“True, since the Winter Palace has obtained a new assistant, it will be necessary to appoint a replacement.”
The Emperor gave a deep look with a clear message: “Be sure to do so.”
'It's a look that means he wants to impose more work.'
Really, he has no conscience.
Even now, even if we have ten additional employees, we cannot guarantee on-time departure.
“Is the Summer Palace hiring a new assistant as well?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.
But the Summer Palace already has enough administrators, so the number won’t be too large, each assistant already has three administrators.”
The Empress smiled delicately as she sipped a little lemonade.
“Summer Palace assistants are working hard, I heard that Charlie issued an order not to waste the budget in vain.”
Now that the financial leveling season is over, it's easier to tell enemies from allies.
It was a direct comment criticizing us.
In short, she says: Weren't you the ones who took advantage of the maximum number of administrators available to each consultant?
But she overlooked the fact that we only have one helper.
This is a great injustice.
As for the Emperor, the greatest beneficiary of the Winter Palace, he merely laughed lightly.
“Charlie is lucky to have a loyal following.”
As for Prince Charlie, who suddenly found himf at the center of the conversation, he merely sighed and said, “Yes…” while appearing to have lost his appetite.
But the Empress did not stop there.
“Your Majesty, if you focus on only the Summer and Winter Palaces, the intruders will say that you prefer one over the other.”
“Hmm?”
The Emperor looked at the Empress as if asking her to continue.
She rose slowly and bowed slightly respectfully before speaking.
“The Fourth Prince is eleven years old, and will celebrate his twelfth birthday soon.”
"correct."
“Considering that Princes Charlie and Cassian appointed their assistants when they turned ten, it means I was late in paying attention to this matter.”
Then the Empress turned with a smile to the person sitting in the back seats, the second concubine of the Emperor.
“It was not intentional, there is no need to feel upset, dear Second Concubine.”
“I don't think like that, Your Majesty.”
The second concubine, who was busy taking care of her children, replied while trying to hide the paleness of her face.
“An assistant to the Fourth Prince...”
The Emperor muttered as he touched his chin thoughtfully, then the Empress approached him lightly, and gently placed her hand on his shoulder.
“You have always been worried about this matter, haven’t you?
With the increasing burdens in the Imperial Palace, it is difficult for Charlie and Cassian to bear everything on their own.”
In other words, the Empress was seeking to reduce Cassian's influence with this argument.
Of course, if some of our burden was lightened, we wouldn't mind so much, but...
'Will this cunning emperor really agree?'
The Emperor placed his hand on top of the Empress's hand and patted it gently, and a smile of satisfaction appeared on his face.
“No one understands me like you, Empress.”
“Everyone knew it, but only I dared to say it.”
The Emperor laughed softly.
“Well, in that case, it might be better to appoint an assistant to the Third Princess as well.
She turned ten this year.”
“A wise decision, Your Majesty.”
“With so many people joining the Imperial Palace, there will be a need for training to avoid chaos.”
With a face carrying a hidden meaning, the Emperor looked at me and Cassian.
“It is said that the administrators of the Winter Palace are efficient thanks to the first assistant, Roita, right?”
“You praise me too much, Your Majesty.”
“Too much modesty can also be disrespectful.”
It was clear that the Emperor had made his decision.
“Therefore, he will take over the Winter Palace—”
He paused for a moment, which aroused the Empress's suspicions, then he calmly turned his gaze to the First Prince, Charlie.
“No, since the Summer Palace has recently received training, it would be better for Charlie to take charge.”
The Emperor's eyebrows rose cheerfully, and at the same moment the Empress's eyebrows rose as well.
“Do you have any objection, Empress?”
It seemed that she had lost control of the force of her hand pressing on the Emperor's shoulder, so she quickly pulled it back quietly, and regained her calm appearance..
“How is that possible, Your Majesty?
I just thought there was someone more qualified...”
“Are you saying I chose the wrong person?”
The Emperor gave her a sarcastic look.
She hesitated for a moment, then hurried to Prince Charlie:
“What are you waiting for, Prince?
Haven’t you heard that His Majesty trusts you?”
Really, she was good at playing with words.
“I will comply with your orders, father.”
“Good.
As for you, Cassian.”
“Yes, Your Majesty?”
