It was as if Evil knew about his thoughts of disliking the guild and had become more overt recently. Starting with the orphanage foundation event, Evil began to extend its reach into various fields. To Esteban's surprise, they even started investing in the arts and culture. While they had always dabbled in different areas, they had never launched such a serious operation before, as they were primarily an information guild, not a merchant or loan company.
"Who's behind this?"
"I tried to send someone undercover to find out, but no one seemed to know much about the master."
"If Gustav says so, there's no answer. Moreover, every business they touch is something that comes up in the national council."
"In that case, one of the founders, who has been shrouded in mystery, might be a noble in the parliament."
"That's what I was thinking."
As Mabel's operations continued, the true identity of Evil's leadership became further from the real direction. It was all as Mabel had intended.
"Whoever it is, I really want to see the face of the person who's actually leading the guild."
Just as he muttered this, Esteban sensed a small presence approaching. Soon, the door opened slightly, and Mabel poked her head in.
"Dad, are you busy?"
"No, not at all."
"Then let's play!"
"Sure."
So eager to see the actual leader of the guild, Esteban, unaware that the person was right in front of him, smiled and took Mabel's hand to go for a walk. It was a peaceful moment.
***
Amidst his busy schedule, a message from the guild arrived. The messenger was one of the chirping birds. [We've found the whereabouts of the pebble.] After confirming the note sent directly by Casey, I immediately tore it into small pieces and threw it away. 'Pebble' was our code word for 'the essence of the Tree of Creation.' Since sending the essence found in the desert to the temple a few months ago, there had been no significant news, so it was a relief to know its whereabouts.
"Aidan, it would be good if you could visit Casey. He said they found the essence."
"Understood."
[Feed me, chirp.]
After feeding the chirping bird, I waited for Aidan to return while reviewing the guild documents. However, after about an hour, Aidan returned to the bedroom with a strange expression.
"What's wrong, Aidan?"
"There's a problem."
"What kind of problem?"
"We've secured the location of the essence, but…"
Aidan rarely hesitated like this, which made me very curious and a bit scared. Sighing, Aidan finally spoke.
"The owner is Lady Deverill."
"Oh…"
Only then did I understand why Aidan had looked so troubled.
"Lady Deverill owns a gemstone that is the essence, which is part of her family's heirloom."
"This is going to be difficult."
Lady Deverill. She was someone even I, the emperor, found difficult to deal with.
'She stands at the pinnacle of the complex royal family tree.'
Though she was the empress of the previous emperor, she had no direct blood relation to my father or me because she had no children. I had also heard that she was the first to write a divorce in the history of the empress. Like Duke Donovan, she was a figure in the complex family tree. Just as Duke Donovan was not my mother, Lady Deverill was not my great-grandmother. Moreover, she was one of the few people who treated my father with respect. However, as she was not a member of the royal family, she did not attend royal events, and I had never seen her face. Most importantly…
"She has a special relationship with the Javier family…"
"Yes."
"Also, I heard she hates children and has a terrible personality!"
While it was just something I overheard from the maids, it was worth considering.
"Haah."
At this moment, only one solution came to mind.
"Steal it? Steal it only?"
I hate criminal acts! Even for world peace, I don't want to steal!
"Kwaang!"
Clutching my head in deep thought, I—
"Your Majesty, it's time for dinner."
"Okay!"
I decided to eat first. ***
A slightly trembling, wrinkled hand lifted the letter. Lady Deverill handed the letter to a maid.
"Send this letter to the Javier territory."
"Yes, my lady."
Leaning back in her armchair, she spent a lonely moment looking at the garden outside the window. Due to her difficult personality, she often spent her days alone.
"Where is Lady Janis?"
"She said she has an urgent matter and will visit next time."
"I see."
She was used to being alone, but sometimes she wished someone would start a conversation with her.
"Life doesn't feel like living."
