Acella raised her chin and clapped her palms together above her crossed arms.
It was clear to anyone that she was extremely angry.
I understand.
It’s my fault for getting caught.
“Who the hell was that just now?”
“I am the Commander of the Gothberg family’s guard. Please excuse my lack of knowledge about proper etiquette.”
“A guard? I’ve never heard that before.”
Acella frowned.
“What’s your relationship with him?”
[No. 077 Incarnation of Jealousy 29% → 31%]
Recently, Acella’s jealousy, which had been gradually increasing due to Lishe, skyrocketed.
Is she particularly keeping an eye on Gishta? Or has her discomfort increased with the presence of First Princess Persiya lately?
I need to cover this up before it gets worse.
“It’s not a personal relationship that the royal princess should worry about. She is simply in charge of the security of our marquis’s estate. Right now, her younger sister is managing it.”
“That seems suspicious. Isn’t she an adventurer?”
Acella’s eyes narrowed.
Where did the talk about adventurers come from?
Well, she certainly has a knack for figuring things out.
“I understand she isn’t. We recruited someone who had been living in the countryside.”
“What’s this guard thing? You’ve got your knights, right?”
“The knights are still operating. We created the guard specifically for dealing with demons and the demon race.”
“Did you make it out of adventurers?”
“No.”
With my firm response, it seemed Acella decided to let the matter with Gishta pass for now.
“Why is there an army I don’t know about? Did you report that to the imperial family?”
“It’s an army that doesn’t need to be reported.”
“Where in the empire is there such a thing?”
“Hm, the Marquis of Gothberg has independent military authority. The report should have gone up.”
“What?”
Did Acella not know?
Oh, thinking back, she must have missed it when she was undergoing surgery around the time we recruited the Thunder Tribe.
Acella’s expression grew even fiercer.
“How much are you hiding from me?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You said you weren’t going to participate in this demonstration. What’s with the First Princess? When did you conspire with her?”
“Hey, why do you have to say it like that?”
“Oh, now I get it. You were in contact with her through the royal kingdom’s delegation, weren’t you? That’s why the First Princess came looking for you as soon as she arrived.”
Such wild speculation.
Why has Acella’s paranoia been increasing over the past few months?
“That matter was decided in a hurry. The details of the surgery were the same as those I reported. I definitely fulfilled the conditions ordered by the royal princess. My name was not on the surgical team list, so the public won’t think I was the one who performed the surgery.”
“Who doesn’t know that? The rumors will spread everywhere.”
“It might spread in time. I won’t be the center of attention at this martial arts conference.”
Unless Ambrosia or Chloe are mentioned as candidates for the hero party, nobody will be able to view me as anything but someone who simply spoke on stage.
“Why did you do that? Was there any reason to disobey my orders?”
“I had to resolve the smuggling issue. There was also a patient who needed treatment. And more than anything, it was for you, royal princess.”
“For me?”
Acella had a puzzled look.
“Yes. Thanks to changing the details, the Moonlight Palace overcame the Kingdom of Law and won, gaining fame. The Kingdom of Law brought in a candidate for the saint title. It left a strong impression. It would have been hard to win otherwise.”
“Whatever the case, you didn’t follow my orders. That doesn’t make any excuses!”
Acella shouted and grabbed my shoulder.
I could feel her thumbnail digging into my neck slightly.
“What do you mean by whatever? Your accomplishments in the Moonlight Palace are also your accomplishments, royal princess. If you assert your influence, the chances of succeeding to the emperor’s position will increase, won’t they?”
Saying this made Acella hesitate to retort, her pink lips trembling.
“That’s….”
“You want to be the empress, don’t you?”
“…That’s right.”
“Of course, I made a big mistake by not reporting in advance. But I thought, in the end, it would be helpful for you.”
Of course, I needed to resolve the issue of my drugs being smuggled, too.
But my feelings for the Moonlight Palace and Acella were somewhat sincere.
With everything else taken care of by Acella, she even said she would cooperate with me.
It’s strange to have such feelings for someone who had killed me countless times.
But maybe Acella isn’t my enemy…
The emperor is a dream she desperately desires.
I thought it wouldn’t be bad if Acella achieved her dreams and was happy.
“I didn’t expect to receive any praise, you know.”
Was it really necessary to be scolded this much? To be honest, I feel a bit wronged.
As I scratched the back of my head, Acella’s grip on me loosened a bit.
“Teacher.”
Taking advantage of the brief lull, someone called for me. It was Hugo.
“What’s up?”
“They say the victory parade is about to start. You need to take command.”
“I’ll be right there.”
I turned back to Acella.
“Royal princess, you should go too. Don’t you want to showcase the grandeur of the Moonlight Palace to the people?”
Acella sharply stamped her foot on the ground and glared at me.
“Lars, I’ll let it go today, but be careful. From now on, you must report every single action to me.”
I nodded to signify my understanding and bowed my head.
This is suffocating.
