The Emperorâs sudden appearance in the middle of this town made me very embarrassed. As far as I knew, he didnât like to walk around the palace without a carriage, and he didnât stop by this pub selling ordinary peopleâs food for just anything.
His overseas trip was very clearly over by now. After all his work though, I was sure that he had used up much of his energy and was supposed to just go straight back and rest. This place wasnât somewhere where a lot of people went to relax.
When I rolled my eyes and checked the surroundings, security guards were already posted at the main entrance. At first, the pub looked very sophisticated with its natural flowers arranged in a wooden building designed for good sunlight. But when the emperor and knights pushed in at once, the pub looked very shabby in comparison.
While I was thinking about it, the emperor kept me in his arms and stayed still. He was silent for a long time, purposefully keeping his acknowledgment from Serek. Because of this, Serek had to continue to crouch down with one knee pressed to the ground and pay his respects to the emperor.
I carefully spoke. âYour Majesty.â
âWhat is it?â
âYou didnât have to come here yourself.â
âIf I hadnât come here myself, I wouldnât be able to join this fun story. Donât you think so?â
Serekâs face, which was still faced downward because of the Emperorâs gesture, was pale. I guess he still remembered what we were talking about.
âItâs an honor to meet you again, Your Majesty.â
âOh, now youâre calling me Your Majesty? I donât mind you calling me a rich bastard like you did earlier. I actually do have a lot of money.â
He seemed to be trying to keep a relaxed smile somehow, but his face turned blue. Then he barely took a deep breath and came back with a smiling face. âI was talking about someone else, but I think youâve misheard, Your Majesty. How could I have said that about you, Your Majesty?â
âAha, I see. Yes, because I suddenly stepped in on your conversation.â
âYes, I have not received the official delegation. I think I shouldnât have called Celestia just yet.â He kept staring at the emperorâs forearm, which was tightly wrapped around my shoulder, and now he started talking nonsense. He spoke in a way that, taken at face value, would have been polite, but in this situation implied that there was something going on between us.
We didnât even have a formal military relationship, but it was easy to make people misunderstand.
How was I supposed to kill the spread of those kinds of rumors?
But before I got angry, the emperor beat me to it. âThatâs enough.â
There was a strict line-drawing nuance on the word, and it seemed quite unpleasant.
I was a little grateful that I couldnât see the Emperorâs face. I could now easily guess that he had a cold smile on his face. I didnât really want to see the lion-like face picking at its prey to see how to kill it.
Serek opened his eyes wide as if he didnât know how to react.
âItâs good for the empress dowager to have fun, but tell her to roll her toys gently.â
ââŚWhat?â
âWhy do I bother talking with foolsâŚ?â
ââŚAre you saying that about me?â Serekâs angered expression came face to face with the emperorâs smirk.
âWhat? You have bad ears, too? There must be a misunderstanding, just as I thought the word ârich bastardâ was about me.â
âYour MajestyâŚâ
When I saw Serek grit his teeth together, I couldnât help but laugh. He seemed so foolish now, to even think of coming up with excuses in front of the emperor who must have been dealing with politicians all his life.
The emperor turned and loosened his grip on my shoulder. He seemed well, and I could see no signs of injury on his arms, as he was wearing a particularly long-sleeved dress today. However, I realized belatedly that he still seemed to be burning up, judging from the chill that rushed in when he dropped his arm from my shoulder.
In my haste, I glanced at Serek and followed the emperor outside.
10. Secretary of the Emperor
Perhaps it was not enough for the owner of the pub to bow repeatedly in farewell, but he eventually saw the emperor and me off from the establishment. As the guards followed me, Vinius headed towards my carriage, and I climbed into the carriage with the emperor.
Iâd always felt burdened to be alone in the same space as him, but in a way, it might be a privilege. When I walked up to the wagon between the security guards and looked back, I felt a little better when I saw Serek looking our way.
As I sat on the silk chair of the fluffy imperial carriage, the emperor sat across from me and opened the document.
He was more distant than before. We sat diagonally on the seats, as far as we could be from each other.