She had experienced power and love. She had left the palace coldly after the emperor, who had clung to her desperately, and now everything felt hollow.
"It's time to go."
"Don't say that, my lady."
"Having lived this long, it's enough. …By the way, what is Devi doing?"
"She drank some water and went to bed."
"Recently, she seems to have less energy."
Devi was Lady Deverill's pet dog and her most precious family member. However, lately, she had been eating less and sleeping more.
"The vet?"
"They can't find the cause. They say there's no health issue, but it's probably due to her age."
Frowning, Lady Deverill waved her hand.
"My head hurts. You may leave."
"Yes, my lady."
The maid, who knew Lady Deverill's temper, quickly left the bedroom. Lady Deverill, who was used to being alone, turned her gaze to the few letters on the table.
'They're probably after my wealth.'
There were many people trying to take advantage of the dying old woman. Lady Deverill felt a strong aversion as she flipped through the letters. Suddenly, her hand stopped. [You are invited to my first tea party.] The crooked handwriting of a child caught her eye first. Below it was the… emperor's seal.
"…Mabel Gadenia Ermano?"
A letter with the current emperor's name clearly written arrived at Lady Deverill's residence. ***
"Do you think the lady will come to the tea party?"
Shaking my head with a smile, I replied to Aidan's question.
"No, she won't. Absolutely not."
"Then why did you send the invitation?"
"To lay the groundwork."
We couldn't approach her directly, so creating a topic was necessary. It wasn't strange for a royal child (even if the emperor) to invite an elder (even if not a royal) to their first tea party.
"Getting the essence isn't that urgent, so I plan to approach her slowly."
"Understood."
"By the way, Aidan, have you seen Oscar?"
"He's probably at the training ground."
"Did he skip his meal again?"
I can't stand anyone skipping meals.
'You should eat when you can.'
Maybe because I valued meals in my previous life, I was particularly obsessed with meals. That's why I couldn't stand others skipping meals.
"I can't let this go. I'll pack a lunch and go to Oscar!"
I immediately set out to find someone to pack a lunch. However, Larima, Zabier, and even the nanny were nowhere to be found today. Lisandro, standing by the door, asked me.
"Your Majesty, who are you looking for?"
"Um, Larima or Zabier. Haven't seen them?"
"Those two… went that way."
Lisandro pointed to the path leading to the garden.
"Really?"
I took a few steps but was stopped by Lisandro.
"Why are you stopping me?"
"It's better not to go."
"Why?"
"Their atmosphere was not good."
"Atmosphere?"
Stammering, I was mocked by Lisandro.
"Your Majesty wouldn't understand even if I told you."
"…I know everything I need to know!"
Lisandro laughed and mocked me more sharply.
"Sure, sure. Your Majesty knows everything. Puha!"
"…I hate Lisandro."
"…"
Leaving the frozen Lisandro behind, I went to the dining hall with Aidan.
'So, you two ended up like that after all the fuss.'
I was looking forward to how they would act around me later. Would they admit their relationship or pretend it didn't happen and bicker as usual? The chef was startled when I entered the dining hall.
"Ah, Your Majesty, what brings you here?"
"Oscar probably skipped his meal, so I need some simple food. Can you help?"
"Of course! Leave it to me! I'll do my best!"
"O, no need to go that far…"
But the chef was already excited and had entered the kitchen. Soon, a huge basket was placed in front of me.
"These are simple sandwiches."
"…"
"These are the chocolate cake and strawberry macarons you like."
"Mm."
"And this is freshly made fruit juice! Strawberry, mango, grape, and apple!"
"Thank you. I'll enjoy it."
Since Oscar couldn't eat it all alone, I decided to share it with other knights. I promised to have someone else pack a lunch next time and left the dining hall. When I arrived at the training ground, I saw knights training, but Oscar was nowhere to be seen.
"Aidan, where's Oscar?"
"He seems to have stepped out for a moment. Hey, you."