episode_0444

The Emperor knew that no matter what he did, his position was not in jeopardy.

He utilized his status so well that one could say, if you want to enjoy life comfortably, do it like the Emperor.

However, Princess Mona had a different temperament from the Emperor.

She wanted to reduce the power of the nobles and elevate the imperial authority to create a better empire.

First, she had to consolidate the power that the Emperor had scattered.

“You seem to be going through a lot.”

“I endure it all because of my own ambitions, but I don’t know how long I can hold on. The current situation is already difficult, and more challenges keep arising.”

Princess Mona sighed deeply as she ran her hand through her hair.

“If this time is supposed to be a breather, do you believe it?”

“By solving one thing at a time, there will be better days ahead.”

“I hope so. I’m worried that instead of solving things one by one, I might end up giving up on them.”

It might not be a bad idea to let go of things that are sinking rather than holding onto everything.

But Princess Mona, who had just ascended to the throne and had many things she wanted to do, did not want advice that she did not ask for.

Listening to Princess Mona’s complaints, she finally brought up the main issue.

“I thought you were too busy to attend the coronation.”

“I had a lot of things to take care of.”

Even during the supposed time for rest, she couldn’t relax comfortably.

The only time she had a break was the vacation she spent with Rebecca.

“I didn’t expect you not to come to the coronation. Everything I prepared was for you, but it was all in vain.”

“You prepared something for me?”

Erentina had told her that she had taken great care of her and looked after her well.

That should have been enough, but hearing that she had prepared something more for her made her surprised and apologetic.

Wasn’t it because she was too busy that she couldn’t go?

“I haven’t told anyone separately because I thought they might feel offended, but what I’m saying now is sincere.”

“Even if it wasn’t me, you would have succeeded in the end.”

“Of course, you would have ascended to this position. I don’t deny that. But you wouldn’t have ascended so quickly.”

Princess Mona continued, crossing her legs.

“If it were my plan, I would have started moving forward from next year after graduating from the academy. How long do you think it would have taken from then to ascend to the position of Princess?”

It would have been impossible to become the successor as planned within at least 1-2 years.

The benefits of gaining the position of Princess quickly were beyond imagination.

“Ascending to this position so quickly is something I never even considered in my plans. I feel a bit humiliated by being swept up in what you do, but as someone who has gained so much benefit, I can’t complain, can I? Instead, I might not even be able to express my gratitude to you. ”

Princess Mona reached out her hand.

Unable to refuse the handshake, she had to take that hand.

“I hope you continue to help me like you do now. I feel secure with you by my side. You may not know, but I gain courage from watching you.”

“It’s an honor, Princess.”

“You’ve never demanded the rightful compensation for helping me. Even if you did, you only made modest requests. Thanks to that, the things I owe you have piled up.”

Princess Mona’s eyes sparkled sharply.

“You’re not thinking of stepping back today, are you?”

“I think I may have burdened you with my desires. I apologize.”

“Rather than a burden, I was puzzled whether it was something I could handle. If I want to help but lack the ability, wouldn’t that be a problem?”

“No, it’s not. If it’s Lady Mona Hwang, she can grant any request.”

“Oh really? Then tell me. What exactly does she want from me to put me in this position?”

“What I want is…”

※ ※ ※

“Did you hear?”

Approaching the Lord who had come out of the study, she asked.

Today was the day she would finally find out what Suhan’s true intentions were.

What did they hope to achieve by achieving such remarkable feats without asking for anything in return?

Their mysterious intentions were finally being revealed.

Renowned for her genius from a young age, she was chosen by the Lord and always held the highest position without fail.

But…

“I’ve never encountered such an unpredictable opponent before.”

It was strange how she couldn’t predict even one of their top motives.

She had tried to investigate the reasons separately, but it was all in vain.

Despite their suspicious behavior, there was no concrete evidence that they were up to something.

“No matter how much I observe Suhan and the Lord, I can’t figure out what their intentions are.”

