The Legend of the Reclusive Princess Zuicho of the Rikan Empire ~She Escapes From The Palace Everyday and Works as a Capable Government Official.~ - Chapter 10

At that time, Gyouga (Emperor), who had stayed behind in the Ministry of Civil Affairs, was troubled by the quiet laughter coming from next door.

“Hehehe… kuh kuh kuh…”
“Spring outing…”
“Hahaha… Ahahahaha!”
“…You’re laughing too much.”

Gyouga let out a breath, trying hard not to yell at the Minister Tousei, who was laughing so hard that it seemed fake.

Tousei’s eyes were full of tears from laughing. His brown hair was beginning to turn white, but he still had a handsome face with sharp features. Female court attendants had admired him for years. Because he always smiled, people found it challenging to guess what he was thinking. As the “Unpredictable Minister of Civil Affairs,” he was truly good at his job.

To the outside world, Tousei was just a talented subordinate. But in reality, he had been beside Gyouga since birth—like an older brother, even though they were not related by bl00d. Though they had a superior-subordinate relationship in public, in private spaces like this, they spoke freely.

“Hahaha… Whew… I’m sorry. I didn’t know His Majesty liked sweets. Next time, I’ll send sugared treats as a gift!”
“…Please don’t.”
“Ahahaha!”

Their casual talk, without any polite or fancy words, felt very comfortable to Gyouga. As a royal, born with the rare colors said to bring fortune, his daily life was full of formality and pretense. That’s why he needed moments like this, carefree conversations with people like Tousei or Saya.

Of course, he knew they shouldn’t speak like this too loudly.

Naturally, Tousei gave instructions to their subordinates.

“You all, divide these documents and go negotiate with the other ministries. Represent me well and don’t make any compromises.”

Even with that short explanation, the officials of the ministry seemed to understand everything. They stood up quickly, took the papers, bowed politely, and left the room.

The last one carefully closed the door behind them.

“…Now, even if Saya comes back, we can relax.”

Tousei gave a big smile, clearly having cleared the room on purpose. Gyouga responded with a dry smile.

“You’re a terrible boss, making them go negotiate in your place.”
“Oh? If I don’t do that, our skilled officers finish the work too fast and come back right away. His Majesty went to buy those baked sweets just for Saya… but she said it was a gift from someone else. She’s so humble… I’m speechless.”
“And yet someone was laughing like crazy!”
“Ahahaha!”

Now that they were alone, Tousei wasted no time teasing him.

Gyouga didn’t bother to hide his grumpy face.

“To think you liked her so much that you were too flexible… And now you can’t even make a move. It’s touching.”
“You mean you’re laughing so hard you’re crying?”
“Exactly. It’s quite unusual. Our unpredictable emperor has cared about one girl for five years without change.”
“It’s not like that…”

Gyouga furrowed his brows deeply. He couldn’t hide the trouble in his heart.

“Still, I’m thankful to you, Your Majesty. Because of you, I have a very reliable officer now. Letting her rot in the inner palace would’ve been such a waste.”
“I agree. When I learned that she had fled the palace and taken the civil service exam, I initially believed she was insane, but she truly understood where she belonged.”
“Your Majesty, you exerted considerable influence on Saya.” You even made me her sponsor and made up a background story, then told everyone never to ask her about it.”
“…There really isn’t much I can control freely…”

Gyouga gave a bitter smile, full of self-mockery. Tousei looked at him kindly.

“You’ve already done so much for the people. I’m proud to serve under you, Your Majesty.”
“…No…”

It wasn’t enough.

He had to build a country worthy of Saya’s efforts—or he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself.

After all, he was the one who had locked her in the inner palace.

Even though he knew that one day he would have to marry another woman as the Empress.

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