Late at night, the pavilion tent was filled with a cloyingly sweet scent.
It was a nocturnal fragrance crafted to draw out a woman's charms to their utmost while stoking a man's passions.
Refined into incense, its burning aroma hung thick in the air of the pavilion.
Surrounded by that heady perfume, I was alone with Alice.
Alice stayed devotedly at my side, fussing over me almost like a wife.
She quickly moved to refill the glass I had just emptied, but—
"Ah! I-I'm so sorry!!"
Poured with clumsy, trembling hands, the liquor sloshed over the rim and splashed onto my thigh.
Flustered, Alice set the bottle down, grabbed a cloth, and hurried to wipe away the spill.
Holding my glass, I simply let her do as she pleased.
"I am truly sorry! I'll pour it properly next time."
"Do not pay it any mind. I do not care."
"B-But—"
"If anything, it puts me somewhat at ease."
When I chuckled, Alice looked at me with wide, bewildered eyes.
Her face practically asked what part of her blunder could possibly be reassuring.
"For a songstress like you, entertaining guests would normally be part of the trade. Everything necessary for that is learned step-by-step through practical experience."
"Um, yes."
"Yet you have never learned it. That is because you never had that 'practical experience.'"
"Yes... It is all thanks to Your Majesty's gracious protection..."
Alice lowered her gaze slightly, then looked up at me with hesitation.
A profound gratitude shone in her eyes.
Indeed, women in her position walked a paper-thin line from becoming mere prostitutes.
There was no question that singing in teahouses—being a so-called songstress—was an art in its own right.
However, when a woman possessed both talent and beauty, catching the eye of men with wealth, power, or both was practically unavoidable.
And ninety-nine percent of the time, those men approached for the purely primal desire to bed her.
It was neither good nor bad; that was simply the reality of the world, and it was something that would never change as long as men remained men.
Alice, however, had been spared that fate.
I had taken notice of her and backed her financially before she ever made a name for herself.
First as the Thirteenth Imperial Prince, then as the Wise Imperial Prince, and now as the Emperor of the Empire.
No one in the imperial capital was reckless enough to lay a hand on someone who belonged to me.
As a result, Alice had never needed to perform that sort of "work," leaving her entirely without the skills it required.
"I am well aware of that, which is why I do not mind."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will learn right away, so—"
"No, there is no need."
"Pardon?"
"You have no need to learn such things. I may be having you play the part for now, but once this expedition is over, you can forget it all."
"But..."
"What do you think of this sword?"
As I spoke, I drew the blade resting beside me.
It was not Leviathan; an emperor was constantly surrounded by various ornamental pieces, and this blade was merely one of them.
Both its hilt and scabbard were adorned with gaudy embellishments, rendering it an ostentatious ceremonial weapon with virtually no practical utility.
Baring the steel, I held it out for Alice to see.
"Um... It's a magnificent sword, right?"
"Indeed. How would you feel about using it to fillet fish or slice radishes?"
"What?! Oh, that would be far too wasteful!"
"That is precisely my point."
"............Ah."
After a dozen seconds of blank confusion, a spark of realization lit Alice's face.
She finally understood that I was comparing the sword to her—telling her it would be a waste to have her act like a courtesan selling her body.
"Your Majesty..."
"I do not flatter you. You are the one who stirred the hearts of that massive crowd on Vanadin Avenue. I want you to keep singing without dirtying your hands with such trivialities."
"Your Majesty... overestimates me far too much."
"Is that so? I thought I might still be underestimating you, even now."
"That can't be..."
"If you truly believe I overestimate you, then you need only strive to live up to that estimate."
"Yes... I will do my best."
"Good."
"You truly are an incredible person, Your Majesty..."
I merely offered a faint, gentle smile.
Despite my words, Alice poured me another drink with a deeply moved expression.
Her attentiveness served our current facade, and since there was no reason to stop her, I let her continue.
"Even so..."
"Hmm?"
"You certainly hold your liquor well, Your Majesty."
"Ah... that is a bit of a trick."
"Pardon?"
"Apophis neutralizes the alcohol as quickly as I drink it."
"Apo... phis...?"
Alice tilted her head in confusion.
"It is like a spirit that serves me."
"I-I see."
"It purifies the alcohol the moment it enters my system. As long as it does that, no matter how much I drink, I will never get drunk."
"Incredible... You can even do something like that?"
"I need the appearance of having drunk enough to be dead drunk, but being genuinely incapacitated would defeat the purpose."
I chuckled softly.
To play the part of an incompetent, useless ruler, I kept Alice by my side and drank heavily.
I was overtly playing the role of a monarch thoroughly lost in wine and women.
All of this was for the sake of landing that crucial first strike.
"Hmm?"
"Is something the matter?"
"It sounds rather noisy outside."
"I will go check."
With that, Alice rose to her feet.
She walked over to the entrance of the pavilion, leaned out, and spoke quietly to the guards outside.
After a moment, she accepted an object and brought it over to me.
"Your Majesty, an urgent dispatch from the magistrate of Ducel."
With those words, Alice presented what she carried.
It was a box.
"Ah, Huwawa's Box."
"Huwawa's... Box?"
"It is a securely locked coffer that only I can open. It is reserved for conveying matters of utmost importance."
"To think such a thing exists..."
"If it comes from Ducel, it must be from Zoe. You know of Zoe, do you not?"
"Huh? Ah, yes. I have seen her by Your Majesty's side on several occasions."
"Indeed. She is currently serving as the magistrate of Ducel."
"I-I see..."
Perhaps finding it unusual for a woman to hold the post of magistrate, Alice wore a faintly bewildered expression.
Taking the box from her, I unlocked it.
Channeling Huwawa's residual power, the box blossomed open smoothly—unfolding like petals from a bud.
Inside lay a neatly folded letter.
I picked it up and read through it carefully.
"............Hmph."
"Did something happen?"
Having remained quietly considerate while I was reading, Alice spoke up only after hearing my murmur.
"Yes, it seems Ducel has suffered severe flood damage."
"A flood?"
"Zoe tried to preserve the land so opportunistic merchants wouldn't buy it all up, just as I once did. But she ran short on funds, so she has come crying to me for help."
"Ah..."
"Do you understand why merchants swarm after a flood?"
"Yes... I hear about such things... quite often."
"Indeed."
I gave a small nod.
It was a familiar tale.
In the wake of a flood, merchants would rush in to snap up damaged land for virtually next to nothing. It was an all-too-common tragedy.
Zoe was trying to stop them, just as I had done in the past.
"What will you do?"
"Let's see... This will require a two-stage approach."
"A two-stage... approach?"
"Yes. I have managed land preservation before, and Zoe witnessed how it was done. First, I will order Oscar in the capital to allocate the necessary funds. With the money in hand, Zoe has the experience to handle the rest."
"That is the first stage, then. What about the second?"
"Reconstruction, naturally. Seed grain, farming tools, and draft animals. We will make arrangements so these can be provided free of charge around next spring. It might also be wise to ban any debts incurred through seed grain for the first year."
"Free of charge?"
"Floods leave behind fertile silt, but by then, most commoners have no money left to make use of it. That is another reason the merchants swarm. We will supply the seed, tools, and livestock so the people can cultivate that fertile soil immediately."
"So they will be able to sustain themselves!"
Alice's eyes shone with deep admiration.
"That is part of it."
"Only part...?"
"I intend to provide relief, but merely filling their bellies is not enough. People cannot go on living without hope. Giving them free seed grain and tools will provide the hope they need to rebuild their lives."
"Incredible... To think you have considered it in such depth..."
Alice gazed at me, her eyes filled with even greater reverence.