“Schlus Hainkel. I would like to grant you a title. If you have anything you desire, speak up.”
“······.”
What kind of reaction did I show upon hearing this? Did my eyes widen? Or did I unconsciously drop my mouth open? I’m not sure, but for now, I had no choice but to pretend to be calm.
“Does wanting something mean I can ask for anything?” “That’s right. Go ahead and say anything.”
“Would you mind if I ask for the title of Duke?”
A smile spread across Aria’s lips. Currently, there are only three positions for Dukes in the Empire: the Duke of the Desert Development Area, the Duke of the Southern Colony, and the Duke of the Monarch Principality. All three are economically and politically significant positions. If a commoner like me suddenly sat in one of those seats, it would cause a massive social ripple.
“Are you being serious?”
“It sounds like you’re saying you can’t give it. I clearly remember you telling me to say anything.”
“Hoo··· hehehe··· hahaha! What a funny little guy you are.”
Aria suddenly burst into laughter, wiping her eyes. It seemed she liked my honesty. Maybe she just thought of me as a funny clown, but…
“I misunderstood your capabilities. Indeed, as you said, the position of Duke isn’t something I can just hand over easily. Do you want something else?”
“Yes. I do.”
I had been waiting for this moment. The idea of being granted a title was indeed very tempting. If I could get a baron position in some backwater town, I’d have a steady income for life with the lowest tax rates. However, that’s where the advantages end. The risks outweigh the benefits. Even though I’m familiar with the events and enlightenment of this work, I have zero information on managing a territory.
If I went around trying to revive the territory, I’d probably send its economy and stability to the pits, marking me as a complete failure of a baron. In that case, it’s better not to have a territory at all. But it would be too wasteful to simply decline this opportunity. So, I came up with a clever idea: to make Aria refuse on her own, allowing me to claim some other compensation corresponding to what I originally intended to receive.
Thus, I obtained the right to demand a reward that wasn’t a title.
“Can I take a treasure?”
“A treasure? What kind are you talking about?”
“I heard there is a warehouse in the Imperial Palace basement that holds numerous treasures. Can I see and decide from there?”
Actually, I had already decided on the treasure I wanted from the start. There was one particular treasure I needed to retrieve from the palace’s underground warehouse. But since Schlus had never even stepped foot near the palace, mentioning the name of that treasure would obviously raise suspicions about my source of information, so I said I’d choose after seeing it.
If I’m lucky, I might even see the Emperor’s face. I can’t wait to meet that guy because he’s about to kick the bucket soon.
“Fine. There are plenty of things I don’t even use anyway. If it’s from the warehouse, you can take whatever you want.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“We’re planning to award you a medal at the palace. You can choose then.”
“A medal award… What do you mean by that?”
Wait, what? Didn’t they say medals are given at school? How did that change to being awarded by the royal family? Isn’t the scale getting a little too grand?
“Are you really asking because you don’t know? It’s for stopping the disaster on the Day of Magic and for dealing with that damned crow who killed my father. It’s a commendation for those two matters.”
“······.”
The latter incident likely had more influence on the medal award than the former one. Henderson invaded the palace and brutally murdered the Crown Prince, Aria’s father. Since I caught that bastard who hadn’t been caught for years, they couldn’t just overlook it and not give me a reward.
But actually, Henderson is… yep, never mind. I’ll talk about that later.
“You seem hesitant. Don’t want it?”
“I’m not particularly fond of rewards without substance. I’m concerned it will only cause noise around me.”
Right now, I don’t have much power and no enlightenment to my name, so I need to be cautious about becoming too famous too soon. When Henderson attacked, I only barely managed to win due to luck; if such folks are gunning for my life from now on…
I honestly believe I won’t survive.
“Hah! A reward without substance? You’re the only one who calls the honor that other nobles would risk their lives to obtain by that name. But you can’t refuse it just because you don’t like it.”
“······.”
