chapter 103

Chapter 103: Emperor Noah's Purpose

The next morning I awoke in the morning sun.

I woke up, got out of bed, and at about the same time, there was a knock at my bedroom door.

"Master, may I come in?"

"Yes."

I responded with my eyelids still not fully open from sleep.

Then the door opened and I noticed several people entering the room.

The first one was probably Mary, who knocked on the door and asked for permission.

The rest of them are probably her servants.

{–}

I felt Livyathan's presence shake slightly.

It must be that girl who is showing hostility toward me, I thought.

I couldn't help but smile at Livyathan's usual loyalty.

"Excuse me. Please be on your feet."

"Yeah."

I got off the bed and stood up on my feet.

With my eyelids closed, I relaxed my entire body.

Then with a familiar hand, Mary helped me out of my nightgown.

I was undressed in my natural state and completely naked.

Mary, who had been a servant in the Imperial Residence for many years, naturally did not react to her Master's nudity and helped me to get ready in the morning.

But the other servants were different.

When I stripped naked, I could see that they were all shaken up at the same time.

"I apologize, Master–my hands are full here.:

"Y-yes!"

"Excuse me!"

After apologizing to me, Mary reprimanded the servants.

And with that, the servants began to move.

It was mostly Mary though.

She took off my clothes and put on new clothes.

After that, she brushed my hair and washed my face.

Especially, she cleaned my ears by carefully blotting them with a steaming towel.

This is something Audrey taught her about when she first met her.

Audrey believed that it is the parts of the body that are usually unnoticed should be cleaned.

This was also connected to politics, and I took it in stride.

Since then, the servants at the Imperial Residence cleaned my ears every morning.

Mary did that in the same sense as when she was at the Imperial Residence.

By the time the area around my ears was clean, I was completely sleepy.

"Thanks for the hard work."

"Excuse me, Master. Now then…"

"Oh, wait a minute. Mary and that girl stay behind."

I picked out the girl, whom I sensed by her presence.

The girl was surprised, and I could see she was warier towards me.

"Very well. Then you guys go back ahead of me."

""Yes.""

At Mary's command, the other servants left the room without question.

Only Mary and the girl remained before me.

"What is your name?"

"Eh?"

The girl was puzzled.

"It is an honor to be asked directly by Master. You must answer the question honestly."

"Y-Yes. My name is Ivy."

The girl– Ivy, answered nervously.

Although she was cautious of me and was hostile toward me, she actually seemed nervous about talking directly to her 'Master's Master'.

I chuckled.

"No need to be so nervous. Mary, you picked up a nice girl."

"Yes. She is the smartest of all the girls we have."

"I'm sure she is. Even though she's not used to taking care of me, she's been very good at supporting you. It's not easy to be able to anticipate and anticipate quickly like that, and do it in a good way."

"I am very impressed with your wise words, Master. I became able to do that about a year after the master picked me up."

"You were able to remember things better than most."

"Ah, no, I–"

"I'm not trying to flatter you. I let John out because I thought you could act as his brakes and support when the time came."

"..."

Mary was startled and speechless.

"John's a seven, and you're an eight. I figured you two together would make 1.5–one and a half times what I'd expect from a regular retainer–so I let you out."[TN: It's like rating someone out of 10, and combined they got 15…. bla bla bla …acting as one entity would be 1.5 times the single]

"–!　Thank you very much!　I can't thank you enough ... for giving me that much praise from you, Master"

Mary was moved to tears and burst into ragged tears as she said.

"Don't cry so. It's a compliment."

"Y-yes. Thank you very much!"

"Don't tell him about what happened, but you will get him through it. With you in his life, he will be more successful. Then, when the time is right, bring him back to the center and have him work even harder than he is now."

"Yes!　I'll be sure to follow up with him."

"hmm"

I looked at Ivy again.

"It's a shame, though. If only I had found her first."

I meant if I had, I would have taken Ivy with me.

Then Mary knelt down in front of me.

"Master, please take her with you."

"Mary-sama!?"

At Mary's sudden remark, Ivy almost screamed and stared at Mary in disbelief.

"Hmm?　Are you sure?　Don't you want to keep her close?"

"Of course I do. Instead of smoldering in a place like this, it would definitely be better for her to learn under Master."

"That's not entirely true, though."

I chuckled.

Well, I don't intend to make it worse.

"Mary-sama!　I haven't repaid my debt to Mary-sama yet. So–"

"Silly girl!　There's no better way for you to repay back."

"Eh?"

Ivy was puzzled.

Why was it something different than before?　she looked at Mary with those questioning eyes.

"His Majesty always says, 'People are treasures'."

Mary cut off her words there and looked at me.

I nodded my head in silent affirmation.

Then Mary turned to Ivy again and continued.

"To be able to present a human being who can satisfy His Majesty's eyes is more wonderful than presenting any gold, silver, or treasure."

"That's right. It's the equivalent to 1 million reens."

"T-That much...?"

Since I gave her a specific number.

Ivy was even more surprised.

"..., R-really. I can return Mary-sama's favor with a ...?"

