Chapter 95
A thick silence hung between the four of us seated in the Duke's study at the Chrysis Ducal Residence.
All of us were just glaring at the single letter on the desk. An envelope sealed with the imperial stamp lay discarded on the floor.
"......What should we do?"
In the wake of that heavy silence, I finally spoke up. No one answered my hollow voice, which sounded like it was directed at empty air.
Because none of us knew.
This fucking crazy emperor bastard really stuck his beak into Aria's mouth and spat out curses. 'As of today, Kashmir Crisis is appointed as Serenon Solatine's swordsmanship teacher and the emperor's companion. She must attend the imperial palace twice a week without fail.'
The letter, written in elegant cursive script, contained this utter bullshit.
This absurd missive had arrived on the eighth day after the hunting tournament ended—when all of high society was buzzing wildly with rumors about me.
Even then, I'd spent my time leisurely with training and family, just as always. It was better to let people grow even more curious about me rather than jumping out right away.
And the letter that turned the ducal residence upside down arrived while I was finishing my training and watching Aria and Kal's magic sparring match.
"So, you're saying the imperial family sent an official letter to the ducal residence as a formal matter."
"Yes."
"And it's about me."
"That's right."
I'd arrived at the study at Father's summons and pieced together the situation in a daze. Aria and Kal, who'd tagged along, glowered at the letter with displeased expressions.
What official business could the palace possibly have with me?
I rubbed my chin slowly, pondering. I'd thought it was a letter from Diego since we exchanged notes almost daily—rumors were dangerous, and we were both too busy to meet often.
But no, it was an official imperial decree issued to the ducal residence. And it singled me out specifically.
"Did I do something wrong?"
I scratched my head as I stared at the golden seal emblazoned with a roaring dragon.
The emperor's gaze on me during the hunting tournament was anything but normal.
I remembered how his eyes had gleamed with excitement bordering on madness as he looked at me, the first-place winner.
As someone who'd seen the original story, I knew just how obsession-crazed the current emperor, Helios I, truly was. A chill ran down my spine, and there was nothing I could do about it.
Thud.
"Don't worry. You haven't done anything wrong, but even if you had, I could cover for you."
Father, who'd been watching me with a furrowed brow, placed his hand over my head. I nodded slightly, growing accustomed to the familiar stroking of my hair.
Thwack.
Father used the letter knife to elegantly slice open the envelope. It was a bit shocking how he'd casually tossed the imperial envelope—straight from the palace—onto the floor.
His large hand unfolded the letter, and his red eyes scanned the words.
Then Kaiser's face hardened into an impossibly rigid mask.
"......Father?"
I called out cautiously to him, who was uncharacteristically stiff. Even when I called again or Aria chucked a candy at his head, he didn't react—until much later, when he finally spoke.
"This bastard...... Is he insane?"
"Pardon?"
It was vulgar language Father would never normally use. For a response to an imperial letter, it bordered on outright insolence—something that could've gotten him charged with lese-majeste if anyone had overheard. My eyes widened.
"What on earth does it say?"
Kal, who'd been lounging with his head on my shoulder from the sofa, narrowed his brows at Father's reaction.
"It doesn't say I have to become crown princess or something ridiculous like that, right?"
Aria, who'd been resting her head on my lap, asked in a voice laced with horror at the mere thought.
"If it were that, I'd have declared war on the imperial family already."
Father's face twisted in disgust at the mention of 'crown princess,' and he denied it vehemently.
"Then what is it?"
As I tilted my head, Father glanced back and forth between me and the letter with troubled eyes, then beckoned.
"First things first...... It's about you, so you should read it yourself. Come here."
I approached the desk where he sat, still bewildered. Kal and Aria followed, having been leaning on me.
[To the adorable lovebird of the Crisis family, from your dad's friend.......]
Only Helios could reveal his madness so blatantly just from the sender and recipient names at the top and bottom.
I started reading the not-so-long letter, my sense of absurdity evaporating from the very first line.
My reaction to the letter? Helios Solatine, you're a complete lunatic.
He was even crazier than I'd thought.
"That crazy bastard?"
"Looks like it."
Aria and Kal chimed in one after the other. Like any family, our sentiments matched perfectly.
We spent a long while just staring at the letter in silence.
"So, to sum up, the emperor's ordering Sis to be the second prince's nanny and playmate?"
Aria's sharp words broke the eerie quiet. I bit my tongue before I could point out that we shouldn't talk about the emperor like that.
Honestly, if I'd opened my mouth, curses would've spilled out first.
