55 – (Interlude) Disquieting Shadow
A time when Maximilian and Priscilla were enjoying a gentle vacation in the Arvest estate.
A truly unusual scene was unfolding in the imperial castle.
“Whoa…” . “Of course, Royal Baroque is the best car.”
You can drink tea while working.
But why is tea time necessary?
The Prime Minister, who left such rare famous and outrageous remarks, smiled brightly and began to enjoy tea time.
And it wasn’t just the Prime Minister’s change.
“Haaam…. “I’m a little sleepy today. Should I go for a walk?”
“Oh, I just ran out of refreshments. Could you buy some on the way out?”
“… “Isn’t that too much, senior?”
Officials who would normally only focus on work are now sharing jokes and enjoying a break at tea time.
An unprecedented scene was unfolding in the Ministry of Finance, which is said to be the graveyard of those appointed as officials.
The officials who had been laughing and chatting bowed their heads as they looked at the flag of dawn, symbolizing the crown prince, hanging in large numbers in the Ministry of Finance.
It was a new custom of the finance ministry that has now become quite a habit.
“What is your main task today?”
In response to the Prime Minister’s question, the man who worked as his secretary confirmed the schedule.
“Today, a meeting is scheduled to decide on the budget of each ministry and related departments that have been in coordination before.”
The Prime Minister nodded with a satisfied expression, and said the words that any official would dream of saying.
“Let’s all enjoy a meal at home today.”
A huge commotion broke out in the finance department again, but not a single person pointed it out.
After enjoying the leisurely tea time and eating lunch, they attended the meeting with radiant faces.
“Then let the meeting begin.”
The leader of the meeting was the Prime Minister.
When the meeting is long, like this agenda, it is because an abbreviated meeting is held with only the top decision-makers and officials from each ministry and related department attending.
It is a place without the emperor, the sun of the empire.
As a result, rather than being violent, as if everyone was on edge, there was a leisurely conversation as if chatting in a banquet hall.
Among them all, the one with the most leeway was the Ministry of Health.
If Maximilian had seen this scene, she would have laughed out loud and said, ‘You’re eating me!’
They placed a panel with the phrase ‘new drug development’ on their desk and were chatting as if it were something happening in another world.
The problem was that the Prime Minister, who was in charge of the meeting, did not point it out, so no one could give attention to the Ministry of Health.
The reason we were able to argue about the budget here in the first place was largely thanks to Maximilian, who provided the necessary budget.
Maximilian pointed out the Ministry of Sanitation and ordered them to pay more attention.
So, no one, even the Prime Minister, could touch the Ministry of Sanitation.
“hehehehe! There’s nothing that changes every time we meet, right? You also said that your goal is to simplify administration, so is it okay for us to do something unproductive like this?”
Everyone seemed to sympathize with him, but the prime minister knew their intentions well.
“hahahaha, that’s right. So, if there are no changes, wouldn’t it be okay to decide next year’s budget based on the average budget over the past five years?”
If you have an increased budget, budget accordingly!
I will save that money in case of an unexpected situation. Don’t look past it!
To summarize, this kind of meeting has already been repeated three times.
When we got here, it seemed like everyone had gathered to chat under the pretext of a meeting.
‘It doesn’t work anymore, you rotten bastards…’ .’
In the past, just holding a meeting for a long time like this was quite effective.
From this period onwards, the financial department is subject to an abnormal workload that effectively means ‘leaving work on time = 10 p.M.’
So, the longer these useless meetings last, the more disruption in work begins to occur.
So up until now, I had been crying and giving in like I was eating mustard.
However, thanks to Maximilian’s proposal, administration was simplified and room was created.
Now, even the Prime Minister was able to leave work on time and was able to spend time with his family on the weekends.
So, I am no longer swayed by these trivial meetings that are close to Zen questions.
“Now, how long are you going to stay like this? “The dawn has arrived, so shouldn’t we be ready to greet him?”
This useless budget meeting was in fact an annual event, so it felt like a routine for everyone even though it was no longer meaningful.
