I Won’t Accept Your Regrets

Hearing Helen's words, I looked at Lady Celine with pity.

As if she had guessed what he was going to say, Rosaleen mentioned it first.

"I think you're a little busy, so I'll leave now, Your Majesty."

"I'm sorry that I have to send you out like that."

"No, you have treated me very well. Then I'll see you again."

Rosaleen got up and left the living room.

"Return safely."

I immediately turned to Helen.

"Get ready, we're going out."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

On the sortie, I donned an inconspicuous raincoat. I will be escorted by only two knight escorts and Helen.

For the status of an Empress, this was too simple.

"Helen, bring another carriage."

However, I didn’t stop there, and gave up on the luxurious carriage of the Imperial family.

Soon the coachman drove up in a gray and shabby carriage.

"Your Majesty. But this carriage, after all, carriage that servant drives around on it. So is it necessary?"

Helen's face told me that she was sorry to put me in such a wreck.

Helen sat opposite and the carriage was soon off.

“But Your Majesty. Should we tell him that he will be the teacher of His Highness?" Helen looked worried.

‘Well, I'm going to see him for it, but I wasn't sure he'd agree to be Carlisle's teacher.'

"Well, I'll do my best, but I can't guarantee the result."’

The Crown Prince's teacher. It was a position that all aristocrats learning academics wanted to achieve. If child become the Emperor in the future, most of the nobles who were teachers will have high administrative positions.

He might even have the honor of being the Emperor's teacher and it's the quickest path to power.

"Ah, I don't know anyone who doesn't want it, but the person I'm going to meet now will be an exception."

‘Raker Brasieux.'

Born into the family of Baron Brasieux, he wasn’t very noble, even in terms of title.

The Brasieux family was just one of many baron families that had nothing special.

The reason he came to my mind as the prince's teacher was because of a big incident at the Academy five years ago.

Forgery with answers to tests.

The most outstanding students of the academy take exams, which are held by the Tower of the Sages, right before graduation from the academy.

And those who passed this test were rewarded with the Tower of the Wise Medal.

Such a medal wasn’t a weak help in my future career.

Therefore, passing this test was very important for the applicant.

And Raker, of course, was eligible for the exam.

Before that, there were no problems.

But at the moment the test results were announced, everything went awry.

This happened because Raker, about whom everyone thought that he would pass perfectly, remained a fool. Whereas a certain young man from the house of the Marquis, to whom everyone predicted failure, on the contrary, surpassed everyone.

Everyone knew that it was strange, but the student was the son of the Marquis house Brighton, who for some time was close to Marquis Sios.

Nobody wanted to get involved with such a center of power. They all shut up, pretending not to know.

Raker was suspicious of the results and protested them. And then the academy teachers changed the answer sheets, so, of course, no one wanted to listen to Raker.

Thus, Raker's outrage was completely ignored.

He became disillusioned with the aristocratic society because of such an incident, left his castle, as well as the academy.

Everyone thought that Raker gave up everything and went into hermits. But it has become different.

Two years later, he confidently passed the test of the Tower of the Sages, the most difficult test.

Testing was one of the ways to gain sage status in the tower of sages.

The subject had to climb the tower up to the hundredth floor, and on each of the floors it was necessary to pass the test, which the wise men had left.

The challenge was difficult itself, and getting to the end in the limited time was incredibly difficult.

So, although the tower test existed, no one could easily pass it.

In the long history of the Tower of the Sage, only four have emerged as champions.

The arrival of the Raker, the first to pass the test in a hundred years, shook the entire continent. And then he received the status of ‘sage’.

The truth about the tampering was revealed.

Although he was unable to achieve justice at first, he didn’t give up and, thanks to his own abilities, won a title more honorary than any medal.

Subsequently, the further the name of Raker swept across the continent, the less honor remained for the son of the Marquis, who had received a medal by cunning.

In the end, the student returned his badge and was forever banished from politics.

