Chapter 68: My Standards Are High

Navier had said she would go to Wirwol immediately, and Sovieshu had been unable to catch her when she left. He was frustrated that she had rejected his offer to accompany her, but there were a few other things he had to take care of while she was away.

"Where is Viscount Roteschu?"

"He's receiving treatment in the southern palace."

"Is he incapacitated?"

"No."

"Very well. Bring him to me."

Sovieshu summoned Viscount Roteschu and questioned him about his relationship with Rashta. The viscount was smart enough to know that it was the Emperor's men that saved him. He assumed that the Emperor already knew what he said to Koshar, and he cried out and repeated what he had confessed.

However, Sovieshu's response was cold.

"So you were blackmailing Rashta in return for hiding her baby."

"No, Your Majesty!"

"Then why would Rashta keep looking after you? She loathed you to the point of running away."

Viscount Roteschu looked at Sovieshu, and realized that the Emperor had just as much interest in hiding Rashta's past. The viscount was unsure if the Emperor was doing it out of love or because Rashta was pregnant with his baby, but his attitude was clear. Viscount Roteschu quickly flipped through his thoughts and told a lie.

"Miss Rashta keeps in touch with me because I'm raising her baby."

He bowed his head and huddled his shoulders to look as humble as possible.

"I wanted to be helpful to her, of course. But blackmail? It was nothing of the sort. Our relationship is like…well, it's more like a deal."

Sovieshu narrowed his eyes. Viscount Roteschu's words seemed to align with the facts. Rashta didn't always try to hide the viscount's visits, and she had even kept a lock of her baby's hair. With each new discovery, the viscount's words sounded more and more plausible.

Viscount Roteschu gave a sigh of relief when he thought Sovieshu was no longer suspicious of him, but the Emperor's inquiry was not over.

"Where is Rashta's slave trade certificate?"

"What?"

"You told Koshar about it."

He heard about that?! The viscount flinched in surprise, while the Sovieshu looked down at him coolly.

Worried that the Emperor would say "Why did you keep it without destroying it?" and find fault in him, Viscount Roteschu quickly prostrated himself on the ground.

"I left the certificate to the Bear Corporation, and it's likely Lord Koshar went there to take it."

* * *

After the meeting with Viscount Roteschu, Sovieshu visited Koshar personally at the Troby mansion.

Koshar was surprisingly quiet as he remained locked in his room on the second floor. Although he was not allowed to leave, he was served meals and the room was furnished with a bathroom. Sovieshu did not intend to converse with the man for long and immediately went to the point.

"You will be banished."

Although he had known Koshar and Navier since childhood, Sovieshu never had a good relationship with the elder Troby brother.

Koshar did not look surprised at Sovieshu's proclamation, as if he had been expecting it. In fact, Koshar replied in cold sarcasm.

"Do you know what your little plaything is like?"

"I heard everything. Well done."

Sovieshu did not rise to Koshar's provocation, which only further stoked Koshar's anger.

"Well done?"

"If it hadn't been for you stepping forward I wouldn't have known what happened in the past."

Sovieshu spoke casually, and he looked around the room.

"Where is Rashta's slave certificate?"

"Well, I had a hunch about the fellow with one ear and a big mouth, but what a light tongue he has."

"Preferable to you who has light fists and mind."

Sovieshu smiled. Koshar stared back with cold eyes and returned the grin.

"Of course."

Sovieshu frowned at Koshar's sudden change in attitude, and the reason for it soon became clear.

"The certificate came from the Bear Corporation. But one of your knights confiscated it."

Sovieshu looked at him with skepticism, but Koshar continued on breezily.

"Of course, I thought it was under your orders. But judging from your reaction, that's not true, is it?"

He laughed and spread his arms wide.

"Feel free to search this place. I really don't have it."

"…"

Sovieshu gave Koshar a steely glare and ordered Marquis Karl to find the certificate. However, after running through the premises with a fine-toothed comb, it was nowhere to be found. Men were also sent to the Bear Corporation, and they confirmed that Koshar had indeed taken the certificate.

The men scoured the mansion again, while Sovieshu sat down on a parlor room couch with his arms folded. However, no matter how thoroughly the men searched, no certificate was found. Sovieshu's anger started to grow. With the certificate gone, Rashta could potentially be under suspicion as a slave in the future.

'Was it the Empress' doing?'

Sovieshu remembered that Navier knew that Koshar had been detained in his home only a few hours after it happened. Many of the knights were loyal to Navier. Because she disliked Rashta, she would never hand him the certificate even if it was in her possession.

Sovieshu's brow furrowed in suspicion.

'I'll have the men search the Empress' room while she's absent.'

Sovieshu left the mansion empty-handed, but before he did so, he spoke to the Troby couple.

"Duke Troby, Duchess Troby. Do you know that your son has done everything he could to kill my baby?"

"I heard yesterday."

"I will not officially place blame on your family for the Empress' sake. But Koshar is hereby banished from this country."

Although Duke Troby had been informed by the Emperor's guard of the incident, he stumbled when he heard the severe punishment. The duchess grabbed the duke's arm to support her, and she glanced at Sovieshu.

Sovieshu's heart skipped a beat when he saw the resemblance of her eyes to Navier's, but he continued on firmly.

"Keep in mind that while exiled, Koshar has no legal authority in the Eastern Empire, and will be imprisoned as soon as he crosses its borders."

* * *

I had a lot of work to do.

Wirwol was still bright and bustling with activity. Although it was the city of mages, the decline of magic did not yet seem to darken the mood. Young scholars passed by with bags of research equipment, and a tall woman looked lost in thought as she weaved a golden wind through her fingers. Young students were spotted here and there, hugging thick textbooks and speaking in jargon.

