The Tyrant Empress is Obsessed with Me

29 – The Frenzied Party (Escape)

As the day grows late, it eventually happens.

At the grand social gathering called the Duke’s party, there are unfortunate souls who cannot find a partner.

And those souls savor their solitude in a garden prepared behind the Duke’s residence.

Some call it the ‘Losers’ Garden.’

“Ah… I want to die.”

The voice of despair from deep within emanates from the young lady of a baronet’s family, Heria. She expected to find a partner today, but her hopes were dashed.

“Oh, Solemio. Life is so sh*tty.”

The man beside her is Viscount Matteo.

On the surface, he looks fine, but he still hasn’t found a dance partner because he stammers whenever he faces a woman.

“Ha, Heria, you too?”

“Viscount Matteo, we meet again…”

Their eyes met.

Once in a blue moon, miracles happen in the Losers’ Garden.

“…..”

Yulia watched the two disappear into the garden.

In her flustered state after seeing Ascal, she aimlessly wandered and ended up here.

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The cool breeze and the scent of flowers tickled her nose.

It wasn’t so bad after all.

Taking a moment to clear her head here and then returning to the party might be a good idea.

“IwillcurseyouIwillcurseyouwhatareyoutorejectmemusthavebeenperfectwhy.”

But then, a strange voice could be heard nearby.

And somehow, this voice didn’t feel entirely unfamiliar.

Yulia took a step forward.

The owner of the voice came into view.

Serena Barba.

The empire’s second princess and Yulia’s older sister.

“Oh my. Meeting in such a place, how unexpected, Yulia. Well, it’s not like we have much to say to each other. But, what brought you all the way here? You rarely show yourself.”

As if nothing had happened, Serena reverted to her usual princess-like smile.

“…”

“…Did you hear?”

“…”

Serena cleared her throat.

“Everyone experiences failure. And the one who stands up after their failure is the real strong one, isn’t it?”

“…”

“Really! At least say something!”

Serena stomped her foot.

Watching her, Yulia slowly opened her mouth.

“Were you rejected by Ascal Devre?”

“You really know how to hit a sore spot. Yes, I asked that man to dance, but he refused right away. So, what’s your point?”

Serena glared at Yulia.

Serena had never liked Yulia.

Especially now, when she was feeling hurt.

“What a relief.”

“What’s there to be relieved about…”

“Oh. Were you all gathered here?”

The one who appeared was the empire’s crown prince, Cain.

Without any attendants, he had been lost in thought and wandering the garden alone when he happened upon Serena and Yulia.

It was a rare occurrence.

Since adulthood, they had rarely gathered privately for non-official reasons.

“It’s been a while since we three siblings gathered like this.”

“Excuse me, we are still young for telling old stories, aren’t we? We’re in our prime. Old man.”

Serena pouted.

Cain chuckled.

“So, why do you think our young lady was sulking alone?”

Serena sighed and sat down on a bench.

The night was darkening, and she was tired. She had reached her mental limit trying to gain political advantage from the situation.

“I was dumped by a guy.”

“Really? Who is the evil man who dumped our lady? Let me give him a lesson.”

“…Ascal Debre.”

Cain’s smile faded.

“What a coincidence. I just got dumped by that guy too.”

A brief silence ensued.

And then, as if they had agreed, the two siblings’ gazes turned to Yulia.

“…I don’t know who that person is. Who is he?”

Yulia averted her gaze.

The atmosphere deflated like a balloon losing air.

“Does Yulia not know? Well, I guess I can say that I’m the closest to him since I even got to eat a cookie.”

“A cookie, you say?”

“Yes. I ate a cookie made by Ascal Debre himself. It was so dry it made my throat hurt.”

“A cookie…”

“Yes. A cookie. It melted softly in my mouth.”

Cain imagined the taste of the cookie.

It was sweet, moist, and melted in his mouth.

The only problem was that he didn’t have anything to drink with it – if he had, he could have enjoyed it even more.

But Yulia’s eyes changed as she heard the story.

“I didn’t get to eat a cookie.”

Cain broke out in a slight cold sweat.

“There are plenty of cookies at the banquet, Yulia.”

“That’s not the point.”

“A cookie? That guy made a cookie?”

Serena brushed off her dress and stood up.

Yulia looked as if she was ready to run off this instant.

These women had been acting strangely earlier too.

“Askal, where is that man now?”

“I couldn’t dance or even eat a cookie, but I won’t be satisfied.”

Kain answered obediently.

“Last time I saw him, he was in the left hallway of the banquet hall. But it’s been a while now, so I’m not sure.”

“Oh, Prince, Princess Serena, Princess Yulia. Count Dvar greets you. Today’s party is really enjoyable, isn’t it?”

Their eyes, as if they were looking at a bug caught by the suddenly appeared Count Dvar.

Count Dvar was sweating cold.

He had come at the wrong time, to the wrong place.

For the first time in his life, Count Dvar felt the threat of death.

He had to somehow find a way out of this situation.

‘What, what should I say……to get out of here?’

There wasn’t much time to think.

