“Schlus Hainkel. His Majesty the Emperor wishes to meet with you separately.”
“······.”
As soon as I stepped down from the podium, a court lady spoke to me. It was an expected occurrence. Meetings between the Black Eagle medalist and the Emperor were common. I left the building with Emilia, guided by the court lady.
While walking for a while, I had to stifle my gasps of admiration. The palace was so vast that I couldn’t distinguish it from a small city. Most buildings were about three stories tall, but the central high-rise building, the Main Hall, showcased its grandeur.
We were led to a detached building not far from it.
“Please wait here.”
The court lady seated us and then entered through the door. Soon, faint voices seeped out from inside. A somewhat high-pitched voice indicated that Aria was likely also present.
“You may enter.”
The court lady opened the door wide. Turning back, I saw Emilia blinking her eyes, as if signaling me, with her hands clasped gently. This time, I felt I wouldn’t make a mistake due to my nervousness. I constantly tried to suppress my *thump thump* heart as I stepped forward.
Soon, I saw Emperor Gustav and Aria seated inside.
“Hero, you have arrived.”
“······.”
The Emperor greeted us with a chuckle. His tone was ambiguous, making it hard to tell if he was mocking us or not. However, the Crown Prince was grinning as he looked at Emilia, causing her to flinch slightly, which felt quite strange. What kind of conversation did they have when they were alone before?
“Your Majesty, and Your Highness the Crown Prince, it is an honor to meet you.”
“Didn’t you see enough of us earlier? Just sit down.”
“Yes.”
I slowly took a seat on the chair brought by the court lady. The sight of Gustav was entirely different from when I saw him from the podium. He was merely an old man with white hair, yet his gaze emitted an air of authority that was unmatched by any clothing or jewelry. So this is the Emperor who has led the grand Empire for decades.
“I felt that a mere medal wasn’t enough to express my gratitude, so I arranged this meeting.”
“······.”
While Aria spoke with a rosy complexion, the Emperor remained quiet. How could he not feel gratitude? After all, it was the Emperor himself who ordered the assassination of the Crown Prince through Henderson.
“I’m also considering offering another reward besides the medal. I heard from the Crown Prince that you wish for a treasure from the underground vault of the Imperial Palace?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I have heard that the underground vault is filled with treasures gathered from all over the continent. If I could choose one, it would be the greatest reward.”
“Very well. The Crown Prince has already promised that he would allow you to take whatever you choose. I will give my approval.”
“I am deeply grateful, Your Majesty.”
I had even received the Emperor’s approval. Was I feeling confident? Or did he believe I wouldn’t recognize the true value of ‘that’? Either way, it was good news for me.
“By the way, it seems the medal conferment ceremony has been hastily arranged.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I received the invitation letter just a day before the ceremony. It must have been very urgent.”
“······It seems one of my courtiers made a mistake. I instructed them to deliver it three days prior.”
The corners of the Emperor’s eyes twisted. It didn’t seem like he was the one deliberately delaying my contact. I didn’t know who was responsible for the communication, but they would likely face dire consequences. At least not as severe as those two knights who jumped at me.
As I drank the tea provided by the court lady, an awkward silence fell for a moment.
“It seems you have something you’d like to say.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“Yes. Please feel free to speak.”
“What do you think of the Crown Prince?”
That was indeed an unexpected question. What did I think of Aria?
“I perceive him as a person with charisma and decision-making abilities. However······.”
“However?”
“His emotions seem to be too transparent on his face.”
“What······!”
“Hahaha! That’s spot on!”
Aria stood up, thumping the table, while the Emperor threw his head back and laughed. The ruckus startled the court ladies, who peeked inside through the slightly opened door.
“You have a good eye. Very well, that will be enough.”
“What do you mean by enough, Your Majesty?”
“How about marrying this guy?”
“······.”
I felt as if the speed of my brain’s reactions had slowed slightly. I couldn’t quite believe what I had just heard. What? Marriage? To Aria?
What kind of nonsense is that?
“Your Majesty! What are you talking about?!”
“Aren’t you of marrying age soon enough?”
“That may be true, but······.”
“I don’t have much time left. Before I die, I should at least point out a suitable marriage partner. There have been plenty of candidates, but······ only you have been to my liking.”
The Emperor mentioned that Aria liked me······. That was a bit unexpected. The Emperor loved his granddaughter dearly. He was willing to go so far as to kill his own son to pass the throne directly to her. If his granddaughter had expressed fondness for someone, he would grant permission for the marriage, no matter who it was.
That also meant he trusted his granddaughter’s judgment. However, the Emperor overlooked one important fact.
“Your Majesty! When I said liked, I didn’t mean it that way······.”
“You will keep your mouth shut. I will ask Schlus about his intentions first. What do you think of the Crown Prince as a potential marriage partner?”
“I find him to be too outstanding for me. If I could marry him, it would truly be a dream come true.”
“Is that so? Then······.”
“However, I believe the Crown Prince’s feelings are more important.”
That’s because Aria was a character who didn’t understand what love was. In the original story, Aria never showed any romantic feelings toward anyone. She only displayed a consistent, unyielding demeanor as a cold ruler.
I even wondered if she might be a psychopath at times while writing her.
Would Aria fall in love? Not in a million years.
“I wish for you to marry someone you truly love.”
“Is that so? Then what are your thoughts on the matter?”
“I think marriage is premature. I have no thoughts about it, Your Majesty. I have yet to undergo my coming-of-age ceremony······.”
“Hahaha! Is that so? Then I shall ask again once your coming-of-age ceremony is complete.”