There are ministries and related departments that will receive particularly great benefits next year.
However, this does not mean taking away benefits from other sources, but providing additional support from ample financial resources.
So there is no need to hide your expressions, criticize each other gently, and fight over the budget.
The nobles continued the meeting as if chatting with satisfied expressions for the first time in a long time.
The topic has already moved to Maximilian, the seventh dawn of the empire, in next year’s budget.
“When your Majesty returns from convalescence, isn’t it already October? “It’s truly a shame.”
“What do you mean, it’s unfortunate?”
“You will be entering Soleil soon, right? Ha…. Honestly, would you, Your Highness, learn the language in a place like that?”
Mado Academy Soleil is the best educational institution in the empire, and is a social venue where talented people from various countries gather to interact and compete with each other.
Although such a perception is now widespread, Soleil was originally a space where the children of princely states were held hostage.
Then, a genetic disease developed in the Sun clan, and as a way to solve the disease, free marriage was encouraged, which only increased Soleil’s status.
But what about the current crown prince, Maximilian?
I already have a true and healthy fiancee who doesn’t have to worry about genetic diseases.
The relationship was so good that you never knew when news of a new appointment would come without even looking into it, so it was safe to say that there was no need to worry about the future generations being cut off.
So there is no need to look for her candidate for crown princess in Soleil.
In addition, Maximilian herself is so intelligent that she can compete with nobles who have already gone through many hardships.
This is already a situation, so what can we gain from such a narrow society?
At most, it would be a matter of personal connections.
However, such things were only important to children of noble families, and were not that important to the crown prince of an empire.
This continent will revolve around the emperor of the empire, so what is the importance of the small network of people built up in such a small society?
“Your Highness has shown such great results in just two weeks. That person has been there for 3 years….”
We refrained from saying anything, but everyone had the same thoughts in their heads.
─ Soleil is not worth taking up three years of the Empire’s seventh dawn.
“This is the path set by the dawn of the empire, so it’s impossible for a subject to disobey it, right? And that’s it…. Has everyone forgotten the days when His Majesty the Emperor attended Soleil?”
The current Emperor of the Empire also graduated from Soleil, but he only attended the school about twice a week.
So, shouldn’t we coordinate Maximilian’s school schedule well?
“hahahaha! Yeah, that would be great. Haven’t you already heard everything from His Highness’s tutor? Your Majesty said there was nothing more to learn from Soleil….”
“I don’t think grades will be that much of a problem. “Isn’t there a title called student council president that was created for times like this?”
“That’s it! “hehehe!”
Among the officials who were laughing and chatting, Count Abarca, who was reading a book called ‘The Bastard Prince and His Fiancée in a Cage’, which had recently become a hot topic in the author’s quarter, frowned.
‘I don’t even know what a noble is.’
Even just half a year ago, the atmosphere was not like this.
The conservative forces supporting the current crown prince, Maximilian, and the emerging forces supporting the second prince, Dior, were always engaged in an invisible war of nerves, making it difficult to even take a breath.
Even he, who is considered quite insensitive, felt that way, so there is no need to explain how bloody the atmosphere was.
But now, as if they had been fighting for some time, everyone was mixed together and it was impossible to know who was supporting whom.
As Count Abarca was frowning at that, Duke Trista sighed slightly and spoke to him.
“Are you worried about something?”
“I was feeling transience. “It was definitely a quarrelsome atmosphere even just six months ago.”
When Duke Trista said those words, he looked like a caring grandfather telling his grandson an old story.
“When the sun rises, the candle’s role ends.”
When Count Abarka heard those words, cold sweat appeared on his back for some reason, and he bowed slightly before returning his gaze to the book he was holding in his hand.
Duke Trista’s voice was never small.
So, there is no way that everyone gathered in this conference room missed these words.
Nevertheless, no one showed any resistance to Duke Trista’s words.
Among these, there must even be those who have elevated Dior to the crown prince for at least five years.
‘Is this what nobility is? .’
It was a truly bitter and horrifying moment.
