🗡🗡🗡
“AND she’s gone,” Hadis said. He gazed up at the sky, his voice containing a tinge of loneliness.
Rave nodded from his perch on the emperor’s shoulder. “Yeah. Is this the first time you’ll be left alone for so long?”
“Nope. I was once abandoned for two months in Laika,” Hadis replied.
“You love to bear grudges, huh?”
“I’ll never forget it.”
“Your Majesty, Crown Prince Vissel awaits,” Millay called from behind.
Hadis turned on his heel to leave. Everyone noticed his presence and bowed their heads as they made way for their emperor. Among the crowd was Cassandra, the head attendant of the Dragon Consort’s Palace.
“I entrust the Dragon Consort’s Palace to you while Jill’s gone,” Hadis said. “And if you find anyone interesting, introduce them to me.”
“Most certainly,” Cassandra replied. “But Your Majesty, one must remember that a Dragon Emperor shall enchant any lady, even if you don’t raise a single finger. I beg that you show a touch more prudence.”
As the warning reached Hadis’s ears, he froze in place. Cassandra maintained her youth as though she hadn’t aged a single day, contrary to what her real age must’ve been. The former First Consort had been relieved of her role when the previous emperor was killed, and the Empress’s Palace was dismantled, but Cassandra was competent, and her network allowed her to manage the palace for many years. Naturally, she was aware of Hadis’s schedule as well.
“A Dragon Emperor must never love, for he is not the Dragon Consort. This is but a cautionary line from a consort who lives in the era of a Dragon Emperor,” Cassandra said. She cast a meaningful glance at Millay, who stood behind Hadis, and went on, “I implore that you exercise vigilance so that you may be spared from the scolding of the Dragon Consort.”
“Then I suppose it’d do you well if you told everyone around you,” Hadis replied. “No one should be allowed near me.”
Cassandra raised a bemused eyebrow as Hadis walked past her. He had no idea what he’d done to receive her glare, but no doubt the former consort had her own complicated thoughts. Millay walked up to Hadis’s back.
“I’m terribly sorry,” she whispered. “It seems those of the Dragon Consort’s Palace are very wary of me.”
“You’ve got nothing to apologize for,” Hadis replied. “Oh, and how are your clothes? Do they fit you well?”
“Th-They do. Thank you very much for listening to my selfish requests…”
“Don’t mention it. It’s my job to ensure that the workplace and its environment allow you to work well. Sorry, but could you go back and help clean up the Empress’s Palace? If anything odd occurs, please report it to me.”
“Even if it’s regarding the Dragon Consort’s Palace, Your Majesty?”
“Of course. I’ll head back with Vissel to the office.”
As Hadis stepped out of the Empress’s Palace, Vissel was waiting for him. Once Millay saw that, she voiced her assent, bowed, and turned to leave.
“How is she?” Vissel asked as the two men watched her head back to the palace. “Is she useful?”
“I’m surprised by how excellent she is,” Hadis replied. “Kids these days are terrifying. The same goes for Jill, really.”
“Hmph. Then, we ought to finish our work before the Dragon Consort returns.” Vissel carried a thick stack of papers in front of his chest and rearranged the heavy bundle as Hadis looked on with exhaustion.
“You narrowed it down, and you still have that much?” Hadis asked.
“This is too little, quite frankly,” Vissel replied. “There is no end to the women who want to be by your side, but unlike the ladies-in-waiting-in-training, who required no backing, this time around, it should be a lot harder to get through. Relatives from the house of Marquess Beil are also allowed to be sent over, following a recommendation from Miss Sphere.”
“Makes sense. If anyone comes from Brother Risteard, I can see how people would be wary.”
“It was Risteard’s suggestion to have Miss Sphere act as the intermediary. With Consort Fione standing at the helm, the other former consorts have also sent recommendations so that they can be hired again. And, for some reason, we’ve also received a recommendation from Kratos’s Ambassador of Friendship.”
“Brother Minerd?”
Minerd’s affiliation aside, it was crystal clear that he planned to dispatch a group of spies.
“On the contrary, if we don’t sense anything suspicious, it’s safe to assume that someone has already snuck inside, and it’d be a great way to test us,” Vissel said. “And Hadis, there’s no need to refer to him as a ‘brother.’”
“I think I can see him as my brother as long as Natalie’s around,” Hadis replied. “Why don’t you stop searching for her fiancé as a way to thank her?”
“Both you and Lutiya need to stop spoiling her. In any case, I’m quite sure that Minerd considers this the perfect opportunity since the Dragon Consort is gone. And it may be crass to ask, but are you sure about this, Hadis?”
The two proceeded along the walkway that connected the Empress’s Palace to the outer court as Hadis chuckled. After all was said and done, it was Vissel who tended to spoil those around him.
A couple of months ago, the previous emperor, Meruonis, had utilized an enigmatic dragon using sorcery. Even the Dragon God couldn’t control or manage this beast, but Meruonis hadn’t set foot outside the imperial castle in recent years. Chances were high that the very person who taught him sorcery had snuck into the Empress’s Palace, but the dismantled building left no traces of a crime.
“Rave said that I should be fine as long as I remain smiling,” Hadis said. “The Empress’s Palace has never been peaceful with a Dragon Emperor, apparently.”
“I see,” Vissel said with a nod, his voice weary. “That’s very useful information to hear, and it only makes sense.”
Hadis glanced at Rave, who sat atop his head. “I don’t really get why, since I’ve got a Dragon Consort and all…”
“I don’t get it either,” Rave replied. “But that’s just how it’s always been with the Empress’s Palace.”
The God of Logic was confused by it all. The Empress’s Palace was a flurry of love and hate and well out of his realm of understanding. Needless to say, Hadis also held no interest in the Empress’s Palace, a place where the Goddess of Love would’ve thrived. However, should she catch wind of Dragon Emperor Hadis trying to create a new Empress’s Palace, she would undoubtedly try to sneak inside. And Hadis couldn’t just neglect the issue that there was a dragon that even the Dragon God failed to control.
The stack of papers Vissel had provided contained many girls of a similar age to Jill. The one saving grace was that there wasn’t much room for the Goddess to interfere.