The Sub Male Lead is Burning with Jealousy - Chapter 6 Part 12
‘Since I won’t be here on the day of the festival.’
If there had been a prince or princess, she might have sent them instead. However, neither the Emperor nor the Empress typically attended the Harvest Festival. Instead, a maiden of abundance and a knight of autumn, chosen by the Empress, would take on their roles.
This tradition reenacted a historical event from the early days of the empire, typically carried out by young nobles, and was considered a great honor, drawing much attention from the noble families.
Given that the empire had been embroiled in civil war until a few years ago, this was the first proper Harvest Festival in five years. Although there was a festival last year, it was largely symbolic, lacking the significant rituals.
Therefore, this year’s festival was on a different scale.
Now that the imperial family had an Empress, this year’s festival was also a declaration that the Imperial family was regaining its former glory and dignity.
Thus the young man and woman who would take charge of the ceremony were to receive various benefits. Anais intended to find a good match for the young lady and ensure a successful career path for the young man.
Nobles were keenly aware of this and were desperate to curry favor with Anais, knowing she had the authority to select the participants for the ceremony.
‘I thought it would be simple, but it’s becoming more troublesome.’
Anais’s conditions for selecting man and woman to participate in the harvest festival ceremony were as follows: they had to be nobles who are loyal to the emperor, between the ages of 19 and 23, and without any noticeable flaws.
Given that their path to success was guaranteed, particularly for the men, incompetence was unacceptable.
‘Some young ladies hope to become officials instead of getting married….’
If it were something she herself wanted, it could be accommodated, but it was problematic when the wishes of the parents differed from those of the young lady herself. This would inadvertently involve her in a family conflict.
“Your Majesty, the carriage is ready.”
Anais, who had been sipping tea and reviewing documents, rose from her seat. She had only been involved in the Empress’s duties for a few weeks, so it couldn’t be said that she was accustomed to the role yet.
However, Anais already felt comfortable with the work. She thought she had forgotten her past life, but handling the documents made those memories feel closer.
‘Especially with accounting and financial management….’
As a result, those around her looked at Anais with bright eyes. The imperial affairs were running more smoothly than before, which contributed to this. The previous administrator of the imperial finances had not committed any major mistakes, but his duties were slow due to his concurrent roles.
It was known that he now shed tears of joy as he left work early.
Surrounded by her guards and maids, Anais left the Empress’s palace and was about to board the carriage when she noticed a familiar silhouette.
“…Your Majesty?”
Ah. He flinched.
Rahil had tried to disguise himself in the uniform of an ordinary knight, but it was obvious. Despite his busy schedule as emperor, he often loitered around Anais whenever he had time, making it easy for her to recognize him.
As soon as she gestured at him, Rahil, who had been pretending otherwise, hesitantly approached her. The other knights looked as though they expected him to be caught.
“Why are you here? I thought you were working in the main palace.”
“Well… I heard you were going out. I was worried. Anais, you’re not in the best of health….”
She didn’t question how he got the information about her outing. Anais had not yet made the Empress’s palace entirely her own domain. Since it hadn’t been long since she became Empress, it was natural for the Emperor to have more of his people around.
Anais squinted at Rahil. His hesitant, cautious demeanor lacked confidence, despite being the Emperor.
“Do you like me that much, Your Majesty?”
She spoke arrogantly on purpose, but instead of feeling offended, Rahil’s eyes widened. She saw his eyes curve lovingly as he smiled brightly.
“Yes. I like you so much that I don’t want to be apart from you for a moment.”
‘It’s frustrating to find myself starting to like this person…’
If he had liked her with such unwavering sincerity from the start, things would have been much easier. Confirming that she wasn’t quite at the point of feeling fluttery, Anais grabbed Rahil’s sleeve.
“Then you should come with me, Your Majesty.”
Since he had disguised himself as a knight to secretly follow her, it was only right to bring him along. Rahil boarded the carriage as Anais pulled him in. His face was flushed with joy as an added bonus.
“Her Majesty, it would be best for His Majesty to change his clothes.”
“Ah.”
Rahil was dressed in the uniform of the Imperial Guard, having disguised himself as one of Anais’s escort knights. It was an outfit that stood out wherever he went. If the emperor wandered around with the empress in such attire and was seen by the nobles, they would talk about it endlessly.
Although Rahil didn’t mind, he changed his mind thinking that Anais might receive unwarranted criticism.
“I’ll change quickly and be right back. Don’t go anywhere, just wait for me!”
It was as if he was desperate, pleading as though he couldn’t bear the thought of being stood up. Even after sending him off with a promise to wait, Anais hesitated. She wondered if she should just leave because it was a hassle.
‘The fact that I’m having these thoughts, maybe His Majesty really does see things clearly.’
Waiting idly was boring. Anais entered the carriage and had someone bring her the documents she had originally planned to review inside.
What should I do once today’s work is finished?
She knew that Rahil would appear as if by magic around the time her tasks were done. He never entered her office while she was working, fearing he might disturb her, but he always showed up as she completed her last document.
Not that there was much to do once he arrived. Being within the palace grounds, they would take walks, have tea, or read books.
Of course, that was up until a few days ago. Until then, Anais had a great deal of work as Empress. Rahil had even been angry in her absence.
In the end, since she would need to know everything to take over the Empress’s duties, Anais handled it all herself rather than delegating. She did receive some help, of course.
