Chapter 3
“I must be going now, so you all should head home early as well.”
Blair, leaving earlier than his usual departure time, put on his cape and fastened it with a brooch bearing the imperial emblem. The luxurious cape draped over his shoulders.
“Are you leaving, sir?”
Two assistants in the office stood up to see Blair off.
“Yes. I have drinks planned with Aaron today.”
“Ah, I see. With the Finance Minister? That’s right. Today marks the end of this quarter’s audit period.”
“Indeed. He’s been complaining endlessly for days about having to work overtime and staying up all night for the entire month. So I need to help him unwind. He’s determined to drink all the 50-year-old Hoberlon until it’s gone.”
Blair smiled gently as he untied his hair. His neat black hair cascaded down to his waist in waves.
“I’ll be heading out now, so make sure you all leave on time as well.”
“Yes, sir. Understood.”
After receiving the salutations from his aides, Blair walked out of his office. The General’s office where Blair stayed was located in the outer palace where the Imperial Guard resided. The outer palace was quite far from the central palace, which housed the Emperor’s office and the Finance Minister’s office. Since he had promised to arrive by closing time, he needed to leave now to avoid being late.
With his hair comfortably loose, Blair’s lustrous locks fluttered behind him with each of his long strides. After walking briskly, Blair arrived at the central palace and moved toward the inner part of the palace. Palace people who recognized him bowed their heads in greeting. The only person in the empire who didn’t need to bow to him was the Emperor himself.
Despite being second only to one and above all others in rank, Blair was someone who didn’t particularly care about such matters. Blair opened the door himself and headed to Aaron’s office.
While walking down the corridor with thick red carpeting, Blair noticed several people gathered together. One of them was someone Blair knew well. Unable to hide his curiosity, he called out to that person.
“Your Majesty?”
“Blair.”
Behind the layers of people stood the Emperor and a pink-haired man, Leonard, surrounded by many palace maids. Recognizing Blair, the Emperor smiled brightly. Even indoors, his face radiated like the sun. The Emperor approached with long strides and asked Blair:
“Where are you heading?”
“I’m on my way to see the Finance Minister, Your Majesty.”
“Is that so? Isn’t it time for you to leave the palace?”
“Haha.”
Blair just smiled faintly and held back his words. Either way, the Emperor was still a remarkably handsome man today, as always. Yes, that dazzling face was indeed the problem. Although Blair had resolved to put his feelings aside just two days ago, his heart was helplessly shaken. Even though Kyle’s arm was wrapped around Leonard’s waist, his foolish heart strongly asserted its presence.
Just then, with perfect timing, Aaron emerged from his office, pushing his monocle into its case. Aaron’s cheerful voice cut through Blair’s thoughts.
“Blair! If you’ve arrived, you should have come straight in.”
“Aaron.”
No matter how you look at it, it’s amazing. Aaron could read his presence incredibly well.
Even Blair, a well-trained warrior, couldn’t detect someone’s presence that easily. Though he could sense a person’s presence, distinguishing the owner of those footsteps was certainly no ordinary talent. No matter how regular the sound of military boots might be, Aaron’s hearing was always amazingly sensitive.
Of course, now he would have heard his voice, so it would have been easy to know he had arrived. Still, Aaron definitely had keen ears.
“Ah, Your Majesty is here too. Lord Leonard, it’s been a while.”
Aaron greeted Kyle and Leonard with just a casual nod of his head, as if they had only just caught his attention. It was an irreverent gesture, but no one here would reprimand him, being the Finance Minister and a friend of the Emperor for over twenty years.
“Greetings to the Finance Minister.”
Leonard politely bowed at the waist, but Aaron barely acknowledged the greeting with a nod before pulling Blair away.
“Let’s go quickly. The thought of alcohol has been circling in my head all day, making it impossible to work.”
Aaron put his arm around Blair’s shoulder with feigned nonchalance. He had to slightly stand on tiptoe to reach the tall Blair’s shoulder, but he naturally put his arm around him and turned Blair around. Blair tilted one shoulder to make it easier for Aaron to rest his arm.
“Are you two going out for drinks?”
Kyle asked softly. Both Aaron and Blair were longtime friends of the Emperor. They were the only ones with whom Kyle showed genuine comfort.
