Chapter 63
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Chapter 63
The Minister of Education slammed his hand against the table.
"I've already become a minister—how am I supposed to handle this? By protocol, he and I hold equal positions."
Even as he spoke, his anger was evident; the Minister of Education ground his teeth.
Then Riedan shrugged and replied.
"Above a minister stands the Royal Family, does it not?"
At Riedan's words, the Minister of Education's eyes narrowed.
He could roughly anticipate what Riedan was driving at.
"I believe I could handle this matter for you."
The 'price' that came with it need not be spoken aloud—he understood perfectly.
It was a performance evaluation.
"You know as well as I do."
Riedan ground scattered documents beneath his heel as he spoke.
"Young Prince Jayden listens only to me."
A shadow darker than that cast upon the Minister of Education fell across Riedan's face.
The Ministry of Education was a coveted department. He had clawed his way to Team Leader through various underhanded schemes.
Even then, he would need to wait another decade merely to become a candidate for minister.
Throughout that process, he would always have to mind his evaluations.
'Yet some green-eared brat suddenly catches the Tower Master's eye and becomes a minister?'
Moreover, he seemed to have caught the Finance Minister's attention as well, securing substantial budgets.
'I need to eliminate this irritation. This is my chance to secure better evaluations and stability.'
Riedan smiled wickedly.
"Hmm."
The Minister of Education likewise raised his eyebrows and nodded, though his words remained deliberately vague.
"The authority of the Empire is indeed... important."
At those words, Riedan's eyes gleamed as he spoke.
"Am I not already protecting Young Prince Jayden from his lowborn mother? Consider this merely an extension of that."
* * *
Crown Prince Kiaros's expression was grave. I caught a glimpse of his profile and barely managed to swallow a sip of tea.
By human instinct, one could not help but tense in the presence of a dragon.
'I'm sorry for the trouble...'
Yet inwardly, I still spoke in casual terms.
That too was human nature.
'But your brother is in this state right now. You need to know the truth.'
After studying Young Prince Jayden's disrespectful letter for some time, Crown Prince Kiaros released a long sigh.
Then he set down the documents with a sharp gesture.
"First, allow me to explain the contents of the documents Miss Namia Loapi brought."
The Empress looked at Crown Prince Kiaros with an uncertain expression.
I had never seen the Empress so withdrawn.
"The soundproofing scrolls in the Separate Palace are being consumed far too rapidly."
"A soundproofing... scroll?"
"It's a scroll distributed to the Royal Family for maintaining security during sensitive conversations. It's been modified so that a simple calculation activates it, which means Her Majesty the Empress likely possesses one as well."
There existed scrolls that, once the creator finished all calculations, could be activated simply by the caster tearing them.
Typically, the Inventory Team maintained a stock of around five per member of the Royal Family.
'Yet the staff at the Separate Palace kept requesting additional scrolls from the Inventory Team.'
I quietly pointed to a corner of the wall.
There lay a heap of tattered scrolls piled high.
"Ah, I had no idea what they were... I simply used them occasionally for paper-cutting practice, that's all."
These were scrolls we'd labored to create...
I struggled to maintain my composure. That's when Crown Prince Kiaros continued his explanation.
"Young Prince Jayden is still too young to require confidential conversations. Yet his soundproofing scroll inventory is depleting faster than even the Crown Prince's Palace."
"That, that means...?"
"Young Prince Jayden has no friends. Those who visit the Separate Palace are only family members or Ministry of Education officials responsible for his instruction."
Crown Prince Kiaros raised his eyebrows. Then he stated his conclusion matter-of-factly.
"Since we've never used scrolls in Young Prince Jayden's palace, it means the Ministry of Education officials are using the Separate Palace's soundproofing scrolls during lessons."
"Hmm..."
The Empress blinked, her expression bewildered.
"Do members of the Royal Family require soundproofing during their education?"
"Absolutely not."
Crown Prince Kiaros answered in a low voice.
"It means something that needs to be hidden from the outside is occurring during his lessons."
"But, but!"
