"Angus Bull. I am exceedingly honored to gaze upon Your Imperial Majesty's countenance."
The audience hall was a formal venue, flanked by imperial princes and ministers, heavily guarded by rows of soldiers.
There, a young general sank to one knee, offering me a greeting in accordance with formal court etiquette as I sat upon the throne.
"Raise your head."
"Understood."
"Someone bring a seat for Lord Bull."
At my command, an attendant eunuch brought over a chair.
Seeing this, Angus rose, only to drop hastily to his knees once more.
"I—I am unworthy of such an honor."
"Enough. You and I are kin. In an ordinary family, I would be addressing you as my elder brother. Furthermore, you have distinguished yourself in battle. Sit without reservation."
"Yes, Sire. I am profoundly grateful."
Still visibly humbled, Angus offered another bow before rising and sitting hesitantly on the edge of the seat.
Angus Bull.
The husband of the Fourteenth Princess, Arlene.
Though born a commoner, he had piled up countless military merits, earning the right to marry Princess Arlene during the reign of the previous emperor.
Without growing arrogant over his status as a quasi-imperial family member by marriage, he was an earnest, straightforward warrior who continued to fight on the frontiers just as he always had.
I had harbored a rather favorable impression of him for some time.
"I received the report from the Fourth Imperial Prince. It seems you have been handling Tulbaif quite well these past few years."
"I am unworthy of such excessive praise. The benevolence of drawing a stipend from the Empire and receiving Her Highness the Princess as my wife is a debt I could never repay in three lifetimes. I merely spend my days and nights giving my utmost."
"I heard that just recently, you struck down in single combat a disposable pawn sent by Tulbaif under the guise of a rebellion."
"Yes, Sire. Blessed by favorable circumstances, I was able to resolve it with minimal casualties among my troops."
Through this brief exchange, I grasped the general measure of his character.
No matter how much we spoke here, we would likely get nothing beyond superficial pleasantries.
He was a man who thoroughly understood court decorum and public propriety.
While that was commendable in its own right, it was a bit dull.
"To have won in single combat means you are confident in your skills. Show me that prowess."
"Yes, Sire, if it is your command—wait, what?"
Angus, who had started to nod, widened his eyes in astonishment.
Murmurs rippled through the other imperial princes and ministers as well.
I had risen briskly from the throne and drawn the Magic Sword Leviathan.
"Y-Your Majesty! That is dangerous!"
Stepping forward from the ranks, the Sixth Imperial Prince, Syrias Ararat, spoke in admonishment.
Among my dozen-plus brothers, he was the most upright man of all.
Put generously, he was upright; put harshly, Syrias was dead-serious to a fault. He tried to stop me with an entirely straight face.
"Rest easy. I will not harm anyone."
"B-But—"
Syrias gasped before he could finish his sentence.
Most of the ministers shrank back in terror, and a few even foamed at the mouth and fainted.
"Do not be rash, Leviathan. Syrias acts only out of goodwill."
(Understood.)
Leviathan withdrew reluctantly—or rather, looking somewhat sulky.
Just because Syrias had tried to object, she had completely lost her temper.
Her murderous intent had leaked out, overwhelming all the imperial princes and ministers in attendance.
Even after awakening, she was still a mad dog—if anything, she had gotten worse.
"So that is the Magic Sword Leviathan..."
"I—I thought I was going to die..."
"To control that completely... as expected of His Majesty."
I felt as though she flew into rages more often these days, but since my word was absolute and she obeyed it, there was no real issue.
Setting that aside.
"Draw, Angus. I shall be your opponent."
I stepped down from the throne and approached him.
"Understood."
Seeing things had progressed this far, Angus bowed, accepted the sword brought over by a eunuch—since generals were customarily disarmed during audiences—and drew the blade.
"Here I come."
Taking the initiative, I swung at him.
Since this was not meant to kill, I naturally held back.
I unleashed sword techniques simply to test his skill.
"Ho..."
(How insolent—)
"Hold."
(...Understood.)
Leviathan looked sulky yet again, but as if recognizing my orders were absolute, she withdrew completely this time.
What Leviathan had reacted to was Angus's conduct.
His movements made it painfully obvious that he was concealing his true strength, deliberately trying to make me look good.
Leviathan had interpreted that as him looking down on me.
However, I saw it a bit differently.
