Chapter 197: Twenty-second Episode: Chapter 7 (1/2)

Chapter 197: Twenty-second Episode: Chapter 7

Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation

”Your Majesty! Your Majesty! I've contributed so much to the empire… I've bled on the battlefield… Your Majesty…”

Fifteen minutes had passed since Oscar Andrew Morisette started waiting outside of Her Majesty the Empress's study. Just as he was getting thoroughly annoyed at the constant pleading and begging, the door of the study was opened widely all of a sudden, as two palace guards dragged the noisy man out of the room.

Oscar watched as the poor man, who brought trouble upon himself, was being dragged forcefully out of the palace. He predicted that the next step for the man would be an adjudication before being sent up to the guillotine.

”I've contributed so much to the empire… I've bled on the battlefield…”

The miserable wailing echoed throughout the palace corridor. Those nosy noblemen, who liked to stick their noses in other people's business, hid behind the closed doors. They knew Her Majesty the Empress was going through a terrible phrase recently, perhaps because of this corruption case, perhaps because of the robbers that had appeared in Dulin out of nowhere… Regardless, one should simply remain silent at this critical moment, never try to be flatter and toady, or to do anything recklessly. The folly earlier was stripped off his rank of nobility and sentenced with penal servitude for having done something stupid.

”Do you want me to cut off his tongue?” Oscar pointed to the ceiling as he entered the study. The annoying pleading noises still lingered around the hall.

Alanis shook her head as she left the throne seat and headed for her husband, ”Forget about him. Still, I'm truly sorry to keep you waiting for so long.”

Oscar shrugged nonchalantly. He pulled his wife into an embrace and planted a kiss on her forehead.

”I listened to Rudolf Hoss's briefing this morning!” Alanis looked at Oscar with worry. ”But I still want to ask... what's going on? Is it Vijdeline Van Sukhoi's enemy? I find it hard to accept the explanation from the Chief of Secret Service who assumes this incident is likely to be the work of Aragon's Intelligence Unit from the Faran Kingdom. I'm slightly skeptical about Faran's Aragon capability, are they this powerful? I mean, Brondy is not that far away from Dulin. Does Faran really have such a power?”

Alanis explained herself further after studying the expression on her husband's face, ”Of course, you are the expert in the field of Secret Services. I would like to hear your suggestions.”

Oscar helped his wife back to the desk at the throne seat without hurry, ”What are you occupied with?”

Alanis looked at her husband again. What was wrong with this man? His son was taken away, and this was all he cared about?

Her Majesty turned her head away sharply as if to hide her embarrassment. She then spread her hands helplessly at the messy pile of documents laid across her desk as she gave out a groan of frustration, ”See this? This is the new town construction plan suggested by Adrione's major wine dealers; this is the latest staff work log of the Ministry of Military Affairs; this is a reconstructed blueprint of the Merlin Fort Imperial Manor; this is the… the mess left behind by that fella earlier who had just been exiled to Zaire Wetland!”

Oscar frowned at the mentioning of the Zaire Wetland. That was the most remote area of ​​the north of the Empire. Even the Deiss people, who were fond of invading sites, would not be interested in this wild and uncivilized land.

”What did that guy do?”

Alanis held her forehead in her palm, ”That guy was the office clerk of the Bureau of Land Management for nine years! Can you believe it? For nine years! He had been lying about the local tax in several unmanned areas on the Zaire Wetlands to get hundreds of thousands of golden Tis as subsidies each year.”

”Ola...” Oscar laughed. ”Hundreds of thousands of golden Tis isn't really that much! Not long ago, the cabinet chancellor of the five provinces of the South was discovered to be involved in a bigger corruption scandal. The guy collaborated with unscrupulous traders and lied about the border port coordination tax. Each fake report was reported in millions!”

Alanis sighed deeply at her jubilant husband, ”Tell me... Do you think I am useless?”

”Don't say this...” Oscar uttered after what seemed like forever. He walked to his wife and leaned gently against her while caressing her blond hair with affection.

”Everyone knows that you are a good empress!”

Alanis pushed the man away and retorted in a dejected voice, ”I know you're only comforting me! I also know that I'm not a good empress! I have no idea what is going on in the minds of those men in the court, and I can't figure out the fault in those reports handed over by Finance Minister Almodovar Godzilla. I don't know why the Minister of Military Affairs and Combat Department never see eye to eye with each other. I… I'm even stupid enough to let the Faran kidnap someone right under my nose…”

”Alanis!” Oscar turned his wife's face around to his own. He had never seen Alanis being frustrated to this extent before. The Alanis he remembered was always so intelligent, so sensitive!

”Take it slowly! Little by little-”

”I know what you mean!” Her Majesty the Empress had gotten impatient again. Frustrated, she picked up the documents on her desk. ”But Oscar, you know what? Everyone around keeps reminding me of how urgent and critical these matters are! How can I afford to slow down?”

Oscar had no words to retort against that, and could only watch in silence as his wife threw those documents away angrily across the room.

