A relationship between countries required extremely delicate balance. For example, despite knowing that each other has planted spies into the heart of the other, the rulers did not think about finding and getting rid of them. That was how politics worked.

If they were gaining intelligence through spies in hostile countries, they had to prepare for at least some level of bleeding as well. The least blood spilt would be best, but it was impossible to make it nothing. That was why, rather than ruling with fear to find the spy, it was more important to control the quantity and quality of information that was leaked. They needed to know how to intertwine lies into the information leaked while also picking out the truths in the whispers they receive.

Frédérique Riester was someone who had grown up receiving a thorough education about being a Monarch. It was probably similar for Christanne Venetiaan. That was why the current situation was quite wrong. The act of using a spy to cause chaos in the opposing nation and commit grave sins was something that should not happen and could not happen. It did not matter who was pulling the strings in the back. The Venetiaans had clearly crossed the line. The balance that was barely hanging on was starting to crumble.

“…As you command, your Majesty.”

Johann Geens answered with a breeze-like voice and stepped back.

The Empress looked at the troublemakers with her usual expression. She felt a bit better seeing the Imperial Crown Prince head down the stairs and join the band of misfits. She then moved her gaze to the prince next to her son. His purple eyes looked nervous as they looked up at her.

She chuckled. “Young Marquis, you should be aware of your sins.”

“I’m truly sorry, your Majesty.” The daring punk apologized immediately.

A rare trial had swept through the audience room, but he seemed to remember her telling him that she would punish him.

Her neck tilted automatically. “Explain.”

“That…… Your Majesty, I’ve thought about it for the past few days and I truly believe that riding a pirate ship and illegally entering the Empire is a grave sin. Leaving through a portal could be ignored since the portal was there, but that was not the case on the way back. Furthermore, we also got away from the Imperial Navy that was chasing us. Lifting the ship above the crowded Imperial Capital in the middle of the night was also not smart. It could have been dangerous.”

“I’m glad you are well aware.”

The Prince then turned to his fellow troublemakers. Christelle, who had sent Joanne and Isabelle out first, looked upset while the Duhem siblings still looked as if they were struggling. He exchanged glances with Cédric before speaking again.

“However, your Majesty, I believe we have to take the situation into consideration. We had no way to get to the Imperial Capital without doing what we did. Admiral Emma Corleone’s requests to use the Zeboim International portal…… Were a bit much.” He finished his sentence in an odd tone.

The Empress snorted as if she understood. “You still have a long way to go. I’m sure it got even more complicated since that punk François was with you.”

“The two of them…… You know of their story, your Majesty?” The Prince’s eyes opened wide. The Marquis quietly groaned and avoided the Empress’s gaze.

“Of course. It is true that it is tricky to handle someone like the Admiral, but even you, as someone who grew up your whole life as a member of the Royal family, have mistakes you could not properly handle, don’t you? I heard your name was quite the topic in the Holy Kingdom’s Beau Monde.”

“……”

The now anxious young man opened and closed his mouth without being able to say anything. The Empress scoffed internally. His handsome facial features and beautiful body line probably meant that a lot of people followed him, but this personality of his made it clear that he had never even dated before.

The Cardinal couldn’t stand it any longer and stepped in.

“She’s just making fun of you, my little prince. No need to take it seriously.”

“I’m being serious.”

“Even Frédérique couldn’t handle Emma’s… handiwork. It was not something you guys would be able to take care of on your level.”

“Her handiwork?” the sniffling young lady Maria suddenly asked.

Antoinette warned her younger sister and the Cardinal’s soulmate glared at her, but the Cardinal continued the story.

“Oh, I guess the kids these days don’t know about it? Emma fell in love with Frédérique’s sword art and courted her for a long time. She even did some weird things to contest Alexandre……”

“I will now inform you of your punishment.” The Empress brushed her hair back and cut the Cardinal off.

The young kids who were looking up at the two of them with their jaws dropped started going frantic. Even Cédric, who was great at maintaining his expression, looked perplexed. The Prince started to urgently rummage through the bag that looked just like him. He then pulled out an item that was glowing with golden threads on dark red silk.

François was the first to gasp.

“Umm, I will use this, your Majesty.”

“……”

The Empress quickly figured out the item in the Prince’s hand. That was the document she had bestowed upon him back in May on the Prince’s birthday. She scoffed in disbelief. The Prince’s mind was so odd that he always played an unexpected hand, but she never expected that item to appear today.

“You don’t even know what punishment I will give, but you plan on using such a precious item?”