“I’ll announce the exact schedule later. If you don’t attend the medal award ceremony… yeah. You won’t get the treasure you wanted.”
Aria said with a smirk. I’ve been taken hostage with the treasure. At this rate, escaping without attending would be impossible. Of course, I never planned to do something so stupid since I’d be marked by the royal family.
“Yes, I will definitely attend. But Your Majesty, you must also keep your word.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“No matter what treasure I choose, you must grant it to me.”
“Hah. You really are crazy.”
The atmosphere instantly turned chilly. I must have seriously ruffled her feather. That’s understandable. I just questioned Aria’s words after all. It was a foolish move, but it was a necessary foolish move. I had to provoke her pride enough so that whatever treasure I requested, she would coolly hand it over… or at least pretend to be cool about it.
“Seeing you scratch my insides makes me think you are contemplating something quite valuable. I look forward to it, I wonder what you’ll choose.”
“Yes, prepare yourself.”
“······.”
The corners of Aria’s eyes bent slightly again. I should really prepare myself because she might actually need to bend her knee to the Emperor to grant me what I want. Imagining her flustered expression makes me want to chuckle.
“Hah… I finally understand what the Head Professor meant.”
“What did Head Professor Ludwig say?”
“He said you’re insane. A real lunatic. I completely agree with the Head Professor now.”
“······.”
So Ludwig said that? Hah. That’s just absurd. I need to figure out a way to confront Ludwig later.
“It was quite an enjoyable conversation, but this tea isn’t too good. It’s too bitter.”
“It seems we switched cups by mistake.”
No wonder mine tasted much weaker than usual. Was the Crown Prince making that disgusted face intermittently because of that? Emilia must have mistakenly brought the guest’s cup instead of mine.
Such small details… Her acting of shock is truly remarkable.
“Is it that you eat like this as a habit?”
“I’ve never really felt it was too bitter.”
“······ You should go see a doctor. Something must be wrong with your taste buds.”
Aria shook her head and stood up. Soon, Emilia, her face turning pale, appeared, hands clasped together and fidgeting, as if afraid of being punished for her mistake.
“Are you leaving now?”
“Do I look like I’m just now leaving?”
“How could that be?”
“You should really fix that way of speaking before coming to the palace, unless you want to get beaten up.”
Hah. Surely, I wouldn’t act like this in front of the Emperor.
Worrying is your nature, huh?
“Could you step aside for a moment?”
“The seat… yes, understood.”
“I’d like to borrow your attendant for a while as well, is that okay?”
“Use her as you wish.”
Looking at Aria’s head, I quickly realized her intentions. She wants to hide that long hair under the hood when leaving. To do that, she likely has to remove and put on her outerwear, meaning I need to clear off, too.
I waited in the next room without asking any questions. Just then…
‘What is this? A barrier?’
I could vaguely sense the presence of a spell. After analyzing it roughly, it appeared to be a barrier that interferes with perception, likely meant to block sound. I could easily break it if I wanted, but I didn’t feel the need to.
What are they talking about secretly?
After a short while, I heard Emilia’s voice saying it was okay to come out and returned to the living room. Aria was already pulling her long blonde hair under her clothes, her face hidden by the hood.
“Until we meet again at the palace.”
“Yes. I will see you then. Please be careful on your way back, Your Majesty.”
I only accompanied Aria to the manor’s main gate. I briefly thought of escorting her to the Imperial University gate, but worried about drawing too much attention, I decided to let her go alone.
Well, technically, she wouldn’t be alone. The moment Aria stepped out, I felt the mana waves crazily shift around.
“Phew. Did I survive?”
The spells aiming at me vanished en masse. Looks like it was the royal guards waiting in the shadows. They had been waiting since morning, and I was terrified I’d be sent flying with the manor if things went south.
With the relief of having survived, I sighed deeply and returned to the manor.
“······.”
But something was off with Emilia’s condition.
