An Invitation to Hell

Watching the two of them lock eyes, I cheered inwardly and pressed on. "Right. What is your name?"

At my question, the waiter scratched his cheek with a finger and replied, "Uh... my name is ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Lucius. But what do you mean by 'talent'?"

I nodded at Lucius, who was still struggling to grasp the situation. "Indeed. Lucius, you are a talent of this Empire."

First and foremost, he was the man who would rescue me from this awkward predicament, and in the future, he would likely become a core pillar in excavating the Empire's finest minds. Observing the blank stares on both Theodora's and Lucius's faces, I rushed to voice my thoughts. If Theodora found some pretext to object now, it would be incredibly difficult to dump my administrative workload on him later. I couldn't give them time to think. I had to seize control of the atmosphere and push my agenda.

"You mentioned you are a third-year student at the Academy, the pride of our Empire, correct? Furthermore, just moments ago, did you not express the view that the current political situation is unstable due to my weak position, and that King Yohanes will attempt to swallow the Empire whole?"

At my words, Lucius glanced nervously between Theodora and me, then squeezed his eyes shut. "That... that was a slip of the tongue due to my own foolishness."

I shook my head. "No, it was an incredibly accurate assessment."

Indeed, if my power were truly absolute, Yohanes would have remained quiet. He was a man who hadn't dared bare his fangs against the late Emperor, who wielded overwhelming might. Yohanes was an intensely pragmatic realist. In other words, under the current political climate, the leader of the Emperor's Faction was far stronger than the head of the ruined Anti-Emperor Faction. Since Yohanes commanded the support of the vast majority of the nobility, it was only natural for him to attempt to usurp the throne.

Theodora's eyes widened in surprise, clearly not expecting me to speak so candidly. Since I was echoing the very sentiments we had discussed not long ago, she would likely assume I shared her perspective.

"If either Theodora or I possessed the same level of support and power as the late Emperor, Yohanes would never have dreamed of showing his fangs. But we do not."

"Deviang..." Ignoring Theodora's soft, sorrowful murmur, I continued. "Just as you said, the Empire will undoubtedly be swept into a civil war."

In truth, I had absolutely no intention of honoring the secret pact I had made with Yohanes. The civil war would likely erupt from that very point. If I handed Joy over, Yohanes would unquestionably try to usurp the Empire. Besides, on a personal level, marrying off my cute and lovely sister-in-law to Yohanes's son—who was vastly older than her—was something I simply couldn't bring myself to do to her.

"I offer my respect to your foresight and insight in predicting this. Which brings me to my point—would you be interested in working at the Grand Duke's Office?"

Lucius looked utterly bewildered. "Uh... me? But I am merely a third-year student at the Academy."

I nodded. Even a third-year student was highly competent by imperial standards. While graduating and obtaining a degree would be ideal, highly educated individuals were so scarce in this world that many second- and third-year students were routinely scouted by major merchant guilds.

"Though you are still a student, are you not a highly qualified intellectual? If you agree, I will use my authority to appoint you as my personal aide immediately."

At my offer, Lucius's eyes darted back and forth as he fell into deep thought, before he suddenly turned to Theodora. "By the way, Your Majesty... what is that hand gesture you are making?"

"Hmm? What hand gesture?" At Lucius's puzzled question, I turned to look at Theodora. She quickly put on an innocent face, though a trace ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of pity lingered in her eyes. "I... whatever do you mean? What hand gesture would I be making?"

"You were definitely frowning and dragging the edge of your hand across your throat just now, were you not?"

I didn't know what she was doing, but since it clearly didn't fit the current conversation, I spoke up on her behalf. "Ahem... Well, Theodora was likely just playing a joke. In any case, what do you say? The salary will be extremely generous, and as my aide, you will wield significant authority and power."

Of course, you will also be working overtime every single day. Suppressing my inner joy at having successfully snared a new administrative slave, I spoke with a perfectly calm exterior.

"May I discuss this with my family before giving you an answer?"

I nodded readily. "Of course you may. Take your time to think it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠over."

With those words, I pulled a fountain pen and a small notepad from my breast pocket and hastily scribbled a temporary pass to grant him entry to the Grand Duke's Office.

Rip!

"Here, take this." As I handed him the torn slip of paper, Lucius looked at it with a puzzled expression. "This is...?"

"It is a pass to the Grand Duke's Office. If you present this, the guards will not stop you when you enter the Imperial Palace or my office."

Seeing the deeply moved expression on Lucius's face, I smiled. "Now then, let us finish our meal."

Clack, clack... Silence hung heavy inside the carriage heading back to the Imperial Palace.

"By the way, how did you know to find me there?"

Flinch. At my question, Theodora's shoulders, which had been turned toward the window, visibly tensed.

"That is..." I waited patiently for her to speak, and before long, she finally opened her mouth. "I had you followed. You have been sneaking out of the palace every two weeks."

Staring at her back, I fell into contemplation. In the original novel, she had been a character with an incredibly obsessive possessiveness over what belonged to her. That was why it had come as such a fresh shock to readers when she willingly entered the Hero's harem. The scene where the proud, obsessive imperial princess, driven mad by a thirst for revenge, surrendered her body to the harem-building Hero was admittedly rather erotic.

"Sigh... I see." With those words, silence descended upon us once more.

"But... did you... did you really stay out all night because of that man?" She slowly turned her head to meet my gaze. I nodded calmly. "Yes. Why do you ask?"

In truth, my nights out were spent eating delicious food in Roman, listening to the songs of busking bards, and watching street performances. I had merely run into an Academy student by chance, realized he was surprisingly useful, and used him as a convenient excuse. But if I told her the truth, Theodora—who had been buried under a mountain of dumped paperwork today—would undoubtedly fly into a rage. I had to keep it hidden at all costs.

