The Peaceful Life Of A Maid Who Hides Her Power And Enjoys It - Chapter 155

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 155

I instantly suppressed the doubts that had been dominating my mind.

This was a meeting with none other than the Emperor. This opportunity could yield important clues. At least for the moment this chance was given, I didn’t want to waste time with other thoughts.

The dining table was ridiculously long. At both ends of the table that stretched from the entrance of the Small Dining Room to the inner wall, only two dining seats were prepared.

“Today’s guest has arrived.”

The Emperor, sitting alone at the opposite end, acknowledged me. I immediately bowed my head so I couldn’t properly see his face, but his complexion that I glimpsed looked quite poor.

“Thank you for the invitation, Your Imperial Majesty. It is an honor for my family.”

“Stop with such boring talk about honor and sit there.”

A servant who had approached silently pulled out the chair for me. Once I sat in the prepared seat, the distance from the Emperor felt even greater.

‘If an ordinary person sat here, they’d barely be able to see his expression, right?’

After pouring water, the servant whispered quietly enough for only me to hear.

“When you are thirsty, please drink from the leftmost glass, and when you need to rinse your mouth, please use the water in the glass next to it.”

What’s the difference between the two?

‘Is this what they call imperial etiquette?’

I heard that imperial etiquette was quite different from noble etiquette. The Head Maid had offered to personally teach me imperial etiquette, but I declined her proposal. If asked ‘who taught you,’ it could become awkward.

The first dish was steamed fish topped with some unknown green mousse. The servant standing beside explained the dish, but it didn’t register in my ears.

‘At least one bite. At most two bites each.’

I placed an appropriate amount of mousse on the white fish and slowly chewed and swallowed it. The taste was… remarkably stable.

This was a precaution following my sibling Andert’s warning.

『Be careful of the food at dinner with the Emperor』

It was grateful advice, but from my position, it was quite troublesome. How could I ignore the dishes in a one-on-one meeting?

Fortunately, I was a warrior who had crossed two walls and possessed an iron stomach. I could recover from an appropriate amount of poison on my own. Rather, the fact that I had to enjoy only one bite of delicious-looking food felt more harsh.

“Did you receive the hunting festival prize well?”

After the meal began, the Emperor spoke for the first time.

“Yes.”

Along with my answer, I placed the golden statuettes I had brought separately on the table.

“Master, you should bring those to the dinner.”

“Why the trouble?”

“Leaving a special mark means it’s a gift they put thought into. If you bring them and ask directly about the meaning of the crest, you might get hints.”

“Here, I brought all three statuettes.”

“Hmm? Why did you bring them?”

“I wanted to ask Your Imperial Majesty about the meaning of the sacred orb.”

The Emperor seemed surprised. After a moment, he put down his utensils and removed the necklace he was wearing, having a servant deliver it to me.

“That is the real sacred orb. It’s an imperial treasure that protects from evil spirits… more precisely, from impure power.”

This is the imperial family’s real sacred orb?

But this is…

‘It’s a heart crystal.’

There was no mistake. Usually, sacred orbs are shaped like large spheres, but the imperial sacred orb was similar in size to a pearl. And it was even split in half.

“Was it originally broken?”

“I broke it. The Crown Prince has the other half, and part of the half I possess sleeps within that gold plating.”

It was surprising that he had broken a treasure passed down through imperial generations, but that part of that treasure was also included in my statuette.

“It’s regrettable that the treasure’s value decreased, but it was an unavoidable choice. I couldn’t ignore the Empire’s future and save only myself.”

It was a meaningful addition.

“Does it really have efficacy?”

“If it didn’t, I would have been in a coffin long ago.”

That meant impure power resided in the Imperial Palace. There was an obvious source that came to mind.

Mephistopheles’ heart.

“Arrogance, immorality, impure power… all three evils that a ruler must avoid. The three sacred orbs are treasures that protect the ruler from these three evils, serving to instill vigilance in the ruler to always avoid the three evils. It’s content emphasized day and night in imperial studies.”

“Interesting.”

