Chapter 5

Imperial aides’ office. Diana, sitting in the center, pressed her forehead against the desk, her face utterly exhausted.

“It never ends. It really never ends….”

Her work as an aide, and now the newly acquired role as leader. Diana was overwhelmed day and night. During the day, she handled her duties as an aide, and at night, she was busy investigating identities.

For now, she had taken measures to keep things quiet, but she had no idea how long that would last. She needed to quickly find a way to disband the group while she had bought some time. So, she began with the most basic step: investigating their backgrounds.

But this was no ordinary task—she was investigating the backgrounds of the entire anti-Emperor faction. Diana had to do this alone, and in secret. It was many times harder than her usual duties. Doing both jobs by herself, Diana let out a deep sigh.

“Is something wrong?”

At that moment, the new aide, Neil, approached her. Diana slowly lifted her face from the desk and asked,

“Do I really look that exhausted?”

“Of course. Just by your complexion, you look like you haven’t slept for a week. Have you had that much work lately?”

“Well, yeah… I haven’t been sleeping much.”

Was her face really that bad? Diana rubbed her eyes with her fingers and checked her reflection in the mirror.

“…You’re right. I really need to rest today.”

At this rate, she would die of overwork before being charged with treason. Diana pushed the documents to the side of the desk. Neil eagerly agreed.

“Yes, you should really go home and get some rest today. If you collapse, it’ll be chaos.”

“Chaos? It’s not like the Imperial Palace’s operations will collapse just because I’m gone. And I’m training you hard for times like that, aren’t I? Bring the work materials I gave you today. Let me check them.”

Even while resting, Diana checked her subordinate’s work. Neil handed over the documents, still looking worried.

“How could you say something so impossible, that you might not be here?”

“Why not? When I retire, you’ll inherit my position.”

“What? Retire?”

Neil’s eyes widened at her words.

“Why, why? Are you really planning to quit?”

“Not right now, but I have plans.”

“Why? Haven’t you and His Majesty been close since childhood?”

“Just because you’re close doesn’t mean you work together forever. Besides, no matter how friendly, he’s the Emperor. You can’t just do whatever you want.”

Honestly, if Evan weren’t royalty, she would have smacked him a few times already. She wasn’t even sure Evan considered them friends.

“I told you, our mothers were close. The bond from childhood playmates lasted until now. Anyway, enough talk—go fix the typos I marked.”

“But, but…! Does His Majesty know about your retirement plans?”

“No. I haven’t told him yet. I will, when it’s time. I’ll do a proper handover and teach our new aide well.”

Despite Diana’s words, Neil still looked downcast.

“It’s too soon. Do you have any plans for after retirement?”

“Whatever it is, I’m going to leave this dreadful palace and live quietly somewhere no one bothers me.”

“Um, but, My Lady…”

“Hmm?”

“My sister read in a book that main characters who say things like that never get to leave—they always end up stuck in the palace… Ow!”

Diana quickly flicked Neil’s forehead.

“Stop with the nonsense and go fix what I said.”

“…Yes. But you’re not quitting right away, right? Honestly, I’m still scared to face His Majesty alone.”

“Is that so? For me, I’m more angry than scared now. He never listens and never does what he’s supposed to.”

“……! Is it okay to say that?”

“Why not? His Majesty isn’t here. It’s not like I’m wrong. Sometimes I get so frustrated, and honestly, venting like this is good for my mental health.”

“Um, but… is that really okay?”

“Oh, why? Do you have complaints about His Majesty too?”

Diana leaned forward with interest. Neil quickly looked away.

“No, no. Nothing like that.”

“Why not? It’s just the two of us. Tell me, what is it?”

“…….”

“It’s a superior’s job to counsel subordinates about work. I won’t tell His Majesty, so don’t worry.”

At Diana’s gentle coaxing, Neil nervously darted his eyes and cautiously spoke.

“Well, it’s just… Honestly, I feel like His Majesty doesn’t care about me at all. I work hard next to you, but sometimes it feels like he’s meeting me for the first time. It’s just too much!”

At that moment, the office door suddenly swung open. Neil, startled, immediately bowed low to the floor.

“I-I’m sorry, Your Majesty! I swear I wasn’t trying to insult you…”

“Oh my, why? This looks fun.”

“Excuse me?”

Hearing a woman’s voice instead of Evan’s, Neil looked up. There stood Sophia, smiling.

“Were you badmouthing the Emperor?”

“No, it’s not that…”

“I’d love to join in. If we start, I could go all night.”

“What?”

As Neil floundered, Diana approached from behind.

“What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to talk to you. I happened to have business at the palace today, so I came to see you.”

“Oh, really? Good timing. It’s almost lunchtime.”

Checking the clock, Diana turned to Neil, who was still bowing.

“I’ll be back in a bit, so fix what I mentioned after lunch, alright?”

“Excuse me? Oh, yes, yes.”

“Oh, and by the way.”

Just as Diana was about to leave, she poked her head back through the door.

“Even if His Majesty seems indifferent, he remembers everything.”

“Huh?”

“He told me before that you, as the new aide, seem to be doing a good job.”

“Really?”

Neil’s face brightened at Diana’s words. Seeing this, Diana smiled and closed the door.

*   *   *

“You’re a good boss, looking after your subordinates. But did the Emperor really say that? Complimenting the new aide?”

“He seems indifferent, but he’s not. Neil submitted some documents before, and His Majesty said they were well written.”

“Well, that’s enough of a compliment.”

The two settled into seats in the Imperial Palace’s reception room. Soon, Sophia asked,

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

“Well, I need your help with something.”

“What is it?”

“I need help recommending suitable ladies to His Majesty as candidates for Empress.”

Diana spread out a long sheet of paper in front of Sophia. On it were the names and families of noble ladies from across the Empire.

“As you know, I’ve always been by His Majesty’s side since childhood, so I never really socialized. I have no connections with other noble ladies.”

“…….”

“That’s why I need your help.”

Unlike Diana, who worked as an aide in the palace, Sophia was already a leading figure in the social circles.

“Is there any lady you know who you’d recommend as Empress?”

As Diana spoke, Sophia scanned the list, then pointed to several names with her finger.

“Hmm, here, here, and this lady.”

“You picked faster than I thought. Is there something in common?”

“Yes. They’re all ladies I dislike.”

“…Rejected.”

Now that she thought about it, asking Sophia to pick Evan’s marriage candidates was a mistake. But she still needed Sophia’s information. Steeling herself, Diana spoke again.

“No, think about it. If His Majesty marries a lady you recommended, you’ll have to bow and call her ‘Your Majesty the Empress,’ even if you dislike her.”

“Now that I think about it, that’s not so great.”

“Right? You don’t like that, do you? So think carefully and tell me which lady you think would be a good match.”

At Diana’s words, Sophia stared at the list for a moment. Then her finger slowly moved, stopping at one lady’s name.