Chapter 45

“Your Majesty, the divorce rate among nobles has already surged by 40%.”

“The marriages between nobles are promises between families. How can they separate so easily over personal feelings? Tsk tsk.”

“Your Majesty, most of the noble families who divorced made that decision right after receiving counseling at the ‘Imperial Grievance Counseling Office.’”

“What! Isn’t there something wrong with that place? Are you saying they’re encouraging divorce there?”

The Emperor furrowed his brow, looking troubled as voices of discontent erupted from all sides.

When it was revealed that the person in charge of that counseling office was ‘Shaterian Melis,’ murmurs of “Is it her again?” began spreading.

“Is that all? Do you all know that cohabitation before marriage is spreading like a trend among unmarried men and women in the Empire?”

“My goodness! How can they commit such shameless acts!”

“Whose fault do you think that is? Nobles, who should be setting an example! And to think that a young lady, who should always conduct herself with utmost propriety, is frequenting the Duke’s residence, leading to such rumors…”

“Silence!”

The Emperor’s shout echoed through the meeting room. The nobles, who had been chattering noisily, immediately fell silent under the Emperor’s commanding presence.

“How is this solely the fault of Lady Shaterian? It takes two hands to clap! No wonder people call you old-fashioned. Get out! I don’t even want to see your face. From the next meeting onward, don’t bother attending!”

The order to leave was issued. The minister who received the command was dragged out by a knight without even daring to respond.

“Judge, what are the grounds for these divorces?”

The Emperor pressed his temples as he asked. Marquis Lehiicht, who served as the Imperial Judge, reported.

“Adultery, neglect of family, verbal abuse, physical violence, family discord, disappearance of a spouse, conflicts with direct relatives, and other miscellaneous reasons.”

Bang!

The Emperor slammed the armrest of his chair.

“Do you believe these are not valid reasons for divorce? Are you implying that the Imperial Court and the Temple made incorrect rulings?”

“N-no, Your Majesty…”

The ministers, who had been so vocal moments ago, now shrank back, trembling under the Emperor’s fierce rebuke.

“Ahem, Your Majesty. Putting other issues aside, I believe it is inappropriate, given the Empire’s customs, for Lady Shaterian Melis to visit Duke Astrea’s residence daily before marriage.”

Although everyone in the Empire knew about their relationship, living as if she practically resided there was another matter.

The Emperor, who had vaguely sensed the issue, couldn’t refute it. In the end, he nodded in agreement.

“I will resolve it.”

There was no reason to delay any further. At this point, a swift union between the two families was necessary.

***

The Ministry of Welfare was established, and the first round of subsidies was distributed to the commoners. While the results weren’t immediately noticeable, the small amounts of money provided some relief to the common people.

Some no longer had to go hungry, others avoided being evicted for unpaid rent, and some were spared from being caught and punished for stealing. For some, it even saved them from being beaten to death.

What seemed like mere pocket change to some became life-saving funds for others.

The largest portion of the Ministry of Welfare’s budget was naturally allocated to orphanages.

As soon as Sevji Luce took office as the head of the Ministry of Welfare, she purchased a large plot of land with old but spacious buildings to establish welfare institutions.

She carefully selected staff, and while there was still much work to be done, she found herself with barely enough time to sleep.

Despite this, Sevji was more energized than ever. She was deeply grateful to Shaterian for creating this opportunity.

Now, under the scorching summer sun, children ran across the fields, seemingly oblivious to the heat.

In one corner, under the shade of a tree, Shaterian sat lazily.

Sevji placed a cup of water, its surface dewy with condensation, and some cookies before her, asking, 

“I heard you’ve been busy lately. Thank you for taking the time to come.”

“I just came out to relax.” 

Shaterian replied nonchalantly.

She sipped the light brown water, her eyes fixed on the children.

“Lady, thank you. Thanks to you, those children now have a warm home.”

“It’s more thanks to you, the head of the Ministry of Welfare, for not giving up on them. Now, go ahead and raise the kids lavishly with the empire’s money.”

“Haha, anyone overhearing might think I’m embezzling.”

“If it’s for places like this, I’d gladly turn a blind eye to embezzlement.”

She added softly that money wasted elsewhere would be welcomed with open arms if it ended up here.

