episode_0149

It’s been a few days since I returned to work at the Grand Duke’s Office.

While working, I went out and did outdoor activities whenever I had time.

I told Chairman Charles, whom I had not seen in a long time, about the recent events with Debian, and met with Pompey to confirm his loyalty to me.

We will soon need to find talented people.

Previously…

-If you don’t have a clear goal or cause, no one will truly follow you.

What is the firm goal your grandfather was talking about?

Did your father have something like that? Does Debian have something like that too?

“I don’t know anything.”

There has to be something like that to attract talented people…

Politics is too complicated.

It wasn’t even my place to begin with?

Originally, he neither wanted nor wanted to become an emperor.

My dream was to marry an ordinary, nice man and live a decent life. It was not my dream to become emperor.

How much did your father love your oldest brother?

I was always interested in his studies and cared about him enough to have him do civil service since he was a teenager, and even for my second brother, my father made him do civil service at an early age.

On the other hand, Nana Joy was indifferent towards this.

That doesn’t necessarily mean the father is bad.

In the first place, for me and Joy, who are women, to ascend to the throne, it would be possible only after all of our older brothers had died.

You could see it as a natural thing.

“I really… hate it.”

The burden of inheriting the empire that our ancestors have protected for generations is too great.

Moreover, it is difficult to run the government as I wish.

He holds all the real power, and I am only a superficial emperor.

I try to fall into negative thoughts again, so I shake my head and try to shake off the negative thoughts.

Okay… first thing is to right the wrong.

Driving out Deviant and taking power is something I should do as an emperor.

And if, by chance, Devian is a demon worshipper… there is no choice but to kill him.

Because that is the emperor’s duty.

But my intuition and intuition tell me that he is not a demon worshiper.

That’s right too. What kind of demon worshiper works overtime all night and leads such a healthy life?

It’s not something to brag about, but he didn’t even touch his wife, who was reputed to be pretty in the empire.

“What kind of demon worshiper… is so wholesome that it’s a shame.”

Thinking about that, I suddenly became curious about Debian’s firm goal.

Does a person who is not even like that human being have his or her own philosophy of state affairs?

Out of curiosity, I head to his office.

“Your Majesty, are you here?”

“So, is the Archduke inside?”

The guard nods his head at my words.

“It is within you. I will call you.”

-smart

“His Royal Highness, the Emperor has visited you.”

When the guard knocks, a dying voice is heard inside.

[Ask them to come in.]

The unusual voice made me feel worried, so I asked the guard.

“The Archduke’s voice is not good… What’s going on?”

at that time. The guard speaks with a cautious expression.

“Well… you said your eyes are hurting these days.”

Ah… Now that I think about it, I remembered that he had been complaining of pain in his eyes even before hearing the news that he had passed over Epirus and Ezip.

If it hurts… what happens if I say it hurts?

I resent him for always hiding important things from himself.

-Squeak

When the door to the office opens, worry and resentment are mixed to see Debian lying on the sofa, pressing his eyes.

-widely!

Debian says, rubbing his eyes.

“What’s going on?”

“Are your eyes hurting again?”

Debian nods his head at my words and says.

“Yes.”

As I watch him speak briefly, I feel something stirring inside me, but I try to hold it down and speak.

“Do you do this often these days?”

“It’s no big deal, I guess it’s because I couldn’t sleep.”

I hate Debian for talking about what I say as if it’s no big deal.

As someone who has seen Devian clutch his eyes several times, I can’t help but worry about him.

“Have you… seen a doctor?”

Devian nods slightly.

“Yes, but it’s just stress.”

Simple stress?

Then get some rest!

These words get up in my throat, but I hold back.

“By the way, what’s going on?”

Now, as if his eyes don’t hurt, he looks at me with his black eyes and says.

“Just like that. It’s been a while since I wanted to talk to you.”

Debian laughs and says at my words.

“Really? Then don’t stay there, sit here.”

As Devian patted the sofa next to him, he did as he said and sat down next to him.

The silence that flows between us.

It only lasts a few seconds, but I am frustrated by the awkward atmosphere, so I speak up.

“There’s something I’ve been thinking deeply about these days.”

“Huh? What is it?”

I continued speaking while looking at Devian, who had a puzzled look on his face.

“Your own national administration philosophy? Is there such a thing?”

