PPCTD 11

I kept bursting into laughter.
“Ahahahahaha…!”

What should I do? I want to save his face, but I just can’t stop laughing.

Then Leto let out a small chuckle too, as if dumbfounded.
“Is it that funny? Just thinking about it makes you laugh?”

“No, it’s not that… ahem, ahem!”

I cleared my throat and tried to calm down. Only after finishing my glass of water did I finally settle.

“Your Majesty, Statin is not a person. And definitely not a man.”

“If it’s not a person, you wouldn’t have called out so desperately.”

“It’s hard to explain, but Statin is a type of medicinal ingredient. Besides, I don’t even have anyone I could call a lover.”

“….”

One, two, three.

“Ah.”

Three seconds.
It took him exactly three seconds to understand the situation.

“I see.”

Goodness. If it were me, I’d want to crawl into a hole. How can he not even change his expression? I guess not just anyone can be Emperor.

“So that’s how it is.”

Instead of being embarrassed, he even smiled faintly and slowly nodded.

“I should get going now.”

Leto stood up.

“You’re really going to handle all the work alone?”

“I always do it alone. I’m not sharing today.”

He spoke as if he were being greedy, then went through the side door to his office.

I poured myself a glass of wine and drank it—my way of ending what had been a rather enjoyable dinner.

A silly grin kept forming on my lips. No matter how I thought about it, it was hilarious. To think he believed Statin was a man’s name. He has an unexpectedly human side.

“Hmm…”

Anyway, what a strange day. Thanks to Leto, I got to laugh like this.

It was just as Leto had sat down.

“Your Majesty, what did you speak about with Her Majesty the Empress?”

Yuten asked casually. Leto picked up his quill and replied,

“Why are you curious?”

“I could hear Her Majesty’s laughter all the way here. I didn’t know she could laugh like that.”

“Now that you do, get back to work, Yuten. As you can see, there’s a lot to do.”

Still, Yuten couldn’t let go of his curiosity. He stared at Leto with burning interest.

Our Majesty isn’t the type to make a woman laugh… What did he do? His expression looks the same as always.

Yuten was still unmarried. That made him all the more interested in other people’s romances.

The imperial couple had long been famous for not getting along—so much so that it looked unstable from the outside.

It really was a good idea to bring Her Majesty into the imperial palace. Their relationship has improved quite a bit since then.

From Yuten’s perspective, the “revival” had just been an excuse—an opportunity to bring the two together. Of course, he hadn’t expected Leto to accept the suggestion so readily.

Leto glanced at Yuten over his documents and asked with clear irritation,

“Why are you smiling like that?”

“N-no, Your Majesty.”

Yuten quickly looked away. He must have been smiling too fondly. Leto returned his gaze to the documents.

“What I told you before—are you looking into it?”

“Yes. We’re working around a canyon not far from the coast. We’ve already secured several types of rock.”

“Good. Proceed as quickly as possible. And keep it discreet.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Since we’re on the topic, why don’t you go check on the progress?”

“Now?”

“I don’t like you grinning at me like that.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

And just like that, Yuten was kicked out. Left alone, Leto continued his work.

A moment later, as he was about to sign a document, he wrote something in small letters on a blank sheet.

[Colleague]

—“Your Majesty and I are on the same side. We’re colleagues.”

Why did that bother me?

The answer came quickly. Leto was at least honest about his own feelings.

Because it sounded like she was drawing a line.

He knew. He knew she still feared him. But still…

Would it hurt to call me something a bit more familiar?

He dipped his pen heavily in ink and blacked out the word “colleague.”

For example…

Next to the large black blot, he wrote the consonant “ㅂ,” then below it “ㅜ.” But he couldn’t bring himself to write any further.

Forget it. After talking about killing and sparing her, what am I even expecting?

“Damn it.”

He shoved the pen back into its holder irritably and propped his chin up, staring at the documents.

Why was it that the more he tried to focus, the more his thoughts wandered?

Still, at least one thing is a relief… That “Statin”…

“…isn’t a man, right?”

The corner of Leto’s lips lifted slightly.

The day came for my private meeting with the High Priest.

Early in the afternoon, I headed toward the Grand Temple.

It was located in the western part of the imperial palace. The closer I got, the more tense I felt.

There’s no way the High Priest called me without a reason. At the very least, he’ll try to gauge how he can use me. Like Leto said, I just need to avoid being used.

The entrance was guarded by temple knights.

“Her Majesty the Empress is here. Show proper respect.”

At Madame Mare’s stern words, the guards complied without objection. Just as I was about to step through the door they opened—

“Only Her Majesty the Empress may enter.”

The guards blocked the maids and knights.

“What nonsense is this?! Even attendants of the imperial family are allowed entry!”

“It is the order of His Holiness the High Priest.”

