Beletria Lien Archesium (3)
Beletria Lien Archesium (3)
For now, I figured I'd look suspicious if I kept loitering outside the door, so I went inside the room.
Of course, that's assuming it wasn't a special case like Margaret.
There was almost zero chance of anyone spotting me on the second floor of the main palace, getting suspicious, and reporting me, though...
'I just got scared and came inside on my own.'
Anyway, now that I thought about how I went from a room worse than the commoner's house I used to live in, to this ridiculously fancy room that just makes me laugh looking at it, becoming my living quarters...
I briefly thought that even if the marriage proposal issue didn't get resolved well, I could probably live out the rest of my life quite happily.
Of course, that was, quite literally, just for a moment.
Now that I had hope that I could live, I was going to make sure I survived, go back, and propose to Ersil Ignethia.
I tossed my leather bag onto the floor and stood tall in the middle of the room.
The flashy decorations hanging from the ceiling and the gold-embroidered curtains kept tempting me, but I didn't have the luxury to appreciate such extravagance right now.
'There's definitely some kind of trap.'
No matter how I thought about it, there was no way that woman, the mad tyrant Emperor, would let me, a hostage, sleep peacefully.
Especially in the room right next to her own bedroom.
So, the first thing I had to do was identify any potential dangers.
I closed my eyes tightly and brought both hands together in front of my chest.
While I was stuck in a corner of the Rehentra Royal Palace, back when the royal court mages only taught magic to my damn brothers...
I had stolen glimpses of those spells and learned them, so I activated the crude magic detection I'd managed to pick up.
"Hup."
As I took a short breath and focused even harder, cold sweat began to bead on my forehead.
And soon, strands of my pathetic magic, extending from my trembling fingertips as if there were an earthquake, began to scan every corner of the room.
Poison-tipped needles, surveillance magic circles carved into the ceiling, or perhaps a terrifying cursed barrier hidden under the bed.
I continued to focus, bracing myself for lethal devices that could threaten my life to pop out at any moment.
However.
"Huh...? This can't be right?"
The result of searching the room thoroughly for 10 minutes was incredibly anticlimactic.
Far from a trap, there wasn't even the sign of a single mouse.
There was only the faint energy of a top-tier magic stone that kept the room's temperature constant, in a room that was perfectly cleaned without a speck of dust.
Feeling a sudden sense of emptiness, I let my hands drop.
'There's really nothing?'
I let out a dry laugh because it was so absurd.
Without realizing it, I glanced back at the closed door.
'Did that tyrant really accept my marriage proposal and give me the room right next to hers?'
If that were really the case, I'd have to say the situation was getting weirder and weirder.
I had come here prepared to have my head chopped off after handing over the surrender document, but not only did I save my life, I was being treated like the Imperial Consort of the Empire.
If I wasn't careful, I could get dragged into a political struggle on a scale that made Rehentra look like nothing.
In the worst-case scenario, I could even get assassinated.
'... No, stop, that's enough for now.'
It's good to assume the worst-case scenario in any situation.
But you shouldn't get lost in the worst-case scenario you've assumed.
I pressed my temples with both hands and shook off all the stray thoughts.
Then, suddenly, my eyes landed on the massive bed that filled one side of the room.
Even if you combined all the beds used by that man I call my father, the Queen, and my brothers, they would still look shabbier than this one.
A pure white mattress that looked as fluffy as if they'd torn apart a cloud and balled it up.
"I never thought I'd live to see the day I get to sleep in a luxury bed like this."
I muttered nonsense without realizing it and threw myself onto the bed.
Along with a pleasant bounce that made it feel like my body was completely buried, a luxurious silk blanket wrapped softly around me.
It felt like the fatigue from four days and nights of rattling around in a cheap carriage was melting away like cotton candy.
I rolled around on the bed and buried my face deep into the pillow.
"Ugh, so fluffy."
Even while rolling around as if to completely blow away my fatigue, I didn't let my guard down.
'Comfort is comfort, but I need to keep my wits about me.'
If the Emperor found out the truth even tomorrow, this fluffy bed could become my grave.
After all, the reason Rehentra's surrender was accepted was thanks to the surrender document written in the King's own hand and the promise to send me, the 3rd Prince, as a hostage.
Furthermore, while resolving that issue, I also had to cleanly wrap up the matter of the marriage proposal.
'How can I explain this to nullify the marriage proposal?'
Or should I just act like a pure-hearted man who's fallen for the Emperor to save my life?
If I manage to survive safely until the day the Archesium Empire ends the war for continental unification.
How should I conduct myself then to escape the Empire's clutches and go to Ersil?
Dozens, hundreds of survival scenarios tangled and knotted in my head.
But perhaps because the tension had eased slightly thanks to the touch of the bed, which was fluffier than I'd imagined.
Or maybe it was the subtle, warm heat filling the room, but suddenly, a languid sensation, as if my body were melting, began to wrap around my entire being.
My eyelids slowly closed.
"Not yet... if I fall asleep..."
That was when it happened.
Knock, knock, knock—!
A cautious knock sounded from beyond the quiet door.
