The Capital's Mad Chief - 2

A peninsula jutting from the continent's northeastern edge, a land where perpetual snow settles and even the sea freezes solid — a frozen realm farther north, by pure geography, than the steppes the Empire casually calls the North.

There sits the Lucen Kingdom: a nation no one invades, and that invades no one in return — a thoroughly bizarre place. Why a country exists there at all is a mystery, yet since no power particularly covets that frozen wasteland, everyone simply lets it be.

In any case, for the Lucen Kingdom — where cold itself is the fiercest enemy — they yearned for heat. Perhaps that is why Lucen liquor is infamous for its brutal strength.

"Kuuuugh—!"

The vodka I am drinking now. This vodka is Lucen's signature spirit and export. The mere scent of it feels intoxicating; when it slides down the throat, you half expect to map every organ in your body by the burn.

"Your Highness. Drinking like that is not good for your health."

Ersebet at my side spoke with quiet concern, but right now her words could not reach me. I only wanted to get drunk. I wanted to let my mind go blank for a moment and drift to Enen's side.

So I reached for the bottle to fill the empty glass once more.

"Your Highness."

Even that small desire went unfulfilled. Ersebet's narrowed eyes locked on mine as she caught my hand.

"I'm sorry, Ersebet."

Those narrowed eyes were full of worry and care. Seeing them, I could not bring myself to throw a tantrum and demand another drink.

Ersebet is usually quite tolerant of alcohol. If she has come all the way to my office, my drinking must have crossed into dangerous territory.

Well, of course. I had suddenly gone looking for vodka I never normally touch. Word was bound to reach her through the servants.

"Your thoughts seem tangled."

At my apology she smiled softly and set the bottle aside.

And the moment I heard her words, my head throbbed again. The liquor? No. I almost wish it were.

"The Audit Department Chief is a truly remarkable man. He never shows his face in high society, yet somehow he always stands at its very center."

As if reading my mood, Ersebet chuckled with genuine amusement. Right then I felt a flicker of resentment toward her.

Still, I understood. I myself had nearly laughed when the news reached me the moment I woke. If the story had nothing to do with me, I could have laughed freely.

"…Indeed."

But it does have everything to do with me. Peace of mind is impossible.

An incident had erupted in the very heart of the Imperial Capital. Not at some private banquet for the Crown Princess as before, but out in the open streets where anyone could see. And the leads were none other than the already infamous Audit Department Chief and the Demon Duke.

This is driving me insane.

Worse, it was no ordinary incident. Word has it the Demon Duke went around in tears searching for the Audit Department Chief.

Even if ordinary commoners had done such a thing the gossip would have flown; between a Duke and the Audit Department Chief it is far more serious. This is not mere private passion — it is political dynamite.

A Duke unilaterally pursuing the Audit Department Chief. The Chief rejecting her. Then the Duke clinging to him in tears.

A nightmare. One can easily conclude that the Audit Department Chief has completely seized control of a Duke. It would be stranger if political waves did not follow.

At least it is relatively quiet… for now.

Fortunately — though I dislike even using that word — the rumors of the Demon Duke's wailing have stayed somewhat subdued.

No special reason. A far juicier rumor simply swallowed them whole.

"Many people saw the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Audit Department Chief walking with the Demon Duke. They even claim he was holding her hand."

That was the latest report the steward delivered this morning. When I first heard of the Demon Duke's tears my vision had gone black, yet those words let me breathe a sigh of relief.

An incident at night with few witnesses versus one in broad morning with throngs of onlookers. The latter will always seize more attention — especially when it smells of budding romance.

He planned this.

I pressed my fingers to my brow and sighed. The Audit Department Chief is no mindless beast. He would know exactly what fallout would follow if word spread that the Demon Duke had sought him out in tears.

So he deliberately put on a show. If the rumor was going to spread anyway, better a relatively positive one: not a Duke clinging desperately, but two people sharing affection.

Of course the fact that the Demon Duke spent the night at his residence will also get out, but what can one do? That level of shock is precisely what makes a story travel far and wide.

"Both the Demon Duke and the Audit Department Chief are pillars of the Empire without equal. If those pillars intertwine and grow only stronger, how joyful that would be."

"Hehe, that is true as well."

