Chapter 45

The whole time I listened to him, I felt like a snake was slithering across my skin. However, in a society of rank and status, all I could do was nod my head. “It is an honour.”

He continued to talk about books even after passing the library entrance, and he even asked me for book recommendations.

I looked at him strangely.

It wasn’t because I had no taste in books. It was bemusing that I was being treated so casually because I was a slave-turned-secretary. And it felt very strange that he was the son of the empress dowager to boot.

I wondered what else he was up to, but I didn’t feel like he had come to the library just to make a fool of me. I was willing to recommend some of the books I had enjoyed reading. Maxi was a pretty good person to talk to about reading. He knew a lot of books and had a wide range of interests.

“You’ve read a lot.”

“So have you. Some of these books you’ve read aren’t even from this empire.”

“And I hear you haven’t been in the empire for a long time, and yet you know the books of this place very well.”

While talking for quite a while, I didn’t let my guard down, but I thought I’d try to understand Maxi a little bit.

We parted at the library entrance.

“I hope to have another chance to talk to you next time.”

“Ah, yes. Me too.”

“See you, Celestia.”

“Yes, Prince.” I nodded and returned to my room and closed the door, but it was strange no matter how I thought about it.

I couldn’t pinpoint what was weird, but it really was. Then again, perhaps it was just me overreacting. The emperor didn’t hate Maxi while he blatantly hated the empress. That said, it was still a little hard to trust him…

There were rumors that he was a good man and he also had a good reputation among the common people. Admittedly, I also had a bias towards him because he had a great taste in literature.

‘Hmm, isn’t the empress dowager trying so hard to kill the emperor? Maybe it’s secretly Maxi who wants to kill him and take his place.’

I stopped my conjectures and opened the book I borrowed from the library. Because the borders of the empire were wide, the number of neighboring countries was large and there were many foreign languages ​​to learn. Aside from being a secretary, I was also the emperor’s interpreter.

The amount of work required was really too much.

Instead of dwelling on my complaints, I sat on the sofa in the parlor and began to doze off. I just needed to read a little more and sleep a little bit more.

I woke up in bed. I looked up at the canopy, trying to remember how I got there, but I couldn’t remember.

‘Did I sleepwalk?’

This was troubling. My mind needed to be sharp to perform my duties, so it was discomfiting to find gaps in my memory.

While washing my face with cold water and reflecting on myself, I came to my senses when I saw today’s schedule. Today was the day of the year-end party. The emperor was going to sneak out of the palace, so he had to stay alert.

I wrapped a towel around my washed hair and sat in front of a mirror. After applying cream, I lightly powdered my face and painted my lips.

The finished dress arrived yesterday. When I opened the box containing it, the ivory dress lay gently among the many paper flowers.

I couldn’t help but admire the beautiful dress again.

While it dipped a little too low and showed more of my chest than I was used to, and the waist was tighter than anything I would usually wear, I liked that my tattoos were not on display because my back and forearms were properly covered.

Predictably, it was hard to do up the laces on my dress alone. This was where Luana’s assistance came in. I had told her in advance to help me get dressed today, so she’d probably arrive soon.

Right as I glanced at the clock, someone knocked on the door.

‘Seriously, Luana is so good at keeping promises.’

Knock, knock, knock.

“Oh, yes. Come in!” When I opened the door in a hurry, I came face to face with… not Luana’s face, but a chest.

I was surprised, but also not really. Taking a step back, I pressed my hands to my chest to hold up the undone dress, then I dipped into a quick bow.

‘Oh, he truly dressed for the occasion.’

The fitted black suit looked very good on him with his broad shoulders. In addition, gold and white embroidery went along the body line, giving off a sleek effect. Even the mask in his hand was perfect.

Although he was always dressed up, it was fun to see him wear a relatively normal outfit today, especially without the colors representing the emperor. It was somewhat hilarious that his bearing and natural good looks made him stand out so much even in relatively plain garb.

“Thank you for coming to escort me, but I think it’s not the right time for a visit.”

No answer came back. The emperor who came in after closing the door only looked at me.

At the end of that strange silence, he beckoned over my head. “How long is the towel going to stay like that?”

