Chapter 277

Jeilliris pulled a letter from a drawer and handed it to me.

“A few days ago, a knight from the eastern region came flying in on a wyvern and presented it to me.”

I carefully unfolded the letter.

[… At this point, we need a powerful fire magician, a royal blood prince of the Empire who will acknowledge our sovereignty, and an outstanding strategist …]

The letter, starting with “To the Sun of the Empire,” had a lot of flowery language but ultimately aimed at me alone.

“The fire magician, the royal blood prince, and the strategist. It seems she has taken quite a liking to you.”

Jeilliris murmured softly.

Her voice was oddly calm, and the backlight obscured her expression.

I chose my words carefully, feeling somewhat tense.

“While Your Majesty confidently entered the magical realms to receive the treatment deserved from the forces of evil, she maintained order by deploying troops as the great lord of the Empire and helped capture the infiltrators. There were many situations where my overstepping as regent had to coordinate with her …”

Jeilliris chuckled softly.

“Enough. I can guess. The greedy white shark must have pounced on you the moment I disappeared, and you, needing troops to maintain order, must have displayed noble self-sacrifice.”

I wanted to agree and say that she was right.

But the words wouldn’t come out.

Countless emotions raced through my mind.

I was afraid Jeilliris would dislike the fact that I had feelings for Cariosa, doubted whether I truly held those feelings for her, and feared that Jeilliris would notice my self-doubt and look down on me for it.

Once again, I was overthinking, with a conscience left in a gray area.

If there was one thing I was sure of, it was that the true reason behind it, whether it was admiration or lust, was certainly not noble self-sacrifice.

“Noble self-sacrifice… was not the case.”

I couldn’t decide how to speak and merely gauged Jeilliris’s reaction.

Jeilliris lightly touched her temple.

“I expected as much.”

“Excuse me?”

“The Duchess Cariosa must have penetrated deeply into your heart with her bold demeanor. You have always been honest about your desires, so the heat of envy, admiration, lust, and blood must have mixed together, leading you to lose your mind.”

“….”

“I will commend you for not apologizing. As long as you keep things to yourself, anything is fine. Anyway, it’s good for you to go to the east. No, you must go. Not only do we deal with the pirates’ resistance, but we also need to keep an eye on the kings of the Eastern Continent beyond that. It would be best to combine this with an inspection of the Asenorta family.”

I nodded with a stiff expression.

Cariosa was a powerful great lord who had fought a two-front war against Jeilliris and the Eastern Continent before my return.

However, the pirates currently on the Three Isles are likely different from the common pirates she had faced.

When Jeilliris had disappeared into the magical realms, the people of the Eastern Continent had begun their migration to the Three Isles.

They must have completely seized land through fortresses and colonies, planning to use it as a foothold to push into the Empire.

In other words, the pirates there were essentially regular naval forces with privateering licenses, and many even had families on the islands.

Their resistance would surely be much stronger.

Just now, Jeilliris’s order meant that we needed to seize that island.

Naturally, we would have to chase away or kill everyone currently on the island, including the pirates.

This way, Cariosa could prevent the kings of the Eastern Continent from setting their sights on us, while we could steadily crush the southern Amir Dukedom and the Infiltrators’ Sect in the meantime.

“I understand, Your Majesty.”

I bowed respectfully, and Jeilliris seemed to see right through my shallow thoughts and smiled.

Her smile had the comfortable ease of an absolute powerhouse.

“Valencius.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I trust you quite a bit. I know you will return. You could never leave my side. I won’t allow it.”

Every word pierced my heart and tightened it.

Her golden eyes shone coldly.

Before my return, Jeilliris despised traitors like a tyrant and showed unexpected kindness.

She had often captured traitors, left them half-dead, and then healed them with blood magic, giving them another chance to serve her.

“Whether personal soldiers, passionate love, friendship, or diplomacy. Don’t think too much about how I might perceive it; just do what you want.”

