Chapter 44 The person who comes to mind in difficult times
Chapter 44 The person who comes to mind in difficult times
We had dinner at the staff cafeteria and went to the public bath. I washed my body with hot water, and it felt like the fatigue accumulated from walking around all day melted away like snow.
At Baron Nedville’s residence, if you want to take a hot bath, you have to boil the water first. It also took a long time, so I had to prepare it in advance from the daytime.
Compared to that, how about here?
You can always go to the employee bathhouse and take a hot bath.
Certainly, life in the imperial palace is comfortable and good.
‘I won’t be able to enjoy it later, so I’ll have to enjoy it now.’
After taking a bath, I entered the dressing room. In the basket were pajamas prepared in advance by the maid.
I put it on and returned to my room.
Then, lying on the bed, I blankly stared at the ceiling.
“… ….”
If you fall asleep like this, a new week will start again tomorrow.
That means we have to fight a war against papers again.
“Ah. I hate to work…….”
I wish I could rest tomorrow……. Or I wish I could go back to Saturday.
But that won’t happen unless heaven and earth are created.
I let out a sigh.
In that case, wouldn’t it be nice to somehow make the most of Sunday, which is less than three hours away?
“So what should I do… ….”
I groaned and shook my head vigorously.
And then, suddenly, I remembered a fact that I had forgotten about because of my busy life. It’s been quite a while since I last wrote a letter to Emma in her hometown.
Then I guess I can write a letter for the rest of my time.
I jumped out of bed and went straight to the desk and sat down. I took out a piece of paper, closed my eyes for a moment, and tried to organize in my head what I was going to say.
Only then did he begin writing a letter addressed to Emma.
[To my precious friend Emma
Hello? I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve written a letter like this.]
After writing this far, I stopped the pen for a while.
I had thought of it all in my head before, but when I was about to write it again, I was worried about how to write it.
‘By the way, I don’t know if she’s doing well with the hairpin she gave me before.’
I remembered the acid, the cubic-studded hairpin the other day I went out with Flora.
But no matter how much I think about it, it seems that Emma will not wear her hairpin.
Because he really cares about things.
Perhaps it is enshrined somewhere in your room.
After thinking that far, I came up with something to write next. I dipped the quill in ink and typed down without hesitation.
Thanks to that, I almost filled a sheet of stationery before long.
“Let’s see.”
I checked the contents one last time before sending.
[Are you wearing the hairpin I gave you the other day?
For some reason, it seems like you’re keeping it somewhere in your room as if you were taking care of it.
Still, I chose this gift because I thought it would look good on you, so I hope you use it well. Things have meaning only when they are used.
Well, I can’t help it if you only want to keep it.
How is our Youngji these days?
Will there be anything different from before I left?
It’s a quiet neighborhood, but I still wonder what happened.
Yes. As for me, I’m still having a busy day. As I said before, paperwork is constantly…… (Syncopation)]
I think this is good enough.
Emma also used easy words to make it easier to read, so it felt like a normal conversation.
I nodded once and put the letter in the envelope. I finished preparations for sending by writing both the sender’s and recipient’s addresses and sealing the entrance with waxing.
I’ll have to stop by the post department before I go to the office tomorrow.
I lay down on the bed again. After a while, sleep came with a yawn.
At this level, I can sleep well today.
With that thought in mind, I fell into a deep sleep.
* * *
It is late at night.
Cecilia was sitting in an armchair with a serious expression on her face. Lately, she’s been trying to find a solution to a problem that’s stuck in her head.
Because of this worry, I haven’t been able to sleep well lately.
“Whoa.”
Cecilia let out a long sigh and closed her eyes gently.
The reason she was in so much trouble was because of the conversation she had with Duke Kyle Roth at the banquet hall.
‘I still can’t figure out what to do… ….’
That day, Kylos spoke to her as follows.
In the future, her Emperor Dig would support her more actively.
Since none other than Kailos, an elder aristocrat who leads the imperial faction, said it himself, she thought she wouldn’t go against it.
However, Kylos did not end the story at that level.
Cecilia thought over the conversation that day.
-Your Majesty. Please create a good cause for us to support.
-What is justification?
-I am asking for something that is worthy of recognition even by the aristocratic faction. With that, we can empower Your Majesty.
“… ….”
Easy to say.
How do you mean to create that justification?
