episode_0114

Inside the meticulously arranged carriage, traveling along the main street of the city.

Sitting comfortably in the plush chair that didn’t even feel a hint of shaking, Yulrian absentmindedly gazed out the window at the passing scenery.

The handsome face that had attracted the attention of many women in the distance was now filled with the exhaustion of the past few days of worries.

Yulrian, who had spent a sleepless night tossing and turning over the documents he had passed to the Emperor at last night’s drinking party.

Despite the intoxication and the soft bed, sleep eluded him. Unlike his debauched appearance, Yulrian spent the night tossing and turning alone on the vast bed, unable to rest.

Seeing his friend in such a state.

And also seeing his tired master.

Christian, who usually made the carriage noisy with his chattering on the way to work, was now silently watching Yulrian, while Ernst, though outwardly unchanged, had his dark eyes fixed not on the usual documents but on his master.

The stifling atmosphere inside the carriage, which had been building up, was soon broken by a dry remark from the stoic man.

“Your complexion doesn’t look very good.”

In the quiet carriage where not a word was spoken, only the creaking of the wheels filled the small space, a dry voice devoid of any emotion gently filled the air.

In response to Ernst’s penetrating voice, Yulrian turned his red eyes that had been fixed on the window to look at Ernst.

“What… do you mean?”

“Your complexion doesn’t look good. Did you drink late into the night again yesterday?”

His voice was no different from usual. Unlike his warm words, his voice was as cold as ever.

And with eyes as lifeless as those of a dead fish, he uttered such a worrying remark. His imbalance was enough to elicit a slight smile.

“I can’t believe Ernst is worrying about someone else.”

Christian, who was sitting next to him, nodded his head and spoke in a surprised voice. Yulrian also nodded in agreement with his friend’s words.

“That’s right. I didn’t expect Ernst to be worried about me.”

“Your Excellency… Regardless, you are my master, so it is only natural for me to worry.”

There was still no trace of emotion in his voice. But to Yulrian and Christian, the stoic man’s face was filled with dissatisfaction.

Thus, the frozen expression on Yulrian’s face began to gradually relax throughout the morning.

“You made us worry so much. I apologize.”

“So, what’s the matter? Even though the situation may be a bit frustrating, Yulrian, you weren’t this serious until yesterday.”

Christian asked with a worried tone. Yulrian reassured him not to worry too much, smiling softly in response.

“This is not something to discuss in the carriage. Let’s talk after we enter the office.”

#

The saying that good lighting also meant that sunlight poured in through the window was only natural.

Yulrian, the security officer of the Ministry of the Interior, had received the best office in the ministry, thanks to the unique lineage that connected him to Galatea’s bloodline, even though he was just a commoner.

And in this era, having a good position naturally meant having good lighting.

Thanks to this, when Yulrian, Christian, and Ernst passed through the main entrance of the ministry and arrived at the office, even though it was still early in the morning, his office was already quite warm from the summer sunlight pouring in through the window.

“It’s so stuffy in here.”

“It’s already this season.”

Making idle chatter, Yulrian and his companions entered the office. And the first place they headed to was the sofa placed in front of the luxurious walnut desk, meant for incoming guests.

Eventually, as they sat on the sofa, a cool iced tea was placed on the table in place of the hot tea that would have been steaming in the warmer seasons.

“Thank you, Ludvika.”

Christian, representing the taciturn men, thanked Yulrian’s secretary for preparing the iced tea. This role was always Christian’s responsibility among them.

Filled with a smile, his face seemed as if he was throwing a flirtatious glance at Yurian’s secretary, just like he used to do with women. In other words, it was clear that he was indeed throwing a flirtatious glance.

“Do you have no other tasks for me to do?”

However, his interlocutor was Yurian’s secretary, who had spent seasons by his side.

Rudvika, Yurian’s secretary, was a person who put up a wall against approaching suitors, like a guardian to her. Despite her handsome face that had once made many women swoon, she remained unmoved by the daily encounters. Naturally, she paid no attention to Christian’s clumsy flirting.

She calmly spoke with a tray against her chest, without a hint of hesitation.

Yurian nodded his head as a sign to leave. She looked at his trembling silver hair and lowered her head. Then, she left the office without hesitation after leaving the message, “If you need anything, please call me again.”

“Even though you’ve been so close, the woman who doesn’t show any interest in you isn’t the first one, is she?”

Christian looked at the closed door with regret in his eyes.

“That’s right. She’s quite a decent woman. Even if her abilities are lacking, I want to give her extra points in that regard. Even if she quits the Interior Ministry, I plan to give her a chance to work under me in the future.”

Yurian’s voice was directed towards his friend, Christian. However, his red eyes were fixed on Ernst. In response to the gaze, Ernst took out a pen-shaped artifact from his pocket and held it in his hand.

Finally, the pen tip of the pen-shaped artifact began to emit a red light as Ernst released the mana.

After confirming that the eavesdropping prevention artifact was working properly, Ernst was the first to ask Yurian a question.

“So, Your Highness. What is it?”

His voice, as mentioned several times, was emotionless, without a hint of any feelings.

However, perhaps because of the incident in the carriage earlier, Yurian felt as if his words were urging him in some way.

Ignoring the gazes of the two men directed at him, Yurian took out an envelope from the black leather bag placed beside him and placed it on the table.

“Last night, the Emperor came to my room, asking to drink together.”

Yurian continued calmly, holding a glass of cold tea in his hand.

“He came to drink with the son who had been ignored all his life, made fun of my mother and Elly’s affairs, and then handed me this document.”

As Yurian finished speaking, Ernst was the first to reach for the envelope on the table. He took out the document from the brown envelope and began to read through it. His neatly groomed eyebrows soon furrowed slightly.

Seeing this, Christian’s eyes widened in surprise.

Ernst, who usually did not show any emotional changes, had always presented a cold and expressionless face. Even though it had been almost ten years since they had been together, he had always faced him with an indifferent and chilly expression.

Yet, he was now furrowing his eyebrows over just one document.

“W-what’s written in there that’s making you react like this?”

Even though Christian’s voice showed frustration, Ernst did not show any particular reaction. His dark eyes moved busily between the document in his hand and Yurian.

“Your Highness. This document…”

“Well… Yes. You could say it’s like a poisoned chalice.”

“Oh, really! Why are you making such a fuss about it!”

Not knowing the situation, Christian snatched the document that Ernst had pushed back and began to read through its contents.

As Christian’s eyes moved down line by line, his eyebrows began to furrow similar to Ernst’s.

“Wait a minute. This… This is…”

Staring at his stammering friend, Yurian raised a sly smile, lifting his lips.

“This document contains corruption, solicitation, and various other misconduct related to Queen Anne Rose and her in-laws, the Earl Edmund. Well, considering that the Earl Edmund, who was just a name not even half a century ago, has grown into the most noble family in the empire, there must have been a lot of dirty work involved.”

As Yurian finished his long speech, he took a sip of the cold tea and placed the teacup on the table. His red eyes were fixed on the astonished Christian.

“And, you see, this document… It’s not just about misconduct, solicitation, and corruption. It also contains information about the conspiracy they have plotted.