Count Dvar, desperately wracking his brain finally blurted out a single word.

“Askal……?”

He felt the atmosphere dissolving in an instant.

Fortunately, it was the correct answer.

Breathing heavily, Count Dvar continued to speak.

“You’re looking for Askal. He is probably on the second floor of the mansion, talking with Lady Sushia now.”

“Thank you, it will help my siblings.”

“Ha-ha. It’s an honor.”

With the tension eased, Count Dvar began to fulfill his duties as a host.

“Come to think of it, your Highness, have you heard about this? They say that among the horses Askal brought today, there is a very peculiar one. Even though it is still young, it is said to be a beautiful white horse.”

“By any chance, did it have a spot on its shoulder?”

“I’m not sure about that……”

That foal was unmistakable.

Kain had once given Ascal a foal.

It was thin and shapeless.

Honestly, he thought it would die before it grew up, but it turned out to be a splendid white horse.

Kain’s expression changed.

“Everyone, go to the second floor. I’ll take the left stairs, Serenna takes the right stairs, and Yulia please manage the central stairs. Look for Ascal.”

“Understood.”

“Yes.”

Now, at this moment.

The strongest temporary alliance in the Barba Empire was formed.

“I admit defeat.”

“Don’t ever bring up the word ‘cookie’ in front of me again, Susia.”

In the end, Ascal met Susia, and they compared each other’s cookies by tasting them.

Ascal won by a landslide.

No need for picky judges; the difference in taste was overwhelming.

“From now on, you are permanently banned from the office.”

“Please, please, spare me that! Sir! I’ll do anything!”

Susia was about to be condemned again, so Ascal proposed a compromise.

“Then clean the toilets for a month.”

“…But I’m still the duchess.”

“Do you want to be permanently banned or not?”

“Ugh, fine. I’ll clean the toilets.”

Susia slumped down. She didn’t seem to care about getting her dress dirty.

“But why has it been feeling strange since earlier?”

Since earlier, there seemed to be a tingling sensation on his back.

As if they needed to run away immediately, their bodies seemed to be warning them.

Moreover, the feeling was getting stronger.

‘Ahh… must be tired.’

Just when he tried to ignore the feeling, a maid from the mansion appeared.

“You’re here, Lord Ascal.”

“What is it?”

“That… His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, is looking for Lord Ascal.”

“Really? He must have some urgent business, then.”

“And… Princess Serena is also looking for Lord Ascal.”

“Why would the princess be looking for him?”

“Also… Princess Yulia is looking for Lord Ascal as well.”

“…..”

Hmm.

Something is going wrong here.

I have a feeling that if I get caught, I’ll be dragged into some troublesome business.

Ascal decides not to think any further and to run away.

“Ascal! Wait! Let me talk to you!”

It’s the voice of the Crown Prince.

Ascal immediately took off running.

“I knew you’d come this way. Just as I predicted.”

As I approached the staircase on the right of the second floor, Princess Serena was waiting. She had a determined expression on her face.

Ascal passed through Princess Serena and went up to the third floor.

“Hey! Wait! At least let me give you a cookie before you go!”

Upon exiting the long staircase, it was a dead end.

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It was great that he managed to run away from Crown Prince Cain and Princess Serena.

However, once Ascal had reached the third floor of the mansion, he had become like a cornered rat.

It was only a matter of time before he would be caught.

‘What should I do?’

Far away, he could hear the sound of footsteps approaching.

Ascal looked out the window.

…The night sky was beautiful.

But this wasn’t the time to worry about that.

‘I won’t die if I fall, right?’

If he landed well, he shouldn’t die from a height of three floors. And his legs had been trained by commuting every day. It seemed worth trusting them.

‘No, lately I’ve been commuting by carriage, so they might not be reliable.’

It was a moment of doubt.

“So, you were here.”

From behind, Yulia’s voice could be heard.

There was no more time to hesitate.

Swooshhhhh!

Ascal jumped straight through the window with both arms pressed against his torso.

The window shattered instantaneously, and Ascal began to plummet to the ground.

‘Is this much higher than I thought?’

He was even falling headfirst.

He seemed likely to die like this.

If there were Darwin Awards in this place, he would have won this year’s award.

Just then.

A white horse came into view in the distance.

A winged barrier fell from the sky.

“Fer!”

Pegasus spread his wings and rushed towards his master.

With a nimble movement, he successfully hoisted Ascal onto his back.

“Let’s go home like this!”

“Heeheehee!”

Fer flapped his wings.

“Tha-, that’s impossible!”

Raven was furious. Having recently suffered a slump, he took part in the Duke’s party in hopes of finding inspiration.

However, neither dancing nor taking leisurely strolls were eliciting any inspiration.

And then Raven caught sight of an unbelievable scene.

Among the stars adorning the night sky, a man rode a Pegasus and soared through the air.

“It’s a miracle!”

Raven quickly fetched a canvas.

Before this inspiration vanished, he had to complete his painting.

＜The Man Riding a Pegasus＞

And the painting that Raven completed became one of the most famous masterpieces of the empire.