The Trap Closes from Chapter 4 Onward
It had been a full thirteen days since we set out from the Nedville territory before we finally reached the capital of the Eckhart Empire, Deleson.
In the original story I would have arrived much earlier, but a week into the journey the carriage axle had snapped in two.
The long repair time that followed had cost us dearly.
Thankfully the nearest village had a carriage mechanic; otherwise we would have been in real trouble.
After so many twists and turns we finally reached Deleson.
My coachman, Hus, and I spent the first night at an inn near the palace.
At dawn I ate a quick breakfast with Hus in the ground-floor dining room.
“Young Master, I’ll head back to my room now.”
Before leaving Hus gave a respectful bow.
I had already told him the night before: the palace was only a fifteen-minute walk away, so we would go on foot.
I was not a court official, only a selected employee.
I had no desire to make myself noticeable by arriving in a grand carriage.
After turning the problem over in my head, the safest choice was to arrive quietly and on foot.
I packed my things and stepped back into the corridor. Hus was already waiting outside.
We dropped off the key at the counter and headed for the stables. Hus took the reins of our family’s brown horse and led the carriage out.
“Young Master Luke.”
Once everything was ready Hus turned to me.
“Work your way up to the very top in the palace! Do it, young Master!”
He threw out the words with a fierce fighting pose.
No. I had zero intention of that.
I would live as though I weren’t there and slip out quietly later.
How could I tell the truth to someone cheering me on?
“Alright, I’ll try my best.”
Only then did Hus relax and climb into the driver’s seat. I waved at him and walked toward the palace.
Compared with the remote Nedville territory, this place was crowded and the streets were clean. People dressed stylishly, and carriages appeared frequently.
But I had no time to enjoy the view. Only twenty minutes remained until the imperial entrance deadline at nine o’clock, so I had to move quickly.
When I showed the final selection documents to the palace guards, they let me straight into the imperial grounds.
Where on earth was I supposed to go now?
Out of habit I checked my pocket watch. Fifteen minutes until nine.
While I was still looking around, someone approached me.
“Excuse me. Are you one of the final selectees?”
The man looked like my father’s age and wore a black uniform embroidered with the imperial dragon emblem. He must have been an imperial staff member.
“Yes.”
I showed him my papers. He gestured for me to follow.
A carriage without a roof was waiting, already loaded with people of my own age.
“Get in the carriage. We’re leaving immediately.”
The moment I climbed aboard he sat in the driver’s seat and took the reins himself.
Thanks to him the journey inside the palace was fast and comfortable.
***
The staff member led the group to the small conference room. I checked the grandfather clock. Eight fifty-five.
We had arrived at exactly the right time.
I took one look around the room and nearly dropped my jaw. More people than I expected were already seated.
The ratio of men to women was almost even, and the ages ranged from my own to the thirties.
“Everyone, take any available seat. The Empress will enter at exactly nine.”
The staff member who had guided us left the room after saying those words.
Is this really the small conference room?
Roughly a hundred people or more were already gathered here.
If it’s this full, how enormous must the main hall be?
‘Come on, there are more important things to worry about right now.’
The Empress would be arriving soon, so I had to find a seat. The front rows were mostly empty, but I deliberately chose a corner chair at the very back.
That way I would be the least noticeable.
A few minutes later several palace attendants entered the room.
“Everyone stand up. Her Majesty Empress Cecilia Campbell Eckhart is about to enter!”
The moment they spoke, everyone rose as one.
Not a sound could be heard except the rustle of clothing. Everyone was tense.
I was tense too; my heart was pounding.
If I was this nervous, how about the others?
“Her Majesty is entering!”
The attendants’ announcement made everyone snap to attention.
A moment later a woman in a bright red dress appeared.
Cecilia Campbell Eckhart.
Current Empress of the Eckhart Empire and the first female ruler.
And the one who would destroy the empire in the original novel!
She walked slowly toward her throne with a stern, upright posture. She sat gracefully and looked out over us.
“We greet Your Majesty, the Sun of the Eckhart Empire and our Mother.”
Everyone bowed ninety degrees and offered a polite greeting.
A short silence followed, then the Empress’s voice echoed through the room.
“Look at me.”
Her voice was soft but carried a weight that made me feel small.
Was this the charisma of a tyrant?
Still thinking that nonsense, I straightened my spine. Only then could I see her clearly.
She was the complete opposite of what I had imagined a tyrant to be.
Waist-length glossy golden hair, so rich it looked almost painted on, combined with an intense and beautiful sheen that pulled every eye to her. Her hair had obviously been styled with care; it was flawless.
Her eyebrows matched the hair color perfectly, with the tips slightly arched, giving her a haughty cat-like look while also seeming quietly adorable.
But the instant I met her eyes, that adorable feeling vanished. Those eyes were like two embedded rubies, red as fresh blood. Today’s red dress made them even more striking, so she looked like a power-hungry ruler who starved for blood.
‘Is it just my prejudice again?’
I took another look, but the first impression remained unchanged. I lowered my gaze a little further.
The dress looked less voluminous than Emma’s…
‘No! I cannot think that way!’
I quickly shook the thought away.
“Everyone, thank you for coming today.”
The Empress’s calm, charismatic voice filled the room.
“I brought you all here because the palace needs excellent talent. I personally reviewed every document—your names, origins, abilities, and so on—and selected you. A total of one hundred fifty people are here.”
I had guessed there were many people, but one hundred fifty?
Half the population of our territory was crammed into this tiny room.
I suddenly realized just how small our little Nedville territory really was.
She paused for breath and began the actual explanation. She listed how many staff members each imperial department needed and what abilities they required.
Finance: accounting skill.
Trade: eloquence.
Security: martial skill.
Secretariat: well-rounded ability.
“One last thing.”
What was she about to say?
I stared at her small lips.
“Of the selected people, one has been chosen as my personal secretary. Just one.”
The words caused a ripple among the quiet group. The instant she commanded silence, the room fell deathly still.
‘One person? That means…’
Being chosen as personal secretary meant I would work directly under the Empress.
Whoever it turned out to be, I could say with certainty that the unlucky one would not be me.
I wasn’t worried in the slightest.
I was only the second son of a minor barony, and my abilities were nothing special.
Later I would laugh at myself inside.
“Then let’s begin with the Finance department.”
The Empress read from the paper in her hands and called out names one by one. Twenty-five people were chosen.
My name wasn’t called, but I felt no disappointment. There were still many departments left.
Next came Security. As expected, my name wasn’t called.
Then Trade and Personnel. Again, my name was absent.
Now only about fifty people remained.
At least I should have made it to Personnel…
‘So maybe the Secretariat is my best chance?’
I waited calmly for my name to be called, but it never came.
The remaining five people were announced.
By now my stomach was in knots. The fear that I might actually be chosen as the Empress’s personal secretary was unbearable.
Yet on the other hand, I still had hope. My lowly origins might turn out to be a sturdy backer here…
“The Secretariat selected: Hawk, Ian, Rumeni, and Carlos. Four people in total.”
I had believed it one hundred percent, yet I was still sitting alone in the room?
The Empress walked right up to me. Standing so close, she looked even more beautiful than from a distance. But that beauty seemed to hide something deadly.
“Luke Nedville.”
“Y-Yes, Your Majesty…”
“You are the second son of Baron Herald Nedville, recently came of age, and have been handling the territory’s affairs in your father’s place. Correct?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
It felt like I was being questioned…
No, that wasn’t the real issue right now.
“Luke Nedville. I have chosen you as my personal secretary.”
Out of all the unlucky ones, I had been the one picked.
This world really seemed determined to make me suffer.
Damn!