I Became the Master of the Empress

319

Terra was shocked by the words as she held the sleeping Ian in her arms.

“What? You’re kicking Joy out?”

I returned from finishing my work only to hear such a shocking story.

“Ugh, what should we do? It seems like Mother has made a big decision.”

“Really? Does she not trust us that much?”

With Babylon causing me concern, it was frustrating to have such turmoil arise from within.

“Indeed. Don’t you have any ideas?”

“Huh?”

“Sending Joy and Lucius out of Roman. The thought of sending that child to a place where she knows no one makes me uneasy.”

I feel the same way.

Given how rough Joy has had it in the original story, I can’t help but worry.

“Should I talk to Mary and have her grant them a fief in the Grand Duchy…?”

If it’s the Grand Duchy, it’s close enough by boat, so they could visit often.

Besides, the two of them are quite close.

“Is there no other way?”

I ponder Terra’s words deeply.

“Or should we just quit politics altogether?”

Terra looked at me with a puzzled expression.

“Quit politics?”

“Yeah. After all, Lucius has become a member of the Imperial Assembly, right? Wouldn’t it be okay to give that up and work in the private sector instead?”

She closed her eyes and fell into thought for a moment.

“Hmmm…”

If we completely distance ourselves from power, my mother-in-law might shake off some of her anxiety about Lucius.

Resigning from his position as a member of the assembly would indeed be quite a burden.

—

—

To resign from the esteemed position of councilor, elected by the Roman citizens, shortly after taking office is an act of contempt towards them.

In other words, it would render both Joy’s and Lucius’s reputations irreparably damaged.

“Then… can they stay in Rome?”

I share my thoughts with Terra, who seems worried about being attacked by angry citizens.

“Well, I could take on the role of the villain.”

If I spread a rumor that the two of them felt threatened by the dangers of power and were forced to resign, it shouldn’t cause too much trouble.

And besides, there’s a task I could entrust to Lucius.

“Haah… who would believe that? Maybe in the past, but you’re a saint now.”

“Huh?”

“Never mind. I’d rather take on the role of the villain myself! I have no intention of dragging you into this mud.”

I shook my head at her words.

“You’re the Emperor. An Emperor supported by the people of the Empire. There’s no reason for you to bear such a stigma, is there?”

It wouldn’t be good if rumors spread about the Emperor persecuting his sister.

But she shook her head vigorously, her eyes shining with determination.

“I won’t stand by and watch you suffer any longer. I’m tired of just being protected.”

“Huh?”

Suddenly, my heart fluttered.

It’s just a trivial remark, but why does my face feel so hot?

“Huh? Are you embarrassed?”

Terra grinned wickedly and poked my cheek.

“Uwaaah!”

Before long, Ian woke up and started crying for food, bringing smiles to both Terra’s and my faces.

“Oh my? Are you hungry? Mommy will give you some food.”

Watching Terra soothe Ian with a gentle voice, I think to myself.

Right now, this moment is the greatest happiness of my life…

“First, before we do anything, let’s have a conversation with Lucius and Joy. Their opinions are important too.”

Terra, having lowered the straps of her underwear, spoke while looking at Ian.

“Yes. That sounds good.”

***

The next morning.

A woman I’ve never seen before stands in front of my office door.

She appears to be in her early twenties, with long black hair tied back.

She’s a bit tall and slender, holding a folder in her arms, but I don’t recognize her.

However, since the Golden Knights guarding my office haven’t chased her away, could she be someone with business here?

Who is she?

“Excuse me, but who are you to be standing in front of my office?”

“Ah? Hello! I’m Emilia from the Intelligence Department! I’m here for the daily briefing.”

The daily briefing from the Intelligence Department?

“Isn’t that Karl’s responsibility?”

At my words, the woman who introduced herself as Emilia scratched her cheek awkwardly.

“Well, the Minister has to report to His Majesty…”

I suppose it’s not easy for Karl to come here after being summoned by Terra, considering he doesn’t have two bodies.

If it’s a quick briefing, it can be done in a few minutes, but when there are important issues, it can take two to three hours, so I thought it was understandable.

I opened the office door and said to Emilia.

“Alright, come in.”

“Excuse me.”

As I sat down in my office chair, I asked,

“Is there anything unusual in the report?”

“Well… there’s an organization that’s been obstructing us in Babylon.”

An obstructing organization?

“Details…”

– Swish.

“It’s written here, so please take a look.”

I took the document she offered and began to read.

A report stating that an agent, who was approaching influential families and politicians to gather intelligence on the main faction, was ambushed, resulting in two deaths, one capture, and one escape.

“What’s this? How did you find out?”

Intelligence agents are physically capable and quite clever.

On top of that, they receive unlimited artifacts that aid in operations, making them very difficult to deal with.

“Recently, we’ve heard rumors that Babylon has been forming a secret organization similar to our Intelligence Department since last year.”

“Similar to the Intelligence Department?”

“For a moment….”

When I created the Intelligence Bureau.

