MAD - Chapter 90

“!!”

Elze gasped and sat up abruptly.

It's a dream...

As soon as she confirmed that it was a bedroom, Elze collapsed back onto the bed.

“Elze.”

A strong arm hugged Elze along with a low voice.

“Shan..."

Elze let out a sigh and called his name. Then, she buried her face in Shan’s arms, who held her tightly. A large hand slowly stroked Elze. Along with the caressing touch, a soft whisper was heard.

"It's okay..."

Shan's voice slowly subsided. Elze's heart, which had been pounding, also slowly calmed down. He held Elze in silence for a long time.

Shan confirmed that Elze was completely calm, then gently let her go. Then he looked into her face. Her purple eyes, locked in the darkness, were full of worry. He asked quietly.

“Did you have a nightmare?”

Elze paused for a moment. Then she slowly shook her head.

“No, no.”

It wasn't a nightmare. The ending was a little crazy, but when she first had the dream, she thought it was warm and soft. Rather than a nightmare, it was so comfortable that she almost missed it... It was that kind of dream.

Elze touched her earlobe with her hand for a moment. It seemed as if the voice from her dream was still ringing in her ears.

"Please fulfill your will in this life!"

The voice lingered in her mind for a moment before fading away. Elze suddenly turned her head. Her eyes fell on the object on the table next to her bed.

Wrapped in black silk, it was the diary of the founding Queen. Even in the darkness, the shape of the diary caught Elze's eye. The vivid image made Elze feel strange. She thought that perhaps the strange dream she had was related to the diary.

As Elze stared blankly at the diary, her vision suddenly darkened. She felt knuckled fingers on her eyelids. Shan had covered her eyes with his hands. He whispered softly.

“Why do you have such a serious expression?”

Elze grabbed his hand. Shan brought his face up to hers, and when their eyes met, she smiled.

“What are you doing, leaving your husband alone? Don’t worry about it alone.”

His tone was playful, but his eyes were serious. Instead of saying anything to Shan, Elze dove into his arms and hugged him tightly.

“..."

Shan seemed a little surprised. She felt his body stiffen. His stiff muscles hardened. Elze rubbed her face against his hardened chest.

Shan let out a small groan and buried his face in Elze's hair. He spoke, running his lips through her hair.

“You know me too well.”

Elze looked up at Shan.

“What?”

“What should I do to become weak-hearted?”

At Shan's words, Elze frowned slightly and muttered.

“I didn’t think about it like that...”

And she kissed Shan's lips gently. Elze smiled and whispered to Shan.

“I just wanted to hug you.”

Shan frowned. He bit Elze's lips as if he were going to pounce on her. He bit a little painfully, then licked her roughly and dug inside. After a short, strong kiss, Shan let out a single breath and spoke in a hoarse voice.

“That’s more dangerous.”

Elze smiled at Shan and asked him a question.

“So, you don’t like it?”

Shan narrowed his eyes at the fox-like smile. He smiled slowly and answered.

“...That can’t be.”

Then he held Elze in his arms and whispered softly.

“So good.”

***

After the coronation ceremony, the Targayel Empire gradually found stability after the turmoil. In the process, there were several minor incidents.

The biggest of these was the struggle between the nobles and the new Emperor.

The nobles feared Shan Kyraxus, but underestimated the young Emperor. They considered Astin a puppet, a proxy set up by Duke Kyraxus when he did not wish to be Emperor.

Among the nobles who supported Astin becoming Emperor, many agreed with the idea that no matter how smart he was, he was still young and ignorant of the world, so he could sleep around comfortably. However, it was not long before the nobles realized that this was a foolish delusion.

It was at a meeting where Duke Cirxus was not present that they first realized this fact.

That day, as soon as the nobles heard that Duke Cirxus would not attend the meeting, they cheered and sharpened their swords.

They had been planning to quickly pass the various bills that they had not been able to push through properly until now, because they had been keeping an eye on the Duke's mood. They thought that they, as veterans with decades of experience in politics, could make the young Emperor cry and snot all in five minutes.

