Royal City, Imperial Palace.
Following an imperial summons, Honest arrived at the Emperor's bedchamber and knocked lightly at the door.
However, the door wasn't locked, so he simply pushed it open and walked in.
Upon entering, he saw Emperor Makoto trying on clothes with the help of two maids.
"Oh! Minister, you're finally here."
Seeing his most trusted minister arrive, Makoto , who had been struggling to decide what to wear, lit up like he'd seen a savior. Pointing to a dozen or so casual outfits laid out on the bed, he asked, "These are all ones I personally selected with great care, but I'm still torn on which to wear today, so I'd like your opinion."
"Is Your Majesty planning to visit the General's younger sister again today?"
"That's right. Today is General Esdeath day of departure. I imagine Yoshino might feel lonely, so I thought I'd go keep her company."
"Excellent, excellent. Your Majesty is becoming more considerate and thorough by the day. Truly the mark of a wise ruler."
Honest didn't hold back his flattery. Stroking his beard with a bright smile, he continued, "Come to think of it, Your Majesty has been seeing the General's sister for over a month now, hasn't he? If Your Majesty doesn't mind, would you care to share some details with this old minister?"
"Hmm… I'd say things have been going very smoothly."
Scratching his cheek and smiling awkwardly, Makoto replied, "Yoshino, and even Yoshinon—I like them both. I really enjoy the time I spend with them. It'd be nice if they felt the same."
"Why, that's only natural. To be loved by Your Majesty is a dream every woman in the world yearns for."
Leaning in a little, Honest wore an expression of curious intrigue. "So, Your Majesty and the General's sister… how far have things progressed?"
"Eh?"
"You've kissed already, haven't you?"
"O-of course not!" the Emperor exclaimed, his face instantly flushing red. "That's way too fast! It's only been a month!"
"Yes, yes, this old minister may have been a bit too eager." Honest pressed on, "Then… you've at least held hands, right?"
"Well… not even that yet…"
Makoto scratched his head, looking embarrassed.
Though the entire court already considered Yoshino to be the de facto Empress, Makoto himself hadn't given the idea much serious thought.
He did genuinely like Yoshino.
But the truth was, during his many visits to the General's mansion over the past month, it wasn't so much an attempt to build emotional ties as it was simply… having fun.
Life in the palace was stifling. No matter how lavish, Makoto found it endlessly dull.
On most days, aside from studying and attending to court affairs, he had nothing else to do.
Finding a playmate like Yoshino had rekindled a long-suppressed childish joy in him. He had all but forgotten about marriage and engagement talks.
Hearing all this, Honest lips twitched, and he was left speechless.
All this time, to avoid putting pressure on the Emperor, he had restrained his curiosity and refrained from prying.
Besides, seeing Makoto return from the General's mansion smiling each time—while Esdeath wore a perpetually sour expression—he had naturally assumed things were progressing quickly.
But to find they hadn't even held hands yet…
Too slow. Ridiculously slow.
At this rate, Honest thought, even a tortoise would outrun their progress.
"Your Majesty, if I may be frank," Honest began with feigned solemnity, "being too gentlemanly can sometimes fail to win a lady's heart."
"Especially when the General and her sister have completely opposite personalities. If Your Majesty isn't more assertive, things will progress extremely slowly."
"Hmm… Is this your advice from personal experience, Minister?" Makoto asked, slightly starstruck. "No wonder you have so many wives. Could you teach me a thing or two?"
"Well…"
Honest coughed awkwardly and dodged the question.
Sure, he did have many wives, but he had never truly fallen in love.
His wives were either forcibly taken by him, widows of political enemies he had killed, or women who had been drugged and couldn't leave him.
Regardless of how they came to him, they were nothing more than tools to satisfy his desires.
He certainly didn't think any of that could be shared with the Emperor.
"In any case, Your Majesty, what's important now is that you take the initiative in this relationship." Honest smoothly shifted the topic.
"In every relationship, someone must take the lead. And this old minister doesn't believe the General's sister is suited to that role. That leaves it to you, Your Majesty."
