The Noble's Urgent Plea
After the monster extermination agreement was finally wrapped up, the next motion that came up was handled without any real trouble.
The Imperial Faction nobles, eager to atone for their failure to actively offer troops for the monster hunt, poured out their passionate opinions to Empress Cecilia with all their might.
Though it was somewhat embarrassing to see the nobles who had previously played it safe in the most critical moments now prancing around like fools.
“I appreciate your valuable advice. I’ll consider it carefully.”
On the other hand, the Marquis faction remained completely silent, as if they were collectively protesting the Duke Montersen’s suggestion being ignored.
How utterly petty.
The Imperial Faction nobles were cowards.
‘So that’s why the empire fell in the future.’
The fact that I, who already knew the future, felt the same way showed just how inevitable it was.
Either way, I was grateful to have gotten through the crisis.
If I hadn’t thought of another solution, Empress Cecilia might have accepted the Marquis’s proposal to ensure the empire’s safety.
If she had, the monster hunt would have succeeded, and he would have demanded an unwanted marriage with his son.
Then Duke Montersen would have freely manipulated the empire from behind the scenes.
Conversely, if she had refused the proposal and the hunt failed, she would have borne the heavy responsibility.
I had nearly been sent into exile over it.
‘Thankfully, it was all thanks to the Imperial Faction offering guards from the palace….’
Looking back now, it had been a truly nerve-wracking moment.
I had bet on it all myself.
“……”
While Empress Cecilia and the Imperial Faction nobles continued their discussion, a strange tingling sensation tickled the back of my neck.
I rolled my eyes around the room and met the gaze of Duke Montersen.
“……”
The stare aimed at me was filled with pure venom.
Well, I couldn’t blame him.
He had lost his chance to satisfy his greed thanks to me.
If I could, I would have flipped him the middle finger.
Unfortunately, there were too many higher-ups around, so I couldn’t.
‘In any case, I’ll have to keep my eye on that old man from now on.’
I wouldn’t let it go just because I had been stopped once.
The moment Cecilia showed even the slightest opening, he would strike there.
“With that, I conclude today’s meeting.”
As Cecilia rose from her throne, the nobles followed suit and stood.
The moment she finished receiving their greetings, she turned sharply toward the exit.
I quickly followed after the Empress.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The butlers opened the doors for us to leave.
Cecilia walked briskly down the corridor without a word for a while.
Then she suddenly stopped dead in the middle of the hallway.
If I hadn’t moved quickly, we would have collided.
“Luke. Thank you.”
“It’s nothing. I was only doing what I had to…”
“As you can guess, my imperial authority isn’t as solid as it once was.”
“……”
She suddenly dropped a question that left me speechless.
While I stood there unable to answer, she slowly turned toward me.
I quickly lowered my head.
“Look at me.”
The order came at once.
Her tone was commanding when addressing the nobles in the audience hall, but now it was softer.
“Yes.”
“There will be many more times when I need your assistance. When that happens, don’t hesitate—speak your mind. I can exercise whatever power is necessary to protect my people.”
“……”
My mouth went dry for a moment.
In other words, she had just admitted to acknowledging me!
‘Ah, this is complicated.’
Having been recognized by my superior was enough to make me happy.
Especially coming from someone of the highest standing in the Eckhart Empire.
But I had already decided to escape the empire.
By the time that happened, her recognition would be completely useless to me.
“Answer?”
“Your Majesty’s grace is overwhelming.”
“You may return.”
I followed after Empress Cecilia toward the office.
* * *
That afternoon, the office was so busy there wasn’t even time to enjoy a cup of tea.
In addition to the usual paperwork, I had to carefully arrange the supplies for the Imperial Knights stationed in the northern region.
Normally such a large-scale departure would take days to prepare, but Baron Ringel’s desperate plea had changed everything.
Who got dragged into the mess?
Me, of course. Damn it.
…Actually, it included Empress Cecilia, Flora, Mulya, and the staff from the relevant departments.
No matter what, the fact that I had to move around busily never changed.
Moving a large number of people to the northern region would take at least two weeks.
I had to check the food stockpile and the condition of the wagons carrying supplies, then report everything to the Empress.
There were also countless small things I had to handle.
Fortunately, the Imperial Knights Master was in charge of weapons, so it was something at least.
If not, I might have collapsed from overwork…
In the end, after working day and night, all preparations for the 2,500-strong Knights’ deployment were complete in just one day.
The next day.
I had to wake up an hour and a half earlier than usual.
This was because Empress Cecilia had personally decided to preside over the deployment ceremony.
Cecilia headed to the training grounds with my and the maids’ support.
There, 2,500 knights were already lined up neatly in front of the stage.
“You will wait here.”
I handed Cecilia the paper with the deployment order written on it.
