“Your Majesty.”
It was during a meeting presided over by the Pope.
As the door opened, a priest entered and whispered something in the Pope’s ear.
“Haha. It seems the meeting is dragging on too long. Shall we take a 5-minute break and start again?”
Forcing a smile, Branden sprang up from his seat and left the conference room.
Once inside the back room, after ensuring the sound barrier was firmly in place, Branden Hainkel wore a tense expression on his face.
“Schlus Hainkel is at the Festia mansion?”
“Yes. He has been there for an hour.”
“Hoh… ”
Branden chuckled as he leaned on his waist, finding it amusing.
Schlus Hainkel was knocking on the door of Festia, a place he had never visited in his life…
There was a high probability he sensed something and went to dig up information.
And Schlus Hainkel would do whatever it took to obtain the information he desired.
“It seems I picked the wrong friend, and now I’m going to step on my own tail.”
Festia would mention the Pope’s name.
That much was certain.
And if it came to light that the Pope used Festia to attack Lichtenburg, Schlus Hainkel would rejoice.
There couldn’t be a better justification to smash the Papal Palace than that.
It was now clear that a direct confrontation with Schlus Hainkel was inevitable.
“How did it come to this?”
Branden Hainkel closed his eyes, recalling the first time he met Schlus.
A boy who was groaning on the brink of death.
Branden’s opinion, that such a child should be granted a peaceful death because life would only bring him more pain, was dismissed, and the Saintess saved him instead.
As a result, the boy who woke up had neither eyes nor ears, nor hope.
Initially, Branden thought that the boy would take his own life soon.
But slowly regaining his desire for life, Branden couldn’t help but feel awe at his sluggish movements.
He had learned to see and hear the world in his own way.
That wasn’t all.
When they met again later, Schlus Hainkel had reached astonishing heights in many ways.
At that moment, Branden felt it.
He felt again the things he once thought he’d discarded.
The longing for greater power.
The insatiable greed of humanity.
As the crippled boy who had fallen to rock bottom now continuously climbed towards the peak, he began to question what he was doing.
Thus, Branden decided to embrace ‘power.’
He chose to ally himself with a being that could elevate him to even higher realms.
It just so happened that this being stood in direct opposition to Schlus Hainkel.
“You, whom I admired, I’m now going to kill.”
Schlus Hainkel.
He was like a son to Branden, but also a hero and an object of affection and admiration.
It seemed time to let him go.
Branden shed tears and clenched his fists tightly.
*
Branden Hainkel.
Hearing that name startled me quite a bit.
I almost stopped the baron’s interrogation and turned back.
However, after continuing to question the baron, Selene, and the servants, I deemed the information quite reliable.
They had knowledge of several key pieces of information that could not have come from the Pope.
The Papal Palace was attacking Lichtenburg.
That, in turn, indicated an attack against me as well.
Not merely because Lichtenburg had allied with me.
Lichtenburg was one of my main sources of funding.
Of course, every time I asked for a bit of money, the lady grumbled and sent me away once or twice, but she eventually gave it over with a reluctant huff.
So, the Papal Palace was practically cutting off my financial support.
Now that I was no longer associated with the imperial family, there were numerous complications that would arise if it became difficult to receive the funds from Lichtenburg.
“Sigh. I made a mistake. To sit a fool like this on the Pope’s throne…”
I quickly informed Aria of this news.
Aria seemed to fall into despair for a moment, but after some quiet contemplation, she locked eyes with me.
“Stay hidden for a while. A large-scale attack will soon commence. The Inquisitor will most likely come in droves. There’s even a chance the Majin may launch a surprise attack.”
“Then I definitely can’t hide. The damage would be too great.”
“Hide. The Inquisitor can be countered by the palace defense forces. The issue is the Majin. If they show up, I’ll contact you for help.”
“I refuse. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Sigh… For now, let’s have a cup of tea and think again.”
*Clunk.*
A court lady approached cautiously, placing a teacup in front of Aria and me before leaving.
I absentmindedly stared at the teacup and used my ability.
[Black Tea]
[Status: Poison]
[This is black tea brewed from premium tea leaves, containing a large amount of anesthetic.]
What is this?
“Aria.”
“Mmm. Tastes good. Aren’t you going to drink?”
“No, you should give me something I can actually drink—”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. It just tastes good. Hurry and drink it. Hurry.”
“Aria, this is enough to kill an elephant!”
“……”
Aria’s expression scrunched up.
She briefly lowered her head, sneaking glances at me before once again staring at me with a brazen face.