"I thought I've already been taking the initiative…" Makoto mumbled, scratching his head. "I've visited the General's mansion six times this month. If I push any further, she might find me annoying."
"What I meant wasn't that you should increase the number of visits, but rather… that You should be braver."
"Braver, huh…" Makoto hesitated. "But I don't think General Esdeath would be fond of that sort of thing…"
"But isn't the General away from the Capital now, dealing with Night Raid?" Honest said with a meaningful smile.
"Now is the perfect time to advance your relationship, Your Majesty. The opportunity must not be missed."
Honest knew well that Esdeath didn't want to see her sister getting too involved with the Emperor.
Given her personality, she likely wouldn't sabotage things behind the scenes—but she remained the greatest obstacle to their relationship.
And now, that obstacle had temporarily left the scene, leaving Yoshino alone at the mansion.
This was the golden opportunity.
If Makoto could win over Yoshino while Esdeath was gone, then their marriage would be practically guaranteed.
"Hmm, you're right, Minister. This opportunity must not be missed."
After a moment of contemplation, Makoto finally made up his mind.
"Today, I will definitely hold Yoshino hand."
"Yes, Your Majesty! That's the spirit!" Honest cheered. "If you ever need more guidance from this humble minister, I will give it my utmost!"
"Minister, here's what I'm thinking." Makoto tone grew serious. "I want to take Yoshino on a walk through the outer districts of the Capital. As Emperor, I shouldn't venture into the outer city so casually—but there's nothing new or exciting left in the General's mansion, and it's hard to find a natural opportunity to hold hands there."
"Your Majesty means… a secret excursion?"
Honest fell into thought, hesitating.
Actually, even before Yoshino had entered the picture, Makoto had often brought up the idea of personally inspecting life in the outer city.
Each time, Honest had tactfully discouraged the Emperor from doing so.
The excuse was simple: after several major events and political upheavals, the royal family had withered, leaving only Makoto as the sole heir. If this one and only emperor were to encounter any mishap outside the palace and leave no offspring, the empire would fall into chaos.
Naturally, Makoto , who wholeheartedly trusted Honest, accepted this reasoning and never brought up the matter of leaving the palace again.
As for the real reason Honest didn't want Makoto to leave the palace, it was simply because he didn't want the emperor to find out what the people of the empire truly thought.
It was precisely because Makoto had been confined to the palace, detached from the everyday world, that Honest had the opportunity to deceive him, instilling his own will into him and doing as he pleased within the court.
However, this time, Makoto reason for wanting to go to the outer city was no longer to inspect the lives of the common folk, but to go on a date with Yoshino.
That made the situation quite different.
Although visiting the outer city definitely carried some degree of risk, considering the potential "gain" from a successful date, that risk was acceptable.
"In that case, Your Majesty, please enjoy your date with the General's sister without worries,"
Honest nodded without any objection.
"However, for the safety of both Your Majesty and the General's sister, please allow me to have a few of my subordinates follow you from the shadows."
An hour later, a carriage stopped in front of the General's mansion.
It was a carriage with no family crest, and there were no guards around it either. It looked just like a typical carriage used by the upper-middle class of the Imperial Capital.
However, the person sitting inside the carriage was none other than the reigning emperor, the most noble individual in the entire nation.
No one would have guessed that the emperor, who had long been confined to the palace, would make his first outing in such a low-profile manner.
According to imperial protocol, an emperor preparing to leave the palace should have the roads cleared three days in advance, with yellow silk paving the way. When he traveled, he would be escorted by the Imperial Guard, with musicians playing, showcasing the majesty befitting a sovereign.
It was said that a thousand years ago, every time the founding emperor went out, the spectacle was like a deity descending to the mortal world. Citizens would rush to catch a glimpse of the emperor's might. Even catching a glance at the edge of the ceremonial guard was considered the greatest honor of one's life.
But this time, the emperor's outing—charitably described as traveling in disguise, and less charitably as going on a date—naturally didn't warrant such a grand display.
Moreover, even if it weren't a secret trip, the ministers at court would never allow the emperor to blatantly appear in front of the people.
