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“Your Majesty!”

I quickly rushed over to support the Emperor as he started to falter, almost sitting down. Ferrent, who was kneeling in front, also tried to help the Emperor, but with a blade stuck in his thigh, he wobbled and face-planted right on the floor. Well, unlike the Emperor, he has a sturdy body, so there’s really no need to worry about Ferrent.

“Hehe… This is more exhausting than I thought. I’ll need some assistance for a moment.”

Not wanting to show weakness, she asked for support, but perhaps due to exhaustion, she couldn’t even move her feet properly and leaned against me like a limp doll.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

In that situation, instead of just supporting her, I scooped her up completely. It was what people call the princess carry, but since both the Emperor and the princess are royalty, I figured it didn’t matter.

Though it’s unlikely, I carefully sat her on the throne, ensuring I wouldn’t drop her as I did so. The Emperor leaned back against the chair and took a moment to catch her breath.

Meanwhile, Isis quickly approached Ferrent and tended to his leg. It wasn’t divine magic, so there would be aftereffects, but for Ferrent, anything was better than nothing. Even though it was for the sake of escaping Glen’s rule, that blade had dug pretty deep.

If she left the wound exposed, showing it to someone from the church who could use divine magic, he might not use one of his legs at all. It’s better to treat it now, even if there are some consequences later. Ferrent knew this too, so he obediently received Isis’s treatment.

“Elisia.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

While Isis had stepped away for a moment to treat the Emperor, I stood by her side, keeping a watchful eye as a precaution. The Emperor then gestured for me to come a little closer, as if something needed to be said. Now that I think about it, the Emperor never beckoned me closer like this; he usually just gestured for me to leave.

Regardless, it was the Emperor’s order, so I moved closer, kneeling to make eye contact.

“Elisia, do you know my name?”

It was rather rude to think like this, but I looked at her with a ‘what in the world are you talking about’ expression. Fortunately, she was still facing forward, completely unaware of how I was looking at her…

“Even without insight, I can understand your thoughts, so do refrain from hiding your true feelings. Of course, your reactions are amusing, so I won’t say anything about it.”

Even without insight, the Emperor managed to read my thoughts without even turning her head. If I acted up here, I might really get caught in my own thoughts, so I decided to stay quiet.

“How could anyone in the Empire not know Your Majesty’s name? It is Ariel Lawrence, Your Majesty.”

The name of the Empire is the Lauren Empire, so if you are a citizen, it’s hard not to know the name.

“Hehe… Yes, my name is Ariel Lawrence. But do you know? There’s a middle name that the royal family uses among themselves. That said, in a royal family rife with conspiracies, calling each other by a nickname is rare; it’s more between parents and children. Though, it’s not like I have much room to talk, having already seized control of the Empire.”

This was the first time I’d heard such a thing. As her Highness said, since it’s a name used exclusively by the royal family, it wouldn’t be known outside. No one could finger-point at me for being ignorant.

Wait a minute. Does Rizeria, the daughter of the Duke, have a middle name too, since she’s a distant relative? Being not in the direct line, she might not. I think I should ask next time we meet.

“Under normal circumstances, I would have been called that, but as you know, I lost my parents at a very young age, so I have no memories of it.”

Turning her head, the Emperor met my gaze as I was kneeling to match her height. With my gaze naturally locked with hers, her golden eyes were beautiful, but her black pupils seemed like they could pull one in. After all, with her looks, what wouldn’t suit her?

“Ariel Cecilia Lawrence. A name that no one remembers now, it is my full name.”

She whispered the secret, her voice as delicate as her eye color. A secret that only she and I would know now.

“I wish to hear your voice say it.”

Since it’s a name only known among royalty, I hesitated to speak it as a mere Count. But since the Emperor directly mentioned it, I figured it wouldn’t land me in trouble.

“Ariel Cecilia Lawrence, Your Majesty.”

“One more time.”

