I received a request for an audience from the merchant Byron Alan.
Since he asked for a private meeting rather than an official one, I decided to see him in the reception room of the detached palace.
I sat waiting in a room where the sunlight streamed in just right, making the various furnishings shine with an even greater brilliance.
Presently, guided by a maid, Byron arrived.
The moment Byron stepped into the room, he dropped to his knees before taking another step forward.
"Byron Alan. It is the utmost honor to behold the Imperial Countenance."
"That will do. Given our acquaintance, you may put yourself at ease."
"Thank you very much."
"What brings you here today—hm?"
As Byron rose and walked further into the room, a woman dressed in a gown stepped in behind him, having apparently been waiting just outside the door.
"...Oh?"
The word slipped out of my mouth.
To put it simply, she was a fine woman.
Not that she was an unrivaled beauty.
However, there was elegance and grace in her demeanor.
Moreover—it was acquired.
What I mean by natural and acquired refers to one's upbringing.
There is a slight difference between someone born into nobility, disciplined from the very moment of birth in how one ought to behave, and someone who grew up and learned to acquire those manners later in life.
It was not a question of good or bad; it was simply different.
Of course, there are some people literally born with natural grace, but that is a different story altogether.
The woman who followed Byron inside was someone who had acquired her grace later in life.
While it was not an issue of superiority, those who acquire it later inevitably have less time—fewer years and less experience—compared to those born into it.
The sole reason acquired grace sometimes appears inferior is simply due to this difference in time.
Yet despite being young, and despite having acquired it later, the woman before me carried herself with nearly flawless poise.
That—piqued my interest.
"Today, I have brought Jessica here wishing to present her to Your Majesty."
"Present her?"
"I mean to say—I would be honored if you would welcome her into Your Majesty's inner palace."
"Ah... I see."
I was reminded of Low Consort Ada, one of my father's consorts.
Ada was a woman whom I had teamed up with Byron to send into my father's inner palace, where she successfully caught his eye and became his consort.
For a merchant like Byron, having someone under his influence inside the inner palace—the imperial court—completely transformed the way he did business.
Now that Father had abdicated, Ada's influence had waned.
To compensate for that, he had brought someone to my side as well.
"Heh, to think you would bring her in person."
"I am humbled. Even if I tried to hide it, I could never conceal the truth from Your Majesty's keen eye."
"Well, given our history."
It was not about having a keen eye; we had simply teamed up to pull off the exact same scheme before.
"Very well. I accept—"
Thinking there was no reason to refuse Byron, the moment I accepted her—
―――――――――――― Name: Noah Ararat Emperor of the Empire Gender: Male Level: 17 + 1 / ∞
HP: C+B | Fire: E+S+S MP: D+C | Water: C+SSS Strength: C+S | Wind: E+C Endurance: D+C | Earth: E+C Intelligence: D+A | Light: E+B Spirit: E+C | Dark: E+B Speed: E+B Dexterity: E+C Luck: D+C ――――――――――――
The "+" modifiers on the status screen hovering in the corner of my vision increased.
And what's more—two of them went up at the exact same time.
Startled, I looked at the woman—Jessica.
A woman who, simply by becoming mine, boosted two of my status parameters at once.
She was... an exceptional talent.
"You—are no ordinary woman."
"As expected of Your Majesty, I am awestruck by your discernment. To notice in a mere instant."
"What kind of person is she?"
"All I can say—is that she is a woman of the nature Your Majesty favors."
"Ho."
I had spoken quite a bit with Byron about my preferences back when choosing Ada.
Those preferences—meaning he had chosen an ambitious woman with a drive for self-improvement.
Well, unlike Father's case, she was being presented directly to me.
It was only natural that he would select her according to my tastes.
"And furthermore."
"Furthermore?"
"Among them all, she was exceptionally outstanding in that regard."
"I see."
So she was the most hardworking of the lot.
In that case, the impression I got from her demeanor made total sense.
"Well then, I shall take my leave..."
Saying that, Byron promptly departed.
Begging "Please look favorably upon her" at a time like this would be second-rate.
I understood without him needing to say it, and hearing it would only sour the mood.
Of course, it would be a minuscule flaw, but being able to eliminate even such tiny blemishes was the mark of a first-rate merchant.
Once Byron and the maid were gone, only Jessica and I remained in the room.
I gazed at Jessica, observing her.
Tension, and excitement.
Amidst that excitement, I sensed a slight catch.
"Did you volunteer to become my consort of your own accord? Or did Byron ask it of you?"
"Allow me to answer. I went to Lord Byron myself and requested that he train me."
"Hm... Hm? You willingly sought to become my consort?"
"Yes."
"And you knocked on Byron's door on your own?"
"Yes."
Oh?
To have found that path, she must have been brimming with talent even before her training.
Just as I was growing increasingly fond of and intrigued by her—
Jessica gently extended her hand.
She held it out palm up. Something rested in her hand.
"Gold?"
"It is ten Rien."
"What of it?"
I genuinely could not read her intention.
Including my time as an imperial prince, no one had ever handed a measly ten Rien of gold to me, the Emperor.
As a matter of fact, it had never happened.
That was precisely why I could not fathom her intent.
"This is what I received the very first time I laid eyes on Your Majesty."
"Hm. Tell me more."
"When Your Majesty first met Thunder Imperial Prince, this is the ten Rien that was distributed to the bystanders."
"...I see."
To be honest, my memory was a bit hazy.
