Jamon, upon hearing my response, displayed a satisfied smile.
“That’s more like it.”
His attitude was quite displeasing.
“I will send a maid in the morning. Please come to the prince’s palace.”
Leaving just those words behind, Jamon departed.
Creak, bang.
As the door closed, I quietly raised my middle finger towards it.
Another annoying person added to the list.
* * *
Although he mentioned sending a maid in the morning, they arrived at dawn, hardly allowing me any sleep before they began preparing me.
‘Really annoying…’
Jamon, who hadn’t known me for long, seemed to only choose actions that I disliked.
Finally ready, I left the room.
Someone was standing there, who could be either Jamon or Irmin. At this point, I had little interest in distinguishing between the two.
Nevertheless, one of them extended a hand to me.
“Let’s go.”
Judging by the tone, it was Jamon. I accepted Jamon’s escort.
We arrived in front of a grand door.
“Reception room…?”
“No. It’s the dining room.”
It seemed to be a casual family dining gathering rather than a meeting.
‘Wait, does that mean the emperor will be there?’
The thought of meeting the emperor suddenly made me feel nervous.
As we entered the dining room, I saw many people sitting there, most with blonde hair.
Among them was Irmin. Seeing him right after Jamon, the resemblance between the twins was strikingly obvious.
Irmin caught my eye and gave a subtle smile. He didn’t seem surprised at all that I was holding Jamon’s hand.
“Greetings to the Sun of the Empire, His Imperial Majesty.”
Jamon bowed respectfully. I instinctively nodded my head too.
The emperor bore a striking resemblance to both Irmin and Jamon, not just in hair and eye color but even in the shape of their eyes.
A palpable charisma prevented me from making eye contact.
While keeping my eyes lowered, I heard the emperor’s voice.
“I have heard the story, Lady Erpeso.”
Even his voice carried an air of dignity.
It was hard to imagine Irmin ascending to such a position. The scenario just didn’t fit.
It seemed Jamon had briefed the emperor about our engagement, a rather efficient way to handle matters.
The emperor then said, seemingly puzzled,
“As far as I am aware, you have a fiancé.”
It was impossible not to know, especially after an elaborate engagement ceremony.
All eyes in the room turned to me, including Jamon’s.
Should I really say it? I have to, I suppose.
After a moment of contemplation, I spoke.
“We broke off the engagement.”
It was a simple declaration of annulment.
* * *
After that, I hardly remember how time passed.
With a heavy heart, I returned to my room.
In the room, a welcome sight greeted me.
“Hans!”
He was sitting on a chair, reading a book.
Hans spoke without even looking at me.
“Ah, the philanderer arrives.”
“Still mad?”
“Congratulations on your engagement. Live happily.”
“Oh, please.”
He sure knew how to hold a grudge. I grumbled,
“I told you I love you.”
“Go tell that to your fiancé.”
“Stop being so sulky. You know there’s a reason I accepted the engagement.”
Hans still looked sullen. He knew the reason but seemed unable to accept it emotionally.
I tried to lighten the mood with a joke.
“We kind of look like tragic heroes, don’t we? Like Romeo and Juliet.”
“Don’t romanticize it unnecessarily.”
As usual, he lacked romance. I clicked my tongue disapprovingly.
Hans closed the book and looked at me.
“So, how long do you have to keep up this charade?”
“Until Jamon ascends to the position of Crown Prince?”
“And you’ll have to keep pretending to be engaged even after that?”
“There is one way out.”
I held up my index finger and said seriously,
“Reincarnate before the wedding, and it’s all settled.”
I was only thinking about escaping. Hans narrowed his eyes, knowing that was my plan.
“Is everything settled in the Celestial Realm? I need to gather points quickly.”
“There’s no settling to do. I just went there to scold everyone. So, what’s important is how you feel.”
As always, Hans seemed to prioritize my opinion. Naturally.
Hans made a suggestion.
“How about we have another talk?”
“In the Celestial Realm?”
“No.”
Hans spoke calmly,
“On the broadcast, all together.”
I hesitated at those words.
If asked whether I missed the broadcasts, I could answer without hesitation that I did.
Chatting and laughing with the viewers, knowing that my actions brought joy to others. I missed it all dearly.
But I didn’t have the courage to start broadcasting again.
Specifically, I was scared.
“Why?”
Hans, noticing my hesitation, asked.
I hesitated before responding,
“To be honest, I’m a bit scared. There might be fans who’ve turned against me.”
“Don’t worry about those. I’ll deal with them myself.”
What exactly does he plan to do by ‘dealing with them’? I looked at Hans apprehensively.