The knights who followed me looked around with curious expressions, and I deliberately walked at a slow pace as they looked around. When I passed by the restaurant that I had dined in with Heinley, my footsteps stopped on their own accord.

It had only been a year, but it seemed like a lifetime ago that we were laughing and chatting happily inside the restaurant. That time was difficult for me because of Sovieshu and Rashta…but that could now be considered peaceful, compared to my brother's banishment and my imminent ousting as empress.

The restaurant gave me a strong sense of longing, and I ended up entering with the excuse that I was hungry. When I looked at the table where I once sat with Prince Heinley, I saw the back of a familiar-looking figure.

'Prince Heinley?'

Impossible. A king wouldn't come here. But that light blond hair and straight posture looked just like his.

I suppressed my surprise and approached slowly. I sneaked a look at his face, pretending to just sit nearby. However…

"Prince?"

It was really Prince Heinley. My mouth spoke of its own accord, and Prince Heinley, who was studying the menu in serious thought, glanced up at me.

"Que—"

Prince Heinley jumped to his feet in surprise.

He quickly closed his mouth when he realized he almost called me by my name in the restaurant. The look on his face was bright. When I saw his selfless expression, the shadow in my heart disappeared and I smiled.

"It can't be."

He muttered, combing his hair back with one hand.

"What a coincidence!"

I instructed the knights to sit at another table, then turned back to Prince Heinley.

"May I join you?"

"Of course."

He quickly stood up and pulled out the opposite chair for me to sit in. I seated myself, while he went back to his own seat and rested his cheek against his hand.

"You have no idea how surprised I am. I didn't expect to see you at this restaurant."

It was fascinating that we met here again. Was this place a special memory for him?

"I'm surprised as well. Prince Heinley is now—ah."

He wasn't a prince anymore. I smiled awkwardly when I recognized the mistake, but he simply smiled back.

"You can just call me Heinley."

"…That's a little too much."

"Even more so if you don't say my name properly."

"But…"

"Please. Just call me Heinley."

Even if it was just his name, Heinley was skilled in giving whispers that were like drops of sugar. Amazingly, as he repeated his preferred method of name-calling, he began playing with the rim of his ear while avoiding eye contact. His face reddened, making him look like he was still a free prince. That form of his was cute, but it brought about a real concern.

"I didn't realize you were here. How did you get here?"

There was no one around him that looked like his entourage.

"Hmm."

Heinley smiled awkwardly and fiddled with the cup in front of him.

"Ah. Well."

When he belatedly noticed that he only had a drink, he called for a waiter and ordered several items on the menu.

"Are you fine with it?"

"I'm fine."

Heinley's order was the same food we shared together in the past. He smiled, his chin resting on his hand.

"In truth, I snuck out to avoid all the nagging from the courtiers."

He sounded so serious that I almost laughed.

"You came here secretly?"

I looked back at him in amazement.

"Can a king simply sneak out like that?"

Was that possible? It sounded dangerous. Heinley chuckled and whispered to me conspiratorially.

"No one is more talented at escaping the royal family than I am."

"That sounds risky."

"Sometimes the most amazing and wonderful things happen when one takes risks. Like today."

My heart warmed that he chose to describe our meeting this way. Whether his words were empty or I was being delusional, at least he made me feel good. I laughed and shook my head, and Heinley gazed at me.

"I missed you."

"!"

My eyes rounded in surprise, and Heinley continued with a gentle smile.

"The days I spent with you, Your Majesty, were my last days as a free prince."

I nodded comfortably after listening to him. Heinley was going through a difficult transition as a king at this point.

I recalled the time when I first took the throne. Despite the fact that I shadowed the former empress and was given extensive education, once I was coronated, everything seemed strange and frightening. While I was given the tools to succeed in the position, I was afraid my choices would bring harm to people. Heinley was likely struggling with the same problem.

"It's alright, Heinley. You will be brilliant."

"That wasn't the cause of my distress."

"No?"

"Someday…well, I'll tell you when I get the chance. It's too personal."

"?"

"Thank you anyway. But it's not too hard to keep things going."

I looked at him in puzzlement, and he smiled confidently and picked up his teacup.

The waiter pulled up with the food cart, so we paused our conversation. After the waiter set down our food and left, Heinley put down his teacup and continued.

"It's another matter that's on my mind, not work."

"Another matter?"

Heinley hesitated, embarrassed, then finally confessed.

"My people keep asking me to choose a queen."

"Ah…"

"I say I'm fine, but they keep insisting that I get married as soon as possible."

Heinley let out a tired sigh.

"There is no young woman betrothed to you yet?"

I was chosen as a child to be the future wife of the Crown Prince, and I found it strange that Heinley did not already have a marriage partner chosen for him at his age.

"I wasn't the crown prince, so I was a little freed from that problem."

Heinley shrugged and gave a furtive glance at me.

"But the queen I need is someone who needs to be involved in state affairs immediately. No matter how clever one can be, it's difficult to run a nation without a Crown Princess."

Heinley had a point, and as I nodded, he spoke in a lower voice.

"Besides, after I saw you, my standards became higher."

"Thank you."

"It's not just a compliment, it's true. I can't accept a queen unless she's like you."

His tone was humorous, but the look in his eyes was serious. I smiled awkwardly and avoided his gaze. My mood turned bitter. Sovieshu was trying to divorce me, while Heinley wanted to welcome a queen just like me…

Heinley cupped his teacup with both hands and looked into my eyes.

"Really, sometimes I think. If you were the Queen of the West, the people would love you."