Nonsense
Regina tilted her head and skimmed the first page of the documents.
“An inventory of the imperial palace’s assets?”
“For now, I’ve only brought the items in the Emperor’s Palace and the Empress’s Palace.”
She caught the implication in Conrad’s order—that she was to reclaim the Empress’s authority in earnest—and nodded.
“And the rest?”
The imperial palace was vast, with countless residences to manage. There had to be more than a few members of the imperial family living there, yet there was no inventory for anyone except Conrad.
At Regina’s question, Limutan hesitated for a moment before answering.
“Her Majesty the Grand Empress has not handed them over yet.”
“I see.”
Her slender white fingers tapped against the desk. The steady click, click of her fingertips was beautiful, yet strangely devoid of warmth.
If those hands formed a seal, they would surely unleash magic powerful enough to wipe out even a troll.
“Limutan.”
Limutan, who had been staring at Regina’s fingers, almost missed the call.
He turned too late and blinked at Regina’s gaze fixed on him.
“I called you, but it seems you didn’t hear me.”
“I-I’m sorry.”
He had to pull himself together. Limutan, who had witnessed Regina’s astonishing magic, treated her quite differently now.
He was not someone who opened his heart easily, but anyone with absolute power was worthy of reverence.
Especially for a knight of Fredericks, where strength was worshipped above all else.
“It seems Her Majesty the Grand Empress has no intention of giving up her grip on internal affairs.”
“That was to be expected.”
Still, the current Empress was Regina.
However long Chloe had held the Imperial Financial Rights, in the end they would have to be handed to Regina.
There’s no special law saying a Grand Empress can act in place of a living Empress and keep those rights, is there?
Since Fredericks law might differ from Ferman’s, she had to be careful.
If she attacked the enemy without enough preparation, she would only end up getting blindsided.
Thinking of how Chloe had sent people into the Empress’s Palace as if it were the most natural thing in the world, Regina gave Limutan another order.
“Bring me every document related to the imperial family’s power structure and the relevant laws.”
“All of them, ma’am?”
“Yes. All of them.”
She would move only after reviewing everything she had intended to check in the first place.
***
After the government meeting ended, Conrad summoned the retainers of the Madarin Barony, who had been waiting for him, into the audience chamber.
They had not been allowed into the meeting and had sat anxiously in the waiting room outside, only to shoot to their feet at the Emperor’s summons.
Nobles leaving the chamber recognized the Madarin crest and began whispering among themselves.
“Why are people from the Madarin Barony here?”
“Isn’t it obvious? His Majesty has submitted his marriage contract with Her Majesty the Empress, so now it’s time to rein in the house.”
“There isn’t even a proper elder in the Madarin Barony to speak of!”
“Exactly why it needs reining in. Otherwise, the retainers will start running wild as if they’re someone important.”
As Regina entered the imperial palace, interest in the Madarin Barony only grew by the day.
There were quite a few nobles who were suddenly straining their ears over a barony they had never even bothered to remember by name.
And that was not all.
If there had been even one collateral relative by blood to the Empress, they would have tried to attach themselves to that branch at once—but strangely enough, there were no in-laws or kin to be found.
“Did you find any collateral blood relatives?”
“Find them? We sent people near the estate, and they came back half dead.”
“Is that place really that dangerous?”
“No, it’s just so isolated that outsiders have a hard time getting in and out. They say if you’re not a local, you’re bound to lose your way.”
In truth, the Madarin Barony was so far from the capital that even if someone wanted to dig up dirt on Regina, they had no real means to do so.
There were so few Fredericks citizens living in Madarin territory to begin with that sending in spies would only get them discovered immediately.
“I did hear the Madarin Barony was short-handed, but I didn’t realize it was this bad.”
“I couldn’t find anyone with ties to that place either.”
The Madarin Barony, which had been passed down through a single direct heir, had lost even that heir’s parents by the time it reached Lena Madarin.