“Yes, of course. Thanks to staying up for seven days and nights to finish this quarter’s audit and paperwork. Thanks to that, I’ve got a chance to scrape this friend’s pockets clean. I’m planning to deplete all of House Gladius’s fortune.”
Aaron answered with a wide smile.
“Ah, is that so? It would be nice if I could join you. You should have let me know in advance.”
Kyle expressed his disappointment. After all, the three of them were close friends who had protected each other dozens, hundreds of times, entrusting their backs to each other on battlefields where they had to risk their lives when Kyle was still a precarious prince. With two of the three planning to strengthen their friendship without him, there was no one who wouldn’t feel left out.
But Aaron didn’t accept Kyle’s regret. He had no interest in dealing with an idiot who would flirt with his male concubine and then say, “You should have invited me too.”
“That’s quite alright, Your Majesty. It seems you’re going to the opera with Lord Leonard, so I hope you have a pleasant time. We’ll enjoy ourselves on our own. Let’s go, Blair.”
Aaron casually waved his hand in response and, releasing his arm from Blair’s shoulder, pushed Blair’s back as they walked away. Blair looked at Aaron with a puzzled expression as he was pushed, but Aaron didn’t mind at all. Only after they had completely left the central palace did Aaron remove his hand from Blair’s back.
Pushed by Aaron out of the central palace, Blair turned to look at him with a subtle expression. Sensing Blair’s gaze, Aaron replied curtly:
“What? What’s wrong? Got a problem?”
“What’s gotten into you?”
Blair asked, puzzled.
“What do you mean, what’s gotten into me? We’re going out for drinks together, and there’s no need to spend time with people who would spoil our drinking mood.”
Aaron grumbled, crossing his arms. His expression was so bitter that it spontaneously drew out laughter.
“Saying His Majesty spoils the drinking mood? Your liver has finally come out of your stomach.”
Blair giggled. It was a conversation that could lead to execution for contempt of the Emperor, but there was no one to reproach the two of them.
“If I had to keep looking at that spectacle any longer, it would have upset my stomach so much that I obviously wouldn’t be able to drink much. Do you know how much I’ve been looking forward to emptying your pockets today? I couldn’t let such a precious opportunity slip away.”
“Anyone listening would think you’ve never treated me to a meal or drink. Have I been that stingy with you?”
“It’s the law that unmarried friends should mortgage their wallets to married friends. My money is my money, and your money is also my money.”
Blair laughed out loud at Aaron’s shameless tone. Blair knew why Aaron was being so forceful. Aaron was aware of Blair’s long-standing unrequited love. He must have judged that seeing the object of his affection flirting with a rival would put Blair in a bad mood. He probably wanted to cheer Blair up with his exaggerated gestures and behavior. But Blair deliberately didn’t show any particular reaction. Aaron, likewise, didn’t bring up the topic.
The two men boarded an ornate carriage. The carriage glided smoothly along the well-maintained city streets. Before long, the carriage arrived at an upscale pub in the center of the imperial city. It was quite an expensive establishment to be called just a pub. It served very high-priced alcohol, and the chef’s skills were decent, making it a place frequented mainly by wealthy commoners and nobles.
It was also a pub filled with memories where Blair, Aaron, and Kyle had frequented since their academy days. Initially, they visited simply because the food tasted good, but as memories accumulated, it transformed into their hideout. The carriage stopped in front of the pub, which had gained an elegant charm with the passing years. The carriage dropped off the two men and disappeared into the night streets.
“Hey, Lily.”
Aaron entered with a beaming smile, calling the owner in a cheerful tone. Though he had looked half-dead inside the palace, his face was now full of smiles at the thought of going out to drink. Someone who only knew Aaron from inside the palace might not even recognize him now, so different was his appearance.
Recognizing Aaron and Blair, the owner hurried over and bowed politely. The owner was quite a beauty. Her soft black hair and black eyes often gave her a mysterious quality. The dim lighting added to her mystique.
“Mr. Aaron, Mr. Blair, you’ve arrived?”
After the Emperor’s ascension and the two men’s appointment to their titles and offices, the owner had been sternly rebuked several times for addressing them as “Finance Minister” and “General” during celebratory gatherings, so she was now careful with her words as she greeted them.
[To be continued…]
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
