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Chapter 107
Translated by Yonnee
Seeing the handmaidens fussing about in an uncharacteristically chaotic manner, Sera soon heard the news about the sudden visit.
“Prince Vaughn is going to visit the Star Palace soon?”
Hearing about this for the first time, Sera asked back with her eyes wide open.
“Yes. I believe Their Highnesses have told stories about how hard they have been studying, and His Highness the Prince told His Majesty that he would like to meet you in person.”
“Oh
 I see.”
The prince surely would be curious about the daily lives of his cousins since it’s the first time they’ve met again after half a year, but why was he suddenly coming here to see how they’re studying? It’s nice to hear that they seem close as a family, but Sera let out a heavy sigh as she suddenly felt burdened.
It felt like that period in time during her first life where she had just started teaching, and there was a supervisor who would stop by to observe her class. Her heart plummeted to the ground whenever she’d hear that the supervisor would come by, even if it was just for a short time.
‘Fortunately, His Highness isn’t going to see how my classes are conducted, but rather to meet me
 Maybe it’s more like a parent-teacher meeting instead of an observation
?’
The Adelio Empire was more focused on individual classes, and this meant there were only a few research studies on pedagogy, instructional systems and educational methods, perhaps because there’s no communal schooling set up just yet. Therefore, the concept of a classroom observation should not exist here.
Even so, she experienced many informal classroom observation sessions by parents while she was teaching their young children. She was slightly worried because of how Rosé and Ferre might react.
As Sera was agonizing over all this, a handmaiden of the Star Palace asked her.
“By chance, would you prefer not to do it?”
“Oh, no no. I’m just worried that Their Highnesses might get excited over the fact that we’ll have someone else there during the class.”
Sera replied with a smile. They were two confident children who were not shy to boast about their achievements. She could already imagine them studying very diligently through this.
“Is that so? But if I were you, Lady Popo, I would feel so excited as if I’m soaring through the sky!”
The handmaiden cried out with a huge smile on her lips. Her smile was so wide that they practically reached her ears.
Now that Sera thought of it, was it just her, or were all the staff members in the Star Palace seem overly excited?
“Is there something going on that everyone’s cheerful?”
“Of course! Lady Popo, you’ve never met Prince Aushuvel, have you?”
Sera nodded. They must be in such high spirits because of the said prince.
“It’s a great opportunity to see Prince Aushuvel up close. Even a conversation with him maybe. It’s such a special and precious chance!”
As though they were waiting, the handmaidens each spoke up about the stories they knew of Prince Aushuvel. They detailed over a long while how beautifully angular his nose was, how shiningly pale his skin was—which was a characteristic trait of people up north—and how amazing his deep blue hair and green eyes were. His eyes were the same shade as Her Highness RosĂ©.
Plus, added one of the handmaidens, as much as they saw the emperor, there was once or twice a year that their eyes would be so overwhelmingly happy whenever the prince would visit. At that moment, the handmaiden who said that looked like an avid fan club president.
“If His Majesty is like the gentle warmth of sunlight, then Prince Aushuvel is like a cold, winter breeze. Though he does have a sly personality.”
As she was talking happily, the handmaiden’s expression suddenly hardened.
“But you know, Lady Popo.”
Then, she came close to Sera. The tension in the air was tight as the handmaiden lowered her voice.
“Prince Aushuvel is rumored to be quite dangerous.”
“Rumored to be dangerous
?”
Sera wondered if he had a fiery temperament. She gulped dryly as she felt nervous about the warning.
“He always has women around him! Besides, he doesn’t stop the women who come to him, but neither does he try to catch the women who would leave. Can you imagine just how much women fight around him!”
The handmaiden grimaced sullenly, as if that was the only regrettable thing.
Sera burst into a lighthearted smile at the handmaiden’s cute whining.
Sure enough. The prince was handsome, and he had a definite social standing. What better conditions could someone have? Since this was a place where people could date freely, Helios’ case was actually the exceptional one, seeing as how there were no rumors of him dating anyone at all. His parents, the previous emperor and empress, were also exceptional in the way that they had only each other during their lives.
“Milady, which one is it for you, Prince Aushuvel or His Majesty Emperor Helios?”
The handmaiden quickly grew chipper again as she asked Sera.
“Huh?”
“Who’s your type? Is it His Highness who’s seemingly cold yet sly, or is it His Majesty who’s kind to everyone?”
“Hey now, I haven’t even met Prince Aushuvel yet.”
“Gosh
 Well, that’s true.”
The handmaiden asked as though she was asking which of the male leads in a novel was better, but she soon said this and gave up as she was faced with this saddening fact.
* * *
‘Seems like it was a lie, goodness
’
After meeting up with Helios, Aushuvel smirked as he smoothed over his lips with a finger.
The more he recalled it, the more he found it interesting how Helios had responded. As though nothing was going on, Helios smiled in the same refreshing manner. His acting was way beyond.
“There’s nothing between me and Miss Popo, Aushuvel. To me, she’s just RosĂ© and Ferre’s tutor.”
To think that he’d utter such an unconvincing excuse. They were cousins, but that answer just made Aushuvel laugh instead of sigh.
He was reading into it too much because of that.
Of course, Aushuvel himself lived under the creed of ‘date lightly, marry later’, and he very diligently upheld this lifestyle, so he did have a history of going through a line of lovers here and there many times. However, he could clearly see that Helios was trying to hide something from him—even when there were already articles about it.
It’s not that he didn’t understand why Helios said that there really was nothing between him and that tutor, but it was inevitable that Aushuvel was disappointed in how it turned out.
‘Still though, he’s my cousin.’
It’s even more suspicious how it’s emphasized that there was absolutely nothing more and nothing less in their relationship.