Chapter 5
Chapter 5
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: The Incompetent Minister Wants to Retire
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After parting ways with the minister and returning to the Chirner Count's estate, Francesca bathed and lay down on her bed, letting out a sweet, lingering sigh.
"…What an intriguing person."
The marriage proposal had fallen through; the minister had been the first to refuse. Normally, one would expect to feel upset or disappointed by such a rejection, but Francesca didn't feel slighted at all.
No, far from it—she found herself bewildered by a swirl of emotions she had never experienced before in her life. Having spent an entire day on a date with the minister, she had been witness to unexpected, hidden sides of his character.
He was courteous and gentlemanly, far from the coldly aloof figure she had imagined him to be. He was human, perhaps. That side of him created a massive, jarring gap from her preconceived image, striking her heart with unexpected depth.
"Above all, it felt like he wasn't rejecting me as a person, just that he had no intention of marrying right now."
If he simply wanted more time, Francesca welcomed it. Her own feelings were far from sorted out yet anyway. Moreover, they had only spent a single day together. To know and understand him more deeply, she realized she needed to meet him more often.
"I want to see him again…"
Fortunately, she had secured his firm permission to visit him anytime. Now she could drop by whenever she pleased, even without the pretext of Intelligence Department or Knight Order business. If anyone had the advantage now, it was her; there was plenty of time. She could take it slow, invest the necessary effort, and they could learn about each other gradually.
Tomorrow wouldn't work, but right after training the day after—the mere thought of heading straight to the minister filled her with excitement. Francesca quietly closed her eyes. Somehow, she felt she would have sweet dreams tonight.
It was exhausting. Truly, utterly exhausting.
Having almost no experience going out alone with a woman at his age, yesterday had been tense enough just escorting her, even before the actual proposal was discussed. Anyway, he had refused as soon as he saw Francesca's face, and since she clearly had zero intention of marrying him either, they had safely called the whole thing off.
Refusing immediately and parting ways on the spot would have been undeniably rude, so they had spent the day together. Since no real issues had arisen, he hoped everything was fine. With his mind feeling slightly lighter, he headed to work—only to be met with an unexpected question from someone he hadn't anticipated.
"How was the arranged meeting?"
The question came from his secretary, Celine, her eyes as cold as shards of ice. Her gaze screamed a silent accusation: that he was slacking off from work just to meet a woman.
Being dragged into the situation unwillingly, he felt quite wronged, but he knew that explaining the situation in detail would only make him look more pathetic. It was better to just brush it off. "It was good."
"Good…? Then why did the proposal fall through?"
"I had no intention of marrying from the start. More importantly, isn't the special envoy from the Labor Kingdom arriving today?"
Perfect. Even he thought it was a masterful and smooth shift of the topic. Caught by his practiced rhetoric, Celine couldn't press him any further and simply nodded.
"…Yes. This afternoon, Siegfried Labor, the first prince of the Labor Kingdom, is scheduled to arrive in the capital."
"I see."
The Labor Kingdom was smaller than the Acherus Empire, yet it was nearly equal in terms of sheer military strength. For such a nation to send a prince as an envoy, the palace was undoubtedly busy preparing a grand welcoming banquet. And he needed to prepare as well.
It was an annoying hassle, but with a kingdom like Labor sending their prince, he couldn't skip the event as the head of an imperial department, no matter what the reality of his position was. Work would be finished by the morning anyway—it was better to wrap up early, head home, and prepare for the banquet.
Duke Wolfgang Barrmut meticulously checked his attire in the mirror.
"Hmm. Black truly is the best choice, isn't it? What do you think, dear?"
"…You're always so carefree."
Sighing, his wife approached him to straighten his clothes. The duke replied that he wasn't quite as carefree as he appeared. "I know what you're worried about, but what can be done? He has no interest in marriage."
"Can't you pass the ducal title to Erwin?"
Her thinking was that gaining the title would finally force even Erwin to consider the necessity of continuing the family line. The duke agreed. Honestly, to deny that he wanted to hand his position to his eldest son would be a lie. But it was impossible.
For a mere noble family, their eldest son was simply too exceptionally capable. "The Empire's Intelligence Department cannot function without him now. Every staffer and agent is practically an extension of his own limbs."
Moreover, the name Erwin Barrmut symbolized the department itself and served as a deterrent against foreign espionage and intelligence wars. Over the past decade, the number of spies who had met their end by his hand was beyond counting.