But that was a big mistake.

“We are negotiating with Britain for a stake in the gold mine discovered in the Taoruksina Mountains. Since we have jointly invested with Britain in the development of the mine, the stake is structured as 50-50.”

Count Herpa was negotiating with Britain and receiving a considerable amount of bribes from them. He had been talking big about splitting the mine shares 50-50, but he had been unable to submit the proposal due to Duke Cirxus's concerns. Determined to get it over with quickly today, Count Herpa continued his speech.

“To start mining operations as soon as possible, we plan to conclude negotiations within this month and proceed immediately.”

Count Herpa gave a quick nod to another noble. It was a signal for him to speak on the next agenda item. However, his attempt to pass over the matter like a snake was caught by Astin.

“Wait a minute, Count.”

Astin looked straight at him and asked.

“How could you handle such an important matter between nations without reporting it to me?”

One of the nobles who had been listening interrupted and spoke up.

“Your Majesty, Count Herpa knows Britain’s culture well. Wouldn’t it be better to follow his advice?”

It was a criticism disguised as advice. The meaning of the flashy words was that if you don't know anything, don't get involved. Astin pushed up his glasses and muttered softly.

“Britain culture.”

Then he spoke to the nobleman, who had spoken with a puzzled look on his face.

“I guess you didn’t know that I studied at Aquis College in Britain.”

“...”

From then on, the atmosphere began to flow strangely. While Count Herpa's eyes were shaking anxiously, Astin spoke clearly.

“The Taoruksina Mountains are the border between Britain and Targayel, but I heard that the mines were discovered in Targayel territory. Also, Britain was active in investment and development only in the early days, and has been passive in recent times.”

Astin knew exactly what was going on. Count Herpa's eyes widened at the words that were easy to understand, and Astin dropped a bombshell.

“Make the stake 70-30.”

“!!”

Count Herpa was so surprised that he jumped up from his seat. He shouted.

“That’s ridiculous! Britain’s backlash will be fierce!”

Following Count Herpa, other nobles also shouted one after another.

“Count Herpa is right, Your Majesty!”

“Please reconsider!”

“We could end up with a mine with our friendly country, Britain!”

The nobles' actions, which seemed to be pushing him forward, made Duke Wade's beard tremble with anger. Duke Wade, who had been watching calmly until now, thought that he had to step forward. He was about to speak up to help his son-in-law, who was in trouble. Astin said calmly.

“Let’s make the first offer 70-30, but negotiate to lower it to 60-40 if Britain pays for the mining costs.”

"... Yes?"

Count Herpa responded with a dumbfounded face to Astin's words. Astin spoke to him calmly.

“To be blunt, it was discovered in Targayel, and Britain had almost completely withdrawn from the mine development. Even if Targayel monopolized the entire gold mine, Britain would have little to say.”

“...That, that.”

“But as you said, Britain is an ally. We can’t break our relationship with an ally just because of a gold mine, and we have invested money in Britain, so wouldn’t this negotiation proposal be right?”

Astin, who had finished speaking clearly, looked back at the nobles. Then, smiling a little shyly, he asked a question.

“What do you all think?”

“...”

Everyone was dumbfounded by Astin's question and just stared at each other. If anyone wanted to refute him, they would have to come up with a more logical argument than Astin, but there was no one who could. Duke Wade smiled and agreed with Astin.

“Your Majesty, that is a very wise thing to say.”

And the other nobles followed Duke Wade and agreed hesitantly. In the end, the gold mine project in the Taoruksina Mountains was decided to proceed according to Astin's suggestion.

As they were about to move on to the next agenda, Astin tilted his head and asked Count Herpa a question.

“But Count Herpa, didn’t you know about this?”

“Oh, I knew it.”

Count Herpa was embarrassed and even stammered. Of course, he knew. But he couldn't say that he had taken a bribe and pushed it forward 50-50. Astin asked Count Herpa, who didn't know what to do, with wide eyes.

“You knew?”

Then he tilted his head repeatedly and asked again with an expression that said he really didn't understand.

