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Episode 3
His identity as emperor pressed down on him.
See the bigger picture.
Show kindness to the daughter of the Margrave of Valetta, who struggles to defend that barren land.
But the man inside him threw a punch straight at the emperor’s jaw.
What is wrong with that woman—did she sell off all her common sense?!
Before he realized it, Clayden unclenched his fist, raised his arm sharply, and pointed toward the back bookshelf.
“Anywhere except there is fine.”
Emilia answered politely,
“Thank you for telling me, Your Majesty.”
She walked over softly and began checking the far corner of the study.
Clayden watched her back with a stiff expression.
She carefully opened every drawer and cabinet to check the contents. If she noticed anything out of place, she fixed it immediately.
Her small body was as well balanced as the vase she was holding now. Her movements were cautious yet quick.
Watching her, it was strangely easy to focus.
Maybe it was because she had grown up running through northern forests where monsters roamed—she made almost no sound when she moved.
Looking at her inevitably brought back memories of the North. His exile had been horrible, but in some ways, it had also been free.
Clayden quickly snapped himself out of those thoughts and snorted quietly.
Typical Northerners.
Right now, Emilia was completely focused on her task.
She had forgotten that she was alone in the study with him, absorbed in checking nothing more than miscellaneous items.
How is that even possible?
From the time his voice deepened, whenever the crown prince appeared at a banquet, chaos followed.
Women tripped over their own feet, staring at him, and dancers fell like dominoes.
Women were just more obvious about it—but men were no different. They stared at him with a mix of awe and envy.
He had always been like the sun. Too bright to look at directly, yet impossible not to lift your head toward.
And yet here was a woman who didn’t even notice the sun rising right in front of her—no different from a blind person.
Ever since their eyes had met yesterday, Emilia had been constantly getting under his skin.
What on earth is wrong with her…?
“Hmph.”
At that moment, Emilia was closing a large drawer and didn’t hear his snort.
Startled, Clayden placed a hand over his chest and watched her again.
Then suddenly, a thought struck him.
Resentment…?
Frowning, he quickly searched through his memories of exile.
That incident. And that one too. And over there…
She was a Valetta. Over the past five years, there must have been countless moments when the Valetta family found him unbearable.
That realization shocked him. He had never carefully reviewed his own actions before.
Damn it.
But she definitely didn’t know him. He had met the Margrave and his son, but he had never met her.
Unless she had hidden among the northern common women and secretly watched him from the riverbank!
Before the Margrave officially banned it, the stream near his cabin had been crowded with women from Valetta territory who came just to look at him.
But Emilia hadn’t been one of them. No woman who had seen him half-naked could remain that indifferent.
She must have overheard the men of her family badmouthing him and come to hate him so strongly that it overpowered her instincts.
Clayden stared at her back, resentment bubbling up.
So you hate me just based on rumors? Even if they were true, if you’re that easily swayed, then fine—I’ll take back every compliment I ever gave you.
Just then, Emilia approached the drawer cabinet beside the desk, and Clayden quickly looked away.
He fixed his gaze on the large portrait of the late emperor hanging on the wall and mimicked his father’s expression—calm, stern, ruler-like.
While inwardly shouting damn it over and over.
By stopping the recent monster outbreak, Clayden had washed away the sins of his past. The empire no longer remembered the crown prince who killed a divine beast, but the unyielding hero emperor.
Yet this woman alone seemed to be an exception—clinging to his past and refusing to acknowledge his present.
His irritation kept rising.
When Emilia finally closed the last drawer, she came and stood in front of him.
“So, are you done checking?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Thanks to the chief steward’s systematic arrangement, it wasn’t difficult.”
Even now, she didn’t forget to praise the chief steward. That thoughtfulness irritated him too.
She’s that considerate—so why not with me?
Still, Clayden knew she wasn’t entirely right.
After looking around just once, there was no way she had truly memorized everything. She must have only gotten a rough sense.
If he asked her to name exact locations, she would surely stumble.
