Chapter 39 (1/2)

Chapter 39

The Emperor’s sudden appearance in the middle of this town made me very embarrassed. As far as I knew, he didn’t like to walk around the palace without a carriage, and he didn’t stop by this pub selling ordinary people’s food for just anything.

His overseas trip was very clearly over by now. After all his work though, I was sure that he had used up much of his energy and was supposed to just go straight back and rest. This place wasn’t somewhere where a lot of people went to relax.

When I rolled my eyes and checked the surroundings, security guards were already posted at the main entrance. At first, the pub looked very sophisticated with its natural flowers arranged in a wooden building designed for good sunlight. But when the emperor and knights pushed in at once, the pub looked very shabby in comparison.

While I was thinking about it, the emperor kept me in his arms and stayed still. He was silent for a long time, purposefully keeping his acknowledgment from Serek. Because of this, Serek had to continue to crouch down with one knee pressed to the ground and pay his respects to the emperor.

I carefully spoke. “Your Majesty.”

“What is it?”

“You didn’t have to come here yourself.”

“If I hadn’t come here myself, I wouldn’t be able to join this fun story. Don’t you think so?”

Serek’s face, which was still faced downward because of the Emperor’s gesture, was pale. I guess he still remembered what we were talking about.

“It’s an honor to meet you again, Your Majesty.”

“Oh, now you’re calling me Your Majesty? I don’t mind you calling me a rich bastard like you did earlier. I actually do have a lot of money.”

He seemed to be trying to keep a relaxed smile somehow, but his face turned blue. Then he barely took a deep breath and came back with a smiling face. “I was talking about someone else, but I think you’ve misheard, Your Majesty. How could I have said that about you, Your Majesty?”

“Aha, I see. Yes, because I suddenly stepped in on your conversation.”

“Yes, I have not received the official delegation. I think I shouldn’t have called Celestia just yet.” He kept staring at the emperor’s forearm, which was tightly wrapped around my shoulder, and now he started talking nonsense. He spoke in a way that, taken at face value, would have been polite, but in this situation implied that there was something going on between us.

We didn’t even have a formal military relationship, but it was easy to make people misunderstand.

How was I supposed to kill the spread of those kinds of rumors?

But before I got angry, the emperor beat me to it. “That’s enough.”

There was a strict line-drawing nuance on the word, and it seemed quite unpleasant.

I was a little grateful that I couldn’t see the Emperor’s face. I could now easily guess that he had a cold smile on his face. I didn’t really want to see the lion-like face picking at its prey to see how to kill it.

Serek opened his eyes wide as if he didn’t know how to react.

“It’s good for the empress dowager to have fun, but tell her to roll her toys gently.”

“…What?”

“Why do I bother talking with fools…?”

“…Are you saying that about me?” Serek’s angered expression came face to face with the emperor’s smirk.

“What? You have bad ears, too? There must be a misunderstanding, just as I thought the word ‘rich bastard’ was about me.”

“Your Majesty…”

When I saw Serek grit his teeth together, I couldn’t help but laugh. He seemed so foolish now, to even think of coming up with excuses in front of the emperor who must have been dealing with politicians all his life.

The emperor turned and loosened his grip on my shoulder. He seemed well, and I could see no signs of injury on his arms, as he was wearing a particularly long-sleeved dress today. However, I realized belatedly that he still seemed to be burning up, judging from the chill that rushed in when he dropped his arm from my shoulder.

In my haste, I glanced at Serek and followed the emperor outside.

10. Secretary of the Emperor

Perhaps it was not enough for the owner of the pub to bow repeatedly in farewell, but he eventually saw the emperor and me off from the establishment. As the guards followed me, Vinius headed towards my carriage, and I climbed into the carriage with the emperor.

I’d always felt burdened to be alone in the same space as him, but in a way, it might be a privilege. When I walked up to the wagon between the security guards and looked back, I felt a little better when I saw Serek looking our way.

As I sat on the silk chair of the fluffy imperial carriage, the emperor sat across from me and opened the document.

He was more distant than before. We sat diagonally on the seats, as far as we could be from each other.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Why did you come looking for me? I wouldn’t have taken long.”

The emperor, who turned the paper over, glanced at me and lowered his eyes again. “Are you upset that I came?”

“No, it’s not like that… I’m sorry.”