100CIM - Chapter 110



The study of the Grand Duke of Illeston.

The Grand Duke of Illeston glanced at the Crown Prince, who was sitting across from him and paying his respects, then looked at Simone, who was sipping her tea next to him.

“The reason I came here was to go to work-”

Illeston's eyes were questioning Simone.

You still make me go to work even though you know he's the Crown Prince?

Is he the Crown Prince?

But Simone drank her tea without saying a word, looking away from his gaze.

By the way, Simone didn't make Louis come to work. He came to work of his own accord after the imperial affairs were somewhat settled.

Simone felt wronged.

Whether he knew Simone's feelings or not, Louis took the letter out of his pocket and placed it on the table.

“I wanted to tell you this.”

Tap.

Grand Duke Illeston turned his gaze to the envelope Louis had placed on the table.

“What is this?”

“His Majesty the Emperor has invited the Grand Duke of Illeston to the castle. You are welcome to decline, but I believe this will be a great opportunity for the Illeston family.”

The Emperor wanted to commend Simone for her service in saving the Imperial family, and by extension the Empire, which was in danger in the Emperor's absence, in the name of the House of Illeston.

The very first step in that process was to reestablish contact with the Grand Duke of Illeston.

“Excuse me.”

Grand Duke Illeston opened the letter. It was an invitation handwritten by the Emperor himself.

Even though he received the invitation from the Emperor, which other nobles were desperate to receive at least once, the owner of the fallen noble house showed no reaction.

An exchange that was made possible by Simone's achievements. The royal family had completely ignored it until just recently.

Of course, as Louis said, this was a chance to revive the family, so he thought he would accept, but he wasn't very happy about it.

Louis recognized the meaning of the expression but pretended not to know and continued to relay the Emperor's words.

“He asked that Young Master Jace and Lady Simone attend together with the Grand Duke and his wife.”

"...Yes? Me?”

Yeah. We're finally starting to communicate. That's great.

Simone, who was eating a snack while vaguely listening to their conversation, stopped bringing it to her mouth in surprise.

“Me?”

“Yes. His Majesty has said that he would like you to come. In fact, even if you refuse to come, I have received an imperial order to persuade you unconditionally and obtain your consent.”

Louis had never seen the Emperor so desperately seeking someone.

'I owe her a great debt. I must thank her, Louis. She is the one who saved the empire in a quiet, shadowy place, unbeknownst to anyone. Bring her here with all your heart.'

As soon as the Emperor woke up, he told Louis about the necromancer child he saw in his dream and told him about Simone's existence.

Since then, the Emperor has been pondering over ways to compensate for the inconvenience.

'In the end, the Emperor concluded that there was no reward that he would not feel uncomfortable giving, so he sent out an invitation.'

Simone, who had no idea that this was a place where compensation was involved, simply spoke indifferently, as if she was annoyed.

“I’m going to the Imperial Palace today anyway. If you have something to say, why don’t I go see His Majesty today?”

At her words, Louis simply smiled silently, and the Grand Duke of Illeston answered on her behalf.

“His Majesty is not someone you can easily meet. Especially when he has been away for such a long time as now.”

“Yes. I’m sorry, but would you please understand? Instead, if you accept the invitation, I will treat you to a feast of delicacies that you will remember for the rest of your life.”

“Then I’ll go.”

A feast is a different story. It's worth making time to go there.

When Simone answered immediately, Louis smiled as if he had expected that and got up.

“This is all I have to convey to you from His Majesty. I will now depart for the castle with Lady Simone. Is that alright?”

“Yes, please do so.”

Grand Duke Illeston signaled for Simone to rise and returned to his desk.

“I'll be back in the evening.”

Simone greeted the Grand Duke and headed to the castle with Louis.

***

Her hair dyed a neutral shade of brown, swayed in the breeze as she entered the carriage.

Simone watched the castle getting closer and closer as Louis spoke about what the Emperor would do for the Ileston family.

“When His Majesty suggested holding a banquet, I opposed it, saying that it would be too burdensome for the Grand Duke.”

“It must be a burden. A family with a lot of fame who has entered the social world after 300 years, how much attention will be focused on them?”