“Even if the punishment is light, I know that our actions could have threatened the safety of the Empire, your Majesty. I will take on the responsibility of his Royal Highness’s mistake today as well. I heard that nobody other than you is allowed to bring weapons into the Empress Palace, your Majesty.” The young man spoke clearly as he pointed at her son’s boots. That was the spot he pulled the dagger out of in order to threaten Kessié. The Crown Crince looked at the Prince with an odd gaze.

The item in the Prince’s small delicate hand was something the Empress personally signed. He remembered how the prince had made the request despite suffering from heat so much that his body was slumping and his eyes couldn’t even open.

‘If you would allow it…… I wish to make that request right now, your Majesty.’

‘I will allow it. Speak.’

‘Please give me a second life.’

His purple eyes had been desperate.

‘What do you mean by a second life?’

‘Your Majesty, I would like a special immunity pass that I can use at any time. It is fine if it is a one-time use item.’

Frédérique knew that the Prince was offering his neck to her, that he meant everything he was saying. It had only been two months since the twin assassins attempted to take his life. It was at a time when the Prince and the Imperial family had just started to build trust with each other. That was why he had tried to prepare something, anything, for the future. He was flailing for something not because he was preparing to commit a crime, but in case he was framed for something. It was an extremely wise survival instinct.

‘Fine.’

The answer had been easy. He had played a major role in allowing her son to gain the Sword of Wisdom from the Flaming Star, so it was fine to give such a special pass. At the same time, she felt pity for the prince, wondering if he survived like this in the Holy Kingdom as well.

That was how she remembered it, but…

“There is no guarantee that something like this will not happen again.”

She tested him, only to see his blessed eyes sparkle clearly. It was different from the day he made the request while almost dead. It was also different from earlier, when he was full of anger and sorrow.

“Everybody trusted me, your Majesty. They made it so that I didn’t need to use this.” The prince was gaining the strength to push forward. It was thanks to the ground he dug with his awkward movements, watering it with patience, shining down his sun-like affection, that helped the trust grow. As if that tiny sprout that was growing was stronger than anything in the world. “I also trust that they will do so again.”

“That is why you want to use a special pass this Empress has bestowed upon you for something like this?”

“Yes, your Majesty.” The Prince didn’t hesitate and offered the pass to the Chief of Staff.

The rest of the troublemakers looked quite surprised, but they did not stop him. It was probably because they all felt the same.

‘I guess that means he doesn’t need a paper shield anymore.’ It meant that even if their entire body was stabbed by thorns and they had to roll in the mud, they would still band together to walk forward. Even if they were clueless little monkeys that knew nothing, would get lost, and couldn’t even tell a cliff and a valley apart……

“Do as you please.”

She liked it. So she let him do as he pleased.

Aurélie let out a breath-like quiet laugh. “The Crown Prince has made a good friend. It is rare to find a friend who will use an imperial gift on someone else’s behalf.”

“……”

The pair of orange eyes looked at his mother for a moment before looking back at his partner. The Empress felt like she was going to sigh so she shook her head.

“The sins have been cleared. You may go rest.”

“Thank you very much, your Majesty.”

“Hey little bubble girl.” She called out one more time.

The person who first figured out this unfamiliar nickname was the sharp bubble girl herself. Christelle stopped bowing and immediately looked up.

Frédérique did not call her the Little Sarnez girl any longer.

“Don’t be scared.”

“……”

“Your mother is strong and so are you. The two of you are enough.”

“Thank you very much for your Imperial benevolence, your Majesty. But it is not just the two of us. We have Ellen and we have our friends.”

“I guess I said something unnecessary.” The Empress had received a smart response back. The Empress looked tired as she motioned with her hand.

Christelle smiled toward the Prince and Crown Prince before quickly bowing with the rest of the group and walking out.

Only a few people were left in the wide audience room. The smiles slowly disappeared from the three of their faces, the two ‘adults’ and Sir Johann. A silence as cold as a sharp wind descended. Frédérique was the one who broke the silence that was as cold as ice.

“……The contents?”

“The crown princess wants to personally check on Jesse’s condition. She mentioned the information we had at the start of this incident.” Aurélie gave an extremely short explanation of the message from the Holy Kingdom.

The Empress scowled and looked to her side. “And the grounds for it?”

“Apparently she heard that the child is sick. She said she can’t reveal the information though.”

“He’s sick?” The Cardinal shrugged her shoulders in response.

