Chapter 64

When the Emperor ordered Theo to be brought to him, Iris momentarily frowned. However, she quickly composed herself, as if it had never happened.

“They’re merely visitors touring the palace. I don’t believe they’re important enough for Your Majesty to meet just yet.”

“Hmm, is that so? Well, I suppose he’s still just a first-year student at the Academy.”

Of course, the Emperor was unaware that this first-year student possessed the skill to overpower students from all other years.

Since rumors were often exaggerated, the Emperor didn’t believe every one of them. And since Iris who observed the situation closely dismissed the notion, the Emperor simply accepted it without questioning further.

After all, he thought of the Crown Princess as nothing more than a child who was always eager to please him and earn his affection. It was only natural for him to make such a mistake.

“By the way, I noticed the Empress storming out earlier. What did you two talk about?”

“Ah, she mentioned she came as Your Majesty’s representative, so I conveyed what I had originally planned to say to you.”

“My representative? Hmm, I see. I must’ve told her I was too busy, and she must have framed it that way. In any case, she’s still your mother. Treat her well.”

Under normal circumstances, even the Empress claiming to act as the Emperor’s representative would have been a serious matter, not something to overlook.

But the naïve Emperor had no intention of holding his beloved woman accountable.

Iris too didn’t expect the Empress to face any consequences while recounting the incident.

After all, she had long turned a blind eye to the Emperor’s hypocrisy and his unquenchable desire for the Empress. Deep down, she had always been well aware of it.

“Anyway, let’s get to it. What is this important matter you wanted to discuss?”

The Emperor’s curiosity was piqued and he asked Iris about the purpose of their meeting. Just as she had explained to the Empress, Iris described her proposed relief plan.

“Oh, I see. That’s a pretty clever idea. Providing magical machines to farmers and fishermen, and having them pay taxes in grain or seafood… that could certainly serve as a permanent relief system, as long as they don’t go bankrupt.”

Unlike the Empress, the Emperor was highly receptive to the idea of relief measures.

He fully understood that when the commoners below lived comfortably, it made life far more convenient for those in power above.

Moreover, although installing magical facilities required significant upfront costs, the expenses afterward were minimal. Beyond the occasional replenishment of mana, there were almost no long-term costs involved.

“However, it seems the imperial budget currently doesn’t allow for such an initiative. Regrettably, I think we’ll have to postpone this until the next budget allocation.”

Although the Emperor claimed to like Iris’s proposal, the reason he wouldn’t approve it immediately wasn’t because the budget was genuinely insufficient.

In reality, the imperial coffers were overflowing. The true reason was that the Emperor wanted to claim the relief plan as his own achievement.

He didn’t mind letting Iris appear as though she had contributed to the idea, but he didn’t want her to receive full credit for it.

This shift in attitude was largely because the Empress was now pregnant.

Previously, as the only child of the former Empress, Iris had been the sole heir, and the Emperor had doted on her, raising her strictly and grooming her as the Crown Princess. But now the situation had changed.

The current Empress was carrying a child.

Moreover, since the Emperor loved the Empress very much, it was only natural that he would love the child once it was born. It was obvious that he would want to pass the throne to the child he loved the most.

“……”

Iris remained silent and was lost in thought.

If the Empress hadn’t been pregnant, I would have used my usual excuse, claiming that Theo and I had worked together, and gladly given Father the credit. But now that the Empress is pregnant, the situation has changed. I cannot let Father take the credit. No matter what happens, I have to make sure that this achievement is recognized as mine.

The Empress’s pregnancy meant that a child would soon be born to the woman the Emperor loved most.

In the Ermunt Empire, it didn’t matter whether the child was male or female. Any child of the Emperor could inherit the throne.

After all, Iris herself was proof of this. She became the Crown Princess despite being a woman.

As such, whether the Empress gave birth to a daughter or a son, the likelihood was high that the child would eventually become a sword aimed at Iris’s neck.

For that reason, in order to secure her position beyond all doubt, Iris needed accomplishments.

Before the Empress’s child could grow up and prove themselves useful, Iris needed to gather as many allies as possible and accumulate enough achievements to make sure that the child wouldn’t dare set their sights on the throne.

