The Empress looked out the window. Below, Ricardo and Ariel strolled along the garden path. They chatted and often burst into laughter, looking like young lovers.
Not long ago, Ricardo, having received Ariel's divine power, wielded as much spirit power as when he used the spirit stone, and thanks to that, he even succeeded in contracting with a high-level fire spirit.
Moreover, his physical condition had been stable ever since, so with a little more time, he might even aim for a contract with the Spirit King.
Having perfectly confirmed Ariel's usefulness, the Empress's mood was as serene as it had been in recent memory, and her face was filled with warmth as she looked down at the two.
"Aren't they a lovely couple?"
It seemed like budding affection, not yet worthy of being called love, but it was obvious that it would soon develop into affection. Raymond also smiled and replied.
"Indeed. They look very good together."
"If that child travels around the country, focusing on the slums and providing relief, she will soon be called a saint in the truest sense. She will easily gain the support of the commoners. The nobles will be even easier. They outwardly reject her because of her low status, but they all want to get on the Vita Temple's good side, aren't they?"
Having confirmed Ariel's usefulness, the Empress planned to make her Ricardo's consort. It was not a bad move. Raymond, who had been quietly watching the Empress sketching out future plans as if singing a song, carefully broached a subject.
"The eldest daughter of the Aegis family seems to be giving Ariel a hard time. I'm worried about whether Ariel will be able to endure it."
Since Ariel's first appearance at Ricardo's birthday banquet, the nobles' reactions had been quite negative, especially those who valued lineage and status and those who were aiming for the position of imperial consort.
The antipathy toward Ariel manifested as rejection, so Raymond inwardly hoped that the Empress, who had summoned Ariel to the palace, would resolve this situation.
"Rosetta Aegis. You mean that child."
Currently, because there were no daughters among the dukes, Rosetta, the eldest daughter of the Aegis family, was called the flower of society due to her noble status and outstanding beauty, and she reigned supreme among the young ladies.
It was a well-known fact that she was aiming for the position of imperial consort, so she couldn't possibly look kindly on Ariel, who had suddenly appeared and snatched Ricardo's partner position.
"Since she was aiming for the position of imperial consort, she must think that her place has been taken."
After a moment of contemplation, the Empress added in a light tone.
"I should invite that child to the palace. It would be nice to have tea together."
Raymond's face lit up as he replied.
"Your Majesty's opinion is correct. It would be better to give her a warning..."
"Rosetta, that child is beautiful but so naive that it's pitiful. If I appease her a little, she will even pester her father to put her in the position of imperial consort. Who knows if a social butterfly ignorant of politics will reel in a big fish?"
Count Aegis was one of the neutral nobles. He wasn't as much of a central figure as Count Lionel, but his territory was wealthy, and the scale of the trading company he operated was growing, so bringing him into the First Prince's faction would be quite beneficial. Of course, even if that didn't happen, it didn't matter. There was nothing to lose.
"Who knows? If the Count forgets his past disloyalty and shows sincerity, when my prince becomes emperor, that foolish child might even secure a position as a concubine."
"But... that child is a commoner. It will be difficult for her to endure the persecution of the nobles and young ladies."
"Brother, I dare to guarantee that such hardships will only strengthen the relationship between those two children. Would my kind prince leave a poor, persecuted priestess alone?"
At the voice filled with pleasure, Raymond swallowed what he wanted to say along with a sigh instead of adding anything. After all, nothing would change even if he added something.
"What about that?"
"If you mean that..."
"That cursed thing."
"There haven't been any particular movements yet... but lately, strange rumors have been circulating."
"Strange rumors?"
"The Second Prince has recently fallen into same-sex love and is keeping a man by his side."
The Empress's face, which had been distorted with displeasure at the mere thought of Theodore, was now tinged with curiosity.
"He keeps the man locked up in his bedroom and always takes him with him when he goes out, but few people have seen his face because he always wears a hood. He's probably from a commoner or slave background."
"Does that mean he has someone else in his bedroom?"
The Empress tilted her head. It didn't matter to her whether Theodore engaged in same-sex or heterosexual love. What mattered was that Theodore, who was so wary, was sharing his personal space, his bedroom, with someone else.
