Duke Elgy said decisively with a smile,
"I'm sorry, but it sounds like you're just saying that on impulse."
However, his voice was not as cold as before.
Rashta realized this and was filled with hope.
"Rashta, I think you're confused right now because your relationship with His Majesty is not good. Or are you pretending to be confused on purpose?"
"I'm serious. Really serious. Just the thought of Duke Elgy leaving is so painful, how could this not be love?"
Rashta spoke hurriedly and hugged Duke Elgy from behind.
"Please be my lover, Duke."
Duke Elgy was surprised.
Lover?
It was not uncommon for a member of the royal family of another country to become a lover of the empress or the emperor.
However, this case was a little different.
"I also have feelings for Rashta, so becoming your lover is not the problem."
"Then what is?"
"You have no power as empress. Unfortunately… you are now an empress in name only."
"!"
"If I, a member of the royal family of another country, become your lover, I will lose my reputation in my home country."
"I'll not always be an empress in name only. I can promise you that."
"That is out of Rashta's reach."
Rashta's pride was wounded.
Duke Elgy had always given her strength, so she did not want to hear this from him.
But Duke Elgy finally removed his hand from the doorknob and turned around, so she stopped thinking about it and looked at him anxiously.
"But people might laugh less if Rashta gives me a gift of great value by signing the lover contract."
"A gift?"
Remembering the enormous amount of jewelry and dresses she received from Sovieshu after signing the concubine contract, Rashta was quick to ask,
"What do you want? Money? Jewelry?"
"Of that I have a lot. So much I'd never finish counting."
"Then…"
Duke Elgy pretended to reflect and exclaimed, "Ah! A territory. Give me a territory near the coast."
Rashta was surprised. He wanted a territory?
"As you know, my country is a maritime kingdom, so it's convenient near the coast."
"Hmm, but Rashta doesn't have that power…"
"If not, you can't have me, a member of another country's royal family, as a lover."
Duke Elgy said firmly, and looked at Rashta with great regret.
"It's better not to go any further for both our sakes."
"I'll find a way!"
Rashta hastily clung to Duke Elgy and shouted.
"Rashta will find a way!"
"There's much talk that the Empress held Duke Elgy back when he was about to leave."
Marquis Karl reported with a grim face.
Sovieshu's expression wavered for a moment.
"Were they seen publicly?"
"It is said that while Duke Elgy was loading his luggage into the carriage, Rashta rushed over to him. After that, the two went into his room and had a long conversation. In the end, Duke Elgy brought down his luggage, deciding to stay."
Marquis Karl was very worried.
People thought that the empress of poor origin only damaged the image of the imperial family.
There were many empresses who had lovers, but none went around playing the couple in love.
The more malicious ones scoffed, saying that they did not know whether Rashta entered the room with Duke Elgy and detained him with her mouth or with her body.
Of course, those who said that belonged to the sort of person that others would look down on for their rude words, but there was inevitably a point where the worse the rumor, the more attractive it was to hear it.
"It seems that the more innocent a person is, the faster it darkens."
Sovieshu lamented.
Although she had a clever side and sometimes showed behavior out of common sense, Sovieshu thought Rashta was truly innocent.
Surrounded by calculating people, Rashta looked like a wildflower bearing the strong wind alone.
He believed that Rashta's purity had to be protected.
All people are influenced by their environment, so I knew Rashta would one day change.
But he didn't expect it to be so fast…
"Your Majesty, shouldn't we stop the Empress? I'm afraid if she continues like this, the Imperial Family will become a laughingstock."
"The laughing stock started from the time she showed up at the wedding in that dress that looked like it was covered in seaweed, and we didn't stop her."
Sovieshu muttered coldly, and shook his head.
"Let's leave her for the moment. What's more important now is the baby in her belly. Do you have anything else to report?"
"It's not about the Eastern Empire…"
"?"
Sovieshu frowned at Marquis Karl's hesitation.
However, he quickly realized what Marquis Karl wanted to talk about. It was about the Western Empire.
The sensitive issues of allied, enemy, and powerful countries, Sovieshu read directly through the newspapers or was informed by his secretaries. Even if they were not important to the Eastern Empire at the moment, one never knew whether one could profit from such information later on.
