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Published: January 4, 2026
Night.
After finishing the conversation with the First Prime Minister Jan, I summoned the Fourth Prime Minister Don to the office.
I instructed Don to prepare for the first battle of Indra’s grandson.
Don’s eyes sparkled as he listened to the entire story.
“Your Majesty, this is incredible. To be able to instantly use Prince Lei’s visit in this way.”
“I wonder about that.”
“Huh?”
Don was surprised.
He widened his eyes and stared at me with a look of astonishment.
“What do you mean by that?”
“I can’t shake the feeling that Prince Lei came here for that very reason.”
“For that reason?”
“Think about it—why would Prince Lei come to me at this exact timing?”
“Well… it’s for Her Majesty the Empress—”
“Indeed, it wouldn’t be odd for Indra to do that. Usually uninterested in politics, he reigns over his fief enjoying life to the fullest. So he came to complain about his granddaughter without hesitation, even to me, the emperor. It fits his character.”
“Haa…”
“But you know, that is Prince Lei.”
“Huh?”
“A prince with the title ‘Lei.’ I don’t say his attitude was entirely fake, but I believe there’s at least some act of playing the figurehead.”
“True… despite his wild appearance, his governance of the fief has rarely caused any problems.”
“More than that, if you investigate carefully, he governs more skillfully and logically than any other prince.”
“…”
Don nodded solemnly.
I let out a small smile.
It wasn’t really a complicated matter.
People like Indra are either truly incompetent or highly capable but pretending otherwise.
And to me, Indra didn’t look incompetent at all.
So the answer naturally followed.
I couldn’t believe Indra came just to talk about Audrey.
At least — not at this timing.
“That’s why he came. I just went along with it.”
“As expected, Your Majesty.”
Don bowed deeply.
“Hm?”
“To instantly read Prince Lei’s intentions who came without warning, and to respond in the best possible way.”
“More importantly, prepare everything — understanding his intentions.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Don bowed and left.
I was left alone in the office.
After seeing Don out, an older eunuch entered.
“Your Majesty, what are your wishes for tonight?”
“Hm? Ah, nothing again tonight.”
“As you wish.”
For a moment, I couldn’t understand what he meant. But soon, I realized he was asking, “Who will be your company tonight?”
The emperor’s nighttime companions are strictly recorded in official documents, so usually, the eunuchs ask for preferences and arrange accordingly.
Once, a literati mocked the emperor’s harem as no different from a brothel — and now that I was emperor, I understood why.
Of course, I wasn’t in the mood, so I declined.
I stood up and left the office.
As I stepped out, the eunuch from earlier asked from the side.
“Where to?”
“To the library. If someone comes, send them to me.”
“As you wish.”
Leaving the eunuch there, I began walking.
Soon, a young eunuch followed behind.
Unlike the older eunuch in management, the young eunuch acted more like a messenger or errand boy.
Accompanied by this young eunuch, I walked down the empty corridor toward the library.
When the emperor walks, the halls are basically empty.
The rationale is that “it would be unthinkable to obstruct the emperor’s path,” so when the emperor moves, everyone is notified to avoid crossing paths.
But the reality is a little different.
More accurately, it started for a different reason.
I glanced back at the young eunuch trailing me.
I recognized his face.
“So, it’s Luke.”
“Y-Yes! I’m Luke.”
“Hmm.”
I gave a slight nod.
The young boy who became a eunuch to pay for his sister’s medicine.
“How’s your sister? Has the court physician already visited?”
“Y-Yes! After I spoke, he went immediately.”
“Hmm, and?”
“…”
Luke began to shed large tears.
“Hmm.”
The worst scenario flashed through my mind.
One common pattern is a terminal illness with no chance of cure, but the doctor tries to milk money by giving false hope and charging endlessly for treatments and medicine.