Chapter 15

15. I Wish You Wouldn't Leave the Bedroom

Ironically, the battlefield was where the Saintess's healing powers shone brightest.

However, the Emperor at the time had no intention of waging war, and neither did the Emperor of the Desert Kingdom, for that matter. Needless to say, the other minor kingdoms were no different. So, Helene, despite becoming a Saintess, couldn't seize the opportunity to make her name widely known.

She couldn't very well start a war just for that, so Helene had to find another way.

A way that would make everyone agree that her existence was valuable.

That was to kill a demon.

Enrique, who was then greatly threatened by his other siblings, readily agreed to her proposal.

What could be more impressive in the Holy Empire than killing a demon and bringing back its corpse?

Helene wanted to give that glory to Enrique. And in return, she wanted to rise to a position that would remain eternally unchanged.

'I didn't expect to be deprived of the task of decorating the banquet this time by the Empress… but maybe it's for the best. If the Empress only decorates with holly. Then the Empress will take the blame, and I'll receive the praise.'

It wasn't for nothing that Helene had declared she would decorate the banquet hall with holly.

She had secretly learned that the people of the Desert Kingdom were so uncivilized that they would eat anything in the banquet hall.

So they would eat the holly berries without suspicion. And when they suffered from abdominal pain and high fever, she would step in.

She could simply say she 'didn't know' they had such a culture and then treat them.

Imagining the faces of those who would be amazed by her powerful divine power, Helene let out a pretty sigh. Then, suddenly thinking of the Empress, she frowned.

She doubted whether that woman, who she remembered as being listless and lazy, was the same person, so drastically had she changed.

'Besides, there's a certain sense of intimidation… I don't want to see that look in her eyes again.'

The Empress looked down at her as if she were a herbivore, just like a real lion would.

It was the look of a predator who perfectly knew she was in a superior position and enjoyed that status.

'It's unlikely, but… I need to find out through the person I planted in the Empress Palace.'

Why the Empress had suddenly changed like that.

Strangely, her spine tingled.

* * *

Since declaring that she would take charge of hosting the banquet, the Empress Palace had become incredibly busy.

I had no intention of using the items Helene had prepared in advance, so I had to find new everything, even the curtains.

"The sculptors and painters have arrived, Your Majesty. I have guided them to the reception room for a meal."

"After they finish eating, take them to the fruit room as I said beforehand."

"Yes!"

The fruit room, which was completed yesterday, was filled with all the fruits produced within the Empire.

The artists would work together to create works of art from the fruit.

Edible works of art.

Decorations that were most meaningful when eaten and gone.

That was what I wanted.

"We should finish the story we were telling."

After giving simple instructions, I slowly turned my head.

Before me now were three young architects I had sought out and summoned.

With tools like hammers and chisels at their waists, and dressed relatively lightly despite the cold, their eyes were all sparkling with light.

Opportunity.

That was what I was about to give them.

"What you need to do is simple. You must create an artificial waterfall and waterway within the grand banquet hall."

"By artificial waterfall, do you mean you want a natural form, or an artistically reinterpreted form?"

"The latter. Decorate it very stylishly so that the nobles will be impressed. Can you do it?"

The three young architects were all women.

All of them had graduated at the top of their class from prestigious art academies, but they had never had a chance to show their skills and were now doing menial work under established architects.

The reason was simple.

Because they were women.

The nobles did not trust the skills of female architects, so they had never built a single building.

I deliberately chose and summoned such people.

The best way to use humans as minions of the devil is to fulfill their desires.

I intended to fulfill their desires and make them my people.

"Champagne will be poured into the waterway. However, the color must be clear and sparkling. Oh, it would be good to attach mother-of-pearl to the bottom of the waterway."

"If we attach mother-of-pearl to the entire bottom of the waterway, the budget will……."

"Do you think I care about money?"

As I said with a soft smile, the architects swallowed hard.

Greed grew in their eyes along with longing.

It was a color I knew well and liked.

