone I know told me once. There will be no end if I ever fall for a man like this.’

Ira was certain that if she ended up liking a man like him, she would only end up feeling robbed and humiliated. 

“Isn’t it, Ray?”

Meanwhile, Dane turned his head and asked Ray for his thoughts. Ray, who had remained silent throughout the exchange, turned his gaze away. 

“How could you try to talk to me while you’re still in the midst of your conversation with a lady? That’s not what I would expect of a well-mannered man.”

“I was just giving you the chance to talk to the charming ducal princess. Aren’t I?”

Ray furrowed his brows. 

“Do you like green?”

“Yes. I do.”

“I believe you look good in green, in shades like the one you’re wearing today, my lady.”

Ray knew that Dane was good at saying things he did not mean. He was aware that there was someone else he wanted to say the same words to. 

“Ah, ducal princess. This is another one of her consorts, Ray”

Cough. Ray choked. 

“What? Ah. I guess so.”

Caught off guard, Ray lost the chance to explain himself. 

‘Damn it. He looks like a prince.’

Ira turned her attention to Ray. Ray’s handsome face looked like it had been drawn by a large paintbrush dipped in black ink. 

‘He’s really big.’

Kaltanians were physically bigger than Walternians regardless of gender. And this navy-haired gentleman looked especially big. 

“I’m sure Ray thought the same. I have given you the chance for conversation.”

“I cannot lie.”

“Is that so? So, what do you really think?”

A gentle breeze blew. And the strands of Ira’s hair that shook tickled her forehead. Ray’s eyes were drawn to the fluttering hair. Soon, he sighed before accepting his fate.

“… Alright. The ducal princess’ hair is incredibly beautiful.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Immediately realising that that had been a compliment, Ira flashed a slight smile. 

‘I wonder why I seem to be getting a lot of compliments for my hair today…’

Ira tilted her head as Dane gently released the strands of her hair.

“Oh… I’m terribly sorry.”

His eyes curled and his captivating smile was ever present. He took a step closer towards her as a strong fragrance struck Ira’s senses. 

“You were so beautiful, you’ve captured my attention.”

Ira was aware that this was a forced smile. The man’s fragrance that made him smell like a bouquet packed with flowers were melting her senses.

‘This man must be insanely crafty if he’s trying to make me fall in love with him on purpose.’

Was it because of his scent?

‘No, I must unexpectedly have a type for innocent-looking men.’

He was dressed very neatly but at the same time, he gave off the strange vibes of a gentle, decadent darkness.

But this man must be aware. Of how powerful his face was. Knowing how smart he was, there was no way he wouldn’t have known. 

“Have you been here this whole time?”

Just then, someone new intruded their conversation. No, since this was an open hallway, he didn’t really intrude.

“Brother.”

Seeing the new stranger, Dane frowned as though he encountered a nuisance.

“What’s with that expression? Didn’t you hear that I would come see you today?”

“I didn’t.”

“Don’t lie to me.”

“Brother, I’m attending to a guest.”

Dane gave a stiff nod as though reminding the other man to be mindful of his speech. Fleon quickly pressed his lips together. 

“And in any case, brother, it’s obvious what you want from me, isn’t it?”

“W-What? Is it that obvious?”

“Yes. How long must I continue hearing about your relationship?”

Dane smirked.

“It’s already been five years, five. If I had been the Ducal Princess of Aventa I would have run away by now. You’re frustrating, selfish and can never bring himself to say something nice. I would have run off to a distant land by now.”

“You!”

Dane quickly avoided Fleon’s attack before turning his back to him cunningly. 

“I need to get going now.”

Dane quickly bid his goodbyes to Ira.

“Then, I shall be seeing you again at the banquet.”

Just as he did when they first met, Dane gave a light peck on the back of her hand before quickly walking away. His steps were elegant but he walked briskly and silently. As though he wanted to avoid them as they were being bothersome. 

“Huh, look at that guy go. He’s running away, isn’t he?”

Ira stared at the man left behind carefully. 

He looked as if he was going to chase after Dane at any given moment but surprisingly he did not do so. Rather, he merely swept his hair back roughly and stared back at her. Ira flinched under his sharp gaze.

“Pardon me.”

The grey-haired man was another handsome one. And a very fierce-looking one to boot. But he did not look rugged. Instead, he looked more like finely-detailed pottery or a refined iron bar. 

“I am Fleon Clache Kaltanias, the treasurer of the Empire’s 6th Administration. It is my honour to greet you.”

Surprisingly, the etiquette displayed by the man who had elegantly lowered his head was so perfect, Ira thought she was watching a textbook example. Additionally, when she heard that he had the ‘Kaltanias’ surname, she realised that he must be one of the emperor’s brothers.

“Ah, hello. I am Ira de Marigold of the Kingdom of Walter.”

“So, you are the ducal princess.”

The moment Ira nodded her head quickly. 

“Hm, I heard that you have yet to win over my niece’s heart?”

Marissa who had remained quiet interjected.

“Marissa.”

Looking displeased, Fleon furrowed his brows.

“Ducal princess, to introduce him, he is the one responsible for ardently suggesting the implementation of a consort system to Her Majesty, the emperor.”

Ira nodded her head as though she learned something new.

“Aha. Is that so?”

“Marissa. What bull are you spouting…”

At Fleon’s glance, Marissa merely shrugged her shoulders and closed her eyes. 

“Wouldn’t it be wise to inform other nations first?”

“That’d be nice. If we really did implement one, what should we say?”

“Look at his face. Why do you look so flustered? Ah, are you doing this because you don’t want to be hated by her?”

“Of course! Who would want to be hated by her!”

Fleon shouted before immediately covering his mouth. He had blurted that out in the spur of the moment so it must be the truth. But whether or not it was, Marissa had already turned around and was approaching Ira. 

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