So it was not unusual for Marquis Karl to talk about the Western Empire.
"Don't worry, it's fine. Just say it."
Sovieshu spoke casually, he didn't seem uncomfortable.
"It's a scandal between former Queen Christa and Emperor Heinley."
However, as soon as he heard Marquis Karl's words, Sovieshu's expression became rigid.
"What?"
Marquis Karl spoke of when the scandal took place, how it came about, how it was resolved, and so on.
"It turns out that at the time former Queen Christa claimed to have been with Emperor Heinley, she was with Grand Duke Kapmen. In the end it was proven that she had lied, and left as if she was fleeing to Compshire Mansion."
Sovieshu smiled bitterly as he remembered that Grand Duke Kapmen had been with Rashta that night.
He couldn't believe the Grand Duke would lie like that.
"Grand Duke Kapmen must have done it to help Emperor Heinley, or to help Navier."
"Huh?"
Sovieshu laughed coldly.
"I knew it, that shameless playboy, he was just pretending to be a man deeply in love."
Marquis Karl shut his mouth when he realized that Sovieshu spoke with hatred towards Emperor Heinley.
Sovieshu sent Marquis Karl to go and rest.
However, feeling as if the inside of his stomach was boiling, Sovieshu stood up and then sat down repeatedly on the couch, not being able to stay still.
Navier looked happy, she thought she had met someone who loved only her. But did he cheat on her right after the wedding?
Sovieshu was furious and wanted to punch Heinley in the face.
He wanted to make sure that Navier was not suffering. However, he wondered if it would be appropriate to give a letter, or a gift, to Navier as comfort.
Navier had strong pride. She would definitely not accept comfort from her ex-husband.
After some pondering, Sovieshu came up with a good idea.
277At that time, Mastas had just arrived where Koshar was.
She had first gone to Compshire to carry out Heinley's order, and once her work was done she stopped by to keep her promise to Navier.
It was not difficult to find the troops sent from the imperial palace.
"Do you see that little hill over there?"
"Yes. The hill with three big trees side by side, right?"
"That's right, you'll see a vast flatland behind that hill. That's where the troops should be stationed."
"Thank you."
Mastas asked people in order to find the place where Koshar was. Indeed, after reaching the top of the hill that the old man indicated, a series of large tents could be seen, along with a temporary stable and several campfires.
Mastas quickly descended towards that place.
"I am looking for Sir Koshar."
However, Koshar wasn't there. On the contrary, a knight informed her that he was in the village.
"Sir Koshar went to village to buy some things?"
'I just came here from the village!'
Mastas thought about waiting to meet him, but in the end changed her mind and headed back to the roadside village.
So, she decided to ask each person, "Have you seen a very handsome man?", looking directly for Koshar.
'How long have I been like this? The knight told me he was around here somewhere…'
As she walked around, she heard the sound of weapons colliding with each other.
'Is it a fight?'
The sound of weapons clashing was heard in rapid succession. Then loud curses were heard, followed by sobs.
Mastas ran toward the sobs.
If gangsters were bullying people, she was going to teach them a lesson!
However, the scene she saw upon arrival was completely unexpected.
There were people being bullied. The problem was that there appeared to be only one bully and about fourteen victims.
Most of the people being bullied were burly men with rough and dangerous appearances. Each was stuck with his back to the other and with their hands tied together, so they could only move sideways.
The bully was a handsome man with impressive blond hair, who shot arrows at them as if he was having fun.
The shots did little damage because the arrows had no points, but all those who were hit sobbed, as if in pain.
Mastas' jaw dropped in bewilderment.
There were exactly fourteen different weapons lined up on the ground.
At first glance, it appeared that this blond man had snatched away the weapons of these fourteen individuals before humiliating them like this….
'Huh? That man?'
Mastas belatedly realized that that man was Koshar, who was normally smiling broadly beside Empress Navier.
Mastas unconsciously pointed a finger at him and exclaimed, "Ah!"
Hearing the voice, Koshar stopped playing and turned his head toward her.
The moment their eyes met, Koshar said nothing, but Mastas was convinced that he must have been cursing inside.
In fact, Koshar thought he was in trouble.