When I first met Thunder Imperial Prince Indra—Audrey's grandfather—it had taken place outdoors.
And it had drawn quite a crowd.
I remembered being acknowledged by Indra as well.
I remembered up to that point.
And on such an occasion, distributing money to the gathered commoners was something I definitely would have done.
So this was the money from back then.
"The moment I laid eyes on Your Majesty, it felt as though lightning surged through my entire body."
Jessica's atmosphere shifted entirely.
A fierce passion joined her gentleness and elegance.
"I revere you! I revere Your Majesty more than anyone else in the world! Even as a lowly handmaiden, I do not mind—please, allow me to stay by your side!"
Saying so, she clung to me with all her heart.
I understood her feelings—deeply so.
From the start, I had no intention of letting her go.
"Someone come here."
When I called out, a maid entered.
"Summon the Empress."
The maid bowed respectfully and left, and with almost no delay, Empress Audrey entered the room.
"You called for me, Your Majesty?"
"That was fast. You had already heard, hadn't you?"
"Yes. When a merchant brings a woman, as the mistress of the inner palace, I must take notice."
Audrey smiled gently.
Well, that was only natural.
"Then this will be quick. Her name is Jessica; I am making her my consort."
"—! T-Th-Th... Thank you very much!"
Jessica wept tears of gratitude.
"My, my, are you really that happy?"
At such intense joy, even Audrey seemed taken aback.
I explained Jessica's circumstances to Audrey.
How, merely from that single encounter during Indra's visit, she had sought out Byron, rigorously trained herself, and made it all the way here.
"Oh, my."
Hearing that, Audrey's eyes sparkled.
Then, turning toward Jessica, she (as the Empress) personally took Jessica's hand.
"You have quite the promise, don't you?"
"Eh...?"
"You recognized His Majesty's greatness, became completely devoted to it, and made your way here."
"—! Yes!"
"Fufu, then you are most welcome. It is a pleasure, Jessica."
"Yes, it is an honor to serve you."
"Now then, I shall have the maid prepare your quarters—"
"Ah, wait a moment."
I stopped Audrey just as she was about to take action as mistress of the inner palace.
"What is the matter?"
"Her treatment will be a little different. While I am welcoming her as a consort—I also intend to employ her as my subordinate."
"Eh?"
"Eh?"
Both Audrey and Jessica were astonished.
"You're quite skilled, aren't you? Having trained yourself to such an extent, it would be a waste for you to merely be my consort."
"Ah..."
Jessica looked down slightly, appearing delighted.
She was thrilled to be recognized—and above all, recognized by me.
"However, Your Majesty, custom dictates that those who become consorts must enter the inner palace."
"I am doing away with that. There will be more people like Jessica in the future. Half the world consists of women; there must be an abundance of talent among them. It would be a waste not to put them to use."
"I understand Your Majesty's thirst for talented personnel, but—ah!"
Audrey's eyes widened in sudden realization.
"The matter with the imperial princesses—was it for this...?"
"..."
I offered a slight smile.
"As expected of Your Majesty. To think you had planned that far ahead."
"I had been thinking about it ever since Cindy. Then the matter with Arlene rolled in. I simply realized this could kill three birds with one stone."
"Incredible, Your Majesty."
"Eh? What does that mean...?"
Audrey explained the situation to Jessica, who was struggling to follow along.
Through the incident with Arlene, I had shattered the customs surrounding imperial princesses.
It was an explicit declaration that I was an emperor who would ruthlessly overhaul even the imperial family's traditions regarding women.
Even if I were to employ my consort as my subordinate, there should hardly be any resistance at this point.
"Ah... As expected... Your Majesty is..."
Having heard the explanation, Jessica gazed at me with an even more enraptured, thoroughly devoted look in her eyes.
And Audrey, believing that any woman devoted to me was an ally, watched over Jessica with satisfaction.
☆
The next day, I summoned Henry to the gardens of the detached palace.
Henry and I were relaxing in a gazebo, while just beyond it, Shirley and Jessica were engaged in combat.
It was a mock battle with blunted weapons.
The two were fighting on equal ground.
Shirley fought with a straightforward, heavy sword style.
In contrast, Jessica exhibited a fluid, dancing swordsmanship.
The clash between their contrasting styles, combined with their matched skill, made for a beautiful sight.
"The loose-tongued are bound to make quite a fuss."
When I told him about employing Jessica as a subordinate as well, Henry remarked with complete nonchalance.
I was grateful that there was no opposition; it saved me the trouble of persuading him.
"Let those people chirp all they want."
"Why did you summon me? If it is regarding that matter, it would rather fall under Oscar's jurisdiction, would it not?"
"I want to add Jessica to the subjugation force. That is why I called you."
"The subjugation... To the very front lines, right from the start?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"I want her to gain experience."
I looked over at Jessica.
The woman who had been held in my arms last night and become Low Consort Jessica was now displaying a graceful yet ferocious sword technique that one could never imagine from her loveliness in the bedchamber.
"She is the greatest talent I've seen yet. I want her to gain all kinds of experience."
"For that purpose, sending her to the front lines, even to a grueling battlefield... In other words, you are showing reverse favoritism."
"That's the idea."
"...As expected of Your Majesty. Going that far should quiet any noise."
"I couldn't care less about the noise from the beginning... but I leave it to you. I will manage things so she doesn't die. Just place her where she can gain experience."
"Understood."
Henry said, bowing his head slightly.
Looking at Jessica, I delightfully let my imagination wander toward the future of this exceptional talent.