However, he told a good story for his lord’s love. Good enough to deserve a bonus, he thought. Still, he couldn’t hide the tremor in his voice.

“O-of course. His Majesty reached out his hand to me. He told me I survived and won, just like I saw it.”

“What nonsense. His Majesty…”

“Shut up.”

Louis covered Cart’s mouth before he could ruin everything. The truth was different. When Jade saw Louis covered in blood from fighting the wild boar, he laughed and said he looked like a tomato.

In fact, Louis had joined the Raven Knights partly because he wanted to get back at Jade. 

Though Jade had lent him a sword to fight the boar and given him advice throughout the battle, which led to his victory and eventually to becoming a knight…

Baron knew the whole situation but praised Jade without showing any sign of it.

“Many knights in the order joined because they admired His Majesty. Louis also applied to the knights because he was captivated by His Majesty’s magnificent appearance.”

“Y-yes, that’s right. Haha, how are things between you and His Majesty these days, my lady?”

“Well… He seems busy lately, so I haven’t been able to meet him much…”

Rosana fidgeted with the tablecloth for no reason.

“What? Really? I heard on the documents that he stamped…”

“Louis.”

At Baron’s firm words, Louis immediately stood at attention. Cart pressed down on his head with his hand, saying he knew Louis would make a slip of the tongue.

“Lady Rosana. You need not concern yourself with this fool’s words. The shift change is approaching, so we’ll take our leave now.”

Rosana nodded. Louis, being dragged away, waved his hand vigorously. Rosana took a sip of tea and glanced at Baron.

“Is something the matter?”

Baron asked, sensing Rosana’s gaze. After hearing stories about Jade’s past, she became curious about the circumstances of how Baron and Jade met.

Baron, reading Rosana’s thoughts, smiled.

“We fought tooth and nail.”

“…Pardon?”

“His Majesty and I are childhood friends.”

Rosana’s eyes widened.

“From what I’ve heard, His Majesty in his childhood…”

‘Was locked in a tower…’ She couldn’t readily speak the fact that was practically taboo. There were many other people around. When Rosana glanced at the servants, Baron said:

“That’s the story from after that time.”

Yuna drew a question mark above her head while Celine remained quietly silent. Well-versed in politics, she knew about Jade’s childhood and his relationship with Baron.

Having nowhere to turn in the royal castle, he received protection from Duke Helpe. Baron pictured the past. The boy he saw one day at a friend’s house. Crouched in a corner like a wounded beast, it took great effort to drag him outside with his friend.

The only thing that boy showed interest in was the sword, and power.

“It would be best to hear His Majesty’s story directly from him. I’m certain he will tell you. All I can say is that I’m grateful you’re here, Lady Rosana.”

“…Me?”

“Yes.”

Staying by Rosana’s side made it certain.

Jade’s interest and focus were directed solely toward Rosana. He normally didn’t consider others’ feelings even when breaking promises. Moreover, these were appointments he missed due to official business, not personal matters.

The distance between Jade’s palace and Rosana’s palace was considerable. Yet he came and went so frequently his feet might catch fire, so it was impossible not to notice even if one tried. The other knights felt the same way.

“I guarantee it. Currently, Lady Rosana is His Majesty’s top priority.”

His tone was full of conviction. Rosana nodded in bewilderment. However, no one around her voiced any denial. Yuna nodded proudly, and Celine didn’t deny it either, quietly maintaining her position.

Rosana fiddled with her hair, hiding her face as it flushed rose-colored.

“…Is that so?”

The slight knot in her heart melted away smoothly. She was glad.

* * *

“Ha. There’s needlessly too much work. I’m already dying from not having time to meet Rosana.”

“If you have time to grumble, I hope you’ll move your hands a bit faster. I don’t want to stop you either. But what can we do when work is progressing so urgently?”

Jade glared daggers at Malek. Malek’s contribution was significant in keeping Jade from going anywhere and unable to leave his office chair. However, Malek’s situation was understandable enough.

“On top of that, the noble council is approaching… Should I just skip it?”

Jade rubbed his temples.

News arrived of espionage from a small nation showing signs of causing trouble. Then, with the noble council approaching, even more documents began piling up.

Even when he wanted to escape the tiresome mountain of documents, whenever he finished one pile, another pile appeared, leaving no room to breathe.

Ironically, documents concerning Rosana occupied a considerable portion of them. Jade let out a long sigh while flipping through the papers.

Jade looked at the list organized in the documents Malek handed him.

“So this bastard is the root of all evil.”

The number one contributor to making Jade busy was the Ales Kingdom.

“They still haven’t let go of that pride… Or is their financial situation bad? They’re asking to reduce the tribute, saying it’s too much. They’re complaining about paying tolls. They hate everything. Do they mistake themselves for children who get their way by throwing tantrums?”

“Considering the volume of gems traded with Astrot, these aren’t conditions they can’t accept.”

“Do they still think they’re above us? Or are they acting cocky because they trust Astrot?”

“The Ales Kingdom and the Astrot Empire are inseparable. Until now, they’ve relied on that power and haven’t paid tolls. There’s a reason many people specifically get their merchant certificates issued in the Ales Kingdom. They must have been lining their pockets quite nicely behind the scenes.”

Malek was right. The problem was the power that merchant certificates gave. Merchants from the Ales Kingdom didn’t pay tolls in any country they visited. 

Because of this, some merchants even traveled directly to the Ales Kingdom. In return for issuing merchant certificates, the Ales Kingdom received substantial bribes.

Those bribes naturally flowed up to the very top of the power structure.

