Chapter 1
- con tenerezza – Gracefully
A well-balanced, tall man was walking with firm steps through the imperial palace corridor. His glossy black hair, tied in a single ponytail, swayed behind his back. His slender figure and confident stride caught everyone’s attention. All the people in the palace bowed respectfully as the man passed by. He was wearing a neat and dignified black uniform.
As the man passed by the Finance Minister’s office, the door suddenly swung open.
“Blair!”
The man who burst through the door wore round monocle glasses. His messy straw-colored hair stuck up in disarray, as if he had been pulling at it, resembling unevenly cut grass. Blair, the black-haired man who had been called, turned around with a slight smile to find the source of the familiar voice. When he spotted the person who had called him, Blair grinned. His purple eyes sparkled upon seeing the man.
“Aaron!”
Blair approached Aaron with a welcoming smile. Aaron looked at Blair as if he were gazing at a savior.
“Blair, perfect timing! You came to see me, right?”
“I wasn’t particularly passing by here to meet you.”
Blair replied in a playful tone.
“Whatever. You’re here now, so it’s all the same in the end. Are you on your way to His Majesty’s office?”
Aaron ignored Blair’s joke and nodded toward the stack of documents he was carrying.
“That’s right. I was on my way to see His Majesty. How did you know I was passing by here?”
“The disciplined footsteps of a soldier are always pleasant to hear.”
Aaron said smoothly.
“Is the sound absorption of the carpet in the imperial corridor that ineffective? I should advise them to replace it with something thicker.”
“No way. That would just increase my workload. Just keep letting me know your every move like now.”
Aaron shook his head firmly.
“That’s too much.”
Blair replied with a bright smile and a playful tone. His soft voice, mixed with laughter, spread through the corridor. The resonant voice pleasantly tickled the ears.
“It’s fine if it’s you. By the way, you said you’re going to see His Majesty?”
“That’s right.”
Blair shrugged, showing the stack of documents he was carrying. It looked quite thick and heavy.
“Perfect timing. Then please take these documents for me as well. They all need His Majesty’s approval. I don’t have time to go myself.”
Aaron quickly let go of the doorknob and went back into his office. It was currently the period of intensive audits. Various departments must have submitted numerous documents, as the mahogany desk, wider than a grown man’s arms could span, was piled high with papers. The papers were stacked much higher than Aaron’s height. Blair, who had followed him into the office, slightly frowned at the clouds of dust floating in the air.
“I just can’t find the time.”
“His Majesty’s reception room is right next door.”
Blair opened a window slightly, shaking his head in disbelief. He could see the old dust rising in response to the wind coming from outside. The fresh breeze cleared the heavy air in the office. Aaron grumbled while shuffling through documents.
“It’s far, I tell you! If I go myself, it takes fifteen minutes, and in that time, I could read one more document! With so much to read and process, how can I find time to go myself?”
“What about your assistant?”
Blair asked about the whereabouts of the assistant who usually followed Aaron around like a tail. Come to think of it, the assistant who normally followed Aaron everywhere like a needle and thread was nowhere to be seen today.
“I sent him on an errand long ago. Speaking of which, why isn’t this bastard back yet? I told him to return as soon as he got the approval! Always slacking off, not being helpful at all.”
Blair approached Aaron with a sympathetic expression. His disheveled appearance perfectly matched the messy office. No one who saw Aaron in his current shabby state would believe he was the Finance Minister of the Crassia Empire.
“How many nights have you been working straight?”
Blair asked with an exhausted expression.
“Three days. Exactly three days as of today. It’s been five days since I started spending sixteen hours a day with these documents, washing and sleeping in the small room attached to this office without going home. Damn, when will this work ever end? Will the audit period ever finish? Each day feels like 48 hours. This country has gone mad, truly.”
Aaron cursed while pulling at his hair.
“Others will hear you. Isn’t your language too harsh for the Finance Minister of a nation?”
Blair received the documents Aaron handed over with a bitter smile. On top of the thick pile Blair was already carrying, another stack nearly twice the size was plopped down. Though they were just paper, they had considerable weight.
“Put yourself in my position. See if you don’t curse. General, you used to have an even fouler mouth than me on the battlefield. If you were in my situation, you’d curse worse than I do, not less.”
