Chapter 75
Chapter 75
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Empire-Wide Commotion
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Hmm..."
The day the knight order's official document and a letter sent directly by some audacious young man both landed on my desk.
Coincidentally, both were related to Count Hume's second son, so I read through the official document and letter with keen interest.
Though both were laden with all sorts of flowery rhetoric, they boiled down to a single sentence.
"If it wouldn't be too much trouble, could you lend me a few knights?" "Secretary, has this fellow been unwell lately?"
"He does look a bit fatigued."
"Fatigued? He looks like he's lost his mind."
To lose one's sanity at such a young age was regrettable, but getting on the emperor's bad side young wasn't something an ordinary noble's son would face, so it wasn't entirely incomprehensible.
The odd part was that the emperor had been quiet lately...
"Has something happened with Sir William?"
"Sir William himself is fine. An ad submitted under the name of his atelier gained some popularity, but that's about it."
"So why this sudden request?"
"This is just speculation, but..."
The secretary, his face full of hesitation, trailed off, rolling his eyes before avoiding my gaze to continue.
"Last week, Lady Lily had a private audience with His Majesty."
"She... Wait, who?"
A name that shouldn't have come from the secretary's mouth rang in my ears, and I straightened my slouched posture to ask again.
"Lady Lily spent about an hour in closed talks with His Majesty."
"Ha-"
A sigh burst forth like a dam breaking.
No need for speculation. That was the problem.
"Do you know what they discussed?"
"No one knows except Lady Lily and His Majesty."
"Hmm..."
This had to be the emperor putting pressure on Sir William.
No, not just the emperor—Lily was probably pressuring him too.
Both had shown remarkable patience until now, but for their tolerance to run out at the same time? Sir William's luck had run dry.
"So, what did Sir William start doing after that audience?"
"He placed a new ad in the newspaper. And it seems he's working on new clothes too."
"A new ad and clothes..."
Both felt like unnecessary moves.
Last week, they'd even changed the knight order's patrol routes due to the ladies' fervent reactions.
Popularity like that wouldn't fade in just a week, especially not when things were at their busiest?
"Can I get a copy of this issue before it's published?"
"Actually, the newspaper has already submitted it to the knight order this morning."
"What?"
"Whether it's self-censorship or a pre-publication review request, it's ambiguous, but they handed it over voluntarily."
"And the result?"
"It was sent directly to His Majesty for unknown reasons."
"Aah..."
The emperor was behind it after all.
The newspaper, sensing his pressure, had gotten cold feet. And Sir William had probably gone all-in out of desperation, feeling truly threatened.
This wasn't madness—it was the desperate act of a sane man.
"Assign a few knights to Sir William for the time being."
"Pardon? Is that wise?"
"It's the least we can do for a vassal entertaining His Majesty with his whole body and soul."
It absolutely wasn't sympathy from shared misery over the same woman.
_
"...I can't believe this!"
"Hm?"
Count Longford paused his steps toward the garden, halted by his wife's voice echoing through the mansion from morning.
He glanced toward the sound, then reflected on his recent behavior, wondering if he'd done anything to upset her.
'Our anniversary is in spring, her birthday is three months away, and I've cut back on drinking lately...'
The more he thought, the colder a chill crept up his spine.
A woman who only sulked if he forgot their anniversary was now erupting in such fury? Unthinkable.
"Tch..."
Sensing he couldn't just stand by, the count turned and hurried toward the voice.
"To think something like this in our mansion...!"
As he drew nearer, her shrill, irritated high tone pierced his ears, filling him with unease.
'Servants' insubordination, children's rebellion, or servants' crimes...'
Anything that could anger her was no small matter.
His lips parched; his walk turned to a run.
"I ought to drag them before me right now..."
"......"
Turning the corner into the lobby, Count Longford saw his wife, red-faced and clutching a wad of grayish paper, and the servants standing pale and bowed before her.
"No...!"
Shocked that his worst fears about the servants were true, he tried to mask his agitation and shouted to his wife.
