"Did I do well today, Minister?"
"Yes, you certainly did, Your Majesty."
Those were the voices Near barely heard when they stopped before the door he guessed lead to the throne room.
The thing that concerned him the most was that one of them was high-pitched. Basically, the one that was called, 'Your Majesty.' The other voice was probably the Prime Minister. That kinda worried Near.
"Near," Esdeath began. "I hope you won't cause any problems with the Prime Minister. He's my superior and if you get in trouble with him, it would be hard for me to talk your way out of it."
"What makes you think I would do that?"
"Form what I've seen, you're not scared to say your mind. He doesn't like it when people talk back to him."
'I see, if you say that then maybe he isn't the best Prime Minister in the world. But, I could be wrong. Like Nyau said, I could be a smartass sometimes. I guess the only way to find out is to see myself.' He nodded and Esdeath knocked on the door.
"You may enter," came the older man's voice. With that, they did just as they were told. Near saw two people. One green-haired boy sitting on a throne, with clothes that probably only a king would wear. But in a much smaller size. And a fat man standing beside him. Stuffing his face with meat and chewing loudly. Now, someone had quite the manners.
"Ah, General Esdeath! It's good to see you made it back safely!" A grin grew on his face when he saw the blue-haired woman. But that grin...it wasn't one of happiness, or something similar. It was one that contained malice. Like his eyes were on his destructive weapon. This of course, didn't go unnoticed by the white-haired boy.
When his eyes landed on Near, a look of curiosity replaced his previous one. "Why is a child with you?"
Esdeath gazed back at Near, "this is Near. I found him while we were on our mission. It may seem ridiculous to you, but I wish to make him my subordinate. If he succeeds with his first task." When seeing his confusion she continued. "He is physically weak. But his intelligence isn't like any other I've seen so far. He's very observant and young, just think how much of an asset he will be to the Empire when he gets older. His observational skills are perfect to investigate the recent murders of officials and politicians."
"How old is he?"
"I'm 13," Near answered in Esdeath's place.
"Wow! I'm 13, too!" The Emperor replied cheerfully.
When Near looked at him, one thought came in his mind: he's oblivious. A child would normally be too naive on that age. And from his composure, Near knew he was no exception. He's a child placed on a throne meant for kings. There was such a high chance someone would take advantage of that.
Why else would someone place a child on the throne? I mean, someone could take temporary control untill the child is educated properly. Now, someone could easily manipulate him. Someone who would want absolute control. All the while secretly controlling the Nation behind the shadows. Most humans would do things that are only beneficial to themselves. So that way, the Emperor could be his puppet.
And judging from the abnormally big chicken drumstick in the Minister's hand, it was probably him. A professional Prime Minister who wants to keep his reputation high wouldn't eat on the job. That is, if he had a good reputation. His overweight body could support his theory.
But Near couldn't help but feel bad for the Emperor. Already being put such a burden on the age of 13 and not knowing what to do. It was obvious he would rely on others for advice. But trusting one person could be a problem. They could act happy and nice while giving false information. If the person's true intentions were revealed to the Emperor, he will undoubtedly deny it.
"Your Majesty, please regain your composure. You have a Nation to rule, after all." That same evil smile returned. Prefect timing to smile like that. Now Near was even more certain about his theory on this man.
But did he think Near didn't notice that smile or did he think the boy was just stupid? Esdeath clearly said he was intelligent and observant. Maybe this man didn't really care about the (small) details. Something the white-haired boy paid extra attention to.
But actually, who could blame him? He probably didn't expect someone to put so much thought in simple things. And if he really did manipulate the Emperor, he would probably think all other children on his age were stupid and everything would go his way in the end. Which, Near could understand. But unfortunately for him, he was someone who wasn't easily fooled.
"A-ah, I'm sorry!" He cleared his throat and became serious. "It is nice to meet you. I am Emperor Makoto and this is Prime Minister Honest. If General Esdeath chose you personally, I'm sure you'll be a great help to the Empire."
