“Let’s get married.”
Emilia had to doubt her ears for a moment.
That was a sound that could never come from Schlus’s mouth.
After all, I was the one who had asked first about getting married before.
It was a mistake said in a fit of anger······.
He loves the saintess Iris, yet every day he brings Trie to the training room to sweat together, and he even visits Erica’s house and gets all cozy with the assistant Erwin. It’s infuriating······.
I meant it as a warning to stop having an ambiguous relationship.
I thought that rejecting my confession would make Schlus pull himself together and put more effort into progressing his relationship with Iris.
But the moment Schlus mentioned knowing about the Intelligence Agency, my confession answer was delayed until this moment.
And that answer turned out to be an acceptance.
Emilia felt like she was boiling inside.
“Are you really asking me to marry you? You know what that means, right, big brother?”
“Of course. But the wedding will be after you become an adult. For now, let’s just get engaged.”
“That’s not it! I’m a commoner! I’m a lowly maid! If you marry someone like me—”
“Before that, I’m also the capable younger sister of the kingdom’s secret weapon and a skilled spy.”
“Uh, uh······?”
“Do you know what that means? There’s no way I wouldn’t know. By marrying you, a strong connection will be established between the Empire and the Kingdom. It’s the first step towards the alliance of humanity.”
“······.”
As Schlus came closer, Emilia was pushed against the wall.
Schlus clearly understood the significance of this marriage.
It was just that the kind of significance differed a little.
“An alliance? For the alliance? So, will you accept any confession afterward, big brother?”
“You said it yourself. It doesn’t matter if it’s the first wife or the second, the order doesn’t matter.”
“That’s not it! Would you accept confessions from Lady Erica or Lady Trie, or even Saintess Iris!”
“Uh. I would.”
“······.”
Emilia felt as if she had been struck hard on the back of her head.
She had forgotten that this man’s moral compass was slightly twisted from the norm.
A man with the power to control the Empire didn’t need to be bound by conventional laws.
“You crazy bastard······.”
“I hear that often.”
“So basically, anyone is fine with you, huh? As long as they have a good family, power, and are of help, you’d even increase your wives to 29?!”
“That’s not true.”
“Not true? What do you mean?”
“You have to be appealing to me for me to marry you. No matter how wealthy or noble, if I don’t like you, I won’t think about marriage.”
“Uh······!”
Emilia’s face turned bright red.
She had to stay calm.
She should be gaining the upper hand in this psychological battle, yet she had long forgotten all tactical strategies.
“You like me? Really?”
“I do, I mean it.”
“What do you like about me? Tell me! More than ten things! In ten seconds! Ten! Nine······!”
“Your long hair, your charming voice, your sparkling eyes, your small and soft hands, how your face turns red when you’re flustered.”
“When did I ever—!”
“Can’t even count?”
“I-I will count! Seven······.”
“Your earnestness, your dishonesty, how you always ask for skinship at the drop of a hat, how you worry more about others than yourself, and your fragrant body······.”
Schlus, who had been firing words like a machine gun, suddenly shut his mouth midway through the tenth.
Emilia, who had been blushing from embarrassment, lifted her head.
Schlus awkwardly averted his gaze like he had made a slip of the tongue.
“What were you about to say just now?”
“Nothing. Let’s just call it nine things.”
“What were you going to say? You only said ‘fragrant body’—what was supposed to come next?”
“I was going to say ‘mana fragrance.'”
“Where does ‘body’ fit into the ‘mana fragrance’?”
“I misspoke.”
“Hm······. Is that so?”
As Emilia leaned in closer, Schlus stepped back.
Not letting him escape, she tightly grabbed Schlus’s collar and buried her face in his chest, taking a deep breath.
“*Huff····· Ha·····.*”
“What are you doing?”
“I like you too. Your mana fragrance.”
“You······.”
Emilia pulled on Schlus’s collar, compelling him down.
Schlus’s head lowered slowly.
