The atmosphere changed in an instant.
The birds chirping pleasantly and the insects chirping in unison, as if in accompaniment, died down, and a cold silence took their place.
—Thump, thump!
The heartbeat was faster than ever.
My heart, which had been pounding with excitement just a moment ago as I enjoyed the sweet love affair with my lover, was now screaming from extreme tension.
Alicia, who had screamed, was hiding behind me, trembling. I looked straight into His Majesty the Emperor's face.
"Eek! Ah, Abama…!"
"...."
Splendid golden eyes, expressionless face that showed not a single emotion. How far could he see? There was no response, and it felt even more suffocating.
If you were to ask the men of the Empire who the most difficult elder in the world to deal with, the vast majority would choose the Emperor, the supreme ruler of this land, as number one.
The second would probably be the father of my wife, that is, my father-in-law.
Alicia is not my wife yet, but she will be someday, and I am now facing the Emperor who will become my father-in-law.
Oh, my God. What a horrible hybrid.
However, I could not stay still forever just because the current situation was scary and burdensome.
'No matter what the punishment is, I have nothing to say... '
I had already prepared myself mentally. In the end, as always, my choice was to charge straight ahead.
—Kuung!
I quickly got down on one knee and, paying the utmost attention to etiquette, I recited my self-introduction.
"I greet you, Emperor, the sun of the empire. My lord Wolfgang von Schwarz, I am serving as the commander of the Black Lion Knights, albeit with my limited abilities. Glory to the sun that never sets…"
I decided that it would be better to do something than to stay still.
"Enough. This is a private meeting, so the formalities are sufficient."
Then, His Majesty, who had been staring at me blankly, raised his hand to cut me off and declared coldly to Alicia.
"You go out for a moment."
"Huh?! Abama, sleep…"
—Pfft!
With that, Alicia disappeared from that spot. It was an exercise of pure power that could not even be felt as a faint flow of mana or any kind of foreshadowing.
At the last moment, Alicia's voice was filled with deep embarrassment.
Perhaps it was her plan to make me face His Majesty. But I didn't know I would end up leaving like this.
If only Alicia could help me, it would be a great help in saving my life. Now that it was like this, there was nothing I could do.
I let out a deep sigh.
'Whew... '
That's how it was, in this beautiful garden that might become my execution ground.
I was left alone with the sun of the empire.
"Follow me."
I followed His Majesty, wrapped in tension, and arrived at a tea table located under a beautiful tree.
The fresh leaves swaying in the breeze gave me a comfortable feeling just by looking at them.
It was a sight that seemed to depict the concept of peace and rest.
The more I looked, the more I realized that this place was like paradise to me, whose hobby was walking. If the situation had been a little more relaxed, I would have been completely intoxicated by the scenery here.
"Sit down."
"I'm sorry."
I sat down with him at His Majesty's command.
Fortunately, I did not face the wrath of the sun of the empire or have my relationship with Alicia questioned.
His Majesty simply sat quietly in his seat, showing off his status as an emperor.
How much great thought must be going on beneath that expression that at first glance seemed exhausted?
Even at official audiences, there were countless knights and officers accompanying him, so how many people in the empire had ever met His Majesty one-on-one?
Even as I tried to relieve the tension by thinking about this and that, the cold silence continued.
'Damn it, should I just say something? What should I start with? Give me your daughter? No, this doesn't seem right.'
Unable to bear the suffocating awkwardness, I even had extreme thoughts.
Knock, knock.
A very small sound tickled my ears.
It was the sound of His Majesty the Emperor sitting in front of me tapping the table with an unknown expression.
Alicia certainly had that habit. She resembled her in some small way. Blood is thicker than water, I guess.
—Tta-da!
When His Majesty lightly snapped her fingers, two teacups and a teapot appeared before my eyes.
And then, I was so surprised by the action that followed that I had no choice but to hurriedly lower my head and fix the teacup with both hands.
"I will have a drink first."
"I am moved by this honor that is beyond my ability."
Tea directly poured by the sun of the empire. What could it taste like?
The icy cold air lingered around, so I thought it might be filled with ice crystals from the eternal snow, and savored it as carefully as I could.
"So, how does it taste?"
"Oh, it is very delicious."
The contents were very, very cold and delicious orange juice.
Even if I tried to awaken my senses as much as possible, I couldn't feel anything more than delicious fruit juice. His Majesty, the supreme ruler of the empire, seemed surprisingly simple in his taste for drinks.
… Now that I think about it, Alicia liked grape juice.
I wonder if there is a genetic preference for fruit juice in the royal bloodline.
"I'm glad you know. It's my favorite drink."
"Ha, haha…"
His Majesty gulped down orange juice with a tingle in his throat.
It may be a little irreverent, but honestly, he didn't look much different from any other ordinary middle-aged person.
Except for the fact that he was very tall and well-built, comparable to me, his appearance itself was ordinary.
However.
His Majesty, who emptied his large teacup and looked straight into my eyes, seemed quite different from before.
"Ha, I'm finally coming to my senses. Excuse me, I've been a bit out of sorts lately. My time to maintain my humanity is getting shorter and shorter."
Maintaining my humanity? A few doubts flashed through my mind at that very meaningful statement, but I didn't dare say them out loud.
"No. Don't worry about it."
"Sir Wolfgang, I know your name. You've accomplished many great feats since the war, with outstanding military service. No, maybe I should call you something else now. It's nice to meet you, son-in-law."
"Son-in-law. Your Majesty, I still…"
"What are you trying to hide? Alicia, that girl is so good that she couldn't stand to die. If a woman can express such intense affection, there's no need to say anything more."
However, there is a limit to how much a person can change.
His Majesty's attitude suddenly changed from that of a monarch boasting unapproachable majesty to that of a friendly uncle, which was extremely disconcerting.
While I was still tense, wondering if His Majesty was testing me in a somewhat unique way.
"I can see that expression on your face. Of course, you must be very embarrassed. But you are very lucky. No, in this case, I should be thanking you."
"I am sorry. I was lacking and did not understand Your Majesty's intentions properly."
"Well, I guess I regained my senses while worrying about what to do with you. It becomes increasingly difficult to endure when you are on the throne for a long time, but I should say that my mind became clearer as a thousand Buddhas rose inside me."
When I listened carefully, it seemed that His Majesty was suffering from some kind of mental pain due to the stress from the burden of ruling.
Is it true that the sun of the empire, who is a transcendent being and a wise god, is not a god but a human being?
Even the Master, who is a transcendent being, is no joke. I thought it would be okay to understand it in a similar context.
Of course, I should keep this fact a secret until I die.
"Honestly, just a moment ago, I wanted to tear you apart. How dare you seduce such an innocent and cute daughter who would not hurt even if you put her in your eyes. What father in the world would stay still?"
"...I'm sorry."
The truth is that I did not seduce Alicia, but rather the opposite, but if His Majesty the Emperor did, then that was the case.
This is clearly the Empire, and the will of His Majesty, the supreme ruler of the Empire, exists in a realm that transcends law and truth.
If you are dissatisfied with the strict caste system and absolute monarchy, then you can go up north and live there. But I have no desire to do that at all.
"But, Alicia seems to be really into you. And I also feel bad about your abilities. Rather than lose both my daughter's affection and a capable subject, I decided to just endure it."
"Your Majesty's generosity really makes me feel helpless."
"So, I will give you a chance."
A chance? What could it be?
Suddenly, I became a bastard who snatched away the innocent princess of the empire, and I waited breathlessly for Your Majesty's next declaration.
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