Healing (5)
“I agree.”
“…Pardon?”
In the emperor’s study, buried deep within the Imperial Palace, the emperor lounged back on his throne and said it in a lazy, unhurried voice.
“Do you truly not understand me, or are you pretending not to?”
The emperor clicked his tongue softly at Cartesia, who only tilted her head in confusion.
She was usually such a clever girl. Why did she become so clueless at times like this? He found it genuinely puzzling.
“I’m talking about your husband. Your husband. In my eyes, he’s a very fine fellow. At a glance he seems light on his feet, careless with his words and actions, but beneath that there’s a seriousness to him. He may seem indifferent, but he’s attentive enough to look after other people. In my experience, men like that usually make good husbands.”
“Your Majesty!”
At the emperor’s casual use of that title for Sian, Cartesia ended up shouting at him.
Just a moment ago he’d called Sian her friend, and now suddenly the way he referred to him had jumped several ranks. What was that supposed to mean?
“Oh? Then, Cartesia, are you telling me you don’t feel anything for that boy Sian? Hmm. Though from where I’m standing, it doesn’t exactly seem like you’re indifferent to him either.”
She wanted to say outright that it went far beyond that—that she was hopelessly, completely gone—but the emperor decided not to be that malicious.
After all, even if Cartesia didn’t answer, her face, red as a ripe persimmon, was answering for her just fine.
“You can tease me all you want. It won’t change anything. Sian, the one that matters, doesn’t look at me that way.”
When Cartesia said that with a faintly downcast air, the emperor lifted one eyebrow.
It wasn’t merely because she was his daughter, either. Objectively speaking, Cartesia was a stunning beauty.
It was easy enough to understand why anyone who saw her would gush about a goddess walking the earth.
Which was exactly why the emperor couldn’t understand how Sian could possibly have rejected her.
Was there something wrong with his eyes?
“No, that’s not it. It’s just that Sian is always very careful around me. As if he’s trying not to cross some line he set for himself.”
“Maybe he’s worried about the difference in your status?”
“Maybe. Honestly, I don’t know. I’ve never heard what’s really on Sian’s mind.”
Listening to Cartesia’s complaints, the emperor finally realized that her relationship with Sian really was no more and no less than friendship.
And that Cartesia alone was harboring feelings for him.
“If you think the difference in status is a problem too, I can fix that. I was going to pull a few strings anyway and make his charge of assaulting royalty disappear.”
“…You knew? About what situation Sian is in right now?”
She hadn’t expected the emperor to know about something as small as a student squabble inside the academy.
“Of course I knew. Whether you believe me or not, I take a great interest in how the academy is run. Especially now, with two members of the imperial family enrolled there, I can’t help but pay closer attention.”
He had simply stayed out of it because it felt improper for an adult to wade into what was, fundamentally, a spat between children. In truth, he knew very well everything that had happened between Sian and Cartesia at Lutra.
“You brought Sian to the Imperial Palace today not only because Arieta’s condition worsened, but also because you wanted to use the healing of a member of the imperial family to smooth over his charge, didn’t you? It’s obvious what you were up to, but it was rather cute.”
Though he said it so bluntly, the emperor didn’t actually think Cartesia’s little scheme was all that bad.
Cartesia had moved only to save Arieta and to do everything she could to keep Sian from being expelled. There wasn’t a single selfish motive in any of it.
She was doing her utmost not for herself, but for the sake of someone else. And wasn’t that precisely the quality the emperor most wanted in his heir?
What an idiot. The Crown Prince, and he makes such a disgraceful spectacle of himself.
Compared to Cartesia, Ricardo’s recent behavior was nothing short of disappointing.
He had picked a fight with Sian over the absurd reason of low birth, and after getting beaten senseless in a duel, he’d gone so far as to abuse his authority as Crown Prince to get revenge for his petty grudge.
Worse, just moments ago, when Sian had unleashed that killing intent for an instant, Ricardo’s legs had given out and he’d collapsed onto the floor. The sight had been so pathetic and ugly that, though he was his son, the emperor couldn’t help finding him contemptible.
Of course, Sian’s killing intent was far more monstrous than I expected...
If even the emperor, standing at quite a distance from Sian at the time, had been startled by that killing intent, that said enough.
