Chapter 72 – Opportunity
The atmosphere changed in an instant.
The song of birds chirping pleasantly and the chirping grass insects, as if to match the accompaniment, died down, and a chilly silence took its place.
—Thump, pound!
The echo of a heart that pulsates more vigorously than ever.
Her heart, which had been pounding from enjoying the sweet secret love she had with her lover just a moment ago, now screams with extreme tension.
Alicia, who screamed, hid behind her behind my back in a gap and was trembling. I faced the emperor’s dragon face squarely.
“Hee! Ah, Obama…!”
“…”
Brilliant gold eyes, expressionless expression that doesn’t even reveal a bit of emotion. How far did you look? There is no response, but rather, it feels like my breath is tighter.
If you ask the men of the empire who is the most difficult elder in the world to deal with, the absolute majority will pick His Majesty the Emperor, the supreme being of this land, as the number one priority.
In second place, probably his wife’s father. In other words, I will choose the father-in-law.
Alicia is not yet my wife, but she will one day, and I am now facing His Majesty the Emperor, who will become my father-in-law.
Oh my god What kind of terrible hybrid is this?
However, I couldn’t stay still forever because I was afraid and burdened with the current situation.
‘I have nothing to say no matter what the punishment is, but… ‘
The mental preparation has already been completed. In the end, my choice, as always, was a head-on breakthrough.
—Kooung!
She quickly gets down on one knee and, paying the utmost attention to etiquette, recites her self-introduction.
“Meeting Your Majesty, the Sun of the Empire. God Wolfgang von Schwarz, you serve as the commander of the Knights of the Black Lion, albeit with insufficient abilities. Glory to the sun that never sets…”
It was based on the judgment that it would be better to do something than to stay still.
“Stop. It’s a private meeting, so the formality is enough.”
Then, His Majesty, who was staring down at me, raised his hand in the middle to cut off my words and coldly declared to Alicia.
“You’ll be out for a while.”
“Huh?! Obama, sleep…”
—Paat!
With that, Alicia disappeared from this spot. It was an exercise of pure power that did not even feel the faint flow of mana or any sign of it.
At the last moment, Alicia’s voice was filled with deep bewilderment.
Perhaps it was her plan to bring me face to face with His Majesty. However, did he not know that he would leave in this way?
At least Alicia would be of great help in preserving her life if she were to help her by her side. Since this happened, she was helpless.
I let out a long sigh inside.
‘Whoa… ‘
Like that, in this beautiful garden that might become my scaffold.
I faced the imperial sun alone.
“Follow me.”
In a state of tension, we followed His Majesty and arrived at a tea table under a beautiful tree.
The fresh leaves swaying in the breeze gave a comfortable feeling just by looking at them.
It looks like a painting depicting the concept of peace and rest.
The more I looked, the more this place was like a paradise for me, whose hobby is walking. If the situation had been a little more leisurely, I would have been drunk with the scenery here.
“Sit down.”
“I’m sorry.”
Following His Majesty’s orders, I sat down with him.
Fortunately, it did not happen that he faced the wrath of the Empire’s sun or was questioned about his relationship with Alicia.
His Majesty simply sits quietly in his place and reveals his status as an emperor.
How great contemplation is going on under that expression that looks tired at first glance.
Even in official audiences, numerous escort knights and officers accompany you, but how many have ever met your Majesty one-on-one in the Empire?
In that way, even as I tried to erase the tension by recalling various thoughts, the cold silence continued.
‘Damn, do I have to say anything? What should I say? Will you give me your daughter? No, this doesn’t sound like much.’
By the time I can’t stand the suffocating awkward atmosphere, I even come up with extreme thoughts.
Tok, tok.
A very small sound tickled my ears.
It was the sound of His Majesty the Emperor, who was sitting in front of me, tapping the table with an unknown expression.
Apparently Alicia had that habit too. Something about her resembled her in the slightest way. I wonder if she can’t cheat blood?
—Fuck!