“I thought that should be enough to make a Majin sleep.”
“What were you planning to do after putting me to sleep?”
“Of course, I intended to lock you in the basement of the palace… No, I planned to hide you.”
“……”
You’re going to imprison me…?
What had I done to earn Aria’s ire?
‘Ah. There’s a disgusting amount.’
Thinking back, it was clear I was colluding with powerful nobles inside the empire, even though I was no longer an imperial citizen.
A significant force that could manipulate the empire without being a citizen.
No wonder she felt inclined to keep me locked away.
I decided to overlook her accidental disclosure of her true feelings, considering our bond with Aria.
“I think it would be wise to strengthen the alert status of the air defense forces. The Inquisitor could infiltrate and neutralize the defenses, posing a risk of a Majin assault from above.”
“I’ll take care of that myself. Are you trying to interfere in my internal affairs?”
“That was a slip of the tongue. My apologies.”
“Ah, no… That’s not… um…”
As I lowered my head, Aria began waving her arms in apparent fluster.
What on earth was wrong with her now?
“Th-That… If you want to interfere, you can.”
“I have no intention to, so you can calm down.”
“I’m not calming down. I’ve resolved to speak up today. I’ll allow you to interfere.”
“What do you mean by that—”
“Are you not planning to become my husband? Right now, it seems I wouldn’t particularly mind making you my husband…”
“……”
Aria couldn’t meet my gaze, softly whispering.
By the end, her voice was barely audible.
Did I just get proposed to?
I was completely taken aback by the sudden turn of events.
Who would have thought it?
The Empress of the continent’s hegemony would, after trying to put me to sleep with anesthetic, promptly throw me a proposal!
Well, just in case, I decided to ask once more.
“Did you just propose marriage to me? Is that what it was?”
“……”
Aria reddened to the tips of her ears and fell silent.
Instead, she leaned against my chest, almost collapsing.
I inadvertently hugged Aria.
Had she always been so shy and demure?
At that moment, even I, the author, found myself confused.
“Hmm…”
“……?”
Aria’s breathing sounded strange.
I quickly scanned the tea sitting in front of Aria.
[Black Tea]
[Status: Poison]
[This is black tea brewed from premium tea leaves, containing a large amount of anesthetic.]
“Oh dear.”
When I caressed Aria’s face to check, she was indeed deep asleep.
Quite deeply.
It seemed the attendant had made an error when preparing the drug.
Given that Aria’s cup hadn’t contained a lethal amount, her life should be safe.
I gently picked up Aria and left the room.
“Uh, ugh? Your Excellency, no… Schlus Hainkel-nim?”
“I’m going to the Empress’s bedroom. Please guide me. Although I know where it is, it would seem odd for me to find it myself.”
“Y-Yes, I will do that. But how did you—”
“Think about it carefully. Why did it come to this?”
“……?”
The attendant looked puzzled, but still led the way ahead of me, carrying Aria.
Seeing that he still didn’t realize, I felt a twinge of pity that he was going to be fired soon.
When we reached the bedroom, the door opened automatically.
I gently laid Aria on the bed and covered her with a blanket.
Seeing her sleeping with a peaceful expression, she seemed to be dreaming sweetly.
“Hmmm…”
As I was about to brush aside her hair, fearful of waking her, Aria gripped my hand and whined.
Such a childlike Aria…
It was quite refreshing.
I really should record this to show later.
Suppressing my regret, I slowly loosened the soft cuffs around my wrist.
“Tell me again next time. Not in a drugged state, but sober.”
I had already vaguely sensed that Aria harbored feelings for me.
When had that begun?
I wasn’t sure.
It was probably longer ago than I’d thought.
Yet voicing that out loud was another matter.
Both Aria and I had our own positions and standings.
It would not do to take the leap with something as trivial as a drug or alcohol.
I would keep today’s events in mind as a hilarious episode for Aria’s “black history,” and if I ever mustered the courage, I would revisit this topic when I was sober.
I softly patted Aria’s head and exited the bedroom.
‘Ah. I should keep this a secret from Emilia.’
If Emilia hears about this, she’ll definitely blow a fuse.
Once I return home, she’ll interrogate me about where I went, what I did, and whom I spoke to.
The moment I hesitate, Emilia will catch on, so I should think of some excuses.
“For negotiations for amicable relations with the empire… No, she knows I’m terrible at diplomacy… Maybe I’ll say it was a discussion about military placements to prepare against the Papal Palace’s surprise attacks.”
My head was about to explode.
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