After hearing what I said, Debian thought for a moment and then spoke.

“Yes.”

I ask out of curiosity at the way he speaks so firmly.

“What is that?”

“These are the words of a person I read in a book before. All you have to do is bow down, sacrifice your body, and work for your country with all your heart until you die. There is a saying.”

I say this out of curiosity as it is my first time hearing this.

“Who said that?”

Debian says with an amused expression on my face.

“Even if I tell you, you won’t know who it is. Anyway, as he said, my philosophy of state administration is to select outstanding officials and have them do the work.”

His words give me a chill and memories of the victims he inflicted flash through my mind.

“That… is that the national philosophy?”

He says what I say as if it were obvious.

“Yes, this is the national philosophy, and the national tasks are to develop technology to increase production and reform the imperial tax rate to unify regional prices?”

Treating people like slaves is the philosophy of government?

No, can something like that be called philosophy?

Aren’t you an outstanding person to be a civil servant in the first place?

If you treat them like that, won’t they want to retire?

That’s what I thought, but… I get chills remembering the employment contracts between Lucius, Müller, and Maximilian.

Did you say that you could not retire because it was written in your letter of appointment that retirement was with the consent of the empire?

Devil… This person in front of me is no different from the devil.

Lucius and Müller, whom I haven’t seen in a long time at the Archduchy, seem to be getting worse by the day.

Haven’t I received a huge pile of documents from him before?

I didn’t think about it at the time because it was the government’s philosophy.

Perhaps because I knew his absurd thoughts, I felt like an idiot for thinking about them in such a complicated way.

“Ha… Then what is the purpose of doing that?”

“Purpose? Hmm… The purpose is for the empire and its people.”

For the Empire and its people?

When the man who sold Epirus and Ezip and single-handedly carried out the engagement of Ioanes’ son and Joey says such a thing, I laugh out loud.

“Was the surrender of Epirus and Ezip also for the sake of the empire?”

Debian chuckles at my sarcastic remark.

“Yes, if peace is not concluded at that time, the empire will truly collapse. I couldn’t help it.”

I know that my mother and grandfather think the same thing, so I say something different.

“So? Was it for the sake of the empire that you hid that fact from me?”

“That’s…”

Seeing him speechless for the first time makes me feel better and tries to speak, but…

“That’s right. It’s also for the sake of the empire.”

“What… what?!”

I am the emperor of an empire? what? You hid it for the empire?

I feel outraged and try to get angry at his insults, but I try to hold back.

If you get angry now, nothing will change.

Anyway, it’s okay to disappoint him later and be angry then.

“Explain, please explain so I can understand.”

Debian listens to me and gets lost in thought.

He opens his mouth cautiously.

“You hate me, right? If you sprinkle ashes on the plan I prepared then, it becomes just as dangerous…”

-shaking…

What are you saying now?

“Why am I scattering ashes?!”

Debian shrugged his shoulders at my words and spoke in a cold voice.

“They might try to get me out of office like they are now, right?”

“That… is that?”

I am speechless at his sudden words.

“Because even then, it’s obvious that you’re going to be annoying if you keep saying things like you’re going to overthrow me or kick me out.”

Debian’s words hit me hard like a hammer.

“Well… is that why you said you loved me? Without even loving you?”

Debian shrugs his shoulders at my words.

“Well? What do you think?”

There are degrees of playing with people’s minds.

-Percussion!

I got up from the sofa…

-match!

I hit his cheek with my palm as hard as I could.

“Trash bastard.”

And I don’t want to see that bastard’s face anymore, so I storm out.

***

I stare blankly at Theodora’s back as she slaps me and leaves.

“Push… My hands are still numb.”

Her hands are so spicy that they don’t suit her slender body.

“I love you…”

I don’t know if I love her.

Although I feel like my heart is speeding up when I see her.

I’m not sure if it’s love.

“You seem really angry.”

Thanks to you, they will work harder to kick me out.

If she has strong self-esteem, what I said will be a great motivation for her.

Later when I step down. She will have a support base to the point where no one can mistreat her…

Thanks to this, I will be able to step back that much faster.

Everything is going well…

Why is my mouth so sore?

My heart aches and I feel a little frustrated.

“Would you like some tea?”

Today, I want to drink tea rather than coffee.