”My father told me that I would be a good empress! Marshal Alan told me that I would be a good empress! You also told me that I would be a good empress! Everyone keeps reassuring that I would be a good empress! But the point is… no one is teaching me how to be a good empress!”

Oscar pursed his lips and replied only after a short period of silence, ”As long as everyone does their job well, then you could be a good empress!”

”And what if they don't?” Alanis's eyes widened.

”You know... my hometown Narcissus County also needs some coolies. In fact, we need a lot of them!”

Alanis laughed at the comment. She believed an empress who only knew to produce coolies was definitely not a good one, ”Oh, my God!” Her Majesty jumped a little. ”It's all your fault! I wonder how Vij is? She must have been terrified and devastated!”

Oscar left his wife to sit in a high-backed chair opposite the desk, ”That's the other reason I came here, by the way.”

”I'm listening!” Alanis spread her hand.

Oscar's eyebrows finally knitted together, ”After the initial investigation, the Secret Service, as well as my military agents, still could not fully confirm that Faran Intelligence Unit is behind this kidnapping incident. However, these people are certainly part of our country's international hostility forces! The purpose of launching this attack has been made extremely clear, that is to control Lady Vijdeline Van Sukhoi in order to pry into the secrets of our research on firearms.”

Alanis nodded and soon revealed a look of fear, ”What are you going to do? Do you need me to give you and Rudolf Hoss a deadline to solve the case? This matter has already spread in the capital circle, who else will continue to serve the Empire loyally if this matter cannot be resolved?”

Oscar gazed at his wife. It seemed as if he wanted to discover something from his wife's eyes, but quickly he gave up. Both his rationality and emotions were telling him that Alanis had nothing to do with this incident! However, the instinct of a Chief Secret Service Officer was constantly reminding Oscar that the whole incident was filled with an unusual conspiracy. He had been around Dulin for nearly a decade and that had given him an instinct that picks up hints, much like a sly, cunning fox.

”My secret agents have discovered some clues, but until now we are still unable to determine whether the hostage is safe. So... despite the investigation work still going on, I don't intend to make this an earth-shattering news!”

Alanis looked over, ”What kind of clues? Are there any meaningful ones?”

Oscar evaded his wife's gaze without making it obvious. His instinct was stronger because Alanis seemed more anxious than himself, and this made the whole event seem illogical.

”I will inform you when the investigators finally make a conclusion! By now I still can't tell if this clue is worth anything!”

Alanis masked her embarrassment with a smile as she also felt her husband was being rather secretive to her regarding this matter, ”You just said that you don't want to attract more attention, but the Faran diplomatic envoy has already informed the capital headquarter this morning that a lot of suspicious armed personnel appeared near the Embassy of Faran!”

Oscar shook his head casually, ”I'm sorry! I just came back from the scene and I don't know how to go about it. However, it is highly likely for those to be Sukhoi family's personal soldiers. You know what? If I hadn't demanded a death order on Torry just now, I believe that guy would have targeted all the cannons at Faran Embassy!”

”Thank God you stopped him!” Alanis' face has stiffened, ”But Oscar, I have to remind you that this is Dulin, not your battlefield! If you launch an attack on the embassy of another country in the capital of Titan without conclusive evidence, I would have to open up a custom inquiry on you if the Westerners demand an explanation. Because attacking a country's embassy is the same as infringing the sovereignty of other countries. You should know this better than I do!”

”My Niz! Look at you!” Oscar suddenly burst out laughing, ”You're not as bad as you described yourself! You're still so intelligent! So thoughtful! So-”

”Are you asking for a fight?” Her Majesty interrupted her husband loudly. She just couldn't understand how communication with Oscar always had to be this tedious.

The Imperial Prince stood up. He held his wife's large desk with both hands and covered his wife's face with the shadow of his body.

”Niz! I'm not looking for an argument, and I believe that's not what you want too! That kid means so much to me, you know that. So... wait for my news! Don't ask anything, and don't say anything. Be patient, focus on being the good empress that you are, and I will go on a massacre spree at the Faran Embassy! That's all I'm going to say!”

”Stand right there, Oscar!” Alanis finally jumped up in exasperation when her husband turned to his back.

Rudolf Hoss opened the door to the study, and he witnessed the sight of the imperial couple who looked like they were in a cockfight... Oh, no! A tit-for-tat struggle!

Oscar moved his body aside to make room for entrance, but the Head of Secret Service did not budge an inch.

Rudolf Hoss leaned his body backward to look at the sign of the study room. He then smiled at both the grumpy young people inside the room, ”I'm sorry, I was just looking for the toilet, and… it seems that I've ended up in the wrong place!”

Alanis took a few deep breaths, and she sat back firmly into the emperor's chair inlaid with jewels and wrapped in cherished animal hides.

”That joke disgusted me!” Her Majesty the Empress glanced at the head of secret service with a chilly look.

”I will make my way if there's nothing more!” Oscar took the opportunity to flee, but he stopped by Rudolf when he made his exit, ”I wish you both a pleasant conversation...”

