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She tried to probe Yulan by intentionally creating a comparison, but he showed no particular reaction.
Of course, she wasn't looking at him directly, but merely checking his reflection in the window, so she could have been mistaken.
Thus, Yevgenia shifted her crossed legs to the other side as naturally as possible and turned her body toward Yulan.
“I wonder what he finds so beautiful about a man whose origins are unclear, who is a commoner, and whose hair covers more than half his face?”
Noticing Yevgenia's gaze, Yulan looked back at her and spoke with a smirk.
“The Imperial Princess is quite suspicious, isn't she?”
“It’s not that I’m suspicious; it’s that you’ve behaved in a way that leaves me no choice but to be.”
With a hardened expression, Yevgenia sharply cut off his attempt to brush it off as a joke.
However, Yulan merely responded with a smiling face.
“Hmm. I can't deny that point.”
“You certainly are brazen, aren't you?”
“That’s my charm point. A man is more attractive the more secrets he has.”
“...Ha!”
A hollow laugh escaped her at such an absurd answer.
Rather than being alluring, his attitude only fueled suspicions she hadn't even had before.
It was truly strange.
Clearly, she was the one holding more cards, yet he appeared more confident.
Perhaps this was the 'negotiation power' her father had mentioned repeatedly.
If so, rather than simply feeling unpleasant or repulsed, the right thing to do would be to absorb it all, learn from it, and make it her own.
Swallowing her rising anger, she painted a smile on her face.
“So, Mr. ‘Yuri,’ the man of many secrets. What answer did my father give you?”
“Beautiful ‘Zhenya.’ Why would you ask a commoner like me for the noble Duke's high opinion? I dare not speak it for fear that the Duke's true intentions might be distorted as they pass through my lips, so I beg Zhenya to please consider the heart of this lacking man.”
His voice was nothing short of desperate.
If anyone outside the carriage had overheard this conversation, they couldn't help but feel pity for ‘Yuri.’
It was absurd, but the moment she got angry here, she would lose.
Massaging her trembling cheek muscles, she asked again.
“Oh, Yuri. There's no need to be so frightened. I'm simply curious whether my father permitted our relationship or not.”
“I wonder. Wouldn't Zhenya know that better than I do?”
One of her eyebrows shot up at the question that returned instead of a clear answer.
Before she could express her doubt, he continued with another question.
“After the Duke had a brief conversation with me, didn't he go to meet Zhenya? Since you heard the Duke's intentions directly, wanting confirmation from me as well... does that mean you do not trust the Duke?”
“...As you know, it's not my father I don't trust, but you.”
“Oh, what a tear-jerking display of family love.”
Seeing him smirk like that, she felt there would be no gain in continuing the conversation further.
For some reason, Yulan seemed absolutely unwilling to tell Yevgenia about the conversation he had with the Duke.
Perhaps that was why she had felt a faint sense of hostility in his eyes ever since they boarded the carriage.
'I wasn't particularly curious anyway, so it doesn't matter. Regardless, he makes the other party anxious so they bring up the main point first by acting as if he's already lost. It's better to start negotiating once you know what the opponent wants.'
The example Yulan provided had served as a decent lesson.
And while continuing the conversation, she had come up with a fairly good deal.
It seemed it was time to wrap up the conversation.
“Yulan, aren't you curious about what my father told me?”
“Hmm... probably something like, 'Where did you pick up such a cheeky commoner?'”
He spoke as if he were completely uninterested, shrugging his shoulders, but his gaze, which didn't leave her for a second, told a completely different story.
Moreover, seeing that he had no intention of hiding it, it seemed he was waiting for her to suggest exchanging their stories immediately.
'I can't just let you off easily. I'm the one who isn't that curious about the conversation between you two.'
As long as her father knew Yulan's identity, whatever her father had said to him was merely a sequence of meaningless words.
Therefore, even if she found out the contents of their conversation, it would only make her laugh and be of no help at all.
Leaning her back against the carriage, she tilted her head up slightly.
Wrapping her crossed legs with both hands and maintaining a very relaxed posture, Yevgenia spoke.
“How about I take the answer to this question as the payment for this request?”
According to her original plan, she had thought of a separate reward for this request.
To the third party who would take the job, as much money as they desired.
To Yulan, who would arrange the work in the middle, the right to have a foot in such an interesting request.
However, since Yulan ended up taking the job himself, an additional reward had to be given to him, and she had been pondering how to handle it.
'In the midst of that, if I can settle it with this answer, it's a gain for me.'
“...Well, that's an unexpected proposal.”
A completely different situation unfolded from a moment ago.
Now, Yevgenia was the confident one, and Yulan was the flustered one.
Even in this reversed situation, Yulan still had not lost his smile.
If anything, he seemed to be enjoying it.
“If you wanted to provoke me, I'll give you a compliment, Imperial Princess.”
As he said this, Yulan even gave a calm round of applause.
Rather than a compliment, it felt like nothing but mockery.
But it was clear that this, too, was something he was doing with a purpose.
'He probably hopes I'll get excited on my own and drop some hints. He really is a man who isn't easy in any way, from start to finish.'
Twisting one corner of her mouth into a smile, Yevgenia tilted her head.
“It's a compliment I didn't particularly ask for, but I'll take it gratefully for now.”
“Haha...”
She stared silently at Yulan, who let out a laugh while rubbing his chin, and then shrugged.
As someone who had lived more like a 'superior' than anyone else in this world, she could easily project this level of confidence in any situation.
Especially when she knew for certain that she was in a more advantageous position, as she was now, there was no need to fake confidence.
“Imperial Princess, you are truly charming. If you're acting like this because you want to make me anxious, then yes, it's only right that I let it slide easily.”
Saying this while tilting his head slightly, Yulan was truly obnoxious.
He felt like a peacock, fully aware of his own charm and appealing it to the fullest.
The problem was that the peacock looked quite beautiful even in Yevgenia's eyes.
However, beauty is beauty, and things that need to be addressed properly must be addressed.
“I won't deny that I'm charming.”
Yulan chuckled at Yevgenia's almost brazenly confident words.
Meanwhile, Yevgenia continued speaking without giving him a gap.
“But let's make one thing clear. This is an equal trade, not me owing you a debt.”
It was a firm statement, devoid of any emotion or thought.
It was understandable that he might feel the secret placed on the other side was quite trivial compared to the hardships Yulan had endured to make this request happen.
However, if this secret was related to none other than 'Duke Martir' of the Empire, the story changed.
'It feels a bit unpleasant, like I'm selling out my father, but my father is the type of person who would actually prefer me acting like this...'
Whether he viewed Yevgenia as someone who didn't hesitate to sell out her own father, Yulan raised both hands as if surrendering and answered obediently.
“Fine, I understand. The Imperial Princess certainly never lets things slide easily.”
“I learned that all from you. I'm a student who learns well on my own.”
“To think I've gained a disciple without even knowing it. This is so touching, I could almost cry.”
She stared silently at Yulan, who had begun to be sarcastic again.
Shaking his head as if it couldn't be helped, he leaned his body forward.
At a distance so close that his shallow breathing could be heard, Yulan, whose expression had vanished, gave a low warning.
“Imperial Princess. Now that we've agreed to a proper trade, you must not deceive me.”
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