Abandoned Empress's Survival Manual Beside the Male Lead - Chapter 26

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 26
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My audience with the Emperor ended far more quickly than I’d expected.
“Haha, I was in such a state of confusion earlier that I couldn’t even offer a proper greeting! I thought I’d have you stay for some tea before you go.”
Fine refreshments were laid out. The warm tea was fragrant and soothing to the touch.
As I sipped the steaming tea little by little, the tension coiled in my nerves finally began to unwind, strand by strand.
‘Perhaps it’s because I’ve seen far too many cruel things as a mere concubine at the palace.’
I’d been shocked to see Baetan’s wrist fly off when I first came here, but once I began drinking the tea, I found myself calming down with surprising speed.
When I glanced over at the Emperor, who was just as elegantly savoring the tea’s aroma, a laugh burst out of me.
A round, full face with generous cheeks.
Judging purely by appearance, he looked less like the sovereign of an empire and more like the proprietor of some bakery.
“Thank you so much for showing us such a sacred miracle today! They say the Sun Spirit revealed itself directly only when the founder of the former Pasa Empire made that contract…….”
“That was over a thousand years ago.”
The Chief Attendant added this smoothly, and the Emperor laughed while nodding.
“Quite right. Pasa lost its noble purpose and oppressed the weak, losing the people’s hearts, but Gaiard will walk the righteous path for generations to come.”
I set down my teacup and smiled.
“The Gaiard Empire will flourish for ten thousand years, Your Majesty.”
“Hahahaha! For the Sun Spirit’s contractor to offer me such a blessed blessing—how could I sit idle? Duchess! To commemorate this meeting, I’d like to give you a gift. Is there anything you’d wish for?”
‘Money!’
Money!
But contrary to my true desire, I smiled brightly.
There was no reason to think the Emperor’s coffers were overflowing right now.
Pasa hadn’t surrendered—it had been destroyed—so Gaiard couldn’t extract war reparations from it.
Of course, magnificent wealth had accumulated in Pasa, but all of that would be distributed strictly according to each soldier’s contribution in the Allied Forces.
‘Besides, it would all be nothing but jewels, silk, paintings, and statues.’
During the war, cutting off enemy supply lines had been the priority. Countless provisions in Pasa had already been burned away.
The Emperor of Gaiard was, in a way, no different from Sherkan.
Though he bore the title of sovereign, Pasa’s territories were devastated by war, and restoring them would take far more than a few coins.
‘Though not quite as dire as Gonnet before it went bankrupt.’
I always showed respect to my elders, so I didn’t voice such foolish requests for money.
Instead…….
“Your Majesty.”
“Yes, Duchess. Go ahead!”
“I would like to receive three knights from you, Your Majesty.”
“Knights? How so?”
“I’ve unexpectedly become a Spirit’s contractor. I’d like to prepare for any unforeseen calamities that might arise.”
“True enough—there may well be remnants of Pasa still at large.”
The Emperor nodded seriously.
I felt Sherkan’s burning gaze on me. I turned slightly and offered him a mischievous smile.
Before he could say anything, I quickly straightened my posture.
…….
I knew what Sherkan was thinking.
And I knew what the Emperor was thinking too!
If asked to name the strongest military force on this continent, anyone would name the Gonnet Knights.
A duchess commanding such steel-like knights suddenly asking for imperial guards was bound to raise questions.
But there was a reason for it all.
I don’t know why the Northern Kingdom collapsed so quickly, but it did make me vigilant.
What if the Gonnet Dukedom’s collapse accelerated faster than in the original? What then?
When a household goes bankrupt, the first to be dismissed are naturally the servants.
In the original, the former maids of Gonnet were sold off to distant places and never returned.
I wanted to loaf about all day with the cute and kind maids, belly full and content.
To do that, I needed to earn money quickly, and for that I needed the Emperor’s knights.
Being the Emperor’s personal guard, they’d have exceptional stamina and wouldn’t find tilling fields, picking stones, or pulling weeds particularly difficult, would they?
‘I’ll run them in three shifts!’
What’s more, the imperial treasury would pay their wages, and the very fact that ‘the Emperor’s men’ served me acted as a kind of warning letter to the Council of Elders.
The Emperor himself was protecting me, so they’d better watch their step.
Which is why three was the perfect number.
Asking for fewer would seem insufficient, but asking for more might burden or arouse the Emperor’s suspicion.
‘Three. Just right.’
Koreans have always loved the number three.
I kept my true feelings hidden behind nothing but a warm smile.
The Emperor gazed at me and smiled in return.
“Heh heh.”
His voice, grown far gentler and softer than before, continued with a tone as pliable as tofu.
“I shall bestow upon you three of my finest personal guards. Of course, all their food, allowances, and clothing shall be drawn from Gaiard’s Privy Purse, and I do hope they prove pleasing to the Duchess.”
His eyes flickered with quick delight.
I bowed with a radiant smile.
“Thank you, Your Majesty!”
The Emperor, beaming broadly, shook his head.
“But there is one thing that troubles me…….”
In that instant, my ears perked up.
“Gonnet already commands an impressive order of knights, does it not? If three Imperial guards are mixed among them, the command structure may become muddled. Conflict might arise.”
I could not honestly agree.
Conflict?
With Sherkan present, would anyone dare to quarrel?
I simply blinked quietly, while even Sherkan showed no particular reaction, continuing to toy absently with my hand.
‘It seems they both genuinely believe conflict might emerge.’
