I Am a Ruined Noble of a Ruined Kingdom

Chapter 7: Charles Millote (1)

It didn't seem like the Emperor was very surprised by my answer.

"Hmm. Marquis Alteon's opinion seems close to foresight... What do you know?"

"I know that the Imperial Family is taking care of Iruealfi's younger sister, at least."

"Honest! If I were to ask how you, who has been asleep for nearly 400 years, know that, would you be willing to tell me?"

"If possible, I'd like to keep my mouth shut. I thought about choosing my words carefully too... but that wouldn't work on Your Majesty."

At my words, the Emperor's expression became more serious than ever. He leaned forward and asked as if he was pressing me.

"Why do you think so?"

"Let me ask you in return. What are you looking at, Your Majesty?"

I knew it was an act that was more than brazen, close to rudeness. But if my instincts were right, the Emperor would never be angry.

"Hehe..."

The Emperor just gave a faint smile. It seemed both hollow and gave the impression of being refreshed.

I told him the conclusion I had reached.

"Can you read minds, Your Majesty, or do you have abilities comparable to that?"

"Does the Marquis seriously think that such ridiculous abilities exist?"

I could answer this question with the utmost confidence.

Bang!

"In this world, there are even existences that defy providence! Like Iruealfi, Your Majesty!"

I pointed at Iruealfi outside the greenhouse. Iruealfi's expression, who was hit by the stray bullet out of nowhere, was distorted.

It was slander, so I felt a little guilty too.

After hearing the answer, the Emperor finally burst out laughing.

"Puhahahahahahahahaha!"

Iruealfi, who was outside, stared at the Emperor, who was laughing so hard that he forgot his dignity and rolled around, with an absurd look. She might be mistaking it for us having a great time talking about her.

The Emperor, who had barely stopped laughing, gave me the answer.

"That's the right answer. I can't read minds, but I can see people's malice and goodwill, or various emotions."

"That's amazing."

I sincerely admired him. It was an ability that was more than blessed as an Emperor. When applied politically, it would be useful as a high-performance sycophant discriminator.

"Yes. It's so great that sometimes I wish I didn't have the ability."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you know what it feels like to be the only one who knows that a famous loving couple in high society is having an affair with each other? I'm so restless that I can't sleep."

The head attendant barely stopped the Emperor, who was trying to dig a hole and shout inside.

Only then did I understand the meaning of what the Emperor had said to me on the day of our first audience.

"So you were sure that I had no murderous intent."

"That's right. Rather, you seem to have a liking for me."

"Ah, well, that's..."

I couldn't say that it was because he had indirectly given Iruealfi a hard time, even if a knife was held to my throat.

"I had a good first impression of you."

"I'm quite the looker, after all."

The Emperor also responded with a joke. I asked him again, just in case.

"But are you really not reading minds?"

"Absolutely not. Rather, if I had the ability to read minds, I would have tried my best to get rid of it."

That was unexpected again. Perhaps the Emperor noticed it in my expression, he deliberately began to reveal his feelings.

"Actually, both the Empress and I are a bit old now, but we're still very active in many ways, so we often engage in sexual activity."

"Yes?"

He was opening up about overly private circumstances to me, whom he had only met twice. I felt beyond bewildered by the Emperor's openness.

The Emperor continued as if he didn't care about my reaction.

"I swear I love the Empress fiercely, but she may not know that. Even if the Empress still looks at me, aren't we quite old now? I can take care of my body, but I don't know about her heart."

The Emperor looked at me as if he was asking for my agreement, but there was no way I could say anything. Since ancient times, it was said that you shouldn't interfere in marital relationships. What more, it was the relationship between the Emperor and the Empress.

Even while seeing my face freeze like a stone statue, the Emperor didn't stop. The Emperor's mouth was now a group of runaway trains that had lost their braking system.

"If I read the name or face of someone young and handsome even for a moment during sex, I might jump off that spot. That's something that can't happen. Ignorance is bliss."

I narrowed my eyes and barely squeezed out a response.

"...Your Majesty seems to love your partner very much."

"She's my everything, so. If I only have her in my world, I don't need power or wealth or anything."

The Emperor's expression was even resolute. However, the reason why he, who could read emotions, hasn't been hurt yet is probably because their relationship is a two-way street.

It's a very beautiful story. But...

'That's why you made that choice.'

It was the first time I knew that the Emperor had the ability to read good, evil, and emotions. That ability must be the basis for the current Emperor being called a wise ruler.

But I already know that he will turn into a tyrant in an instant.

Of course, the Emperor was also a character in Eldchain. He was the last Emperor of the Eld Empire and was called by the title of .

He was destined to become an irreconcilable enemy with Iruealfi in the future. As a result, Iruealfi becomes a vengeful spirit who has lost everything and destroys the Eld Empire. As a result, she faces death amidst a lot of malice in a raid by various forces, including the three main protagonists.

It's a truly miserable and bitter ending.

'I won't let that happen.'

Iruealfi is still scary and hateful, but I know it even after talking to her for a short time. She's a woman who's a bit overbearing and clueless, but charmingly sincere and upright in everything.

She's definitely not someone who deserves such an ending. The fact that I want to smack her in the back of the head every time I see her is a separate issue.

"Your Majesty. The story has gone astray, but you already have an idea why I considered Iruealfi a danger, right?"

"You're talking about Marchioness Yustiha's younger sister, Miren Yustiha, right?"

"That's right."

