Chapter 31
The table of contents for the "Proposal for the Establishnt of the dical Office" has five sections.
Necessity of the dical Office
Proposed Internal Structure of the dical Office
Budget Allocation within the dical Office
Examples of Possible dications
The Relationship between the Church of the Goddess and dicine
Revisiting the proposal revealed sothing to add, specifically to the last section. I tried to preemptively address any potential objections from the Temple. In essence, it was about taking the initiative.
'I need to give the ministers sothing to hide behind. To do that, I need to thoroughly understand the doctrines of the Goddess Church.'
I headed to the royal library to read the relevant books. As I passed through the central garden, I heard excited laughter.
A group of noble ladies was heading towards the Temple. At the front was Duchess Yena, who caught my eye.
“Empress.”
She greeted
with a bright smile, and the other ladies followed suit.
“It's good to see you all. Are you on your way to pray?”
The ladies exchanged uneasy glances, probably due to the current delicate relationship between the royal family and the Temple.
But prayer is a personal freedom.
“Prayer is just an excuse. We actually prefer tea parties,” Duchess Yena said, hiding her mouth with a fan. Her seemingly trivial chatter had an underlying ssage.
She was subtly complaining about not being invited to tea parties.
Rivia used to host tea parties frequently, always trying to appease the noblewon. Every ti, these ladies would gather information about the palace. They probably looked down on Rivia the whole ti.
Especially Duchess Yena, who regarded Rivia as beneath her since she was from a marquisate while Yena was a duchess.
“You hold tea parties often enough, don’t you?” I said with a smile.
“But nothing can compare to the tea in the palace.”
How blatant.
“If only the Empress's duties were limited to the joy of having tea with all of you.”
The ladies understood my veiled ssage. I was too busy to spend ti with them.
“Yes, the Empress must be very busy. Where are you heading?” asked Countess lina, known for her roundabout way of socializing. At least she didn't look down on Rivia.
“I need so books from the library.”
“Oh my, you must have a lot of work.”
Duchess Yena glanced around.
“But why are you alone today?”
“Are you referring to soone in particular?”
“Baron Farham, with the skin disease.”
She hid her mouth with her fan again. Was she imagining a relationship between
and Farham just because we had been seen talking often?
I couldn’t help but laugh. Duchess Yena’s expression flickered.
“The rumor is true. I do hold Baron Farham in high regard.”
“What do you an…?”
The ladies' eyes widened.
“Is there any reason I shouldn't, Duchess?”
Duchess Yena smiled faintly.
“Then, do you an you’ve taken him as a lover?”
“Did you just use the word lover?”
Silence fell. Duchess Yena couldn't answer.
“Oh my, the Duchess must still see every male-female relationship as romantic.”
“But—”
“My spouse is the Emperor.”
Duchess Yena closed her mouth. It seed she feared Leto.
“A servant cherished by His Majesty is naturally soone I must also cherish.”
“You are right. I just worry that words may take root as rumors often do.”
So, she was insinuating that Farham and I would beco lovers in the future?
“Considering the Bern Duke, I understand your concern.”
Years ago, the Duke of Bern had a scandal with a maid from the palace. It was a notorious scandal that everyone pretended not to know. The nobility kept quiet to avoid offending the ducal house.
“Empress, that was just a rumor.”
“Yes, rumors can be frightening. Words do have power.”
Duchess Yena's face flushed. She must have never experienced such humiliation in front of other ladies.
“Well, then, we shall proceed to our prayers.”
She barely managed to hide her anger as she bowed. I could see her hands trembling.
“Go ahead. By the way, Duchess Yena.”
“Yes?”
“I’m glad to see your headache has subsided. You didn’t even recognize
at the funeral last ti.”
She couldn’t respond. I turned and headed to the library.
It was satisfying but also absurd. Pairing
with Farham of all people.
That afternoon, I received a letter from Farham.
To the Beloved Empress, I, Farham Sanuel, have succeeded in refining indigo. The cream mixed with it showed excellent results. I will bring the cream to the palace tomorrow.
This was great news. I was eager to see the results.
I imdiately wrote a reply.
To Baron Farham, Thank you for your hard work in refining the dicine. As you suggested, please co to the palace tomorrow.
I paused at that point.
“…Hmm.”
Farham's recovery could be quite dramatic. It could be used in the council eting.
I fetched a new piece of stationery and rewrote the letter.
Today is the last day of the night market.
For the past ten days, I had been cooped up in my room writing the proposal. I was so focused that I didn’t even take a single walk.
