MHC 37

Chapter 37

The Emperor read the report aloud himself, in front of everyone.

“Finally, the author believes that this festival can act as a ‘butterfly effect’ fostering a sense of solidarity between the Empire and the Kingdom. Since the end of the war, the allied nations had no significant exchanges. However, this festival will serve as a major starting point for positive interaction.”

His low, mid-range voice made even an ordinary project proposal sound like elegant poetry. After reciting the final sentence, he immediately asked the Chair:

“Chair, whose report do you think this is?”

“……Isn’t this the final version of Miss Helena’s proposal?”

“Surprisingly, it’s someone else’s. Someone claims they wrote it even faster than Miss Helena.”

“Eh?”

“I wanted to fully trust Miss Helena, but the author’s actions made me lose that trust, so I have no choice.”

Kuhn snapped his fingers, thumb and forefinger meeting with a sharp click! and the door opened. This time, the librarian from the Imperial Library entered the room carrying books.

A pile of books was placed back onto Helena’s desk, which had been cleared when her previously stacked books had toppled.

“These are the reference books the informant mentioned.”

“…….”

“Let’s give Miss Helena a bit more time. Now, let’s hear what the informant has to say.”

The room fell silent. Even Helena, who was flustered, was curious about the identity of the informant. Who could it be, now appearing to recover her lost report?

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

A refined voice followed.

It was the voice Helena had longed for, the one she had secretly practiced, pretending not to care. Chloe Argen.

“Princess, how do you plan to prove that the report is truly yours?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I will cite the sections I referenced from the books you brought.”

“Good.”

Chloe first pointed to Diplomatic Policies.

“On the eighth page of the report, I explained that the festival could act as a medium to strengthen friendship between the two nations. This references Chapter Two of ‘Diplomatic Policies’ by Friontz Kamel, which cites the example of the Philere Kingdom and the Kennen Kingdom, describing how their annual joint festival builds bonds. I also referenced the fifteenth paragraph on the fifth page of the same chapter.”

Kuhn read aloud the paragraph Chloe had cited. Comparing it with the report, the sentence matched exactly.

Next came the Million Paper, a newspaper published during the current Emperor’s coronation. Then came Hermesetz’s Perspectives on Diplomacy, along with several other referenced works.

“Coincidentally, the sources the Princess cited align with the content in the report. This is the same as what Miss Helena submitted to higher authorities.”

A murmur rippled through the room. Even Helena, who had been silently observing, bowed her head deeply.

“Why do you think Helena’s report is a copy of yours?”

“Two days ago, I accidentally lost my report in the Imperial Library. I tried to find it, but it vanished without a trace.”

“Two days ago, the Princess’s report disappears, and yesterday Miss Helena brings a report with identical content, eh?”

Even without Kuhn explicitly saying it, everyone understood. Truly, a freakishly convenient coincidence.

Then, a voice broke the tense atmosphere in the room.

“Isn’t this a pre-arranged performance?!”

Helena suddenly stood up and slammed her desk. Her hair was disheveled, falling forward to obscure her face.

“A pre-arranged performance?”

Kuhn’s cold voice made Helena shrink. But she had no choice but to confront him. She had to defend her unfairness and make everyone understand.

“Informant, perhaps she found the references in advance!”

“And you couldn’t, yet she finds them in a single day… that’s quite a skill indeed.”

“…….”

“Besides, no one except the Chair and I had access to the final proposal. How did she know the references?”

Before Helena could finish, someone grabbed her arm, as if to prevent further words. It was Callis, observing everything. It was acceptable to deflect blame, but not to insult royalty. Especially in front of the two most important figures of the imperial court.

But spilled water cannot be put back into the cup, and Helena’s words could not be retracted.

“I didn’t grant her access to read it. That would violate the rules.”

Kuhn moved toward Helena, his long strides covering the distance in seconds. He brought his face close to hers. If scent could convey temperature, his would be icy cold.

“Why.”
“…….”
“Why grant the Princess such a privilege? What do I gain?”

Helena also wanted to ask: why would the Emperor, the world’s supreme leader, assist someone like Chloe? Perhaps she had already guessed. Yet speaking the truth was impossible.

“……So, what I’m trying to say is……”

“Don’t worry. Helena. This isn’t the end of the evidence. Dylan, hand her the introduction form.”

He cut off Helena’s next excuse before it could form. He threw her report onto the desk.

“Your own writing. Neat yet uneven, as if copied from someone else.”

“……It’s an official document, so I wrote it carefully!”

“Yes, I thought you’d say that, so I brought it along.”

Kuhn then tossed another paper in his opposite hand toward Helena. She tried to grab it, but her trembling fingers dropped it immediately.

“The handwriting you copied is… almost identical to the Princess’s own handwriting.”

It was Chloe’s self-introduction written on the first day of the meeting. Elegant and unmistakably hers.

“Now, what will you say?”

Everyone else remembered, but Helena, claiming to have written it, did not recognize the reference. And by chance, the handwriting overlapped. Any excuse she made now would not be believed. She looked around dazed. Those who had praised her before now avoided her gaze. Even the Chair regarded her with pity.

“I’m quite looking forward to your next excuse,” the Emperor said with a smile, already holding the upper hand.

Helena collapsed on the spot. Kuhn didn’t get her to confess, but everyone now knew her role, making them equally culpable.

While Helena rested in the Imperial infirmary, knights searched her room. Among the trash, they found shredded papers — fragments of Chloe’s report, presumably destroyed to prevent any future proof.

With physical evidence now found, Helena became officially the culprit.

Chloe received a rather uncomfortable apology. The Chair bowed repeatedly, and even the librarian expressed regret for the oversight.

“I didn’t mean to escalate things this far……”

Chloe, stepping out of the meeting room with Kuhn, muttered under her breath.

“Technically, it was the one who collapsed who escalated it.”

“I won’t deny that. By the way, Your Majesty, did you really orchestrate all this without notifying me?”

“It was a surprise gift for the Princess.”

Even if she protested, the reply was a sly shrug.

‘Your Majesty? What brings you here at this hour?’
‘As you mentioned, some references were missing from your report. So, tell me, which books were you planning to cite?’

Chloe had read dozens of books the previous night, exhausting herself trying to remember which were actually used.

“Even so… how did Your Majesty notice that Helena’s handwriting had changed?”

Chloe was surprised at something else: Kuhn had detected Helena’s handwriting change. Some strokes were uneven, slightly awkward, but not enough to seem suspicious.

More astonishingly, he noticed that the handwriting she copied belonged to Chloe herself. For anyone else, that would be nearly impossible.

“Hmm…….”
“…….”
“Perhaps he was unsettled by the similarity to the handwriting of a dear friend.”

A gentle, almost affectionate tone, far too courteous for addressing a subordinate. And an over-the-top honorific.

‘Did he just say… a dear… friend?’

Chloe froze, slowly repeating the words in her mind. Only then did their meaning become clear.