“Then at least allow a knight to accompany her—”

“That is not permitted. We were ordered to admit no knights.”

“How dare—!”

“It’s fine.”

I intervened.

The temple guards belonged to the temple. There was no point in creating conflict.

“I’ll go in alone.”

“Your Majesty… still, perhaps you should come later with His Majesty. Even if it’s the temple, going alone is dangerous.”

That was an option. But I would have to deal with the High Priest again in the future. If I backed down now, I’d only be underestimated.

“It’s fine. Please wait here.”

“Your Majesty…”

I smiled once and stepped inside. Behind me, the doors shut with a heavy thud.

“I will guide you to His Holiness’s office.”

The guards led the way. I crossed the central hall.

The building was as large and lavish as the imperial palace. It looked recently expanded—probably thanks to the donations pouring in after the appearance of the “Goddess’s Snow.”

Soon, we arrived at a door embroidered with gold.

“This is His Holiness’s office. Shall I announce you?”

I nodded.

“Your Holiness, Her Majesty the Empress has arrived.”

“Let her in.”

The door opened slowly.

The High Priest sat on a sofa inside the spacious office.

He wasn’t alone.

The man with him… was Baron Orléans, if I remembered correctly.

Baron Orléans—the supposed owner of the estate where the “Goddess’s Snow” had appeared… the face of this entire scam.

“Your Majesty the Empress, welcome.”

“Your Majesty…!”

They stood to greet me. After acknowledging them, I sat down.

“Thank you for the letter, Your Holiness. You didn’t have to deliver it so secretly—I would have gladly come.”

“Friendship is something that blooms away from prying eyes. I acted out of caution, so I hope you understand.”

Friendship hidden from others, huh? There’s meaning behind those words. Is he trying to pull me onto his side?

“So, why did you call for me?”

“Your Majesty, you must have heard of the ‘Goddess’s Snow.’”

“You mean the incident at Baron Orléans’s residence?”

“Your Majesty knows my name—what an honor.”

The baron bowed deeply.

“What kind of empress wouldn’t know the names and faces of the nobility?”

At my words, the High Priest’s brow twitched slightly.

“…You are truly very different from before your revival, Your Majesty.”

“How could someone blessed by the Goddess remain the same?”

The High Priest’s expression stiffened.

Using the ‘Goddess’ against someone running a scam in her name… not a bad feeling.

I smiled.

“Weren’t we discussing the ‘Goddess’s Snow’?”

He quickly adjusted his expression.

“Yes. Baron Orléans has been blessed by the Goddess. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes. At dawn, when I went to the garden, I found a dazzling white powder forming the image of the Goddess on the wall. I was so shocked that I prayed on the spot and immediately informed His Holiness.”

Lies. Shameless. He must have secretly drawn it with alum powder in the middle of the night.

“And how did you determine its authenticity?”

The baron gestured reverently toward the High Priest.

“His Holiness judged it with divine power.”

“Your Majesty.”

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

“The ‘Goddess’s Snow’ is a transparent, sparkling powder never seen in the Empire before. Even the royal scholars have acknowledged that it does not exist in any compendium.”

Of course they did. The compendiums are incomplete—and the scholars fear the temple.

The High Priest licked his lips slowly.

“So—we have arranged this meeting in the hope that Your Majesty, who has been revived, might publicly commend Baron Orléans.”

“A public… commendation?”

Ah. So that’s why he called me.

“I’d like to hear more details.”

“This miracle seems unfamiliar to the people. Especially the ‘Goddess’s Snow,’ which serves as physical evidence—there’s much skepticism. But if Your Majesty personally acknowledges its legitimacy, the people will accept it.”

Not the “Goddess’s Snow”—they’re talking about the baron himself. He’s nothing more than a nouveau riche with no reputation. Not someone worthy of divine favor.

So they want to use me to legitimize the miracle?

And not just that—they’re testing me. To see whether I’m an enemy or an ally.

Let’s respond cautiously for now.

“I understand what you’re saying, but it is a delicate matter for the imperial family to involve itself in temple affairs. The Grand Temple is an independent institution—wouldn’t my involvement compromise that independence?”

“You need not worry. It would be an honor for us if Your Majesty stepped forward.”

“Then I would like to see this ‘Goddess’s Snow’ first.”

“Of course.”

As if he had expected this, the High Priest opened a small table drawer beside the sofa. Inside was a red velvet pouch.

“Take a look. This is the ‘Goddess’s Snow’ collected from Baron Orléans’s estate.”

He opened the pouch. It was filled with sparkling white powder.

“May I touch it?”

“Of course.”

I picked up a small pinch and examined it closely.

The rough texture, the sharp edges, the hardness—

It was ground alum stone.

I could be certain. Alum is used as a medicinal ingredient.

“So, what do you think, Your Majesty? Will you grant our request?”

The High Priest asked with a meaningful smile.