He offered no resistance and just came down as if drawn.
As his face slowly approached, Emilia grew anxious, feeling her heart pounding.
But as soon as Schlus’s eyes closed, she gained courage.
He was probably thinking the same thing at that moment.
“*Hah·····*.”
“Uh, is there anything to eat in the mansion? The little sisters are nagging me—”
“*Gahh! Oh no! My clothes are all wrinkled?! I need to do the laundry, Hainkel!*”
“······.”
As the voice came from behind, Emilia hastily pushed Schlus away.
Thinking about it, the recognition interference barrier I set up just blocked sound, so they could still see inside.
I thought I had played it off well when I tried to act as casual as possible, but Erwin and my little sisters just exchanged suspicious glances between the two of them.
“I’m sorry for interrupting you while you’re busy······.”
“Y-Yes? Huh? B-Busy? What do you mean?!”
Erwin pushed the little sisters inside as the front door went *bang* and closed.
Just as Emilia was about to chase after them, her wrist was suddenly grabbed, stopping her in her tracks.
“This shouldn’t be known outside right now, right? So let’s explain—”
“Don’t worry. I can keep Erwin quiet.”
“What do you mean······ Ugh······. Oh······.”
The moment she turned around.
A hand came to the back of Emilia’s head, stealing her lips.
Startled, Emilia instinctively grabbed Schlus’s collar, but she couldn’t muster the thought of pushing him away and merely grasped as his shirt wrinkled.
Her hands kept hovering between his shoulder and neck, but in embarrassment, they fell down again.
‘*How long is this going to last·····?*’
Meanwhile, as Erwin peeked out from behind the curtain to look outside, he covered his mouth in shock.
What kind of kiss was taking so long to end?
As Schlus slightly lifted his head, their lips parted, and just as Emilia bit her lower lip to pull him down again, Schlus held her tighter by the back of the head, not letting her go.
Before long, even the little sisters gathered out of curiosity, prompting Erwin to completely close the curtain.
“*Phew······!*”
“Is it finally proven? That I love you.”
“I don’t know······. You idiot······.”
Emilia bumped her forehead against Schlus’s chest.
She didn’t want to show her face.
She was surely blushing and grinning like a fool.
Gently stroking her small head, Schlus thought.
“*Success.*”
He had established cooperative relationships with two significant forces in one day.
One was Roman, the rising star of the Imperial Army.
And the other was the Intelligence Agency of the Trud Kingdom.
‘*Thank goodness she can’t see my face.*’
Emilia was flustered, so it was fortunate she wasn’t trying to assess my emotions from my expression.
If it were Emilia, she’d figure out right away that I don’t actually love her.
This was closer to lust than love, if we’re being honest.
‘*I’m never going to love you.*’
As Schlus pressed his lips on the crown of Emilia’s head, he thought that.
It wasn’t that he was only viewing people as mere combinations of written characters, but still, it was impossible for him to ever love Emilia.
A guy like him didn’t deserve true love.
*
“Roman von Byrne. While you were observing the training of the air defense unit under the 3rd Corps, you witnessed the airship of the 1st Division lift off towards the island and immediately led the air defense unit to deploy. Is that what you just stated?”
“Clarification is needed. After witnessing the airship lift off, I inquired why the 1st Division was allowed to lift off by sending a communication to it and attempted direct communication with the airship. Ultimately, I only deployed after my messenger sent to the palace could not contact His Majesty.”
The Imperial Palace.
Roman stood upright, clearly defending himself.
Gustav, looking down at him, furrowed his brows.
“After confirming that the airship fired the Annihilation Cannon, you acted on your own while it was loading the second round, is that true?”
“Yes, that’s true. While the first round was deflected by Schlus Hainkel, I anticipated a significant blow to the island if the second round was fired, so I immediately designated the commander of the 1st Division as a rebel and attacked.”
“······.”
Gustav felt a throbbing headache coming on.
