Chapter 166: Towards the Center
Morning. I woke up in the morning light.
The morning sun filtering through thin curtains gently urged me to awaken with just the right amount of light, as if crafted by a skilled artisan.
Realizing this meant—slowly, I opened my eyelids while still in a drowsy state.
Indeed, it was as I thought.
The familiar ceiling, the ceiling of Empress Audrey’s bedroom.
This was the bedroom that existed solely to welcome the Emperor.
The room was furnished with the highest quality furnishings, from the curtains to everything else.
After recognizing where I was, I let out a faint sigh through my slightly open mouth.
“Good morning, Your Majesty.”
Then, from a short distance away, I heard Audrey’s moist, soft voice.
As I sat up, Audrey was facing me, accompanied by several maids.
Not just Audrey, but everyone was looking this way all at once.
The maids must have been preparing just before this moment, as they held various grooming tools that were in the midst of being readied.
“Good morning, you’re as early as ever.”
“Women tend to take time with their grooming.”
Audrey said this playfully.
I refrained from saying anything awkward.
I didn’t mention the rather ridiculous fact that I was also preparing for my own grooming alongside hers.
As I slowly rose, Audrey received a wet towel from one of the maids.
She squeezed the damp towel herself and approached me while holding it.
“Here you go.”
“Ah.”
I nodded and took the towel that Audrey offered.
As I wiped my face, the degree of moisture was just right.
The temperature and dampness were optimal, and the faint scent meant to awaken the senses was quite pleasant.
In comparison to Audrey’s thoughtful attentiveness, the touch of the finest silk felt rather trivial.
“Thank you. You’re as considerate as ever.”
“Thanks to Your Majesty.”
“Myself?”
I tilted my head.
Was there really any room for me to contribute to Audrey’s attentiveness?
I wondered, and after pondering, I ultimately decided that there was not, however, I did feel that Audrey’s expression was not merely flattery.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s thanks to Your Majesty always praising me like that. Based on Your Majesty’s reactions, I can gradually adapt my preferences.”
“…”
I understood.
She had been picking up on my subtle differences in reactions to discern my preferences.
That was indeed—
“You really are quite considerate.”
I sincerely thought so.
“Thank you.”
“By the way, are those maids alright? I don’t worry too much since it’s you, but…”
I glanced at the maids standing behind Audrey as I asked.
Officially, I was at the height of my personal expedition.
This meant that I was not within the imperial capital, and my presence here was top secret, one could say it was classified information.
I questioned whether it was alright for these maids to be aware of this.
“I had mimicked Your Majesty.”
“Myself?”
“Yes. I have built up a favor with all the girls here. Not a metaphor, I am their ‘saviour’.”
“I see.”
“So, please rest assured.”
While Audrey was saying this, the maids remained silent, diligently preparing the preliminary stages of grooming.
They did not even show a sign of acknowledgement towards Audrey’s words.
It was not hard to imagine that not only had favors been granted, but they had likely been well-educated.
“Impressive. In that case, let me add one thing.”
“What is it?”
“If you’re going that far, make sure to build up favors with the family as well. For many, the feeling of gratitude is greater for saving their beloved family than for saving their own life.”
“That’s remarkable, Your Majesty. I will do so from now on.”
“Ah.”
I nodded and stretched.
Audrey was assisting me with my morning grooming.
During this time, both Audrey and I, as well as the maids, remained naturally silent.
In the serene bedroom of the Empress, the Emperor’s grooming was being quietly conducted.
As I neared the completion of my grooming, I spoke up again.
“That’s right, there’s something I should mention.”
“What is it?”
“You know Gigi, don’t you?”
“Yes, she’s been a maid since the time when Your Majesty was still reigning in the shadows, correct?”
I chuckled a little at Audrey’s old-fashioned expression and nodded in response.
“Exactly. I’m going to take Gigi with me.”
“Originally… yes, understood.”
Audrey swallowed her words, which were about to say “originally belonging to His Majesty,” and nodded seriously.
The inner court belongs to the Empress, and all the maids in the inner court also belong to the Empress.
