When I raised my head, I saw a handsome man with a gentle smile on his face, as if he had never been angry.
At first glance, his face seemed harmless, but I knew that look too well. It was the look of a powerful person looking for talent.
…… I didn’t intend to attract this much attention. But since there was nothing I could do about it now, I ordered Tula to bring out the tea and sat down across from the emperor.
“……Pwease hafe a seet . (Please have a seat.)”
In the first place, I had only intended to catch his eye in the main hall because I didn’t think I could achieve more than that.
To think that I would end up having a private audience with the emperor, far exceeding my expectations. It was an incredibly rare opportunity and a great honor, but…….
My head was spinning.
I barely managed to stop my hand from reaching up to my forehead. I couldn’t tell if it was because of fatigue or fever, but I couldn’t show any signs of it.
“Its a kreet onor to see dhe heafens off dhe embire…… (It is a great honor to see the heavens of the empire.)”
“Oh, I heard your greeting earlier, so let’s skip it.”
I wasn’t saying it for your sake; I was just trying to buy some time, you brat.
I was irritated for a moment, but I couldn’t say anything like that, so I kept my mouth shut.
“What you said earlier. Do you mean it?”
I didn’t think it would do any good to try to change the subject, so I didn’t pretend to be stupid.
“I meet it. (I mean it.)”
Well, I guess I can give up my tongue. I can still communicate by writing with my hands. If my tongue saves the life of my subordinate, it would be worth it.
The emperor smiled pleasantly, apparently satisfied with my spirit or my honesty.
I wish the empress had a little more sense. If he keeps acting like this, we’ll have another great tyrant in five years.
As I was thinking this, the emperor spoke to me.
“Then use your mouth a little more. I have to decide whether or not to cut off your tongue.”
It seemed like he was saying that if I could be witty, he would let me off the hook.
“Do you neet a jestel? (Do you need a jester?)”
I could feel the emperor scrutinizing my face. Unlike his face, which still had a hint of youthfulness, perhaps because he was only around 20 years old, his eyes were the eyes of a perfect ruler. They divided people only by their ability and usefulness.
…… Maybe it would have been better if I wasn’t competent enough to catch the emperor’s eye? I had a belated regret.
“Well, that’s not bad either.”
The emperor chuckled, apparently finished examining me.
“I’d rather you be a little more useful than that.”
It was a comment that made me wonder if he knew I wasn’t actually a 3-year-old. A 3-year-old who doesn’t cry and sits quietly would be considered incredibly great, really.
But since the speaker was the emperor of a powerful country and I was a princess of a weak country, I just sat there quietly and listened to his nonsense.
“Do you know that I have a younger brother?”
“I titnt no. (I didn’t know.)”
I answered honestly, as lying unnecessarily could lead to unnecessary suspicion.
It took about a month to get here, but I was able to gather very little information during that time.
This was because none of my party knew anything about the empire. Even Tula, who held the second-highest position in our group after me, was unaware of how strict the social hierarchy in the Empire was, which pretty much sums it up.
How could I know about his family relationships when I don’t even know how old the emperor is?
“I guess you’ll have to find out on this occasion. I have a younger brother who is five years old this year.”
Somehow, the emperor seemed to understand my pronunciation, which I wasn’t sure of myself, as if he had read my mind, not because he was being read by my expression, but because of his younger brother.
“Anyway, I am so lucky that my younger brother is very clever.”
This was the part where I was supposed to flatter him by saying something like “Indeed, His Highness is truly a blessing,” but since he praised himself, I had nothing to add.
“However, a sharp awl always shows its shape even when hidden in a pocket. That’s what I was worried about.”
I thought I would just wait for an order, but seeing as he was turning the conversation without answering, it seemed like he wanted me to analyze the situation myself.
So, this is what he meant to ‘use my tongue’? Just then, Tula brought the tea. I waited until she placed the tea before us and left, bringing silence back to the room.
“Duz yo Mashesty wich fo me to becom the pwinces fwiend? (Does Your Majesty wish for me to become the prince’s friend?)”
The Emperor lowered his gaze, seemingly to savor the tea’s aroma. Even my underdeveloped sense of smell could tell it wasn’t particularly enjoyable.
“That would be ideal.”
For a moment, what flashed in his eyes was affection for his younger brother.
It was probably a young emperor’s human side that he let slip out for a moment, thinking I was 3 years old and would let my guard down. I quietly lowered my eyes.
If he knows that I noticed it, he will never let his guard down again in front of me.