The fastest way to make achievements is to invade neighboring countries and steal their territories or resources.
However, in the midst of active trade with neighboring countries, a war of aggression without justification?
It was self-evident that neither side would support it.
‘That’s why it’s not a good idea to make a cause and forcefully start a war.’
She never wanted to wage a war that would only result in innocent victims.
Therefore, the war of aggression is dismissed.
Then the only thing left to do is show your political power and win the hearts of the people or even the aristocracy.
However, these two require a lot of time and effort. In particular, it was not easy to take control of the aristocratic faction, which was firmly held by the Duke of Montersen and the Marquis of Marlborough.
Even if you try to do politics to win public opinion, you will encounter strong opposition from the aristocracy.
‘You’re getting tired in many ways… ….’
Cecilia sighed again and put her hand on her forehead.
A situation in which no element is visible to achieve achievements.
‘If there is someone I can talk to at a time like this… ….’
When she thought that far, there was a name that passed through her mind.
Luke Nedville.
This is what Cecilia thought when she selected him as her direct secretary.
She wanted to use it as a springboard to create a third force to support her while repaying the favor she had suffered from her father, Harold Nedville.
And in Luke’s application form, it was written that he was good at administrative work.
There was no reason for Cecilia not to elect Luke as her direct secretary.
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But when she put him in the position of direct secretary, he did a better job than expected.
The former secretary, Earl Milord, was also good at handling business, but his flexibility was somewhat lacking. On the other hand, Luke showed an excellent figure in not only quick handling of his work, but also in momentarily displaying his wits.
To the extent that I wonder if I can select a person more suitable for a secretary than this in the future.
‘Is it okay if I talk… ….’
Cecilia spat to herself and looked up at her ceiling with her head thrown back. Her room, illuminated by her magic power, was as bright as daylight, and I could clearly see the patterns painted on her ceiling.
But she wasn’t looking at the pattern. The night after the banquet, she was watching the scene where she had a conversation with Luke.
Then she said to my secretary.
She said she didn’t know why she cared about what she had to say privately with Duke Kyloth.
She wanted to think about this one at least by herself, so she told him that.
But as she came in now it turned out that it was her own blunder.
“I’ll have to talk to Luke soon.”
For now, she concluded, this was for the best.
* * *
A deep dawn when everyone is asleep.
Ileina was still protecting Luke in the farthest corner of his room, hiding her presence.
“… ….”
The blue eyes staring into the darkness were as clear as if they hadn’t slept. She was on her nerves as she came to detect any sign of her that might be in the hallway or outside the window.
There has been no problem so far.
The only sound in the quiet room is Luke’s breathing.
It was a sound I had gotten used to and didn’t care about at all.
But what she had experienced just a few hours ago was enough to slightly distract her attention. That’s why what happened yesterday was embarrassing to her.
She hid herself the whole time and watched her surroundings, but she suddenly called herself and asked to take care of her luggage.
And that wasn’t the end.
She really hadn’t expected that she would even buy her lunch in return for taking care of her luggage, as it wasn’t enough to ask her to walk down the street with her hood off.
“… ….”
Ileina shook her head. At the end of her gaze was Luke, who was soundly asleep.
‘I thought the secretary treated me as if I didn’t exist.’
Actually, she was comfortable with that from her point of view.
To be faithful to each other’s work without interfering with each other.
In the meantime, the people Ilena had guarded were often high-ranking nobles, and she was used to it.
But this time she was going to have lunch with her bodyguard following her porter role.
Because of her first experience, Ileina felt awkward and uncomfortable. That’s why I left more than half of the lunch Luke bought me.
Of course, she did it because she had to lighten her stomach to make her job easier.
“… ….”
But the more I chewed, the more strangely, I felt a tickle on one side of her breast. It was difficult to explain with the knowledge Ilena knew.
“… ….”
Step by step she took a step forward, with Ileina killing her footsteps. Her destination is the bed where Luke lies.
Looking at Luke, she might be able to get an answer to this feeling, and it was an act that stemmed from her expectation.
But even when she looked down at Luke, the answer to this feeling was unclear.
‘No. Don’t think about it.’
No matter what happens, the mission comes first.
I Reina recollected her mind by recalling the attitude she had learned from her Luna.
But she felt the tickle on one side of her chest didn’t go away until morning.
-Continued