Contract Marriage Rewritten
Chapter 24
Chapter 24
* * *
“The Kenyon family has produced administrative officials for generations. Though their relationship with the former Empress was neither particularly warm nor hostile, the Imperial Palace remains full of bureaucrats from their line. Which means their sheer competence made them impossible to cast aside. They possess both the sharp instincts and the capability to maintain a strict neutrality—never entirely subservient, yet never clinging too closely to anyone’s side.”
Listening to Hyperion, Laniakea moved her hand busily across the parchment.
She had expected him to offer only broad advice, perhaps suggesting a few names to select. Instead, Hyperion had pulled up a chair with the documents in hand and begun explaining them one by one.
“The Roseman family has produced Chief Attendants for generations. It would be no exaggeration to say the imperial etiquette manuals were penned by their hands. Some even say that merely keeping them by your side bolsters the legitimacy of the Emperor or Empress, so it would be wise to bring them in.”
The key points of Hyperion’s words took shape on her paper.
Family names, their defining traits, and things to keep in mind.
The very information Laniakea had struggled to gather over the past few days poured effortlessly from his lips.
Writing frantically, Laniakea noticed Hyperion staring intently at her and stilled her bustling hand.
He had paused his explanation on purpose, waiting for her to finish taking notes.
“I apologize. I still know so little about the Empire, let alone the nobility…”
Taking notes because one could not commit spoken words to memory was considered embarrassing among aristocrats.
It risked being branded a fool who could not even remember conversations from a social gathering.
Truth be told, Laniakea considered herself far from clever—rather foolish, in fact.
‘My unnies always called me pathetic, too.’
And understandably so. Her two older sisters had not only handled their duties brilliantly with the aid of high-ranking spirits, but they were also exceptionally sharp.
Anything they saw or heard once, they committed to memory with ease, and they grasped even the most difficult subjects in no time.
Laniakea had cut back on sleep to push herself, yet she could never measure up to them.
“How could every sister be extraordinary? Still, with the two older princesses being so outstanding, it’s reassuring for the kingdom’s people.”
When even Nanny, the only one who took her side, spoke that way, Laniakea had naturally come to accept her own inadequacy as a given.
So she had no confidence she could ever be perfect. Even so, she wanted to avoid mistakes in her duties as much as possible. If that were the case, she had no choice but to organize everything clearly so she would not have to ask the same thing twice.
As if embarrassed, Laniakea pulled the paper a little closer to herself.
Only then did Hyperion seem to pull his gaze away from the sheet, lifting his head to look at her.
“Why are you apologizing? It is only natural that you do not know everything about the Empire. Even those who have frequented high society since childhood keep secretaries at their side to whisper who is who. You do not need to strain yourself trying to memorize so much all at once.”
“Yet Your Majesty knows all of this, even after being away for so long…”
“Being stationed at the border makes one even more sensitive to news of the imperial nobility. The border’s defense is intimately tied to the capital. I only know them by heart because I have seen and heard of them for years.”
Hyperion added gently,
“So do not push yourself too hard from the start.”
Yet shouldn’t she give her absolute all from the beginning, precisely because the end would come so soon?
Just as that thought crossed her mind, Hyperion drew out another document and resumed his explanation.
“More importantly, you must be wary of this family. Though they keep it hidden, they are among the former Empress’s trusted confidants. The fact that they have already put forward a candidate for lady-in-waiting means they intend to plant a watchdog out in the open. And here…”
At his continuing explanation, Laniakea set her hand in motion once more.
Before she knew it, the paper she had tucked defensively against herself rested comfortably on the table again, but Laniakea continued writing without even realizing it.
There was simply too much to write down.
* * *
Under ordinary circumstances, the two should have dined in the grand dining hall of the Main Palace today.
Instead, their meal took place in the office, atop a rather cramped table.
The first reason was that Laniakea’s stack of documents showed no sign of shrinking.
The second was that talking continuously had left them ravenous, leaving no time for a leisurely formal dinner.
For that reason, the head chef of the Main Palace had prepared something simple and quick to eat.