"This is the first banquet hosted by the Empress of this country. No matter how much it costs, do as you wish. As long as you keep what I said, the rest doesn't matter."

They knew best that this was not an opportunity that would come twice.

Not having to worry about the budget.

Even if it wasn't building the building itself, this was how it started.

An architect who had tied her hair tightly in a bun asked me a question. She was the oldest of the three, already close to forty.

"Um, Your Majesty the Empress. But why are you giving us this opportunity… we have no reputation or anything yet."

"So, can't you do it?"

As I threw the question out, the hesitant architect gritted her teeth.

"No. We can do it. We will proceed with the construction so that it can be a banquet that will go down in history."

"I looked at all the graduation works of the architecture students for this banquet. When I gathered the most eye-catching ones among those many works, it turned out to be you."

This was half true and half false.

Where would I find the time to look at all the graduation works?

I had initially asked them to find the top graduates in architecture who had not yet built a single building. And I chose from among them.

The expressions of the other two architects brightened at the words that they had been called because their abilities were recognized.

It was about time to drive in the wedge and move on to the next agenda, so I patted each of them on the shoulder once.

"If you successfully complete this banquet, I promise all of you the support of Duke Ahillo's family. So please don't disappoint me."

"We will do so…!"

"Good. Have a meal and go."

That was over, what was next?

"Your Majesty, we have brought all the types of champagne currently held in the Imperial Palace!"

I wondered why there were as many as seven reception rooms in the palace that were not often used, but now that I was properly working as the Empress, even that was not enough.

I went into another reception room and checked each of the barrels and glasses displayed inside.

"This one is too cloudy in color. Remove all the red ones."

"Yes! Then these three remain."

"You all, try drinking them all. I will use the one that receives the most votes."

I nodded to the maids who were following me closely. Then the maids rushed in and filled the glasses.

Everyone must have been exhausted from preparing for the banquet, so they would be glad to quench their thirst with low-alcohol champagne.

"If I may say so, I thought the third one was the sweetest."

"Me too."

"Me too!"

Then the third type is decided.

While preparing for the banquet this time, I sought the opinions of those around me in this way.

Rather than giving the impression that I was doing things my way, 'a banquet created by everyone together' would be easier to defend against any problems that might arise later.

A banquet created by me alone, I would have to handle alone, but if someone slandered and attacked a banquet created by everyone together… everyone would step forward to stop it.

Besides, I definitely needed the image of 'an Empress who communicates'.

"The Empress is less sensitive than I thought…?"

"I know. There was a rumor that she was a prickly person."

"The rumor must have been distorted. The maids were drinking champagne with the Empress while laughing. I got a glass too."

"What? She gave you that expensive champagne too?"

"Yes. The Empress ordered them to bring the champagne barrel. All the other servants in that reception room drank it too."

"Wow, I'm jealous. Was it a heavenly taste? Is the champagne that the nobles drink really different from the alcohol we drink?"

"The Empress is a good person…."

I, who was busily moving to the next place with only Derek, stopped walking for a moment when I heard the voices chattering under the window.

The maids were chattering while carrying the laundry.

'I did induce them to praise me… but it's awkward to actually hear the praise.'

I scratched my cheek and quickened my pace to avoid being caught eavesdropping. It was not intentional that I stumbled and staggered because my feet got tangled.

"Your Majesty. It's dangerous."

"Ugh… thank you, Sir."

Of course, it was Derek who caught me like lightning when I was about to fall.

"You ate too little for breakfast and lunch. You'll get anemia."

"Anemia, my foot. I'm fine. I've never felt so good and full of energy as I do these days."

"I……."

Derek stopped what he was about to say and shut his mouth tightly.

Then, as if he had forgotten to let me go, I was still half-embraced, and it felt like being warmly hugged by a winter bear, which I didn't dislike.

I tilted my head and stared up at him, then suddenly opened my mouth.

"You actually wish I wouldn't leave the bedroom, don't you?"