"I knew he was crazy, but...... to think he sees Shushu as his pet?"
Kal muttered in a deeply annoyed tone, radiating a murderous aura like he was ready to storm the palace right then. I soothed him by rubbing his shoulder and sorted through my tangled thoughts.
"Can he really appoint a prince's teacher...... like this, out of nowhere without any discussion?"
"Of course not. The emperor's just lost his mind."
Father's curt reply dripped with contempt for the emperor.
He's right...... The emperor went way too far this time.
Springing such a major decision on us without even a word of prior discussion was beyond excessive.
I could stay relatively calm knowing the emperor was a lunatic by nature, but anyone else in my position would've been baffled—maybe even wondering if the palace was picking a fight.
And swordsmanship teacher, of all things.
I swallowed hard as I stared at the words swordsmanship teacher, which seemed inked especially thickly.
Serenon was currently twenty. I was nineteen, a year younger. Most imperial tutors were venerable old sages full of wisdom.
Yet here he was, ordering me—someone younger—to be his teacher. It made no sense.
Plus, Serenon's a skilled swordsman on the cusp of becoming a Sword Expert...... Appointing me as his teacher means they've judged my skills superior to his.
The thought that this seemingly insane joke of a letter might actually be the emperor's cunning trap sent another chill down my spine.
"......How much does His Imperial Majesty suspect?"
No one answered my heavily uttered question; everyone seemed lost in thought.
Is it because of the hunting tournament...... Did he take an interest in my strength?
The emperor didn't know the full details of the giant magic beast incident at the tournament. He'd probably pieced together guesses from reports and deductions, but he hadn't reached the truth—that I was Mir.
Without uncovering that truth, things wouldn't resolve.
If he was just curious, making me his companion would've sufficed...... So why the second prince's sword teacher?
No matter how almighty the ducal family seemed, we formally served the imperial house. If the emperor just wanted me as a companion, we'd have accepted without complaint.
But ordering me to be the second prince's sword teacher? That was suspicious.
It's downright bizarre......
I stared holes through the letter. The emperor's intentions were inscrutable—clear one moment, opaque the next.
As I pondered deeply, Aria snapped out of her incredulity, her eyes flashing coldly.
"Deciding something like this without even discussing it means he looks down on Sis. Not even asking our opinion......"
"Exactly. It's like an insult to Shushu."
Kal joined in with a frosty expression. Father, equally icy-faced, brushed his lips.
"I'd usually follow the emperor's orders to avoid needless friction, but trying to toy with my daughter like this is going too far. Shushu, you must be furious. Don't worry. I'll head to the palace myself today and—"
"No. There's no need for that."
"......What?"
I firmly cut off Father, who looked ready to grab his sword and charge the palace. He blinked in surprise.
I don't know the emperor's game. It might be a trap.
He might truly harbor ill will toward me and be trying to humiliate me. I didn't know yet.
But.
I need to get into the emperor's good graces anyway.
For my future plans, whether I liked it or not, I had to catch his eye and earn his favor.
And in that regard, being the second prince's teacher and the emperor's companion would be incredibly useful.
It feels like a pumpkin rolled right into my lap, vine and all.
The perfect opportunities to impress the emperor—two of them—had fallen into my hands.
Contrary to my initial shock, the situation was unfolding far better than I'd hoped, and the corners of my mouth lifted.
And...... as his sword teacher, it'll be easy to get close to the second prince.
I was personally curious about Serenon. His relationship with Diego, his attitude toward power—it was all too enigmatic.
This is my chance to legally probe the second prince.
I'd already decided Diego would be the sun of my era.
Thus, I needed to figure out if Serenon was a hypocrite pretending not to crave that sun, or merely a puppet manipulated by those who did.
What? This is too good an opportunity.
At first, the shock had left me baffled, but the more I thought about it, the better it seemed.
This time, I grinned gratefully at the emperor's impulsive decision.
"I'll do it. Both the second prince's swordsmanship teacher and the emperor's companion."
Shock rippled across the three faces at my firm declaration. Father, grave-faced, gripped my shoulders.
"Shushu. If you're forcing yourself just because you're worried it'll shame the family, then stop. The Crisis family isn't so precarious that refusing this would bring us down. I'll settle things with the emperor myself. So......"
"No. I genuinely want to do it."
It satisfied both my personal curiosity and my plans for the greater good.
I had zero intention of letting this opportunity that had flown into my arms slip away.
I beamed brightly at the three worried faces.
"I have a feeling this is going to be a lot of fun."