I quickly answered:
“Deceiving me?
Your Majesty, Kibon is not bad-tempered, just his ability to adapt is weak.”
“Look at that calm face.
Isn’t he really bad-tempered?”
Kibune didn't reply, just stood straight.
No matter how much sudden noise the Empress made, he did not seem surprised.
He was really talented at sounding polite and arrogant at the same time.
"His imperial language is weak and he doesn't know our culture well.
I teach him a lot."
"truly?"
“Yes.
I also thought at first that he was insufferably rude.”
Kibun looked at me with disbelieving eyes.
I felt his shock from his look, which revealed his feeling of betrayal.
'He acted that way at first and expected me to see him well?'
Meanwhile, the Empress looked at Kibun dissatisfiedly.
It was clear that she felt something bad.
But perhaps she wasn't sure if her hunch was true of a foreigner, so she tilted her head.
“But now he is the one who knows me best.
I trust him a lot.”
“Okay, I get it.”
The Empress murmured, complaining:
"But my body is moving.
Look at him.
It's no joke.
Can't I duel him?"
“Your Majesty...”
I looked at her with a pleading face.
The Empress sighed deeply and shook her head:
“When you look at me like that, Namiya… Ah.”
She blew her front hair violently and put the hammer back on the wall.
I looked at her warily and saluted:
“Anyway, thank you for this valuable opportunity, Your Majesty.”
I had to get Kibune out of this room quickly.
“Thank you” in employee language means “I will go now.”
“This is my first time wearing clothes from a fashion hall.
Thank you for the generous treatment.”
In fact, I always bought ready-made clothes.
Even the jewelry I wore was fake.
Jayden tilted his head and asked:
“Why the first time?
Aren’t the employees’ salaries big?”
“This is... because my foster parents, worse than animals, are taking my salary.”
“Don't you make manuscripts well?
You could make illuminated manuscripts and sell them on the black market.
You wouldn't make much, but you could buy cheap clothes from a fashion hall.”
"Yes."
I answered politely:
“According to Article Two, Paragraph Three of the Minors’ Employees Law, employees are prohibited from working overtime.”
"What?
Who commits to this?
Everyone does it secretly.
Even Lydon sold his books in bookstores."
“I abide.”
Jayden opened his mouth in surprise.
The Empress laughed loudly and waved her hand:
"That's just like Namiya.
An answer that really suits her.
Maybe that's why I liked her at first sight."
The Empress looked at me deeply as she spoke in a harsh voice.
I felt that the satisfaction in her eyes was very strong.
Then she ordered the hall staff who were still trembling:
“Anyway, let's get dressed next.
You brought a lot, right?
Try on some more.”
The Empress sat, spread her legs, and smiled:
Then she said, with an expression more wonderful than anyone else, and in a low voice:
“Everything here, I will buy it for you.”
I politely brought my hands together and said:
“No, Your Majesty.
I have great taste in tailoring, so I think what you suggested first is more suitable for me.”
"Hey, Namiya!
I can buy hundreds and thousands of these clothes!
Don't refuse and try some more!"
The Empress threw the catalog violently and shouted.
I replied politely:
“According to Article Three, First Paragraph of the Senior Officials Law, ministers are prohibited from accepting gifts from the Imperial Family or business parties.”
"…What?"
“I will buy this dress and jewelry with my salary.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to meet a famous seamstress.”
The seamstress said, “They will buy it for you!” But I did not intend to accept it from the Empress from the beginning.
But I kept silent because the minister’s salary is enough to buy this.
'I've lived without buying such things, it's time to spend my money!'
The Empress blinked slowly in astonishment.
Then she got up as if she couldn't believe it:
"What's this about?
You saved me and Jayden!
You saved me, His Highness the Crown Prince, and Jayden, and you refuse a few clothes?
Huh?"
"Yes."
I said with a steady face:
“Accepting gifts is prohibited.”
“Okay, just jewelry...”
“Forbidden.”
“Just one earring!”
“I apologize.
Forbidden.”
I politely and firmly declined and added:
“I never want to lose the position of minister.”
Discipline is strictly prohibited!
I will be an honest minister no matter what!
"Oh, my God."
Jayden let out a pained moan.
“Even if I told my brother to attack her with gifts, it wouldn’t work...”
“True.
I have received a lot from His Majesty the Emperor.”
"truly?"
“Swords, double axes, shields, helmets...
Nothing expresses emotion like gifts.”
The Empress looked puzzled, then turned to Kibun:
"You're the closest person to Namiya, right?
So tell me, isn't there a way I can give her something?"
"nothing."
Kibon said without changing his expression:
“The minister is fond of power, but she is honest.”
Jayden sighed and clicked his tongue.
Finally the child gave up buying me money and said in despair:
"Don't forget, Namiya.
You will go with the first man who asks to accompany you.
Understood?"
“Ah, okay.”
I nodded generously:
“Yes, I will.”
* * *
In the end, Kippon left the Empress's room without dueling her.
How convenient that was.
“Oh my God, if the Crown Prince loves an employee, he can’t give her away?
Huh?
Does that make sense?
Huh?”
My refusal of the gifts shocked the Empress and she forgot Kibon.
“Ah, really lucky.
Avoiding Her Majesty for a while.”
While I was walking at a fast pace, Kibun hesitated and then asked quietly:
“...Do you hate His Highness the Crown Prince so much?”
"I don't hate him.
We're just not close."
“Then why was your face so hesitant when the prince talked about companions?”
"Yes…"
I tried to hide it, but it seems it's showing?
I scratched my cheek and replied:
“Honestly, I want to go in alone.”
"What?"
“There is no rule requiring me to have an escort.”
Even Chiaros always enters alone.
There are others who sometimes come without partners.
Jayden clearly wants me to be with Kiaros, but the truth is…
“I want to be the center of attention.”
In the mirror, I was absolutely beautiful.
“I want to hear a voice announcing the entry of the Minister of the Manuscripts Department...”
This banquet is the first official occasion after my appointment as minister.
But if I went in with Kiaros, his brilliance would overwhelm me.
“I want to enjoy being the minister to the fullest.”
I said with burning eyes:
“I want all eyes to turn on me once and wonder why I climbed like that!”
When I shouted, Kibun opened his mouth, “Ha,” and murmured in surprise:
“Really… the minister says things I would never imagine.”
“You are too.”
"Me, no."
“Well, usually when one is attacked one shouts ‘Ah!’”
“Now...you, Minister, are telling someone ‘they usually say like this’?”
When we arrived at the office side by side:
“…Ah.”
I suddenly stopped when I saw someone while avoiding the debris of the door that the Empress had broken.
Kibun frowned as well and stopped in his tracks.
“Sleep?”
There was an unexpected person in the office.
“No, I have to say Minister now.
But before that...”
Wavy light brown hair, pale blue eyes, brown skin, huge body.
Eyes curved like a crescent and lips drawn in an arc.
“Congratulations on the surprise promotion, little one.”
It was Victor Arwen, who I expected would arrive tomorrow at the earliest.