CH 15

It couldn’t be true. I am an omniscient character who knows everything about this novel.

I slowly scrutinized him from top to bottom. He looked far too young to be an Empress’s attendant knight, and at best, he looked about my age.

He must have come from a wealthy family. It’s not something to say from the perspective of Lethenia, who became an empress due to the halo of the Bledel family, but blood ties and nepotism are deeply rooted everywhere.

It seems like this precious young Lord isn’t properly attending to his duties and is just fooling around.

“I don’t think so.”

As I said these words with a skeptical expression, the knight pleaded with a face that seemed unjustly treated.

“N-No, that’s not true, Your Majesty. How could I dare…?”

“Hmm, something seems suspicious.”

The attendant knight looked as if he was about to cry as I squinted in disbelief. Judging by his expression, if this was acting, he could be a skilled actor worthy of the lead role.

“What was your name again?”

“It’s Douglas Eraton, Your Majesty.”

Whether he was unjustly treated or not, the conclusion was that he couldn’t find anything. He seemed somewhat foolish and in need of some advice to keep him sane.

Coincidentally, a story came to mind that I wanted to share with him.

“Yes, Douglas. Do you know the story of the famous queen and her knight from ancient times?”

“No, it’s the first time I’ve heard of it…….”

“A long time ago, even before Asha was founded, a queen ordered her knight to find a woman. But the knight fell in love with the woman who was dazzlingly beautiful and lied to the queen that the woman was already dead.”

“……why?”

“Because, in the knight’s eyes, the queen was not a good person. After a while, the queen realized the woman was alive, so she cut the knight to pieces and buried him somewhere on the grounds of a palace.”

“Oh, my…”

“The question here is, how did the queen know the knight was lying?”

“I don’t know.”

The knight shook his head and replied rather dismissively. I told him in a grave and dark voice.

“Because the queen was actually a witch. One who can see through the lies of men.”

“……I see.”

“Later, she was eventually discovered to be a witch and killed, but here’s the thing: There was a prophecy that a witch’s descendant, even more cruel than her, would rule the world. hat’s why witch hunts are happening even in the empire, you know? In truth, everyone is afraid. They fear the possibility of the witch’s reincarnation.”

“…….”

“It’s a fascinating story, and I thought you knew about it. Do you happen to know? Perhaps that witch’s descendant is already a queen in some kingdom… or maybe she has risen to become an empress in a larger empire?”

Of course, it was a lie. It is an adaptation of a witch’s story that I picked up somewhere.

The knight looked puzzled. He hadn’t yet grasped the implications of my words.

“Douglas, what do you think is the point of this story?”

“Um… Shouldn’t one avoid getting into trouble by falling for a beautiful woman?”

“No, it’s not.”

“Then…… that we should beware of witches…….?”

“Well, no.”

He waited for my next words with a what-the-hell-are-you-talking-about look on his face.

“Regardless of whether she’s a witch or not, I think you should focus on the part about how she can kill a knight who doesn’t do his job right without a mouse or bird noticing.”

“Oh.”

“But well, does being a witch necessarily mean performing magic? It’s not a big deal for me to tear a knight apart and bury him somewhere, but why are the people of the empire so obsessed with that kind of showmanship?”

The young knight’s face instantly stiffened, perhaps because Lethenia’s appearance was that of a slightly pale corpse. He seemed to finally understand what I was saying.

“Your Majesty, please relieve yourself of your anger and…….”

“I’m sorry if I’ve given you too much to do, and I just wanted to tell you a funny story to cheer you up, so we can get along in the future.”

“I’ll look for it again. I must have missed something. Forgive me.”

Douglas hastily dropped to his knees and begged forgiveness. Although he was still inexperienced as a squire, I decided to wait a little longer.

***

Leaving only Stella behind, I took a stroll in the small garden at the back of the palace.

On the surface, it seemed like a continuation of a carefree daily routine, but I had a lot to think about as I tried to come up with a plan to fund my emigration for a while.

“So you’re saying that the only way I can touch money is by doing public service?”