“─But it’s my younger brother, you know. I can’t put someone who’s half-baked next to him. You understand that, don’t you, Princess?”
I really didn’t want to understand. I didn’t want to understand even more by guessing what was coming next.
“So, Princess. Show me what you can do.”
The emperor’s face, which was smiling at me, had already hidden all traces of emotion.
……I knew in my head that this was a huge opportunity. If I could build a relationship with the Grand Duke, then at least none of the bullies would dare to touch me.
But I’m worried. Should I really consider the emperor who is having this kind of political conversation with a 3-year-old to be sane?
And is it really safe to be around a powerful madman?
Wouldn’t it be better for my lifespan to deal with the bullies?
“Its a kreet onor dat you hafe gifen me a hi powition, but i hafe no talant to speek of…….(It is a great honor that you have given me a high position, but I have no talent to speak of…….)”
“Princess.”
The emperor cut off my words.
“Think carefully. What can I give you if you become the prince’s friend?”
I thought about it. And then I realized that all the emperor could give the prince’s friend was wealth.
Oh my. I held back a laugh that was about to come out.
Wealth? I used to live like the Emperor himself. I rode in his carriage, ate with his silverware, and wore clothes made from silk that he had given me.
When I returned victorious from a war, he even laid out silk along every step of my path from the city gates to welcome me.
In my previous life, I was as wealthy as the Emperor and had as much power as all the civil and military officials combined. My family was renowned.
But even with all that, my end was miserable. I hanged myself with the very silk that the Emperor had given me.
The Emperor, who had given me all that wealth and power, had cast me aside.
Knowing how fleeting wealth and honor were, the Emperor’s offer was not at all tempting to me.
“I mewly wich to leat a simple life. (…..I merely wish to lead a simple life.)”
I would have been happy to choose that option if no one would care about me.
“Do you know how many people share this Emerald Palace?”
But not everything the Emperor could offer me was good.
I looked at the Emperor’s fingers pressing on my small, chubby hand.
Would these hands even be able to wrap around one of his fingers? The difference in hand size was like the difference in power, and it made me realize the difference in our positions.
I was not interested in the wealth and honor he could offer me, but I was interested in the suffering he could impose.
For example, it could mean Tula’s life.
So I kept my mouth shut.
“There are a total of four people currently sharing the Emerald Palace. You, Princess Tianna of Tatienne, Princess Wushian of Chibechia, and Princess Kanik of Gerniea.”
As I expected. I had been bedridden for a while and didn’t know who else was sharing the palace, but I was glad to get the information easily.
“You seem to understand your situation well, but do you think the others will?”
The Emperor’s words meant that he was pushing them together, knowing that the royals trapped in the same palace would bite each other like poisonous insects.
Well, if the power difference between the countries is clear, then there is no need for the empire to take responsibility for the royals fighting each other, so it’s a win-win deal, right?
On the contrary, the empire could even find fault with them for being disrespectful.
Really, my life… How come I never have an easy time? I let out a silent sigh. Even if it was silent, the Emperor would know, but he would let it pass, right?
As I expected, the Emperor did not ask me for blasphemy.
“Do you need time to think?”
Since I had already finished thinking about what the Emperor could offer me, I started thinking about what the Emperor wanted from me.
Ultimately, a playmate for the Archduke. But he said he wanted to test me before I met the Archduke. So what would the test be?
If he was purely going to threaten me, he would probably just ask me if I wanted to fight right away or if he would cut Tula’s neck.
No, the fact that he is talking about the people assigned to the Emerald Palace means that he wants to test me in that regard.
“Im bat a shild of tree, Your Mashesty. Do you expekt me a mee shild, to unit the royals? (I am but a child of three, Your Majesty. Do you expect me, a mere child, to unite the royals?)”
So there is only one thing he will test me on. To be the last poisonous insect to manage the royals who have been thrown in like a curse.
“Well, even so, I’m not talking about making you control all of the royals.”
‘All of them.’ It had a very ominous ring to it.
“Just maintain order in the Emerald Palace. Then I will value you extensively.”
Extensive my ass. I held back the torrent of curses that rose to my throat.
If you can’t listen to the nonsense of the powerful with one ear and let it go out the other, you can’t be a chancellor.
“I ill tray my pest. (I will try my best.)”
“Good ambition.”
The Emperor closed his eyes and smiled. His face looked friendly, but I remembered the look in his eyes under his eyelids.
With my 65 years of seeing people, I can guarantee that those were eyes that would kill you if you turned them into an enemy and squeeze your life out of you if you were on the same side.
* * * *
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This emperor is a sociopath goddamn