Chapter 3

Chapter 3. So I became an Emperor (3).

CORRECTION: Cecil is a woman. I already fixed the previous chapters. I apologize for this mistake.

When asked to choose his favorite of the many places in the Imperial Palace, Edwin chose the small palace closest to the stables.

I raised him by feeding him good things, but I don’t know why his taste is so simple.

In Edwin’s palace, his followers were gathered and were plotting something.

Surprised by my appearance, the men hurriedly folded up the map that had spread throughout the table, covered it with their bodies and shuddered. Edwin reached out his hand to me with a sullen face.

“The weather is nice. Shall we go for a walk, sister?”

“Sit down. I have something to say.”

“Sister, why are you looking at the weapons, if you have something to say?”

Edwin questioned me who is looking at the swords, spears and axes decorating each sides of the wall. I pulled out a long spear from the cabinet and asked him.

“Will this break your legs, Eddy?”

Edwin’s men stopped moving and gulped while staring at me. However, Edwin replied with a natural smile.

“I think you will break it if you hit it hard?”

Knowing that he found it nice to give up his legs, I put the spear down and sighed.

When Edwin’s frozen men returned to their senses, they hugged the papers in their arms, grabbed the spear I just put down and rushed away.1

Sitting in front of a clean empty table, I questioned Edwin who was smiling brightly.

“What else are you up to?”

“Nothing. You told me to stay quiet.”

“The guy who said he will be quiet will personally come to screen the final candidates?”

“Oh, that.”

“Ah, it’s not ‘that’, you bastard. Your sister said this is urgent, didn’t I?”

“You did.”

“But, you rascal will do the final round? Just say that you’re going to kill the winner, brother.”

“Ay, you too, sister. There’s no use in killing him. I won’t, I won’t kill him.”

Edwin chuckled and waved his hand.

I’ll kill this guy.

Edwin, who stopped laughing as I stared at him coldly, came towards my chair and sat down on his knees. Then he puts his chin on the armrest and looked up at me with a pitiful expression.

This clever fellow knows too well how to melt my heart.

I raised my hand to give him a light blow, but I couldn’t hit him when I saw myself in his clear green eyes.

I know what he’s doing is a little different, but he is doing it for me. I can’t really get angry because I know he’s trying to be nice towards his sister.

I stretched out my fist and stroked Edwin’s fine head.

“Hehe.”1

Edwin giggled with a relaxed face and rubbed his head in my hand. I laughed too, but I said with a grim look on my face.

“I’ll do the final screening. You will get out of this.”

“Huh? Are you going to fight?”

“Why would I fight? I’m going to test if they have the qualities of an Emperor Consort. I’ll be engaged to the final winner, wait for a year, and then decide whether to get married. Again, stay out of this.”

“But I can’t let someone weaker than me be around my sister…”

Edwin blurted the end of his words in a sad voice.

What is going on in his head, so the strong guy is the good guy?

If you are stronger than Edwin, the strongest in the empire, shouldn’t you be catching a dragon instead of rotting as my consort?

There would be many more productive excuses to look for, but I came up with a nonsense that could persuade Edwin at once.

“He should be weaker than you. If he doesn’t listen, I’ll call you in and tell you to scold him.”

“Ah! Of course! My sister is a genius!”

Edwin smiled contentedly.

I won’t really scold him. If I brought in someone else’s precious son as a worker, I should feed him well and praise him.1

Besides, if he doesn’t listen, I can just kick him out. I’m not going to scold at him.

Anyway, I kept my brother’s leg bones intact and made him fall out of the tournament. He doesn’t do what I don’t want him to do, so I just prevented the death of a man in the national tournament.

Of course, my brother is a lunatic who knows what he will do except for the one thing I told him not to. I came back to the palace and called up Cecil, the inspector general.

Soon, Cecil appeared in the mansion’s chamber, with her dark blonde hair tied into a ponytail.

“You called, Your Majesty?”

” Cecil. Welcome. Is the work worth doing?”

“Well? I don’t think so, Your Majesty. I don’t know when I’ve ever been home. I’m working and cursing myself in the past that was convinced by Your Majesty’s letters.”

Cecil Brint, called the Imperial’s Eagle, is an accomplished young lady and was admirable at her job, despite having a tough mouth.

She can complain a little. It doesn’t matter if she cursed herself in the past or even me. As long as she doesn’t resign.

I smiled softly and comforted Cecil.

“Tell me if you’re having a hard time. I’ll send you a letter again.”

“You’re trying to make my heart flutter and take care of your work, aren’t you?”

“I value your cleverness very much.”

“What should I do but blame myself for being weak at the praise of a beautiful woman? For what else did you call me today, Your Majesty?”

“Well, about Edwin. I think he’s up to something. Can’t you figure it out in advance?”

