A Sudden Thought
A Sudden Thought
The corridor was eerily quiet.
The guards pretended not to hear, even though they plainly had, and the Chief of the Inner Court Office and the maids merely kept their heads bowed with troubled expressions.
Arno felt the heavy silence like a warning aimed at him.
It was as if everyone were saying, 'There is no place for you in the Imperial Palace.'
As the flustered Arno's eyes darted around nervously, Daniel spoke without averting his gaze.
"Your Highness. You should consider yourself fortunate that His Majesty the Emperor is your younger sister."
That he was able to walk around the Imperial Palace freely was solely due to the grace of His Majesty the Emperor, Selvia.
Arno, understanding what Daniel meant, clenched his teeth and then shouted in a fit of anger.
"Younger sister? That monster created by Father, you call that my younger sister...!"
But his voice never fully rose to a shout.
Because Arno, sensing the atmosphere around him, hastily shut his mouth.
Arno, perhaps swallowing his anger, took a deep breath and glared at Daniel.
"...I didn't ask for much. I suppose it wounds your pride that much to give me face?"
"You misunderstand. I merely thought that presenting a falsehood to the citizens of the Empire would damage the honor of His Majesty the Emperor."
"Honor. I see. I understand your opinion well enough."
With those words, Arno stepped past Daniel.
As Arno's footsteps faded, Daniel let out a low sigh.
He had a feeling that, given Arno's personality, he was going to cause some kind of trouble.
But now was not the time to think deeply about Arno.
"Let us go to His Majesty the Emperor."
As Daniel walked forward, the Chief of the Inner Court Office and the maids quietly followed.
*
The place the Chief of the Inner Court Office guided him to was the Emperor's private library.
Upon opening the door and stepping inside, countless bookshelves lined up in rows came into view.
As he walked between the bookshelves, inhaling the rich scent of books, he soon saw the central hall of the library.
In front of the round table in the central hall, Selvia was working alone.
Clad in a pure white uniform and the crimson cloak of the Emperor draped over her shoulders, her appearance no longer looked awkward—it suited her well.
As Daniel stood watching, thinking she had fully become the Emperor, Selvia sensed a presence and slowly raised her head.
"Who dares enter here without permission...?"
Selvia, who had been about to get angry, brightened upon spotting Daniel.
"Daniel!"
As if she had been waiting, Selvia rose from her seat and approached Daniel.
"Welcome back. You didn't have a hard time on your way here?"
As Selvia approached, Daniel placed a hand over his chest and bowed his head lightly.
"Brigadier General Daniel Steiner greets His Majesty the Emperor. To answer your earlier question, I am a little travel-weary, but the journey was not difficult."
"Travel fatigue, I see. I would like to let you rest for a few days, but... if I did, we might both end up in an uncomfortable position."
"I understand. If a general returning from the battlefield didn't immediately come to report to Your Majesty, everyone else would find it strange."
Pleased about something, Selvia chuckled softly and took Daniel's hand.
"Anyway, we have plenty of time, so shall we sit and talk? There's much I want to tell you about, including the Vargov Project and the domestic and international situation. And of course, I want to hear about Brigadier General Daniel's exploits firsthand."
Daniel nodded and, led by Selvia's hand, sat down at the table.
Selvia sat not across from Daniel, but right next to him.
Though Daniel was flustered by the extreme closeness, he soon felt relieved.
Because there were no attendants at all in this, the Emperor's private library.
Of course, it was only natural, since it was a 'private' library.
'The fact that she called me to such a place...'
It wouldn't be wrong to say he had Selvia's complete trust.
'Should I be happy about this or not...'
As he mulled over this strange emotion, Selvia began to talk.
She told him that the Vargov Project was progressing successfully.
She said that based on the testimonies and evidence he had sent, the Allied Nations' shame would soon be revealed to the world.
Because of this, the Federal State's will to join the war would be broken, and they would not turn hostile against the Empire.
Related to this, his special promotion was also under discussion.
After the weighty topics, a string of lighter stories followed.
She had implemented a certain policy, and the fact that the people seemed to like it put her in a good mood.
The Doberman raised by the Imperial Household seemed to be getting more and more robust by the day.
Knowing how much he liked desserts, she had specially invited an expert—how about they try some together?
As Selvia continued to share the small details of her daily life, Daniel nodded or gave short replies.
