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Episode 4
“Bring the blue ink.”
The moment the order fell, Emilia sprang to her feet.
She immediately brought a new pen and blue ink and placed them on the emperor’s desk.
Clayden marked a spot on the map and added a short note.
“Continue, Senior Administrator.”
When she returned, the chief steward gave her a wink as if to say well done.
Still tense, Emilia gave a small smile, then looked toward the emperor.
She thought that Emperor Clayden might be misunderstood more than he deserved. From what she could see, he wasn’t a bad student.
“Ah, and so the total grain output”
While explaining, the senior administrator waved a hand toward her.
“You there, that document. Roberto—Count Roberto’s territory….”
Emilia moved quickly and handed him the document before he even finished speaking.
Thanks to that, the senior administrator was able to continue without breaking his explanation.
After that happened several times, Emilia simply stayed by the table.
At some point, the chief steward—who had been nodding off against the wall—quietly slipped out.
Seeing that made Emilia’s heart drop, but she didn’t have time to worry. The senior administrator immediately asked for another map.
As Clayden placed the map she handed him beside the documents and looked down at it, he realized something.
He was currently absorbing crucial information he needed as emperor.
And because the process flowed so smoothly, he was unintentionally staying focused.
His maid, Emilia Valetta, was doing remarkably well for her first day.
That was when Clayden’s mood began to sour.
Senior Administrator Clanel had served the imperial family his entire life. He knew a lot—but he was scattered, and his speaking skills were terrible.
Listening to his lectures all day was a punishment just one step short of exile.
Clayden had planned to nitpick at the right moment, cut the lesson short, and head to the training grounds.
But Emilia kept eliminating every chance for the senior administrator to stumble.
Clayden started half-listening to the lecture, watching Emilia from the corner of his eye.
She was completely focused on the senior administrator.
Her eyes shone, and the line from her slightly lifted chin down her neck formed a soft, smooth curve.
Watching her, the memory of his sleepless night suddenly flared up, and irritation surged.
“From now on, I will focus solely on Your Majesty.”
What a lie.
For a moment, Clayden’s gaze almost turned sharp—but then he let out a quiet hm and smiled slyly.
Is the senior administrator’s lecture more interesting than my face, Emilia Valetta?
The emperor decided to test his maid’s concentration.
Testing the loyalty and competence of one’s subordinates was a ruler’s traditional right, after all.
From then on, Clayden’s gaze toward the senior administrator grew sharper, and his questions came faster.
“So then, what percentage of total production does that region contribute, Senior Administrator?”
“Ah—th-that would be… there, the brown file, please.”
Startled by the sudden question, the senior administrator frantically waved at Emilia again.
The moment she pulled out the brown file buried under other documents, Clayden demanded another reference.
Emilia immediately began searching through a different stack.
Under Clayden’s rapid-fire questioning, the senior administrator began to look like he might burst into tears.
Meanwhile, Emilia moved as if she had five hands.
When whatever he asked for appeared instantly, Clayden’s irritation slowly rose.
Her focus and memory were excellent. If she truly had been focusing on him—as she claimed—there was no way she wouldn’t have realized the superiority of his looks and his irresistible charm.
And if she had realized that, the negative feelings she held toward him should have melted away like snow.
Instead of committing such disloyalty!
The fact that Emilia had secretly looked miserable during their first meeting only proved her indifference.
That was laziness and disloyalty as a citizen of the empire—and worse, neglect of duty as a maid.
Just then, the senior administrator glanced nervously at the emperor.
When their eyes met, Clayden suddenly realized something—and was shocked.
I just thought, “You’re the first woman who hasn’t fallen for me.”
And in that instant, he felt a flash of hatred toward Emilia for making him feel that way.
He said firmly,
“That’s wrong.”
Emilia Valetta, you’re wrong.
Both the senior administrator and Emilia froze at the same time.
Wiping cold sweat from his forehead, the senior administrator asked,
“W-What do you mean, Your Majesty?”
“I asked for the annual grain revenue records. The green file.”
Emilia, now fully tense, spoke up.
“Your Majesty. The document you are currently reviewing is that file.”
But Clayden looked straight at her and said,
“So now you’re saying I’m wrong?”
A flustered senior administrator tried to intervene.
“That is, Your Majesty.”
“Step aside, Senior Administrator. I am currently discussing annual grain revenue with my maid.”