*
“Come behind me.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
At the Crown Prince’s directive, Emilia quickly approached and stood behind him. The Crown Prince grabbed the front of his clothing and lifted it up.
Then, her pure white back was revealed.
“Put your hands in and pull your head down.”
“Ah, yes!”
Realizing the intent, Emilia reached out, then slipped her hands under the lifted clothing and pulled her head through the back.
Even though she tried to keep distance, she couldn’t help but feel the smooth texture of her back against her forearms, which felt more like something not human.
Emilia swallowed hard, trying to appear unflappable as she gathered the Crown Prince’s hair and gently pulled it down.
With a smooth rustling sound, the Crown Prince’s flowing hair cascaded down beneath the clothing.
“Hmph. Why are you doing it like this? The outfit will stretch.”
“Ah··· I’m sorry.”
Emilia bowed her head deeply. She was doing her best to avoid touching his royal body, fearing it might be a significant offense, but… she had made too many mistakes today.
Despite having been trained by the Intelligence Agency to never be flustered in any situation, she found herself blundering in front of the Crown Prince. Today must be humiliating for her.
“That aside.”
“······?”
At that moment, the Crown Prince waved his hand.
Emilia felt a sense of unease when she realized a barrier was set up right next to the two of them.
It was an interference barrier. With such faint output, Schlus in the other room likely wouldn’t even notice the barrier’s existence.
It meant they wanted to have a conversation without the risk of being overheard.
“What is your name?”
“Emilia Siegfried.”
“Emilia… You’re as lovely as your name. I can see why Schlus chose you as his attendant.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
“Seeing that you’re clumsy and make mistakes, it seems you must be quite skilled at a nighttime occupation.”
“······.”
For a moment, Emilia’s expression crumpled in frustration, but she quickly returned to her usual smiling face.
As sincere as the Crown Prince is known to be, this crossed the line into insult.
Not understanding the intention behind his comments, Emilia had to suppress her rising anger.
“Night work is not part of my duties. Please don’t lay hands on the attendant, as Mr. Hainkel is not that kind of person.”
“Hahaha! After making me mad and then getting all serious, what a fun little girl!”
“······.”
After making her angry and then calling it a joke? Is this a common trait among Imperial nobles?
Emilia seriously contemplated the idea of killing him and then following suit herself.
“Well, let’s put the jokes aside for now.”
“······?”
“Let’s hear your purpose for watching Schlus.”
Her heart dropped like a stone. It was a stroke of luck that she was standing behind the Crown Prince. If not, her eyes would have widened in shock.
“I don’t know what you mean, Your Highness.”
“Feigning ignorance, are we? He can’t hear us anyway.”
“······.”
“Don’t be boring. Alright, fine. Listen well as a mere eavesdropper. If it’s just observing, it shouldn’t matter.”
How did he know? How much does he know?
Thoughts were swirling and colliding in Emilia’s head. She clenched her fists tightly and listened intently to the Crown Prince’s words, curled up on his knees leisurely.
If it turns out she knows too much about the existence of the Intelligence Agency, she wouldn’t have any other option but to snap his neck then and there.
“Whether it’s sent by that damned separatist, or some foolish anarchist, or spies from the kingdom, if it’s just for observation, it doesn’t matter. However, if you intend to harm Schlus…”
The Crown Prince slowly turned his head.
Emilia could soon meet her gaze with the gleeful smile on her face.
It looked chillingly, spine-tingling.
“If you seek to harm the benefactor who avenged my enemy, then you better prepare yourself for the full might of the Empire. Let your employer know that as well.”
“I truly cannot grasp what you’re talking about, Your Highness.”
“Enough. You’re a boring girl.”
The Crown Prince clicked his tongue, pulled up her hood, and stood.
With her hand wave, the barrier was released.
Emilia remained frozen in place, still in shock, as Schlus walked out of the room to see off the Crown Prince.