Roman was indeed the person Gustav had strongly advocated for to promote to the rank of General.
At that time, the internal situation in the Imperial Army was stagnant to the point of rotting.
He had chosen the young Roman as the driving force to get the waters flowing.
That’s why Gustav pretended to care for Roman while constantly creating conflicts between him and other generals.
If Roman were to assimilate with other generals, it would render his promotion meaningless.
Conversely, Roman would never be expelled from the Imperial Army, no matter how much danger he faced, as Gustav had covertly watched over him.
However, Roman had now crossed a line.
He had helped none other than Schlus.
And he had rescued him from Schlus’s assassination attempt.
There was no way a person of Roman’s caliber wouldn’t know why an airship had appeared at that time, at that place.
Even if he didn’t know, it was undeniable that anyone would have been able to piece it together after witnessing the Annihilation Cannon fired directly at Schlus.
Still, Roman had chosen to shoot down the airship.
He had unexplainably chosen the path that would provoke the Emperor’s wrath.
“I have decided your punishment. Roman von Byrne will be suspended from his position as commander of the 3rd Corps for today.”
“I will accept the order.”
Roman bowed his head in response to the punishment.
Now, less than six hours remained in the day.
It would be pointless to replace the position of the 3rd Corps commander with someone else, as one of the division commanders under his command would simply act as a temporary replacement.
In effect, it was a punishment that would tarnish Roman’s record, amounting to little more than nothing.
It was impossible to reprimand him for saving the citizens of the island.
Moreover, at that time, wasn’t Gustav completely refusing to grant an audience?
Gustav had given a weak punishment out of consideration for the generals of the Imperial Army.
If a mark wasn’t put on Roman’s record, the generals would likely retaliate fiercely against him.
“I will take my leave.”
“······.”
Roman left the room.
As soon as the door closed with a *thud*, Gustav let out a deep sigh and rubbed his forehead.
He still harbored doubts about whether it had been the right thing to do.
Roman had clearly helped Schlus Hainkel in a blatant manner.
If he were to carry out a purge, it would undoubtedly mean expelling both of them.
However, unlike Schlus, who brought more harm than good, Roman was undoubtedly a presence with more benefit, ensuring the Imperial Army’s internal cleansing.
Hence, he decided to postpone the decision for now.
Whether to banish Roman or utilize Schlus Hainkel was a problem of choosing between the two.
*Thud·····*
At that moment, the door opened, and the Crown Prince entered.
With a faint smile on her face, she walked gracefully over and leaned against Gustav’s throne, resembling someone who had completely lost their dignity.
Gustav was nearly overwhelmed with laughter at her appearance.
“You seem troubled, Your Majesty.”
“Is that what you’d say while looking like that?”
“*Hehehe······.* Shall I say it this way, grandpa?”
“*Perhaps it’s better to sound graceful in speech…*”
Gustav felt his headache worsen.
That he would have to pass the throne to such a child.
“Are you going to kill Schlus Hainkel?”
“Well······. Hm. Do you have feelings for him?”
“Why would I have feelings for a courtier? I’m just curious. Why are you so bent on consuming him?”
“I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t already know. That guy is a typical rebel. One day, he will try to take my head and ascend to the throne himself.”
“That’s impossible. You seem to be getting senile and lost in delusions.”
“*Hmm······.*”
It struck him that the Crown Prince still had much to learn.
Once she ascended the throne, she, too, would understand my feelings one day.
Gustav decided to express the dangers of a traitor without stating it outright.
During his reign, she would confront countless rebellions and insurgencies.
“Grandpa. I just thought of something; my father—”
*Thud.* *Thud.*
Two resonant sounds.
The Crown Prince’s words halted, and Gustav’s gaze shifted toward the door.
Glancing to the side, he noticed the Crown Prince had already assumed a neat posture.
“Let them in.”
“Your Majesty. Schlus Hainkel requests an audience.”
“······.”
Gustav’s expression soured.