He came to buy a gift for Navier, but robbers suddenly appeared and he had to fight.
When he defeated two, five came; when he defeated five, nine came; when he defeated nine, a crowd came.
He couldn't stand the fact that the robbers intended to steal the jewelry and dresses he wanted to give as gifts to Navier. In the end, he was just venting his anger.
That was the scene that Navier's lady-in-waiting now saw.
She had a surprised expression… he was sure she would tell Navier about this.
Navier would shake her head immediately in disappointment.
It was easier for Koshar to handle a gangster than a lady-in-waiting.
Koshar felt he was in trouble because he did not know how to handle his sister's lady-in-waiting.
He thought first to stop her. Koshar, who belatedly cleared his thoughts, lowered his bow and smiled to make conversation.
"Hi? What are you doing in a place like this."
But as soon as he greeted her, Mastas snapped out of her amazement and suddenly shouted, "That's great!"
Then she reached a hand behind her back and pulled out a large spear.
Firmly wielding the spear, Mastas shouted as she ran.
"I would like us to have a duel, Sir Koshar!"
Koshar frowned. A duel so suddenly?
Although it could be a joke, Mastas acted as if she was serious.
Koshar looked at her puzzled and refused.
"I'm sorry, but I can't fight my sister's lady-in-waiting."
"There's no problem, it's fine!"
"No, it's not fine."
Seeing the twinkle in her eyes, she also seemed to be crazy about martial arts, so Koshar quickly changed his mind.
'If I handled her properly I could get her to keep her mouth shut, right?'
"Well, I accept, but can you promise me one thing?"
"What?"
"You won't tell Navier about anything you just saw."
"Agreed!"
When Mastas shouted excitedly, Koshar smiled and drew his sword.
Fortunately, she was a lady-in-waiting who spoke his language. Of course, he had no intention of fighting in earnest.
If he made a mistake and hurt the lady-in-waiting even a little, Navier would be angry.
"Let's get started!"
But after exchanging a few attacks, Koshar regretted his decision.
He realized that his opponent was not a person he could casually handle wielding his sword.
He had to get serious. But if he fought seriously, he could really hurt her.
What should I do? Should I render her unconscious? Or try to strip her at the right time of her weapon?
As he hesitated to do this or that, something hit his head.
Koshar blinked in a daze. Before his eyes, the face of the astonished lady-in-waiting blurred.
Three seconds later, he immediately collapsed.
"Oh no, Sir Koshar!"
278Since it was raining, I went out into the garden next to Heinley with an umbrella.
Hearing the sound of the rain as we took a walk reminded me of my brother, so I asked,
"Do you think Miss Mastas has already met my brother?"
Heinley replied, "Probably," and pulled my shoulder toward him.
"Come closer, My Queen. You'll get wet."
"Wouldn't it have been better to each use an umbrella…?"
Is it necessary to be stuck to each other to share an umbrella?
"By the way, My Queen. Does Brother Koshar have no intention of getting married? As a nobleman, it seems that he is taking a long time to get married. I haven't even heard of a fiancée."
"My brother is not interested in anything but fighting and swords."
That said, the rumors aren't good for a political marriage either…
As much as a political marriage was a marriage between noble families, no father would want to marry his daughter to a ruthless man.
"It always amazes me how different My Queen and Brother Koshar's personalities are."
"Really? But you also—"
'have a different personality than your brother,' I quickly swallowed these last words.
It hadn't been long since Christa's incident ended. I'd rather not say that.
I quickly changed my words.
"Ah, your birthday is coming up. Is there anything you'd like to have, Heinley?"
"No, nothing."
I thought so.
"But there is something I want to do."
After Heinley finished speaking, he stopped and suddenly hugged me from behind.
When I looked up, I realized that he was watching me with a strange expression.
It was definitely a racy request. I could tell by his expression. Because of that, I couldn't help but swallow hard.
I was embarrassed by the loud sound caused, but I spoke calmly as if nothing had happened,
"I'll consider it if it's not far-fetched."
"What do you mean by far-fetched?"
"!"
He didn't want the 'kind' of gift I thought?
My eyes widened, even more embarrassed.
"I mean don't ask for a gift that's hard to get."