Sure, spies still lurked in the shadows, but their numbers were minimal—and even those were under his constant watch, a point of consensus among foreign intelligence agencies. Meanwhile, the Empire's overseas operations were thriving. Inevitably, the Empire led the world in both the volume and quality of its intelligence.
"But Erwin cannot stay in that position forever, right?"
"You're right. He's already racking his brains over that very problem."
"Irreplaceable talent" sounded like a compliment, but from an organization's perspective, it was a dire situation. An organization reliant on a single, special asset would collapse the moment that asset vanished.
Of course, the imperial government wouldn't crumble entirely without Erwin, but no one could deny the massive blow it would sustain. "…This is all your fault."
"You know that was the best choice we had back then." Kissing his grumbling wife, the duke left the estate, boarded his carriage, and headed toward the palace. The banquet was about to begin.
He arrived at the banquet on time, but truthfully, there was nothing much for him to do. Incredibly, for someone holding the title of Intelligence Minister, no one approached him. If they weren't overthinking things, people seemed to avoid his side entirely.
They probably didn't want to mingle with an incompetent fool. He understood that well. Still, protocol demanded that he at least greet the Labor prince before leaving, so he waited for his turn—and surprisingly, his chance came quickly.
"And who might you be?"
"I am Erwin Barrmut, Minister of the Imperial Intelligence Department. It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness."
With impeccable courtesy, a similarly polite response came back to him. "…Siegfried Labor. Pleased to meet you."
"The honor is mine. Ah, and greetings to Lady Jennifer as well."
Bowing to the maid trailing one step behind the prince, Siegfried grinned amusedly, baring his teeth. He looked delighted—clearly, the flattery Erwin had meticulously prepared had landed well. "Lady Jennifer?"
"She will be your queen upon your ascension, will she not? It is only proper to greet her."
The fastest way to befriend someone was by investigating them thoroughly. Some famous figure once said they researched a new acquaintance's hobbies and tastes the day before a meeting. Fortunately, as the Intelligence Minister, such a task had not been difficult at all.
"Ho. I'm thrilled you looked into it. Then, do you know how we met?"
Great, the conversation was flowing. Now he just had to recite his memorized intelligence. "I think your meeting was truly romantic. A prince falling for an assassin—history holds no more dramatic a tale than that."
As the rumors suggested, Jennifer, Siegfried's exclusive maid, had originally been dispatched to kill him. He didn't know the exact details, but she had become his maid and eventually his lover. Glancing around to confirm there were no listeners, he leaned in and whispered to the prince.
"Lady Jennifer declines the queen's position, but I support and cheer for your true union."
"…Thank you."
With his thanks received, Erwin deemed the interaction a success and departed with light, relieved steps.
A snake. That was exactly what Siegfried thought of the man.
"Then I'll take my leave. I hope you enjoy your stay in the Empire and return safely."
Leaving what sounded like a final warning against any mischief, the imperial Intelligence Minister turned and exited the banquet hall. Jennifer tried to follow him, but Siegfried stopped her with a stern, warning glare.
"No. It is too dangerous."
As the minister left, the five massive auras guarding him from the shadows vanished along with him. He couldn't send her against foes even he couldn't guarantee a victory over.
"Your Highness…!"
"That entire conversation could have been bait to trap us."
Not even in the Labor Kingdom did anyone know of the true depth of Siegfried and Jennifer's relationship. They had kept it airtight, never once suspected—yet all that effort was for naught as the minister casually spilled the secret. 'The murmurs are growing since he greeted Jennifer. We cannot afford any conspicuous actions now.'
Erwin Barrmut. Chewing the name over in his mind, Siegfried ground his teeth together. The man hadn't even flinched at his inadvertent killing intent; only the five guards hiding in the shadows had reacted sharply.
Had Siegfried even swung at his neck, they would have appeared instantly, turning the entire banquet into a scene of chaos. 'I was warned he was the Empire's top threat, but I never imagined it to this extent.'
The minister had flaunted his intelligence prowess—acting as if everything were already in his grasp—and had issued a grave warning of constant surveillance. There was only one conclusion to be drawn. 'Did he see through the plan? No, that's impossible…'
Siegfried wasn't here merely as an envoy for amity. The real goal was to release spies hidden among the envoy party into the capital. Since the current minister's appointment, anti-Empire spying had hit major snags—hence the decision to risk this. But if every move was already read, releasing them would just multiply the sacrifices and give the Empire leverage against the kingdom. '…No choice.'
In the end, Siegfried decided to abort the plan entirely.