After all, unlike the founding emperor who was loved by the people, the current young emperor had already accumulated a great deal of public dissatisfaction.
Inside the carriage, Makoto , having removed his usual imperial robes and dressed very plainly, sat anxiously as he waited for Yoshino to arrive.
Although they had interacted several times before and their relationship had gradually become more familiar, this was still the first time he was inviting her out.
His first time leaving the palace, his first time going on a date with a girl—naturally, the emperor's mood was far from calm.
"Yah-hoo, Your Majesty, we're here~"
"Good afternoon, Your Majesty."
Yoshinon and Yoshino voices sounded from outside the carriage.
As the door opened, with the help of the General's mansion's maid acting as the carriage driver, Yoshino stepped onto the footboard and entered the carriage.
Seeing her arrive, the emperor nervously rubbed his hands together, took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself down.
"Good afternoon, Yoshino, and you too, Yoshinon," the emperor said with a smile. "Today, I'd like to take you on a casual tour of the capital in disguise—what do you think?"
"Oh! That sounds amazing!" Yoshinon said excitedly. "Did Your Majesty finally get permission from the ministers? We've been waiting for this day for so long!"
"Although I know you mentioned wanting to tour the capital about half a month ago, at the time General Esdeath was still around, and I didn't think she'd agree." Makoto gave a slightly awkward cough. "Today, the General has gone off to suppress Night Raid, so I saw an opportunity. Sorry for keeping you waiting."
"P-please don't worry about it," Yoshino shook her head. "Miss Esdeath is just overly protective because she cares too much about me. Please don't be angry, Your Majesty."
"No, no, of course I'm not angry at the General. After all, you're her last remaining family. I can understand how she feels," Makoto grinned. "If my imperial father and mother were still alive, I imagine they'd be overly protective too—afraid that I'd associate with the wrong kind of girl."
"Mmm~ sounds like Your Majesty had wonderful parents."
"Of course. Even though I was the most unremarkable child among the previous heirs, my father and mother still gave me love no less than they gave my older brothers and sisters."
Whenever he spoke of the previous emperor and empress, the current emperor's face would always unconsciously reveal a mixture of pride and sorrow.
But when it came to matters regarding his parents, he always glossed over them with only a few sentences, unwilling to say much.
Which was understandable.
After all, even though he was the emperor, at heart he was still just a child who had lost the beloved parents he looked up to at an early age. The grief he bore could not have been light.
"Alright, let's not dwell on that. Let's talk about where we should go next."
Makoto pulled the bell string inside the carriage, signaling the driver not to remain stopped.
With that, the carriage began smoothly rolling along the cobbled roads of the inner city.
The three of them excitedly chatted in the carriage, discussing where they should go later.
The capital was enormous—there was no city on this continent larger than the Imperial Capital.
With its thousand-year history and the fusion of countless ethnicities, the city had a seemingly endless array of places for food, fun, and leisure.
For someone who had never visited the capital before, it would take a great deal of wealth and several months of time to fully explore all the worthwhile places here.
However, since today's outing was a date, and not just casual sightseeing, the venues suitable for a romantic atmosphere were much fewer.
"Does Your Majesty know of any good places to go?" Yoshinon asked. "Like, maybe some mysterious secret spots that only the emperor would know about? Just thinking about it sounds super fun!"
"Hm... I'm not quite sure," Makoto answered after thinking for a moment. "Places only the emperor would know... other than the palace's emergency escape routes, there's only the royal family's hidden treasure vaults, I suppose?"
The royal family's secret treasure vaults?
Yoshino eyebrows instinctively twitched, and words of agreement nearly slipped out of her mouth—but she held them back at the last second.
Although she was very interested in the secret treasure vaults of the royal family—there might even be many hidden imperial arms inside—she couldn't bring it up so bluntly due to her character persona.
"Doesn't seem very suitable for sightseeing. Let's leave that for another time."
Yoshinon spoke up on her behalf.
"For today, let's just find a fun place to relax and enjoy ourselves!"