TESE Episode 7
Two Empires, The Slave of the Empire (TESE)
7.
"I see that it's not a Cordian-style painting since it's not a direct representation of reality... and judging by the way the shadows are handled, is it from the Gasparian series? Was it the master Gaspar himself who painted the picture hanging above the Emperor's bed?"
I fell into deep agony as I stared at the picture of an apple hanging on the wall. However, I soon sighed and turned away. The creaking sound of the shackles irritated my nerves, so I collapsed on the sofa.
It's the sixth day, or is it the seventh day? I ended up being stuck in Giscard's bedroom.
Despite having an abundance of food, clothing, and entertainment, I couldn't take a single step out of this room. And when night fell, Giscard returned from his duties, and inevitably, the same thing happened again!
As this pattern repeated for several days, it felt like my brain was becoming numb. I was seriously wondering if Giscard was doing this on purpose.
"Haa...!"
Lost in unnecessary thoughts, I impulsively pulled the cord hanging by the bedside. Whenever I needed something, pulling this cord would summon the maids serving in the Imperial Palace, and they would attend to my needs. This time, a maid came in gracefully and greeted me politely.
"What do you need?"
"British 122 year old alcohol. Do you have any in storage?"
The maid raised her eyebrows in disbelief. It was as if she had heard some nonsensical rambling. She answered, barely hiding her agitation, and returned to her composed demeanor as a maid in the imperial court.
"It’s a liquor that’s hard to find."
"So, you're saying it's not available? it's unthinkable that the Emperor's wine cellar would be lacking."
"It's a fruit wine that's hard to even mention as an Anjou, and since there's no demand for it, we haven't stocked it."
"What about Britain 150 vintage?"
Of course, that was also an incredibly rare wine. It was so scarce that no matter how much money you offered, you couldn't find it. Since no one enjoys drinking Ancol liquor and it is probably just an assortment, There probably were only one or two bottles in the Imperial Palace, if at all, just for show.
The maid's agony was clearly visible in her eyes. It must have been bitter to give such precious wine to a slave like me. She answered with great hesitation.
"We... have it..."
"Bring it."
The maid bowed and retreated. Soon, a 150-year-old British Ancol wine was placed in front of me. The maid couldn't shake off her reluctance and turned back twice before leaving the room.
This is rather amusing. I chuckled and poured myself a glass, only filling it slightly to cover the bottom. There was almost no alcohol and only the sweetness remained in my mouth. In the past, whenever I wanted to drink, I would occasionally have Ancol wine. I hated being drunk. I couldn't predict who might stab me in the back while I was intoxicated...
"..."
I sprang to my feet. And then I pulled the rope again. The maid entered with a very anxious face, and I gave her a meaningful smile.
After a while, the table was filled with a variety of dishes, enough to resemble a feast. I tasted a little bit of most, putting down the fork and knife for the most part.
"Has this been seasoned?"
It was not a pretense; the food was genuinely bland. None of the dishes here suited my taste. While Strasse used many spices to enjoy diverse flavors, El Pasher tended to make quick and plain dishes. The opinions of El Fasher people might differ, but at least, that was how I saw it.
Actually, I don't care about the food at all. I was born as a slave, content with eating porridge and tough bread, and didn't complain once. But that doesn’t mean I don’t know how to distinguish between good food.
Food was constantly on the table. Among them, I was finally able to find a couple of things that suited my taste. Even the head maid was out in full force, so the surroundings were a bit busy, but it suddenly became quiet as if cold water had been poured on it. Giscard stopped by the bedroom for a moment. He silently surveyed the chaotic scene.
"Your Majesty!"
The head maid bowed her head and shouted as if she had met her savior. She seemed to expect Giscard to give a sharp reprimand to the unruly slave.m
Giscard came to the sofa opposite of me and sat down.
"I guess there wasn’t a problem with the maids?"
"..."
It was true that I had taken out my frustrations by tormenting the innocent maids. I sighed and rubbed my head. Levnoad, you have completely fallen from grace. Or was it Ray, just a rebellious act typical of a teenager who had just reached adulthood?
While I was thinking useless thoughts, Giscard picked up a tart with an extra fork and started eating. He picked up a tart with an extra fork and started eating.
"But why did you come here in broad daylight? You shouldn't be finished with work yet, right"
"I had some free time."
As he said that, he opened some documents with his other hand. It didn't seem like he had any free time at all.
"Your majesty."
A voice called from outside. After receiving permission, the guard opened the door and bowed deeply as he entered.
"The Marquis of Piandel is requesting a private visit on urgent matters."
Despite hearing the guard's words, Giscard remained silent in his posture for about a minute. Considering his usual sharpness in action, I could easily imagine the annoyance hidden behind his behavior. It was so amusing that I couldn't help but laugh.
Seeing me chuckling, Giscard placed the documents on the table and stood up.
"I'll be back in an hour."
"..."
For a moment, the smug smile on my face distorted mercilessly. Damn, as if I cared if he never came back.
Giscard left and the surroundings became quiet again. I wandered around the room, picking up some food unnecessarily. Suddenly, I noticed the documents Giscard had left behind. It wouldn't be anything significant, just something to skim through while having a snack. Still, I read it out of curiosity.
"Tax adjustment between Baron Clerimon and Baron Binken."
I continued reading and was able to get some information.
First, the world was so peaceful that they could engage in such a petty dispute.
"The internal tax calculations are all wrong. Submitting documents to the Emperor like this? You people are all incompetent."
I walked over to the desk and grabbed a pen. As I was trying to draw a line, I suddenly wondered what I was doing. I was lost in thought for a moment. And after a while, I drew a line and marked an error. It's been a long time since I've written anything like letters, and it didn't feel awkward at all. Rather, the feeling of the past came back to life as if it were sticking to my hand.
Somehow, my frozen brain felt like it had awakened. I quickly organized the tax adjustment document and opened the other documents lying around on the desk. This time, the topic was El Fisher's system, which was somewhat unfamiliar and required some thought. And just like that, I found myself completely immersed in the task of handling documents.
Rattle
The sound of the door opening startled me, and I turned around. Giscrad, holding documents, approached and glanced at the papers I had scribbled on. Without saying anything, he began to inspect the notes.
"It seems assassin groups these days also teach paperwork."
"..."
I remained silent. I tried to stand up, but Giscard pressed on my shoulder. After guiding me back to the chair, Giscard went to the sofa and sat down.
"Continue."
It was a statement, checking how capable I really was. Although I started this task willingly, I wasn't eager to cooperate with his intentions
"Why should I do that?"
"..."
Giscard saw a bottle of alcohol on the sofa table and walked towards it. He seemed thirsty after coming in. He poured himself a drink without thinking and took a sip, then suddenly lifted the glass from his mouth and glanced at it.
Giscard stared at the innocent purple alcohol for a long time before turning his head to look at me. After a while, he put the bottle down, turned to me, and spoke
"If you follow orders, I won’t hold you tonight."
"...!"
I reacted abruptly to Ziskar's unexpected proposition. It was kind of amusing to quickly organize the documents to say yes to such a proposal, but... Still, it is indeed a difficult offer to refuse. Honestly, it was fun to hold a pen for the first time in a long time.
In the end, I accepted Giscard’s proposal. While I read the documents, he continued to watch me closely. I know he has a habit of observing my face, but looking at me like that still bothers me. Fortunately, Giscard took his eyes off me, and I was able to fully immerse myself in my work
The day passed slowly.
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