The young lady of Madarin, raised by retainers in the absence of her parents, had apparently been too frail as a child to even make her social debut.
“But isn’t the Madarin Barony’s ancestor a mage?”
“That’s why they say she can use magic….”
“I heard she even shot fire into the sky recently.”
“Good heavens, then we must welcome her properly. Hasn’t our empire gone too long with nary a mage to be found?”
“That must be why His Majesty brought her in as Empress so quickly.”
“So that’s why the retainers were summoned.”
As each noble voiced an opinion, the gears in their heads began to turn furiously.
The first mage Empress of Fredericks.
If she truly had the Emperor’s support, perhaps she could even force out the Grand Empress who had ruled the palace for so long.
Two men who happened to be passing by—one a spy from the Ferman Empire, the other a retainer of the Madarin Barony—could only listen to the nobles’ conversation.
“Your Majesty. The retainers of the Madarin Barony.”
“Send them in.”
Once permission was granted from inside, they had no choice but to stop eavesdropping. The two retainers swallowed dryly and entered the audience chamber.
Of them, Shiren was truly dying inside.
Why, exactly, did our princess have to—!
Regina had the ability to become a ruler worthy even of the throne of her homeland. And yet she was the Empress of the Fredericks Empire?
When he first stood before the Emperor, he had been too stunned to react, but the situation was different now.
He had spent days back at the Madarin manor trying to sort out his thoughts, but Shiren still could not accept what was happening.
Nonsense. A marriage contract, of all things.
He had talked at length with Theodore back at the manor, but reality remained unchanged.
If Martin had been there, things might have been a little different….
But Martin had gone to the borderlands after contact with the Ferman Empire was cut off, saying he would look for a way across to the other side.
I did want to leave Madarin territory, but not like this!
He had complained plenty about being trapped in the cramped manor as a spy for the Ferman Empire, about wanting to see a wider world. That did not mean he wanted to come to the imperial palace and face the enemy emperor one on one.
Shiren crossed the long audience chamber and met Conrad’s eyes from far across the room, where he sat upon the throne.
The jeweled throne was dazzlingly ornate, but the moment he saw Conrad, it seemed to lose all its brilliance.
Only those cool blue eyes remained.
Eyes like a predator’s—eyes that looked as though if he took one step back, they would lunge and tear him apart.
This is a bit much, Princess.
Grumbling inwardly about how on earth anyone could marry such a man, Shiren bowed gracefully from the waist.
“I greet the highest sword of the empire.”
Theodore, who had followed behind him, also bowed, and Conrad’s lips slowly parted.
“Rise.”
Conrad’s low voice echoed through the audience chamber.
Shiren straightened slowly, then cast a quick glance at Theodore standing beside him.
Relieved by Theodore’s calm expression and lack of any visible reaction, Shiren was able to meet Conrad’s gaze with some composure.
But only for a moment.
“I heard there was one more retainer supporting Madarin. Where is he?”
At the question, Shiren nearly had his legs give out beneath him.
Has he already investigated us? No way the Madarin information network has been compromised, right?
Cold sweat poured down his back. But he couldn’t very well consult Theodore in front of Conrad, so Shiren forced himself to remain calm.
“When the family’s lady went missing, he went outside the estate to search for her.”
“I see.”
Unable to answer for himself, Shiren was saved when Theodore stepped in.
“He should be back soon.”
“Hmm. I had originally intended to speak when all three of you were present… Still, once the remaining one returns, calling you all back here again wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
Conrad made it clear that no matter what, he intended to summon all three of them here again, and Shiren clenched his fists tightly.
The other nobles would never simply leave alone a house that had caught the Emperor’s attention. They would surely begin watching the barony.
And if, during that time, they discovered that he, Theodore, or even Martin was a mage, it would be disastrous.
After all, a mage was a rare enough commodity that if even one or two were hiding in a tiny territory like Madarin, anyone would suspect there had to be a reason.