It didn’t make sense because the prince was very healthy. He was weak against the cold and the heat and fainted much because of ether depletion, but that was it. He rarely even coughed and he never missed a meal. He had no issues climbing the stairs or a hill with the divine beasts crawling all over him. That was why it was weird. What was the likelihood of the Royal family of a country receiving such wrong information and completely believing it to the point they sent a related message to the Monarch of another country?

“Do they mean to take him back?” The Empress received and opened the scroll as she asked.

“No. She requested a meeting in neutral territory.”

Neutrality meant mistrust and disbelief. The Empress clicked her tongue in disbelief. Who was the one they couldn’t trust the most right now?

“What bullshit. Anything else?”

“No. There are no secret codes either.”

Apparently they didn’t even bring up the current situation. They couldn’t tell whether she really didn’t know her father, Werner’s actions, or if she was just wishing she didn’t know.

The Empress thought until there and buried her face in her palms for a bit. It had been a while since she felt this fatigued.

“……I’m sleepy.”

“It’s normal to be tired. Your birthday is tomorrow. Get some rest. You worked hard.” Her soulmate whispered and patted the back of her head.

The Empress silently received the patting before raising her head.

“I guess we should let her know the Prince’s false charges have been cleared. She seems to cherish her younger brother quite a bit.”

“Please do so, Johann.”

“As you command, your Eminence.”

The Holy Knight answered immediately. Frédérique leaned against his contractor’s shoulder again.

She planned on only focusing on the Empire’s affairs for a while. There were plenty of high-ranking religious figures to replace Eugénie Kessié, but the empty spot of a colossus like Simon de Sarnez was huge. She didn’t even have time to breathe, thinking about the common people who would be shaking with anxiety. Chaos needed to be settled quickly, and a Monarch needed to be able to offer them new hope. She had no plans to send the prince, who barely got out of the danger of death, to a neutral area. She also did not want to gain any unnecessary grudges from her son. Right now was a time for stability.

“I’m getting hungry.”

“You had to talk a lot. You also used your aura.”

“That was a display of aura, not usage.”

A quiet chuckle spread out. Tomorrow’s birthday celebration was going to be small. That was what they determined when they confirmed the date for this trial. However, they would give out more food for her subjects outside the Imperial Palace to enjoy as they celebrated. Furthermore, cotton blankets and food would be distributed, focusing on the slums, all the way to the borders of the Empire that could not be reached by portals. She also had to pay attention to the politics within the Chambre des pairs that was to be swiftly reorganized. The Empress’s mind quickly rolled on.

The random thoughts about the situation from the crown princess of a foreign country was pushed deep into a corner of her mind.

*

A week later, the Venetiaan Royal Palace was very quiet. On the outside, it was just peaceful. Werner sat with a luxurious tea cup in front of him as he waited for a guest. The Prince Consort looked as refined and dignified as usual. He was still looking haggard as the poison wasn’t completely out of his system, but many would still think that he looked beautiful.

The man fell deep into thought as he looked at the steaming cup of tea.

“……”

All sorts of uncomfortable and leery rumors were spreading across the Royal Capital. For example, ‘the famous Duke’s House of Sarnez perished over night.’ ‘There was a miracle where the Empress’s every step grew purple tulips on the ground.’ ‘The first prince advented on a flower ship on a moonlit night to bless the subjects.’

All were things he did not want to believe. However, the fact that hurt the most was that he could not confirm any of them. According to the information from the Vatican, the Riester priests stopped showing themselves at some point. There was also some commotion with the priests dispatched to the Empire returning as a group. The security at the border became extremely tight at the same time. Based on what the Captain of his Personal Guards told him, the Empire was now an iron fortress where even an ant could not come and go as it pleased. It prevented him from getting information from his informants on the inside. Not even a single page of the < Biweekly Riester >, which used to flood the grounds of the Royal Capital, could be seen since the December 15th edition. The only things that floated around were the gossips that were even lighter than feathers.

“That lowest of the lowest thing in the world.”

Werner knew that gossip held the strongest power. Naturally, anxiety and uncertainty followed. Right now, he was like a swan on top of a lake. He looked extremely haughty and elegant on the outside, but he was scratching away at the water under the surface……

– Click.

The door opened again at that moment. There was no need to do so, but Werner still got up and greeted the guest. It was something he got accustomed to doing. A familiar woman showed herself.

The man did his best to smile. A familiar emotion was overflowing in her eyes.

“It’s been a while, my dearest sister.”

“……”

It was scorn. The current Duchess Sneijder scorned him.

—
Translator’s Comments

We are ALL looking at you with scorn, you bastard.

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