Chapter 23
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Chapter 23
Of course, resolving this situation took priority above all else.
Naturally, the circumstances were far from favorable.
The Empress had already been arrested in possession of poison. No doubt the records of her transactions with the Black Market over all this time were piling up as well.
She wouldn't actively defend herself, and there was no faction willing to stand in her corner.
'Sigh... With everything already exposed like this, it's difficult to handle it quietly without others knowing.'
I blinked slowly, lost in thought.
'Here I am, a mere underling, having to take the initiative again.'
My mind began spinning as I recalled the Empress, already captured.
While I was absorbed in thought, an employee from the adjacent team quietly approached.
"By the way, Namia, is that rumor true?"
"Pardon? A rumor?"
"Yeah. That Crown Prince Kiaros fell for you at first sight."
Ah... Life.
If only things unrelated to the original plot would unfold as expected...
I'd already anticipated this kind of gossip would be circulating by lunchtime.
'I mean, we're all in the same Scroll Management Department. Would it kill them to show some interest in the fact that I created Scroll 166 and activated Scroll 172 yesterday?'
Of course, it seemed no one cared about that whatsoever.
Rather, as if they'd discovered something entertaining, other employees had already begun clustering around me.
"Is it really true he was captivated by your dark circles and shabby appearance?"
"Is it really the case that his ideal type is a listless woman who seems to lack any will to live, breathing as if she barely exists?"
"So that's why he showed no interest in those fair-skinned, radiant noble ladies all this time! How peculiar his taste is!"
I sighed inwardly.
'Goodness, even the Administrative Support Department staff were glancing at me furtively earlier!'
But my expression was so grim that they didn't dare make it obvious.
Especially with the Empress having been arrested and all.
Well, it's just a rumor that'll disappear in a week anyway...
"Namia?"
Oson approached with a stretch.
"Do you have a lot of work? Is that why you came back?"
"Ah, yes."
Cold sweat trickled down my back at the strange sense of discomfort, but I didn't let it show.
Instead, I answered with my usual vacant gaze.
"His Highness the Crown Prince said he would review the documents, so I wanted to revise any drafts that could be corrected..."
"Ugh, you're hopeless. This is exactly your problem. How can you be so oblivious? Tsk."
Hmm, it seemed Oson hadn't heard the scandal about me and Crown Prince Kiaros.
'Well, he's completely preoccupied with being revered right now anyway. Can't blame him for that.'
Watching me lost in thought, Oson clicked his tongue and waved his hand dismissively.
"Does His Highness even have the presence of mind to review those documents right now? Namia, how is your situational awareness so poor?"
Then the Minister of Justice, whose face had been ashen just moments before, approached.
The Minister's expression had brightened considerably, and he spoke with satisfaction.
"That's right. That document review is going to take an absolutely enormous amount of time."
His words meant "won't be done" rather than "will take time."
Once something lost priority, it stayed deprioritized indefinitely.
"Is our department the problem? When the Empress has been arrested?"
His voice was brimming with excitement.
"If we investigate the Empress, the Magic Tower might notice something about Crown Prince Kiaros and intervene. They're telling us to pull our hands back immediately. I've already filed a petition with the Magic Tower. Either way, we're done for here."
The superiors began discussing earnestly among themselves again.
I sat as I always did, practically invisible, shuffling through a few documents as though I were barely there.
And while they were all talking, I quietly slipped out of the department office.
'Perfect.'
I smiled inwardly to myself.
'An unexpected ally, but thanks to them, everything has actually worked out. Now I can see the path forward.'
The way to save the Empress, already caught as a current offender.
A method that even someone like me, a low-ranking official, could use while adequately protecting myself.
My pace quickened as I left the department office.
* * *
Fron Polariud, the Empress of the Empire, was locked in prison, stripped of all her weapons.
"Your Majesty, I believe in you. But others will not."
The Minister of Justice spoke to the Empress with solemnity.
"For me to defend you directly at trial, shouldn't I at least understand the situation?"
Fron stubbornly kept her mouth shut, staring only at the cold stone floor.
The Minister of Justice sighed and shook his head slowly.
"How can I help you if you remain silent like this? At this rate, even I will begin to doubt you."
"...."
"Then please tell me. Why were you gathering poisons so secretly? Especially ones to which the Royal Family has no immunity."
"...."
"You're aware that poison is involved in the attempted assassination of Crown Prince Kiaros, aren't you?"
"...."
Fron's situation was dire.
The Empress of the Empire had left the Imperial Palace alone, been caught secretly acquiring poisons, and done so from an illegal black market dealer.
Being a commoner-born mercenary, the Empress knew such unsavory dealers well.
"Without a single guard, going alone to such back alleys...."
The Minister of Justice glanced at Fron's musculature. Then, embarrassed, he trailed off.
Her hobby was still physical training.
Though not as before, she was more than capable of protecting herself.
"If you truly intended to assassinate Crown Prince Kiaros, confess now. A confession would reduce your sentence more than silence."
Still, Fron remained silent. In truth, there was nothing else she could do.
Even remaining silent required considerable patience from her.
'Damn it, this is a mess....'
Having lived a harsh life, she cursed inwardly with every fiber of her being.
'Maybe I should just die.'
There was a reason Fron had secretly sought out a rare poison that the Royal Family possessed no immunity against.
It was because of the Emperor.
'No matter how hard I rack my brain, there's no answer to this....'
For a member of the Royal Family to fall ill in middle age was unprecedented.
The Emperor had many enemies. Especially among the hidden races, he was always a target.
Therefore, the Emperor would never allow it to be known externally that he had grown weak.
Indeed, when young Crown Prince Kiaros had merely mentioned his 'Dark Period' before, hadn't an attack come immediately?
'I mustn't bungle this any further.'
The Minister of Justice shook his head and turned to leave.
Fron lay sprawled on the stone floor, lost in thought.
'I only wanted to be of help to His Majesty....'
She had theorized that the Emperor's illness might be caused by poison.
During her years as a mercenary, she had witnessed many deadly toxins.
So she had been diligently collecting poisons that circulated in secret.
She couldn't do anything with them herself, but she intended to show them to the Emperor once he returned.
'Of course, I can never say that.'
The moment she revealed that the Emperor was weakened in order to defend herself at trial, that fact would spread throughout the entire Empire.
So Fron had no choice but to keep silent about why she had collected the poisons.
'Damn it. It seems my only way out is to die.'
She was the Empress, but before that, she had been a knight of the Imperial Palace.
She had sworn long ago not to spare her life in protecting the Polariud Royal Family.
It was better to sacrifice herself than to reveal the Emperor's weakness with her own mouth.
'That's the way to spare Crown Prince Kiaros from difficulty as well.'
Would Crown Prince Kiaros suspect her?
But even if Crown Prince Kiaros did not suspect her....
As long as she remained silent, he could not simply defend her without question.
'In any case, it's fortunate that His Majesty is not in the Capital.'
Many nobles viewed her as a thorn in their side.
They would all undoubtedly pressure Crown Prince Kiaros.
'The worst scenario would be if Crown Prince Kiaros deduces everything and mentions His Majesty's illness in an attempt to save me.'
Fron was not skilled at thinking things through.
But even if someone with a sharp mind were to come, there seemed to be no way to overcome this situation.
That was when it happened.
'Hmm?'
From far away, a young woman she had never seen before hurried into the prison.
She had shimmering silver hair and blue eyes, with a gaunt frame devoid of any muscle.
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