Long Live the Emperor, Minus Me (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 37

He gave his face a quick splash of water, then continued in a voice tightly restrained.

“Yes, well… I suppose that’s possible. After all, it was us who granted you full authority to use the palace as you please. But did you really need to start with the training grounds right away? There’s that reception room where you held the tea party before—it’s spacious enough, so initial training there should be sufficient.”

I simply lowered my head.

“What else? Surely you’re not keeping animals inside the palace as well?”

“That place… …is being used as a gathering space for scholars.”

“What?”

The Grand Duke, clearly unaware of how Jasper Palace was currently being run, looked utterly flabbergasted. I hesitantly revealed the palace’s secret.

“It’s a bit embarrassing to admit, but among those who relocated to the Empire like me, some wished to continue their research from their homeland… So whenever they needed a laboratory, I lent them space. As they took breaks outside their labs between research sessions, they began interacting with one another, and now daily exchanges of information and discussions regularly take place in the reception room.”

That was exactly the case. Since I anticipated eventually hosting guests from Imperial high society—just as I had during the previous tea party—I’d originally intended to keep the reception room vacant at first.

But seeing exhausted scholars squatting in hallways or gardens tugged painfully at my heart.

During spring, with flowers blooming, I could at least console myself that strolling through the gardens might even be good for their health. But once winter arrived, I couldn’t sleep at night worrying they might catch colds or collapse from their frailty.

So I finally thought, “Why let the space sit idle?” and filled the reception room with chairs, sofas, cushions, snacks, and tea, turning it into a lounge.

I’d originally planned to use it only during winter and close it again in spring, summer, and autumn—but once people started gathering and productive discussions emerged, I couldn’t bring myself to shut it down, and so it just gradually became a permanent lounge.

Yet the Grand Duke, unaware of my long internal deliberation, simply looked incredulous.

“Just how exactly is this palace being used now?”

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