I didn’t just teach Mereum art. Nor did I let him focus solely on the sword.

I brought Mereum into my office to train his eye for documents, and now he’s quite helpful to me.

His ability to quickly grasp situations was proof of that.

“Surely… there must be some comparative data. Haha!”

Faivel laughed hollowly with a dying expression.

He disliked taking on such complicated, bothersome, and seemingly futile tasks when there was already so much work to do.

“As you know, the collusion in the eastern territories is severe. Even if investigators from the capital went, they wouldn’t be able to investigate properly. Not unless knights were sent along with them.”

“There’s no way… they’d send… precious knights just to accompany investigators, right. Ah, sigh.”

Faivel pulled out a new sheet of paper with a gloomy face and began drafting documents for dispatching investigators.

Standing behind me and reading the documents thoroughly to the end, Mereum leaned forward and placed his hands on the desk. In doing so, he came unnecessarily close, causing me to flinch and my fingers to tremble.

“Look at this, Leo. This territory received the same budget, but they haven’t built any new buildings in the past 5 years. Yet they requested construction materials.”

“That’s problematic. Faivel, include an architect among the investigators. The one who built the Astaroth Knights’ quarters recently.”

What use would it be to send investigators who couldn’t even properly assess construction materials?

Even buildings that look decent could actually be poorly constructed with embezzled materials.

“Mereum. Isn’t the western region currently showing the highest rate of magical beast occurrences within Nix?”

“That’s right. There’s hardly any news from the eastern side.”

“Then their claim about not being able to attract tourists due to magical beasts doesn’t make sense either.”

What on earth has Enrique been doing?

It seems we need to start by checking why the budget was approved 5 years ago.

“If you’re going to do the job like this, you might as well abdicate the emperor’s throne.”

As I muttered that, Faivel nodded his head frantically in agreement.

“He should clean up his own mess. Why dump it on us?”

“You’re right.”

“Whew, we won’t have answers until after the investigators return.”

If such results came without valid reasons, we’d have to hold someone accountable.

Moreover, if the budget was used for personal gain, we’d have to impose fines several times the budget amount, even if it meant confiscating property.

Isn’t this the result of the imperial family being taken lightly?

In other words, it’s like saying:

“They messed up, but you’re the one who has to take the blame.”

“That’s right, Mereum. You’re smart.”

Of course, there will be an uproar in the eastern regions if we take away what they’ve been enjoying. They’ll strongly resist and turn against the Empress’s Palace.

And regarding their failure to properly attract tourists, it’s obvious they’ll avoid it by making various excuses.

“But seeing this interference, it seems the Emperor’s ministers have finally started to take the Empress’s Palace seriously.”

Faivel, who had finished drafting the urgent order and brought it to me, smirked.

I satisfactorily stamped the document, pleased with the gleam of madness in Faivel’s eyes.

Faivel had a nasty personality, so he wouldn’t forgive those who dumped this on him.

He would surely repay this incident in a long and painful manner, so I silently prayed for their souls in advance.

While this was happening, Mereum, who had been pondering something, spoke up.

“Where is the Quid?”

“The Quid?”

‘Quid’ refers to an isolated area where untouchable minority ethnic groups are gathered and prevented from leaving.

And the Quid… was in the eastern part of the empire.

The Quid itself was also a tourist attraction.

“Oh?”

Faivel’s eyes sharpened as he realized the point Mereum had made. He then rummaged through the pile of documents and pulled out a single sheet.

“Look at this, my lady! One of the two territories that succeeded in attracting tourists is the one with the Quid.”

“Was it Helene who handled this five years ago?”

“That seems highly likely.”

“Perfect. Frame it as Helene pouring money into this territory to take good care of the Quid, and publish it as gossip in the newsletter.”

I’ve been looking for an opportunity to pull her down from the position of saint, and this is just right.

I slammed the table, my eyes gleaming.

“Remember, if we can completely remove Helene, turning the eastern region against us is nothing.”

“I’ll handle it that way, my lady.”

Ha!

I already feel like a decade-old indigestion is clearing up.

It doesn’t matter what Helene actually did.

What’s important is that among the lands that seem to have evaded taxes, one happens to have a Quid.

That’s what the people will see.

