“Ah, decorations… huh?”

“They’re just for decoration. Those are all fake books.”

What was he talking about? Fake books in the royal library? I looked at him in astonishment.

“As far as I know, they’re all fake. The wizard who first built this place said the royal items should look authentic, so that’s why it’s like this.”

He pointed at the cylindrical structure of the library with his finger.

“Ah…”

“What a joke. Talking about looking authentic when they don’t even have the skill.”

“They lacked skill?”

“The first wizards could only use intuitive magic. So, the library they built at that time has preservation magic to keep the books from deteriorating, but nothing else.”

He crossed his arms and wore a very dissatisfied expression.

“Still, at least they did that much.”

“If they had added cleaning functionality, there wouldn’t have been such a fuss yesterday.”

“Ah… cleaning.”

True. If there was a self-cleaning feature, there would be no need for manual sweeping and wiping. Management would have been easier.

Agreeing wholeheartedly with his statement, I slowly nodded my head.

“Anything to say about the library?”

“To say? The library seems quite large and nice. It looks well-organized by sections.”

The children had long since run into the library. On one side, they had already sat down where there were picture books suitable for kids and were leafing through various titles.

“Anything else?”

“Huh?”

“Is that all?”

“Um…”

“Don’t you find it unusually clean?”

He seemed to expect some sort of response from me, finally opening his mouth to guide me towards the answer he sought. Ah, that’s what he’s getting at.

“Ah! It is clean. You must have had a hard time organizing it.”

“Yes.”

“How many people did you have to boss around to get it this clean?”

“…Boss around. I helped a little too.”

“Rian?”

“Yes.”

He must have wanted to say that. How slightly cute. Rian must be a spitting image of Lurdello. They do seem like father and son from this aspect.

“Unexpected.”

“I thought of cleaning together since Lurdello… I mean Bella would be coming.”

“Oh… that’s rather touching. The kids seem to really like it here, especially after always being in the garden.”

“If you need anything, feel free to say so. If you want to go somewhere else…”

He trailed off, and I nodded emphatically.

“Excluding the Northern Star Palace…”

It seemed he didn’t want to show me something there, unconsciously mentioning it.

“I’m too scared to go anywhere else. I don’t want any problems.”

“I see.”

“Ah! I do have one request. Could you put a swing in the Star Palace? Preferably a large one. It seems they haven’t seen a swing yet.”

A swing that Isabella had only seen in books. Normally, swings were placed outside, and since they were made of wood, they would get wet when it rained, eventually deteriorating, requiring frequent repairs.

It took quite a bit of money to make one, and frequent repairs meant it wasn’t commonly found in regular households.

“To have a swing.”

“Yes. Can you do it?”

“That much is possible. Anything else?”

“Um… not really.”

“If you wish, say so. An imperial decree regarding the empress will be issued in a few days. So, it’s a situation where I can freely give you gifts. It will be a gift from the emperor to the empress.”

I shook my head vigorously. Even as I tried to think of something, nothing came to mind.

There was plenty in the Star Palace, and thanks to Shasha, we didn’t lack for anything.
“Originally, you were a person with intense material desires.”

“That’s right.”

It’s not me, but the owner of this body, Isabella.

“So why don’t you want anything? Are you aiming for something big all at once?”

“People come to a point where it all ends.”

“A point where it ends?”

“It’s a sense of disillusionment that appears when you have too much. At some point, you start to feel that it’s all pointless. This is exactly that moment.”

Of course, the Emperor did not understand what I was saying at all.

“Um… I just got sick of it. Suddenly, I felt like I don’t need anything.”

“I see.”

Did he understand a little?

“I guess you’ve had enough of ordinary things. Don’t worry, Bella. I’ll prepare something more valuable and pleasing for you.”

“No, you don’t have to. You’ve done more than enough. Plus, you’ve already paid the Count to bring me here.”

“That’s a separate matter. Don’t worry.”

Is it because it’ll look bad to others if the Empress receives nothing? Will there be gossip?

“Well… fine.”

I should accept it, if that’s the case.

“Actually, what you really want is…”

“Yes?”

“Never mind. I understand.”

What does he mean he understands? I didn’t say anything specific. His self-satisfied smile makes it even more uncomfortable.

Your Majesty?

“Ah, speaking of which.”

“Yes!”

“I received a message from the temple.”

I thought it was an opportunity to clear up his misunderstanding, but Leandro’s business was not about that.

“From the temple?”

“Yes, Bella. They asked if they can see you. The visit probably also concerns Shenencia, but their official business was just that.”