Chapter 50 …
At my call, he seemed to come to his senses and responded.
“…Yes. Saintess.”
“Is it… a problem that I came to see you? Are you worried about something?”
I studied his expression.
When he was the frightening Theodore, all I had to do was bow my head unconditionally.
But now, as the atmosphere seemed to soften, I found myself agreeing along—then wondering, Is this right?
He really was a difficult man.
“No. No. That aside, what brings you all the way to the Imperial Palace?”
“Huh?”
“Seeing as the High Priest contacted me on your behalf, it must be urgent. He never contacts me otherwise.”
“Ah, well… um.”
He’s getting straight to the point like this?
I wish the mood would loosen a bit more… so I could talk when Theodore wouldn’t get irritated.
Besides, fear aside—
He looks tired.
He was a handsome man brimming with vitality, but it was obvious. His eyes were slightly bloodshot.
Suddenly, I thought of Theodore in his office.
He’d said he was like that every day. That office was strewn with all kinds of documents and blueprints, and in the midst of it all he worked like a machine that did nothing but sigh.
“…Have you been very busy lately?”
I decided to start with a greeting. Asking after someone was perfect for easing the mood.
“Always.”
Theodore nodded calmly.
“Right? You’re… very busy, aren’t you?”
“If the head of a nation is idle, it means the country is headed for ruin. I consider it only natural.”
In the past, I would’ve immediately gotten responses like, Why ask such a thing? or That’s none of your concern.
Oh… this is kind of interesting.
He really had softened compared to before.
Now that I could read and manipulate everyone’s hearts, having one person who remained difficult had frightened me at first.
But seeing a change in that difficult person was… a little intriguing.
Because I couldn’t see his heart, all the more so.
“You must train often too, even while you’re that busy.”
“And why is that?”
“When I grabbed your hand earlier, I could tell. You have a lot of calluses on your palms.”
“…I do tend to hold a sword often.”
Theodore acknowledged it and sipped his tea. The way he slightly averted his gaze made it seem like he found this conversation boring.
I figured I couldn’t loosen the atmosphere any further. I decided to get back to the main point.
If I dragged out idle chatter while the other party was bored, the barely softened mood could easily be ruined again.
“Um, Your Majesty. I know this is a really pointless request.”
“A request? What is it? Do you need support again? But for the High Priest to send it instead… I can’t even guess what it might be.”
Theodore spoke seriously.
It really made it hard to say that the ‘matter’ was a boat ride.
“…It is true that the High Priest told me to do this, but…”
I hesitated as I continued.
“What is it? Did he ask something strange of you?”
Theodore placed his arms on the table and leaned toward me.
He looked as though he thought it was something serious. He even seemed worried.
As if Theodore would worry about me.
This is embarrassing. Really.
At times like this, it’s better to just spit it out.
“Well, um.”
“Is it that hard to say—”
“W-would you like to go… boating?”
“…What?”
Theodore looked taken aback.
My face, too, burned hot.
“……”
Silence fell between us.
Theodore seemed to be thinking quietly, while I stole glances at his expression.
No, but still. Do I really need to be this embarrassed and cautious?
I decided to be confident.
I hadn’t come because I wanted to, and this was just a request for cooperation in an operation.
Granted, that operation being a contract relationship was incredibly cringeworthy, and it was embarrassing to bring up boating when Theodore was being so serious.
But that wasn’t my fault, was it?
“Boating,” I said again.
He muttered the word softly. Sensing my chance now that the conversation was moving again, I quickly spoke up.
“Yes. I ended up going on a boat ride with the nobles I met at the Marchioness’s banquet. The High Priest kept urging me, asking if I couldn’t go together with Your Majesty.”
I said it confidently, without shrinking back.
Theodore’s blue eyes slowly met mine.
“But I was deceiving the High Priest, you know. I couldn’t say no, so I said okay—and then he went ahead and arranged everything.”
“…So that’s why he contacted me.”
As the explanation continued, Theodore quickly composed his expression. I was slightly impressed by how deftly he changed faces.
“I know it’ll be a hassle for you. But if you just hear me out—”
“I’ll go.”
“…You’ll reconsider— Huh?”
I, who had been preparing a whole speech explaining the High Priest’s scheme and why he had to attend the boat ride, stared wide-eyed.
“I said I’ll go. The boat ride.”
In a languid voice, with a relaxed expression, he gave his permission.
“…Your Majesty. Aren’t you annoyed?”
“I am.”
“Doesn’t it irritate you, having to humor such a pointless thing?”