But that wasn't a good excuse either. As soon as I spoke, I felt a wave of remorse.
It was stupid! How could I make such a cold excuse?!
It was his first birthday we would celebrate together, but I didn't want him to ask for a gift that was hard to get!
I felt deeply regretful. I moved a little closer to him and grabbed his free hand.
Heinley tensed. It wasn't long before I felt a deep sigh go down my neck.
"My Queen, what are you going to do by having me in your palm?"
"In my palm?"
"You control me just by holding my hand."
Heinley held our intertwined hands he raised my hand, along with his, and lightly kissed the back of it.
"I did it… because my words were much colder than I thought."
I confessed sincerely and gently withdrew my hand.
His lips on the back of my hand felt soft and pleasant, but there was no need to do this outside, right?
While it was good that the emperor and empress were a happily married couple, that did not mean that we had to be affectionate everywhere.
Heinley pulled me even closer to his chest and adjusted the position of the umbrella.
As time went on the rain decreased, it seemed that it would soon stop.
When I reached a hand out from the umbrella to feel the rain, Heinley whispered as he looked at me.
"Hmm… actually, I'd like to take a bath together."
I was enjoying the cold raindrops falling on my palm, but I quickly withdrew my hand in surprise.
"As a birthday present, let's take a bath together."
"… You're sly."
Heinley didn't deny it.
I hesitated and said to get out of the situation,
"I'll think about it."
His birthday was still a few months away.
"If you don't want to take a bath together, let's at least enjoy a day just for the two of us, My Queen. With no one else."
I nodded and asked,
"Why are you so obsessed with taking a bath together?"
In truth, he wasn't so insistent on it as to consider it an obsession. Still, I couldn't believe he wanted this out of so many possible gifts.
Didn't he also say he wanted to take a bath with me while pretending to be scared during the ghost commotion? I was naturally puzzled.
Heinley calmly replied.
"I'd also like to see My Queen soaking wet."
As I was about to say, 'That's the only reason?' A scene came to mind.
The scene where Heinley changed from bird to his human form at the fountain. He certainly looked very handsome soaking wet under the moonlight, tossing his hair back.
"Hmm… you looked very handsome soaking wet Heinley."
When I quietly admitted it, Heinley smiled with his eyes as if to say, 'You finally recognize it?'
I immediately frowned and looked away. The rain had just stopped, so I stepped out of the umbrella and walked forward with quick steps.
279Evely nervously went to Sovieshu.
After Sovieshu put her as an assistant to a court mage, he assigned her a maid.
If she needed anything, she could tell the maid. Besides, he sent her additional money every two weeks.
The maid sent by Rashta was a nuisance, but that aside she felt at ease.
Although Sovieshu had been very considerate in many ways, he did not call her to talk alone, and Evely spent her days oblivious to Sovieshu's existence.
That's why Evely couldn't understand why he had suddenly called her.
Did Sovieshu find out that I lied in front of Rashta, pretending to be favored by him?
If so, it would be a little embarrassing. Evely was nervous, hoping that wasn't the case.
Fortunately, he did not call her on the matter that concerned her.
"Navier cared a lot about you, right? If you agree, can you give Navier a gift from me?"
Evely's eyes widened and she asked,
"A gift?"
"Yes. But don't say it's a gift from me. Make it as a gift from you."
"Alright, but…"
"I'll have you join the next delegation I send to the Western Empire, is that alright with you?"
"Yes. It's fine as long as I can see Navier."
'But why on my behalf? Can't he just send it? Is it really necessary to go to all that trouble to give a gift?'
Evely realized the reason as she stared at Sovieshu. Their relationship had become awkward after the divorce.
"It would be too obvious to go suddenly, so it's best to go to Emperor Heinley's birthday party."
"Yes."
"I'll call you back by then."
"I understand, Your Majesty."
As soon as she got answers to her previous questions, new ones arose.
Evely became very curious.
'Didn't Emperor Sovieshu divorce Navier because he loved Rashta? Then why did he care about Navier? Did he feel guilt?'