“Ah…”

Cecil stumbled over her words with a perplexed face. With her unusual reaction, it seemed that it was not easy to watch Edwin.

I expected it because he’s such a secretive guy, but with Eddy, I’m sure he won’t tell me until he’s already done it.

“If it’s Sir Edwin, we have already tried to put people together a few times, but he’s…I have no more men who wants to volunteer since the unit who was in charge of him said he would kill them if they stepped on his tail one more time.”

” …is that so.”

“But, we’re still digging around Sir Edwin. I’ve been wondering if I should tell you but, he…Your Majesty, you really have a good relationship with your brother, right?”

Cecil paused and asked carefully. It was such an unexpected question that I snorted.

“Of course.”

“Isn’t that right? Sir Edwin’s a fool for his sister. There’s no one in Seven Hills who doesn’t know, but…”

“But? There’s something. Spit it out.”

Cecil hesitated while scratching her chin, then cleaned her expression and opened her mouth.

“Didn’t Sir Edwin leave the Imperial City last month?”

“I told you, running away from home is his hobby, so it’s no big deal.”

“Then he crossed the border and went to the Kingdom of Gryma. He secretly bought something.”

“He did.”

I answered lightly. He is a person who does a lot of extraordinary things, I thought it would be no big deal if he left the country without permission or smuggled in.

However, Cecil’s expression became more and more serious.

“It turns out he brought Manglada’s Elixir, known as the special medicine of the Kingdom of Gryma. He called in the chef of the palace and told him to mix it with Your Majesty’s meals.”1

I listened to it and laughed loudly. Cecil said in a more serious face to my laughter.

“I couldn’t understand why he was hiding medicine to Your Majesty and kept ordering his subordinates to get medicine that’s good for the whole country and mix it in Your Majesty’s meals without your knowledge. The chef stole it before cooking and when I checked, the medicine was correct. But I couldn’t figure out why it was done without Your Majesty’s knowledge.”

“If that’s the case, you don’t have to worry about it. It’s Edwin’s longtime hobby along with running away.”

“Yes?”

“It’s about getting a medicine that’s good for you and feeding it to me. It’s annoying so I told him not to bring it. I guess he must have changed his method by sneaking it into my meals.”

Cecil stared at me with an odd look.

“Does he really have those strange hobbies?”

“He’s kind of like that. You don’t have to worry about it. I’m so healthy because of him.”

“If Your Majesty says so…All right. As for Sir Edwin, I will do my best, but don’t expect too much.”

“I believe you will do your best. You’re still collecting information about the four dukes, right?”

“Of course, Your Majesty. I’ll send a report as soon as I get new information.”

Cecil answered reliably and returned to the inspection team.

I laughed again as I remembered what she had said. No wonder there are sometimes food with a peculiar taste that comes up.

Both of our parents died early. That’s why Edwin was a little obsessed with my health.

He ran away from home for the first time when he was sixteen. When he came back, he asked me to come and eat the famous elixir from the southern region.

Although the method was different, his heart that thought of me was always sincere.

I’ve been so upset with my past life where I abandoned him, that’s why I always lose to Edwin who causes trouble.

Besides, Eddy, he doesn’t get into trouble that I can’t handle.1

I was a little surprised the day he suddenly asked me to become an emperor, but I can’t deny that this fits my aptitude.1

I like to rule over and review something.

As soon as I finished my thoughts happily, and lowered my head over the desk, I feel like that no matter how much I liked it, I still don’t want to do this.

What can I do, I’m already the emperor.

Today as well, I spent the rest of my time floundering in the sea of papers.

***

The next day, it was the day when the first round of the National Tournament was held.

I can’t ignore the fact that I’m picking my husband’s candidate, so I stepped into the arena as a sign of encouragement.

In the carriage was Edwin, who seemed more excited than me, and Caleb who could not breathe properly between us siblings.

I was frantically looking through the papers and asked Edwin.

“How many games are there today?”

“The first game for each group will be held, so eight in total.”

“Eight? I don’t have to see it all, right?”

“I hope sister watches the fourth game.”

“Where would I have the time for that? I’ll think about it if you work for me.”

Edwin glanced at the piles of papers Caleb was holding, and changed his words.

“Wouldn’t the first game be enough? The participant will all be here anyway,” Edwin shrugged and said.

I nodded.

If I came back after watching the first game, I will be able to return to the Imperial Palace before the afternoon meeting. Then I’ll be able to finish the tax report before the meeting.

Oh, no. Maybe today’s agenda will be about the exchange rate with the Zilton Empire. I’ll check it out when I get back.

I took a deep breath while organizing my schedule in my head.

This is not the amount of work that can be done alone, no matter how much you think about it.

“Eddy.”

“Why, sister? Are you sick?”

“So when’s the final?”

“A week later.”

“One week…”

Anyone is fine, so quickly give me a worker.