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 18

“—So. Why do you still smell like moss today?”

“…I wonder why myself…”

As usual, they were in the Ministry of Civil Affairs’ office.

The Emperor, having pulled a chair over to sit next to Saya as she worked through documents with a brush in hand, grabbed one of her braids and frowned.

“Go home and take a bath. If you stay damp like this, you’ll catch a cold.”

“I appreciate your concern, Your Majesty.”

Saya replied crisply without even lifting her eyes from the documents.
The man was clearly a little annoyed by her rude answer and played with her hair in a disgruntled manner.

Still, his touch was surprisingly gentle. At least, it didn’t feel like he intended to pull on her hair.
So Saya let him do as he pleased while continuing to process the papers without slowing her pace.

“…If you still smell like moss tomorrow, I’ll issue an imperial decree commanding you to bathe…”

“What are you even saying? Please don’t use an imperial edict for something so embarrassing.”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t go around looking like this?”

“Why are you displaying such arrogance regarding this matter?”

She thought, If anyone should be embarrassed about issuing an imperial order for something like that, it’s you, Your Majesty…
But honestly, Saya herself wasn’t sure if she’d come out unscathed tomorrow either.

(I can’t believe I got doused with moss water again two days in a row by Lady Hiryo of Yoryo…)

She had apparently stumbled upon something awkward yesterday. The court lady’s face had turned pale, and Lady Hiryo had glared at her like thunder, accusing her of eavesdropping.

In the end, they even splashed her with water from the garden pond using a ladle meant for feeding the koi.

Well, Saya had been sneaking through a secluded path to avoid attention on her way to work at the ministry.
True, bumping into someone in such an out-of-the-way spot did look suspicious.

(Still, dumping water on me seems a bit much… It doesn’t dry easily, and it’s really cold. Honestly… that girl is scary…)

Despite her cute appearance, Lady Hiryo had a razor-sharp, fierce personality.

(A textbook spoiled, sheltered noble daughter, huh? The type we’ve never really had in the harem until now.)

Most of the women here had been rigorously groomed from birth to enter the inner palace, taught to maintain poise and composure.
It was rare to see someone like Lady Hiryo, who would so easily throw a tantrum and lash out physically.
…Saya figured that things might be different in their private quarters.

And yet, this girl was now being whispered about as the frontrunner in the competition for the Emperor’s favor.
Just thinking about it gave Saya a headache.

(And it’s all because of this man sitting next to me, grumpily playing with my hair.)

…Perhaps her thoughts showed on her face, because the Emperor, sensing her chilly aura as she furiously wrote numbers on the documents, sighed as if admitting defeat and changed the subject.

“You never cease to amaze me… Your ability to crunch numbers at such terrifying speed is truly astounding. Just what kind of abacus do you have in that head of yours?”

“It’s nothing… I’m simply good at mental math.”

Even as she replied, her hand didn’t stop moving, jotting down figures smoothly.

After all, while the numbers were large, the calculations themselves were simple.
For Saya, who had excelled at flash mental math since childhood, this was no big deal.

…Until her hand suddenly froze.

“…Another deficit? Is the Ministry of Works  of Works (Engineering) mocking us or what…”

Her low mutter sent a chill through the entire room.

Ah, looks like she’s switched into a battle mode…
That was probably the unspoken thought shared by everyone in the Ministry of Civil Affairs just then.