CH 371

Loyal Retainers Rejoice (Each One’s Perspective)

Ludwig paused to collect himself after sending Mia to the evening’s banquet hall. He could already feel the passion rising in his chest and threatening to make his eyes water.

“All this time, but I never thought she’d wear the colour on her own.”

He got chills even thinking about the ramifications.

Her Highness has at long last declared her intention to rule Tearmoon as empress in a public and unambiguous manner.

It was his most sincere and profound wish. He hadn’t given himself a minute of leisure since that fateful day when Mia had first spoken to him; instead, he had been continually rushing around the empire

Although her initial goal had been to resolve the empire’s financial issues, she had other goals as well. She wished to make everything right. Fundamentally reviving the empire was her aim. Ludwig therefore made every effort to help her. As he patiently committed himself to her cause over time, a notion started to cross his mind more frequently.

“Is Her Highness not the most suitable candidate to rule this empire?”

He had come at that decision through reasoning, not emotion. Objectively speaking, no one seemed more qualified to offer direction to the empire than Mia. But still…

“First Empress of Tearmoon, huh?”

The mere act of speaking the words aloud made his heart race. He suddenly understood that, despite his best efforts to approach the situation with purely rational reasoning, he was unable to separate himself from his feelings. Mia might be the ideal candidate to head the empire, but his confidence in her wasn’t wholly based on logic.

He often imagined himself by Mia’s side in a future in which she held the country’s first-ever empress position. Actually, he never even imagined himself at her side because just helping her, no matter how far away, was more than enough to make him feel better.

For some reason, the idea of having others help her achieve her objectives by serving as her arms and legs was deeply rewarding. Though he didn’t know why, he felt a hazy tingling in the recesses of his mind. It gave off the impression that he had once ached for this with all of his heart and soul, like a dim reminiscence of a long-forgotten past. He allowed the sensation to vanish, reasoning that it was the last vestige of an old dream.

“Perhaps a fantasy, but one that was worthwhile to experience, no matter how ephemeral. What could be more rewarding than working at her side and witnessing her rise to the throne?”

He frowned as he acknowledged that he was being overly sentimental.

Enough daydreaming, I say. There is still a lot to do and nothing has been completed.

He sighed and started to walk after receiving several hard slaps on the cheeks.

I also need to get in touch with Master Galv, Gil and Balthazar. Then gather the remainder of the crew. We will require all the assistance we can obtain.

He moved steadily and deliberately because he was working towards a specific objective: to unite the group of young officials who had all studied under the old wise man.

All was done to achieve the lofty objective of donning Mia in the imperial shade of purple.

—

Anne nodded to herself with great satisfaction as she escorted Mia off in her purple dress, happy that the results of her research had been helpful to Mia.

She has recently put forth a lot of effort. It makes sense that she’s gaining a little weight.

She couldn’t imagine the amount of pressure Mia must have been dealing with. She only knew that Mia used sweets as a coping mechanism, which resulted in a minor filling out of her shape.

Anne had made sure to arrange some time each day for research because she was determined to be helpful to her mistress during this busy time. Mia had taken a bath before the party, but that was Anne’s creation. Herbs from Chloe that were said to help with weariness were used in its preparation. Mia was beaming with zest by the time she emerged. She was physically shining as well.

Anne was tenacious in her search for fresh data. She aggressively asked attendants who looked after pupils from other kingdoms for advice. She also profited from Saint-Noel’s reputation as the continent’s premier intellectual hub, which drew a wide range of suppliers. When she had time, she would go to the town and peruse its various shops in quest of a useful item for Mia. In addition to all of this, she worked to improve her own abilities by experimenting with skincare routines and combing methods to enhance Mia’s skin and hair. And throughout it all, she didn’t let up on her studies, where she concentrated on finding ways to keep Mia’s health.

“I must take every possible action for Milady.”

She never stated it, but she believed she was the one most in charge of keeping Mia’s beauty, and she proudly carried that responsibility.

Even by the lofty standards Anne had set for herself, Mia’s beauty today had surpassed them. She was incredibly stunning. once more, both literally and metaphorically.

“For now, though, I believe that’s sufficient.” She grinned internally.

I was able to properly comb her hair this time, unlike the last. I was so miserable when… hmm? Wait, when was that? When was that again?

She grimaced. A fleeting thought that was too rapid to notice but too obvious to ignore flitted around in her head. She had once combed Mia’s hair. She had done it numerous times, but this specific instance had been significant for Mia. Possibly the most crucial, and Anne hadn’t been successful at it. She simply couldn’t recall the date or the details of the event.

“Perhaps it comes from a dream I once had,” She thought.

She tried to recall, but nothing specific came to her. Even though it was ambiguous, she took it as a lesson to be careful. Mia was devastated at the notion of being unable to properly comb her hair on a significant day in her life. At some point in the future, Mia would undoubtedly get married, and she would hold her wedding in front of a sizable contingent of her subjects. It would be Anne’s first and foremost responsibility to ensure that she looked her best when the time arrived. Only the best would do, and when the time came, Anne had every intention of giving it. She made an effort to develop at every free moment of her life because of this.

Let me see what I can finish before Milady returns.

She thought as she crossed her arms.

She appears gorgeous today. She’ll undoubtedly enjoy her time with the two princes, I wager. Therefore, she will probably be absent for a while. And when she returns, I’ll guess she’s fairly worn out.

Knowing how amazing Mia is at dancing, she would probably spend a lot of time spinning around. So, it was undoubtedly time for a soak before bed. In the belief that her mistress would value a warm bath infused with herbs upon her return, Anne gathered the required toiletries and made her way to the bath chamber.

Everything was done to achieve the lofty goal of dressing Mia in the contractive color of purple.