MHC 36

Chapter  36

“I pay my respects to the Sun of the Empire.”

Claudia, meeting his gaze, was the first to bow in greeting.
‘Why is His Majesty here…?’
Though she outwardly appeared calm, inside she was thrown off. The emperor’s sudden visit felt unsettling. Was it, like the chairman, to congratulate the participants on their hard work? That seemed plausible, yet somehow the emperor’s true intent seemed different. If that were the case, he would have appeared alongside the chairman at the start of the meeting. Not now, when the explanations and celebrations had all concluded and the atmosphere was winding down.

‘…Could it be?’
Appearing at the very end to draw everyone’s attention looked to Claudia like a calculated move.

Away from her gaze, the emperor whispered something to Dylan, who had followed behind. He seemed to be giving orders.
Soon, Dylan hurriedly left the meeting room.
The strange behavior of the two created an odd tension in the room.

Finally, under everyone’s watchful eyes, Kun acted. He stepped into the recessed part of the U-shaped table.

“Yes, Helena.”

The emperor, who had stopped at a certain point, finally spoke. His voice was entirely different from the playful tone he used with Claudia.
The one he addressed slowly lifted their head.

“You have achieved great merit.”

Before she could respond, the emperor continued:
“I also read the decision proposal you submitted last night. Just as the secretary said, it was flawless.”

“Th-Thank you, Your Majesty…”

The praise she had been receiving since last night was countless. Yet, even though it was the same, Kun’s tone felt slightly different. Perhaps it was the subtle smile at the corner of his lips.

Then came an unexpected remark:

“However, I noticed that the references in the report were missing.”

“Ah….”

Helena involuntarily drew in her breath. Panic mixed with her hurried breathing. She hadn’t written the report herself, so she couldn’t fill in the missing references.

‘He’s not actually suspecting me, is he?’
Helena eyed Kun warily, sensing a hint of accusation.

“I was actually pointed out by the chairman about that part.”

She attempted to steer the situation in her favor. The emperor seemed to have no hard evidence—surely this was just suspicion born from ill feeling.

“This is my first time putting together a full-scale plan, so I didn’t realize I needed to cite my sources…”

Her argument had some weight; she hadn’t blindly copied everything. She presented herself as a novice.

“Right. That’s a common mistake for a first-timer.”

The emperor seemed to accept this explanation.

“Yes. I will make sure to do it next time!”

“Next time is fine, but what about now?”

“Yes?”

“You’ve done an incredible job. If there are flaws, they need to be corrected. I’ll give you a chance to fix them. Speak, Helena.”

Helena flinched under his piercing gaze. The emperor was telling her to correct the mistakes to complete the work he had just praised—a strangely contradictory situation.

“I’m grateful, but… I’m sorry, I can’t recall everything because I was clumsy during the presentation…”

It made no difference that she had refused the chance to present what she had prepared.

“Then, if words fail you, use your hands. Write the references on the paper in front of you, Helena.”

“…What?”

“Please don’t tell me you’re clumsy at writing too. Your report was so perfect.”

Helena stared blankly at the desk. There was a fountain pen and paper as if prepared for this very moment.

“Your Majesty, I don’t think it’s necessary to request the missing references. Usually, it would be included, but most of the books in the library are by authors of the Empire. I didn’t plagiarize, only quoted a little, so it shouldn’t violate copyright.”

At that moment, the chairman stepped forward like a savior.

“If that’s not the issue… May I ask what worries Your Majesty? Perhaps I can help find a solution.”

Kun murmured with a hint of a smile:

“It’s nothing serious. I just want to fully acknowledge her achievement.”

“As you said earlier…”

“I need to be sure.”

“Sure of what?”

“In her proposal, I found something suspicious.”

Kun, who had been looking at the chairman, turned his gaze back to Helena.

“So Helena, please dispel my doubts.”

“…!”

The meaningful words, the gaze behind the mask—it was not mere suspicion. The emperor was convinced.

‘Think, think…’

Helena frantically racked her brain. The books and newspapers she had read in the library were numerous; at least one must overlap with the references in the report.

“I don’t recall everything, but I referred to the newspaper Zenith published on October 8th, 163, and the book The Empire’s Festival Chronicles by Demenne Crihatz!”

She blurted it out, gasping. People around her nodded in acknowledgement. It seemed they believed her.

Now only the emperor remained. Once Kun’s doubts were cleared, he would have no reason not to trust her.
‘After all, there’s no concrete evidence.’

No one had seen Helena at the library. The true author of the stolen report had not appeared, making it a perfect crime.

“Modest in words, yet competent in presentation.”

“Th-thank you.”

With the emperor satisfied, it seemed the situation was resolved—until Dylan reappeared at the meeting room door. He carried a stack of books.

He struggled toward Helena and placed the books he had been holding before her.

“I brought all the books you mentioned. Shall we find the passages you cited for your report?”

Helena froze. The emperor had indeed brought the books. Not only that, he even included those she had read before. He had likely left his name as required when taking the books, then found and brought them back to her.

“I’ll… I’ll find them.”

Helena reached for the books, her hands shaking from the unexpected situation. The emperor would surely notice her trembling.

‘What should I do? What should I do?’

She opened a book at random, straining to read every line, but her mind went blank.

Time dragged on, marked by the incessant ticking of the clock in her ears.

“Half an hour has passed.”

With Kun’s muttered words, Helena froze. Then, the pile of books on the edge of the desk collapsed.

The fragile castle of sand Helena had built with borrowed words crumbled like a receding tide.

“You were given a chance to explain, yet chose silence.”

“…That!”

“Unfortunately, I have no choice but to trust the anonymous claim completely now.”

Kun walked toward Dylan, who handed him a piece of paper he hadn’t delivered before. Kun glanced at it with a satisfied expression, then returned to Helena and extended it to her.

“Do you know what this is?”

“The Empire and the Kingdom’s Armistice Celebration”

It was the same title as the anonymous report Helena had found in the library. A common title, yet it sent chills down her spine. Could it be… the ‘real’ author had appeared?