âAre you okay?â
âYeah.â
âWhy did you come looking for me? I wouldnât have taken long.â
The emperor, who turned the paper over, glanced at me and lowered his eyes again. âAre you upset that I came?â
âNo, itâs not like that⌠Iâm sorry.â
âI was on my way back anyway, and I couldnât stand not doing anything about that man.â
It was hard to guess how he was really feeling because he always spoke calmly.
I couldnât look at his back here, but why did he always sit so far away like that? So stubborn.
We were immersed in our own thoughts and worked without conversation in the carriage bound for the palace.
Back at the palace, I reported todayâs events to my predecessor, who gave me a brief summary of what I needed to know about the royal family, including the resignation of the chief of staff.
âHe resigned?â
âYes, heâs older than I am because heâs been serving the former emperor. He did a great job, too.â
ââŚHe was a good man.â
âYou should go home and rest. That would be great.â
âHahaâŚâ
âAnd letâs see, itâs pruning season, so the gardeners will be busy taking care of the treesâŚâ
My heart thumped at the news of the chief, sandwiched between the other news as if it were nothing.
Did he really go home quietly to rest? No, I didnât think so. It was such a sudden resignation.
I didnât blame myself for what I said, since I was certain it was him. He turned his back on someone he shouldnât have had.
He might be tortured in a dungeon, and even if he was at home, heâd be under surveillance. The Emperor would have told me if he had found a connection with Xenon, or if he had a useful income, but if he hadnât⌠was he alive?
ââŚAre you listening?â
When I came to my senses, the secretary was staring at me, frowning.
âI think youâre busy thinking about something else.â
âNo, I was listening.â
âWhat did I say?â
I was glad for my memory in times like these. I recited the story that I heard in one ear while thinking about it. âBecause itâs time to hire a large number of gardeners to renovate the garden, if you have a schedule for a garden event, you need to coordinate it in advance.â
His expression relaxed gently. âWhoa, all right, I must have misunderstood. You can go now.â
âYes.â
âAndâŚâ
âWhat?â
âMaybe I wonât be able to hold on very long here either. My knees, waist⌠I canât get away with my age as easily anymore.â
âSecretaryâŚâ
âEarly graduation or whatever, I look forward to seeing how youâll do.â
I smiled awkwardly and nodded. I didnât think Iâd get my own way just because I wanted to, but the reasons for doing it were increasing.
After greeting the secretary, I stopped by my room and took a proper bath, so I went to the emperorâs room in a refreshed mood. He had taken off his top and was lying on the bed reading documents. The emperor must have washed up after a long trip, seeing how his hair, which had been covered with dust, was damp and clean now.
Having to take the time to read documents that required final approval like that while traveling must have been a difficult job, even for the emperor.
I approached him, who was lying on his stomach, and sat on the bed, putting a hand on his back. He had just washed up, so the skin was soft, but it looked terrible to my eyes. His back, which at first had only scars that looked like unrecognizable bruises, was now covered with scars with more and more distinct shapes. I knew in my head that a new wound that bled was much healthier than an old, unhealed wound, but it was not very good to see.
And even if it was a side effect, it was usually just a bruise, not like this, where his back was covered with sharp cuts⌠I didnât know how much power he had used to end up like this.
Was it because of my presence that he thought he could take worse wounds? Or was it because he got a little freedom from constant pain now? He kept using more and more powerful magic regardless of how it hurt him.
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There were many things I wanted to ask, but I kept my mouth shut and made use of my hands. He came from such a stupid situation where the people of a country depended on a single emperor. I didnât want to say anything that would sound like blaming.
I couldnât help but be astonished inside as I sensed magic from the outermost place I could reach, one layer at a time, as if untangling threads. How could there be such complicated magic?
When my hand touched the dark blue triangle pattern, the emperor took a short breath. Then he made a small click and shoved his nose into the document again.
Time flew by as I took care of the remaining wounds as I traced the muscles from his neck to his firm back and then to his shoulders. It wasnât until darkness fully fell that his back became something worth looking at.
I got up, trying not to show my distress. My head was spinning. I did the best I could, and I couldnât do any more either.