It required an enormous budget, so it needed the approval and report of the parliament.

In other words, it’s not a secret that the Empire established the Intelligence Bureau.

The traditional rival, Babylon, wouldn’t just sit back and watch.

“Then, did they copy us?”

In the original, Babylon was a mess, but now they’re doing well, and it’s clear they’re interested in what the Empire is doing.

“It can’t be that they spent only a few bucks, right?”

I spent an enormous amount of money when I created the Intelligence Bureau. But I didn’t expect Babylon to easily create a spy agency like this. Is this what it means to be the Empire?

It’s ridiculous.

No, it’s more than that….

Anyway, we created the spy department first. The fact that the opponent created a spy department and we didn’t notice for nearly two years is unbelievable.

“Was it Emilia? Then, in the end, we created the Intelligence Bureau first. The rival country saw our intelligence department and copied it, and we didn’t notice until now?”

Even in Babylon, which is known for its closed politics and authoritarianism, this is a serious display of incompetence, so I asked again….

Emilia opened her eyes wide and said,

“The Babylonian Intelligence Bureau didn’t create a spy network for a long time. It was only after the Emperor’s order to create a spy network after Rockast’s death.”

Ah….

Now that I think about it, during my reign, I focused all the Intelligence Bureau’s capabilities on catching Rockast and the demon worshipers.

And the one who gave that order was….

Me.

“Hmm…. That’s right. Then, gather information about the Babylonian spy agency, and continue to build a spy network in Babylon.”

Emilia’s eyes became even colder.

“Even now…. We lack manpower. The Empire’s internal spy network has only recently been completed, and too many agents have been sent to the United Kingdom and Babylon. Isn’t this an excessive order?”

Emilia’s words also make sense.

The criteria for selecting agents in the Empire are extremely strict.

One must have no disqualifying family history, be fiercely patriotic, intellectually superior, and have a strong physique.

Only a few people can prove all of these.

So, only a few dozen people are selected as agents every year across the continent.

It’s not strange, considering the war with Babylon and my personal connection with my uncle, who rules the United Kingdom.

Should I stop building the spy network in the United Kingdom right away?

Considering various realistic conditions, it seems more prudent to abandon the intelligence network of the United Kingdom rather than hastily recruit agents and risk creating gaps in security.

“Emilia, relay this to Karl later. We’re giving up the intelligence network of the United Kingdom…”

“Excuse me, but… His Grace the Duke does not have the authority to issue orders to the Intelligence Department.”

“Ah…”

The Intelligence Department is a dedicated agency of Terra; it is not obligated to follow my orders like the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the Ministry of Justice.

Unless it were Alexander, who handles foreign affairs, that would be a different story.

Honestly, I used to wish for less power. Now that I actually want to give orders, it’s frustrating that the power is divided.

“Alright. I’ll discuss it with Terra.”

Only then did I see Emilia nodding, and I couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

Perhaps it’s because I had pushed the people in the Intelligence Department too hard before; they don’t seem to like me very much.

***

After finishing work that day,

I called Lucius to a restaurant in Roman.

I’d rather avoid the hassle of the Golden Knights following me around.

I left a letter for Terra, so she’ll handle it.

As I was choosing what to eat in the bustling restaurant,

Lucius sat down across from me and said,

“Your Grace the Duke. It’s been a while.”

Even though I had changed my hair color to blonde, Lucius recognized me immediately.

I greeted him with a bright smile.

“Hey there! I hear you’ve been doing well lately?”

At my words, Lucius gave a sheepish smile.

“It’s all thanks to Joy. By the way, what brings you here? I heard you haven’t been out on patrol much lately?”

At that, I let out a deep sigh.

“The Golden Knights have been clinging to me, so I haven’t been able to patrol recently, but I haven’t quit.”

He nodded in understanding.

“Then what’s the reason for your summons?”

“I’ll talk about that in a bit. What do you want to eat?”

As I handed him the menu, Lucius chose his food and placed an order.

“But you’re treating me, right?”

“Isn’t that so? You make quite a bit as a member of the Empire’s council, don’t you?”

In reality, the salary of an imperial council member is quite high.

What they do is merely act as a puppet for Terra and me, but still, it’s a reasonable amount of money to ensure that they don’t engage in any symbolic gestures or accept bribes.

“Still, it’s not enough to buy a house yet.”

“Well… that’s true.”

The prices of houses within the triple walls of Roman are astronomical.

In fact, the term bourgeois, which symbolizes the modern wealthy class, refers to those who reside within the walls.

“But if you marry Joy, getting a loan will be easier, right?”

Since Joy is technically the princess of the Empire, there would be many banks eager to lend.

“That’s true, but I still want to live on our own strength. Joy said she doesn’t want to rely on her family’s help.”

That statement left a bitter taste in my mouth.

“You’re somewhat aware of the royal family’s atmosphere, right?”

As I cautiously asked, Lucius nodded slightly.

“I’ve sensed before that Her Majesty the Empress Dowager isn’t particularly fond of me.”

“Then do you want to break up?”