“When I heard the age of the Fourth Prince, I remembered your childhood.”
The Emperor smiled kindly.
But Cassian and I stopped moving at the same moment.
“So, the Fourth Prince is the perfect age.
He was even a year older than you when…”
When what?
When Cassian was first sent to the battlefield, he was eleven years old...
“…He has completely lost his mind.”
After breakfast ended and he returned to his office, Cassian roughly loosened his tie and shook his head.
“Has he forgotten how I was about to die then, and miraculously survived?”
I understood his words very deeply, because I was the one who saved his life in his first battle.
All of this was due to the emperor's disdain for Cassian, and the empress's greed.
Although the Emperor officially declared Cassian his legitimate son according to the temple, he treated him as if he were merely proof of his betrayal.
He was upset that the birth of a son said to be hated by the ruler had made his power vulnerable to temple interference, so much so that he started ridiculous rumors that he might not be his real son.
As for the Empress, she exploited his feelings very skillfully.
‘If he returns from purging the evil beasts, it might lift the curse on him.
Thus, he punishes those who sinned against them with his own hands.'
The Emperor welcomed this idea, and pushed his eleven-year-old son to the brink of death.
Whether he was killed in battle or survived it made no difference to him.
'He saw this as an opportunity to get rid of the debt he believed he owed the temple.'
What a terrifying person.
But the Empress did not take into account one thing: Cassian Artiz was not just a neglected child, but a genius who taught himf martial arts.
He was secretly observing the knights' training, imitating them and secretly drawing his sword.
Thanks to this, at the age of ten he was able to win the Imperial Rookie Fighting Championship.
'It's true that this feat is what led to him being sent to the battlefield in the first place…'
But it was also the reason he survived and worked his way up to where he is today.
“The Fourth Prince is famous for being weak and never leaving his office.”
“True, yet they want to send him to the front.”
“This means that His Majesty wants you to leave the capital.”
Cassian sighed deeply upon hearing my words.
The only way for the Fourth Prince to avoid this fate was to leave the palace.
The Emperor knew very well that Cassian was not cruel to his brothers, so he exploited this point to his advantage.
Even though we prevented him from increasing his workload by providing a prior tutorial, he is now trying to act this way in response..?
“He's trying to weaken the Empress's influence, and also make sure you don't grow too powerful.”
"Yes, if I go out to purge the monsters, it might take several months.
Plus, I haven't left the capital in four or five years, so it's time to do it."
“The Imperial Knights follow you very loyally.”
Cassian shrugged, as if to say, “It's not my fault.”
As for the emperor, he had many sons, so the disappearance of a prince or two would not have been a big problem for him.
‘If the Fourth Prince goes out to the battlefront without proper leadership, there is a high possibility of casualties among the Imperial Knights.
If that happens, it might lead to resentment towards Cassian as well.'
It was not impossible for Cassian to refuse to go, but the slight possibility was enough to make the Emperor take advantage of the situation.
“He also probably won't let me take you to the front.”
“Since you now have a new assistant, it is no longer necessary for me to go with you?”
"exactly."
Cassian laughed sarcastically and approached me, holding my cheeks in his hands.
“It seems that His Majesty wants to test something.”
“Does he want to know if I can face the Empress alone?”
I nodded..
In other words, the fact that I was openly confronting the Empress had upset the Emperor.
Even if he had acknowledged me as a fiancée, in the end I was “just a baron’s daughter.”
Honestly, it wasn't without worry.
“If he thinks that way, he is completely wrong.”
"Know."
“You always say I'm the only one who can handle you.”
Cassian smiled maliciously and whispered: “That's right, so don't abandon me.”
I ignored his words and smiled.
“And you too, aren’t you the only one who can handle me?”
Does he know how much he pays me in compensation to benefits?
If I don't get paid, I'll never work!
The moment Cassian goes to the front, I will become a perfect employee who gets out of work on time every day!
But at the same time, I couldn't stop my mind from developing a secret plan to deal with the situation, as we always used to...
Knock, knock.
While we were talking, there was a soft knock on the door.
I felt a strange feeling, so I opened the door carefully, to find...
“Hi, Noona.”
A little prince with light brown hair and missing front teeth, bending over to greet me with a gentle smile.