Is Living as a Traitor Inherently Wicked?
Is living as a treacherous minister a despicable act?
Are only vile creatures the ones who walk that path?
There was a time when I believed exactly that.
That anyone who stooped to such behavior was inherently rotten, born with the soul of a backstabber.
But I was wrong.
Over the past year I learned the hard way that sometimes a person has no choice but to become a treacherous minister if they want to survive.
So I made up my mind to quit this wretched job.
If only to keep my head attached to my shoulders.
“So, what exactly is this?”
“My letter of resignation, Your Majesty.”
Cecilia Campbell Eckhart, the first empress of the Eckhart Empire, let out a low, thoughtful hum after hearing my answer.
We stood inside her private office, reserved exclusively for the empress.
Because this was the final destination for every important document in the palace, the room was perpetually buried under towering stacks of paperwork.
Those endless piles were handled by four people: the empress herself, her two childhood friends and ladies-in-waiting Flora and Mulia, and me—Luke Nedville, her chief personal secretary.
Under normal circumstances I would have already taken my seat and begun sorting through the documents.
But after a full year of this madness, I had done more than enough.
I had waited for this day so long I could almost cry with relief.
Cecilia rested her chin on her hand, narrowing her eyes as she stared at the envelope in her right hand.
Seated upon her ornate throne, she looked like a painting come to life no matter how many times I saw her.
Waist-length golden hair that gleamed with a healthy luster, skin as white as fresh milk, and features so perfectly balanced they might have been sculpted from the finest porcelain.
She truly deserved every word of praise for her elegant, breathtaking beauty.
There was only one exception.
Those blood-red eyes that made her seem like a dangerous predator.
“A letter of resignation…”
Cecilia murmured the words, her brow furrowing in clear displeasure.
I had prepared myself for a scolding the moment I decided to submit it, yet the tension still made my stomach tighten.
The silence was so complete I could hear myself swallow.
Without another word she tore the envelope open with her fingers and quickly scanned the resignation letter inside.
“Luke. Is this truly your reason?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
I bowed at the waist and answered in my most respectful tone.
Cecilia made a small, irritated sound, clearly unhappy.
Then, without warning, she began reading my letter aloud.
“Having spent a glorious year serving as Your Majesty’s chief personal secretary, I must regretfully inform you that my health has recently begun to deteriorate…”
While she read, I slowly straightened my back, watching her expression carefully.
That was when I sensed movement beside me.
Flora and Mulia had approached.
Flora watched the scene with obvious amusement, her eyes curved in a smile, while Mulia wore her usual stoic expression.
The fact that they had moved closer at all meant they were just as concerned as I feared.
“Hmm. So the reason you submitted this resignation is that overwork has ruined your health and you wish to resign your post as chief personal secretary?”
“Overwork? Not at all, Your Majesty.”
In truth it was absolutely because of overwork.
Imagine receiving more than a thousand documents every single day without fail.
And only four people here to handle them all.
On top of that, Cecilia was a strict principle-abiding ruler who refused to allow any rest outside of scheduled breaks.
But that was not the core reason.
I also wanted to avoid the disaster that would eventually befall both me and my family.
“Even without a direct statement, the implication is obvious from the context, is it not?”
“Absolutely not! While Your Majesty works so hard, any hardship I endure is nothing in comparison…”
“Then am I to understand that you currently have no serious health issues?”
“……”
Damn it. The words had slipped out all wrong.
I had tried to flatter her and ended up tightening the noose around my own neck.
“What do the two of you think? Is this reason acceptable?”
The empress turned to her ladies-in-waiting.
“Not at all. We work together every day, after all. Hohoho.”
“I share Flora’s opinion.”
Flora answered in a voice as light as a spring breeze while Mulia spoke in her usual businesslike tone.
Cecilia gave a single satisfied nod at their responses.
Then her gaze returned to me.
“However, believing that simply having no problems today means you will be fine in the future would be a grave miscalculation.”
Huh?
Was she actually going to accept my resignation?
“Luke.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
She let out a deep sigh.
“You are aware of the imperial regulation that requires a full day of careful consideration before any resignation can be approved, are you not?”
“Of course, Your Majesty.”
I bowed my head once more.
Honestly, if it meant escaping this position as chief personal secretary, I was willing to endure a single day of waiting without complaint.
“However, I have no desire to follow that rule. I have already made my decision.”
The consideration period existed to give both the emperor and the official one last chance to reconsider.
Therefore, it could be waived at the ruler’s discretion.
Such cases were rare, but not unheard of.
“This is my answer.”
Her calm voice was followed by a sharp sound.
Riiip!
The resignation letter was torn in half right before my eyes.
But she was not finished.
Cecilia continued ripping it into tiny shreds until it was nothing but confetti.
The letter I had agonized over for an entire week…
“Oh my. So you had enough free time to waste an entire week worrying about something so utterly worthless?”
Crap!
I must have muttered that out loud.
I clapped a hand over my mouth, but the damage was already done.
“Flora. Mulia. Restrain Luke.”
At Cecilia’s icy command, Flora wrapped her arms around me from behind while Mulia seized my left arm and pulled it tightly against herself.
The soft, yielding sensation of their bodies pressed against my back and arm was impossible to ignore.
Yet I could not afford to be distracted.
Cecilia had risen from her throne and was walking straight toward me.
“Y-Your Majesty?”
“I believe a thorough inspection is necessary.”
Her hand moved like lightning, plunging into the inner pocket of my jacket.
“Oh? It appears there was more than one copy.”
The three additional letters of resignation I had carefully hidden were discovered at once.
This was bad.
“I do not like this.”
Cecilia coldly tore the remaining letters to pieces and scattered them across the carpet.
Then she grabbed my collar and pulled my face close to hers.
So close that I could feel her breath on my skin.
There was nothing remotely romantic about the moment.
Staring into those wide, threatening crimson eyes, I felt my legs go weak.
“Luke. Did you truly believe I would simply stand by and watch a capable secretary like you walk away?”
I would be incredibly grateful if you did, actually…
But her overwhelming presence crushed the words before I could speak them.
“If I followed my heart, I would correct your manners here and now. But in recognition of your competence, I shall overlook that much. However.”
She paused, her gaze growing even sharper and more predatory.
“Burn this into your memory. You are never permitted to leave my side. Never.”
The intense laser-like stare she fixed on me was no mere threat.
It burned with a dangerous, fervent possessiveness toward everything she claimed as hers.
The moment I recognized it, only one thought flashed through my mind.
I'm screwed!