Honest smiled at Makoto, "yes, well done, Your Majesty." He turned his attention to Near and slowly stroked his beard. "I agree with Your Majesty that if you were chosen by Edseath, you will help the Empire immensely." This time he smiled at the white-haired boy. Near could already tell it wasn't genuine. This cheerfulness,
in Near's opinion, didn't fit the man in the slighest. But he had to give credit to his acting skills. Adults would be fooled by that.
"You could learn a thing or two from Your Majesty. After all, he is ruling a Nation at such a young age."
'I wonder how that happened,' Near thought dryly.
"Your skills will prove useful when dealing with the murderers that have been killing the innocent people of the Empire," Honest added.
Makoto look at his hand. "That's right...these people and the revolutionaries...have been disturbing the peace in the capital." He narrowed his eyes. "They don't deserves to live!"
Esdeath looked at Near, wanting to see his reaction. Through the whole conversation there was no emotion present on his face whatsoever. It annoyed her that she couldn't read him. But it also impressed the Empire's Strongest.
Esdeath too, noticed the small signs he was giving away of his true nature. Since the white-haired was so observant, he definitely noticed it. She should warn Honest for that. But if she hadn't met Near she wouldn't know he could come up with such logical conclusions with small details. The blue-haired woman couldn't really blame the Prime Minister. And knowing Near, the gears were probably turning in his head, already.
But that would also be a problem. She didn't know what the white-haired boy would do when he discovered all of the corruption in the Empire. The blue-haired General would rather keep him on their side. And killing him would be such a waste.
"Was that all?" Honest continued when he received a nod from Esdeath. "Then you're both dismissed. And General, I would like to have word with you tomorrow about the sudden changes."
The blue-haired woman bowed and motioned for Near to do the same. He of course, didn't want to raise any suspicion, and bowed. He wasn't really one to get his emotions in the way, anyway.
They left the room and were now walking through the halls.
"Why did a child become the Emperor, General?" Near asked. He was curious as to what the woman would say.
"There was no one of Royal blood that could take over the throne."
"Someone could take over temporarily. Such as a General or something. This way the Emperor is easy prey for someone who could manipulate him for his own benefits. He can get more knowledgeable over the years. I can tell he isn't educated properly to become the Emperor."
'Oh Near, only if you truly knew,' Esdeath thought. 'I wonder what you would do when you find out the Prime Minister is doing what you just said. You're as good as I thought. Maybe a little bit too good.'
"Near," she started. "That matter doesn't concern you, you should be worried about your own duties."
"I can't be worried over something I don't have."
Near expected her to become mad for talking back to her like that. Instead, her lips twitched into a smile. "You're surprising me, as always. I can't say that I don't like it. But," she walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "From now on, I'm your superior."
His emotionless grey eyes stared deep into her own dark blue ones. It was almost like he was staring into her soul. Undoubtedly, he was analyzing her movements. That could come in handy when interrogating Revolutionairy spies.
"And I only expect obedience from my subordinates. I don't want you to cause any trouble in the palace and the people in it."
Suddenly, a smirk appeared on his face. "Technically, I'm still not your subordinate. You said so yourself, you would be sure when I cleared my first assignment." Two times talking back to her was probably a bad idea. But Near wanted to see her reaction. It would help in analyzing her personality and he could see to what lengths he could go with her patience. After all, not every person in the palace is what they seem. Such as his hunch over the Prime Minister. And the feeling of victory was so satisfying sometimes.
She queezed his shoulder lightly. It wasn't even hard, so the Empire's Stongest was surprised to see Near's pained look. "Are you playing with my patience, Near? Do not test me."
The white-haired boy looked up at her. "When a human doesn't know what to say back," he grimaced. "They'll use force."
Esdeath had enough of her getting played, so she decided to get straight to the point. "I know you're not a fool and wouldn't do risky things without a reason. What exactly do you want to accomplish with this conversation?"