The Emperor spoke thoughtfully.
“Then this is what I shall do. I grant these three guards to Lorelthiana, Duchess of Gonnet, as a personal gift.”
At that moment, the Chief Attendant ventured a gentle objection.
“Your Majesty. To bestow Imperial guards upon a noblewoman is already extraordinary, and there is no precedent for granting them to one who is not a head of house…….”
The Emperor glanced sideways at Sherkan.
“Sherkan. What is your thought on granting Imperial guards to your wife? As the Chief Attendant says, there is indeed no precedent for it.”
Sherkan, lounging back in his seat with casual ease, spoke in an indifferent tone.
“You have only just ascended the throne, Your Majesty. Is there a precedent you cannot establish?”
“Ah?”
The Emperor’s eyes widened slightly. The Chief Attendant, suppressing a smile, quietly stepped back a few paces.
“Ha ha! That is not without merit!”
The Emperor looked at me and laughed.
“Are you satisfied now, Duchess?”
“I am most delighted, Your Majesty.”
“Ha ha ha! I myself was greatly pleased by the miracle I witnessed today!”
“I am most honored, Your Majesty!”
The Emperor possessed a most generous countenance.
Unlike the previous Emperor of Pasa, who had worn a fierce expression, this one before me had eyes that crinkled warmly at the corners whenever he smiled—quite approachable.
The Emperor laughed pleasantly for some time, then leaned back slightly in his seat. He turned his head this way and that, as though composing Sherkan and me within a single frame, and his expression grew satisfied.
“A beautiful youth and a picture-perfect beauty standing together—surely you are a pair heaven itself has sent.”
Yet he soon clicked his tongue.
“Sherkan.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Everything about you is splendid, but you roam the battlefield far too often. There is even talk that your garrison has become your very home.”
The Emperor sighed and continued.
“We have also discovered the secret treasury of the previous Emperor. Should we find good medicines within, I shall have them sent to you by courier. Do take care of your health.”
“Thank you.”
“Sigh. You remain as taciturn as ever.”
The Emperor showed considerable concern for Sherkan.
‘If I were Emperor, I would favor Sherkan too.’
To have an undefeated knight as my subordinate.
Yet he cares only for money.
A Duke with no interest in Imperial affairs.
He thinks only of his own house.
‘The perfect subordinate, as if drawn by design.’
As I sat quietly sipping tea with such thoughts, the Emperor’s voice took on a peculiar gravity.
“……Being her daughter, it seems the Duchess’s bearing is indeed uncommon.”
I blinked.
“Do you know my mother, Your Majesty?”
“Of course. You were too young to remember, but your mother was a most formidable figure who set the hearts of countless noblewoman ablaze.”
“Pardon?”
Usually one would say noblemen’s hearts, not noblewomen’s.
Why would she have ignited the hearts of noblewomen?
I blinked.
“Indeed it was. But after the Saint descended…….”
The Emperor, his eyes wistful, went vacant while gripping his teacup.
“Your Majesty?”
When Sherkan broke the silence, the Emperor cleared his throat hastily.
“Ahem. The Imperial Palace is safe enough with layers of guards, but beyond the city walls there are still many Remnants of Destroyed Nations lingering. I cannot ask you to stay, so depart once the light remains in the sky.”
The Chief Attendant guided us outside, and presently I laid eyes on an enormous procession of carriages and my mouth fell open.
“These are gifts bestowed upon you both by His Imperial Majesty.”
The seasoned Chief Attendant deliberately cracked open several boxes to show their contents, and I nearly clutched my chest and fainted dead away.
“Sherkan.”
“Mm?”
I whispered with a trembling voice.
“His Majesty seems like a truly generous man.”
“Does he appeal to you more than I do?”
“What?”
As I turned my gaze away, Sherkan let out a soft laugh.
“He’s not a bad ruler. The trouble is his children are reckless…….”
Pat.
“……?”
Sherkan looked down at my hand pressing against his lips.
“We’re still within the Imperial Palace.”
Perhaps it was the time I’d spent as a consort, or perhaps returning to that palace after so long, but an obsessive habit of caution seized me.
The need to watch one’s tongue rose unbidden.
“I just meant we should be careful, just in case.”
I withdrew my hand feeling flustered, when suddenly Sherkan caught my wrist.
“Sherkan?”
“Why did you stop?”
I returned a bewildered look, and then my breath caught.
Sherkan had brought his lips to the back of my hand.
“…….”
Before I could properly parse what I was feeling or even name the emotion, a commotion erupted.
Sherkan lifted his head.
“Your Grace! All is prepared!”
At the resounding cry of a knight, Sherkan turned to face me.
“Board now. Leave first.”
“What?”
I asked in confusion. I’d naturally assumed we’d go together.
“Are you heading out to slay monsters right away?”
“Hardly. I’m not so obsessed with coin as that.”
Sherkan chuckled softly and led me to the foremost carriage.
“I need to formally transfer the Seal of the Allied Forces. Once you reach your territory, I’ll follow shortly after.”
“I understand.”
I touched my brow lightly, speaking with an awkward feeling.
“Then…… take care of yourself.”
A faint smile played at the corners of Sherkan’s mouth.
“I will.”
Like a farewell, he pressed his lips to my forehead. It was briefer and lighter than before. Then he turned and followed the Chief Attendant away.
Why does Sherkan kiss me so often?
Watching his receding figure, I touched my forehead absently.
It felt warm, and yet it didn’t.
I lingered for a moment before climbing into the carriage.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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