A Spark of Genius Amidst the Paperwork
After wrapping up some quick tasks, I head out for breakfast. Soldiers are stationed all over the Imperial Palace. Looking at the guards deployed even inside the Gold Area, I think to myself, My mother-in-law must find this incredibly suffocating. But after the attempt on Theodora's life and Joy's kidnapping, this level of security is unavoidable. Thank goodness they failed. If, by some horrible chance, Theodora had died or Joy had been taken... Just the thought of it makes my head spin. Soon, I reach the dining room and push the door open.
Creeeeak!
Theodora, Joy, and my mother-in-law—whom I haven't seen in quite a while—all turn to look at me, their faces lighting up with bright smiles. "My dear son-in-law! I heard you had finally woken up. How is your body feeling? Are you alright?"
I nod respectfully at my mother-in-law's warm greeting. "Yes, Mother. I woke up yesterday. I should have paid my respects to you immediately, but... some urgent matters arose. Please forgive my tardiness."
At my apology, the Empress Dowager shakes her head and rises from her seat. "No, please. I have no right to receive such apologies from you." She walks over with light, graceful steps and takes my hands in hers. "Thank you... for not abandoning my daughter in that perilous moment... and for protecting her..."
A soft chuckle escapes my lips. Seeing her hold my hands so tightly in gratitude, I offer her a warm, reassuring smile. "Please, think nothing of it. Theodora is my one and only beloved wife. I merely did what any husband would do."
"Ugh..." I hear someone let out a faint, strangled gasp at my words, though I can't quite tell who it is.
"Thank you, truly... Because you protected Theodora and handed command over to Agrippa, Joy was able to return to us safely as well."
"No, Mother. If anything, I should have anticipated the threat and stopped it beforehand. I can only apologize for failing to prevent it entirely." Her endless stream of gratitude is starting to feel a bit overwhelming.
"Mother, please, that is enough," Theodora interjects. "You are making him uncomfortable."
"Yeah, Mom, stop it," Joy chimes in. "Brother-in-law needs to eat his breakfast so he can go to work." I look at them, slightly puzzled. Theodora's cheeks are dusted with a light blush, while Joy's eyes are sparkling with intense curiosity. "Oh, my... look at me, losing my head," the Empress Dowager says softly. "Please, sit and eat, my son-in-law."
Breakfast begins. A maid places plates of delicious-looking sandwiches in front of the Empress Dowager, Theodora, and Joy... and then, to my confusion, sets a bowl of clear soup in front of me. "Wait, what...?" Seeing my bewildered expression, Theodora looks at me apologetically. "The physician insisted that you must stick to soup until this morning. Please bear with it for now, and I'll have them prepare a special feast for you starting this evening."
I had nothing but soup yesterday, too... But since it's doctor's orders, I have no choice. Resigned to my fate, I begin to spoon the soup into my mouth. Once breakfast is over, Theodora and I walk together toward the Grand Duke's Office, chatting along the way.
"Seriously, how is it that neither of you looked at a single judicial ruling?" At my exasperated question, Theodora avoids my gaze, looking sheepish. "Well... after what happened with Hans, I was worried. I was afraid that if I carelessly interfered, I might end up condemning an innocent person..."
The Hans case from not too long ago. It was a trial where I had used a Light Ball trick to expose the truth and declare Hans innocent. I recall hearing afterward that Leopard was the actual culprit.
"It's fine. But you are the Empress now; you cannot let fear paralyze you. As long as you carefully review any questionable details before signing off, you will be fine." Theodora nods gently at my words, though she still looks overwhelmed. "I know, but... there are just so many trial records to review."
She has a point. Between the court transcripts, evidence logs, incident reports, and autopsy findings, the sheer volume of paperwork is staggering. And civil cases are even more convoluted. Still, avoiding judicial duties simply because one is the sovereign is out of the question.
"Let's take it one step at a time. I'll be right there to guide you." I decide that I need to gradually teach Theodora the practical aspects of governance. That way, she can rule the Empire wisely without ever being branded a tyrant. Besides, I hate the thought of the Empire falling into utter chaos the moment I'm not around. After all, I am someone who will eventually leave this place.
Theodora looks up at me, startled. "Pardon?" "Why are you so surprised? This was originally your job anyway." Among the duties of the Emperor is the responsibility to review and authorize the execution of death sentences handed down by the High Court. She asks, still looking utterly dazed, "Is it... really alright for me to do that?" "Yes, of course it is."
As we converse, we arrive at the Grand Duke's Office. Müller and Lucius, who happen to be passing by, spot us. "Welcome back, Your Grace." "You've returned, My Lord." I give them a cheerful greeting. "Good morning, you two." At my bright tone, their eyes instantly glaze over like dead fish. "Your Grace... I feel like I'm going to die," Müller groans. "The Ministry of Finance threatened to tear me into five pieces if I don't get these documents approved by today! Please, save me!" Lucius begs.
As the two of them march toward me with desperate strides, I turn to look at Theodora for help... only to see her lifting the hem of her elegant dress and sprinting away. "Hahaha...?" I let out a hollow laugh.
An endless mountain of documents waiting for approval. "This is... absolutely relentless." I feel like I'm going to be crushed to death under this avalanche of paper. Why is it that the documents piled in my office never seem to decrease?
"There is still more, My Lord." A deep sigh escapes me as I watch Lucius carry in yet another towering stack of papers. "I've only been awake for a single day..." "If you do not sign off on these today, I will literally be torn into five pieces," Lucius replies with deadpan gravity.