As I called her name, she closed her eyes and smiled softly, as if enjoying the morning song of a bird waking up. But there was something lacking in her smile.

“Cecilia, Your Majesty.”

“One more time.”

I took a chance and shortened it as a test, but she showed no signs of anger. In fact, her smile seemed a bit brighter than before. However, she must not have been satisfied, as she requested again.

“…Cecilia.”

“Sounds pleasant.”

Though it’s a middle name… No, it’s specifically a middle name used by royalty, so it would seem reasonable to be upset, but the Emperor appeared to be lost in thought.

“The only thing I can give you is my name. If you call me by this name, I will see you not just as a subject but as an equal.”

“But you said it’s a name only for royals. Am I truly allowed to say it?”

“Have you already called me without honorifics, and now you hesitate? Tsk. A man should have some spirit, don’t you think?”

Now that she’s completely a woman, I wanted to argue about what use a man’s spirit was, but I held my tongue, fearing it would mean denying the sense of self I had before.

“You’ll be able to figure out how not to let others find out. Well, if necessary, I can grant you royal status. Just speak if you need it at any time.”

Royal status? For someone like me who doesn’t have a drop of royal blood? The Emperor’s words seemed reckless, but somehow it felt like something she could actually do, which scared me.

But why would I want to claim royal status? Surely, she was just joking about it.

“Oh, do you know? Nicknames aren’t just used by parents when calling their children; sometimes, they’re also exchanged among other relations.”

As Isis returned after finishing her treatment, the Emperor gestured for me to step back and whispered quietly.

Indeed. Other friends also call me El, in that way. The Emperor often said I was like a close friend, but now it seemed to imply we had truly become dear friends. This incident allowed me to understand just how much she trusted me.

“Anyway, even without insight, your silly thoughts are crystal clear. Such traits are part of who you are, yet I find it infuriating.”

*

Through the directly infected Ferrent, I learned about the incident. It all began with a madman rampaging through the city with a weapon, who was apprehended by a royal knight passing by. This madman was originally infected by Glen, and during the apprehension, the royal knight also became infected.

Naturally, the infection spread throughout the entire royal knights’ regiment, and as soon as Glen realized he had taken over the royal knights, he executed his plan. To block external assistance, he destroyed the Teleport Gate and also killed any wizards who could interfere. The battle mages could hold out and resist, but the research-focused mages couldn’t even put up a fight.

Additionally, just as he had attacked Rizeria, there were simultaneous terror attacks targeting high-ranking nobles. Thankfully, I managed to save Rizeria just in time, but some nobles did lose their lives in this incident.

However, the Emperor seemed ambiguous about using this incident to purge the high-ranking nobles, feeling pleased that those who only poisoned the Empire had met their end.

As for the royal knights, while they acted out due to being infected by Glen, the fact that the knights, who should protect the capital and royal family, were so easily overpowered was a serious crime. But thankfully, the Emperor isn’t foolish enough to dismiss talented individuals over this incident; a reasonable restructuring of the royal knights would suffice.

In the meantime, aside from me, the one who benefited the most from this was Ferrent.

“A limping Sword Master. What use is a half-assembly like that?”

He spoke harshly, but the Emperor kept him close, stating that it might be inconvenient for him to move, so he should stay nearby to provide protection. Essentially, he had been promoted to the Emperor’s closest aide.

One silver lining was that this uproar hadn’t spread widely throughout the capital. Since Glen’s target wasn’t the entire capital but the Emperor, most citizens seemed unaware that such incidents had even occurred.

Right. Considering how dire the situation was, the damage wasn’t catastrophic, and reflecting on the fact that we managed to take down one of the Four Heavenly Kings, this could be viewed more as a gain than a loss.

In any case, everything seemed to resolve well…

I cautiously lifted the blanket and turned to the side. The Emperor’s face was peacefully asleep, lost in dreamland.

…How on earth did I end up sharing a blanket with the Emperor?

 

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