After all, military power shines when it is together with the military.
Advocating for political neutrality, please do not set foot here.
Count Abarca promised so.
It was the moment when he made that promise.
Knock knock.
A knock was heard on the door of the conference room.
After the Prime Minister gave permission, an official from the finance department entered the conference room.
The story that came out of the official’s mouth was truly shocking.
“Gregory, the king of the Holy Kingdom, is making a move himself…. hahahaha!”
Gregory, King of the Holy Kingdom, officially proclaimed the birth of a new representative of God in the empire.
And the story goes that the king of the Holy Kingdom himself bowed his head politely to the imperial family in order to personally visit the dawn of the empire.
The Holy Kingdom was the worst type among feudal lords.
Nevertheless, it was a country that received the most unconventional treatment as a princely country because it dispatched priests who handled divine power.
It is said that the king of such a princely state gained enlightenment from the dawn of the empire, and he came to see Jonan in person and asked for permission to stay in the imperial castle.
As an aristocrat of the empire, it was a situation where he couldn’t do anything without putting a strain on his shoulders.
“The Arvest family was incorporated into the empire…. Is a confrontational structure slowly emerging now?”
“hahahaha! Please joke in moderation. Confrontation is something that only comes up when there is someone to fight against. “Who would think of fighting against the sun?”
“It must be difficult. “The eastern part was essentially a neglected place.”
“But it’s not a wasteland, is it? Moreover, it is said that the Holy Kingdom used the expression ‘light’ for the County of Arvest….”
“If only the Empress had been alive in the first place─”
“Uh-huh!”
The meeting, which soon changed its topic to investment in the East, ended in a lively atmosphere.
***
From Noble mtl dot com
After completing all meetings, the Prime Minister roughly summarized the results of the meeting and then visited the emperor.
“Are you here?”
“See the sun of the empire.”
“That’s it, that’s enough. “It’s just the two of us, so let’s make it a little easier.”
“But—”
“Robert.”
After hearing the emperor’s friendly voice, the prime minister eventually shook his head and sighed.
“Yes, of course.”
“hahahaha!”
First, the Prime Minister briefly reported the results of the meeting.
The emperor who received the report nodded his head indifferently, as if he had already expected it.
The reason I sent out everyone else and met closely with the Prime Minister in the first place was not just to hear such trivial reports.
“How did the investigation go?”
“….”
In response to the emperor’s question, the prime minister took a moment to catch his breath.
And then, with a slightly stiff expression, he carefully stated the results.
“The servants who went to Count Arbest’s house with His Majesty… “It seems like they all died mysteriously.”
“… Is that really true?”
This is an important issue related to the crown prince of the empire.
Of course, it was bound to be confidential, so the emperor only shared this information with the chancellor, his most trusted subject.
After reading the report, the Prime Minister concluded that something must have happened six years ago when Maximilian began to become crooked in earnest.
So, we inquired about the whereabouts of those who may have been aware of the changes that occurred in Maximilian’s body.
Being a servant of the imperial castle was a job whose lifespan was relatively short.
So it took quite some time to investigate since they had already been scattered in all directions.
However, the results of the survey were extremely shocking.
“Is it a murder?”
“It was not a murder.”
“It’s not a murder….”
In fact, there was something about it that sent a chill down my spine.
“Is there anyone alive?”
“Because the bereaved family was there, we ordered an investigation, but even that did not yield proper results.”
“Why?”
“Everyone said I was out of my mind. “It’s like a person addicted to strong drugs.”
“Does this mean that only the servants who served as Count Arvest that year became deceased…? .”
There is something.
Something very unpleasant and eerie about that too.
The emperor frowned as he looked at the setting sun.
‘It seems like it has already begun, Maximilian.’
I didn’t know that the turning point in fate had already arrived.
The emperor looked at the setting sun and said a small prayer to his predecessors, asking them to look after Maximilian.
……
…
Everyone in the imperial castle was only looking at the newly rising sun.
Suddenly, there was not a single person left who cared about the candle burning alone in the small room.