“It is interesting, but true enlightenment cannot be gained through lessons or books. It can only be obtained through experience. One must walk the path of arrogance to guard against arrogance, walk the path of immorality to guard against immorality, and obtain impure power to guard against that power.”

The Emperor swallowed water with a somewhat tired face.

“The enlightenment gained at the end is like a final reward. No, punishment would be a more accurate expression. Because you only realize that even regret comes too late.”

“…”

“Did I speak too difficultly?”

“No, it was impressive advice. By any chance, have Your Majesty crossed the wall?”

“Wall? Do you mean unity of mind and body? I understand that such enlightenment is only gained by warriors.”

That’s not right. The biggest factor in crossing walls was not the body’s level but the soul’s level. Even Dian Ket, who reached the demigod realm, was closer to a healer than a warrior, wasn’t he?

“If Your Majesty had been a warrior, you would surely have been close to the demigod realm.”

At those words, the Emperor smiled for the first time. It was a parched, dry smile that made my mouth feel bitter just watching.

“You’re gilding my face with undeserved gold. Cough, cough… Listening to this makes me curious. If one becomes a god, do they never die?”

“I don’t know well either, but I heard they don’t die and ascend to heaven, departing for the world of gods.”

“What a dreamlike story.”

After that, a not-short silence descended. The Emperor opened his lips again when the third dish was being prepared.

“You eat little, Weatherwax Baroness.”

“I’m nervous, so the food doesn’t go down well.”

“Do you get indigestion easily?”

“I tend to.”

“That’s unfortunate. Then I’ll get straight to the point. Is Andert Pager alive?”

The main topic was so sudden that I couldn’t easily give an answer.

However, this was also a moment I had been waiting for since mentioning Andert in past meetings with the Emperor. That’s why I had to be even more careful. The Emperor was the gateway to meeting Natasha.

“No.”

As soon as I denied it, a servant approached from behind and placed a box on the table. It was an object emanating an ominous aura.

‘A magical artifact.’

What kind of magical artifact?

“This is an imperial command. Answer only the truth to the next question. Andert Pager, whom Princess Natasha knows, whom you know, whom Raphael Jenail and Jigharke Berkleighton know, who appeared 14 years ago and participated in the Magical War for 10 years commanding the Allied Forces’ southern advance, then died in battle on Quin Island. Can Weatherwax Baroness communicate with that person under certain circumstances?”

The moment I heard that question, I was certain.

‘It’s a magical artifact that distinguishes truth from lies.’

It was a precious item that could never be obtained without imperial-level wealth.

But something was suspicious.

Not the magical artifact, but the Emperor’s question was suspicious. It was unnecessarily verbose and detailed, feeling like a trap had been laid. I went over the Emperor’s question one by one.

If he simply asked ‘Is Andert alive?’ I would confidently answer ‘No.’ Because that’s actually what I believe. This was similar logic to being able to define myself as Daisy Pager in the oath magic.

‘But the Emperor’s question is ambiguous.’

The definition of Andert Pager was clear, and most importantly, he asked if ‘communication was possible.’ If I answered ‘No’ to this, would the magical artifact determine it as false?

“He’s alive. I see… Is Andert Pager alive?”

…Ah.

Damn. I swallowed my sigh.

‘Was it psychological warfare?’

He deliberately placed a strange magical artifact in front of me and asked an even stranger question to unsettle me.

This damn thing. Did I get played? This cunning bastard used my anxiety as bait to draw out an answer!

A life of ignorantly swinging only swords is so futile. I thought I wouldn’t fall for scams if I was just strong enough…

The Emperor closed his eyes tightly and fell into long contemplation.

It was too late to deny. From the moment I realized I’d been played, there was no room to retreat.

Since it’s come to this, I’ll also just look ahead and go forward.

“That’s correct, Your Majesty. My sibling is alive and wishes to meet Princess Natasha.”

Not long after, the Emperor’s tightly closed eyes opened.

When he gestured lightly, a servant prepared a neat sheet of paper and a fountain pen in front of me. They were tools for writing a letter.

“What is this?”

“Summon Andert Pager, no, Count Bladief to the Imperial Palace immediately. I’ll let him reunite with Princess Natasha as he wished.”

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