Chapter 111
Ugh, that man again!
I let out a deep sigh. The emperor kept trying to turn everything into a parenting story, and honestly—it was getting tiring.
“What should we do? You’ve come a long way, but the Grand Duke isn’t available right now.”
“That’s alright. I also have business with the young lady. If not, I wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble to come.”
The man, Palemon, politely stood up straight. On closer look, he was very handsome.
According to Rena and Loti, the Northern Empire is known for having the most beautiful people on the continent.
Even the “Most Handsome Men of the Continent” book had many entries from there—and looking at Palemon now, I could believe it.
He smiled softly.
***
“There are rumors about the young lady spreading even in our empire. People say our Grand Duke ‘saved lives’—and that it was all thanks to you.”
“Ah… I wouldn’t say it was because of me. The Grand Duke did that himself.”
Actually, I had only copied what Winter had done. So I tried to be careful with my words.
Palemon’s smile twitched slightly.
“Also… there’s a rumor that you even… r-rode on the Grand Duke’s back!”
“Ah… yes, that’s true.”
After thinking for a second, I pointed to Alfred.
“We all had to move together quickly, so even Alfred rode on his back with me.”
“Ah… ahhh!”
Palemon’s lips opened in awe. A single teardrop rolled down his cheek.
Then, suddenly, he reached inside his collar and pulled something out.
It was a small necklace—like a holy item. He kissed it gently and whispered,
“Oh, Huérion… You haven’t abandoned us after all…”
…Umm. Actually… your god is the reason for all this mess, but okay.
I bit my cheek to stop myself from saying anything. The Northern Empire is very religious—some even call it a holy empire.
Palemon tucked the necklace away and pulled out something else—this time a scroll that looked very special.
Placing a hand on his chest, he spoke proudly:
“I bring a personal invitation letter from His Majesty, Glas Orsheus of the Northern Empire, to Lady Izana Monica Rohia!”
He held the scroll in both hands and gave me a smile so beautiful, I almost went into a daze.
“Please come to the Northern Empire, my lady!”
I reached out my hand as if drawn to the scroll…
But my fingers never touched it.
“You Northern guys always show your faces first. Haven’t you changed?”
Someone snatched it away—before I could grab it.
“Daughter. Focus. Use your eyes. That’s an order.”
“Huh?”
I turned around in confusion.
It was the Emperor—my father—with a scary expression, glaring at Palemon.
My eyes finally cleared, and I realized what was going on. The Emperor clicked his tongue.
“And wipe your mouth. I don’t say this often, but I’m ranked 7th. That guy’s about 50th.”
Embarrassed, I wiped my lips with my sleeve.
Palemon frowned.
***
“Actually, His Majesty of the Northern Empire also sent a message to the Emperor of the Western Empire.”
The Emperor raised his eyebrows, as if saying, “Go ahead, say it.” Then he threw the scroll to one of his attendants.
Palemon’s two guards quickly stood beside him, linking arms with him like they were ready to escort him out.
“He says—pay back the overdue debt.”
A vein popped out on Palemon’s forehead.
The Emperor responded calmly:
“Tell your emperor: if he’s bad at math, let his advisors handle it. That debt interest was cleared last year.”
Palemon narrowed his eyes.
“Oops. My mistake. He meant to say: it’s time to pay the principal now.”
Yeah, this again.
The Western Empire and the Northern Empire have always been enemies.
And yes, it all started from a big mess… caused by the previous emperors of both countries.
The Northern Empire, a land of snow and ice, can’t grow wheat or barley. So their top priority every year is to buy enough to feed their people.
And who’s the biggest wheat and barley supplier?
The Western Empire.
But the previous Western Emperor, a terrible ruler named Emperor Kalis, broke the trade deal—and millions in the north starved.
To be fair, the Northern Emperor also had his schemes.
He sent the most beautiful men and women from the North to seduce the Western Emperor into signing a deal—offering more grain for the same price.
He fell for it and signed the deal.
But that year, the West had a bad harvest—caused by the emperor’s own messes.
They could barely feed themselves.
So Emperor Kalis ignored the treaty, canceled the deal, and even beheaded the Northern envoys and sent the heads back.
He also refused to return the payment.
Of course, that led to war.
Both sides suffered greatly.
Eventually, the Western Emperor was killed by his own son, and the Northern Emperor was overthrown after mishandling post-war problems.
That’s when the current emperors took over—young, but wise—and they tried to fix everything together.
Still, the Western Empire was left with huge debts.
The interest alone was double the original debt.
Paying even that was a miracle—and one of Emperor Sillis’s greatest achievements.
The Western Empire had to borrow money from the Eastern and Southern Empires, too—and those countries took full advantage, charging extra high interest.
But Emperor Sillis paid everything back.
To his people, he was a hero.
But to the Northern Empire?
The West was still hated. It would probably take a hundred years before they could even share a meal in peace.
“Tell Glas Orsheus: instead of chasing other people’s daughters, maybe keep an eye on his own little brother first.”
The Emperor gestured, and the guards gently lifted Palemon.
“Let’s show you to your room.”
“Wandering around in this weather will give you a cold.”
Another vein popped on Palemon’s forehead.
“It’s summer in the Western Empire! And I’m from the Northern Empire! I’m already dying from this heat!”
“You’ll catch a cold…”
“You’ll catch a cold…”
The guards repeated like parrots.
Palemon was sweating as they carried him away.
As he was being taken out, he yelled toward the Emperor:
“I forgot to mention—His Majesty Glas also prepared a special gift for the Emperor of the Western Empire!”
Then he turned and looked at me.
He gave me a charming, friendly smile—clearly showing his interest.
But his tone to the Emperor remained sharp:
“It’s a gift your Emperor will love. Please look forward to tomorrow!”
The Emperor looked at me.
His eyes were filled with a strange, quiet sadness.
And without realizing it…
I looked away.
Oh dear. Poor emperor, having to refer to his handsomeness ranking. That’s the problem with turning yourself into a father figure for her, Emperor.
“The emperor kept trying to turn everything into a parenting story, and honestly–it was getting tiring.” Sounds like Izana and I are in agreement. XD