Both Byron's subordinates and my maids withdrew.
Once they had all cleared out along with the chest of gold coins, only Byron and I remained in the room.
We sat facing each other once more.
Byron cleared his throat—and his expression shifted.
His face turned dead serious, completely shedding his previous demeanor.
"Your Highness... there is a favor I would like to ask."
"Hm? What is it?"
"It concerns Cindy."
"Has something happened to her?"
And what was with that look on his face?
I had never seen him make an expression like this before. What was going on?
"I have been looking into finding a husband for her."
"I see. If I recall, Cindy turns..."
"She will be nineteen this year."
"Right, that sounds about right."
She had been ten when we first met.
Four years older than me—come to think of it, it had already been nearly a decade since then.
"She is approaching the age of becoming an old maid. While it is wonderful that she has grown into such a sharp woman, it makes finding a suitable match rather..."
Byron gave a wry smile and let out a heavy sigh.
Cindy was a girl Byron had discovered and taken in as his adopted daughter.
Growing up sharp and capable was fine and well, but watching her risk becoming an old maid clearly gave her adoptive father mixed feelings.
"True. Nearing twenty without being married doesn't look great to the outside world."
"Indeed. Therefore... I was hoping Your Highness might introduce a prospective match."
"Me?...I see."
I understood completely.
It wasn't unusual for a lord to broker marriages for his subordinates' dependents; in fact, it was the standard expectation.
Cindy was so capable and hardworking that the thought had completely slipped my mind, but leaving things as they were would eventually reflect poorly on my own honor as well.
Byron was my subordinate, which made Cindy effectively part of my household retainers.
In other words, to Cindy, I held a role not unlike a father.
Having a daughter go unmarried past her prime was just as much of a problem for me.
"Still, though... hmm."
"Is something the matter?"
"It's a tricky situation. It would be a waste of Cindy's talent. She is easily among the most capable people serving under me. Simply giving her away to some ordinary man feels like a squandered opportunity."
"To think you hold her in such high esteem... Thank you very much, Your Highness."
If Cindy's strengths lay in managing domestic affairs, I would have taken her as my concubine.
Just like staffing the estate with eunuchs, legal wives and concubines were fundamentally kept out of public view—barred from interacting with other men.
Locking away a talent like Cindy inside the household would simply be far too wasteful.
"I will choose her partner carefully. Eventually, I intend to appoint her as a governor and entrust a corner of my fief to her. A mediocre man won't do."
"What?!"
Byron gasped, his eyes widening in shock.
"What are you so surprised about?"
"A-A governor? Wouldn't a female governor be entirely unprecedented...?"
"It might be unprecedented, but there's no rule forbidding it. There just hasn't happened to be any."
Restricting the legal wives and concubines of the Emperor and the imperial family to the company of eunuchs to keep other men away was an explicit rule, codified by the internal house law of the Imperial Household Ministry.
By contrast, the absence of women among high-ranking officials was merely a matter of circumstance.
If it was just convention, there was no reason to follow it or be bound by it.
"People are treasures. To begin with, women make up half of all imperial subjects. If we draw talent from women as well rather than just men, the pool nearly doubles. Turning a blind eye to that would be a waste."
"Truly magnificent. I had never even conceived of such a perspective."
"At any rate, leave Cindy's match to me."
"Yes, Sire! Thank you very much!"
☆
The next day, around early afternoon, a eunuch arrived without warning to summon me to the imperial palace.
I made my way to the palace and was granted an audience with His Majesty in his study.
Following the previous incident, all the eunuchs assigned to this study had been replaced with individuals whose ears and tongues had been thoroughly destroyed.
Inside the study, I dropped to one knee before His Majesty and bowed my head.
"I have answered your summons and presented myself, Your Majesty. What is your command today?"
"Welcome, Noah. Raise your head. Before I put this before the morning assembly, I wished to hear your thoughts."
"Understood... What has occurred?"
"In the west, Gyelwang of Kurge has made a move."
"What did you say?!"
The news struck me like a physical blow to the head.