I managed to snap back to my senses at the sound, jumped up, opened the door carefully, and checked the face of the person who had knocked.
"Margaret-nim?"
It was Margaret, the head maid who had guided me to the room just a moment ago and left.
She looked down at me for a moment as I greeted her in an awkward posture, then swung the door wide open.
"Uh...? Wait...!"
"Prince Idelon Halden Rehentra, Her Majesty is looking for you. I will take care of unpacking your luggage and preparing all necessary daily necessities, so please proceed immediately to the conference room on the 1st floor."
Margaret, who had finished saying everything in almost a notification-like manner, without even waiting for my answer.
She pulled me out slightly, went into my room, and locked the door.
"......."
Since I had been kicked out so naturally, I couldn't think of anything.
So, I stared at my new, locked quarters for a moment before walking away.
1st floor of the main palace.
I asked a passing servant to confirm the location of the conference room, then walked as slowly as possible while organizing my thoughts.
'Why did she call for me all of a sudden?'
If she had called for me in the main hall, the audience chamber, or the office, I would have thought she wanted to talk about the marriage proposal.
Why did she call me to the conference room, which is the most secretive place besides the Emperor's bedroom?
'Could she be planning to demand an explanation about the surrender document right away?'
That was the most likely possibility.
No matter how much Beletria is the strongest swordsman in imperial history, war isn't something you fight alone.
Some, or perhaps more than half, of the nobles who supported the war, are proof that the war with the Rehentra Kingdom was definitively concluded with a victory.
She might have called me to demand an explanation as to why I haven't shown Leoser Halden Rehentra's handwritten surrender document.
In that case, what gesture should I take?
As I walked aimlessly while pondering that.
Before I knew it, a massive marble door with 8 knights standing in front of it, giving off an ominous vibe just by looking at them, appeared before my eyes.
I glanced at the knights and approached cautiously.
"What is your business?"
The knight holding a spear, who was closest to the door handle, blocked my path and asked.
"The Emperor and the Generals are currently in the middle of a meeting, so no one except those involved can enter. Please state your identity."
"Uh... ahem, I am Idelon Halden Rehentra. I have come at the call of Her Majesty, Emperor Beletria Lien Archesium."
"Idelon Halden... Ah, the one who proposed to Her Majesty...?"
Damn it, has the rumor already spread?
I was a bit flustered to see that even the guards knew about the proposal, but since meeting the Emperor in the conference room was the priority.
I nodded in affirmation.
The knight's expression seemed to turn slightly pale upon seeing that, and without further ado, he personally opened the door to the conference room.
'What is it? Did they think I was going to find fault with something?'
Nah, no way.
I just handed over that ridiculous marriage proposal and luckily saved my life.
I haven't even officially become the Imperial Consort yet, so there's no way they would treat me as the Emperor's man already, right?
I thought there was no way the Empire's Imperial Knights, rumored across the continent to be stuck-up, would walk on eggshells around me for just that reason.
I gave a rough nod and shoved myself straight into the conference room.
Along with the sound of the door closing, I felt air that was slightly cooler than outside.
The first thing that came into my view was the Empress sitting askew at the head of the long marble table.
And the people sitting below her as if lined up.
'Whoa, damn... how many stars are there?'
With four, three, or at least two stars embedded on the epaulets on their shoulders,
soldiers with vicious expressions were sitting in an orderly fashion around the Emperor, looking at me.
Even some of the female soldiers had faces that, if you looked at them casually, made you think they were men, um... they were impressive.
As expected, the Empire's generals have a different aura from the start.
Our Rehentra stars were all just pot-bellied pieces of crap filled with greed...
No, more than that, they are seriously scary.
They clearly weren't showing any reaction, just looking at me with eyes that said they weren't interested.
But why do I feel a killing intent as if a knife is being pressed against the back of my neck?
I swallowed dryly to myself and tried hard to keep my gaze fixed forward.
When the distance to the Emperor had narrowed appropriately, I stopped walking and politely bowed to show respect.
"I heard you called for me, Your Majesty."
As I opened my mouth cautiously, Beletria, who had been resting her chin on the armrest, scanned me lightly up and down without a word.
Just as the silence was about to drag on, her red lips slowly opened.
"I intend to welcome you not as a hostage of Rehentra, but as the man who will become my Imperial Consort."
"...!!"
At that moment, the shoulders of the officers sitting at the table flinched in unison.
However, Beletria continued speaking without caring.
"However, to be fully recognized by everyone in this vast empire as the man who holds the most powerful authority next to me, you must prove that you have the ability to match."
"......?"
I had no idea what she was trying to say, so I just blinked blankly.
Asking me to show my ability to be recognized as an Imperial Consort.
Did I come here to take an entrance exam for the Knight Commander or something?
I couldn't understand it in the end and tilted my head slightly, but the Emperor lightly ignored my reaction and dropped a bombshell in an icy voice.
"The Kingdom of Dharon, the next target of conquest for Archesium for the unification of the continent. I will entrust the entire war against that place to you."
"⋯⋯ Huh?"