ATPL 28

The Empress’s Palace.

Elliot protested.

“As I am fulfilling the Dragon Lord’s duties, I cannot accompany His Highness Abelard.”

Though his tone was calm, even Anais, who hadn’t known him long, could tell this was a strong objection from Elliot.

The Empress immediately apologized, but she didn’t back down.

“I’m sorry, Lord Resaloniki. But what am I to do when the one who is supposed to rule the empire not only fails to quell discord but actively fosters it?”

“But, Your Majesty—”

“Please, consider this a service to the continent by the Dragon Knights.”

That’s exactly why I’m asking why you get to decide that.

Of course, the Empress wasn’t acting this way out of mere dislike for the Crown Prince.

After all, those present were either lords who governed the empire’s territories or their children.

And in front of them, the Crown Prince had made himself look utterly pathetic, so a show of authority was required.

The empire, after all, was a vast alliance of many small principalities.

“They pay taxes to the empire and receive protection in return. Have you considered how many gold coins the lords contribute annually? How furious they must be, knowing that fool Abelard might one day sit above them and squander it all?”

“No matter what, I’m not hungry enough to squander gold coins.”

Abelard muttered resentfully. But the Empress smiled, saying “You be quiet,” and threw her crumpled glove at him.

Abelard fell silent as the glove hit his forehead.

“But this is an imperial matter.”

“Then, Lord Resaloniki.”

The Empress said with a sudden shift to seriousness.

“The Crown Princess’s appointment is also an imperial matter. How dare you bring up imperial affairs now, after meddling in marriage matters by invoking the Dragon Lord?”

It was a fair point. Elliot fell silent.

Since arriving in the empire, the Empress had mostly shown herself as an angry mother dealing with a foolish son.

But not just anyone could hold the position of Empress and govern twenty-nine principalities. Faced with words that clearly carried political weight, Elliot had no response.

Though it was the Dragon Lord’s order, marriage, especially imperial marriage, was generally considered a deeply personal matter.

Of course, being an imperial marriage, it couldn’t be considered entirely personal.

However, the Empress pointed out that it made no sense to refuse to accompany the Crown Prince while simultaneously interfering with his marriage.

“Of course, I feel sympathy for the Dragon Knights’ Commander. It will truly be burdensome to work with that scatterbrain. With my regrets, I shall donate my personal funds for the year to the Dragon Knights. Probably…”

The Empress tilted her head, then called for the head chamberlain. The chamberlain bowed.

“It amounts to about 3 billion sing.”

Anais’s eyes widened.

3 billion sing?

Anais’s debt was about 200 million sing. Is this the going rate for private tutoring at the level of the Dragon Knights’ Commander?

“If my good-for-nothing son could become even a fraction like Lord Resaloniki, I’d happily live in a single outfit for the rest of the year.”

Of course, the Empress’s face showed that 3 billion sing meant nothing to her.

Anais looked at Elliot,

What are you doing, Lord Resaloniki? Accept it already!

But Elliot’s brows remained furrowed.

“I decline.”

Are you crazy? The words tried to burst from her throat, but Anais desperately bit her lips.

Elliot continued.

“If the Dragon Knights do something for the empire, it should be for the continent’s sake, not for compensation.”

How noble…

Anais gazed at Elliot with clouded eyes.

“However, as Your Majesty’s reasoning is flawless, I, Elliot Resaloniki, will accompany Crown Prince Abelard for one year.”

“Oh?”

“But there’s something I wish to secure beforehand.”

“And what would that be?”

“As you are entrusting His Highness to me for the year, I wish to place Abelard under the dragon’s protection.”

“Absolutely not!”

Abelard jumped up the moment he heard this. The Empress’s eyes narrowed.

Anais looked around. Am I the only one who doesn’t understand what’s going on?

“In other words…”

“Yes.”

Elliot glanced at Abelard before continuing.

“To teach His Highness Abelard humility, I will offer him a position as an apprentice servant in the Dragon Knights.”

Gulp. Anais covered her mouth.

In other words, if Elliot took Abelard along, he would make him his servant. The Empress opened her mouth to say something, but Elliot spoke first.

“If I were to serve His Highness as the empire’s heir, the accompaniment Your Majesty speaks of would be nothing more than a royal tour.”

