Chapter 34

Tashir slowly walked down the road, recalling the scene. On the sofa, Latil’s long legs stretched out, his firm calves, and his unexpectedly calloused feet. The white blouse that covered his thighs. The crisp sound that came from between his lips every time he bit into a cookie, and the voice that declared, as if it were a given, that the leader of the Black Forest and the concubine Tashir were his. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly. He knew well about the capricious princess and the astute princess, at least in terms of objective 'information.' Even when they were far away, Tashir was confident that he knew the princess he had only glimpsed from a distance. But now, with the distance closer than ever, he wanted to know more about her. Not just statistics and recorded information, but the real her.

At that moment, the rustling of leaves came from not far away. Tashir stopped and looked in the direction of the sound. Gestha, a gentle concubine who resembled a golden retriever, was staring at the tree with a thoughtful expression.

'What is she looking at?'

Her serious expression made him look in the same direction, but there was nothing on the tree. Tashir lowered his gaze and was momentarily surprised. Gestha was now looking straight at him.

'You scared me.'

Their eyes met, and Gestha smiled like a gentle breeze. It was a gentle, light, and warm spring-like smile. Tashir finally understood why Gestha had been looking at the tree. She was holding a small bird with what seemed to be a broken wing in her arms. It must have fallen from that tree.

'Is she trying to put the bird back on the tree?'

Before he could offer to help, Gestha had already left with the bird. The rustling of leaves quickly faded away. Tashir watched her go and tilted his head.

'Is she really that kind-hearted?'

In fact, he thought the Gestha he saw during the water bucket incident was too contrived. So he sometimes doubted, "Is she not really kind, but just pretending to be?" But seeing her take care of the injured bird, it seemed like she was just as she appeared. However, the serious expression she had when looking at the tree was...

'Well, it doesn’t matter to me either way.'

After a moment of thought, Tashir decided that whether Gestha was genuinely kind or just pretending, it didn’t concern him. He had too much to do to get entangled with a concubine he wasn’t close to.

* * *

Even small nobles, if they inherit a title, invite close or neighboring nobles to a grand party. On the surface, it’s a celebration, but it’s also a declaration: "I’m the new owner here, so take a good look." The emperor or king couldn’t possibly skip such a celebration, especially one held by small lords.

"It’s about time for His Majesty to hold a banquet to celebrate his ascension. We need to invite foreign dignitaries to show His Majesty’s presence."

So when the chief steward brought up the party, Latil accepted it as a matter of course. In fact, the delay in discussing the banquet was due to the chaos at the time of his ascension and various other matters. Latil nodded, pausing from checking the tax issues.

"Indeed. It’s time."

The chief steward cautiously asked again.

"However, there is a problem, Your Majesty."

"A problem? Is it a budget issue?"

"No, it’s... usually, such banquets are handled by Her Majesty the Empress."

"Oh."

"But the Tarium Empire doesn’t have an empress yet. Who will you entrust with this task?"

"Well..."

Latil was about to say he would do it himself, but he checked his calendar on the desk. The small print was packed so tightly that there was almost no blank space.

'Can I do it myself?'

The workload was overwhelming, especially in the early days of his reign. He couldn’t even visit his newly formed harem properly. On top of that, there were unresolved issues like the assassination of his father, the foreign influence in Tila, the missing gift, and the desecrated tomb. Preparing for a banquet required a lot of detailed work and was unexpectedly tedious and troublesome. Moreover, the results would be evaluated by dozens or hundreds of dignitaries. Any mistake had to be handled without being noticed, and looking at his calendar, it seemed difficult for Latil to handle it alone.

"Hmm."

Latil frowned.

"Indeed. Who should I entrust it to?"

In the absence of an empress, the emperor’s mother or siblings would usually take on the task. However, Latil’s mother had left the palace and entered a temple when the late emperor was still alive. He had a few half-siblings, but they weren’t close enough to ask for such a favor. Moreover, they were wary of Latil because of his execution of Tila, and they might panic if he asked them to take on such a big task. He couldn’t call his older brother Leann, the former crown prince and a scholar’s disciple, to do the job either.

'What to do.'

Naturally, the next people Latil thought of were the concubines in the harem.

"Perhaps one of the concubines could handle it?"

When Latil suggested this, the chief steward burst into laughter.

"Actually, Your Majesty, I also thought that would be the best option."

"Then let’s do it that way."

"Yes. Then, who among them...?"

Latil raised an eyebrow. As soon as he decided to entrust the task to one of the concubines, another challenge appeared.

"Hmm. Who would be the best?"

By status, Lanan and Gestha, both from high-ranking noble families, were suitable. Even if it might lead to misunderstandings about favoritism or trust, it was still a consideration. However, they were both distant from the social scene. One was too self-absorbed to care about it, and the other was too shy to integrate. Prince Klein could do it, but he still had a strong image as a foreign prince, and Latil was concerned that the officials wouldn’t follow him well. This wasn’t just any banquet; it was Latil’s first as emperor. Moreover, this banquet, which should have been hosted by the empress, had significant symbolic value. The host would be evaluated externally based on the success of the event.

