PPCTD 8

chapter 8

Yuten sorted out an appropriate workload for me—excluding military and diplomacy, and focusing mostly on the imperial budget and administration.

Fortunately, the difficulty level was manageable. The imperial system itself was fairly simple, and above all, Lady Mare’s lessons had paid off.

As I moved my quill for quite some time, Leto suddenly came to mind. More precisely, those blue eyes like glass. That gaze mixed with suspicion and curiosity. Whenever I thought of that look…

“…He’s still scary.”

I shook my head.

Outside the window, the sun was just setting. Even though I kept working, there were still plenty of documents left.

How has Leto been handling all of this alone? I guess an emperor really is an emperor.

I finished one document and set it aside, then opened a new one.

“Ah.”

I froze when I saw the title.

『The Goddess’s Miracle — Baron Orlean’s House』

A goddess’s miracle… that must be from the Grand Temple?

This didn’t seem like something I should be reviewing. It was probably Yuten’s mistake.

Just then, Yuten entered with a servant.

“Your Majesty, the Empress. I’ve brought you some tea.”

“Thank you, Sir Yuten. I was just about to call for you.”

“Is something the matter?”

“I’d like to discuss a document.”

Yuten gestured to the servant, who quietly stepped back and left. He quickly approached and took the document.

“Oh dear, this ended up here.”

“It sounded interesting—what happened?”

Yuten let out a sigh.

“That whole ‘goddess incident’ again… ah—”

He hurriedly covered his mouth, apparently worried about speaking ill of the goddess in front of me.

“It’s fine. Please explain in detail.”

“My apologies, Your Majesty. Ahem! Early yesterday morning, an image of the goddess appeared on the garden wall of Baron Orlean’s estate. It was formed with some unknown white, sparkling powder. The Grand Temple recognized it as a miracle and even gave the powder a name—‘The Goddess’s Snowflake.’”

This incident! I’d seen it in the original story. If I remembered correctly… it was a rather malicious scam.

After the “Goddess’s Snowflake” incident, Baron Orlean became famous. Using that fame, he built a fur business and made a fortune. Part of the profits even flowed into the High Priest’s war funds.

In other words, this was a scam orchestrated by Baron Orlean and the High Priest.

In truth, “Goddess’s Snowflake” was nothing more than powdered stone—alum ground into fine dust.

When I read the original, I honestly laughed. Fooling people with stone powder? But now, I understood.

The Grand Temple had long suppressed scientific research. Geology and mineralogy were no exceptions. And alum was mainly mined near the coast—hard to find in the inland capital and its surroundings.

Should I just let this kind of fraud slide…?

“Sir Yuten, does the Grand Temple submit reports like this every time a ‘miracle’ occurs?”

“Yes. And the imperial family sends a modest reward in response.”

So even imperial funds are being drained. This is serious.

“In any case, I’ll take this document.”

“No, I’ll review it a bit more. It caught my interest.”

“Ah, yes. Then please set it aside afterward. I’ll present it to His Majesty later.”

“Let’s do that.”

“…But Your Majesty, did you handle all of these?”

Yuten looked at the stack of completed documents on one side of the desk.

“Yes. Though I’m not sure I did everything correctly. Please check them.”

“That’s truly impressive.”

He looked at me with admiration. It was just paperwork—why such a reaction?

Yuten gathered the finished documents and left. I carefully examined the files related to the “Goddess’s Snowflake.” After some thought, I picked up my quill.

It was a bit scary to interfere, but I couldn’t just leave it alone.

I couldn’t give the answer outright—that would only invite suspicion. So instead, I’d leave a subtle hint. Enough for Leto to figure it out himself.

Late at night, Leto entered his office. His face was full of fatigue—but he had long since grown used to it.

“You’ve returned, Your Majesty.”

Yuten stood and greeted him. Leto gave a brief nod and glanced at the documents on his desk, tilting his head.

“It seems like fewer documents than usual.”

“That’s because Her Majesty the Empress assisted with the work.”

Yuten pointed to a console by the wall. It was piled high with processed documents.

“No way.”

Leto walked over in disbelief.

Impossible. She only had ten days of training from Lady Mare…

He examined the documents one by one. The work was flawless—something that required both skill and precision.

“…Ha.”

His shoulders felt lighter. The burden of his workload had been considerable.

“Where is the Empress?”

“She should be in the office—next room over.”

“That’s ridiculous. She’s already claimed an office?”

Leto stared at the adjoining room, then casually placed the documents on the console.

“Yuten, you’re dismissed.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Yuten quickly gathered his things and left. Leto quietly opened the connecting door.

The once-empty room was now warm.

The woman was asleep at her desk—the one who insisted on being called Livia.

Leto approached carefully. She seemed deeply asleep.

“…Livia.”