Near clutched his shoulder, still feeling it ache. "I just wanted to see how you would act to someone who is rude to you. I don't know much about you and I was curious. You never know what a General would do. There are so many varieties of them."
Esdeath had a feeling he was lying through his teeth. After all the time interrogating people, she pretty much developed a sixth sense for things like that. But she didregarded it, knowing that Near would still play this game of minds if she continued. It wouldn't surprise her if that ended with a migraine for her.
"If that is all, then let's get you settled in for the night."
"Actually I have one more question," Near began. "Prime Minister Honest is manipulating the Emperor, isn't he?"
...
...
...
"I don't think so, Near," she answered emotionlessly. Luckily, she remembered the time when he used the same trick on Nyau. The Empire's Strongest had a feeling it was the same this time. If she was off guard, she probably would've shown a physical reaction.
"But Near, why would you think he would do that?"
"It's simple, really. Compare it to basic human nature. A child Emperor on the throne, naive and still oblivious to the world around him. Don't you think someone would take advantage of that? Such an opportunity seems too good to be true.
When we have something, we want more. Humans are greedy, they only want to do thing that only benefit themselves. It wouldn't surprise me if someone would go as far as secretly control a Nation to fulfill their own selfish desires.
Don't get me wrong, not all humans are like that. There are humans who genuinely want to help others. Unfortunately, they are sometimes hard to find in such high positions. They let their greed take over them. Once they've got the taste of power, they want absolute control.
It just seem far-fetched to me that Prime Minister Honest, the Emperor's personal advisor, wouldn't control the Empire and hide it from the public eye. From his demeanour back in the throne room, I can tell that he is quite happy and benefiting from his position."
"Near," she walked over to him and ruffled his hair in an affectionate way. "Honestly, I've experienced your intelligence personally. But I'm always impressed by your analyses. And for some reason your neutral nature only makes you more interesting. But I'm curious, what would you do if the Prime Minister was really manipulating the Emperor?"
"I don't think I could do anything. Just compare our position to each other's. I was an unknowm child that only gained relevancy because of you. And he is so close to the Empire's ruler. I'm not strong physically, so almost anyone in the palace could easily kill me right on the spot. And I'm not really keen on dying, right now. I think it is best for me listen to your orders."
'If I die, I can't do anything if this Empire is in such dire times. I need to grasp the situation this Nation is truly in,' he mentally added.
Near suddenly yawned and rubbed his eyes. Through the whole conversation he didn't notice how tired he actually was. He may have the mentality of a genius, but he was still a young boy, growing up. And sleep was pretty important at that time.
"You must be tired, you need to rest well since your first assignment is tomorrow. And I want you in top condition." The General told the smaller boy.
She motioned for one of the maids and told her to lead her to one of the empty bedrooms.
"General, this might be sudden, but can you carry me?"
Esdeath looked down at his smaller form. She wouldn't have a problem carrying him. He looked pretty thin and her Teigu's enhanced strength would certainly make it easy. She would do it, this time. She shouldn't get too soft on her subordinates. That will only become a weakness in the future.
She agreed this once and picked him up bridal-style. From her angle, Esdeath noticed a purple bruise from under his collar. The colour alone looked pretty nasty for a bruise. She should ask him that tomorrow.
"Don't get used to this, Near. I'll only do this, once."
"I'll do that if you always carry me," he mumbled, half-asleep.
To Guest: Thank you so much for all the suggestions. I will definitely consider doing some. Like the one with Liver's cooking XD and some other ones that I don't want spoil. And also thank you for your postive feedback! It boosted my will to write this story.
Do keep in mind that this story takes place before Esdeath left to the North. I did that to build the relationship between Near and Esdeath (and some other characters.) I also have some things to make this story more interesting. Such as Near's past relationships with other characters (I think I revealed too much...) But anyway, thank you for reading this chapter! Feedback and criticism are Always appreciated!