And in the afternoon, the final draft of the proposal was completed.
I was reviewing the proposal one last ti when there was a knock at the door. Leto entered.
“Your Majesty. What brings you here?”
“I figured you’d be done with the proposal by now.”
It was as if he could see through walls.
“Yes, it’s done. Would you like to see it?”
I handed him the proposal. He took it.
“Why didn’t you work in the office? It would have been more comfortable.”
That was because being so close to Leto would have been distracting.
“My room is quite comfortable.”
He glanced at
and smirked.
“If I make you uncomfortable, just tell
to leave.”
He seed genuinely concerned about my discomfort.
I changed the subject.
“Please read it. There are so changes from the draft you saw before.”
“Of course.”
He perched on the sofa’s backrest and began reading the proposal seriously. Page by page, he read quickly and thoroughly.
‘I hope it’s good enough. I’m nervous.’
Leto finished the thirty-page proposal in one go and closed the last page with a snap.
“Well written. Especially the last part.”
“I’m not well-versed in the doctrines of the Goddess Church. Please check for any logical errors.”
“The Church of the Goddess is full of errors. This logic won’t be defeated by their illogical doctrines.”
I had a different view. The doctrines of the Goddess Church were plausible and comforting to the people. The problem was the people exploiting those doctrines.
But I didn’t argue. I knew how much he disliked the Goddess Church.
“I’ll take the proposal.”
He stood and approached , leaning slightly on the desk.
I looked up at him, a slight smile on his face. See? He really is pretty.
“We should et at seven tonight. By the back gate of the imperial palace.”
“Are we really going alone? What about Sir Yuton?”
“Are you serious? Why would I bring him?”
“What about the knights?”
“I’ll bring my elite knights. We’ll be outside the palace, after all. But they’ll keep a reasonable distance, so we won’t even see them.”
Hearing his words made it feel real. We were really going to the night market. Why did this make
so excited?
“I hope you’re excited about tonight’s outing.”
“I am.”
“…Really?”
He seed genuinely surprised. Can’t I be excited?
“I was under a lot of stress because of the proposal.”
He laughed, seemingly amused by my explanation. Taking the proposal, he said,
“Good. Let’s have fun tonight. You worked hard, so let’s enjoy ourselves.”
I walked him to the door. As he was about to leave, he hesitated and spoke.
“I have a request.”
“What is it?”
“I’d be happy if you wore the necklace I gave you.”
“Oh.”
I hadn’t worn it since he gave it to . It was beautiful, but I was careful not to give him the wrong impression.
But fulfilling his request seed harmless.
“Alright, I’ll wear it.”
He smiled at my response.
Soon after, I prepared for the outing.
Lady Mare was as delighted as a child upon hearing the news.
“I was worried since you’ve been working so hard. It’s wonderful that you’ll spend so ti with His Majesty.”
“Indeed. Let’s pick out an outfit. Will you help ?”
“Of course. Since you’re going incognito, sothing simple would be best.”
Lady Mare opened the wardrobe, filled with dresses sent by Louis and Shawn.
“Even if it’s simple… sothing pretty.”
Lady Mare’s eyes widened, then she laughed softly.
“Why are you laughing?”
“It’s the first ti you’ve wanted to look pretty for His Majesty.”
“…I’m not dressing up for him. I just want to feel good.”
“Of course. Let’s pick out an outfit.”
Lady Mare’s laughter was knowing. Honestly, I ant it.
After much deliberation, I chose a light green dress for the outing. It was appropriately fancy yet girlish. Wearing it with brown shoes made
feel like a noble lady.
“I think wearing your hair down would suit you today.”
Following her advice, I let my hair down. It cascaded to my waist in soft curls. After the maids brushed it, it felt like fine silk.
Lastly, I put on the necklace. It looked as good as new, almost like it was made for .
As I touched the erald, I thought,
Going to the night market and wearing the necklace are trivial on their own.
But together, they turned into a pretty convincing date.
I felt like I was getting drawn into Leto’s plans.
Soon, it was almost seven. I told Lady Mare,
“There’s no need to see
off since I’ll be eting His Majesty soon.”
“Very well. Have a wonderful ti.”
Lady Mare and the maids curtsied, their faces filled with anticipation.
I walked down the corridor and the stairs alone. Excitent and nervousness mingled within .
Just as I stepped into the back garden,
Aaaaaah!
A scream pierced my ears. Startled, I looked around, but the garden was empty.
Aaaaaah!
This voice… it was the Goddess.
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