“A person must have desires. But Suhan has hidden them until the end.”

While she admired their sharp minds and efficient work, she couldn’t continue to be on the same side with them while they concealed their intentions.

The fact that they were unpredictable was starting to make her a little fearful.

“Even if they didn’t demand anything until now because their desires were too great, it makes sense that they might not settle for small rewards.”

“Maybe it’s easier for them to come out like that? No, if that happens, we can’t continue on the same side, which is a loss. It’s frustrating, but the fact that they are competent is true.”

Their competence led the Lord to unexpectedly become the successor without his planning.

And he wasn’t even an adult yet!

Such competent individuals were best kept on the same side.

If they made a wrong move and fell into the enemy’s hands, it would be very troublesome.

“But the Lord probably doesn’t intend to create a powerful noble family. What if our path and their path diverge? It would be a shame to let it go like this…”

But why has the Lord been silent all this time?

“My Lord, why are you silent? Was it a difficult request for you to make?”

“It’s not that. Ah… is that right?”

“Yes?”

“Ha, I think I need some time to organize my thoughts.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to discuss it with me? Was it such a strange request?”

Organizing thoughts was something she excelled at.

So even if he needed to organize his thoughts, doing it together would save time.

The Lord seemed to have come to his senses belatedly and nodded his head.

“Ah, right, it’s funny that I’m thinking alone while you’re here.”

“Yes. Let’s discuss it together.”

“Yes, I think I need to clear my mind first, so bring me some cold water.”

“Yes.”

After bringing the cold water, he drank it all in one go.

Only then did the Lord speak.

The absurd request they had made.

She couldn’t close her mouth in disbelief when she heard it.

“Did they really make such a request?”

“I was so shocked that I had to ask if I had understood correctly. They just laughed and said it was true. Isn’t it absurd?”

“Who are they to make such a request? Have they become saints? Did they reveal themselves as angels sent by God to save the world?”

Otherwise, they were nothing but a polluted area.

Was it a joke that wasn’t meant to be taken lightly?

“I thought it was a joke, but they said it wasn’t.”

“Just think of him as a crazy person and ignore him.”

“Do you know as well? They are surprisingly capable. Should we just ignore someone like that?”

We never know when we might need their help in the future.

Ignoring him and turning away would surely be something we would regret in the future.

“No matter what, we can’t put a crazy person on our side, can we?”

“Wouldn’t it be easier to think of him as a patriot?”

“A patriot?? Wouldn’t it be more accurate to just call him a crazy person? Then maybe it would make sense.”

Otherwise, there is no way we can casually talk about completely purifying the contaminated area.

Furthermore, he asked the lord to unconditionally cooperate with the empire for the purification of the contaminated area.

“If someone else had said that, I would have thought it was a joke and gotten angry.”

“If it was someone else.”

“Complete purification of the contaminated area? A nobleman would never think of doing that. Ah! If he was trying to extort taxes under the guise of cooperation, then maybe it would make sense.”

At least that was a ‘human’ behavior that could be predicted.

“It didn’t seem like there was any other intention. I asked several times, and he sincerely expressed his desire for it.”

“Even the Pope engages in politics and greed for the benefit of the church, so how can a mere human throw away this precious opportunity for the world?”

“Surprisingly, he never changed his mind until the end. Suhan really aims to purify the entire contaminated area.”

“It seems certain now. That person is just a crazy person.”

How can a normal person like me understand an abnormal person?

From the start, I was doing something impossible.

The top people who were sympathizing with the crazy person’s plan were pitiful.

“I thought I knew Suhan well, but now it feels like everything has been denied.”

“Sigh, the problem is that the crazy person is very capable. If he had just the right amount of ability, we could draw the line, but…”

He was so capable that it was a shame to let him go.

That’s the dilemma.

I had to think about how to respond to that request, and it seemed like it wouldn’t be easy.

“What was your response? You didn’t outright refuse, did you? You probably put it on hold, but I hope you give it some time. I’ll try to persuade him to change his mind somehow.”