~Chapter 49~
You Must Keep Your Promise
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Then, the Grand Empress must also keep her promise to hand over financial authority to the Empress soon.”
Conrad said it firmly. The nobles all nodded.
Since Chloe herself had announced it in the last meeting, no one could object to Conrad’s words.
The nobles on the Grand Empress’s side looked nervous, opening their mouths but not saying anything. Conrad smiled, satisfied, and gave an order to the chief attendant.
“Tell the Grand Empress about this and get the date when she will hand over financial authority.”
It wasn’t just the people in the nobles’ meeting room who were waiting for the result of Regina’s test.
More than anyone, the Grand Empress Chloe was waiting for the result.
“She passed the test?”
“Y-yes, Your Majesty, the Grand Empress.”
Chloe’s sharp voice echoed in her bedroom. The maids and attendants shrank back, but Chloe didn’t see any of them.
‘How did she pass?’
She had even asked the elder nobles to make the test extra hard. She said that, since the Empress came from a humble family, there needed to be a stricter check for her to enter the palace.
The elder nobles were more conservative than anyone and valued noble blood. Chloe had thought there was no way they would give easy questions.
‘But how?!’
The fan in Chloe’s hand broke under her grip.
Chloe threw the broken fan down angrily and didn’t move, even when a maid came to pick it up.
“The questions were so hard that a normal person couldn’t pass.”
There was no way the answers could have been leaked.
The elder nobles made the questions right in front of her, and as soon as they finished, they gave them to Regina.
The questions were made in Chloe’s presence and were very difficult. Even high-ranking nobles rarely knew such strict etiquette.
“Your Majesty, the Grand Empress, the Duke Messer has come to see you.”
“Let him in.”
When the duke came in, Chloe sent everyone else out.
Now, only the two of them were left in the room. Chloe hit the arm of her chair and shouted her anger.
“This can’t be, Brother!”
“Please calm down, Your Majesty.”
“Do I look calm right now? If we lose the financial authority like this, our plans…!”
“Shh!”
The duke looked around at Chloe’s rash words.
Of course, there was no one there, but he calmed Chloe, reminding her to be careful as always.
“We could give up the financial authority at any time, Your Majesty.”
“I know! But right now, the timing is terrible.”
“I understand, but there’s nothing we can do now.”
“How dare she…!”
Chloe was so angry she couldn’t calm down, but suddenly she realized something. Just a short while ago, Regina had only been a baron’s daughter. How could she know the imperial rules so well and pass such a difficult test?
“This doesn’t make sense.”
“What do you mean?”
“Lena Madarin couldn’t have passed the test so easily.”
They even set the test date suddenly. Still, she passed.
“It’s impossible. No one could do it unless she’s a genius.”
“Maybe she used magic.”
The duke suggested. Chloe tilted her head at his words.
“You think she could use magic to find the answers to the test?”
“It’s possible. Who knows?”
“All the questions had to be written out with detailed answers. Even the elder nobles had to check books to write the correct answers because they were so hard.”
“Your Majesty.”
The duke called Chloe gently. At his call, Chloe finally calmed down and looked at him.
“That doesn’t matter. What matters is that the Empress can use magic, and if she cheats with magic, we can’t know for sure.”
Chloe’s eyes narrowed at his suggestion.
She clearly understood what the duke meant, and a small smile appeared on her lips.
“Oh, I see.”
“Even if it’s not true, we can make it look like it is.”
“Hm, fine.”
Chloe’s eyes flashed with a dangerous light.
Even if Regina passed the test, Chloe clearly did not plan to hand over financial authority without a fight.
That night. Regina sat on the bed with Conrad.
Conrad leaned against the headboard and hugged Regina, playing with her hair.
Even though people talked about “magic power exchange,” in reality, there wasn’t much skin contact. They just liked being close.
“The Grand Empress won’t hand over financial authority easily.”
“I already know that.”
Regina answered Conrad’s quiet advice without hesitation.
She had seen, by checking the documents, that much more money was missing than she had thought.
Regina was sure Chloe was taking palace budget money for something else.
‘That money must be going somewhere else.’
To find out where, she needed more ledgers—especially the Grand Empress’s financial documents that Chloe wouldn’t give up.
‘If I could check those, I’d know exactly where the money was going.’
To track where the money was disappearing, Regina needed all the ledgers in the palace.
“Even if she doesn’t want to give them, she’ll have to. It’s just a matter of timing.”
“Timing?”
“Yes.”
Conrad grabbed Regina’s red hair and kissed the end of it. Then he played with her hand, kissing her palm and the back of her hand.
“You’re talking about the money the Grand Empress took, right?”
“I guessed you knew about it, but why did you just let it go?”
Conrad must have known something was wrong with the money, but Regina was curious why he let Chloe get away with it.
“Sometimes you have to give up something small to protect something big.”
“The small thing is the palace’s internal budget…”
“The big thing is the supplies for the monster subjugation.”
This was a problem every time they went to the border to hunt monsters.
Even with support from the emperor’s loyal nobles, they still needed cooperation from the lords of other territories.
If any of the nobles delayed sending food or supplies, Conrad and his knights would be in danger.
Conrad, as a Swordmaster, could survive days without food, but the knights and soldiers couldn’t.
“While I’m away fighting, it’s easier for her to steal, but she always sent the supplies on time.”
“Oh, so that’s why…”
If Chloe didn’t send the supplies, Conrad would have to come back to the capital, and she wouldn’t be able to take as much money as she wanted.
‘She’s more thorough than I thought.’
Regina nodded at Conrad’s words about giving up the small things to protect the important ones.
“Once you have the financial authority, I can go fight monsters with peace of mind.”
“That’s not all, is it?”
Regina turned her head. When she moved out of his arms, Conrad let her go.
Their four blue eyes met, and the atmosphere changed. Both of them were serious now.
“We’ll also find out where the money the Grand Empress took is going.”
“That’s right.”
That was what Conrad wanted from Regina all along—not just to take back financial control, but to uncover where Chloe was spending the money.
He had some guesses, but he needed real evidence. He needed someone like Regina who could gather all the clues and see the whole flow of money.
“Regina.”
At Conrad’s serious call, Regina’s blue eyes sparkled.