“I’m tired. Let’s all take a break for a moment.”

“Ah, then I’ll go for a walk.”

As soon as I declared break time, Faivel stood up cheerfully.

Amused by his busy appearance, I teased him.

“A walk in the rain? You can just say you’re going to see Charlotte.”

“What does rain matter to new lovers? Getting wet together is even better.”

Faivel retorted lewdly and left without looking back. I waved my hand lightly at his back and then turned to Mereum.

“I heard the Empress’s Palace library is completed. Would you like to go see it?”

“Sure.”

“I’m glad. Our tastes match. I really don’t like getting rained on.”

Although Mereum’s body is to die for, I’d rather pass on getting wet.

I’ve always disliked getting wet.

“You prefer sunny days. You like spring or summer more than autumn or winter.”

“Is it that obvious?”

“I know because I’m always watching you.”

Lately, he’s been coming at me like this, flustering me.

“Then I’m curious what else you know about me.”

“That you prefer the sea to mountains. That you enjoy associating with noisy, talkative people but don’t see them as potential partners. That your taste in men is actually quite picky.”

I barely touched on it, but he’s pouring out information. And none of it was wrong.

“Hmm, I can’t refute that.”

“You don’t look at a person’s social status. But when you choose, their status tends to be high.”

“…That’s correct too.”

“It’s because you like noble things. Even if you keep someone lowborn by your side, it’s not much different from the dogs raised in this palace. The only ones you’d overlap bodies with, kiss, and offer even a thin slice of your precious heart to are those born nobly.”

“That’s…”

I opened my lips slightly, then closed them again.

I was at a loss for words.

‘Come to think of it, that’s true?’

I’ve never considered someone’s status when meeting them.

I even thought Enrique was just a shepherd at first.

I thought I had everything, that I was complete and perfect, so the other person just needed to receive my love.

I’ve always thought that way… but preferences are truly frightening.

‘Was social status part of my preferences too?’

Enrique was actually a prince, and so is Mereum. Shilo is a grand duke, but he acts like a king in the north.

Scratching my cheek, I shrugged.

Well, what can I do?

That’s my preference.

“If only they weren’t also capable, then I could easily kill them…”

At that moment, Mereum muttered lowly as if in passing.

The implication that he would have already eliminated them if he could was palpable.

‘Ah, so you’re still concerned about Shilo.’

That’s understandable.

I was about to tell him that I care more about him than Shilo, but I held back.

It felt like teasing him more, since I wasn’t going to choose him right away or return his love.

“Your Majesty, you’ve arrived.”

The Empress’s Palace library was still in disarray as the book organization wasn’t complete.

Terion, who was busy classifying books with the servants, stood up and bowed as soon as he saw me.

What I liked was that he bowed to Mereum in the same manner.

“Do you like the library?”

“Yes. To be able to take care of so many books… it’s like a dream.”

“I’m glad you’re happy with your position as a librarian.”

“I think it was the right decision to leave home. At home, I couldn’t easily acquire books… I had to read the same ones over and over.”

Even today, Terion’s pale face was lit up only by his eyes.

I walked towards the section of the library that was already organized and looked around.

“You’ve done an excellent job organizing.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“Although you’ve entered the government, just think of yourself as a librarian and work that way. From now on and continuously. As you can see with Old Man Charles, the position of imperial librarian is a lifelong job.”

Only the librarian who lives in the library all day knows exactly where everything is in this vast sea of information.

So there’s rarely a reason to be dismissed.

Moreover, given the tendencies of people who choose the profession of ‘librarian,’ they’re far removed from bribes, corruption, or ambition, so they’re unlikely to cause trouble.

“Librarians are classified as lower-level civil servants, so you’ll receive a pension when you get older.”

“Ah!”

Terion’s face lit up at the word ‘pension.’

I patted Terion’s shoulder.

“By the way, I’m generous, so if you ever find someone you like, don’t hesitate to tell me. You might lose your status as a court lady, but you’ll still have your position as a librarian.”

“Thank you for your consideration…”

Terion politely clasped his hands together and bowed his head slightly. His ears turned red, but it didn’t seem to mean he had fallen for me.

Rather, it was more like… something close to embarrassment?

‘Ah, maybe he’s ashamed of being poor.’