There was a sharp chill in the emperor’s voice.
Senior Administrator Clanel moved his lips silently. He didn’t dare ask why the emperor was discussing grain taxes with a maid instead of him.
Standing before the desk, Emilia looked stubborn, almost angry. It was a rigid, unyielding expression—typical of Northerners.
But after glancing between the senior administrator and the emperor, she bowed her head.
“You are correct, Your Majesty. I will bring it immediately.”
She fetched the green file and placed it in front of Clayden, then tried to slide the file already there to the side.
But Emilia froze, gripping the file nervously.
Clayden had his hand firmly pressed on the document she was trying to move.
Clayden himself was stuck.
He had loudly insisted this wasn’t the right file—only to realize, the moment she reached for it, that it was the document he wanted.
If he let go now, he would have to move it himself—an open admission that he was wrong.
When he realized that her intention in setting it aside was to avoid calling him back over later, a small consideration on her part, his eyelid twitched.
As soon as their eyes met, Emilia flinched, withdrew her hand, and quickly returned to the table, pretending to calmly organize other documents.
With an awkward expression, the senior administrator resumed his explanation.
Watching Emilia’s profile—clearly turned away on purpose—Clayden clenched his teeth.
Of all the places to make a mistake.
And in front of her.
What hurt his pride even more was that she had known he was wrong and still stepped back without calling it out.
Is she humoring me just because I’m the emperor?!
He muttered inwardly, emotions surging.
You’re the first woman who’s ever pushed my temper this far.
At that moment, as Emilia organized the documents, she turned slightly toward him.
The side of her face he caught a glimpse of was calm.
Seeing that, something inside Clayden suddenly loosened.
First came relief—that she wasn’t hurt.
Then a new emotion rose.
You’re… really that indifferent?
“Your Majesty? Are you listening?”
The senior administrator’s question pushed Clayden over the edge.
“No, I’m not listening!”
“Ah… um….”
Clayden jabbed a spot on the map irritably.
“Here. And here. Doesn’t that seem strange to you?”
The senior administrator spun his eyes, not understanding the question.
Without waiting for an answer, Clayden continued.
“In years when grain production in Rosetta rises sharply, Fram pays taxes in wool instead of grain. They even request aid from the imperial court, claiming food shortages—almost every time. Why do you think that is?”
“I-Is that so?”
Unable to ask why this wasn’t being discussed with him earlier—or why it was said in front of a maid—the senior administrator just looked miserable.
Emilia, now curious as well, turned her head toward them. Clayden avoided her gaze and stared hard at the senior administrator.
Pointing at the map, Clayden explained,
“This lake here. Rosetta and Fram are positioned back-to-back, but they share the same water source. Rosetta draws most of it first.
Fram, not knowing why their supply drops, switches from farming to livestock to survive.”
“Ah, I see!”
“But in years when both territories had stable grain yields, the imperial tax revenue was also at its highest. What do you think?”
The senior administrator reviewed the documents one by one, then nodded vigorously.
“We should mediate water sharing going forward! Oh! This is a sign that the empire will greatly prosper!”
“Sharing lake water is?”
When Clayden frowned and asked, the senior administrator replied excitedly,
“Your Majesty’s wisdom! You caused so much concern as crown prince, but now!”
As the senior administrator dabbed at his tears, Emilia quietly approached and offered him a handkerchief. He accepted it, wiping his eyes and nose.
Clayden glared at the scene in irritation.
“That’s enough for today.”
As Emilia cleared the map from the desk, the senior administrator said,
“Wasn’t today’s lesson extremely productive, Your Majesty?”
“I suppose.”
Clayden answered vaguely.
Then, staring at Emilia as she organized the documents, he said to the senior administrator,
“We’ll see if you do just as well tomorrow.”
Only then did the senior administrator realize something was off. Remembering the emperor’s earlier displeasure toward Emilia, he stepped closer.
He knew she had been right about the file—but that wasn’t the issue. What mattered was the emperor’s mood.
Lowering his voice so Emilia wouldn’t hear, he whispered,
“I will report the maid’s earlier mistake to the chief steward.”
Clayden replied in an extremely low voice,
“What nonsense! Didn’t you see how focused she was on your explanation? How well does she work?”
Yet despite his words, the emperor seemed strangely agitated, his voice rough, as if something were stuck in his throat.