“No, Father. It’s fine, even if the budget is insufficient.”

“Huh?”

The Emperor looked at Iris with a baffled expression on his face, as if he couldn’t believe what she had just said in response to his remark about the budget shortage.

“I never intended to use the imperial family’s main budget from the start.”

“What? If you’re not planning to use the main budget, then what are you planning to use?”

“I plan to use my personal budget allocation. And also—”

“Denied.”

Before she could finish, the Emperor immediately rejected her proposal without so much as hearing her out. He continued speaking rapidly.

“Do you not realize that your personal budget ultimately comes from the imperial family’s allocation? While I’ve allowed you to spend it freely so far, you cannot use such a large sum entirely as you please.”

“It’s my personal budget! Wasn’t it assigned to me specifically so I could use it however I wanted? How I spend it is my decision—”

“I said it’s denied! Are you defying a direct order from the Emperor? Even if you are the Crown Princess, defying me would be treason.”

Iris wanted to bring up the matter of the Holy Empire, but the Emperor showed no intention of listening. Every time she tried to speak, he cut her off, leaving her with a deep sense of frustration and anger.

“Father! Please, just listen to me—”

“There’s no need to hear more! Return to your chambers! I’ll decide whether this matter proceeds during the next budget allocation. For now, withdraw yourself from it entirely!”

At that moment, the Emperor no longer felt like her father. He was merely someone blatantly trying to steal her achievements.

Greedy man! I expected this to some extent, but now he’s outright trying to take what’s mine…!

Iris had anticipated this to some extent, but she had never imagined things would go this far. Overcome by anxiety and unease, she didn’t know what to do.

“Well then, enjoy your tour of the Imperial Palace and make sure to return safely to the academy. Also, the Empress’s banquet to celebrate her pregnancy will be held soon, so make sure to attend. And at that time, make sure that both the commoner and the saintess accompany you.”

The Emperor who left behind words that sounded to Iris like “If you don’t bring them, you’re useless,” got up and left the audience chamber.

Iris was left feeling utterly despairing.

What should I do…?

As Iris stood there in the audience chamber, dazed and lost, she eventually trudged out with heavy steps.

“Iris.”

A voice that sounded like salvation itself rang in her ears.

***

“Sir Theo…”

It all started when I accidentally took a wrong turn while looking for the restroom.

That was when I saw Iris coming out of somewhere. The moment I spotted her, I immediately thought, Ah, so this is the main palace… Great, I’m in trouble now. But then, I noticed how defeated and downcast she looked.

“What happened? You seem completely out of it.”

Although I asked her that, I already had a pretty good idea of what was wrong.

It was probably because her conversation with the Emperor hadn’t gone well.

Some things were playing out just like in the game, but there were also many things that didn’t follow the script.

This time, she had even secured a guaranteed investment from the Holy Empire, so I thought things might go smoothly. But it seemed that, just like in the game, things weren’t going as well as she’d hoped.

“Ah, Sir Theo… None of the things I tried have gone the way I wanted. It’s just been so frustrating.”

“Rather than talking about it here, why don’t we take a walk and talk instead?”

“Yes, that sounds good.”

Talking in front of the audience chamber of the main palace, especially one frequently visited by the Emperor, wasn’t exactly the best choice here.

And so, I walked with Iris out of the main palace and into the garden. I cast a spell as we strolled to make sure no one could overhear us.

I had learned the spell after watching Estelle do it the other day. Surprisingly, it created an even stronger barrier than I had expected, ensuring that no one could eavesdrop on us from now on.

Using magic inside the main palace could easily catch the attention of the Imperial Court Mages or raise suspicion, so I deliberately brought us to the less-monitored garden before casting it.

“Now, tell me what happened. From this moment on, no one but us will be able to hear this conversation.”

“…Did you just use the same spell Estelle used before?”

“Yes. I figured it out just by observing her. I didn’t think it would work so well, but here we are.”

When I smiled, Iris tried to return a smile of her own, but it looked weak and feeble.

“If only I could be as strong as you, Sir Theo…”

Huh? What’s with this talk of weakness?

She’s supposed to be the strongest here, and not only that… she’s destined to become even stronger in the future!