Chapter 4

4. A Lion Never Lets Go of Its Prey

The Saintess is the Emperor's mistress, she said.

From the Saintess's perspective, it must have been a taunt about not being loved by her husband, but from my perspective, I couldn't be more grateful.

"We must send them back immediately. This is a ploy to create bad rumors."

"Huh? Why send them back? What a waste."

"Yes, I'll chase them out right away, even if I have to beat them with a club... I... Y-yes?"

Mrs. Bertolt was horrified. The maids standing in a row next to her were equally dumbfounded.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty. Those men are not real doctors. They are either imposters pretending to be doctors or apprentice doctors. They were sent to tarnish Your Majesty's reputation, composed of young men."

As expected of the Head Maid, Mrs. Bertolt was the first to regain her senses. I glanced at Mrs. Bertolt's face, overflowing with worry, and shrugged.

"I know that."

"!"

"It's just... I feel like I've been living too foolishly. I heard that the reason I jumped was because the Emperor promised to come but didn't."

As soon as I mentioned the accident, Mrs. Bertolt's eyes welled up again. I was sick of crying, so I quickly added a word.

"So, I'm going to stop liking the Emperor now."

Honestly, I don't even know what the Emperor looks like, but I just blurted it out.

A lion never lets go of its prey.

It's even a lunchbox delivered in pretty packaging, so why give it up?

And a moment later.

"We have come to bring joy to Her Majesty the Empress!"

I couldn't hide my disappointment as I looked at the men lined up in front of me.

'They're all duds, aren't they?'

Their exteriors were pretty. But that didn't move me at all. After all, faces fade with age.

And humans age quickly.

'What I need is yang energy!'

But even if I sucked their yang energy, my lifespan would only increase by an hour or two at most.

Annoyed, I gestured to Derek, who had looked as displeased as I had since earlier.

"Sir Noert."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"How should we get rid of them to upset the Saintess?"

Since I'm upset, I should also make the Saintess, who sent such things as gifts, feel unpleasant.

Thinking like a devil, I tilted my chin in dissatisfaction. As I did, the fox fur shawl draped over my shoulders slipped down.

Derek, who was standing behind me, calmly pulled the shawl back up before quietly opening his mouth.

"How about driving them out with a beating?"

"Hmm, I don't know. That's not very interesting."

I had just said I would forget the Emperor and bring in men, but now I was being capricious, saying I didn't like them and telling them to leave, but none of the close aides in the room looked strange.

They just did as I wanted.

After pondering, my eyes sparkled like a mischievous child.

"Strip them all naked."

"Y-Your Majesty! What are you doing!"

The fake doctors were startled and cried out, but I didn't care.

"Hmm, and we need to dress them up nicely too. Put ribbons in their hair."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Once you're done..."

I gave the orders gently, then wiped the smile off my face.

"Send them to the Emperor Palace. Tell them politely that I'm sharing the Saintess's gifts because I don't want to use them all myself."

Let's screw them both over!

* * *

"Her Majesty the Empress sent what?"

"M-men, Your Majesty. Seven of them, to be exact... Their outfits are very strange. They're wearing colorful dresses and have ribbons in their hair..."

A little later, at the Emperor Palace.

Chamberlain Elbert, who was having a perfect day as always, was faced with incredibly bizarre news.

It was common for the Empress to contact the Emperor Palace almost every day, so he could just ignore it. Whether a messenger brought a letter or sent medicine or gifts, he had strict orders to return them, as His Majesty the Emperor would not accept them.

Therefore, Elbert's duty was to pretend not to hear whatever contact the Empress made.

But he had never received instructions on what to do about sending 'people' as 'gifts.'

'The Empress has cleverly exploited a loophole.'

Wiping his shiny forehead with a lavender-scented handkerchief, Elbert pondered for a moment.

His Majesty had finished his official duties and was taking a short break. But if he brought up the Empress's story, he would surely be troubled...

But his worry was short-lived.

The person who brought the 'gift' from the Empress Palace bowed politely and conveyed the Empress's words.

"Her Majesty the Empress said, how could she monopolize the valuable talents sent by the Saintess? She is greatly concerned about His Majesty's health, as he must be very tired from his official duties, and even though she knows that there are already excellent palace physicians in the Emperor Palace, she is worried and will share the gifts."

In short, 'Look at what your mistress did?'

'The Empress has never been like this before...'

The Empress had a bad personality, but it was only within her own palace. She was desperate to be seen favorably by His Majesty the Emperor, so she had turned a blind eye to everything concerning the Saintess.