She had been writing it during work the previous day.
Just before stepping onto the stage, she unfolded the paper and read the order carefully.
She looked like she was checking for anything odd one last time.
After a moment, she nodded and rolled up the paper.
“I’ll be back shortly.”
We all bowed deeply toward Cecilia’s retreating back.
Now the only task for me and the maids was waiting.
To wait below until she finished the ceremony.
“Wow. Seeing you all lined up like this is so cool.”
Flora, standing beside me, sighed softly with admiration.
“We rarely come to the training grounds, after all.”
“That’s right.”
Mulya remained silent, ignoring our conversation.
Meanwhile, Cecilia had climbed onto the stage, and the Imperial Knights Master’s booming voice echoed.
“Hail to Her Majesty Empress Cecilia, Mother of the Empire!”
The knights saluted with perfect precision.
“Their training is excellent.”
“Yeah, our family’s soldiers aren’t even close.”
This time, Flora and Mulya exchanged light remarks.
Since I had nothing to add, I kept my mouth shut.
Our family didn’t train soldiers of our own.
“Attention!”
The Imperial Knights Master took the order from Cecilia, and the knights stood at attention.
Watching them reminded me of a painful memory.
Anyone who had served in the military back home would know exactly what this was like.
…Suddenly I felt like I was about to break.
But I had nowhere else to look.
If I stared at anything else, it would only make it weirder.
So I was forced to watch the entire ceremony.
‘This is torture….’
The only way to escape this torture was for the ceremony to end.
The problem was that Cecilia was still reading the order aloud.
In short, she said something like this:
The northern region is far and dangerous, but the safety of the empire depends on your hands, so do your best.
‘Hah. The middle captain from back home is haunting me again…’
No, I should push that thought out of my head.
I shook my head vigorously.
“Mr. Luke? Why are you doing that?”
“Ah, just my throat feels a bit sore.”
“Yeah, yesterday was really busy.”
“You’re right. But thanks to that, the deployment preparations were finished so quickly. I think it’s all thanks to Your Majesty and us working hard.”
Flora gave me a playful smile.
Of course, I wasn’t the only one suffering.
“That’s right, Marquis Lady.”
“Yes.”
Mulya also answered concisely, revealing her feelings.
While we chatted quietly, the order was finally finished.
“May the good fortune of the knights be with you!”
“We thank Your Majesty!”
The knights answered with thunderous voices in response to Cecilia’s cheer.
Finally, the Imperial Knights Master led his subordinates out of the training grounds.
Cecilia only descended from the stage after all of them had left.
“Thank you for your hard work, Your Majesty.”
We three bowed at the same time to greet her.
“It’s time to head to morning business, Luke.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Did you contact them about when the reinforcements would arrive?”
“They said yesterday that all of them would arrive at the palace by afternoon.”
“I see.”
Cecilia nodded once and walked toward the imperial palace, and we followed right behind her.
From now on, another war with paperwork…
I hope I can make it through today safely.
* * *
After morning business ended, lunch time arrived.
Today’s lunch menu was also quite generous.
Having eaten with the Empress, Flora, and Mulya for a month, I had learned quite a bit about their eating habits.
Cecilia ate only enough to feel her stomach was comfortably full.
Mulya was a light eater.
In contrast, Flora was the type who had to taste every dish prepared.
They had completely different personalities, and it was obvious.
“Everyone, take your time and enjoy your meal.”
After finishing, Cecilia stood up and said that.
“Your Majesty, would you like to play a game of chess with me?”
The one who spoke was Mulya.
Cecilia agreed and took her out of the dining room.
“Does Marquis Lady Simonian not like chess?”
“Compared to Your Majesty and Mulya, I’m not very good at it.”
“Hmm. I had a feeling that was the case.”
“What do you mean by ‘I had a feeling that was the case’?”
A strangely sly smile appeared on Flora’s face.
“Ah, it’s not a strange meaning. It means that chess doesn’t suit Marquis Lady Simonian’s image. She always makes the surroundings enjoyable with her bright energy.”
“Haha. Mr. Luke is really eloquent.”
“Thank you for the compliment, Marquis Lady.”
We smiled at each other.
“To help with digestion, how about a walk?”
“Sure.”
The place we headed was the garden behind the imperial palace.
It was a place I often visited, and every time I came it felt wonderful.
Flowers that changed with the seasons, a large pond in the center, and a bridge crossing over it.
Flora hummed a tune while strolling on the bridge, and I walked at the same pace beside her.
“By the way, I heard a rumor yesterday.”
Flora stopped walking, turned toward me, and looked up at me slightly.
“They say that the day before yesterday Your Majesty was in a tough spot, but Mr. Luke helped her.”
“Really?”
“I’m curious about the details, so can you tell me just a little?”
This… should I tell her?