"But that child is being well protected by the Imperial Palace. She's receiving security similar to the Empress."

"You're doing well. However, don't forget that the Golden Chain - Eldchain must be used on her younger sister no matter what happens."

"Of course. I can't not know the source of Marchioness Yustiha's loyalty."

'No, you're going to sacrifice Miren Yustiha for the Empress.'

I deliberately didn't bring up comparing the value of the Empress and Miren Yustiha. It's enough to just warn him for now.

"I'll be frank since you can read me anyway. Your Majesty, if a major event that can be seen as a fork in the road of destiny happens, trust me then."

"Hmm!"

The Emperor probably didn't guess what I was talking about. But with his ability, he would be sure that it was a word that I was saying for the Emperor and the Empire.

"In return, I will definitely present you with a happy ending."

"..."

After that, the private meeting with the Emperor ended after the sun had set.

After we came out of the glass greenhouse, Iruealfi didn't ask a single question, even though she must have been curious about the contents of the conversation.

Whether it was her personal morality or loyalty, I had no way of knowing, but she was still upright. That must be the reason why I can't sincerely hate her, whom I met as an enemy.

"What am I even thinking..."

"Were you plotting a rebellion or something?"

Iruealfi's sword flashed its silvery-white flesh with a metallic sound. I shouted in horror.

"Are you crazy?! Can't you put that unsightly thing away right now?"

It's because of your sister!

I could feel the tingling in my waist and left limbs just from hearing the chilling metallic sound.

"Oh, that's too bad."

Iruealfi only sighed as she closed the scabbard.

'This crazy woman doesn't even know what's going on...!'

What the Emperor asked for at the end of the private meeting in the glass greenhouse was Iruealfi's well-being.

[Can I ask you to take care of Marchioness Yustiha? I want to see her smile sincerely, even once.]

Iruealfi had never felt a sense of joy deep in her heart since her younger sister, Miren Yustiha, had an accident. The Emperor was saddened by that.

He was Iruealfi's betrayer and irreconcilable enemy, but that was an event in the future that hadn't happened yet.

A future event that could be prevented enough.

No matter what happens, I will protect our current relationship. Vowing that, I returned to the grand mansion of the Ruined Noble of a Ruined Country.

◇

She showed a puzzled reaction as she had just arrived at the mansion.

"There's an unfamiliar carriage, did Nephi call it separately?"

"I thought you called it."

The conclusion was that there was an uninvited guest in the mansion right now. However, I didn't think it was strange.

"I told you that the servants can use the mansion as they please. It must be their acquaintances."

"Even so, would they do that without hesitation? They have a sense of it..."

'You're the one who doesn't have a sense of it, Commander Iruealfi.'

I recalled the incident at the capital checkpoint.

Iruealfi, who was patting the guard's shoulder and asking if he felt awkward, was a thug in herself.

"Well, we, the owners, don't have to feel awkward. Let's go in."

"Am I an owner too?"

"Huh? Ah..."

Thinking about it, something felt strange. But it felt awkward to correct her. Perhaps it was because we had been living together for more than a month, so the concept of ownership was vague.

Besides, strictly speaking, this was Netionpies's mansion, not Nephi Alteon's mansion. Rather, I wanted to deny ownership every time I thought it was the mansion of the atrocious Netionpies.

'I want to get rid of my body, so what does this mansion matter?'

Therefore, I could easily say.

"Sure, I'll give you half of it."

I was living in a one-room apartment in my past life. Even dividing this grand mansion in half is more than enough.

"Who do you think is a poor beggar?"

As expected, Iruealfi's attitude was prickly. She seemed to have taken what I said as a kind of provocation. If that wasn't the case, it meant she couldn't be satisfied with even this grand mansion...

"Ah, you've arrived!"

As we entered the mansion, one of the servants hurriedly ran toward us. The flustered attitude was as if he had seen something he shouldn't have seen.

"A guest came to see the Marchioness a while ago, and that's... they were so headstrong that I had no choice but to let them in. I'm really sorry!"

Not only the servant but even Iruealfi was dumbfounded at my blunt reaction.

Even if Iruealfi was inherently kind, she was still a noble. It was natural for her to feel a cultural shock when she saw me not even scolding a servant who had done something wrong.

"Ahem. So, who is that guest looking for, and who is the guest? There are two Marchionesses."

Iruealfi asked. She seemed to be overlooking the servant's mistake for my sake.

"I'm sorry! They are Marchioness Yustiha's guest, and they said you would know them if they said Charles from the Milote Earldom."

"Charles from the Milote family?"

Iruealfi asked back. Charles Milote was a person I didn't know either.

Iruealfi's hands trembled, and she forgot her dignity and jumped over the railing and headed for the drawing room. I wondered who it was that made Iruealfi react like this.

When I hurriedly followed, Iruealfi had already thrown open the door to the drawing room.

"Charles Milote."

"Elfi?"

A strange woman's figure stood up from inside the drawing room. The woman dragged a dress that sparkled like jewels and ran towards Iruealfi.

"It's been so long, Elfi!"

The strange woman - Charles Milote hugged Iruealfi and sobbed. Charles seemed to be enjoying the reunion, but then glared at me over Iruealfi's shoulder.

"And nice to meet you. The Marquis Alteon who is confidently destroying Elfi's marriage path?"

It was a greeting full of malice. I wondered if I had misheard and asked again.

"What... did you say...?"

Charles Milote. That day, I met a nemesis of Iruealfi in a different sense.