Gyelwang of Kurge.
Kurge was the name of a religious order, and Gyelwang was the hereditary title borne by its supreme leader.
The mantle of Gyelwang was inherited through "reincarnation"; immediately following the death of the previous leader, a new Gyelwang was designated through a chosen sign.
The current leader was Gyelwang VI.
He was widely known to be a man of immense ambition.
"Is it a rebellion?"
"What else could it be? Furthermore, we have caught wind of moves to dispatch an envoy to Tulbaif."
"...I see."
I could feel my own expression hardening.
Tulbaif was an imperial vassal state in the west, another territory whose ongoing unrest meant a betrayal could come at any moment.
"What would you do, Noah?"
His Majesty fixed his gaze on me.
Those eyes—it felt as though he were testing me. But given the gravity of the situation, it was probably just my imagination.
I weighed my options.
"Is the intelligence on Kurge's movement reliable?"
"Yes, that much is certain. It appears the envoy has not yet set out."
His Majesty stated it definitively.
Having experienced firsthand the terrifying reach of His Majesty's eyes and ears, I had no doubt the premise was solid.
In that case...
"...We should dispatch troops immediately. Moving with lightning speed, we must crush Kurge first."
"With lightning speed, you say?"
"Yes. At the same time, we must establish a tight cordon and intercept the envoy before they ever reach Tulbaif."
"And why take that approach?"
"First and foremost, a two-front war must be avoided. If Tulbaif joins them, subjugating them will prove difficult, and the aftermath will be an ordeal. However, if the envoy never reaches them in the first place..."
"...Tulbaif can maintain the pretense that they knew nothing."
"Precisely. While Tulbaif is an issue we will eventually have to deal with, for now, we should narrow the scope of our subjugation."
"I see. Mm, I am glad I sought your counsel, Noah. Impressive, as always."
"I am humbled, Your Majesty."
It seemed my proposal had met with his approval.
"Since you are already here, Noah, will you take command?"
"Me, Sire?"
I tilted my head.
"Indeed. For the subjugation of Kurge."
"Brother Henry would be far better suited for the task."
I answered immediately.
I replied without a shred of hesitation.
"Henry? Why him?"
"Among the imperial princes, my brother is the only one who has actually commanded troops in the field. Furthermore, his knight, Rice Cake, is exceptionally skilled in tactics. Therefore, I believe my brother is the right choice."
When I finished stating my reasoning in a single breath, His Majesty stared back in open astonishment, his eyes wide.
The silence lingered for well over ten seconds before His Majesty tilted his head and pressed further.
"Have you not grown considerably stronger yourself? I hear your own knights have come along well, too."
"Ours is individual martial prowess."
Without wavering in the slightest, I held His Majesty's gaze and answered.
"I do not know if I possess the aptitude to command an army, and I have no practical experience. Taking on such a grave responsibility would be far too heavy a burden for me."
"I see..."
His Majesty murmured, lowering his gaze slightly as he stroked his white beard.
"Even among those capable in their youth, few can maintain such restraint once they obtain true power."
"?"
"Losing is winning... Practicing what one preaches is only natural, it seems."
His voice grew progressively softer, until by the end, his words were completely lost to me.
Had I said something out of line?
No, that couldn't be it.
And even if it were, it was a statement fully aligned with my own principles.
The proper course was to hold my head high and await His Majesty's judgment.
Composed and unwavering, I kept my eyes on His Majesty and waited for his next words.
After a moment, His Majesty lifted his head.
His expression was filled with profound admiration and unmistakable satisfaction.
"You truly are remarkable, Noah."
"I am deeply honored."
I had no idea what had earned me such praise, but whether it was a vial of poison for self-execution, any bestowal from His Majesty was to be accepted with reverent gratitude.
All the more so when it came to words of praise.
"Very well. I shall confer with the prime ministers along those lines. You have given sound counsel. I will continue to rely on you, Noah."
"Understood, Sire."
Seeing that His Majesty was thoroughly pleased, I decided to take it as a win for now.