As Raker’s name became so famous, the Empire offered him a high title and fertile territories, trying to subjugate him, but Raker steadfastly denied it.

He said he didn't want to be a slave to the rotting Agrita Empire.

Even Raymond's handwritten letter was rejected.

It won’t be easy to persuade such a character.

However, while Carlisle has looked to numerous scholars to choose his teacher, but he was not interested in anyone.

In addition, I needed to find a teacher better known and more competent than the first prince’s teacher.

Unfortunately, the Empire wouldn’t have found a scholar of higher rank than the teacher of the first prince.

As a result, only one worthy candidate appeared in my head.

Although he left the Agrita Empire, he was famous enough to make a name across the continent. And his fame for the advancement of science thundered here and there.

In addition to fame, he has excellent abilities, so how could he not be desired?

The problem now was that it was too difficult to persuade him.

Since he has relinquished his title in the Empire, trying to push him by force will only exacerbate the feeling of antipathy.

That would have been opposed to the rule of the Agrita Empire.

"But he has connections with Duke Drua, doesn't he?"

Helen's voice ripped me out of my thoughts.

"Well, they say that he knows Duke Drua, but he’s not his supporter. Maybe today… He will be angry with Jeremy at all."

It was thanks to Jeremy that I was able to reach Raker.

I asked Jed to find out where Raker is, roaming the continent.

But the news delivered by Jed truly came as a surprise to me.

“It’s said that he has a deep connection to Duke Drua."

So I wrote a letter to Jeremy.

Jeremy did have a relationship with Raker. When he was a mercenary, he arranged an escort him.

Their relationship at that time became close, and it was reported to me that they even exchange news from time to time.

Thanks to this, I was able to find Raker.

But… knowing the obstinate nature of Raker, he will not be happy about such a meeting.

In fact, I didn’t care. But it was necessary to quickly decide something with Carlisle's teacher.

"…I d’not have shame."

It was important, but it was my situation. My situation was delicate and Jeremy hurried to reach out to me again. I haven't really helped him with anything yet.

Somehow, I feel like I'm adding to the debts that I can't pay back.

"What?" Helen, who heard a small murmur, looked at me strangely.

"It's nothing."

The carriage stopped, the coachman opened our door.

"Your Majesty, we have arrived."

Helen came out first. Then me.

And I saw Jeremy standing nearby.

Jeremy moved towards me. White shirt and beige trousers. He greeted me, which made me suddenly uneasy.

"Greetings to Her Majesty the Empress, the moon of the Empire."

"Get up."

He got up and spoke with a smile:

"It must have been a difficult path. I'm sorry that I took you into such a hole."

"No. I didn't even realize how great it would be to get some fresh air after so long."

Our destination lay on a low mountain far from the capital.

The unkempt road among the mountains was uneven. But I didn't care about the pain in my butt as I prepared to face Raker's arrogance.

"But where is he?"

I looked around, but there were only trees around.

"The carriage won’t go there. We'll have to walk."

"I see."

"And I'm afraid I have to make a rude request to Her Majesty the Empress."

"What kind of request is this?"

"I want only the Empress and I to go to the hut."

"She can’t," Helen responded reflexively even before I had my say.

"If you bring your knights in, it looks like a threat to Raker."

“Before you is the Empress of your country. No matter how important it is, how could the Empress not be escorted out, just to please him?"

Helen was stubborn and Jeremy was confused.

But Jeremy and Helen both knew one thing:

The prince's teacher was much more important to me.

"Helen, stay with the knights here."

"My lady…"

"Don’t worry. Jeremy's swordsmanship is second to none for imperial knights, so nothing dangerous will happen."

Helen no longer spoke before my determined gaze. She stepped aside and Jeremy walked to me.

"Then please. Your Majesty."

"Thank you so much."

I grabbed his hand and followed him along the mountain path.

And when the sweat from the passage through the mountains was already on my forehead, a wide open space appeared to my eyes.

And there was a little wooden house. And before him stood a man with gray hair.

"Raker!"