The silhouette of His Imperial Highness the Prince disappeared into the palace hallway in the stifled laughter of the head of Secret Service. Rudolf Hoss gestured at the soldiers guarding the study door and that two Paladins immediately pulled out their swords across the chest. Without the approval of Her Majesty, anyone who broke in through the door would not end with a good fate.

Just as the head of Secret Service closed the door behind his back, Alanis, who suddenly appeared right behind, startled him. After seeing the empress's cold, expressionless face, Rudolf immediately put away his cynical behavior and appeared all serious.

”Your Majesty...”

”Don't call me that!” Alanis shouted loudly, and she slammed the head of secret service's chest with the back of her hand. ”Have you been regarding me as your Majesty? Is this all you would do for your Majesty?”

Rudolf Hoss tried to make himself look like an honest elementary school student. He stood there and shriveled as if he didn't know what to do. He knew that Her Majesty would like to see him like this.

”I said that the empire's firearms development and production are on the right track, and you told me that it was time to get rid of the ambitious Vijdeline from my husband's side. I reminded you that my husband wouldn't give up on the matter, and you replied that you could set up a foolproof false front with the impatience of Faran. I argued that at least the child is innocent, and you insisted that no one is better suited to be the mother of that child than me! Then, tell me now! What are you going to say back to me when I say you are the stupidest, silliest, and meanest pig in the world!”

Looking at the empress who spoke incoherently, Rudolf Hoss could only nod his head, ”Your Majesty, I'm exactly everything that you said I am!”

”What absurdity!” Alanis held her head in both hands as she scurried around in the study hysterically. To be frank, this was the first time in the history of Titan that an Empress had caused harm unto a person. It was also the first time she had been fiddling with the intention to conspire and plot. Not to mention her first time betraying her husband, or even worrying and frightening about for her own vicious heart of a python.

”I shouldn't have done all of this at your instigation!” Alanis jerked her head. ”That's not right! That's not right! I've been thinking about it all day, Vijdeline... she... she did not do anything wrong!”

Rudolf Hoss rolled his eyes hard. It would not seem right to consider Alanis to be the innocent little princess who used petty tricks and her wisdom to wander through the world anymore, yet it was not entirely accurate to consider this erratic, indecisive young woman the empress of Titan as well.

At last, the Chief of Secret Service concluded that Her Majesty indeed excelled in some areas. However, she was only as shy as a virgin when it comes to killing people for properties, and activities like swindling and cheating. Both the anticipatory subconsciousness and the conscience toward the aftermath had flooded her mind, making her a much worst component compared to her husband!

This was what worried Rudolf Hoss the most! If Her Majesty was not trained to endure the highest level of stubbornness and fortitude, perhaps the future Titan Empire might be forced to change its name.

O'Neil Andrew Morisette was to blame for all of this! What this man had was enough to change the political landscape of the entire empire. Maybe O'Neil Andrew Morisette still had not realized this, but everything he was doing now was allowing him to walk a path toward danger!

If one day... O'Neil Andrew Morisette suddenly realized that he could rise to the top, then...

The Head of Secret Service shook his head intensely and wondered what he was thinking. This would never happen! Absolutely not! He had reached an agreement with the major Houses that had been loyal to the Morisette Imperial Family for generations. The head of Andrew House, the Marshal of the Empire, the Chief of Military Intelligence Bureau, would no longer have his way as smooth as before! Until the power of Her Majesty's mind had been exercised to a level of perseverance, until Her Majesty suddenly discovered that the person sleeping next to her was gradually turning dangerous from the inside out... He could never tell these things to Her Majesty the Empress, nor could he act in an obvious manner. He needed to steadily guide Alanis and continued to stimulate her at her nerves. He needed Alanis to be like a real Titan empress, rather than this person in front of him… this little woman who only complained and doubted!

However, of course, there was one more possibility. Alanis I Her Majesty the Empress was in love with her Prince of a husband, but this kind of love should resemble the kind between a lion and a lioness. Once the lioness discovered that the presence of the lion would endanger the population, it would make a determined decision to completely eliminate the potential harm! The thing was that no one knew for sure how much the Empress of Titan understood this kind of relationship, or if she understood it at all.

”Your Majesty, you were saying earlier... that Lady Vijdeline Van Sukhoi hadn't done anything wrong?”

Alanis snorted coldly, ”Isn't that right? What did she do? Seduce my husband? I wasn't even married to Oscar when she delivered the child!”

Rudolf Hoss shook his head, ”Your Majesty, I have to say that the wild ambitions of Lady Vijdeline Van Sukhoi and the extraordinarily dangerous things she has done are enough to threaten the empire.”

”For... For example?”

The Chief of Secret Service smirked in his heart. He knew that Her Majesty was only going through the stage of frustration because of her lack of confidence. Deep down in her heart, hatred and the seeds of various storms had long since taken root, and it was now time for these new, eager shoots to be flourished.

”Do you recall the five-year development plan for the war?”

The Empress gave a look of disdain to the head of secret service, ”Why do you ask? That is the program I personally approved.”

”No!” Rudolf Hoss smiled as he shook his head. ”Your Majesty, I mean the five-year development plan for the war that is implemented by the Andrew Military authority!”