Evely initially thought that Emperor Sovieshu was in love with Rashta to the point of not leaving her side. However, upon hearing the various rumors since arriving at the imperial palace, Emperor Sovieshu did not seem to care much for this second empress. It was even rumored that the second empress was having an affair with a member of the Royal Family of Blue Bohean….
'Then why did he divorce?'
Evely, immersed in complicated thoughts, went out into the corridor in a daze.
Navier had already remarried, knowing the answer would not make her return nor would it make Sovieshu leave Rashta, who was pregnant…
Suddenly, she heard a whisper as she took a few more steps,
"What is such a despicable person doing here?"
Evely frowned and looked in the direction of the voice.
Viscount and Viscountess Isqua looked at her with disdain from the stairs.
Perhaps because Sovieshu's room was nearby, they didn't insult her as strongly as before, but they completely showed their displeasure with their expression.
Evely also put on a disgusted expression. She could still remember the harsh words they said to her. She hated meeting them face to face.
'A child is just like parents.'
Evely ignored them, turned around and walked in the opposite direction.
Meanwhile, commoner journalist Joanson's patience was wearing out with each passing day.
He had requested an audience, meeting with the emperors and informing them about his younger sister. He even got the answer that his sister's case would be investigated.
'But why have I still not received news from the imperial palace?'
It had been a long time since his sister disappeared.
Joanson felt anxious just imagining that something bad could have happened to his sister.
Finally, he changed strategy and decided to question the maid who worked with his sister, Arian.
She was an experienced maid and skilled in her work, often spoken of by his sister because she was always helping her in one way or another.
He was going to wait for her to leave the imperial palace.
It was difficult to know the schedule of the palace employees, so Joanson settled into an inn near the palace and waited there for the maid.
Eventually, the effort paid off.
That day, Joanson ate a simple egg dish, sitting by the window of his room on the second floor.
He used his fork to take his food, but did not take his eyes off the main door of the palace.
Suddenly, a small door opened next to the large main door, and he saw a woman come out of it.
Joanson stopped eating and ran over there.
It may not have been the maid named Arian. In fact, that was the case on six other occasions.
But as always, Joanson approached the maid and asked,
"Are you, by any chance, Arian?"
"Yes, that's right."
This time he was right. It was her.
At that moment, Joanson saw the maid in front of him as a glimmer of hope,
But just in case, he asked again,
"Are you the Empress's personal maid?"
Arian replied calmly.
"That's right."
Joanson suddenly burst into tears. He couldn't believe he finally had a way to find traces of his sister.
Just thinking about it put a lump in his throat, Joanson wailed and apologized,
"I'm sorry I came here out of the blue."
Arian narrowed her eyes, as if this seemed strange to her.
Before she left, Joanson rushed to introduce himself,
"I'm Delise's brother. You know who Delise is, right?"
For the first time there was a real change in Arian's expression.
"Are you Delise's brother? The journalist…"
Joanson nodded hastily.
"Yes, I am. I…"
Joanson was about to speak but took a step back and looked around with a growing fear that had arisen belatedly.
If his sister had really disappeared here, he had to be careful what he said.
There might be people around who wouldn't want him to find Delise.
"If you don't mind, can we talk somewhere else?"
But Arian shook her head and hurried away. She didn't even try to turn her head, as if Joanson was a plague. She also seemed to be frightened.
That attitude further aroused Joanson's suspicions.
Joanson followed Arian and called her,
"I want to know about my younger sister. My sister disappeared. Delise was grateful for how much you helped her. Since you worked with her, maybe you can tell me why my sister suddenly disappeared."
Joanson chased after her in tears.
"Please help me find my sister. No, you don't have to help me. Just tell me what you know!"
Arian, who was walking away quickly, stopped.
Did she change her mind because of my desperate attitude?
She turned her head and glanced at Joanson.
From her gaze, she seemed hesitant to speak or not.
"Please, I beg you!"
When Joanson pleaded again, Arian said hesitantly,
"It's hard for me to talk about it for fear of my life."
It was hard for her to talk about it for fear of her life. Was there a more terrifying sentence?
Joanson's fear grew even more. Arian's words sounded as if his sister had already died. As Joanson sobbed in despair, Arian's expression darkened.
She approached him and spoke very quietly so no one else could hear.
"People are not all they appear to be."
"What do you mean?"
