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Chapter: 23
Since the day he first faced Ricardo, Theodore had carried a lingering trauma from Carne’s office.
The pain of the oath he had felt for the first time in his life was something he would never forget.
How could one ever forget the moment they realized they were bound by a leash?
Carne knew this too, which was why she had summoned him to her office.
To make him understand his position, to warn him not to be arrogant.
Theodore’s lips twisted into a tight line.
By the time he had been waiting for almost an hour, Carne appeared, stretching and turning her stiff neck.
“You’ve made me wait quite a while.”
“Not at all.”
“Yes. At least better than making me wait for almost a month, little duke. Isn’t that so?”
Carne said this with a teasing air and sat opposite Theodore.
“My apologies, Your Majesty.”
“Haha, just joking. Anyway, you already know why I called you here today, don’t you?”
Through Carne’s softly curved eyes, Theodore noticed the sharp glint that carried a subtle pressure.
That gaze conveyed her displeasure at his behavior without words.
“I never thought… but you actually brought that Argentinian girl as your adopted daughter.”
“I judged that she might be more useful than expected.”
“Useful, huh…”
Carne already knew not only of Ceria’s existence but also that she had the ability to manipulate the wind.
This was because five years ago, Theodore had reported it to her: that a girl with the ability to control wind had been found in the Nark Monastery.
Of course, the fact that the girl was Princess Ceria of Argenta had been kept secret.
It would have been problematic if it were revealed that the princess, presumed dead after the postwar cleanup, was still alive, so concealing the truth was necessary.
“Didn’t you say she should be eliminated? That her power might pose a potential risk?”
“Yes. At that time, I judged it so. But since Your Majesty entrusted me with discretion, I reconsidered carefully once more.”
As he spoke, Theodore cautiously watched Carne.
She, in turn, folded her arms and stared at him, as if daring him to speak.
“I thought simply killing her would be a waste of the abilities she possesses, so I decided it would be better to try to tame her first.”
“So… you succeeded in taming her?”
“Yes. She’s quite perceptive and clever.”
“Hm.”
Carne slowly nodded. Fortunately, she didn’t seem overly suspicious.
Not that Theodore could fully relax just yet.
“The reason I kept her alive isn’t just because of her abilities. There’s actually another, bigger reason.”
“And that is?”
“For the unification policies Your Majesty is concerned with…”
Knock. Knock.
During Theodore’s explanation, a knock sounded at the door.
Carne’s brow twitched slightly.
“Your Majesty, it’s Gillian. I’ve brought the medicine.”
A stranger’s voice.
Among the four attendants who served Carne, no one had a voice like that.
Theodore’s eyes narrowed as he looked toward the door.
“Sigh… has it really come to that time already? Let him in.”
With a long sigh, Carne gave permission.
A man entered the reception room, his long blond hair tied back, draped in a pure white cloth that hung loosely, giving him the appearance of someone from an ancient mural. He was unmistakably Argentinian.
Holding a tray in both hands, Gillian bowed respectfully to Carne and Theodore.
“My apologies for disturbing you. However, if this medicine is not taken at the proper time, its efficacy will be reduced…”
“Understood. Give it here.”
Carne gestured, and Gillian placed the tray on the table.
On the tray were a glass of dark purple liquid and several jars filled with dried fruits.
Carne reached for the glass and drained the liquid in one gulp. Her brow furrowed deeply at its bitter taste.
Gillian, standing nearby, kept his head bowed, his eyes carefully observing Carne.
Theodore squinted as he watched him. Suspicious.
The emperor’s medicine was usually brought personally by an attendant close to him. But judging by this man’s appearance and behavior, he didn’t seem to be an attendant.
Moreover, the usually suspicious emperor drank the medicine without question. What kind of relationship did they have? Surely, there was some vested interest Theodore didn’t know about.
He silently listened to the unspoken exchange between Carne and Gillian.
“This tastes even worse than last time.”
“It seems I increased the amount of Salus leaf compared to last time. I will be more careful next time.”
“Very well, you may go.”
Carne’s words prompted Gillian to bow politely once more, lift the tray, and leave the room.
Theodore clicked his tongue at how Gillian avoided making eye contact until he exited. He seemed aware of Theodore’s ability to read thoughts.
“Is that a new face? A newly hired attendant?” Theodore asked once Gillian’s footsteps faded.
“He’s not an attendant. He’s an official of the newly established temporary office.”
“Oh…”
Theodore recalled hearing of a new office set up deep within the palace to ensure the unification policy was carried out, staffed with non-Antithesian personnel. Could Gillian be one of them?
Even so, it made no sense. A mere administrator wouldn’t have the authority to prepare the emperor’s medicine.
Hence, the new office likely had purposes beyond merely implementing the unification policy.
“Suspicious, is it? Do you think Gillian tried to poison me?”
Carne smirked, stuffing a piece of dried fruit into her mouth.
Gillian. For the emperor to address him by name so familiarly, he must have earned her favor.
How on earth did an Argentinian come to be close to the Antithesian emperor?
Theodore shook his head and spoke.
“I doubt that’s the case, but you should still remain a bit cautious.”
“The little duke cares for me—it’s pleasing. But don’t worry too much. He’s quite a reliable sorcerer.”
“A sorcerer…?”
“Yes. You’ve surely heard of the sorcerers of Argenta.”
Theodore nodded slightly at her question.
In Argenta, sorcery was considered a divine act in accordance with the will of the gods, and sorcerers were treated as priests. They had maintained their lineage even after Argenta’s fall.
However, following Argenta’s destruction, sorcerers were sent to the harshest northern regions. Antithesian priests deemed them heretics.
If it became known that the emperor kept a sorcerer close, the temple would resist strongly.
‘Surely the emperor knows this…’
Theodore glanced at Carne in surprise, but she continued unfazed.
“The sorcerers of Argenta are excellent at preparing medicines. I thought they’d be useful, so I kept them nearby.”
“Do you mean… everyone in the temporary office is an Argentinian sorcerer?”
Carne only raised the corner of her mouth in response.
They had fooled the church and gathered sorcerers simply for their skill in making medicines? That was far too risky. There had to be another reason.
But for now, there was no way to find out the true reason.
The emperor wouldn’t answer, and the office with the sorcerers strictly controlled external access.
To think that such things happened during the one month Theodore had spent in the north…
He would need to proceed with even more caution.
Theodore’s eyes darkened with resolve.
