Published: January 4, 2026
A few days had passed, just before noon.
I was blending into the crowd, accompanied by Cindy.
Among the crowds gathered on both sides of the main street, a solemn group of soldiers marched forward.
At the center of this group was a woman on horseback.
Dressed in the formal attire of an imperial envoy, she sat upright and looked straight ahead.
Her dignity and beauty were striking.
Half the crowd was captivated by her, while the other half questioned her presence.
“Isn’t that the envoy?”
“But it’s a woman.”
“Don’t you know? The current emperor’s retainers are mostly women.”
“Yeah, there’s even a woman who became prime minister.”
“Oh, so she must be someone close to Your Majesty.”
“Then why has she come?”
“Who knows...”
The crowd murmured restlessly.
They were speculating about the woman’s identity and her purpose.
The group advanced further and arrived in front of the government office.
The main gate was already wide open, and a middle-aged man who looked like a magistrate stepped out, leading his subordinates to greet them.
“We’ve been expecting you, envoy—”
“Orders from above.”
The woman cut off the magistrate’s flattering words with a firm tone.
The magistrate flinched for a moment, then hurriedly knelt on the spot.
“The inaction regarding the looting has been intolerable. I hereby entrust all matters to Envoy Maya. Temporarily grant her all necessary authority and fully assist her—this is the order.”
“Eh, ah—”
“Do you accept the command?”
The woman glared at the magistrate from her horse, her words not a question but a statement.
The magistrate froze, then exclaimed, “N-no, absolutely not!!”
“Then hear my first order.”
“Yes, yes!”
“Arrest every single person involved in the looting without exception and isolate them. I will personally interrogate them.”
“Y-yes, yes!”
“Listen carefully: capture them alive. If necessary, execute some harsh punishments as examples. But for every person who dies, you will also die once. Keep that in mind.”
“Y-yes—yes!!”
The magistrate’s face turned pale as he barked orders to his subordinates.
As the scene stirred the crowd into further whispers, the woman led her party into the government office.
☆
That night, in a house on the outskirts of town.
The building Cindy had purchased for our extended stay was well-equipped with a proper study where I could approve various decisions.
Inside that study, a figure cloaked in a black mantle covering their head entered.
As soon as they entered, the figure removed the cloak and knelt.
“Apologies for my tardiness—”
“It’s fine. Don’t make a fuss. Relax.”
“Yes, sir.”
The person who removed the cloak was the envoy, Maya, a retainer of prince thirteen since his early days, just as the crowd had said.
Naturally, she was a familiar face to me.
“Here, you may keep your old name.”
“Understood, Master.”
“You really carried yourself well today. You overwhelmed everyone regardless of rank.”
“I am honored. It’s thanks to your training, Master.”
“Training, huh? You all always say that.”
I chuckled softly.
Maya was one of the oldest retainers in my household.
When I had just become prince wise, there were children whom I rescued from the hands of a black slave trader connected to crown prince Gilbard’s family.
Most of those children stayed on as retainers at Prince Thirteen’s Residence, becoming my household members.
As time passed, following the path opened by Evelyn—the first retainer I released outside—some took official government posts.
Maya was one of them.
She and other former slaves or retainers humbly referred to my guidance as “training.”
“Well, whatever the words, I rely on you all to carry out my orders precisely.”
“You flatter me, Master.”
“So, how many have been secured?”
“Currently, 69. All have admitted to the charges and cooperated calmly.”
“...What do you make of it?”
“It feels off. I don’t know why.”
“Hmm.”
I nodded and rose, pacing around the study.