Just as Clayden thought now it’s my turn to test you, she spoke.
“Nothing is missing among the items needed for administrative work. However, there are no tools for maintaining Your Majesty’s sword. I will see that they are prepared promptly.
Clayden let out a hollow laugh and looked at the sword resting on the side table.
He had assumed she only had a vague idea—but she had even noticed what was missing.
She was right. The late emperor had set aside his sword years ago due to age, and it had become little more than decoration.
But Clayden loved the sword. The habit of spending his time with nothing but his blade in the North would follow him for the rest of his life.
Of course, maintenance tools need to be close at hand.
This strange feeling.
It was definitely the feeling of being struck again.
Clayden stared hard at Emilia’s plain face.
How could a woman be this irritating?
Then Emilia slowly lifted her gaze.
Beyond her gray eyes was a clarity so pure it was almost transparent. Her calm voice was clear and steady.
“I have finished checking the furnishings. From now on, I will focus solely on Your Majesty.”
Clayden met her gaze head-on without changing his expression.
Then he gave a quiet order.
“You may leave. I will return to my chambers as well.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
After Emilia left, Clayden slowly raised a hand to his chest.
Thump.
He had no idea why his heart was making that sound, or why a dull ache followed.
Despite Emilia’s worries and fears, the busiest person the next day was the emperor himself.
Early in the morning, when she went to the study fully prepared, the chief steward and the senior administrator were already there.
Seeing the tension on the senior administrator’s face and the pile of documents covering the table, Emilia stiffened.
It looked like he had come to report to the emperor—but she knew nothing about such meeting procedures.
The chief steward stepped closer and whispered,
“Before His Majesty officially begins governing, for a few days Senior Administrator Clanel will brief him on the empire’s overall situation.”
Clayden spent five years in exile. It was only natural that he couldn’t immediately handle state affairs smoothly.
Then the steward whispered even more quietly,
“It won’t take long.”
A meaningful look. The slow nod.
Emilia immediately understood.
There was no way Emperor Clayden would sit through something as boring as lectures for long.
When the senior administrator glanced at the whispering pair, the chief steward casually said,
“Then please prepare the tea.”
“Yes, understood.”
At that moment, the senior administrator added,
“I want cold water. Just cold water.”
When Emilia returned with tea and water, Emperor Clayden entered the study with brisk steps.
He spoke immediately to the senior administrator.
“All right. Let’s begin.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The administrator quickly spread a large rolled map across the desk—but the ends curled back up.
Only two small paperweights sat on the desk. He hurriedly placed them on the top edge, but the thick map still tried to roll back.
Emilia swiftly brought four large paperweights from the side drawer.
The chief steward, who had been about to point them out, looked surprised, while the senior administrator wiped sweat from his brow in relief.
Finally, seeing the map lay flat, the administrator cleared his throat.
Then he began.
“Then, on this glorious first day of Your Majesty’s reign—before we begin—I will explain the current conditions of each territory of the empire. Especially focusing on the many changes over the past five years, so that the reign of Emperor Clayden A. Locarso may grow ever—”
“Senior Administrator Clanel.”
The emperor’s low, slow call carried a hint of threat.
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“Begin.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Th-then…”
Meanwhile, Emilia placed the tea before the emperor and the cold water before the administrator.
The administrator drank as if he had just crossed a desert.
Clayden, on the other hand, leaned back in his chair, wearing a crooked smile as he looked at him.
That mocking smile and slightly sharp gaze made the other person instinctively wonder, What did I do wrong?
Emilia concluded that the emperor was probably bullying the senior administrator.
Who knows what happened between those two in the past?
But she pretended not to notice. Pretending not to know was now part of her job.
Know it—but act like you don’t.
Don’t know it—act like you know even less.
As time passed, the senior administrator gradually regained his composure.
Clayden occasionally checked the map or asked the administrator to clarify points. Seeing him take responsibility for his role as emperor was reassuring.
This might take a while, Emilia thought with quiet satisfaction.
Just then, Clayden spoke sharply to her.