“Even though you knew all this, why did you continue to negotiate in a way that was disadvantageous to Targayel?”

It was a question asked purely out of curiosity, without any hint of sarcasm. Duke Wade, who had been watching, desperately coughed to hold back his laughter.

“Ahem, ahem.”

And Count Herpa was at a loss as to how to answer, and was just sweating profusely in embarrassment.

After mumbling a few excuses, he finally spoke in a croaking voice.

“I will do as Your Majesty commands...”

From then on, no one could even say a word to Astin, and the meeting proceeded quickly.

***

Astin was truly an Emperor of a strange character.

He would blush shyly and say whatever he wanted to say in a low voice. And at the same time, he would show insight based on his wealth of knowledge that would surprise even the old nobles.

If by any chance he felt that he was wrong due to his lack of experience, he would immediately accept other opinions without being unnecessarily proud.

The aristocrats of the political world were unfamiliar with Astin. However, they were gradually drawn to Astin’s gentle leadership. Even those who disliked him acknowledged Astin’s abilities.

And while Astin was pacifying the political landscape of the empire, Heyla was also doing a great job as Empress.

As Empress, she first seized control of the imperial finances. Then, with the help of Marle, the butler of the Cirxus family, she began to reorganize the imperial finances.

The reorganization plan that Heyla came up with was so meticulous and thorough that even the maids who had dedicated their lives to the palace were left speechless.

After reorganizing the finances of the Imperial Court, Heyla next turned to Imperial law. Using her expertise, she and her father, Duke Wade, overhauled the Imperial Code from beginning to end.

The new code of laws, created by gathering together the most renowned jurists and administrators in the empire and rewriting them, was named the 'Code of Targayel'.

The Targayel Code, which revised the laws that had been repeated for a long time to fit modern circumstances, was welcomed in many places. In particular, the merchant class, which had been suffering from laws that were out of touch with reality, welcomed it enthusiastically.

Heyla was different from the existing nobles and royal family, who had only unilaterally notified the people. She wanted to improve the shortcomings of the newly enacted law and opened a channel through which she could communicate directly with the people of the empire.

To the merchants, Heyla was a true revolution. They were busy praising Heyla until their mouths were dry whenever Heyla was mentioned. And when Heyla raised funds to help the poor or to send relief supplies during a famine, they rushed to donate bundles of money.

With the overwhelming support and assistance, Heyla was able to carry out her goals without any restrictions.

But as always, some did not welcome change. They looked at Heyla's actions with unkind eyes. However, Heyla's work was perfect, and there was no way to catch her. They were waiting for an opportunity, and finally came up with a trick.

It was a direct embarrassment to Heyla in social circles.

They had been waiting for Heyla to attend the party. And finally, the opportunity arose. Heyla had hosted a charity party. It was a party for the ladies and the young ladies to raise funds for the establishment of an orphanage.

On the day of the charity party, Heyla had to face the full brunt of the hostility directed at her.

“Your Majesty seems to be proactive in everything.”

The old woman laughed loudly, waving her fan.

Elze opened her eyes wide in surprise. Since Heyla was hosting a charity party, Elze also attended the party for the first time in a while to support her.

But what on earth is going on?

Even though it was unclear what Heyla had done wrong, the old lady, known for her petty temper, was openly picking on Heyla and threatening to completely devour her.

While Elze was stuck between Heyla and the old lady, the old lady made the first move.

“No matter how important the relief of the poor is, Your Majesty...”

Her gaze slowly scanned Heyla up and down, then she smiled faintly and said.

“Wouldn’t it be better for the royal family to pay a little more attention to themselves?”

As soon as the old woman finished speaking, small laughter spread through the air. She looked at Heyla with pride, like a queen bee.

Elze, who was watching from the side, felt a burning sensation inside her. The old woman's words just now meant that she should just be a good help to Heyla, and not throw useless charity parties and such.

As Elze was wondering if she should teach this old lady the bitter taste of life, Heyla opened her mouth.

"Ma'am."

Heyla looked at her quietly and asked.

“What do you mean by what you just said?”

