Chapter 71

“The rumors about her being close to the Saintess were true, then.”

The Emperor responded with a faint smile to the one delivering the report.

“Yes, Your Majesty. It also seems to be true that Her Highness, the Crown Princess, is close to that man. The rumors about the three of them spending time together were indeed accurate.”

Having watched them stick together all day, it was only natural to think that the rumors of them always being together at the academy must be true.

Moreover, the first-year students who saw the three of them together had expressions of familiarity, as if this was nothing new to them.

“That commoner, Theo… He’s quite interesting. Iris obeys because she’s under my command, but that man…. how is he able to keep both Iris and the Saintess so docile? I can’t help but be curious.”

The Emperor had met Theo in person today, but to him, the young man seemed like nothing more than an ordinary man.

He had no idea what it was about Theo that had won over both the Crown Princess and the Saintess.

“Well, I suppose it must be something only women can sense. In any case, if he’s close to the Saintess as well, we must bring him over to our side.”

“But Your Majesty, given how close he is to the Crown Princess, he may refuse to align himself with us.”

Anyone who was close to Iris was likely aware of the strained relationship between her and the Emperor.

“We should first try to recruit him, but if that proves impossible, we’ll have no choice but to eliminate him before he becomes too powerful. He’s still just a first-year student at the academy, after all.”

A first-year student at the academy.

That meant he was still in the early stages of learning, possessing skills that were not yet refined enough for real combat.

Of course, the Emperor was aware that Theo was strong. Strong enough that he could likely hold his own in a real battle even now.

However, he miscalculated, assuming that no matter how capable Theo was, he still couldn’t compare to seasoned warriors with extensive combat experience.

“So, for now, try to win him over. And in the meantime, look for assassins who can quietly take care of him if necessary. They must be highly skilled.”

“But, Your Majesty, wouldn’t it be better to use the Imperial Knights instead? Assassins are cunning; they will surely try to overstep their bounds.”

At the suggestion of using the Imperial Knights, the Emperor shook his head.

“The Imperial Knights must remain honorable. I can’t deploy them just to deal with a single commoner. Find people who will keep their mouths shut as long as they’re paid.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Understood.”

Since the emperor had already given his orders, the man had nothing more to say. He simply nodded and stepped outside.

“I’d prefer if he sided with us.”

“Oh my, Your Majesty. Have you finished your business?”

Right on cue, the Empress walked into the room.

“Oh, Empress. What brings you here? You should be resting instead of straining yourself, especially in your condition.”

“I came because I wanted to return to the bed chamber with you, Your Majesty.”

The Empress let out a soft laugh, and the Emperor responded with a smile of his own.

“Well then, let’s go.”

***

While the Emperor was spending time with the Empress…

“There are eyes and ears of the emperor everywhere in the palace. Staying here for the night would only give them more opportunities to uncover our weaknesses. I believe it would be best to return to the dormitory to sleep.”

“If the emperor’s spies are everywhere, wouldn’t that be all the more reason to stay here? It’s not like he wouldn’t know if we went back to the dorms. Doing that would be no different from openly declaring that we’ve turned against him.”

Iris and Estelle were engaged in a heated debate.

The topic remained the same. Where they should spend the night.

“Hmm…”

Theo, who had to make the final decision, hesitated. Both of their arguments made sense, making it difficult to choose.

Letting the emperor know outright that we’ve completely turned against him… That might be too dangerous.

It was still before the proper implementation of the relief measures, and the fact that they had decided to draw funds from the Holy Empire was known only to the three of them and the Holy Empire’s Pope.

Once it truly began, it would be almost the same as waging an all-out war against the Emperor—but that time had not yet come.

It might be better to make him think there’s still room for negotiation.

The fact that she was close to Iris was already well known, so she had acted without taking any special precautions. However, the time to show the Emperor that they had completely turned their backs on him was not now. It was when the relief measures were put into action.

“I think Estelle is right. There’s no need to openly show the Emperor that we’ve turned against him just yet. If we make him lower his guard, we’ll be able to land a stronger counterattack, don’t you think?”

Theo spoke with a smile while looking at Iris.