"Madam! What happened?"
"Dear...!"
Spotting him, the countess stumbled toward him with a tearful expression and collapsed into his arms.
"Madam, I'm here now. Calm yourself."
"Hoo... Hoo..."
"......"
Patting his wife snug in his embrace, the count eyed the servants.
Their faces mixed bewilderment, fear, and injustice. Better to step back and assess carefully rather than take sides.
"So, Madam, what exactly happened?"
"Hoo... This morning, the servants were passing around the most... indecent drawing."
"Indecent drawing?"
"Look at this!"
Slipping from his arms, she retreated, trembling hands unfolding the paper to show him a page.
'A newspaper...?'
A lewd drawing in a newspaper? Baffling, but with her cheeks and ears flushed in rage, he couldn't say so. He examined the page intently.
What met his eyes was an elf whose clothes clung wetly, translucent against her skin.
The count's first thought upon seeing the elf: 'Lewd.'
Her undergarments blatantly visible, calves bare below the skirt, hair styled innocently like a girl's—yet the mature body below screamed womanhood. The imbalance gripped a man's heart.
Yet another thought brushed his mind: 'Beautiful.'
A near-perfect feminine form, beauty that made one question if lust was even permissible.
Less a person, more a fairy.
Less a woman, more a sculpture.
Like a work of art—stirring primal desire one moment, awe and praise the next.
"Ah..."
"Dear?"
"Hah...!"
As he savored the elf's beauty in the image, his wife's dubious voice pierced his ear.
Snapping to, he looked up from the paper to meet her sharp glare.
"Ah, y-yes... Quite indecent indeed."
"Exactly!"
Survival instinct kicked in; he agreed emphatically.
Convinced he'd been too shocked to speak, she trembled with rage and vented.
"To circulate something like this—how utterly vulgar...!"
"Ah..."
Now the count grasped the situation.
"Madam, I understand your feelings, but calm down and hear me out."
"Haa... Fine."
"This newspaper is mine to read. It carries news from across the empire, but today it strangely features this drawing. The servants must have been flustered too. Since it's mine, they couldn't dispose of it arbitrarily."
"Ah..."
Color drained from her face; her dazed eyes regained focus.
Realizing her mistake, she glanced at the paper and servants, biting her lip.
"I... I'm sorry. I got too worked up and vented unjust anger on you all."
"Hah...!"
As she bowed slightly in apology, relief washed over servants and count alike, sighs echoing.
"I'll make amends for this someday, so return to your duties for now."
"Yes, Madam."
Having promised compensation, she released the detained servants.
"Well done, Madam."
"No, it was my fault—how was that well done? I should have listened to them..."
"Admitting it late is better than not at all. The servants will understand."
The count approached, patting her shoulder.
She stared gloomily at the paper, gripped it tightly, then met his eyes.
"Dear, cancel this indecent newspaper immediately."
"Hm, is that really necessary... Hah...!"
"What did you say?"
Reflexively denying it, he saw her expression chill and clamped his mouth with both hands, realizing his blunder.
But words spilled couldn't be easily retrieved.
Trembling, she backed him against the wall, jabbing his chest with a finger, unleashing her fury.
"You...! You like this sort of thing that much?! Even I could..."
Glancing at the image mid-rant, she trailed off, unable to claim she could match it, her face falling into gloom.
"Madam...?"
Seeing her plunge from anger into self-deprecation, he called softly.
"...You've grown tired of an old woman like me too, haven't you?"
"Madam, that's not—!"
Hugging his now self-loathing wife tightly, the count faced the trial of proving his love from morning.
Meanwhile, the young noble responsible for commotions large and small across the empire...
"This is a letter from the imperial family to Sir William."
📜 Imperial Decree 📜 [His Majesty feels great joy at your endeavors and offers his praise.] [Your request is accepted; knights shall be dispatched until no longer needed.] "Wow!"
Grinning boyishly, he rejoiced at His Majesty the Emperor's praise and the knights dispatched by the imperial messenger.