"If you think carefully about my words, you will get the answer. Doubt the person you believe in the most. That's all I can say."
Joanson was stunned for a moment. Arian looked at him with mixed feelings, turned and disappeared with hurried steps.
Three days later.
When Arian came back to the palace after her brief vacation, she headed to the library to return the book she had rented before.
Writing her name on the return slip, she walked over to the bookshelves that stood alone, saying that she would put the book back in its place.
To her surprise, Sovieshu stood among the bookshelves with his hands clasped behind his back.
After politely greeting the Emperor, Arian muttered under her breath as she handed him the book,
"I did as you ordered, Your Majesty."
"Well done."
Sovieshu gave a short answer, took the book and placed it on the bookshelf in front of him.
Everything Arian had hesitantly told Joanson had been on Sovieshu's orders.
She was still afraid of Rashta and thought she was not to be trusted.
No one would be loyal to a person who gives severe punishment for a single mistake.
Arian was realistic, and cautious, so she knew it was better to be loyal to the Emperor with stable power, rather than to Rashta, who could attack her at any moment.
"As long as you do what I say."
Sovieshu spoke quietly.
"You'll be fine."
When Koshar woke up, he saw the same face he had seen just before he lost consciousness.
Grayish hair and eyes as black as a squirrel's.
Koshar sat up in bed, putting his hands on his throbbing head,
"How did I get here?"
Looking around, he realized it was a shabby room. There was a bed, a dresser, two chairs, and a table…
"Ah, you fainted. You were brought to this humble inn nearby."
Mastas muttered nervously at Koshar's question.
"Who brought me?"
"I did."
Mastas replied, staring back at Koshar. Then she quickly rose from the chair, bowed and shouted loudly,
"Forgive me, Sir Koshar! I didn't know Sir Koshar was weaker than I thought!"
"… Weaker?"
"I have learned not to bully the weak! Forgive me. I should have been more considerate."
At Mastas' sincere apology, Koshar opened his mouth in bewilderment. But Koshar in the end opted not to tell Mastas, 'It's my fault for letting my guard down.'
'On second thought, the lady-in-waiting wouldn't say anything bad to Navier now that she's hurt her brother. Yes. I'm glad it turned out that way.'
Although he hadn't planned it, Koshar smiled in relief.
Mastas had hurt the empress's brother, so she shrugged her shoulders in fear, but when she saw Koshar's smile, she was stunned for a moment.
His smile was like sunlight shining on water.
Mastas suddenly felt very thirsty, and hastened to drink water that was on the table.
It was hard to believe that the knight would lose consciousness from being barely hit by the shaft of her spear.
However, she was immediately convinced when she saw that subtle smile blossom.
'He must be weak because he's such a handsome man!'
At exactly the same moment, Koshar thought,
'Is she drinking all the water in that huge bottle at once?'
Koshar's eyes widened for a moment, but it seemed impolite, so he quickly turned his head away, pretending not to notice.
After drinking all the water, her thirst decreased, her eyes shone and her mood improved. Then, Mastas asked,
"By the way… there's a festive atmosphere in this place, right? I can hear music everywhere, did something happen?"
280When the ghost's commotion was over, I remembered something Kapmen had told me at the time, but I had put aside.
Duke Liberty turned a blind eye even though he knew of the ghost's commotion being caused by Marquis Ketron.
Mullaney's rival, William, was Duke Liberty's son.
Although he sent him up for adoption, William and Duke Liberty did not have a bad relationship. It was a decision he had made for the sake of his son's future.
So, William was also influenced by Duke Liberty's thoughts?
It was true that the Amares Family was almost neutral now, but it could change course if William became the successor. One more reason for Mullaney to become the successor.
However, it was a family matter in a way, neither Heinley nor I should intervene.
In the end, I called Mullaney after much reflection.
Originally, the secret agreement with Mullaney was to keep Christa away.
Now that she was completely away, there was no reason to be extremely careful.
Shortly after I called her, Mullaney appeared,
She looked exhausted, as if she had come running.
"You wanted to see me, Your Majesty."
"Were you busy?"
"No, I was nearby."
I asked an aide to bring the tea. After a while, the aide returned and I extended to Mullaney a cup of tea.