“Ah… but still…”

Iris still seemed reluctant to accept it.

“Well, if Sir Theo says so, then that’s that~ If you’re really uncomfortable, how about you return to the dormitory and sleep there, Iris? The Emperor already knows you’ve sided against him, so if we stay here while you go back, it might give him even more reason to hesitate.”

Estelle suggested with a playful smile, though whether she was being sincere or had ulterior motives was unclear.

“…No, I don’t think that will be necessary.”

But the thought of leaving Theo and Estelle alone together was something Iris absolutely couldn’t tolerate, so she shook her head.

“Understood. Then we’ll stay in the palace tonight.”

In the end, Iris clenched her teeth and accepted Estelle’s words and Theo’s decision.

“Iris, are you okay?”

Theo gazed at her quietly and asked.

“Ah, yes! I’m fine…!”

She was anything but fine, but it wasn’t as if she could admit that.

All she could do was hope that this night would pass without incident.

“Just in case, both of you should be on guard against assassins or poison.”

Theo felt that, for the time being, there was little chance that anyone would try to harm the Saintess or himself. However, the fact remained that he had been the target of assassins and poison attempts countless times since childhood.

Worried, Iris urged them to stay on guard.

“Oh, come on. Isn’t that a bit of an overreaction?”

“Of course, the chances are low, but it’s always necessary to be prepared for the unexpected.”

“Alright, I’ll be careful. You should be cautious too, Iris; you never know what might happen.”

When Theo expressed concern for Iris, Estelle immediately pouted, while Iris, on the other hand, looked touched by his words.

“Don’t worry, Sir Theo. I’m someone who has survived in this palace for years.”

“Just in case, I think it would be best if our three rooms were right next to each other. I’ll ask the current occupants to switch rooms.”

Theo wanted to make sure that if anything happened, he could rush in and protect the two of them.

If one of them ended up in serious danger before they could fully come together and before events unfolded as they were supposed to, it would be a disaster.

Besides, he didn’t want to see two close friends drift in a bad direction, regardless of any so-called happy ending.

“Ah! Sleeping in the room next to Sir Theo…!”

Estelle’s face lit up with excitement.

“In that case, I’ll take care of rearranging the rooms.”

After all, Iris was the imperial princess. She was someone who held the third highest authority in the imperial family.

Changing a room or two was hardly a difficult task for her.

“Alright then, we’ll be waiting in the banquet hall. Be careful on your way, Iris.”

“Yes, Sir Theo. I’ll return safely.”

“Ahh! Why are you two being so disgustingly sweet today?! Look at me like that too, Sir Theo…!”

“What do you mean, ‘sweet’? This is no different from usual.”

After Iris left with a mysterious smile of victory, Estelle eagerly linked arms with Theo.

“Let’s go back like this!”

“Uh… are you sure that’s okay?”

Theo hesitated, worried that others might get the wrong idea.

“Of course! This kind of skinship between friends is nothing unusual!”

Estelle was firm in her stance, and in the end, the two had no choice but to return to the banquet hall arm in arm.

“Oh my, Lady Saintess and Sir Theo are as close as ever.”

“Linking arms like that… could there be something going on between them?”

“No way, but then again, even Her Highness Iris is usually with them. The three of them are always together.”

Once again, their actions added fuel to the ever-growing rumors. But Estelle didn’t care about such things.

No, in fact, she welcomed it.

Fufu, let there be endless rumors about Theo and me being something special…!

Instead of avoiding it, she actively encouraged the gossip, causing yet another stir in the hall. However, no one really knew the reality of the situation.

About an hour later, news arrived that Iris had successfully rearranged the rooms. Feeling too exhausted to stay in the banquet hall any longer, the three of them headed to their assigned rooms.

“I’ve never had a room this big all to myself before…”

When Theo stepped inside, he couldn’t help but be astonished at the sheer size of the room. It was far larger than he had expected.

“Normally, rooms are assigned for two or three people to share, but I arranged for you to have one to yourself so you could rest comfortably, Sir Theo.”

“Oh… thank you.”

Having always fallen asleep to Marty’s constant chatter, Theo found himself a little excited at the thought of finally getting a quiet night’s rest.