“Ah, this is…”

“Turn around.”

“Yes?” I obeyed automatically.

The moment he grabbed my towel, a cool breeze passed through my hair. The windows were closed, but the curtains moved.

Startled, I touched my hair.

“Oh my gosh…”

“The side effects caused by this will be treated accordingly.”

“Your Majesty…”

He laughed a little.

“While you’re here, could you lace up my dress too?”

“Well, is it time for a secretary to order an emperor around?”

“If you don’t like it, I’ll go with another partner.”

“That’s ridiculous.” He held the back of my dress unwillingly.

“Done?”

I felt rustling and heard frustrated murmuring. It was likely a haphazard result, but it seemed to be holding up, so I put down my hand.

“Ugh.”

Fortunately, I was able to hold on to my clothes when half of my chest was exposed.

I saw him every day to a sickening degree, but I had no idea that he could not tie one of these properly. I didn’t know why he couldn’t do this when he had a hair drying technique that no one else had.

‘I guess God is a little fair.’

When I turned around and glared, the emperor looked dumbfounded as he let go of the ribbon.

“You’re making a fuss about nothing.”

What do you mean “nothing”?”

“Isn’t it your fault that you tried to boss around a man with no talent for tying dresses in the first place?”

“Ha…”

If Luana hadn’t come just in time, we would probably have had another argument.

*** 

Having barely dressed up with Luana’s help, I got on the carriage that I usually rode when I went to the academy.

Sitting in a fluffy chair, fiddling with the hem of the dress, I felt strange. Being a secretary, dressing up like this, and having the emperor as my partner…

Of course, it was just a cover…

As the wagon rattled on for quite a long time, I wondered absentmindedly how the emperor would sneak in.

While thinking about it, a sound startled me from above my head.

Before I could even check if it actually came from above, the unmistakable sound rang out again.

When I looked up and looked at the carriage ceiling, I saw a door that could be opened to let in some air. I fumbled around and found its handle, still unaccustomed to the features of a luxurious carriage’s interior.

Voila! The emperor was there. He grinned playfully, then his hands waved me away as if warning me to back off.

“Your Majesty!”

Obviously, I didn’t know that he would be joining from the top of the carriage. I had a lot to say about how quickly he arrived, but I shut my mouth tightly and retreated to one side.

He jumped into the carriage. Even though it was custom-made for him, he was so tall that he crouched down uncomfortably and sat down.

“It’s nice to see you again.”

What a normal thing to say, considering the circumstances.

Confused, I sat down next to him.

He did say he’d join me without anyone’s notice, but I never thought he’d come in through the roof.

“So this is what you call sneaking in?”

“Who cares?”

“Isn’t it illegal to use magic in the Imperial City?”

The emperor shrugged. “The reason why we can’t use magic in the Imperial City is to lessen the risks against the emperor, so wouldn’t it be okay since I’m the one using it?”

Again, he could have given me a heads up.

‘Why, why didn’t you tell me about this? Seriously, as the emperor, you’re bound to have no concept of hesitation, but sometimes it’s too much.’

I sighed deeply and turned my head.

As I got off the carriage, I saw guards strewn from the entrance to the campus. Five times as many as usual, they patrolled in pairs and observed the guests with sharp eyes.

Even though the serious atmosphere exceeded my expectations, I was a bit relieved. It seemed that they paid special attention to the security as it was the only time in the year that the academy was open to everyone. More than half of the imperial nobles went to the academy, so it would have been especially necessary to deploy more security forces.

I had a hard time standing still, holding on to the emperor, who was looking for another way to see the long line. I was sorry that I had to do this to this man who had never had to wait for anything since he was born, but I figured he was the one who insisted on coming.

I repeatedly smiled comfortingly in response to his impatient scowls, and in time, it was finally our turn.

“Please show me your ticket.”

“Here you are.” I hoped it would be peaceful, but I was constantly nervous that something might happen.

Fortunately, the cheerful music being played inside eased my anxiety. The emperor, who was lightly touching my shoulders, laughed quietly as he felt me relax.

Experiencing the entrance like a common person would, he looked around the hall with interested eyes to see if more prominent guests were afforded better treatment.