“……”

“Is this how I should call you? Livia.”

No matter how he looked at her, she was a strange woman. Afraid of him, yet she said whatever she wanted. Perfectly trained in etiquette, yet asleep on a desk without decorum.

Something caught his eye—a separate stack of documents set aside as if they were important.

『The Goddess’s Miracle — Baron Orlean’s House』

At the word “goddess,” Leto frowned. As he read through it, it was clearly another obvious scam.

The problem is, proving it’s a scam is difficult.

When he reached the last page, he noticed writing in the margin.

A note left by Livia.

[Sand by the sea sparkles. Perhaps certain white stones do as well.]

Leto immediately understood. It was a hint.

That the “Goddess’s Snowflake” might be made from stone. That the search should begin near the coast.

Snap. He closed the document.

Then he knelt on one knee and looked at Livia with a serious expression.

Who on earth is this woman…?

He pressed a finger lightly against her pale cheek. It was soft.

At the unfamiliar touch, Livia stirred.

“Mmm…”

Leto quickly stood and stepped back.

Maybe I shouldn’t have touched her. What would I even say if she wakes up?

Fortunately, she didn’t wake. Instead, she murmured in her sleep.

“Statin… Statin… yes…”

Statin? Sounds like a man’s name.

“Statin is enough… just Statin…”

Leto’s eyes slowly widened.

“…Statin. A lover?”

At that moment, realization struck him.

—

Within a year, please divorce me.

—

Why didn’t I realize it sooner? It’s obvious if you think about it.

She has a lover. Well, it’s not surprising—someone like her wouldn’t be alone.

His mood sank instantly.

What was this feeling? Betrayal? Disappointment? Regret? Whatever it was, it was hard to describe. It was something he had never felt before.

A faint laugh escaped him.

What was this soft, strange feeling? It didn’t suit him at all.

He braced one hand on the desk and looked down at her.

“A wife with a lover… how interesting.”

Yet he couldn’t bring himself to leave her side. The smile on his lips gradually faded.

No… it’s not interesting at all.

He admitted it. Whatever this feeling was—it certainly wasn’t pleasant.

I had a nightmare. A dream of being overworked in a laboratory.

As soon as I woke up, I blankly stared out the window. The bright scenery improved my mood a little.

Right. I should forget about dreams quickly.

I called for a maid.

“I’ll go to the office again today. Prepare things.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Would you like tea or coffee before your meal?”

“Coffee, please. By the way, who brought me back to my bedroom yesterday?”

I vaguely remembered dozing off at the desk. I didn’t recall returning on my own. Maybe some poor knight had to carry me.

The maid hesitated before speaking.

“Um… His Majesty the Emperor carried you.”

“…His Majesty?”

Carried me? Not even on his back—he carried me?

“Was I that deeply asleep?”

“Not exactly… it seemed His Majesty didn’t want to wake you. He laid you down carefully and left.”

“Oh… I see. You may go. And please bring the coffee.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

After the maid left, I stood before the mirror.

My face was bright red.

“…This is so embarrassing.”

I couldn’t even imagine it. Leto carrying me all the way here?

Why would he do something like that? I wasn’t drunk—I would’ve woken up if he’d tried.

Was it because I fell asleep at my desk? Not exactly proper behavior for an empress. Maybe he wanted me to feel embarrassed.

Or perhaps it was an act—to maintain the appearance of a good relationship. He must have had political reasons.

Whatever the case, it was intentional. There was no way he did it because he liked me.

Once I organized my thoughts, I felt a bit better. After finishing my meal and getting ready, I headed to the office.

Just as I turned the corner, I saw several men gathered in front of it.

Leto stood out immediately—perhaps because he was a head taller than everyone else.

He seemed to be discussing something with his secretaries.

Of all places, right in front of the office.

This is awkward… maybe I should come back later—

At that moment, our eyes met.

I gave a calm nod of greeting. He simply stared at me.

“Your Majesty, the Empress.”

“Good morning, Your Majesty.”

The secretaries noticed me and greeted me politely. I smiled.

“Good morning. You’ve all been working hard. Please continue.”

I moved to enter the office. Just as the attendant reached for the door—

“Everyone, leave. We’ll continue this later.”

Leto dismissed them all.

He then signaled to the attendant, who quickly stepped away.

Leto pushed the slightly open door shut.

Click.

“Do you have something to say?”

Instead of answering, he leaned casually against the door—blocking me from entering.

What is this?

“Are you uncomfortable with me handling imperial work?”

“No. Not at all. In fact, you were impressive.”

“Really?”

I couldn’t help but feel pleased. I was rather weak to this kind of recognition.

“Then you should step aside so I can continue being impressive.”

“I know. But there’s something I need to say first.”

A cold smile appeared on his lips.

“I hate people who lack focus.”