Ivy looked at me and at Mary and asked me as if she were trying to figure out what I was going to say.

"Umu."

"I-I understand. I'll follow you ...."

Ivy said timidly.

She still felt like she was returning the favor to Mary, but even if she was, it didn't change the fact that she was a very promising recruit.

I felt a sense of satisfaction this morning, and I vaguely thought that today was going to be a good day.

☆

After breakfast, I set out with John's escort.

John provided a carriage and said he would escort me to the border of his jurisdiction.

While accepting this, I let John ride with me in the carriage and we sat facing each other.

"Children like Ivy."

"Eh?"

"How many do you take in a year?"

"Let's see, ten, maybe a few more. ..."

John answered, "Why do you ask that?" He looked at me strangely.

"That's putting a strain on you and your wife's lives. Your stipend is not enough to protect and support you unless you take a bribe or something."

"T-That's ... of course!　I didn't take a bribe, I swear."

"I know. People's everyday lives are reflected in the air. I don't sense any elegance or richness in you. I don't doubt that."

"Thank you very much!"

"It's rather the opposite. If you're not receiving anything, then you're putting a squeeze on your life together."

"Y-yes. ..., it's all right, sire. And Mary understands that."

John looked me straight in the eye and assured me emphatically

It's understandable because Mary is also from the same background.

"Let me tell you what my purpose is."

"Y-yes, ...."

John looked at me questioningly.

He was obviously puzzled by this completely out-of-context conversation.

"John, what do you think my purpose is as the Emperor?

"Every retainer understands your ambition, Master Noah!"

In turn, John strongly insisted.

"It is to create a peaceful world where people like us can live in peace."

"Sixty points."

I said with a smile.

John widened his eyes in surprise.

He had not expected such a low score for his answer.

"That's not wrong, but it's not the goal. In the grand context, it's more like a 'means' to an end."

"ends... means..."

"The true purpose in the grand context is to make me, and the Former Emperor, who found me and gave me the Imperial Throne, into a great sovereign."

"H-His Majesty is firmly a great lord…"

"For the present, perhaps. If there is any misbehavior on my part, the history books will add a note saying that the successor lacked discernment. Therefore, there must be no great upheaval in my reign. No matter what."

"Is ... Oscar-sama plotting something?"

John suddenly said something like that.

This time I was surprised.

I was surprised at John's way of thinking.

That's right.

Oscar's ambition has not disappeared.

If Oscar should start a rebellion for the throne, the history books would add it as a mistake of the previous Emperor.

Oscar is the Eighth Prince, and I am the former Thirteenth Prince.

If I had been the First Prince, his rebellion after receiving the throne would not be seen as father's mistake, but because I was the Thirteenth, it would be a "dare" on his part no matter how it happened.

He dared to choose me, and as a result, a rebellion broke out due to discord between the brothers.

So, from my point of view, Oscar is someone I am always on the lookout for and wary of.

John sensed that.

I smiled and replied.

"No, I don't think so. It can't be. It shouldn't be."

John's face grew increasingly grim at my triple-entendre phrasing.[TN: triple-entendre means three different phrasings giving similar meaning]

I was saying No, No, No three times in a row, effectively telling him it was possible.

"Master. I'm always ready. No, if something happens, I can go berserk on my own."

John says with a straight face.

That means he's talking about assassinating Oscar himself, as a bullet.

"Hold it down. If my retainers do that, the former Emperor will be called a man who gave the throne to a man who couldn't even control his own retainers."

"I-I'm sorry!"

John was shocked and lowered his head in a panic.

"That's why as far as I'm concerned, I won't touch Oscar. And Neither do you."

"Yes, sir!　As expected of Master. We were wondering why Master was so soft on Oscar-sama.

"Well, it's just because that's what he wants, that's all."

I turned my head to the side.

And stared into the distance through the wall of the carriage with a very distant look.

Well, it doesn't matter now.

I turned to John.

"You're very perceptive and quick with your words. Do you understand that means change according to the purpose?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Then what is your purpose?"

"My ...."

"For what purpose do you take in these children?"

"..."

"..."

"...!"

After thinking for a while, John gasped.

He stared at me with that look on his face for a long time.

Then he said…

"Master, I want to build a relief shelter on this land, will you allow me to do so?"

"Ninety points."

I praised John.

"Well done. If you want to save the poor, you can do it publicly, or you can appeal directly to me. I'm trying to be a great ruler, so I won't reject that kind of thing outright."

"Yes!"

"Well done. You're clever."

"It's thanks to Master's education!　It is the master who is amazing!"

John looked at me with increasingly impressed, enthralled eyes.

"Okay, come up with a plan."

"Yes!"

John nodded broadly, then switched his expression and asked timidly,

"Master ..., where did the ten points go wrong?"

"You just appealed directly to me, prepared to be punished–prepared to die."

"Y-Yes."

"It's the same with me and for others. People are treasures. Don't risk death for nothing."

"—!　Understood!　As expected of Master. ..."

John seems to have grasped a lot of things.

Because I want to bring him back to the heart of the Empire eventually, I will teach him what I can when we meet.

I was satisfied that I could do something about it.