Chapter 41 Can’t Be Purely Joyful
Chapter 41 Can’t Be Purely Joyful
Duke Kylos waited until I arrived right in front of him.
I wish I could just come a few steps from the other side, but I couldn’t express my dissatisfaction.
He’s a duke, and I’m the second son of a baron.
The children of noble families are nobles, but strictly speaking, they do not have titles.
I bowed my head to the duke.
“Hello, Duke Kylos.”
“Hmm. Could it be that I called while I was busy?”
“No.”
In fact, it is more important to me to quickly look around at least one more place and return to the office at a time like this.
But if you realize the duke is calling you and pretend you don’t know, you might get caught doing it.
‘No matter how much I’m leaving the empire in a year, I’ll try to live as smoothly as possible while I’m here.’
Safe and comfortable.
It’s much better to do a good job and leave a good image rather than scratching and scratching for nothing.
“Then why did you call me?”
I asked about the matter in the most polite manner possible.
“Ah. It’s hard to see you walking alone often.”
Well, unless it’s a holiday, I usually hang out next to Cecilia.
But I didn’t have a chance to talk alone with me, so I didn’t understand that he called it so suddenly.
“I see… ….”
“Don’t worry. Don’t you want to make a long story?”
It’s not a long story, so why did you call me when I was in the carriage?
…… Complaints rose to the throat. But with patience, I suppressed it as much as I could.
Kyle Ross briefly touched the white beard on his lower jaw before starting the conversation.
“As you know, the imperial faction has not shown active support for Her Majesty Cecilia.”
“Yes.”
I nodded once with a short answer.
Duke Kylos let out a low sigh.
“Originally, it was my duty to support him right after he ascended the throne, but there were forces inside that did not trust His Majesty’s ruling power.”
Well, there is some room for understanding.
Cecilia is 19 years old, the same age as her.
Aristocrats who make up the aristocratic faction and imperial faction are in their 30s, even if they are young.
No matter how much she was trained to become an emperor, compared to them, her age is inevitably behind her.
So that’s why the emperor’s faction was concerned about this and didn’t show any active support.
If Cecilia had heard this, she would have been quite offended. Even if she understood it with her head.
“Duke. Letting me know that…….”
“It is as you understand it. We, the imperial faction, plan to send even stronger support to Her Majesty Cecilia.”
This is good news to hear.
However, there was one unresolved question for pure joy.
“If it’s not rude, may I ask you something?”
“You must be wondering why she suddenly changed her demeanor as a supporter.”
“Yes.”
The Duke paused again, stroking his white beard. Come to think of it, even during the noble meeting, he was often seen arranging his beard like that.
It seemed like it had become a habit to do that every time I organized my thoughts.
“Now I have decided that I can trust Your Majesty’s ruling power. This includes recruiting talent.”
“When it comes to hiring talent, are you referring to the massive personnel reorganization that took place two months ago?”
“Yes. That’s when you were appointed as your direct secretary.”
Come to think of it, I heard that the opposition was quite strong at the time.
“Recently, your reputation among the imperial nobles has improved a lot.”
The moment I heard that, I opened my eyes wide without realizing it.
“This is quite surprising.”
“I learned that Your Majesty has a good eye for people after seeing the various performances you showed at the Noble Council.”
“So, the reason why I would show active support to His Majesty… ….”
“It means that some of your shares are also included.”
A benevolent smile appeared on Duke Kailos’ face. The moment I saw it, I was dazed.
An elder of the imperial faction is telling me this directly?
“… ….”
“Please take good care of me in the future. Secretary Nedville.”
Duke Kylos tapped me on the shoulder a couple of times and then turned around.
However, I stared blankly at the back of the Duke who was walking away without thinking about moving.
Live and live, the day will come when I will be recognized for my abilities by the elders of the imperial faction…….
Of course, I should be in a good mood, but it wasn’t like I thought. How should I say, it’s a bit complicated and subtle emotions are coming in.
It should feel good, but it felt like there was an unpleasant corner somewhere. I also wondered if there was some kind of intention hiding in giving me compliments like this.
Then I suddenly had a bitter realization.
The fact that after two months of living in the imperial palace, I was also tired of this life.
“Whew.”
Now I will no longer be able to go back to the days of pure joy and sadness.
Then I have no choice but to accept this positively as a process of growth.
* * *
It was decided that the memorial ceremony would be held in front of the barracks. After that, what we prepared for the event was roughly like this.
Writing a condolence letter for Cecilia to read herself.
Notifying the bereaved family of the memorial event through a letter.
Instructions for the production of a simple memorial to be erected during the event.
Others and more…….
Even though the simple memorial had to be made in a hurry, the carpenters belonging to the imperial palace made it on time.
