Yoshino looked at Makoto , who was lightly frowning in contemplation, and gave him plenty of time to think, choosing not to continue speaking for the time being.
This was her first attempt at influencing the actions of the young emperor.
During this past month, she had been working on building a foundation of trust with him, and their relationship had deepened at an unexpectedly fast pace.
And now, having found the right opportunity, she naturally did not hesitate to bring up the dark side of the Empire.
If anyone else had said this, Makoto would surely have thought it was malicious slander with hidden intentions.
But now, having gained Makoto complete trust, even though she might not hold a place in his heart as high as Honest—who had been by his side since birth—she was certainly no longer a stranger to be doubted.
His first reaction to the situation she presented was indeed one of doubt, but the fact that he did not outright deny the possibility of such a situation occurring was already telling enough.
Yoshino gaze shifted to Suzuka, who was standing not far from them, keeping watch.
As expected, although the volume of their conversation was not loud, it could not escape the notice of one of the Four Rakshasa Demons.
Her gaze was hesitant as she looked at Makoto , seemingly debating whether or not to intervene in their conversation.
Seeing this, Yoshino immediately understood that when Honest had ordered the Four Rakshasa Demons to protect Makoto , he must have also given a command: do not allow Makoto to see or hear anything that might be harmful to him.
So Yoshino chose not to continue probing deeper, and instead took the initiative to end the topic.
"Yoshino knows Makoto is a good emperor, and Minister Honest is a good minister too. But the Empire is so vast—even Makoto and Minister Honest can't possibly manage everything perfectly," Yoshinon said comfortingly. "It's normal for some places to go unnoticed. It's just something that can't be helped."
"No, there must be a way," Makoto sighed softly. "It's just that as an emperor, I'm still far from mature enough. I never imagined that villages like the ones Yoshino described could still exist in today's Empire. This is clearly my failure. It seems I must work harder."
"Mm, do your best."
Yoshinon pumped her small fists in encouragement.
However, perhaps because the topic had disrupted the mood and Makoto was shocked by the level of poverty in the village where Yoshino used to live—so much so that people could freeze or starve to death—it became difficult for him to stay excited.
And since the two of them had pretty much eaten and drunk their fill along the way, after finishing the ice cream in his hand, Makoto suggested they head home for the day.
They returned to the carriage, and under Suzuka's driving, Yoshino was first taken back to the general's mansion. Then Makoto returned to the imperial palace, his mind heavy with thoughts.
Yoshino stood at the gates of the general's mansion, watching the carriage disappear into the distance.
"The first step of the plan went smoothly."
Watching the carriage gradually vanish from view, Yoshino couldn't help but think: "The seed of doubt has already been planted in his heart. Next, I just need to carefully nurture it, and it will grow strong."
Not by joining Night Raid to incite revolution, nor by siding with the Empire to suppress rebellion, but by standing at the very center of the nation's power—quietly influencing the emperor, who held supreme authority—thus bringing about change from the inside out.
That was the plan that had flashed through her mind a month ago, when she and Esdeath entered the palace to meet the emperor and were matched up by Minister Honest.
Gaining an opportunity to interact with the emperor, in today's Empire, was harder than ascending to the heavens.
Honest firmly held his position as a favored and powerful minister, never allowing any court officials the chance to develop a personal relationship with Makoto . He also used Makoto trust in him to isolate him completely from the outside world.
But to tie Esdeath to his side, Honest willingly opened a gap, allowing Yoshino to get close to Makoto .
He truly treated Yoshino as a clueless child—and that was his biggest mistake.
Makoto was a good emperor. Though young and immature, he indeed possessed the responsibility and magnanimity befitting an emperor.
Today, the people of the Empire lived in hardship. Officials were corrupt, exploiting the common folk. But this was not something Makoto had deliberately allowed. It was all caused by Honest alone.
Because Makoto wholeheartedly believed every word and decision from Honest, the minister was able to fabricate facts and blur right and wrong, locking the emperor inside a world built from lies and schemes.
"The Empire is thriving. The people live in peace. The royal family is revered. The nobles are loyal and dutiful…"
Although these were obvious lies, Makoto believed them wholeheartedly and even took pride in them—because of his trust in Honest.
And because of this, he couldn't believe that the Revolutionary Army's goal was to overthrow tyrannical rule and save the people, nor could he accept that the nobles killed by Night Raid were actually corrupt scum.
In his eyes, whether it was the Revolutionary Army or Night Raid, they were both rebels who wanted to disrupt the Empire's peace.
Though some people had written to advise the emperor, hoping he could see the truth, every single one of them was dealt with by Honest through various means—either executed or exiled to the frontier.
The court, which should have been the emperor's eyes and ears, had already lost all purpose.
Its members were either Honest men, centrists focused on self-preservation, or utterly incompetent individuals unaware of the undercurrents.
There was no one left in the Empire who could help Makoto —
Except for Yoshino.
And trying to help Makoto see the truth? That could be said to be both difficult and simple.
All that needed to be done was to let the emperor witness the Empire's darkness with his own eyes.
Difficult—because this was a task countless loyal and virtuous ministers had tried to accomplish before. None succeeded, and many lost their lives in the process.
Simple—because Yoshino possessed an advantage that no one else in this world had.
She was the emperor's only friend.
Makoto was not a foolish person—just blinded by deceit.
What he needed was just a little guidance, and he would be able to truly see the Empire's current state.
"However… Makoto excessive trust and reliance on Honest is the biggest problem."
Yoshino touched her chin, eyes glinting with contemplation.
To directly flip the table and lay bare the Empire's darkness in front of Makoto was not really feasible.
With how much he trusted Honest, no matter what he saw, as long as Honest gave a seemingly reasonable explanation, he would believe it without hesitation.
Although Makoto trusted Yoshino greatly, there was no denying it—he trusted Honest even more.
To solve the problem at its root, Makoto had to stop trusting Honest.
But that guy was just too good at pretending. Unless someone had the ability to read minds, Makoto would never see through his act.
"Wait a minute… read minds?"
As if struck by a thought, Yoshino eyes lit up.
"Maybe… it's not entirely impossible…"