Aaron shook his head. Indeed, Aaron’s appearance was quite miserable. Dark circles extended all the way to the tip of his nose, his hair was dry and lifeless, and his face was haggard. He looked almost like a monster risen from a coffin. Blair patted Aaron’s shoulder.
“When this quarter’s audit is over, let’s go somewhere for a drink. I’ll treat you.”
“Sure. It’s not like you have anything else to spend your salary on anyway. I’ll milk you for all you’re worth. That’s what it’s for. How about 50-year-old Hoberlon?”
Aaron made a drinking gesture with a sly smile.
“I see you’re burning with strange enthusiasm again. Take it easy. Delegate to your subordinates. With all those people assigned to you, why are you running around by yourself? What’s the point of having them?”
“Because they’re utterly useless! What’s the point of scoring well on exams to get in? They’re completely incompetent in practical work! Are they really that smart? These so-called talents who passed at least the 6th-grade exam can’t write properly, make spelling mistakes, and can’t even read official documents. Damn, what did they learn at the academy? Did they even graduate? Seriously, did they forge their credentials? Even my pet dog could do what they can’t.”
“Refining those idiots into proper human beings is your job, isn’t it?”
Aaron tugged at his messy hair in frustration.
“If I do that, I won’t have time for state affairs. We need more experienced staff.”
“I’ll mention it to His Majesty. Anyway, I’ll deliver the documents, so don’t worry.”
Blair patted the shoulder of Aaron, who seemed about to explode in three seconds. His firm hand, calloused from holding a sword, calmed Aaron down. His purple eyes gazed at Aaron with warmth and gentleness.
“…I got too excited. Thanks anyway.”
“Only two days left, so hang in there a little longer.”
“That’s not comforting at all, but I guess I have to. See you in two days. Let’s drink heavily. You have to buy. I’m going to drown myself in alcohol that day.”
“To drown in a barrel of 50-year-old Hoberlon would cost my entire year’s salary. Isn’t that too much?”
“Come on, I already know you’re incredibly wealthy. No need to pretend. Just bring your mouth and wallet for drinking. I’ll spend it for you.”
Blair’s complaint didn’t work at all.
“I wonder if you see me as a friend of over ten years or just a sucker.”
Blair shook his head.
“Well, ‘sucker’ is too harsh. Let’s say I see you as a wallet. Be my wallet and follow me.”
After all the bickering, color returned to Aaron’s face, which had been half-dead. Nearly twenty years of friendship had the power to soothe even the exhausted Finance Minister’s heart.
“Anyway, I’ll be going now. I can’t take up more of the busy Finance Minister’s time. Good work.”
“Yes. See you. I’ll send a message in two days.”
“No need for the trouble. I’ll come directly. I’ll come to your office at closing time.”
“That would be great for me. Straight to the pub after work?”
Aaron pulled up the corners of his mouth and grinned. His brown eyes disappeared as he smiled brightly. It was the first smile Blair had seen since entering the office. Blair nodded readily.
“I’ll be going then.”
“Go ahead.”
The stack of documents in Blair’s arms, including those added by Aaron, was quite heavy. For someone who wielded a spear and sword many times heavier, it felt as light as butterfly wings, but the pressure of getting these documents approved added to the weight.
The Finance Minister’s office and the Emperor’s office were not far apart. Just beyond a narrow corridor was the Emperor’s massive office. Upon reaching the Emperor’s office, Blair made eye contact with the attendant guarding the door. Recognizing Blair, the attendant hastily bowed.
“Ah, Duke Gladius.”
“I’m here to see His Majesty. Is he in?”
“Yes, he is.”
“Please inform him that I’m coming in.”
Hearing this, the attendant hesitated and subtly avoided Blair’s gaze.
“Is there a visitor? If he’s busy, I can come back later. If His Majesty is very busy, I’ll leave, and you can deliver these documents.”
Blair perceptively handed the documents to the attendant.
“No, Your Grace. How could I take such documents? I will inform him.”
The attendant waved his hands and turned back to the door. Beyond the heavy door with elaborate carvings, the attendant called out.
“Your Majesty, Duke Gladius is here.”
“Let him in.”
[To be continued in the next part…]
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