“I am deeply grateful, Your Majesty.”

“If I do not desire something, I will say so directly. And when that happens, I believe you will listen to me. Also, if for any reason you do not heed my words, I have no doubt I will be able to make you listen.”

It was an outrageously arrogant statement that almost made me laugh, but I knew all too well that my twin was capable of such things.

I laughed cheerfully and bowed my head.

Various thoughts flitted through my now-clear mind.

“Yes, Your Majesty! I will completely crush the pirates on the eastern isles! Also—”

“Also?”

“If I come across a competent privateer captain, I will try to win them over. While I trust Duchess Cariosa, it wouldn’t hurt to bolster the Imperial navy, would it?”

Both merfolk and elves could traverse waterway, so having a powerful navy would help when addressing the heterogeneous races issue that I had tried to forget.

If there was a useful captain, we could recruit them without Cariosa noticing.

Perhaps I had lost track of those thoughts, as Jeilliris chuckled lightly.

“Now that sounds like you.”

* * *

I called Lady Trentia, Sererassie, Marcus, and Rudi to the palace.

“Looks like it’s come to this. I’ll be heading east for a while.”

Marcus nodded.

“I also thought that it would be better for a duke to be outside the city. Here, I could be a thorn in Your Majesty’s side, but outside, I can serve as a proxy.”

Lady Trentia frowned.

“Duke Marcus. Please be cautious with your words. You two do not share that kind of relationship.”

Marcus calmly shook his head.

“My lady, regardless of temperament, if you put two cogs of similar function together, a problem will arise.”

“How dare you compare the two of you to cogs…!”

“My lady, please calm down. Duke Marcus, do have some tea. It smells delightful.”

I intervened with Lady Trentia and filled Marcus’s teacup to the brim with steaming tea.

“….”

Fortunately, Marcus understood the subtle meaning behind the silent command to shut up.

“My lady Trentia.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Lady Trentia looked at me with a confident smile.

She seemed to send a victorious smile towards Marcus.

“You will accompany me to the east.”

“I will do my utmost to protect you from the fangs of the white shark and the filthy hands of the pirates.”

I allowed this reliable knight to assert themselves over a former traitor for the time being and then turned my gaze toward Sererassie.

She had a strangely haggard appearance, likely having not eaten or slept for a week.

“That’s not true.”

She shook her head and laughed at me.

“Huh?”

“You’ve had a good three hours of sleep and even managed to eat two pieces of bread. The disciples are being allowed to rest in shifts, too.”

Marcus looked surprised.

“Shifts? The world has truly changed.”

“Exactly! The kids collapsed one after another; what could I do?”

“……”

This was clearly excessive labor that violated imperial law, but I decided to turn a blind eye.

Because all the magic tools they created or studied were through my requests.

“Sister and Marcus, I’ll count on you to manage the workshop until I return. Don’t spare any expense; just research those dimensional magic tools quickly.”

Sererassie rolled her eyes lightly.

“Even without you saying that, I would have done so.”

I raised both hands theatrically.

“Okay! I misspoke. Please take care of yourselves while you research.”

“Anyone who falls asleep looking at that circuit diagram is completely unqualified to be a magician!”

“Duke Marcus. This is an order. Make sure Sererassie gets some sleep at least once every three days.”

“Three days? Is that not too short? Let’s make it once every five days.”

…I was in the wrong for trying to understand these crazy magicians.

Once I had that thought, I turned to Rudi.

Her green eyes sparkled.

“Rudi. You have something to take care of too.”

As those words left my mouth, the sparkle in her eyes faded, akin to a shattered crystal.

“Oh, so I’m staying in the capital?”

I fought through my guilty feelings and explained the mission.

“Yes. It’s a very important task. Count Ludie Consecratius.”

The moment I said the title, Rudi lifted her head again.

“Is it related to the nobles?”

I nodded.

