Published: January 4, 2026
“Master. The Fourth Prince is here.”
“My older brother!?”
The next afternoon, while I was reading in the inner garden, Cecily, the maid in charge of guest reception, informed me of the visitor, which surprised me.
“Yes.”
“Show him in.”
Cecily bowed and left the room.
After a while, my long-absent Brother Henry entered the room.
I stood up and gave him a slight bow.
“Long time no see, Brother. What brings you here all of a sudden?”
“I have official business—an imperial edict.”
I was even more shocked and instinctively knelt on the spot.
An imperial edict—that is, a direct order from Your Majesty.
“I heard that a new, directly drinkable water source has been discovered in Syria. You are to urge Minister Prince Henry, the Imperial Prince Minister of Legal Affairs, to oversee transportation to the summer retreat—that’s the order.”
I looked up. Brother Henry smiled gently.
“Prepare the water.”
“Understood.”
I called a maid and asked her to deliver the message to Don, who was stationed in the annex study in the outer garden.
His Majesty must be referring to the special rank ss water.
I ordered twelve barrels to be packed for transport.
Since it wouldn’t be ready immediately, I turned to my brother.
“I’ll have it prepared right away. Please wait a moment.”
“Very well.”
We sat facing each other.
“You look surprised.”
“No. Transporting water isn’t unusual. Even in the palace, we always transport water from the Beryl Spring for tea and keep it on hand.”
“I see. The water from the Beryl Spring is said to be the best in the empire for making tea. Because it’s precious, it’s reserved mainly for His Majesty’s personal use and as rewards for ministers. Looks like this new water will be treated the same. Impressive, Noah.”
I was amazed at His Majesty’s swift intelligence.
Not much time had passed since the opening of this special water source, yet he already knew about it.
As expected of His Majesty, his ears and eyes remain astonishingly sharp.
Of course, I couldn’t say that aloud.
“It’s water with fewer impurities, so I think it’s ideal for His Majesty’s recuperation.”
“That’s right. We must have His Majesty recover quickly.”
“Yes. There is one more thing.”
“One more?”
“This one you may read yourself.”
Brother Henry took a royal decree from his pocket and handed it to me.
I opened it and read from the beginning.
It was a commendation and reward.
As a reward for this matter, my son—who hasn’t even been conceived yet, my eldest son—was granted a noble title.
While the emperor’s children are princes by birth, the prince’s children don’t have any inherent titles.
But even before birth, His Majesty granted him a baronial title.
“I’m truly honored.”
“An incredible thing, Noah. For a member of the royal family to be granted a title before birth… it’s been decades, hasn’t it?”
“About that long, yes.”
I searched my memory for anything similar but found none.
“Waterworks in Almeria Province are well developed, almost perfect as is. For such a significant reform to happen within less than half a year since you took over the fief is remarkable.”
“I intend to upgrade all of them eventually.”
“Really!?”
Brother Henry’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Yes. That will be better for the health of the people and make water system maintenance easier. Every year a few people lose their lives during maintenance. I want to eliminate that first.”
“You really care about people, as always.”
“It’s just my nature.”
“As expected.”
Suddenly, the door opened with a click, and Audrey entered the room, leading several maids.
She approached Brother Henry and bowed politely, following the etiquette of noblewomen.
“Long time no see, brother-in-law.”
“Ah.”
He simply nodded briefly.
It was so simple it almost felt curt.
Though not as strictly as the emperor’s, the prince’s inner garden is managed similarly to the harem.
Even if a man is a brother-in-law but not a husband, he can enter the inner garden, but royal protocol dictates minimal conversation.