Of course, I plan to make a proper memorial stone separately in the future.
Saturday was bright.
Cecilia took me with her today and got into her carriage heading to the barracks.
Because it was a small event, she did not have to come all the way to Flora and Mullia.
‘I can’t help it as long as I’m the direct secretary, but… ….’
I couldn’t help but let out a sigh. My precious weekend…….
“Luke. Don’t worry too much, I’ll add an allowance for today’s work to your salary.”
“Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty.”
Still, I felt relieved when he said he would give me more money.
The wagon quickly arrived in front of the barracks.
The knights and bereaved families gathered around the simple memorial stone that had been erected in advance yesterday.
After getting off the carriage first, I reached out my hand to Cecilia. She took my hand and carefully got out of the carriage.
As soon as Cecilia set her feet on her land,
“Salute to Her Majesty, Empress Cecilia, the mother of the Eckhart Empire!”
The commander of the knights gave a loud voice as a signal, and the knights saluted in unison. Even on the weekend, they were fully armed in armor.
Since it was a memorial event, it seemed like an effort to be treated with courtesy.
And the bereaved family gathered to one side bowed deeply and greeted Cecilia. The bereaved were wearing black clothes.
“Everyone, raise your head.”
At her word, the knights lowered their hands, and the bereaved family stood up.
Cecilia looked around the crowd and then slowly moved her steps toward her bereaved family. I followed her, keeping one step away from her.
The bereaved family greeted Cecilia with her on one knee.
“Your father or son rushed at the monster without hesitation to protect the people of the empire. Thanks to that, not only I but also the people of the empire can safely lead their daily lives.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“However, your heartache must be indescribably great. It is my hope that at this gathering for remembrance, I can offer some comfort to your heartache.”
Cecilia spoke words of comfort to her bereaved family in a calm voice. Looking at the reaction of the bereaved family, she noticed that she was quite moved.
Honestly, the emperor comes forward to personally comfort me, and who wouldn’t be impressed?
After a brief greeting with her bereaved family, Cecilia stepped up to the podium next to her simple memorial.
Then, her knights and her bereaved family lined up in five rows in front of the podium.
I dedicated the letter of condolence I had brought to Cecilia.
“You burn incense in front of the memorial.”
“Yes.”
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As Cecilia instructed, I put incense in the incense burner I had brought beforehand and lit it.
After confirming that white smoke was rising, I went to the side of the podium and stood upright.
After a while, Cecilia read her condolences. A clear tone echoed around the barracks.
The knights and bereaved families listened to Cecilia’s reading with their heads bowed with solemn faces. I also paid a silent tribute to those who were sacrificed along with them.
It wasn’t long before Cecilia’s reading was finished.
The next step is to lay white chrysanthemums around the memorial.
Fortunately, the butler who accompanied them took care of distributing chrysanthemums to the bereaved family.
“You can lay a wreath in front of the memorial.”
According to the butler’s instructions, the bereaved family laid down chrysanthemums in front of the memorial. The wife who lost her husband burst into tears, and the old gentleman who sent her son sniffed at her.
Seeing them sad made me sad too.
The memorial ceremony ended with all the bereaved families laying chrysanthemums. It was a small event, so it was finished like this.
“Luke. Please explain to the bereaved families about future support measures.”
I received Cecilia’s order and headed to the bereaved family. He also announced that he would honor the achievements of the knights who made noble sacrifices and provide subsidies so that they would not experience difficulties in life.
“Thank you…” ….”
“I am deeply grateful for your generosity… ….”
The bereaved family extended their thanks to me.
This is also the result of Cecilia’s meticulous care.
Anyway, I thought that this kind of support would be of some help to those who lost their families.
At that time, Cecilia approached the bereaved family again.
“I comfort you once again.”
The bereaved family once again thanked Cecilia. Cecilia called me after giving instructions to the butler to help the bereaved families return home.
“Luke. Just go back.”
* * *
A silence descended inside the carriage on the way back to the imperial palace.
Cecilia was maintaining a calm expression as usual.
I opened my mouth after checking my eyes.
“Me, Your Majesty.”
“Hmm?”
“I would like permission to go out tomorrow.”
The reason for going out tomorrow was to utilize information from the original work that I remembered after a long time.
“What is the purpose of going out?”
“I want to go outside for the first time in a while and gain new energy.”
“In other words, you want to play as much as you like, right?”
I don’t think I’m actually playing, but I answered yes for now.
But the actual purpose was to prepare to leave the empire through information from the original story.
A purpose that can never be revealed.
“Use your pass as soon as you return.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
As soon as I arrived at the imperial palace, I wrote an outing pass at the office, and Cecilia put a confirmation stamp on it.
Looking forward to tomorrow.
-Continued