Until now.

'This is not something I can handle.'

Sweating profusely, Elbert had no choice but to knock on the door of the office.

* * *

Inside the office, bright sunlight streamed in.

The young Emperor of the Great Holy Nix Empire was having tea time with his staff of eight talented individuals.

According to the Emperor's nature, who hated idle chatter during work hours, the staff did not even breathe loudly when looking at documents.

The only time they could chat was at four o'clock in the afternoon.

But today, even though that precious time had arrived, the aides could not say a word.

The Emperor's mood had plummeted after seeing the bizarre 'gift' sent by the Empress.

"What do you think this means?"

The Emperor frowned and slowly opened his mouth.

The afternoon sunlight slid over his soft golden hair. His mysterious eyes, which were crimson in the sunlight and purple in the shade, gleamed with clear anger.

"......"

The aides were all silent, as if honey had been stuck to their mouths.

The Emperor's appearance was so pretty that he could be mistaken for a noble lady, so he was often picked on when he was a prince. There were many rumors that the Emperor's personality would be gentle and weak just by looking at his appearance.

But the aides sitting in this position knew.

How ruthless the Emperor was.

Their Emperor, Yert Lu Nicks, was by no means a kind person.

"Ahem, I dare to speak. In my opinion... is Her Majesty the Empress not ill? She has been suffering from a fever for a long time... so... that is..."

"She is dissatisfied that I do not visit her? So she is protesting?"

"I am sorry."

After one of the aides plucked up the courage to speak, the office became even colder. Even though the fireplace was lit, goosebumps ran down his arms.

Another aide, watching the situation, swallowed and opened his mouth.

"Her Majesty the Empress has a unique constitution that is not affected by either holy power or magic. She is often ill, and Duke Ahillo is very worried because she cannot be healed with holy power."

At first glance, it was an introduction that had nothing to do with the current situation.

But who were these people?

Were they not the Emperor's aides, who were masters of reading the room?

Kellup, the youngest of the eight aides, quickly took the cue.

"That is why the Saintess seeks out valuable medicinal herbs and good doctors for Her Majesty the Empress whenever she is dispatched to the provinces. Where else can you find someone with such a kind heart!"

They knew how highly the Emperor regarded the Saintess.

As proof, no one in this holy Nix Empire called the Saintess 'the Emperor's mistress.' The Saintess was just the Saintess.

His Majesty the Emperor's childhood friend. Five years ago, when His Majesty the Emperor was still a prince, she was the one who saved him when he was suffering from the devil's temptation.

In fact, she was an advisor to His Majesty the Emperor, influencing various policies.

She even attended the cabinet meetings and gave various advice in place of Her Majesty the Empress, who was not in good health.

Therefore, was she not a precious person with the title of 'Sacred Compass'?

How could anyone dare to use the derogatory term 'mistress' for such a person?

In fact, if the Saintess's origins were not from the 'Quid,' a minority group and untouchables said to be worse than slaves, she could have become the Empress.

"Her Majesty the Empress is ignoring the Saintess's kindness too much."

"I think so too."

"With the summit ahead and the palace still in turmoil because the intruders have not been caught, how could she..."

"Even if she knows nothing about the palace affairs..."

When the Emperor's reaction was not bad, the aides began to defend the Saintess and criticize the Empress.

The Emperor listened silently and slowly raised his hand.

"How long has the Empress been suffering from a fever?"

"It has been over half a month."

"That is a long time for a fever."

"Yes. Perhaps she may not be able to make it through this winter..."

The last statement was made by James, the first aide and the leader of the aides.

Until now, James had been watching the situation with a somewhat worried attitude.

Whether the Emperor and Empress were on good terms or not was not a big deal.

In the first place, it would be more surprising for a political marriage to be on good terms.

However, James, as the first aide, had a duty to give sincere advice so that the political structure of this country could be balanced.

"You must have an heir from the Empress, Your Majesty."

"......"

"Otherwise, even if it is a holy empire, the power of the temple will become too strong. The balance will be broken. I know that the Saintess is no different from an incarnation of an angel, but politics is a different matter."

"......I see."

The Emperor, who had been holding his forehead, finally nodded after a long silence. There was nothing wrong with James's words.

"Send a message to the Empress that I will visit her tonight."

However, two hours later.

The Emperor and his aides were once again in great shock.

This shock was even more severe than the previous one.

The Empress's reply to the Emperor's message was very short and concise.

[ There is no need for you to come. ]

It was a clear refusal without any euphemisms.