Chapter 125: A World of Deception
In the afternoon, I was mounted on horseback at the training grounds under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Military Affairs.
It was a splendid white horse, both in coat and physique, and even though I wasn’t an expert on horses, I could tell it had been raised with considerable care and effort.
Riding that horse, I was slowly circling around the arena.
“How is it, Your Majesty?”
Henry asked from just outside the arena.
He had been watching me the whole time I was going around.
I pulled the reins and replied to Henry.
“It’s a good horse. It listens well to commands, and…”
“And…?”
Henry tilted his head in curiosity.
I pulled the reins to increase the horse’s speed.
I sped up and circled the arena again.
After a while, sweat began to pour from the horse’s body.
The sweat bursting out from under its white coat reflected the sunlight, shining like gold.
“Oh!”
“It has a good constitution. This will be more than sufficient for a symbol.”
“Then, will it accompany you on your journeys?”
I carefully reined in the horse and returned to stand in front of Henry.
I jumped down, stroking the sweaty horse’s face. It seemed to find it ticklish but also pleasant as I petted it.
“This is basically how it will be done. Do you have any backups?”
“I can secure a few, although their quality may be somewhat lesser,”
“Then please take care of that as well—ah, you’ve done well. It’s a fine horse.”
The stableman who had been waiting since I dismounted approached. I handed the reins to him while giving him some acknowledgement.
“I-I’m honored.”
“Did you raise this horse?”
“Y-yes! Since it was this small.”
Surprised at being spoken to by the Emperor, the man was elated and answered hesitantly.
“I see. Well done. I’ll give you a year’s worth of salary as a reward, so go to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to collect it later.”
“Thank you very much!”
The man skillfully knelt down, bowing his head while still holding the reins. Then, he stood up gracefully, still bowing as he led the horse away.
“You really know horses.”
As I watched the man leave, I said that.
“What makes you say that?”
Henry asked curiously.
“Whatever you do near a horse, doing something ‘suddenly’ is the worst thing you can do. If you do anything suddenly, the horse may freeze in place and it becomes dangerous—ah, sorry, that’s unnecessary information for someone like you, Henry, who knows the battlefield well.”
“Yes.”
“That man knelt suddenly by the horse, but the horse didn’t seem surprised. Perhaps he had trained it to behave that way, or maybe he had gained the horse’s trust to such an extent.”
“I see, it could be both.”
“Haha, that possibility does exist.”
After Henry pointed that out, I tapped my temple.
It was true that it didn’t have to be one or the other; both could be possible.
“Since he is a stableman at the royal palace, there shouldn’t be any incompetent individuals.”
“That’s not always the case.”
“Eh?”
“Would you like me to tell you exactly how his successor could end up being inept?”
“…It wouldn’t be anything other than the fact that Your Majesty would make the appointment directly, right?”
Henry frowned, checking the premises.
“Haha, that’s true. It wouldn’t make sense for me to directly appoint an incompetent person.”
“…”
Henry pondered, but it seemed he couldn’t think of anything.
“I can’t say. How would that be possible?”
“It’s simple. Just take that man as the caretaker for the horse, take him with me on my expeditions, and I will make sure he’s well looked after.”
“…………I see.”
After a moment of thought, Henry grimaced like he had bitten into something sour, and managed to force a smile.
“If it’s a position where Your Majesty could take notice, it would lead to political rivalry.”
“Exactly.”
“If it’s a low-ranking position that just leads to political rivalry, then the chances are high that it would only be a puppet, indicating incompetence… Truly impressive, Your Majesty, that you thought that far in just a moment.”
I smiled softly.
“Even now, the places where I might catch sight of are likely to be arenas of competition among princes and ministers, right?”
“Indeed.”
“Henry has someone from his household placed somewhere, doesn’t he?”
“Your Majesty has known me since you were a child.”
“Hmm?”
“I intended to only employ those who are capable and preferred by Your Majesty.”
“Haha, I see.”
I laughed aloud. It was somewhat enjoyable. It’s typical of Henry not to outright deny it here.
Naturally, it’s not surprising that someone of Prince status wouldn’t have their influence spread in various locations.
Compared to the previous incompetent princes, now, every prince is somewhat capable. Everyone is acutely aware of how crucial information and connections are.