His Majesty flicked his fingers, and two teacups and a teapot appeared before his eyes.
And at the action that immediately followed, I was startled and hurriedly lowered my head and had no choice but to hold the teacup with both hands.
“Let’s have a drink first.”
“It’s just a matter of admiring the glory beyond measure.”
Tea poured directly by the sun of the empire. What does it really taste like?
There was an aura as cold as ice, so I thought it might be ice crystals, a collection of ice caps, so I tasted it as carefully as I could.
“Okay, how does it taste?”
“Umm, very tasty.”
The identity of the contents was very, very cold and delicious orange juice.
Even if I tried to awaken my senses to the fullest, I couldn’t sense anything more than delicious fruit juice. His Majesty, the supreme ruler of the empire, had a surprisingly simple taste for drinks.
… Come to think of it, Alicia liked grape juice.
Could it be that there is even a hereditary preference for fruit juice in the royal lineage?
“I’m glad you know. It’s Jim’s favorite drink.”
Haha…”
The image of His Majesty drinking orange juice with his throat trembling.
It’s a bit disrespectful, but honestly, he didn’t look any different from any average middle-aged person.
Except for the fact that he is very tall and big enough to be comparable to me, his appearance itself is normal.
By the way.
There was something very different about His Majesty’s appearance as he emptied the large teacup cleanly and looked straight into my eyes.
“Ha, now I’m fully awake. Excuse me, I’ve been going back and forth a bit lately. I’m running out of time to hold on to my humanity.”
To maintain humanity At the very meaningful remark, several doubts passed through my mind at the moment, but I did not dare to say it out of my mouth.
“No. Don’t worry.”
“Sir Wolfgang, Jim doesn’t know your name. You’ve made some great achievements with your outstanding inaction since the war. No, should I call you differently now? Nice to meet you, son-in-law.”
“Son-in-law. Your Majesty, I still…”
“What are you trying to hide? Alicia’s child is just too good to die. If she’s enough for a woman to show such intense affection, then there’s no need to talk about her.”
However, even if people change, there is a degree.
It is very embarrassing to see His Majesty’s attitude suddenly changed from a monarch boasting unapproachable dignity to that of a friendly uncle.
In the midst of this, I did not relax my nerves, wondering if His Majesty was testing me in a slightly unique way.
“Your expression is understandable. Of course you must be very embarrassed. But you are very lucky. No, in this case Jim should thank you.”
“I’m sorry. I was lacking enough to properly understand Your Majesty’s will.”
“Well, let’s say I regained my sanity after thinking about what to do with you. The longer I stay on the throne, the more I can’t stand it, but when a thousand Buddhas rise inside, should I say my head is clearer?”
Listening quietly, it seems His Majesty is suffering from some kind of mental pain due to the stress from the burden of ruling.
Is the sun of the Empire, who is a transcendental being and a sage god, definitely not a god but a human?
Even Master, a transcendent person like Hagi, is not a joke. It seemed to be understood in a similar context.
Of course, I will keep this a secret until I die.
“To be honest, I wanted to tear you to death just a little while ago. You dared to seduce an innocent and cute daughter who wouldn’t hurt even if you put it in your eyes. What father in the world could stand still.”
“…I apologize.”
The truth is that it wasn’t that I seduced Alicia, it was rather the opposite, but if His Majesty the Emperor, then that was it anyway.
This is because this is definitely an empire, and the will of His Majesty, the supreme ruler of the empire, exists in a realm that transcends law and truth.
If you are dissatisfied with the strict caste system and the absolute imperial system, you can go up there and live there. But I don’t want to do that at all.
“But, it seems that Alicia has fallen for you very much. Also, she regrets your abilities. Rather than lose both her daughter’s affection and her competent servant, I decided to just endure it.”
“I really don’t know what to do with Your Majesty’s generosity.”
“So, I’ll give you a chance.”
What a chance. What is it?
I, who suddenly became a bastard who snatched away the innocent princess of the empire, waited with bated breath for His Majesty’s declaration to follow.
