Chapter 42

# 42

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November.

The peak of autumn had passed, the branches were bare, and the garden had lost its color, clearly indicating that the world was welcoming winter.

The nobles held frequent gatherings around this time, seemingly to check how splendid each other’s mansions were as they changed the indoor atmosphere to suit the new season.

The royal palace also underwent a grand renovation in line with the trend.

The garden was densely filled with expensive winter trees, new tapestries were woven, and large furs adorned various places.

Despite all this, the Empress thought it was still insufficient.

The Empress had recently hired a young tapisier (interior decorator) who was gaining popularity in the capital.

The news that this tapisier had boldly adorned the Empress’s sofa with spotted fur, making it look like a young bourgeois’s room, was a highly intriguing topic in society.

Empress Diana lay on the sofa covered with spotted fur, letting her long blonde hair flow.

She boasted a slender figure and flawless skin, which made it hard to believe she had a nine-year-old son.

Indeed, she was praised as the most beautiful in the empire.

Her beauty was not only a gift of nature but also a result of perfect care.

As the maids were brushing her hair, Empress Diana sighed and said,

"Recently, my hair doesn’t seem to have the same luster as before. I must be getting old."

The maid brushing her hair chuckled and flattered her, as if oiling her tongue.

"Don’t say that. You are still as beautiful as in your youth!"

Diana burst into laughter and playfully glared at her.

"Are you making fun of me?"

Everyone laughed at her words.

The maid who had made the mistake was dragged out by the knights despite her pleading.

The other maids in the bedroom remained silent.

The Empress dropped her red lips.

"Why aren’t you brushing my hair again? What are you doing?"

"…Yes, Your Majesty."

They drew smiles on their lips and began chatting and helping the Empress with her grooming, their touches much more careful than before.

The Empress acted generous but was cold-blooded and ruthless.

As a strange tension filled the bedroom, Lady Helen, the head maid, entered.

"Your Majesty, Duke Agnes has arrived. He has gone to the Emperor’s palace first."

"Already?"

A few days ago, the Empress had invited Nikan to the palace under the pretext of redecorating the interior.

'It’s been a year since she took in her foster daughter; it’s time to stir things up.'

Nikan had kept his foster daughter hidden from the outside world.

"Nabia needs absolute rest due to the shock of losing her entire family."

The reason was excellent, so people could only wait in silence.

However, Diana had informants who could serve as her eyes and ears without her needing to see Nabia directly.

"I heard she is receiving special lessons. I don’t know much since access to the study area is restricted."

"Mr. Wood particularly dislikes her. He says his friends tease him about having a sister from a lowborn family…"

When she heard about Nabia, it was said that she was a very mysterious and beautiful girl with silver hair and striking red eyes.

The Empress drew a twisted smile on her lips.

Her son Ares had a hobby of collecting animals with silver fur or red eyes.

But the newly adopted foster daughter just happened to have silver hair and red eyes? Ha ha. It was a funny coincidence.

"By the way, is Agnes’s condition stable? I heard he had a mana surge."

"He regained consciousness today and there are no other abnormalities."

As Lady Helen explained, the Empress snorted.

"It seems the gods are watching over Agnes."

A mage who experienced a mana surge had a fifty percent chance of losing their life.

Even if they survived, the aftermath was not trivial.

The Empress knew Wood well.

He was more dull, violent, and emotional than his father, but he was not the type to act rashly while Nikan was pouring his heart into Nabia.

Yet, he had caused a massive mana surge just to deal with a weak and small girl?

Nothing about this made sense.

'Unless the assumption that the opponent was so strong that it required such measures is removed.'

"Hmm…"

The Empress had a hunch that this foster daughter was not just a dull and ordinary girl as she had heard.

And her intuition had never been wrong.

At that moment, Lady Helen said,

"Also, Duke Agnes brought another guest. Edward Spencer."

'Edward Spencer.'

She had heard that Edward was working as Nabia’s tutor for a large sum of money from Nikan.

She had thought he was hired simply to complement the lowborn status of the foster daughter, but there was something more to it, wasn’t there?

The Empress’s eyes narrowed.

"I must go to the Emperor’s palace."

* * *

At that moment, in the main hall of the Emperor’s palace.

Nikan and Edward stood alone in the solemn space where the nation’s affairs were discussed with the ministers.

If Nikan had only come to report the circumstances of the mana surge, he would have gone to the Emperor’s private reception room.

However, what he was about to report was nothing less than a cure for the mana reflux disease.

Such a great discovery, which would surely be recorded in history, could not be reported in just a private reception room. The wait was short.

The head butler hurried in to inform them.

"His Majesty the Emperor is here."

Nikan and Edward straightened their postures and bowed as the man walked into the main hall.

"Great His Majesty the Emperor."

Elden Empire’s Emperor, Yulrich Dervman.

He was a wild and handsome man with gray hair and piercing eyes.

His imposing figure, standing at about 2 meters, and his well-trained physique made him look more like a warrior than a mage.

The Emperor sat in his seat with an inscrutable expression.

"Rise."

His voice carried the authority of a ruler.

Nikan momentarily checked his mental defenses by raising his mana.

His opponent was not only the Emperor with military power but also a mage capable of powerful mental domination magic.

Noble families typically built strong mental barriers from childhood due to the royal family’s magical abilities, and Nikan was no exception.

His layered mana was like a knight’s armor.

Emperor Yulrich directly asked Edward.

"Have you discovered a way to cure the mana reflux disease?"

Edward bowed slightly and replied.

"Yes."

"…Remarkable."

As the Emperor expressed genuine amazement, Nikan flattered him.

"Such a great achievement during Your Majesty’s reign is a blessing from the Emperor."

This good news would be announced by the Emperor himself, which would be very positive for his influence.

The Emperor, who knew this well, smiled deeply.

"I must bestow a great reward. I will grant the title of Count to Sir Spencer. Wayne would be a good name for the fief."

Nikan smiled warmly at Edward and said,

"Congratulations, Count Wayne."

Edward knelt on one knee.

"I am grateful for Your Majesty’s grace."

"Since you earned this title, why would you call it my grace? Anyway, I’m not sure what reward would be suitable for Duke Agnes."

Nikan smiled.

"How can I accept a reward when I did nothing? It would be embarrassing."

He feigned modesty once.

The Emperor knew it was a formal gesture and urged him to speak his true desire.

If Nikan made excessive demands at such an opportunity, the Emperor would be displeased, which would be a loss for Nikan.

The Emperor assumed Nikan would request an appropriate reward.

Nikan finally began.

"Then, may I speak of an issue I would like Your Majesty to consider, rather than a reward?"

"Speak."

Nikan started to bring up the content he had reviewed with Edward before coming to the palace.

"The matter concerns the succession of the Asselred Duke family."