The question was unwavering and decisive. The old lady was rather embarrassed by Heyla's attitude. She seemed to think Heyla's question was abrupt, so she got a little angry and spoke openly.

“Isn’t Your Majesty the mistress of the imperial family? I meant that you should focus on the household affairs of the imperial family first.”

Heyla responded with wide eyes.

“The royal household is also doing quite well.”

The old lady's eyes widened at Heyla's straightforward words. Accustomed to the indirect speech of the social circle, Heyla's words just now were a shock to her. Heyla continued speaking without caring about the old lady's surprise.

“Recently, we have reorganized the salary system for the royal maids. Along with the promotion system based on seniority. In addition, we are working very diligently on various palace maintenance projects, etc...”

Heyla frowned for a moment as if in trouble, then tilted her head slightly and asked.

“How about I send a report to your wife?”

“!!”

The old lady's face turned red. She glared at Heyla, but she couldn't seem to think of anything to say in return. She ended up fanning herself loudly and went to a corner of the party hall.

“Phew...”

Heyla let out a small sigh. Elze walked up to her. Heyla clung to Elze and whispered questions.

“I hope I didn’t sound too presumptuous. I just don’t know how far I should go...”

Certainly, Heyla's actions were rude. It was because she had little experience in social circles. Perhaps if she had been accustomed to the language of social circles, she would not have responded so directly. However, it was not a situation where she could just sit back and do nothing. Elze nodded slightly and said.

“It was a bit far, but...”

At Elze's words, Heyla's face turned slightly pale. Elze smiled and said to her, who was at a loss.

“Well done, Your Majesty. I feel refreshed.”

Heyla's expression brightened at Elze's compliment. Elze went even further and told Heyla how to prepare for various unfortunate incidents that could occur at a party.

“Sometimes there are ladies who try to embarrass you by spilling your drink or tripping you at a party, and when that happens...”

Heyla listened to Elze's words with sparkling eyes, and Elze gave her detailed practical training.

The charity party that day was a great success, and Heyla and Elze neatly shooed away the moths that were flying towards them during the party.

After that, rumors began to spread in social circles that the 'Empress had a different personality', and most people were unable to even think of attacking Heyla.

***

The spring breeze has passed, the muggy summer rainy season has passed, and cool autumn has arrived.

As the months passed, the Targayel Empire began to settle into something familiar rather than something new and unfamiliar.

As autumn approached, the Targayel Empire conducted joint training exercises to enhance their ability to conduct joint operations in preparation for war.

Duke Cirxus, who controls the military power of the empire, has been focusing all his efforts on strengthening and training his troops while also carrying out espionage warfare behind the scenes.

Recently, he succeeded in recruiting one of Heglatan's envoys and made him his main spy to figure out the situation within Heglatan.

Shan was most concerned about the Chimera. Fortunately, the Chimera experiments seemed to have been halted. There were no alchemists to conduct experiments, and Elze had previously invaded the Heglatan Palace and blown up all the infrastructure. However, he continued his investigation, keeping in mind the possibility that some Chimera might still be there.

While Shan was learning about the Chimera, he also carefully observed Heglatan's movements. Heglatan was also moving not much differently from Targayel. They were preparing for war.

The harbingers of war were clear, and Shan felt the need to increase his forces quickly. So he set a date for the end of the autumn harvest and held joint training.

All the knights and the imperial army participated in the joint training, and of course, the knights of Elijah also participated. Elijah had been moving alone so far, so it was their first time training with other imperial troops. The knights were secretly looking forward to seeing Elijah's skills in action.

And on the day of the joint training, the Knights of Elijah appeared before thousands of Imperial troops.

The one who drew the most attention was Elze. Standing calmly next to her husband, Duke Kyraxus, she stood out alone among the sturdy men.

The combined training targeting the entire force was led by the knights. The combined training ended before the sun set, and then mock combat training targeting the knights began.

Knights were required to command their men in battle. The training that prepared these knights for actual combat situations was mock combat training, and it was naturally much more intense than the training during the day.

