Emperor's Alternate - Chapter 27
Rustle.
The sound of flipping through paper continued to echo. It was the meticulous reading of the newly proposed political personnel reform. Lecan had already perused every draft in advance, but for the other nobles, this was likely their first encounter with the presentation. The librarian was already admiring it, but he was a speed reader.
This allowed Lecan to think in silence.
In the great hall of the mansion he used when he was in the islands, the nobles seated as if in a reenactment of an actual royal council, all of them men of great power. Though not an official assembly, their attire leaned more towards casual wear, yet upon closer inspection, it exuded a certain grandeur. The ‘neutral’ faction, which was already Lecan’s support base, now encompassed even the ‘elitist’ faction in their entirety, except for the self-proclaimed faction loyal to the Empress Regent, the ‘reformist’ faction.
‘By the looks of it, I’m the only one who recognizes Leyesha’s genius.’
It was a strange feeling. The fact that only he knew stirred a strange sense of possessiveness. He’d often felt this way before he’d seen her, but it was a fresh shock when he realized she was as pretty and young as he’d imagined. Truly, she was an ethereal beauty. Her makeup was understated, yet it accentuated her innocence without adornment.
No matter how accustomed Lecan was to beautiful women, she was so stunning as to momentarily take him aback. It was amusing. Considering the circumstances of encountering her right after the assassination of Teiles I, it was impossible to perceive her delicate appearance as that of a murderer. Her skin was pale, as if she had never been exposed to the sun, and her hands felt as smooth as someone who had never toiled. She looked more like a well-bred young woman than a palace maid. Of course, if Leyesha hadn’t dropped hints of ‘Ancient Tongue,’ Lecan would never have recognized her.
‘She’s been granted access.’
While everyone else attributed the new personnel reform to the Empress Regent or Teiles II’s mind, Lecan alone was aware of Leyesha’s prowess.
Or was he?
‘The first draft was much better.’
He was the only one who saw the drafts, for others would have seen only the revisions. If Teiles II was meticulously presented as a prodigy, the mastermind behind the scenes orchestrating it all was Leyesha. It felt like Leyesha was behind Teiles II since the beginning, so long ago that it was hard to tell when it all started.
‘I wonder if I’m just admiring a young junior.’
Strictly speaking, Leyesha wasn’t a student at the Academy. It was actually Teiles II who was attending school, and he hadn’t even graduated yet. But wasn’t it Leyesha’s skill that got him into Persi Academy in the first place?
On the day of the interview, Lecan had regarded her words as an attempt to impress the Sixth Prince, just superficial chatter. He had seen her as only proficient in magical theory, yet Leyesha displayed political prowess in the interview, just as she had claimed. She proved it with her savvy maneuvering of the personnel reorganization. It occurred to him that maybe he was arrogant to think that everything she said that day was soulless. Maybe her words weren’t falsehoods after all.
While Lecan couldn’t fully embrace her claims of living so fully…
The gaze that felt like controlling a puppet was somewhat different when we actually met.
‘Exactly what is the purpose?’
Leyesha was acting as if she had no need for recognition. If she had, she wouldn’t have relinquished all credit to Teiles II without a single hint of discontent. Always a shadowy, silent presence—seeking no honor, devoid of ostentation, unwaveringly loyal. Why?
Though the Empress Regent favored and trusted her immensely, granting her tremendous power, Leyesha’s personal ambition was not evident in the “Political Personnel Reform Proposal.”
“…Too much integrity, excessively righteous, indeed.”
As Lecan muttered absentmindedly, another noble in the hall interjected. It was the head of the ‘neutral’ faction, with a long white beard cascading below his chin.
“This might disappoint the Abel Empire.”
“Didn’t we concede all mining rights to the Mana Stone deposits to the Abel Empire? They should be pleased.”
Lecan suddenly fell silent in response. It was one of the most noticeable distinctions between the initial and revised drafts.
“It seems the jest about those who drop out of Persi Academy being the genuine prodigies might hold some truth after all, my Lord.”
The words of the librarian prompted murmurs among the nobles, each offering their own reflections.
“Dropping? Isn’t it merely due to the ascent to the throne that he couldn’t continue his studies? Would he not be honored with a diploma?”
“…Didn’t the Emperor ascend at the mere age of twenty-one? Unbelievable intelligence. Did the Empress Regent… offer advice?”
“…”
In a brief moment of eye contact, the nobles seemed to understand without speaking and redirected the conversation.
“Let’s just accept that the Emperor is a genius at the Empress’s behest.”
“Hmm…”
“Not surprising, given that he entered Persi Academy at the top of his class.”
As far as Lecan could tell, Teiles II had nothing in his head. He knew this because he’d been lurking around ever since the proxy exam, wondering if Leyesha would come disguised as the Sixth Prince.Teiles II might feign intelligence but moved more with his body than his mind. There were times when he felt the Empress Regent was more astute. Not that he’d ever say that out loud.
“A genius? If that’s genius, why was I so blatantly excluded?”
It was Benedict, who had been silent until then, who spoke up. Even without real power, he should have been given an honorary seat to acknowledge his position as the intermediary between the ‘elitist’ and the ‘neutral’ factions. However, Benedict remained the only one with no official position.
The librarian asked Benedict, “Did you, by any chance, provoke His Majesty without others noticing?”
“No? We had little contact to begin with.”
Lecan stared at Benedict and bit into his cigar. Despite the smoking ban in the hall, he paid no heed. Instinctively, the librarian lit the tobacco for him. People looked up, annoyed by the smoke, but they all relaxed when they realized it was from Lecan.
He was always the exception to the rule.