Letting out another sigh, I flip to the next page. "Huh? Did Maximilian submit this?" I hand the paper over to Lucius, who scans it carefully. "Yes. He recently submitted a proposal regarding a method to efficiently recycle the thermal energy generated during chemical fertilizer production."
I read through the proposal with renewed interest. Utilizing thermal energy... The name of the proposer is Ea. She is another heroine from the original novel. "Was she attending the Imperial Academy during this period?" I ask. Lucius looks at me, slightly surprised. "Ah, yes. I believe Princess Ea is scheduled to graduate this term."
"You know of Princess Ea?" I ask, a bit surprised. "Of course, My Lord. She has such a striking appearance and presence. It would be stranger not to know her."
Creeeak! Just then, the door swings open and Müller trudges into the room. "Your Grace... please save me. The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are practically conspiring to skin me alive." "Haha... I feel like I'm about to be worked to death by you two as well, you know?" Lucius completely ignores my dry joke and turns to Müller. "Müller, didn't you take classes with Princess Ea?" Müller nods. "I did. Why do you ask about Princess Ea all of a sudden?" He looks at me with a puzzled expression. "Do you happen to know Princess Ea, Your Grace?" "No, I've never met her in person. I've only heard of her."
She is the youngest daughter of the Sardegna Kingdom, destined to become the greatest mage on the continent. She is also one of the heroines who would eventually vie for the position of the main wife in the original novel. Since this proposal came from someone of her caliber, it's hard to simply dismiss it. Deciding to give it a closer look, I study the document in detail. Hmm... overall, it seems a bit unrefined.
The proposal outlines various business ventures that could be pursued if gas-cooling magic and high-temperature, high-pressure maintenance magic could be successfully miniaturized. It lists a wide array of ideas, ranging from public bathhouses and winter ice-storage freezers to utilizing steam as a power source. Come to think of it, didn't I see a thesis about steam power recently? Yes, I definitely did. But since it was the day the assassins ambushed us, I have no idea where that paper ended up. In any case, even though this proposal was drafted by Ea, it's difficult to justify investing in it right now. We are currently reviewing investments for projects that can be launched immediately, so looking at a proposal that lacks concrete technology makes me click my tongue. The ideas aren't bad, but they aren't ready for immediate funding. Honestly, I have no idea how this even made it to my desk. I turn to Lucius. "Could you call Maximilian in for a moment?"
Lucius nods and leaves the room. A short while later, a young man wearing large glasses steps into the office. "Y-Your Grace, did you call for me? How is your recovery progressing?" As Maximilian approaches, I wave a hand dismissively. "Ah, I'm perfectly fine. I feel well enough to jump straight back into work today." Maximilian nods in relief. "That is wonderful to hear. I was honestly deeply worried because of the massive backlog of work waiting for you."
"Hahaha... Indeed. By the way, could you take a look at this?" I hand him Ea's proposal. Maximilian adjusts his glasses as he scans the pages. "Oh? Ah, this is Princess Ea's proposal." I nod. "Yes. But as you can see, this project isn't at a stage where we can immediately invest. Why did you accept it?" Under normal circumstances, it should have been rejected outright. It simply isn't a viable business venture at this moment. Miniaturizing cooling and high-temperature, high-pressure technologies to a practical scale would easily take a year or two.
"Ah! About that... Princess Ea heard about the Technology Investment Fund and agonized over it before submitting her proposal at the very last minute. She didn't have enough time to prepare it properly, but she definitely has the technology." I frown, puzzled by his phrasing. "What do you mean, 'she definitely has it'?" Maximilian looks slightly flustered. "Well... Princess Ea is actually working with our chemical fertilizer development team. It seems she achieved some significant breakthroughs in miniaturization while working there, and she came up with these business ideas based on those results."
I stare at him, utterly dumbfounded. "Wait. Why on earth did you allow a high-ranking noble from a foreign nation to participate in such a critical state project?" The Sardegna Kingdom is a sovereign nation that split from the Empire centuries ago. The fact that one of their royals is participating in a state-funded imperial development project makes my head spin. And wait a minute—if they already achieved breakthroughs in miniaturization, why did they hide it? Just as I am trying to figure out which of these absurdities to address first, Maximilian speaks up. "Well... Princess Ea is actually one of the very few 7th-Circle high mages in the entire world, so isn't it only natural to involve her?" I find myself completely speechless.
"Even so, this is highly irregular... And why did they hide their progress?" I was under the impression that this development was being handled strictly by the Academy professors. "Uh... well... that is... to secure more research funding..." A deep sigh escapes my lips. So they dragged their feet just to squeeze out more research funds, is that it? I'll deal with them later.
"Whew... Fine, whatever. The point is, the actual technology exists, right?" Maximilian nods quickly. "Yes, absolutely. But she said she couldn't write down the details because it's classified, so I just accepted the proposal for now." Hmm... "Is that so? In that case, tell Princess Ea to come to the Imperial Palace later. Tell her I wish to discuss this matter with her." "Yes, Your Grace. Understood. Oh!" Maximilian pauses just as he is about to leave. "Um... the chemical fertilizer development team was hoping you could release the funds as quickly as possible..." I let out a weary sigh. "I already signed off on that earlier. Go get it from the Ministry of Finance." Maximilian's face lights up with a bright smile, and he bows before scurrying out of the room.