The training, which began in the pitch-black darkness on the plains next to the capital, was designed to accomplish several objectives.

The first goal was to march a long distance carrying a bag the size of a small rock and reach the destination.

“Everyone, get in line!”

Under Shan's command, the knights formed a long line. The number was considerable, as the entire order of knights had gathered. The Knights of Elijah took their place at the very end of the line. When Elijah took his place at the very back, several knights murmured.

“What? You said you were such a great knight order, but you’re last in the march?”

“It looks like they’re going on a picnic.”

It was a conversation that was taking place not too far from Elze. There was no way Elze wouldn't have heard it.

"Captain..."

Ivanna glanced at Elze. But Elze shrugged and said nothing.

“Leave it alone.”

She knew why they were doing that. They thought that even though they were inferior to Elze in swordsmanship, they had the advantage in physical strength.

Tarkun beckoned to Ivanna. Ivanna got on his back as usual. Ivanna, who was weak, was going to be carried by Tarkun. Tarkun said, fixing Ivanna and carrying her.

“Don’t worry, Ivanna. They’ll wake up to reality soon.”

Raphine also just raised his eyebrows without saying anything.

Under the signal of Shan, who was at the forefront, the march began. At first, all the knights moved briskly.

However, it was not easy to travel long distances without riding a horse and carrying a heavy backpack. The march continued without an end in sight, and the heavy load and sore legs began to slow down his pace.

“Huk... Huh...”

Here and there, groans of exhaustion could be heard. After several hours, eventually, someone was left behind.

“Ugh!!”

One of the knights, who had been pushed to the back of the line and was panting, lost strength in his legs and fell down. He rolled on the ground along with his backpack. The knights around him were startled and panicked, but a slender hand reached out toward the knight.

“Get up.”

The owner of the hand was Elze. Unlike the knights who were soaked in sweat and had bad breath, she was in good spirits.

The knight who fell was the one who had been swearing at the Knights of Elijah earlier. He hesitated when he saw Elze's hand reaching out to him. Then he awkwardly grabbed Elze's hand and stood up. Elze said as she carried his backpack for him.

“Can you keep walking? I’ll carry your backpack for you.”

"Uh..."

Elze nodded her head indifferently and urged the knight, who was looking at her with a blank expression.

“What are you doing? You’re not leaving quickly.”

“...”

The knight blushed and rejoined the march. And the Knights of Elijah stood at the very back of the line, picking up the stragglers one by one as they continued their march.

"Rest!"

As soon as the order to rest was given, all the knights fell to the ground with a dying sound.

They were always accustomed to riding horses and galloping. This was their first time receiving such long-distance marching training. One by one, complaints began to erupt among the knights.

“I don’t know why I have to suffer like this when I’m going to fight on horseback anyway.”

“Isn’t this something that only infantrymen do?”

Their body were tired, so they could hear all sorts of noises. Ivanna, who was sitting a little way from the knights' horse, strained her eyes. She called out to Tarkun in a long voice.

“Tarkuun!”

Tarkun turned around in surprise at Ivanna's strange voice. Ivanna glared at the knights and spoke to Tarkun in an exaggerated voice.

“Why do they do things like marching training? I’m really curious.”

It was a question the knights wanted to hear. And the clueless Tarkun blinked and answered honestly.

“Because you need it?”

Ivanna poked Tarkun in the side with a frown. Tarkun, who realized Ivanna’s intentions belatedly, looked at Rapine with eyes asking for help.

Normally, he would have asked Elze for help, but Elze was taking a look around to check on the knights while they were resting. Rapine had no choice but to open his mouth. He spoke loudly enough for them to hear.

“No one knows what will happen in the war.”

Everyone's gaze quickly gathered at Rapine's voice. Rapine looked at Ivanna and began to explain.

“You may lose your means of transportation, or you may encounter rough terrain and be forced to travel on foot.”

Ivanna nodded happily. Rapine sighed briefly at the gazes gathered around him before continuing.

“Also, since knights have to cooperate with infantry in wartime and carry out operations, it also means that they have to experience marching themselves and pay attention to the physical strength of the infantry.”