'But I can’t just skip the nobles and princes and ask a mercenary king or merchant...'

Latil glanced at Sir Sern.

'If there were a concubine with a personality like Sir Sern, it would be great.'

Someone calm, wise, and trustworthy.

'Maybe I chose the concubines based too much on their looks.'

Latil regretted it later. Of course, he didn’t choose them based solely on their appearance. He had also considered their political backgrounds and other helpful factors. But he realized he had overlooked one thing: personality. Latil laughed helplessly.

"Your Majesty."

The chief steward asked Latil again.

"Who do you think would be the best concubine to entrust this to?"

"Who do you think, Duke Sablé?"

"I believe Lady Lanan would be the most suitable."

'So Duke Sablé really favors Lanan.'

"Lanan...?"

But Latil’s face didn’t look too enthusiastic, and the chief steward asked,

"Do you have someone else in mind?"

"No, but as you know, Lanan is distant from the social scene. She’s rarely attended a banquet, let alone hosted one. I’m not sure if it’s possible."

After about 15 minutes of deep thought, Latil made a decision.

"I need to hear their opinions first."

* * *

Latil finished his afternoon inspection an hour earlier than usual and went to the harem without prior notice. Despite some concerns, he planned to ask the highest-ranking Klein and Lanan first. However, the atmosphere inside the harem was unusual. Several groups of servants were huddled together, whispering.

"Your Majesty."

They bowed hastily when Latil appeared, but their excited, flushed faces were hard to hide. It wasn’t just them; a strange tension and anticipation hung over the entire donut-shaped building.

'What’s going on? The banquet talk with Duke Sablé couldn’t have spread so quickly.'

Curious, Latil continued down the corridor. Lanan and Klein’s rooms were the farthest apart, so Latil headed to the large 'Festival Hall' used for banquets and large tea parties. He planned to call the two there first. However, he had to stop before entering the hall. A fight was already breaking out nearby.

'Klein again.'

Latil sighed when he saw Klein, who was 'again' in the middle of the fight. He had already guessed from the voices he heard from a distance. Klein was dressed like a magnificent phoenix, loudly berating several people.

'He looks like someone Hains sent to mess with me.'

Otherwise, why would he fight so often? What was surprising was that Lanan was also in the group, though she stood alone, aloof, and didn’t mix with the others. She seemed to be involved in the fight, though. Latil sighed and signaled to a servant.

"His Majesty the Emperor is here!"

The servant announced loudly, and the people who were shouting suddenly fell silent. Their expressions darkened, embarrassed by the bad scene they had created. Latil approached them and asked,

"What’s going on? Why are you fighting again?"

The word 'again' made Klein frown, but he had only fought with Gestha three days ago. It was hard to deny that it was 'again.' Latil looked back and forth between Klein and Lanan.

"Answer me, Klein. Lanan."

Klein’s entourage had specifically asked the chief steward to keep Klein and Lanan’s rooms far apart when they entered the harem, citing their poor relationship. If two people who didn’t get along were in the same place, it was likely that they were fighting. Lanan, noticing Latil’s gaze, spoke with an indifferent expression.

"Prince Klein’s amulet is missing."

Unlike Klein, who was shouting, Lanan’s voice was steady.

"Amulet?"

Latil turned to Klein.

"What amulet are you talking about?"

Klein suppressed his irritation and answered.

"The amulet I brought from Carisen. It was written by the High Priest himself."

The temple sold amulets and holy water for good profit, and the higher the rank of the priest, the more expensive the amulet. An amulet written by a High Priest, not just any high-ranking priest, was extremely rare and valuable. It would be hard to buy even with a lot of money. Latil nodded. Losing such an amulet would naturally make one angry. It was unlikely that Klein was pretending to lose it. No matter how capricious Prince Klein was, he wouldn’t play with such a precious and sacred item. Having made his judgment, Latil asked worriedly,

"Oh dear. Where did you lose it?"

"I left it in my room, and it disappeared."

"While you were out?"

"Yes."

Latil glared at the guards.

"What kind of security are you maintaining? How can you let one of my concubines get hit by a water bucket and another lose a valuable item? Are you even on guard?"

The guards shrank back.

"I apologize, Your Majesty."

'I’ll deal with the responsibility later.'

Although he had more to say, Latil decided to focus on solving the problem first. He asked Klein,

"So, Klein, do you have any idea who took it?"

Klein glanced at Lanan. Latil raised an eyebrow. Why look at Lanan? Could Klein suspect that Lanan took it? Latil looked at Lanan in surprise. But that wasn’t the case. Surprisingly, Lanan spoke up first, not as a suspect but as a witness.

"I don’t know if they stole the amulet or had other business, but I saw another concubine leave Prince Klein’s room secretly."

'So that’s why Lanan was involved here!'