Once she calmed down, I confessed honestly,
"The task I gave you earlier was a scenario I deliberately set up so that you could show your abilities."
Mullaney stared at me with the teacup in her hand.
"I am sorry for what happened."
Why did she say that?
Mullaney didn't move as she held the teacup. Not even her eyelids. Her flushed cheeks grew redder. She looked embarrassed.
"Miss Mullaney, is something wrong?"
When I asked curiously, she blinked several times, lowered the teacup and set it on her lap.
Eventually, she hesitantly confessed,
"The previous report. Actually it was me who copied it, Your Majesty."
This was unexpected.
It was never known which of the two had copied the report, but naturally I did not believe it was Mullaney.
I felt that her personality was similar to Nian's, with such strong pride that she would not copy anyone even if she was in an unfavorable position.
"Why did you do that? I didn't think you were that kind of person."
When I said disappointed, Mullaney hesitated to explain,
"I did it because I was angry."
"You were angry?"
"My father found out I was competing with William on the same task."
"Was that a problem?"
"That alone wasn't a problem."
Mullaney snorted with an angry face. However, she also looked hurt.
"The problem was that my father helped him. He wanted William to defeat me."
Oh.
"I was so angry that I copied William's research. Although I originally wanted to base my research on other issues."
Mullaney's words were surprising. But more than Mullaney copying William's report, I was more surprised by something else.
"That's strange."
"I'm sorry. I let you down."
"That's not it."
It is understandable that a young inexperienced person would unintentionally write an erroneous report. Therefore, she did not expect a perfect report from them.
However, if Marquis Amares was involved in the report, it was a different matter.
He was a man with a lot of experience and business ability. He should be better than me in this field.
But did he overlook such obvious mistakes to me? It didn't make sense.
Clearly Marquis Amares had explained with another intention to William.
"Your Majesty?"
While I remained silent, Mullaney twiddled her fingers anxiously.
I concluded after telling her what I thought,
"There are two possibilities. Unlike what was known, your father was a supporter of Christa, or else in the hope that you would do better than William, he deliberately gave him false information."
Either way, he was definitely different from the current image.
Mullaney thought about it for a moment, then smiled ruefully,
"Surely it's the former. My father wouldn't give William false information for me."
"Paying attention from now on is the only way to know which one it is."
"…"
"In any case, what I can do for you is to set up another stage where you can demonstrate your talents. It's up to you, Miss Mullaney, to push your opponent and shine. You have to do it yourself."
"Yes…"
"I understand that made you angry. But I hope you don't mess it up next time by being too focused on William."
After giving her another chance, Mullaney asked in a low voice,
"Aren't you disappointed in me?"
"Of course, I'm disappointed."
How could I not be disappointed? It would have been better if she had acted more rationally.
"But that doesn't break our alliance."
Duke Liberty was hostile to Heinley, and his son was not to be trusted. Naturally, I could only give Mullaney another chance.
"… Thank you. I wasn't much help to you, so I thought you wouldn't bother to continue with the alliance."
"It is not right to hold a person's hand when you need it and release it when it is no longer useful."
Heinley was very happy to hear the news of Koshar's victory and the retreat of the thousand eternal bandits.
The report also noted that Koshar had become quite the hero to the locals, and a series of village festivities were being held in his honor.
After reading the report, Heinley asked McKenna with a smile,
"When Koshar returns, I'd like to make him the first golden knight. What do you think?"
The golden knight was a new position created by Heinley after he ascended to the throne.
It was a sort of honorary position that could be awarded to knights other than the Imperial Guard, although it could only be awarded to two people a year by selecting those 'deeply loyal'.
Heinley wanted to use this position to raise the loyalty and competitive spirit of talented individuals.
But he had not yet decided who should be the first golden knight. In many ways, Koshar seemed to fit the position perfectly.
McKenna agreed with a smile,
"No one will be able to refute it."
"Would it be too blatant to also place Viscount Langdel as a golden knight?"
"Yes. Most people won't be in favor."
"You think so?"
"I think so."
Heinley felt sorry for that, but gave up quickly.
Instead, he went to the empress's room as soon as he finished his duties to give her this good news.