But then, Selvia noticed that Daniel's reactions were somewhat mechanical, and her expression fell; she put on an awkward smile.
"Hmm. I think I talked too much about myself. Was it boring listening to me?"
Daniel, who hadn't found it boring at all, flinched and shook his head.
"It wasn't boring. It's just that I..."
The words Arno had spat out in anger were simply lingering in his head.
Still, afraid that telling the truth might hurt Selvia, Daniel quickly changed the subject.
"...I merely couldn't take my eyes off you because Your Majesty's beauty grows day by day."
"Ah. What?"
Selvia, who hadn't expected a sudden compliment on her appearance, became visibly flustered.
Blinking her blue eyes a few times, Selvia said, her face blushing subtly.
"...Thank you?"
She wasn't sure why, but she didn't dislike hearing it.
*
Daniel, having finished his meeting with Selvia, was temporarily transferred to General Headquarters a few days later.
His position was none other than 'Special Adjutant Staff Officer under the Chief of the General Staff.'
As if it had been arranged beforehand, an office had already been prepared for Daniel at General Headquarters.
Though it was merely a temporary position to fill a vacancy, the fact that the Chief of the General Staff had appointed Daniel Steiner as a special adjutant to assist her was tantamount to acknowledging his abilities.
It was practically a step closer to the rear-echelon duty he had dreamed of, but Daniel couldn't be happy.
"...An independent newspaper wrote a bad article about me?"
Because Pelf, the Intelligence Staff Officer, had brought Daniel bad news.
Pelf answered Daniel's question.
"Yes, sir. I've brought the newspaper in question. Would you like to see it?"
Daniel nodded, and Pelf walked over to his desk to hand him the newspaper.
Taking the newspaper, Daniel read the headline of the article adorning the front page.
【Brigadier General Daniel's Adjutant an Allied Nations Experiment Subject? Brigadier General Daniel Remains Silent!】
Just from the title, it was obvious whom the article was attacking.
"Raising such questions at this point in time. Who's pulling the strings behind this?"
There was no way a mere independent newspaper would do something like this on its own.
He asked because there was surely a group backing it.
As if Daniel's suspicion was correct, Pelf answered without a moment's hesitation.
"From what I've heard, the newspaper that published the article is nominally independent, but it has a collusive relationship with the Labor Union Party."
"The Labor Union Party? Isn't that the Third Party?"
"Yes, sir. With the Liberal Society Party having lost much of its momentum, it wouldn't be wrong to say the Labor Union Party is exploiting that vacuum. Furthermore, according to my investigation, they have been in continuous contact with Prince Arno over the past few months."
As soon as he heard about the contact with Arno, Daniel let out a hollow laugh.
'So he tried to threaten me, relying on the Labor Union Party.'
Daniel placed the newspaper on his desk.
"He can't really be thinking he can best me. Why is he doing this?"
"Perhaps... they think they've found a clear weakness and want to use it to gain some advantage. Most likely, they intend to stop raising questions if we give them what they want."
Moreover, they were hiding behind the independent newspaper in case things went wrong.
If Daniel Steiner refused the deal and took action, they could cut ties and claim they never made any statements.
He knew politics was a dirty business, but the brazenness of it gave him a headache.
Beyond the headache, a refined anger was welling up inside him.
'After being thrown to the front lines, risking my life to capture Penbark and returning...'
These damned politicians were raising their voices for their own vested interests, weren't they?
Daniel let out a low breath and leaned back in his chair.
As he did, his eyes half-closed as if he were thinking about something.
Silence fell.
It was so quiet that the ticking of the wall clock could be heard clearly.
Pelf, not knowing what Daniel would say, grew tense without realizing it.
Only after about five minutes did Daniel quietly open his mouth.
"Major Pelf. Is the role of a political party to represent the opinions of the people, not their own vested interests?"
The sudden question was startling, but Pelf answered immediately.
"Yes, sir."
"Is that so. But if there are many parties that cannot properly fulfill that role...."
A shadow fell over Daniel's face.
He was quieter and more expressionless than before, but a certainty smoldered in his eyes.
Just as Pelf's fingers curled under an inexplicable pressure, Daniel narrowed his eyes.
"Is there really a need for multiple parties?"
In the heavy atmosphere, Pelf had a visceral feeling.
That this wasn't a question.