Regardless, Hans continued,
“It’s okay, Jiha. What’s there to worry about when I’m here?”
“Hans…”
His words were unusually tender for him.
Hans smiled warmly and said,
“If anyone insults you, I’ll handle them.”
“Just make sure you don’t resort to violence, okay?”
I doubted Hans would actually hit someone, but I felt it was worth mentioning just in case.
‘Right, Hans is by my side.’
My lover and reliable manager, Hans, was there to support me.
There was no need to be afraid.
I pressed the start button for the broadcast. It had been a very long time since I last saw the broadcasting screen.
Viewers flocked in immediately. The chat was filled with familiar nicknames in no time.
I smiled faintly.
“It’s been a while.”
Normally, the chat and donation windows would be flooded by now. But it seemed everyone was holding back, watching quietly.
[Poppopo: You okay?]
[Poppopo: I’ve put those ** in line, so don’t worry]
[Stress: Sorry……]
[PleaseShakeACarrot: ㅠㅅㅠ]
[Gold2: Serves them right, the bad guys]
I stared at the chat for a while, then got lost in thought.
Even if they were chasing fun, the angels genuinely cared for me.
“Not everything’s alright yet.”
My anger subsided somewhat. It might seem simple, but seeing their sincere apologies somewhat melted my heart.
After all, they were viewers I cherished and liked.
‘After all, the root of the problem is something else.’
Ian hadn’t joined.
It was probably for the best. Chatting with Ian wasn’t something that could be resolved easily.
“If you’ve reflected enough, I’ll let it slide. But there won’t be a second chance.”
[PleaseShakeACarrot: Yes!!!]
[Isaac: Really sorry……]
[Stress: I’ll do better, Jiha-nim!!!]
[Plong: ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
Luckily, the mood in the chat lightened considerably. Everyone was gradually getting more comfortable.
Yes, this was the atmosphere I missed. Despite all the hardships, I couldn’t give up broadcasting.
It was something I loved, with people I loved.
A few viewers couldn’t steal my happiness.
I glanced sideways and noticed Hans was monitoring another window. He was resting his chin on his hand, intently checking the screen. It seemed to be the manager’s broadcast window.
It was intriguing to see Hans working as a manager like this.
As I stared at Hans, a chat popped up.
[LLoading: She’s staring!]
[Gold2: Take care of your fiancé lol]
[Gold2 has been muted for 5 minutes.]
[Stress: Why???]
[Stress has been muted for 5 minutes.]
[AsparagusCharm: Be careful, the manager’s in a low-pressure zone right now.]
[Manager: Don’t be annoying.]
Hans was exercising his power judiciously.
Hans had a right to be in a foul mood. I needed to explain the situation to the bewildered viewers.
“I have some news to share.”
[Tofinut: Setting the mood.]
[Plong: What is it?]
“I got engaged.”
[PleaseShakeACarrot: Isn’t that old news?]
[Something: Everyone here probably knows.]
“It’s not about my engagement with Hans.”
I looked at the chat window, my eyes shining as I spoke.
“I got engaged to His Highness, the prince.”
The chat fell silent for a moment.
Then question marks started appearing.
[Tofinut: ?]
[Poppopo: ??]
[Isaac: Hahahahahahaha]
[Isaac has donated 10,000 points!]
[Poppopo: Is that a congratulatory gift or are you teasing Hans?]
[AsparagusCharm: Probably both.]
[Isaac has been muted for 5 minutes.]
Hans muted the chat nonchalantly. So that’s how he looks when he mutes someone. He was very serious.
“I didn’t cheat. Please, hear me out.”
I preempted any possible misunderstandings.
I calmly explained everything that had happened, including being threatened by Jamon.
While I spoke, the chat blazed like wildfire. The messages were coming in so fast, it was hard to keep up.
I knew they would enjoy it, but their enthusiasm was even more than I expected. The angels were consistent, after all.
[Stress has donated 20,000 points!]
– Yes, this is the drama we wanted hahahahaha
[Tofinut: I want to see Jamon]
[OnlyFinley: Me too]
As expected, not a single person took it seriously.
The viewers seemed curious about Jamon. It made sense to be curious about someone who looked just like Irmin but with a completely opposite personality.
However, I had no intention of meeting him in person.
After meeting him this morning and barely surviving the ordeal, I didn’t feel like seeing him again.
“I don’t plan to meet Jamon again today.”
…No sooner had I said this than someone entered the room.
It was literally as I said it. Suddenly, there he was, as if he had teleported. Hans and I looked in shock at the newcomer.
‘…Jamon?’
The person who entered the room was indeed Jamon.