“The Infiltrator Archbishop must be aware that we are pursuing their sect. It would be nice if they could hide deeper, but they are not the type to do so. They will dream of counterattacking and will try to worm their way into the capital by any means necessary.”

Rudi’s eyes brightened once more.

“We need to root them out. From the slums to the ballroom.”

Her voice became as frigid as a Bandit Duke’s dueling maidservant.

“The lower regions are fine. I didn’t waste my resources on the scripted governments and Konel. They will handle the slums, the red-light district, and the Street of Learning. But the nobles and bourgeoisie will be a problem. As they are the charm of business, those dubious magic tools with unknown origins and principles are tiresome.”

I spoke with conviction.

The only person who could do this right now was Rudi.

“You’ll be the master of the palace while I’m away. Attend balls, hold dinner parties, and keep an eye on and pressure the nobles and bourgeoisie. Along the way, build connections. You need to meet people befitting a count.”

“That makes sense.”

“Based on the atmosphere, pretend I have an interest in those dubious magic tools or books. Win their favor or openly pressure them. Of course, the most important thing is to stay safe.”

Rudi asked nervously.

“Will I be able to manage?”

I replied cheerfully with a smile.

“You better. I’ll help you.”

It seemed my answer was slightly unexpected, as Rudi’s gaze wavered.

Trying not to smile at her reaction, I politely extended my hand.

“Countess Rudi. Shall we first go get you fitted for some clothes?”

* * *

‘Maid sharpshooter’ ‘duelist’ Count Ludie Consecratius was considered the closest aide to the ‘Bandit’ Duke Valencius, but her standing was surprisingly low in noble society.

This was not due to jealousy over her sudden rise as a maid, but rather her own attitude.

Although she had received a title, she had never attended any balls or dinner parties and lived in an estate next to the summer residence while leaving her mansion vacant, rejecting all meeting requests and bribes.

“To be honest, receiving a title doesn’t change anything. I already have plenty of rest time, but during that time, I’m training.”

This attitude stemmed more from her schedule than her character, so if the schedule changed, her attitude would also change.

“Welcome! This is the Best Wystis Costume Shop~ Could you please tell me your name and family, as well as your title?”

Best Wystis was renowned for dealing in jewels, lace, and elegant dresses, considered one of the top costume shops in the capital and a tourist attraction that high nobles visited after the Ivory Tower.

The young employee greeted the two guests with a voice full of pride, having witnessed various noble patrons.

The employee had seen all kinds of revered individuals and had grown accustomed to the inhuman beauty of mixed-blood nobility.

“Valencius Solletarass. Duke. And beside me is Lady Ludie Consecratius. Countess.”

‘Insane.’

And she realized the difference in bloodlines between nobles and royalty.

The infamous Bandit Valencius stood before her eyes.

The glorious white uniform was filled with a taut body, and his broad shoulders and chiselled jaw forced admiration with an oppressive demeanor, while his deep-set eyes and haggard cheeks radiated a unique beauty with a flickering gaze like a candle.

“I came to get her dress fitted. Can we try on different options? We will buy whatever she likes.”

The employee nodded as if entranced and then turned to Rudi.

“Indeed, you are a countess.”

Once upon a time, there had been whispers about a maid hitting the jackpot and achieving prominence, shared like a snack.

However, even holding a plain maid uniform, it was clear that Rudi was not an ordinary maid.

Her large green eyes behind wire-framed glasses were more beautiful than the finest emerald, her skin smoother than pottery baked with bone ash, and the gentle smile she wore was imbued with an unfollowable dignity.

“I want to wear something comfortable for now. The duke said I should get about thirty outfits tailored according to the season, occasion, and mood.”

Upon hearing the quantity, the employee summoned the manager, designers, and models, and soon a fashion show for one was underway.

At the same time, what was merely a rumor about the sharpshooting maid’s debut in high society became a matter of fact.

“Did you hear that?”

“A few days ago, Duke Valencius ….”

“Then that maid named Rudi is …”

A new star began to rise in the capital’s social world.