At my words, Theodore slightly furrowed his brow.
Oops. In my shock, I’d basically said straight to his face that his personality was awful.
“It seems you think I’m quite a broken character.”
At Theodore’s sharp reply, I hurriedly tried to fix things.
“No, no. That’s not it. It’s just such a trivial matter. So I was sure you’d hate it, and I prepared a ton of arguments to persuade you. But you agreed so easily…”
Theodore patiently waited for me to finish speaking. After my flustered recovery ended, he replied calmly.
“Whatever the case, didn’t you come to ask me because it was something necessary?”
“T-that’s right.”
“And I know you weren’t lying. You actually took on dangerous tasks and even stole evidence. For someone like you, I see no reason not to cooperate.”
It seemed I’d thought of Theodore as a far colder man than he really was.
I almost felt touched. I chuckled softly and nodded.
“That’s right, Your Majesty. The High Priest has some really dirty schemes.”
Without losing my smile, I explained the High Priest’s plan to Theodore. As he listened, anger gradually gathered on his face.
“He truly is a filthy man. What on earth is in his head?”
“Exactly! Hating Your Majesty is one thing, but I’m a Saintess who said I’d cooperate with him, right? I actually helped him too. And yet he feels nothing about using both you and me in such a scandal. It gives me chills.”
“Indeed. You were someone who brought him considerable benefit.”
“Whew, I’m glad you see that. At least he’s getting greedy lately and leaving his tail exposed, so that’s fortunate.”
“When to blow up the mine will be key.”
“It’s not time yet. It’d be best to time it with the Reappearance Ceremony. Oh, right—the ledger. I’ll give it to you now.”
I handed Theodore Count Russell’s ledger, which I’d brought hidden inside a pastry box in a bakery bag.
Since it was a bakery bag, and I’d openly used the excuse of ‘a gift for Your Majesty,’ no one had suspected a thing.
Sometimes, rather than trying to secretly move something out of sight, it was better to hide it right under the lamp.
Theodore looked slightly taken aback by the bakery bag, then opened it and let out a small laugh.
“An excellent disguise, Saintess.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“I’ll gratefully accept it. The ‘pastries’ you brought at such risk.”
“Oh, don’t even get me started. I was so tense that day my shoulders were completely knotted.”
“From standing in line at the bakery?”
“Yes. The line was unbelievably long.”
“Shall I assign you a physician? I know an excellent one.”
“A physician? Who?”
“My personal doctor.”
“That’s really too much. I’ll pass.”
“You may be the only one in the Empire who refuses the Emperor’s goodwill as a burden.”
“Haha. That’s why I’m special.”
The conversation went on surprisingly long.
Theodore didn’t show any drastic change in attitude, but he continued responding calmly, and I chatted away enthusiastically.
“—Anyway. I’m relieved you agreed to the boat ride. I was scared to ask.”
“…Scared?”
“You dislike troublesome things, Your Majesty. I was worried you might refuse.”
“……”
Theodore suddenly fell silent.
Did I mess up?
I looked at him quietly. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke again.
“Saintess. Are you… afraid of me?”
“Huh? Um… a little? Your presence is incredibly intimidating.”
His eyes shook violently. What—did he not like me saying I was scared?
“Actually, not just a little—very, very much! You have the perfect bearing of an emperor!”
“…I see.”
He nodded. It seemed that was a satisfactory answer.
“Oh, and also—forms of address! We need to fix that too.”
“Forms of address?”
“What kind of man calls the woman he’s fallen for by her title? You should call me by my name. Ah—my name is—”
“I know. Do you think I wouldn’t know your name?”
“Oh. You know? I thought you wouldn’t. Seems Your Majesty isn’t as indifferent to me as I thought.”
That was honestly nice to hear. It would’ve been awkward if others noticed how uninterested Theodore was in me.
“Would you like to try saying it once?”
“…Now?”
“Yes. ‘Dorothy.’”
“…Do.”
Theodore forced the word out. He looked like he was in pain.
Well, he barely even called his friends by name. Of course this would be hard.
But if he kept calling me ‘Saintess’ in front of others, suspicion would arise immediately.
“Do……”
“Hang in there, Your Majesty!”
I clenched my fists and cheered him on. He looked at me and let out a hollow laugh.
“You really have the face of someone enjoying a spectacle. You look quite pleased.”
Hmm. Was I enjoying this too much?
His awkward expression was just too funny.
I carefully read Theodore’s mood.
Fortunately, he didn’t seem upset.