But that wasn’t all. Speaking with an unusually firm gaze, Elliot declared:

“I trust you don’t want His Highness Abelard to gain fame abroad.”

In other words, it meant that having her son serve as his apprentice servant would be a million times better than having him chase women and be utterly disgraced in other countries.

Anais thought the Empress might be offended by this, but after a moment of contemplation, the Empress surprisingly nodded in agreement.

“Indeed. It wouldn’t be bad for that rascal, who’s been prancing around above others since birth, to experience being someone else’s servant.”

“Your Majesty!”

Abelard shouted urgently. However, the Empress removed her other glove, crumpled it, and stuffed it into Abelard’s mouth.

Ah. As Abelard spat out the glove with a “ptui, ptui,” the Empress smiled brightly.

“You said you spoke with the Dragon Lord earlier. Is this proposal perhaps also from the Dragon Lord?”

Elliot nodded.

“That is correct. Also, as I possess the Dragon Lord’s authority, even though he will be my servant, I will ensure he is treated as the empire’s heir and protect him accordingly.”

“Personally, I’d be satisfied if he just stays alive. From this moment on, I leave him in your care, Lord Resaloniki.”

“I will do my utmost with the noble person entrusted to me.”

‘I feel like some rather terrifying conversations just took place…’

Anais felt dizzy from trying to process everything that had just transpired.

“Lord Resaloniki! Have you lost your mind?”

Abelard, who had finally spat out the glove, protested once again, but it was no use. Elliot gave him an icy stare.

“Lord Abelard. Show respect to your superior.”

Abelard’s purple eyes widened.

The Empress watched with amusement. Elliot continued unflinchingly.

“While it would be proper to call you Lord Brosuhart, as that name refers to the Dragon Lord’s noble collaborator, I’ll address you by your given name for convenience. And during every moment you serve as my apprentice, don’t think you can gain anything by using the Brosuhart name.”

The Dragon Lord’s noble collaborator was, of course, the Empire.

Elliot was declaring that for every hour, minute, and second that Abelard followed him, he would not tolerate any airs about being the Imperial Crown Prince.

Abelard grabbed the back of his neck, choking with frustration. The Empress clicked her tongue.

“Acting like an old man with blood rushing to your head when you’re so young. Pull yourself together.”

“Mother! You can’t do this!”

“What do you mean I can’t? You’re the one who can’t treat me this way.”

“First, all this nonsense about first love, and now this absurd talk of being an apprentice!”

“Ah, well said, Abelard.”

The Empress smiled as she opened her fan.

“On this journey, you will fully cooperate with Lord Resaloniki to find this first love of yours, or whatever it is. I’ve given up hoping you’ll find a suitable Crown Princess on your own. Whoever she is, I’ll make her Crown Princess without question.”

“What are you saying? What if the person we find isn’t qualified?”

“Could anyone be less qualified than you?”

Her words carried a sharp edge. Anais stuck out her tongue.

The Empress, fanning herself as if feeling hot, delivered her final blow.

“And you’d better comply. If you don’t find this first love of yours, I’ll appoint Mia Zelen as Crown Princess for the sake of the Empire’s happiness.”

This was a bolt from the blue for Abelard. While Mia Zelen was beautiful, her obsession with him was terrifying.

“How is that for the happiness of the Empire’s subjects?”

“My son.”

The Empress smiled, genuinely benevolent.

“Lady Zelen is the only woman who could be happy with someone as promiscuous as you. When the Crown Prince and Princess are happy, surely the Empire’s subjects will be happy too.”

“But I won’t be happy!”

“If you wanted to pursue happiness, you should have lived at least as cleanly as pure linen. Someone as filthy as you, from head to toe, has no right to pursue happiness.”

The Empress’s sharp words left Abelard powerless, while Anais quietly asked Elliot.

“You lied about talking to the Dragon Lord earlier, didn’t you?”

“Don’t say it so loudly.”

If he could communicate with the Dragon Lord through ritual, there would have been no need to take Anais to Fortuna.

Anais was the only one who noticed that Elliott had lied to cover up his moment of distraction in front of the Empress earlier.

An inexplicable smile crossed her face.