Sevji couldn’t take her eyes off Lady Shaterian for a long time.

It was indeed Lady Shaterian who had proposed the creation of the Ministry of Welfare. But once it was established, her name disappeared entirely, leaving only the Melis Ducal Family, which had made enormous donations, and Duke Astrea, who had recommended Sevji as the head, to receive all the credit among the commoners.

Lady Shaterian neither complained of injustice nor expressed dissatisfaction. It was as if she had deliberately erased her name.

“Sir Knight!”

A sturdy ball, made of animal hide with fur stuffed inside, rolled smoothly across the ground.

Eched kicked the ball toward the child who had called him.

The ball flew far, soaring well beyond the child. Feathers spilled out of the overworked ball, floating in the air.

Everyone stared blankly at the ball as it disappeared into the distance.

‘I knew this would happen.’

It was already the third time today. Taltos, who had been playing along, sighed and quickly ran off to retrieve the ball.

“Is he a fool who only knows how to wield a sword…?”

She clicked her tongue in exasperation. Behind her muttering, the children’s complaints could be heard.

In the end, Eched trudged back to the table, looking as if he’d been banished.

Despite having run around under the blazing sun, his face remained spotless, not a single bead of sweat visible. 

What kind of body did he have…?

He leisurely drank the water that had been poured for him. A drop of water trickled down from his lips to his throat.

“Commander, are you not very good at using your body…?”

“…”

“Gasp…!”

It was meant to be a teasing remark, but Sevji was the one who ended up startled.

‘Is this… one of those nighttime jokes shared between close friends…?’

Though she was already a mother of two, Sevji, who lacked close friends, blushed and glanced around nervously.

But was this really something you said in front of the person involved?

‘Why is her face suddenly red?’

Shaterian looked at Sevji in confusion and added, 

“I meant that he doesn’t know any sports other than swordsmanship.”

“Oh…”

‘I thought…’

Sevji recalled the rumors she had recently heard while visiting the Imperial Palace and averted her gaze.

Taltos, who had returned after handing the ball back to the children, wiped the sweat from his drenched forehead. His neck and Adam’s apple, thick and prominent, stood out as he guzzled water.

Sir Taltos was a man of great stature in every sense—his height, build, and voice. And not just outwardly, but also in his inner qualities, such as his boldness.

Shaterian subtly shifted her seat, as if to avoid even a drop of his sweat.

“Ahh!”

After drinking the water as if it were liquor, Taltos clicked his tongue as if unsatisfied. He reached for a cookie to appease his disappointment and bit into it noisily.

“So, when is your wedding?”

Shaterian looked utterly bewildered at the assumption that the two of them would, of course, get married.

“Where did that come from?”

“Rumors are already widespread in the Imperial Palace. They say you two will be getting married soon. Haha!”

It wasn’t the time to laugh heartily. Sevji wished that clueless knight would learn to read the room.

Eched quietly calmed the fuming Shaterian. Taltos, with a sheepish laugh, quickly stepped aside.

The rumors about Lady Shaterian were exaggerated but not baseless.

Lady Shaterian wasn’t a complete mess, but her personality couldn’t exactly be called pleasant. And while the relationship between the Duke and her wasn’t bad, it couldn’t be described as particularly good either.

As for the rumors about the Duke and Lady Shaterian being in love… Well…

It was more of a one-sided crush. Or perhaps a one-sided courtship.

“At a noble’s wedding in the empire, there’ll surely be plenty of fine wine, right?”

“I said we’re not getting married! And even if we do, you’re definitely not invited!”

“What! How could you say something so cold! Have you already forgotten the bond we shared at the auction house?”

His sly grin was infuriating.

Shaterian, provoked, began stomping around in frustration.

The game of tag between grown adults soon drew the children in. Despite her initial reluctance, Shaterian found herself running under the scorching sun, her laughter mingling with the children’s.

***

The weekday routine returned, like a spinning wheel.

No sooner had she arrived at work than she was summoned to the Emperor’s office, which was eerily quiet.

The Emperor, busy processing documents after summoning her, nonchalantly dropped a bombshell after a long silence.

“It would be best to hold the wedding as soon as possible. It’s a bit rushed, but how about during the Festival of Water?”