After trading a series of strikes, I lowered Leviathan.
Angus, who had not been fighting seriously either, naturally stopped right there and sheathed his sword.
"I see. I have the general idea now."
"Pardon?"
"You were skillfully guiding me, trying to let me win, were you not?"
"I—I am deeply sorry!"
Angus dropped his sword and prostrated himself on the spot.
"It is fine, I am not blaming you. Rather, I find it quite reassuring."
"Pardon?"
"Your movements just now convinced me. In that duel of yours, you were the one who orchestrated the situation so the enemy had no choice but to accept, were you not?"
"..."
His jaw dropped.
Angus was left utterly speechless. The surrounding ministers began to buzz.
"Heh. If I were merely an imperial prince, it might have been amusing to serve as your general and follow your tactical lead."
"I—I am unworthy of such praise."
"What was that about just now?"
"I cannot say for certain, but it seems Lord Bull was scheming something, and His Majesty saw right through it effortlessly."
"I see. As expected of His Majesty."
"I have taken a liking to you. I shall reward you. Is there anything you desire?"
I sheathed Leviathan and returned to the throne.
From this point on, imperial conduct was required.
After hesitating for a moment, Angus spoke.
"...I speak knowing this may be insolent."
"Speak. I am offering a reward. What is it you want?"
"That I may be permitted to see Lady Arlene more often."
As Angus said this, he looked directly at me with a straightforward—almost challenging—gaze.
To see Arlene—his wife—more often?
For a moment, I wondered what he meant.
The reason I did not understand right away was that it was a circumstance unique to imperial princesses.
Having lived as an imperial prince, it was completely foreign to me, so it took several seconds to comprehend.
"What? Is that sort of corrupt custom still prevailing?"
"N-No. It is only natural that—"
Angus grew flustered.
I cut him off.
"Heh, there is no need to panic. I too considered it a corrupt custom. I simply put it on the back burner because it was not something that shook the foundations of the state."
"Th-Then—"
A glimmer of hope appeared in Angus's eyes.
"I will see to it that things improve. Once the preparations are made, I shall summon you."
"—! Thank you very much!"
"What was that all about, Your Majesty?"
After dismissing the audience hall and returning to the study, Don, who had followed me, asked.
"Do you mean Angus?"
"Yes."
"Well, unless you know the actual circumstances, a princess marrying down probably looks like nothing more than a man striking it rich."
"Indeed. Among the common people, it is treated with envy and viewed as a romantic tale."
I supposed it would be.
After all, it was a marriage between a commoner and an imperial princess.
It was one of the classic paths to rising in the world, full of dreams.
And if it was not a political marriage, but rather born out of mutual love—it became the ultimate heartwarming story.
"All right, let me show you reality. Come with me."
Though we had just entered the study, I took Don back outside.
We boarded a carriage, and I gave our destination.
Before long, we arrived at an estate located in a high-class residential district of the capital.
Learning of the Emperor's visit, the estate gatekeepers hastily opened the main gates and ushered the carriage inside.
"Where is this...?"
"This is the estate of Arlene, the Fourteenth Imperial Princess."
"I see. But this is quite a strange estate."
"Oh?"
"Right next to the main residence... there is a smaller mansion. Come to think of it, I often see this style around here..."
"That over there is Angus's mansion."
"Pardon?"
Don wore an expression that plainly said, I cannot believe what I am hearing.
"Wh-What do you mean by that?"
"It means exactly what I said. The massive one is Arlene's estate, and the small one is Angus's mansion."
"W-Why?"
"When an imperial princess and a commoner marry, they are husband and wife, yet at the same time, master and servant. A corrupt custom prevails dictating that the husband's dwelling must never surpass that of the princess."
"No... surely not. Even just meeting each other is..."
Don asked timidly.
The man I had elevated to Prime Minister was sharp.
He grasped the situation in an instant.
"That is precisely it."
I gave a faint smile.
The carriage stopped, and I leaped out.
Having caught wind of the Emperor's arrival, an older woman emerged from inside the mansion looking flustered.
She knelt before me.
"Not knowing of Your Majesty's arrival, I have committed a grave discourtesy—"
"Enough. I came on a whim. None of you are at fault."
"Th-Thank you very much."
After gesturing for the woman to stand, I spoke.
"Are you the head maid?"
"Yes. I am called Cassandra."
"How are Arlene and Angus doing?"