"If they're sharing a bedroom, it must mean they're very close..."
"Because the man is reluctant to show his face, there are even rumors that he brought in a priest from the Erebus Order or a black magician to keep the First Prince in check."
The priests of the Erebus Order believe that 'chaos' will bring about a new beginning instead of God, and they use demonic energy instead of divine power. Unlike priests, black magicians borrow demonic energy by offering sacrifices, so they wield even greater power than priests.
In any case, in most countries, including the Empire, priests and black magicians of the Erebus Order are treated the same as monsters and are summarily executed if found.
Because their bodies or faces often have black veins due to the influence of demonic energy, they always wore their hoods low.
"Of course, it's a preposterous story. There's no reason for the Second Prince to make such a bad move. Judging from the fact that those who have seen the man's face say he's quite handsome, he must have fallen into same-sex love."
The Empress, who had been lightly tapping the window frame with her finger, turned her head. At a time as important as this, same-sex love?
"There's no way that cunning thing would do that..."
At that moment, Ricardo and Ariel burst into clear laughter at the same time. Their innocent smiles were quite lovely. The Empress raised the corners of her lips again.
"Who knows? As the rumors say, maybe he really borrowed evil power to tame the eagle. What if same-sex love is just an excuse?"
"Are you serious?"
"Well, if necessary, we can find out, can't we?"
Raymond quietly watched the Empress's face, waiting for an explanation.
"It would be even better if we could show off my prince's achievements at the same time."
The Empress tapped her fingers in a regular rhythm, as if counting seconds. It was her old habit, which she usually did when searching for the next prey in the hunting grounds.
"Isn't there a best way to confirm the truth of the rumors?"
"If you mean the best way..."
"Demonic beasts attack everything that is alive, but they don't attack those who possess demonic energy. Like other monsters or those who use demonic energy, such as priests and black magicians."
Demonic beasts are aggressive to everything, but they exceptionally recognize those with demonic energy as allies and do not attack them.
The principle by which the priests and black magicians of Erebus control monsters is based on that point. Therefore, capturing and raising monsters without killing them immediately is also punishable by death.
"If a demonic beast attacks the man when it is brought before him, he will be an ordinary human, and if it doesn't attack, wouldn't that mean he is related to demonic energy?"
"But the principle is to kill demonic beasts as soon as they are discovered, so how..."
Raymond's complexion turned pale as he swallowed his breath. He realized what the Empress was thinking.
"Surely, Your Majesty!"
"Tell Count Elmore to contact a black magician and get a low-level demonic beasts. The more, the better, in case things go wrong. If we release the demonic beasts in front of that man, we can know the truth. If he is related to demonic energy, we can immediately publicize it and get rid of that cursed thing, and if he is an ordinary person, he will die without us being able to do anything, so we can just cover it up as an unfortunate accident."
The Empress continued to speak in an extremely light tone.
"Besides, if that man is so precious that that truly wary thing keeps him in his bedroom and doesn't let him out, wouldn't he be quite mentally affected when the man dies? My prince and the prince's new spirit will be the ones to deal with the monster. No matter what the truth is, it won't be a loss for us."
"But..."
"It's time to deal with Count Elmore too. Brother, you know, don't you? I don't tend to keep hunting dogs alive for long."
At that moment, Ariel raised her head. When her eyes met the Empress's, she smiled brightly and bowed, and Ricardo also raised his head. Although it was not in accordance with etiquette, the sight of the two returning bright smiles to the Empress, who was intentionally waving her hand and greeting them in a friendly manner, was very affectionate and warm.
"What kind of event should I create to draw out that cursed thing and the rumored man at the same time?"
Unlike her benevolent-looking face, the words added as if humming a song were tinged with subtle pleasure and malice. While Raymond was choosing his words in a panic, the Empress, who had finished her brief contemplation, turned her body and faced Raymond.
"Spread the rumor that the man is a black magician. Then, in order to quell the rumors, he will be more likely to engage in external activities with the man. Then, the right time will soon come."
Instead of taking out the words that embroidered his head, Raymond briefly answered and gave her the answer she wanted.
"I understand."
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