At a guess, it had been honed by years of surviving on battlefields with a sword in hand. Otherwise there was no way it could have startled an emperor who had seen every manner of bloodshed and storm.
But none of that excused Ricardo.
If only Ricardo were even half as much like Sian...
No—if Sian had been his son instead, he wouldn’t even have to worry about any of this.
“Still, I never imagined Sian had been hiding a power like that. The ability to artificially enhance another person’s talent... If word of this gets out, the whole world may start talking.”
In the past, the emperor had thought of Sian as little more than a man favored by impossible luck.
Four step-sisters picked up from the street, and every one of them a once-in-a-generation genius? It was the sort of convenient nonsense that sounded like a fairy tale.
Up until now, he had simply dismissed Sian as a fellow who had absurdly good fortune. But now that he knew about the ability Sian had hidden, every unanswered question finally had an answer.
“The reason his four step-sisters possessed such extraordinary talent was probably because Sian artificially strengthened their abilities.”
At the very least, it was a more logical and sensible explanation than some fairy tale about four pebbles found on the street turning out to be jewels.
Which meant that, as Emperor of the Empire, he had no choice but to value Sian—the one who possessed the power—more than the four step-sisters, who could one day be cast to the ground like fallen kites if Sian ever withdrew that gift.
Sian’s talent is dangerous.
To the emperor, Sian’s ability was not merely impressive. It had the potential to turn the world upside down.
If Sian were a little more ambitious, a little more willing to use that power proactively, then replacing the emperor—or even founding a nation of his own—would not be all that difficult.
“Your Majesty. But you promised. You said you wouldn’t interfere with Sian while he was healing Arieta, and that you’d pretend you hadn’t seen a thing...”
“Yes, I did make that promise—as the emperor of the Empire, and to Sian. But as your father and Arieta’s father, I don’t recall making any such promise.”
“…Pardon?”
Cartesia blinked, unable to understand what on earth the emperor was talking about. The emperor leaned close to her ear and whispered in a low, conspiratorial voice.
“To me, he’s the kind of person you absolutely must never make into an enemy. A man you need to bring to your side by any means necessary. And since ancient times, there has only ever been one sure way to make someone your ally, hasn’t there?”
“N-no way...”
Only then did Cartesia catch on to what the emperor meant.
“He’d do just fine as a husband. I’ll give you my special permission.”
“Y-Your Majesty!”
“Still, that’s a relief. No matter what, I never wanted to force my daughter into a marriage she hated. And if you’re not entirely against the boy yourself, then all the better. A weight off my mind.”
The emperor chuckled warmly as he said it, and Cartesia was left utterly dumbstruck. What in the world was this father saying to his daughter?
“Your Majesty! I told you just now, didn’t I? Sian and I... we’re not in any kind of relationship yet!”
“Ah, right. I seem to have forgotten that. Yes, there is an order to these things, and perhaps I was getting ahead of myself.”
Saying that, the emperor gave Cartesia a mischievous smile.
“Now that I think about it, an engagement should come first, not a marriage. This is the marriage of an imperial princess; if you leap straight into marriage without an engagement, people may laugh and say you’re rushing things. So, how about a betrothal ceremony first?”
“Your Majesty! Please stop joking around already! No matter what, isn’t it a bit too much to joke about your daughter’s marriage?”
But the emperor’s expression remained perfectly calm as he looked at her.
“You’re the one who still doesn’t understand the situation. This is an offer I’m making to give you a chance, Cartesia.”
“…Me?”
“Do you really think you’re the only one bidding for that boy?”
“Th-that...”
“From where I’m sitting, it looks like at least one very strong rival has entered the race.”
Even if Cartesia rejected the emperor’s proposal to the end, he would lose nothing.
Because he had one more daughter, and from the way things were shaping up, that girl would most likely never refuse this offer.
“You know this as well as I do, Cartesia. What it means to stand right beside that boy. And how much importance he places on the idea of ‘family.’”
“.....”
And so the emperor looked at the speechless Cartesia with a relaxed expression and spoke at his leisure.
“Choose. Will you stay true to the feelings you have now, or... will you stand far behind and merely watch him with some other woman?”
“.....”
“Say it. I’ll gladly respect your choice.”
Of course, from the emperor’s point of view, there was only one path Cartesia could possibly choose in this situation.