"Thank you for your concern. The relationship between the two is exceptionally harmonious. They manage without tainting their respective social standings."
"Social standings...?"
Don, standing nearby, muttered in disbelief.
He did not know, but I was well aware of the internal affairs.
Leading Cassandra and Don along, I entered the mansion to head for the reception room where Arlene was likely waiting.
"How often are their visits?"
"Once a week, Sire."
"And their nights together?"
"Once every two months."
"That is scarce."
Even by my knowledge, it was shockingly rare.
"Yes. Her Imperial Highness has suggested once a month for the sake of an heir, but considering Lord Bull's standing, I deemed once every two months to be the best course."
"..."
I glanced at Don.
I could see he was growing increasingly at a loss for words.
Although Don had served the imperial family before serving me, his previous master had also been an imperial prince.
He probably had no idea about the darker customs surrounding imperial princesses.
Talking in a way that let Don hear, I was guided to the reception room.
Inside were the princess and her maids.
Fourteenth Imperial Princess Arlene.
She was an older sister four years my senior, and when we were children, we had played together in the imperial palace gardens.
"Your Majesty's presence brings me great—"
"Stop. Sister, there is no need for such formalities between you and me."
For the sake of what was to come, I behaved not as the Emperor, but as a younger brother.
This was another difference between imperial princes and imperial princesses.
With imperial princes, one wrong move could lead to talk of usurping the throne, so I had to maintain my demeanor as the Emperor; however, with imperial princesses, where there was no such concern, I could drop my guard considerably.
Arlene was slightly surprised, but she soon smiled gently.
"You are right. I will take you up on that. It is the privilege of an imperial princess, after all."
"Speaking of that princess privilege, I came to ask you something, Sister."
"What is it?"
"Do you love Angus? Frankly speaking, as a married couple."
"Wh-What are you—"
"Angus asked to see you more often as his reward for military merits."
"That man... how insolent."
When Cassandra muttered that, Arlene cast her eyes down sorrowfully.
"Who do you think you are?"
"Pardon?"
Glaring over my shoulder at Cassandra, I pressed her.
"I am speaking with the princess. To interrupt us... who on earth do you think you are?"
"I—I am deeply sorry!"
Cassandra went pale, prostrating herself and repeatedly slamming her head against the floor like a bobbing grasshopper.
Ignoring Cassandra, I turned back toward Arlene.
"Well, Sister? Do you love Angus? I am asking this not as the Emperor, but as your brother."
"...Yes, very much so. He is kind, strong, and he loves me... Can you believe it?"
Arlene gave a soft chuckle.
"In that mansion over there, he does not have a single concubine."
"Hey now, is that true?"
"It should be impossible, right?"
When an imperial princess married a commoner, their residences were separated, they were treated as master and servant, and they could barely even meet properly.
However, even if he was originally a commoner, marrying a princess made him a quasi-imperial family member.
Taking concubines was standard practice.
Furthermore, for a princess to show jealousy over that was considered exceedingly unsightly.
The reasoning—which seemed to make sense yet made no sense at all—was: How could a master be jealous of a servant?
"Does he really have none?"
"Not a single one... He is a fool, isn't he?"
Though she said that, Arlene looked delighted.
"All right, I understand how you feel, Sister. Now then, what to do... Granting Angus a peerage would be simple, but—"
"No. That would wound a man's pride."
"True. Stripping you of your imperial status would be just as bad."
After turning it over in my mind, I spoke.
"To begin with, this corrupt custom is absurd. I will ban it by law. As for the legislation—Fourth Prime Minister."
"Through formal procedures, it will take about two weeks. By Your Majesty's authority, it can take effect immediately as a pre-legislative test case."
Don answered without missing a beat.
From the moment I glared at Cassandra, he must have thoroughly understood what I wanted to do and thought it through.
"Good, then let us do that. Cassandra."
"Y-Yes!"
"Starting today, you are forbidden from ever mentioning matters regarding social standing between my sister and her husband. If you violate this, you shall be beheaded immediately."
"Y-Yeees!"
Cassandra's voice squeaked. That should be enough of a threat on this end.
"A splendid judgment, as expected of Your Majesty."
"Thank you... Noah."
With that, I thought the matter regarding Arlene was settled—or so I believed.
That night, an unexpected guest arrived.
The First Imperial Princess, Rain Ararat.