The contrast between the Emperor, who was nearly gasping from laughter, and Aria, who looked sulking and glaring at him, was striking. By now, I was driven mad with curiosity. There had to be more than just a passing comment that I was liked.
What on earth did Aria say about me that led to a marriage proposal at our first meeting?
To be honest, I had no reason to refuse a marriage with Aria. It would be a shortcut to elevating my status to that of royalty while simultaneously gaining power and wealth. Why would I refuse such an opportunity?
It was just that, initially, I had decided not to look up at fruit that was never meant to be.
Since Aria would never show any interest in marriage······.
*
“Ha. I truly thank you. For your well-timed excuse.”
Only after confirming that the door was shut did the Crown Prince let out a sigh of relief. The Emperor wouldn’t hear it anymore.
“When I said I liked it, I meant it as a person-to-person sentiment, not romantically.”
“Yes. I understand, Your Highness.”
“······.”
Seeing Schlus’s relaxed smile, the Crown Prince felt a flicker of anger rising within him. He thought to himself how foolish he was for being flustered, blushing just a moment ago.
“However, I was not merely making a half-hearted excuse.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“If I could marry Your Highness, it would truly be a blessing. That was sincere.”
“Huh. You’ve only been here a few hours, and you’re already buttering me up like one of the courtiers.”
Saying that, the Crown Prince abruptly turned away. He didn’t want to show his face. He didn’t want to reveal what kind of expression he was making.
He had no idea if his cheeks were turning red or not. It was a feeling he had never experienced before, and he had no idea how he looked right now.
‘I’m a commoner······. That can’t happen.’
A marriage with Schlus.
There was no need to think deeply about it. It was something that could never happen from the start.
After the coming-of-age ceremony, she would rise to the Empire’s second highest rank.
That meant she would officially gain the right to inherit the throne of the Emperor.
A marriage between a commoner like me and her? That was a serious issue that could threaten the imperial authority and the federative structure of the Empire.
Above all, there was a high likelihood of encountering fierce opposition from the nobles before the wedding could even happen.
‘But······.’
Nevertheless, I found myself continuously glancing at Schlus.
His face, which I hadn’t paid any mind to when I first met him, now caught my eye repeatedly.
Although he seemed indifferent, his subtle politeness kept revealing itself.
Since hearing the Emperor’s absurd conjectures, I had been feeling this way.
What I had said when I expressed liking was perhaps said purely out of curiosity.
There was no logical romantic interest in it at all······.
“Your Highness, are you feeling unwell?”
“Hmph! I’m fine! You have nothing to worry about!”
The Crown Prince forced himself to shake off his distracting thoughts and stepped forward.
Then he noticed something strange about the demeanor of Schlus’s attendant, who was following behind him.
He sensed something akin to vitality emanating from her······.
No way.
“We have arrived.”
“This is······.”
“Yes. The underground vault.”
Finally, the Crown Prince stopped in front of a huge metallic door.
A room that looked like a massive safe.
A vault that could not be broken into by any explosives or magic.
This was a place where all the treasures of the continent were gathered, so security like this was only standard.
“Naturally, if you take a treasure without permission from me, it will result in an immediate execution. Now, let’s open it.”
Upon the Crown Prince’s command, the guards began winding the mechanisms one by one.
Then huge bolts began to shift, and finally, the seal of the door was released.
*Clank clank clank······*
The door slowly opened, vibrating the entire basement.
An intense light poured forth from inside as it opened.
The jewels and gold reflected the light in unison.
The attendant and the Crown Prince shielded their eyes with their hands.
Only Schlus stood there, calmly, without closing his eyes.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t see. How could he do that?
The Crown Prince, momentarily curious, observed him.
“In here, I can choose one thing I want.”
“That’s right. By the way, piling them into one hand and insisting it counts as one is not allowed.”
“I wouldn’t stoop to such petty tricks.”
Schlus leisurely strolled around, taking each step slowly while glancing at the multicolored treasures.
He didn’t seem entirely uninterested in the shining gold and jewels, but it was clear he wouldn’t simply choose such things right away.
If he did, the Crown Prince would have been quite disappointed.
“This place is truly vast.”
“Most of it consists of the blood-stained treasures obtained through plunder. Considering the number of nations our Empire has conquered, it is only natural it would be this extensive.”
“Hahaha.”
At the Crown Prince’s self-deprecating joke, Schlus broke into laughter.
He was indeed different from the other nobles.
While they would clench their teeth and maintain serious faces, Schlus’s bizarre demeanor impressed her.
“······.”
At that moment, Schlus came to a halt.
His gaze landed on a certain vial.
The Crown Prince suppressed a gasp as he recognized it.
An elixir. A miracle cure.
It was a treasure, and only three were currently secured by the royal family, making it nearly impossible to gauge its value accurately.
So he truly had a discerning eye.
The Crown Prince sighed and spoke up.
“That is an elixir. Will you choose that?”
“Such a precious medicine. However, it does not fully suit my taste.”
“······?!”
Without turning back, Schlus ignored the elixir and continued walking.
Even selling the elixir could provide enough wealth to live extravagantly for the rest of his life.
To undervalue such a treasure so plainly?
“You will regret this. I assert that the elixir is the most valuable treasure here. Therefore, taking the elixir would······.”
Whether he was listening or ignoring it, Schlus paused once more.
The Crown Prince, who was following him absentmindedly, closed his mouth.
At the innermost corner of the storeroom, a safe-like box lay, which you could easily miss if you didn’t pay attention.
It was something the Crown Prince also had not seen before.
Was there a safe within a safe······?
“I’ll choose what’s in here.”
With a smile, Schlus made the Crown Prince feel a sense of impending doom creep upon him.
He instinctively sensed that whatever was inside would be a serious problem.
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