I forced the optimistic framing for my own sake. Yes. This is a good thing. A joyful thing.

Father himself had already decided upon the Imperial Family's silence.

He must have received the news at roughly the same hour as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I; not long after the steward brought the hot report, word arrived from him.

Trying to control an event that unfolded in the middle of the capital is hopeless. Far better simply to watch a larger story devour the lesser one.

"Yes, Your Majesty Father."

In short: the result is good, so let us pretend the process never happened. It may look irresponsible, yet what would intervening accomplish? Even the Imperial Family cannot reverse time.

Still, Father too seemed left dizzy by this extraordinary mess.

"Indeed so."

"Yes, I shall see to it."

Father, who has been scarce in public lately, personally wished to look the Audit Department Chief in the eye — no doubt to confirm for himself what sort of medicine the man has been taking to produce such chaos.

And, before Father meets him, permission for me to see the man first and interrogate him thoroughly.

This is the window Father has granted. A perfectly legal interval in which to tease the Audit Department Chief and dig at him from every angle.

It is an imperial order.

This is by no means personal feeling. It is purely an imperial command.

With that thought I took up the communication orb.

The Demon Duke, who had been stammering as though her tongue were broken, fled in haste to the Magic Tower.

Still, her ears stood proudly upright, pointing skyward. Yes — I knew she would like it. I had done it after careful calculation, after all.

It went well.

A swell of pride rose unbidden. Even I have to admit I cleaned this mess up beautifully.

The Demon Duke's mood, which had crashed to the floor, climbed again, and I had smothered as thoroughly as possible the pitiful rumor that would have spread overnight.

People will trust the story of her walking hand-in-hand with me far more readily than the hard-to-believe claim that the Demon Duke went around weeping. Rumors are not stopped; they are buried under larger ones. That is always the best method.

Thank the heavens it was night.

Had the Demon Duke wandered the capital in daylight, even this tactic would have failed.

I exhaled in relief and drew out the communication orb. At the very least I ought to check in with the person who started this entire disaster.

Only after a long wait did the other party answer: the Wise Duke.

The greeting was as raucous as ever, yet today it did not grate on my ears. I had called to offer my thanks, after all.

"Thanks to you, Aunt, things turned out well."

The Wise Duke tilted her head and let out a strange little sound of wonder. For a moment I wondered whether I should have called first, yet I pressed on.

"Did you not tell me to poke first?"

At that she blinked several times, then exploded into laughter.

"…You flatter me."

From that single line I could roughly picture how Uncle was faring. At the very least I understood his life was not easy.

"Yes, well…"

The visual of a thoroughly drunk uncle demanding stories of one's first love.

I was now certain I should not have called, yet I nodded and began to speak. The Wise Duke had been a help, after all.

So I gave a moderate account of everything that had happened since the Magic Tower the day before—

"Yes, Aunt."

Having somehow blown away every trace of drunkenness, the Wise Duke spoke with an awkward laugh.

Shit.

The hero who made the Wise Duke panic hard enough to sober up. That would be me.

Did I do it on purpose?

It left a bitter taste. The look she gave me at the end — that look was pure "Was my explanation too difficult for this child?"

Obviously a misunderstanding. I had originally intended only a light poke. The problem was learning the potion's secret I had never even imagined. Thanks to that I unintentionally shattered the Demon Duke's mental state.

That cascade led us here, but I swear I meant to go gently.

…Of course no one will believe that. Honestly even I think it sounds like an excuse the moment I say it.

And that was the consolation she offered.

Yes, no fights. The Demon Duke has already cried herself raw and hit absolute rock bottom. From now on, no matter what I do, she will only look at me with those sad eyes. Truly a tragic prospect…

This is not the time to worry about someone else.

I stared at the now-silent communication orb and sighed once more. Right now I needed to worry about myself, not some future someone ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠else.

A message had arrived while I was speaking with the Wise Duke. A magnificent text framed in the deep purple border that symbolizes the Imperial Family.

An indirect double-insult asking why this busy bastard had forced his way up to the capital only to stir up such a racket.

At that beautiful message I felt not the slightest urge to resist.

…I won't get disciplined for this, right?

The only comfort was the certainty that this, at least, was not grounds for formal punishment.