Of course, the Emperor is above all that, and no one would dare complain if he took one maid without saying a word, anyone who might try to object would likely not even appear.
Still, I elevated Audrey.
I acknowledged her according to the concept of the master of the inner court that she often mentioned.
Audrey quickly grasped the situation and formally “transferred” Gigi to me.
“But really, you didn’t have to go out of your way to mention it.”
“The authority of the Empress is defined by internal laws. It’s not something that can be called formal law, so few are obliged to comply.”
“Nevertheless, you uphold it. Indeed, His Majesty is amazing.”
I let out a small laugh.
I thought, “What an old habit,” but decided not to say it, as it would be rather out of place.
☆
After finishing my preparations, I called Gigi to the library.
As I picked up a few books I had started to read and flipped through them, I heard hurried footsteps outside the library.
Right after the hurried footsteps, the door burst open, and an out-of-breath Gigi appeared.
“I-I’m sorry to keep you wait—Whoa!”
Gigi rushed into the library but tripped over her own skirt and fell spectacularly.
“Are you okay?”
“It hurts… but I’m fine!”
Gigi hurried to her feet again.
The maid uniforms provided to court maids aren’t fragile enough to tear with such a tumble, but Gigi, who had fallen quite hard, was clearly favoring a part of her body as if she had hurt herself.
“Use a potion to heal later.”
“Eh!? T-That’s too expensive—”
“From now on, keep your health in perfect condition, always.”
“Uh? Y-Yes… um…”
Gigi had a puzzled expression on her face.
“I mentioned that I remember where all the books I read last night are, right?”
“Y-Yes! Umm, if I can just know when you read them…”
“What did I read on Audrey’s birthday?”
“Please wait a moment!”
Gigi flustered and ran past me into the back of the library.
Normally, crossing in front of the Emperor would be considered rude, and a hot-tempered Emperor might even decree a death penalty for such an act.
Naturally, I overlooked that. Gigi returned from the back of the library with three books in her arms.
“Here they are.”
“Hmm… Ah, yes, this one is definitely the one I read.”
One of the three books was a historical account of the “Excommunication Ceremony” that occurs after a royal woman is married.
I recalled reading it out of nowhere on Audrey’s birthday.
“The day Jessica arrived, and the most recent day I returned from Armenia?”
“I understand!”
Gigi said that and dashed off again, soon reappearing with another book.
I glanced over the books she brought back.
Since it was urgent, I had spoken the dates I had associated with my memories, and she had pulled the books out accordingly.
So far, everything was correct.
It seems that she truly remembered all the books I had read.
“What’s next? Your M—Your Majesty.”
“That’s enough, the test is over.”
“Hah…”
“How much is your salary? Annually.”
“Eh? Yes… um, I receive 50 leens.”
“Hmm.”
Fifty, I nodded slightly.
When I was born, it was said that an adult man could earn about 10 leens a year, but now, several decades later, that amount has risen to around 20.
Among that, Gigi received 50.
That amount is far more than the average man, but considering she is a veteran maid serving the Emperor, it is a reasonable salary.
“Starting tomorrow, I’ll give you 500 annually.”[TN: I am starting to believe that their currency like that of Kuwaiti Dinar 1KWD ~= 3 USD, and everything is cheap]
“……..Eh?”
Gigi looked dumbfounded.
Then, a moment later, she started to panic dramatically.
“What… what do you mean by that? F-f-f-five hundred?”
“The First Chancellor Don is around a thousand, so this is about half.”
“Well then, do you have any siblings at your family home? Give me one of them, I’ll give that person five hundred too.”
“To my family home!? I-I can’t accept that much!”
“Just take it. In exchange, from now on, I want you to manage the documents that I sign and that will be stored in the imperial treasury. Make sure they can be retrieved at any time, understood?”
“I-I understand. But even so, that’s still too much—”
“It’s the most confidential of matters. I’m sorry, but I can’t let you out like Evelyn or Zoe just to be involved with this. You’ll have to give up quite a bit.”
“Ah…”
“I’m sorry, but I’m taking your life. Use it for my sake.”
“…I understand. If it’s for your majesty.”
With that, Gigi said and looked at me with a resolute expression.
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