*
The clash that occurred in the arena was quickly buried as if the audience’s excitement never existed. The countries agreed to pass it off as a minor accident, prioritizing the mood of the allied forces.
Of course, it was expected that various pressures would soon be placed on the kingdom after this event. The king, who had to make reparations, had no choice but to obediently follow the intentions of the empire.
And then there was First Princess Persiya’s intentions.
If anyone could bring a compromise between the empire and the kingdom, it would be the First Princess.
“Persiya, how is Gordon?”
“He’s trying to move his legs and wants to move around quite badly! I heard he needs to be stabilized for now.”
“Really? That’s good to hear.”
Not long ago, the king had been stern, but now he needed to ask the First Princess.
“Is there another meeting with the empire scheduled?”
“After the parade, I plan to thank Gothberg once again. He probably has something to discuss with me as well.”
“That’s great. If you can talk smoothly there…”
“Oh, it’s starting!”
The arena doors opened, and the doctors of the Moonlight Palace, the stars of today’s demonstration, arrived in grand carriages.
Of course, the most eye-catching figure among them was Ambrosia. Today’s star.
The beautifully arranged knights escorted them while the flag of the Moonlight Palace fluttered.
Walking slightly behind them in an administrative position was none other than Lars Gothberg.
“Is that doctor the leader?”
“That’s the person who announced earlier.”
“Seems like a high-ranking official giving commands.”
There were also some gazes directed toward the empire’s Swordmaster Tanya, who had won three days ago and had already paraded once.
The parade course followed the outer edge of the broad circular arena.
“This is the empire!”
“I like that white outfit!”
As the audience passed by, they gave enthusiastic cheers and applause.
At the end of the parade course was the guest seats.
They bowed to show their respect while completing the path of glory towards the imperial emperor, who sat at the top seat.
The attendants were waiting with rare bellflower bouquets to be presented as gifts to the winners.
The proud steps of the winners slowed, and they bowed gracefully.
The emperor raised his arm in acknowledgment of those who elevated his prestige.
That scene was familiar to the audience.
It was a performance already done once when Tanya won on the first day.
“Now the emperor will call the winners.”
“The winners have to go up to the platform with their partners.”
Swordmaster Tanya had taken her lord Gothberg up with her.
There’d already been talks about how the only Swordmaster in the empire wasn’t escorted by a high-ranked knight.
“Doctor Gothberg, the head physician of the Inner Palace, Moonlight Palace!”
The emperor called his name in a loud voice.
There goes Gothberg again. Who exactly is that man who is always associated with all sorts of heroes?
The crowd, who didn’t know him, turned their attention, and those who had heard of him before felt smug about knowing him.
“Your Majesty.”
Lars stepped forward and bowed to the emperor. After congratulating the physicians of the Moonlight Palace, the emperor asked him.
“With whom will you share the joy of this occasion?”
The one who reacted first to that question was none other than the royal princess, Acella.
She watched the parade arrogantly from the guest seat directly in front of the emperor.
There was no one else in the esteemed presence who could stand beside Lars to showcase their pride. It was only natural, she thought.
She was his betrothed, the owner of those doctors.
Lars ascended the steps.
Acella elegantly adjusted her dress, raising her left hand to reveal the engagement ring prominently on her knee.
“Lars—”
Before Acella could even fully call his name, Lars brushed past her.
He passed George, Lau, and Heike.
The white-clad figure was headed not to the empire but to the kingdom’s guest seat.
He gracefully extended his hand to the First Princess, who was gently seated there.
The princess placed her hand on top of his and stood side by side with Lars.
He addressed the audience.
“Today’s demonstration was particularly coordinated with First Princess Persiya Elliott Williams. Thank you for the trust given by the royal family to the empire’s Inner Palace.”
The princess responded to Lars with a bow.
“It was an honor to receive help from such splendid doctors. I sincerely hope that the path for the empire’s excellent techniques to reach our kingdom will open in the future.”
Thunderous applause erupted.
The guests at the guest seat grasped the underlying political messages concealed in the formal exchange between the two.
The trade route between the empire and the kingdom was being opened.
‘Excellent handling. Gothberg, impressive.’
Heike admired. Due to the recent clash, the empire had obtained justification to gain an advantage over the kingdom.
If trade routes opened now, they could gain significant national benefits by having the upper hand in negotiations concerning tax rates.
The emperor, who had intended to prioritize the allied forces for the future of the continent, nodded in satisfaction at Gothberg’s magnanimous behavior.
Though he could take revenge for the attacks made on him and the doctors, he chose to set aside personal feelings for a greater benefit.
He was indeed the man the emperor had kept an eye on.
“Are the empire and the kingdom joining hands now?”
“I’ve never seen such a thing in my life!”
“Well, this is good news for us. It means we won’t have to pay a premium for the empire’s goods!”
Cheers erupted from the audience as well.
Lars sent a closing greeting toward them.
Except for one person.
“…sigh.”
Only Acella was unable to enjoy the festival, gripping her dress tightly as she suppressed her anger.
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