Even as he set the food on one corner of the table, the Chief Attendant had looked deeply troubled, asking, “Are you truly certain this will suffice, Your Majesty?”
In the past, such a dining arrangement would have been intensely awkward.
For one, they were sitting far too close, and the food served was casual fare meant to be enjoyed comfortably between intimates, far removed from imperial protocol.
It would only have been natural for Laniakea, who was still uneasy around Hyperion, to feel flustered.
“Then rather than entrusting the management of the Summer Villa to the Outer Palace Department, it would be better to seek out a supervisor directly.”
Laniakea said, taking a bite of the sandwich in her hand.
Across from her, Hyperion also took a large bite of his sandwich, swallowed quickly, and replied to her thought.
“Indeed. The former administrator resigned the moment the former Empress departed. For someone to abruptly vacate a position that required no such haste means there was a reason for it.”
As he spoke, Hyperion’s eyes narrowed.
“The Inner Palace Department is in complete disarray at the moment. Entrusting the task to them now risks lost documents and doctored ledgers.”
Engrossed in the serious discussion of palace affairs, she had no room to care whether what she held in her hand was a sandwich or a document.
Her head spun from organizing so many matters at once, yet Laniakea felt only joy.
Finishing the last bite of her sandwich, she could not conceal her delight as she spoke.
“I am so glad I spoke with Your Majesty.”
When Hyperion looked at her as if asking what she meant, Laniakea replied, a smile remaining on her face.
“To be honest, I felt utterly lost before coming to the Main Palace today. The selection of ladies-in-waiting was daunting, but I was worried about other duties as well. Thanks to Your Majesty, I can handle the pressing matters swiftly now.”
Like magic, the troubles that had weighed on her for days were sorted out.
Moreover, contrary to her fears, Hyperion had explained everything to her without once showing annoyance or frustration.
The information was invaluable, but his patience was what she was most grateful for.
“I should have consulted Your Majesty sooner. Truly, thank you. Ah, not that I intend to keep bothering you like this…”
“You may ask me as often as you like.”
Hyperion interjected urgently before Laniakea could even finish.
“Your affairs are my affairs as well. If anything is difficult or if you need assistance, please feel free to tell me.”
“Still, I feel as though I am taking up far too much of Your Majesty’s time. Besides, it is not as if I can offer any help in return…”
Even if she could not match the aid Hyperion offered, she wished she had something of value to give him.
Just as Laniakea wondered whether receiving so much one-sided help made her a burden—
“If you truly feel that way… could you grant me a single request?”
“Yes, please, just name it!”
When Laniakea answered eagerly, Hyperion hesitated for a moment before speaking with caution.
“Could I perhaps see a spirit once more? Let me say first that I have no intention of using them. I only wish to see one again because it was so wondrous. As you know, spirits are believed to be unseen in these lands. Ah, I do not mean to force you. If it troubles you, please do not feel obligated.”
Sensing Laniakea’s hesitation, Hyperion quickly added.
“It isn’t that, but…”
Laniakea recalled Crow-tit. Had it not hurled profanities the moment it appeared?
Though she had sent it away amidst the chaos, there was no telling if Hyperion would overlook such insolence a second time.
As Laniakea hesitated, Hyperion picked up the next document as if truly telling her not to mind it.
In truth, summoning a spirit before others was still something Laniakea shrank from. She had believed it to be a secret she must carry to her grave alone.
‘Still, if it’s His Majesty, it should be all right.’
Anyone else would have demanded she summon them again from the very first day. They would have pried into the nature of the spirits and plotted how to exploit them.
Yet Hyperion had not said a single word about it since the day he first saw them.
Though she did not fully know what kind of man he was yet, surely this much was fine if it meant repaying his kindness for helping her today.
“Your Majesty, may I borrow this for a moment?”
Having made up her mind, Laniakea took hold of Hyperion’s teacup, which was still full of tea. Then, with practiced ease, she called upon her friend.
“There is fine tea here. Would you come for a moment, Minnow?”
In that instant—
Plop!
With a clear sound, a droplet of water splashed up from the teacup.