“I thought so, Rapine?”

“Well, we’ve been through a lot of things like marching as mercenaries...”

Rapine smiled gently and looked around at the knights around him. When their eyes met, he flinched and swung his dagger at them.

“I guess the knights are very tired.”

“...”

The knights who had been grumbling at Rapine's words shut their mouths. Their eyes still looked dissatisfied, but at least they stopped saying it out loud.

While they were resting, food was provided. Most of the knights ate the food provided in a hurry. However, some knights shook their heads, saying that they were not in the mood to eat. A thin but powerful voice was heard from them as they lay on the floor.

“Eat it even if you have to force yourself to. If you don’t want to collapse.”

The one who was examining the knights was Elze. Elze checked that the knights were eating food and calmly went over them one by one.

“There! When you’re thirsty, don’t drink water all at once. Drink little by little to quench your thirst.”

The knight who was gulping down the water in the water bottle stopped. Elze passed him and approached the knight, who was groaning in pain from his feet, and spoke.

“Tighten your shoelaces and walk straighter.”

Otherwise, Elze kindly explain to him how to walk.

“If you walk with your feet dragging like that, you’ll easily get blisters, so make sure your heels touch the ground first.”

Elze, who was checking the status of each one, soon discovered a noisy group in the corner. They were people complaining about the march.

Most of them were children of high-ranking nobles, and some of them were indignant and said they would tell their fathers when the march was over. Of course, they quickly shut their mouths when Elze approached them. Elze smiled in front of them and opened her mouth.

"Ah..."

Elze tapped her lips with her finger and said.

“Be as careful with your words as possible.”

One of the knights who had been complaining the loudest just a moment ago opened his mouth blankly. Elze tapped him on the shoulder a couple of times and said,

“Besides that, there are a ton of things that will drain your energy.”

Then Elze moved to check on the others. The remaining knights became quiet. The knight whom Elze had patted on the shoulder rubbed his own shoulder with a slightly dumbfounded expression.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

When the knight next to him looked at him with an expression as if he were crazy, he spoke with a dazed face.

“How come... You don’t smell like sweat?”

"What?"

He kept rubbing his shoulders and muttering absentmindedly.

“I don’t know, it smells like sweat, but it’s so good...”

As he was muttering as if possessed, a voice suddenly interrupted.

“Isn’t Lord Erzenes beautiful?”

The knight, who had been looking around without thinking, was startled.

"Ah!"

There stood Liv, smiling like a rascal. Everyone in the room knew that Liv Cullens was under the direct command of Duke Kyraxus. Liv crossed his arms and spoke with a serious face in front of the knight, who hurriedly straightened his posture.

“I understand, I completely understand. In a place full of men like this, it’s only natural for people to turn a blind eye to someone like Sir Erzenes walking around, emitting a floral scent.”

“...”

The knight couldn't answer, just rolling his eyes here and there, wondering what was going on. Liv leaned his head in towards him. Then he lowered his voice and said.

“But you know what a loving husband His Excellency the Duke is. He would do anything to even the Emperor of Heglatan.”

The knight's face turned pale. It was famous that the Emperor of Heglatan had teased Erzenes, and the enraged Duke Cyraxus had challenged him to a duel.

According to those who witnessed it, it was just a light kiss on the palm. It was a situation that could have been easily dismissed with words, but Duke Cirxus's eyes flashed, and he immediately threw the glove away.

“If you do something that will cause unnecessary misunderstandings...”

Liv didn't say anything until the end. He just nodded his head once with a meaningful look in his eyes. The knight nodded his head vigorously, following Liv without realizing it. At that moment, the order to prepare for the march again was given.

“10 minutes left until break ends!!”

With groans here and there, they began to prepare for a busy march again. Liv also returned to her position and glanced at Elze. Liv checked diligently to see if any flies were swarming around Elze, and muttered softly, “Ugh.”

“I told you, Lord Cirxus, your worries were not unfounded...”

Our madam's charm. Liv clicked his tongue and returned to his position.

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