“Can’t they stand becoming equal to other countries? They’re trying to maintain superiority at least among the small nations. Do they see me as a pushover?”

“What shall we do?”

Jade pondered for a moment.

The Ales Kingdom…

They were the country that used to boast they’d become the second empire. How wounded must their lofty pride be? A sneer came naturally.

‘I can’t just sit and watch them throw tantrums because they can’t accept defeat.’

“I have no intention of accommodating them. Tell them to come in person if they have complaints. Oh, and of course, I have no intention of cooperating. Add that too. If they keep acting like this, let’s see the end of the fight we didn’t finish.”

“I’ll convey that.”

“What about the other kingdoms?”

“They’re cooperative.”

‘At least that’s fortunate.’ Still, there were many unending documents.

“No time to look at them.”

Malek silently listened to Jade’s grumbling. Even in his busy schedule, he had merely squeezed out time to meet Rosana.

“Then you should finish quickly and go see Lady Rosana. Don’t forget that you barely managed to make time to go out together.”

“…You’ve grown quite bold. You even know how to threaten.”

“Threatening? I’m afraid of what others might hear. I always work for the peace of the Diovaha Empire.”

‘The way he talks.’ Jade chuckled. Then he moved his hands faster.

“Your Majesty, there’s something else I must tell you.”

“What is it?”

“It’s about the Arcadi Ducal Family.”

At Malek’s words, Jade’s eyes turned fierce in an instant. Malek pulled out a report from his br*ast.

“The investigation is finally complete.”

“Yes. However, it may not contain the information you wanted to know.”

Malek handed him the results the spy had investigated.

“The Duchess is renowned as a chaste and elegant lady who raised her children splendidly despite the Duke’s passing. Moreover, many praise her for surrounding Lady Rosana with affection. Lady Amy Arcadi is also an object of admiration. She’s widely praised for being as kind as she is beautiful.”

“The complete opposite of her.”

His expression, clicking his tongue briefly, was far from pleasant. He was displeased with the contrasting public evaluations of Rosana and her family.

“They’re certainly too different. However, they say the Arcadi family cherishes Lady Rosana very much.”

“Nonsense. If they truly cherished and loved Rosana, why didn’t they notice the sense of alienation?”

Jade uttered coldly.

The presence of Rosana’s mother, subtly revealed, was strange. The report that found absolutely no fault even after investigation made him feel even more disgusted. 

It meant they managed their image that thoroughly, and within that disconnect, Rosana must have rotted away.

“The nobles are still negative about Rosana.”

Malek quietly nodded. Jade’s brow furrowed. Extravagant and brutal Rosana Arcadi. This was the infamy spread within the empire for ten years.

There had been some change within the imperial castle, but outside the castle, speculative rumors still circulated, most flowing in a negative direction. What about the nobles who shuddered at the mere mention of someone from the Astrot Empire?

Jade buried his face in his hands.

“Narrow-minded fools exist everywhere.”

‘I was once one of them too.’

“Malek. Hold a banquet.”

“…Do you mean Lady Rosana’s debut banquet?”

“Now that I think about it, I wonder how many people would truly celebrate the marriage. I don’t want a wedding with gossip from all sides.”

After thinking for a moment, Malek agreed. It wasn’t a bad idea. They simply hadn’t had the time to handle it, but a banquet introducing Rosana was necessary.

“It’s a good idea.”

“You have to experience things to know.”

The nobles don’t know Rosana. So they have no choice but to believe the rumors. But if they experience it, they’ll know. ‘Like me.’

‘That it’s different from what they think. It wouldn’t be bad to introduce her in advance.’

“It would be nice if she made some friends too.”

Jane’s reports and Baron’s subtle mentions that her daily routine consisted entirely of having tea time alone in the imperial castle or taking walks had been bothering him.

He also didn’t like seeing Rosana’s name prominently written in petitions.

“We humbly petition Your Great Majesty. The citizens are anxious about the news of Lady Rosana Arcadi,” starting like that and ending with complaints—he’d clenched documents like these in his hand more than once or twice.

“Send invitations to the nobles. Let’s see how these people react.”

Considering the vassals’ temperaments, many would ignore it. There were few who enjoyed banquets originally, and there would be those who didn’t feel the need to meet a person named “Rosana Arcadi.”

He had no desire whatsoever to make nobles who viewed Rosana unfavorably attend, but that would defeat the purpose. He needed to show the central nobles who Rosana was.

Then a good idea flashed through his mind.

* * *

Rosana moved diligently from the morning. It was her first time going outside the imperial castle. She sat obediently, receiving the maids’ attention.

“You’re happy, aren’t you, Lady Rosana? It’s the day you meet His Majesty after so long.”

“Indeed.”

Though close to expressionless, she was noticeably excited. The maids moved their hands busily. Thinking it was her first outing with Jade, they put extra effort into her hair and clothes.

However, nothing satisfied Yuna’s eyes. The dress she’d chosen for this day was rejected. For being too flashy. Even Celine, who usually acquiesced to Rosana’s orders, suggested wearing a special dress since it was a special day, but was cut down flatly.

Rather, her argument was that overly elaborate attire wasn’t good for going to the shopping district.

Yuna grumbled internally. 

‘I don’t understand what’s so excessive about it.’ 

She’d tried to persuade her several times, but her stubbornness was no joke.

Rosana wanted to hide her status and sightsee quietly. It was a matter already discussed with Jade. So a flashy dress wouldn’t do.

Unlike Yuna, who swallowed her sigh internally, Rosana felt anticipation. Her memories of comfortably walking the streets were hazy.

She was always under scrutiny. Whenever Rosana appeared, the surroundings became noisy.