The Abandoned Empress Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Chapter 10

‘Huh? What is this sound?’

As I turned around the corner, I suddenly heard sobody screaming and walking quickly. I craned my neck to see what happened, but I couldn’t because my view was obstructed by the wall. I felt uncomfortable, but I thought that it was not a big deal because there was no big disturbance.

***

I visited my father’s office as the captain of the knights. It was not very different from the office in my mories. Docunts were stacked on a large desk. There were chairs and simple tea sets for his aides and visitors. It was a typical office.

Although I told him several tis that I was okay, my father called the royal doctor as soon as he arrived at the office. When the doctor said I was okay, but I felt dizzy because I was too weak, he was relieved and went back to work.

When I noticed the mounds of docunts, one thing flashed my mind.

In the past, I always handled a lot of docunts in a dreamy state. If my mory was true, could I understand and deal with my father’s docunts, too?

I picked up a docunt on his aide’s table. My father gave a look, but didn’t care.

Contrary to my expectation that it was difficult, the thick paper was surprisingly easy to understand.

If so, are things in my mories not a dream?

Or am I dreaming now?

I looked up at my father with trembling eyes. I looked at him very briefly, but he imdiately t my gaze, so I lowered my head in a hurry. Pretending to be casual, I was reading the docunts. I tilted my head, thought.

Sothing was not correct.

“Are you sure? Huh? Oh, you’re right.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

Suddenly, the door opened wide and two n ca in. One man with blazing red hair and the other man looked intelligent had green hair. I stood up at the appearance of these two familiar n.

They were Duke Lars and Duke Verita. They were the masters who taught a lot in my dreamy mories.

“How are you, Duke Lars and Duke Verita?”

“Long ti no see, lady. Did you learn everything I taught you last ti? ”

Did he teach anything last ti? What did he teach ? I knew I hadn’t yet started the empress course. I was puzzled a bit, but nodded because of my faint mories.

Yes, that’s right. My empress classed started after I turned ten, but I was taught before.

When I ca ho to see my father, he used to tell lots of things.

When I nodded, Duke Lars approached my father with a faint smile. I looked up instead of focusing on the docunt because Duke Verita was staring at intently. He asked , pointing to the docunt with interest, “Have you prepared this docunt?”

“Yes, I have.”

“Why did you co to this conclusion?”

“It’s because…”

What I thought was rather strange was the expenses for the al kits for the knights. The docunt stated that next month so of the 2nd Knights Division would leave to inspect the border. If so, the number of knights stationed in the capital would be reduced, and the expenses of their al kits had to be reduced proportionally, but the docunt didn’t reflect the necessary decrease in the original expenses. So, I searched for the last budget proposal and compared the cost of the al kits and their cost after adjusting inflation. I found that the al kits were being overcharged.

When I explained this in detail, Duke Veritas looked at the docunt carefully.

“If that’s true, I think I have to find out the man responsible for the overcharge and punish him.”

“No, you shouldn’t.”

“Why?”

“Well, he could have made a mistake. Even if he did it deliberately, I don’t think it’s right for you to punish him without finding out the exact reason.”

He nodded again and asked again, “How about calling the budget guy right now and asking for his explanation?”

“No, that is not good.”

“Why is that?”

“If he made a mistake, you could forgive him with a light warning, but if he did it on purpose, he might lie to avoid punishnt. How can you determine if he is telling the truth or not by simply listening to him? If you are not tactful enough, he might feel scared and run away at your question. So you had better investigate whether he had any reason to overcharge the al kit expenses.”

“I think your explanation makes sense.”

I didn’t know when he overheard our conversation, but Duke Lars cut in.

“So, you discovered the overcharged items to reduce costs, right? But you have to take into the cost of investigation if you follow the lady’s recomndation. Instead, call the guy responsible for the overcharges and punish him. Why should you bother about it?”

“Because we are aristocrats.”

“What does that an?” Veritas asked back quickly.

“We are nobles serving the Emperor above while ruling 20 million people in the empire.

It is the duty of the nobles to support the empire sincerely, so he can make choices to enhance the people’s lives.”

“So what?”

“As you know, nobles rely on the taxes collected from the people in the empire. In that sense, saving the budget is very important, but it should not be done by sacrificing innocent people. ”

“Great.”

Duke Lars nodded silently. With a slight smile, Duke Verita looked back at her father.

I recalled sothing that was too vivid for to call it a dream.

The emperor’s eyes, which were cold from the first eting, and his cold smile at , but kind smile at another woman, hurt my feelings.

My heart was racing when I recalled my father’s promise that he would co back soon to take back ho, the emperor’s brutal laughing after telling my father had been beheaded, his distorted smile after I stabbed him with the hairpin, and his laughter even when I was beheaded.

“Ouch!”

I plucked my chest. I could hardly breathe. I broke out into a cold sweat, and I felt dizzy. My head was spinning with a mix of green and silver before my eyes.

I heard sobody shouting sothing.

The whole world turned black for the last ti I felt like soone was picking up.

***

I opened my eyes. It was dark.

‘Where am I now? Am I awake from my dream?’

Although I couldn’t see anything, I looked around and held back the urge to scream.

Was I dead? Was the brief happy mont as well as a shred of conscience God’s last gift to ? Where am I now?!’

The mont I tried to scream like crazy, my heart sank when I heard sothing familiar.

As I reached out my trembling hand, I felt a thin thread. What is this?

“You’re awake.”

I heard sobody saying with a subdued voice. I felt relieved at the mont. How fortunate! It seems like I haven’t yet woken from my dream. Or I might have had a terrible nightmare.

But was that mory a nightmare? It’s so vivid. No matter how hard I thought about it, I could not be sure if it was a dream or if my bitter mory was a dream. I was very confused.

“Daddy.”

“Yes, I’m here.”

“Oh, Dad.”

“Okay.”

“Daddy, Dad, Dad… ”

“Okay.”

I called and called my father for fear that he might disappear again.

My anxiety began to disappear gradually when he kept responding to my repeated crying “Daddy” and his tight grip on my hands. As I was getting familiar with the dark, I began to see my father’s eyes now, which were full of affection for that I had not noticed. His navy blue eyes full of worries and anxieties looked so warm.

I was choked with emotions. I did not want to miss this mont.

“Dad.”

“Well.”

“I want to go to the temple.”

“Temple?”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah, if you feel better, let’s go together.”

“No. I want to go there alone tomorrow. Would it be okay?”

If this mont was a dream to , there may be no tomorrow for . But if that terrible mory was a dream, I felt I needed to go to the temple at least once because it may have been the revelation from God for my future.

I wouldn’t care if it was a common dream, but the appearance of a mysterious girl who appeared from nowhere was certainly unusual. If it’s a prophecy, wouldn’t it be God’s prophecy? As they have to disclose it unless it’s very important, I could hear about it if there was God’s prophecy to be heard.

“Yes, you can go there.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“Think about it tomorrow and sleep more.”

“Will you be here when I sleep?”

Because I may have no tomorrow, I played baby as if this was the last mont I was with him.