"Hmph... Liar." Theodora shook her head. "I am not a fool. That man was clearly seeing you for the first time today. Anyone who listened to even a fraction of your conversation could tell you two only met just now."

Ah... In my desperation to escape the situation, I had completely overlooked that detail. "That... well, that is..."

Theodora shook her head at my stammering. "I do not know what drives you to leave the palace, but at the very least, I know it is not because of another woman. You probably just wanted to look around the city outside the palace walls, much like Joy does."

Joy had long been rumored to love sneaking out of the palace. I let out a bitter chuckle. "And here I thought I had executed a flawless cover-up." Looking back, it was incredibly sloppy.

"That is why I did not press the matter earlier to save your face, but I had a vague idea." I nodded in agreement. "You are right. Being cooped up inside the palace doing nothing but work felt suffocating. I wanted to clear my head and inspect the city incognito, so I went out whenever the night market opened." Since I had already been caught, there was no point in continuing the lie.

At that, a faint blush crept onto Theodora's cheeks. She opened her mouth as if to speak, then closed it again. Was there something she wanted to say? I watched her hesitate and waited for her to find her words.

"Then... take me with you next time."

"What?" Her request was entirely unexpected.

"I said, take me with you the next time you go out." I nodded. "Sure, let's do that." After all, going out together would be far more entertaining than wandering alone. I figured she must also feel suffocated, being confined to the palace under the constant pretext of security.

As I voiced my thoughts, a radiant smile bloomed on Theodora's face—a dazzlingly beautiful smile. "Is that a promise?" I nodded. "Of course. What is so difficult about going out together? Should we bring Joy along as well?"

Smack! For some reason, my suggestion seemed to sour her mood. Theodora glared at me and slapped my chest. "Are you seriously asking that?"

"Huh? Wouldn't Joy want to go out too?" She was rumored to frequent Roman in the past, so I figured she would love the idea. As for security... well, we could manage somehow if we wore disguises.

While I was busy plotting our disguises, Theodora let out a deep sigh. "You are usually such a genius, yet you can be an absolute fool at times like this."

I blinked in confusion. "Huh? What do you mean?" Theodora turned her head away, sounding thoroughly annoyed. "Hmph, forget it." Seeing her pout over whatever it was, a gentle smile tugged at my lips. She was... rather cute.

Then, Lucius's earlier words flashed through my mind. 'You were definitely frowning and dragging the edge of your hand across your throat just now, were you not?' "Ah, that reminds me. What was Lucius talking about earlier? What was that gesture about?"

Theodora stared at me with dead, unimpressed eyes. "Do you really have to ask that at a moment like this?" Sensing the slight edge in her voice, I gave an awkward smile. "Well... I was just curious?"

"It was exactly what it looked like. I felt pity for a naive student who knows nothing about you, walking straight into hell with his own two feet." I let out a chuckle. "Pfft... what on earth is that supposed to mean?"

Theodora shook her head. "But are you truly going to employ him?" I smiled. "Of course. And if there are other exceptionally talented students at the Academy, I will recruit them as well. In fact, once we have some breathing room, it would be wise to establish a scholarship foundation."

For students facing financial hardships, nothing was more precious than a scholarship. Distributing ample scholarships would win the favor of impoverished yet brilliant minds, making it far easier to recruit them down the line. Hehe... if it means securing a vast army of administrative slaves for the Empire, a scholarship fund is a dirt-cheap investment.

At my words, Theodora's face turned slightly pale. "You... you are a literal demon..."

After finishing his shift, Lucius collapsed onto his bed. "Whew... the Grand Duke's Office..." He slowly sat up, threw his arms wide, and let out a bright, ecstatic grin. "Hehe... I got a job! A real job!"

While others had to sweat through grueling civil service exams just to secure mid-level government posts after graduating from the Academy, Lucius felt an immense surge of pride that the Grand Duke himself had personally offered him the position of aide. "Hehe... my family is going to lose their minds when I tell them tomorrow."

If anyone were asked to name the most powerful institution in the Empire right now, they would undoubtedly point to the Grand Duke's Office. Lucius stood up and stared at the invitation pass resting on his desk, lost in thought.

Lucius was utterly intoxicated by the memory. He was deeply moved by the Grand Duke's words, which had recognized him as a true talent. Overwhelmed with emotion at having finally met a master who appreciated his worth, Lucius clutched his chest. "Aah... I knew it. I really am a genius." The Grand Duke's unwavering gaze and firm words had left a profound impression on him.

Should I go first thing tomorrow? No, to maximize my value, it is better to play hard to get and wait a bit. Although he had told the Grand Duke he would think about it, Lucius had absolutely no intention of declining the offer. Working at the Grand Duke's Office meant becoming a top-tier official with an astronomical salary and immense authority. Moreover, he wouldn't be a mere clerk, but the Grand Duke's personal aide. Realizing that this position would allow him to exert massive influence over the entire Empire, a smug grin spread across Lucius's face.

Having decided to employ some strategic push-and-pull, Lucius began to fantasize about how he would spend his massive salary. If things go well, I can buy a house, marry a daughter from a prestigious noble family... He was already painting a rosy, golden future in his mind.

At that moment, the image of the Empress's pale face, frantically waving her hand across her throat, briefly flashed in his mind... Well, what is the worst that could happen?

And exactly one month later, it was said that Lucius wept bitter tears of blood, deeply regretting the day he had ever accepted the Grand Duke's offer.