“His Majesty is sometimes slow in this regard.”

Now that she think about it, she think she had a feeling that the Emperor was tactless, even in her dreams, as he kept talking to her in a rambling manner.

“His Majesty also heard that Prince Jace is preparing to enter high school late.”

“Did His Majesty hear it from the Marquis of Barrington?”

“Maybe so. That’s why he was thinking of bringing Prince Jace to the capital to help with his education.”

“Oh, I got it. I got it.”

Simone finally couldn't stand Louis's behavior of constantly giving her useless information, so she raised both hands.

“Can I ask the Grand Duke about his opinion on Prince Jace’s education, Hertin Village’s support policy, and invitations to social gatherings? Is that right?”

Only then did Louis nod in satisfaction and close his mouth.

“Simone, you are truly amazing. You immediately understood what I wanted.”

“If you give me hints like that, I can’t not notice.”

“This is why I can’t quit my job. Haha.”

Simone turned her gaze away, sticking out her tongue at Louis's shamelessness.

“If you just ask, I’ll grant you that much.”

Next time she's looking for a new employee, she'll have to find someone who's gentle, unsullied, and listens well.

Except for the demanding employees like Louis.

Louis said, looking at Simone who was getting tired.

“Instead, I will help you with anything. Anything.”

The Emperor heard how Simone had saved him.

What wouldn't he do for the benefactor of the royal family, the person who gave her all and even risked her life to save his father?

It seemed like they could grant most demands as long as they didn't sell out the country.

For example, something like this.

“If you need any of the forbidden books in the Imperial Library, my connections, or the building, I will be happy to accommodate you.”

Simone glanced at Louis.

That was originally a privilege that Abel and his group had.

The day Abel and his group saved the royal family and put an end to their journey with Louis.

These were the words spoken by Louis, who claimed to be their water maker.

Of course, the lines have been changed slightly to suit Simone, but the meaning is the same.

"Thank you."

Does it matter?

The Saint's desire which was originally supposed to be conveyed by Louis ended up being conveyed to Abel by Simone, who told Abel to receive it from Jace on the day he left the mansion.

Besides, when Abel later meets a high-ranking official, even if he didn't save the royal family, Louis would have helped him.

It's really great if she doesn't think about many things and just thinks about the benefits that will come to Simone herself.

Her connections? Let's see, the Grand Duke and his wife who give her a lot of money. The Crown Prince calls herself a benefactor. The Marquis of Barrington guarantees her living expenses until retirement.

Now Simone had nothing to fear.

Well then, let's lightly steal some banned books today.

'The forbidden books in the imperial library-'

What Louis had been secretly saying was that if there was a forbidden book she wanted from the imperial library today, just take it.

She can bring a few books from Florier's forbidden list that caught her eye and read them slowly in the mansion without anyone noticing.

Dalgrak, turuk-

Finally, the carriage arrived at the castle.

The two got out of the carriage and slowly headed toward the castle.

***

The Imperial Library, is located on the highest floor of the castle.

Simone lifted her head and looked around the library.

The library has the highest ceiling in the castle. The ceiling is made of transparent glass, reflecting the clear sky.

And books are piled up so high that it looks as if the books are reaching the sky.

'Can you take that out?'

As Simone was blankly staring at the books on the top shelf, Louis approached her and explained the layout of the library.

“The books on the top are those published at the beginning of our Luan Empire. As you go down, the history is recorded in more recent times. And over there.”

Simone's head turned to the right, following Louis' hand.

“The books there are books that record people. They mainly describe founding fathers, heroes, saints, and members of the imperial family.”

Louis naturally led Simone into the inner part of the library.

“There are books that are kept in the shadows behind the proud records of history.”

The space, which had been dazzlingly bright with its glass ceiling, suddenly became shadowy as they walked a few steps past the bookshelf at the front.

The tall bookshelves on both sides blocked the pouring sunlight, creating a dark space. And there, Simone found a pile of books she was looking for.

Louis said, stepping aside.

“This is the space where the forbidden books are stored.”



The New Series, God Bless Your Ruin is out now! You can check it HERE!


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