Chapter 51 (1/2)

Translator: Wyvern

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Chapter 51

The knight glanced at my hair one more time as if it was bothering him, likely because it marked me as Golddinian.

“When I say that you are free to express your opinion at any time, it does not mean that you should speak ill of the person I have expressly told you that I trust.”

“I’m sorry.”

In the midst of all this, I was speechless when I saw the influence the emperor’s words had. It was so easy for him to increase the number of his followers. It is said that the succession of blood itself was incredible, but this man was born an emperor.

The knight hurriedly opened his mouth. “It is said that the chief’s wife is being held hostage. If you let them go, they will release her.”

I looked at the emperor in amazement, but he didn’t look so surprised. Come to think of it, the last time I saw the eldest son of Duke Thiaheb was when he was asking about the incident.

Did he already know?

The emperor answered quickly, as if there was no room for reconsideration, “No way. I have no intention of negotiating for the lives of civilians, or with lunatics who have kidnapped civilians. Find out where the attackers are talking from.”

“I accept your orders.” The knight stepped down in a hurry. I felt from his steps that things were not going so well.

As soon as the door closed, the emperor stared at me. “You must think I’m being cruel.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Then why do you look so surprised?”

“I was wondering what the chief might have done, or if he’s asked the empress dowager for help to save his wife… I was just thinking vaguely… I never thought something on this scale would happen.”

“There’s not much I’ve heard from the Duke of Thiaheb. It was a threat from those who kidnapped and threatened the chief’s wife in order to raise money from our allotted military funds. I couldn’t pinpoint the exact group or location.”

“Are you saying that if they give the dowager the money, they will release the chief’s wife?”

The emperor grinned. “I didn’t say that exactly.

“No, but…”

“But?”

The chief of the court went to tell the secret of the emperor to the one who imprisoned his wife. I’d known of the wickedness of the empress dowager, but… I was resentful that the chief of staff had fallen for such a trick.

“Then I don’t know why he asked her to do it. I think it would have been better to speak to Your Majesty about it… To divulge information… if he had that kind of information on you, you’d have done your best to help him anyway.”

The emperor nodded. “It’s because the people know me well.”

I couldn’t understand what he meant at first. When I didn’t ask back or answer, the emperor shook out his black hair and took off his gown again, lying facedown on the bed. I approached the bedside and sat down.

As soon as I tried to touch his back, the answer came to me without prompting.

“Your Majesty will never compromise with a group that is willing to sacrifice that many people… and the chief knows that.”

“Yeah.”

It didn’t feel so unreasonable now. He knew that negotiating would only pave the way for repeat offenses.

“I believe in you and I support you. Even if I’m the one who’s kidnapped, you have to do it.”

He laughed, making my heart skip. “You won’t blame me?”

“How could I?”

“Alright then, I’ll gladly do that.”

That day, I was so busy that I could hardly close my eyes.

The nobles who realized that the emperor had visited the academy complained and harassed him, saying that he had been ‘aware of the plans of the armed group’ yet did not tell them. Meanwhile, the citizens praised him and hoped that he would take further steps to improve security.

It was not that I trusted Khun unconditionally, but for now, the empress dowager seemed to be the more likely culprit. Wherever we went, she and her powers followed us and tried to set traps.

Still, it was fortunate that there were no victims.

The emperor could not make a quick decision about who was behind it, and he fervently appealed not to inflict damage to any force or group by making a decision too quickly. It was not just an appeal, but it was also a command.

His words worked quite well, and although it took a long time, the meeting went well.