In the first place, those who leave the prince’s residence are referred to as “household members.”
It’s only natural that such trusted individuals would be scattered about.
“Hehe.”
“What is it, Your Majesty?”
“Oh, just reminded from this conversation that the houses of princes are filled with spies of one another. I’ve always been like this since I was born, so I never found it strange. But if someone from a village were to see this scene, they would surely find it very peculiar.”
“It is an unfortunate culture, albeit an inevitable one.”
“This started happening after the Restoration, didn’t it?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Henry agreed with my words.
The Restoration.
Once, the Empire faced a crisis of destruction.
It was revitalized by the founder of the Restoration, leading the Empire to renewed prosperity.
“Before that, only the Crown prince was raised with any attention, wasn’t he?”
“Yes. Learning from the lessons of that time, lands were granted to the princes, allowing them to participate in politics and grow.”
“Because of this, the quality of princes improved after the Restoration, but with their involvement in politics, each began to embed spies among one another. The world is rarely straightforward, is it?”
I chuckled softly.
“For someone like Dustin, it might have been easier to live in the past.”
“Hahaha, indeed.”
Henry had a good point, and I laughed.
The Tenth Prince Dustin.
He isn’t particularly capable, but is consistently known for being a “womanizer” since his teenage years.
I had wondered what that meant, but after Gilbert and then Albert fell one after another, I suddenly understood.
That was Dustin’s unique art of disguise—by steadfastly sticking to being a womanizer, he asserts that he has “no ambition for the throne.”
If he has no interest in the throne and is solely a womanizer, then there’s no issue in letting him be as a prince.
I now believe that Dustin was perhaps quick to realize and arrived at that position.
“…It’s past the statute of limitations, so I’ll share this,”
“Hm?”
“The Thirteenth Prince’s residence is famously the hardest place for spies to infiltrate among us.”
“Really?”
I turned my whole body toward Henry.
I had never heard such a thing before, and this was the first time I learned it, making it all the more intriguing.
“Most of the servants in the Thirteenth Prince’s residence are those who have received favor from Your Majesty. Among them, there are several who consider themselves to owe their lives to you.”
“Oh, right.”
“Because of this, infiltrating is difficult, and even if someone manages to slip in, most of them feel gratitude toward Your Majesty, leading them to naturally be vigilant for Your Majesty even in places out of your sight.”
“I see.”
“Especially that woman, Evelyn. Everyone unanimously praises Your Majesty’s decision regarding her. Not only for the favor, but because she even shows foresight.”
“Are there not household members everywhere?”
“You were the first to employ a woman in such a position, and to this day, you remain the only one.”
“…Ah.”
I nodded slightly.
That’s right, indeed.
Evelyn, originally a maid in the Thirteenth Prince’s residence, was dispatched by me when I served as the governor of Almeria. Appointing a woman as a governor is practically unprecedented.
“Because of that, Your Majesty has resulted in a strengthened sense of unity among the servants, as they believe that if someone possesses talent and loyalty, they will be valued.”
“People are treasures.”
I turned away and looked up at the sky.
“Half of humanity is female. With the same number of men, it would be a waste not to utilize them, wouldn’t it?”
“That’s the greatness of Your Majesty. We cannot utilize women the way you do.”
“…Indeed.”
I nodded slightly. I still think that way now.
Having become Emperor, I thought I would be able to appoint women at will, but resistance from those who value tradition continues even now. It hasn’t been going smoothly.
Well, it can’t be helped. I don’t think it can be changed overnight. I’ll steadily work toward making changes.
“…… That man from earlier.”
“Yes?”
“The stableman, I will indeed take him on my expedition. Give him a suitable position and let him take care of my horses.”
“That’s fine, but… why?”
“If I leave him here, he might get caught up in political games and disappear by the time I return.”
“Ah…”
“It seems he’s quite skilled with horses, so I will protect him for a while.”
“As expected.”
“Then I leave it to you.”
“Understood. I will have him accompany us in the rear.”
I nodded and left the training grounds.
People are treasures.
It would be great if this way of thinking became more widespread.
There is –>discord<— to get update notifications and releases? I am lazy af these days.
Thanks for the treat.