The Empress cried out, gripping her skirts.
"Young Prince Jayden's academic performance is quite good, isn't it? His relationship with the official overseeing his education is fine, there are no marks of abuse on his body, and unlike me, he's graceful and dignified wherever he's presented!"
Yet her outcry was less an argument than a desperate wish.
She simply wanted to deny it. But...
'I can't say otherwise, even as empty reassurance.'
Crown Prince Kiaros shared my sentiment and remained silent.
After a long silence, the Empress trembled and added:
"Your Majesty, I beg you... If something dreadful is happening to Young Prince Jayden, then please, absolutely..."
She couldn't continue.
Seeing the large woman at a loss, I couldn't help but sigh.
In the awkward atmosphere, I spoke quietly.
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is equally uncertain about what's actually occurring."
Honestly, I was amazed that Crown Prince Kiaros had deduced this much from mere documents alone.
The moment he saw the statistics, he drew conclusions without even hearing my explanation—truly a genius.
I took the Empress's hand and spoke gently.
"Why don't you go and see for yourself, Your Majesty?"
Then Crown Prince Kiaros furrowed his brow and interjected.
"Going now won't reveal anything."
Her voice was measured and even, as it always was.
"Even if the Ministry of Education were truly doing something to Jayden, they wouldn't admit it easily. First, we need to secure evidence."
So I responded in an equally measured and even tone.
"According to Article 33, Section 2 of the Imperial Palace Knights Law, an Imperial Palace Knight may conduct targeted and entrapment investigations against suspicious individuals with the permission of the Royal Family. If Her Majesty the Empress, as an Imperial Palace Knight, conducts such investigations with the permission of Her Majesty the Empress as a member of the Royal Family, the Scroll Department will cooperate fully by any means and method necessary."
A moment of silence fell.
The Empress clearly hadn't understood, while Crown Prince Kiaros furrowed his brow and asked.
"You're suggesting Her Majesty the Empress conduct entrapment investigations? And the Scroll Department will help with that?"
He'd grasped the key point perfectly.
Then the Empress's eyes lit up as she stepped forward.
"What do I need to do, hmm? What do I need to do! I have to step in for my child's sake! Hehehehe!"
"I'll explain the details. Well, but..."
I glanced at Crown Prince Kiaros.
While she'd been quite helpful in swaying the Empress's heart, I no longer needed her assistance.
He was already busy tracking down the mastermind, so it seemed fine to send him away now.
"You must be quite busy, so perhaps you should..."
That's when the Empress interjected, waving her hand.
"The Crown Prince should join us too! I feel reassured only when the Crown Prince is with me, given my delicate, pure, and fragile heart!"
What? That wasn't even true, and it made no logical sense.
As I furrowed my brow, the Empress whispered to Crown Prince Kiaros.
"You must stay as close as possible to the target. I did well, didn't I?"
Of course, I heard everything.
Crown Prince Kiaros pressed his forehead. The Empress's eyes lit up again as she whispered once more.
"Struggle! Seize! Don't forget. War! Extortion! Imprisonment!"
So I carefully pointed out.
"The latter part constitutes crimes, Your Majesty."
Crown Prince Kiaros, who had been observing the Empress quietly, let out a deep sigh.
Then he looked at me and spoke.
"It seems we need at least one person with common sense involved, so I suppose I should join as well. What do you think, Miss Namia Loapi?"
"...At least one? But I'm here?"
Crown Prince Kiaros offered no response.
In any case, two members of the Royal Family had made their intentions clear.
In the end, we decided the three of us would move forward together.
"But what's the method?"
Crown Prince Kiaros asked, reviewing the documents again.
"Looking at just the documents, there's no specific method outlined."
"Ah, that's because I prepared it with my secretary. I didn't include the method."
I hadn't even told Kibon how we would handle it.
I'd only had him conduct research.
At my response, Crown Prince Kiaros wore a peculiar expression for a moment.
"Why?"
And then he regarded me slowly, asking in a measured tone.
"Is it that you don't trust the Secretary?"
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