“That way you won’t raise any suspicions, and you’ll also gain the favor of the people. If the empress were to engage in personal business and profit from it, the opposing nobles could find weaknesses and you should know that your position as Empress has many restrictions.”

I frowned a little.

“So you mean there’s nothing I can do unless I give all my profits to the people?”

“We don’t have to give all of the money we make back to the people. Even the ongoing national projects, which are carried out under the pretext of benefiting the people, most of the profits go into the pockets of the nobility. The important thing is that Her Majesty must hold the purse strings.”

Stella paused a little and then proceeded cautiously.

“Besides…… the Bledel family has such a poor reputation among the people that if it becomes known that the empress is engaging in personal endeavors to secure funds, there will be backlash. Above all, I don’t know if the Emperor will tolerate it.”

“Anyway, if I want to make even a small profit, I need to first look at things that can be connected to the public good…….”

Thinking about the information I had about Aisha, I pondered what tasks I could undertake. Asha was a country that produced abundant agricultural products using fertile land as weapons. I thought, why not develop a farm and open up new trade routes?

Assuming that half of the profits would be donated to the people, for me to receive a larger share, the scale of the business had to be considerable. Stella gave me an awkward smile as she watched me rack my brain with a serious expression.

“But this…… business, whatever it is, is going to need some initial funding.”

Stella didn’t have to elaborate, but I knew what she meant: what are you going to do with no money?

“For now, given the difficult situation, it’s better to wait for more opportunities. It wouldn’t be a bad idea for the Empress to hold charity events targeting the nobles once her position becomes stronger because right now they’re going to have plenty of excuses for me to feign ignorance.”

A charity event…… was a great idea, but even that was not feasible in the current situation. There was no way to compel greedy nobles to participate voluntarily.

Charity events were usually enforced when the imperial authority was high. The lack of funds seemed to be holding me back.

After all, status and honor are no match for wealth.

“If you are in a hurry, perhaps you should seek the help of His Majesty the Emperor…… and try to get closer to him?”

Her desire to somehow connect the Emperor and Empress was admirable. However, considering the ending, as long as Ian doesn’t kill me, I would consider it fortunate. Once Rosetin appeared, my life would become even more precarious.

If I could escape in time, that would be even better, but I had to be prepared.

I have emphasized my relationship with Thneo and quickly find Rosettin and become her ally. Until Ian is convinced that the existence of Lethenia is not a threat to Rosettin.

Lost in deep thoughts, I was walking through the garden when I noticed Ian standing in the distance. I immediately glanced at Stella, but she spoke with an unfair expression on her face.

“This time it’s really not me!”

Come to think of it, he should be in the Emperor’s office at this time. This was a place Lethenia usually frequented, which Ian rarely visited.

I thought it was a little odd, but I didn’t want to run into him now. There was no escape route, so I quickly turned around before I made eye contact with him.

Just as I was about to walk quietly to the other side, a voice from behind caught me.

“How are you feeling?”

My heart sank as I remembered his uncharacteristic behavior.

As I recalled that day, my feelings of anger and resentment had faded, and instead, Lethenia’s emotions, a mixture of anticipation and sadness, were stirring in my mind.

Lethenia’s negative emotions, which I thought would be consistent, were changing from time to time depending on the situation. I had to turn slowly to answer his question.

“Thanks to you…”

“That’s a relief.”

There was silence. I was debating whether I should leave when he spoke up

“Shall we walk together?”

“Ah, I was just about to go back to the Empress’s palace…”

I started to turn away again, but he stopped me again.

“Just for a moment.”

“…….”

“Just for a moment.”

I couldn’t figure out why he was doing this, but I couldn’t refuse, so I nodded slowly.

***

We started walking in silence. He matched his pace with mine, walking slowly. Even as we walked, I consciously kept a good distance from him, enough to not let my emotions get the better of me.

It seemed better to walk side-by-side rather than facing each other directly. He remained silent.

I wondered if he had come to ask me not to reveal his use of the healing stone. After a long silence, I spoke up.

“……Thank you for healing me.”

“I don’t like seeing you hurt.”

Ian was armed with his usual hard smile, but the subtle difference was the faint warmth in his voice.