SLDS 14

By the time the sun began to set, all the letters had been sent out. The total number of thick envelopes was forty-nine. Each one was sealed with sealing wax stamped with the imperial crest.

The envoys, each carrying an armful of letters, rode off on carriages and scattered in different directions. They would probably have to travel all through the night to deliver all the invitations.

As the night deepened, darkness fell over the office. The number of attendants was significantly less than before, and their tasks had also disappeared. In the now-quiet office, only the occasional sound of someone moving to and fro to refill the oil in the lamps could be heard.

In the meantime, Alexis, who had returned after finishing his meeting with the Emperor, was back in the office. He had assumed Cecil would have returned to his own palace, so the front of his eyebrows shot up in surprise to see him still at his desk.

“Dinner?”

Cecil, who had been focused on reading a document, quickly turned his head at the question. His back, which had been loosely leaning against the chair’s backrest, straightened up.

“I don’t really have an appetite.”

“How long do you intend to stay here? I thought all the invitations had already been sent.”

With his long legs, he reached the front of the desk where Cecil was working in just a few steps. Alexis picked up one of the papers scattered messily about.

What on earth had he been doing until this late hour? He saw roughly scribbled numbers and symbols, and on top of them, circles and lines drawn through them.

“Are you doing the accounting yourself?”

“Yes, it’s something simple… I have to meet the treasurer first thing tomorrow morning, so I didn’t have time to entrust it to someone else.”

Cecil added a mumbled reply, saying it wasn’t difficult since it was something he was learning these days.

However, Alexis immediately recognized the symbols that at a glance looked like doodles and the complex array of numbers. This wasn’t a simple level of addition and subtraction. Cecil was skillfully handling advanced formulas that one would learn in a university.

“…”

“…”

An uncomfortable silence continued for a long time.

‘I can’t even make eye contact now that I’m trying to lie.’

Cecil let out a sigh, trying not to be obvious, and deliberately looked elsewhere. Alexis’s gaze fixed on his face was so sharp, it felt like being pricked by tiny thorns.

“I was worried I had given you a task beyond your abilities, but that was a needless concern.”

Alexis tossed the paper he was holding back to its original place. His well-shaped lips formed a cold curve. It went without saying that the gaze looking down at Cecil was also filled with distrust.

“I will look forward to it.”

The Crown Prince patted Cecil’s shoulder with a considerable amount of force. It was closer to a warning that he would be watching him from now on than to a word of encouragement.

“Ian.”

The chamberlain, who had been hiding like a shadow, appeared at once and bowed.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“I will be retiring to my chambers now. Cecil will likely remain for a long time, so have people attend to him so that he has no discomfort while he stays in the office.”

To someone who didn’t know the situation, it would sound like a man looking after his younger brother with great care.

However, with the Peridot Palace attendants already present, Alexis’s command held a clear meaning.

Watch him.

Cecil pretended not to notice and only looked at his documents, and the chamberlain, who would do anything the Crown Prince said, was busy carrying out the order swiftly.

The documents related to the state affairs the Crown Prince handled were secretly put away. The reddish wooden chest, exquisitely engraved with the crest of the imperial family, was closed and then firmly locked. Then, three or four attendants stood guard in front of it like a standby team.

Cecil watched the bustling movements and let out a hollow laugh in disbelief. That’s why I said I’d do it somewhere else. Why did he insist on planting him in the office and even putting him under surveillance? It didn’t take long for the weary laugh to turn into a sigh.

He erased the thought from his mind and focused on the documents again. He stared at the numbers until his eyeballs felt like they would fall out, and in his head, he repeated the calculations. But he quickly lost focus.

Cecil rested his elbow on the armrest of the chair and clasped his throbbing head.

I think it’s already too late to play dumb in front of Alexis… I might as well just do it my way and be done with it.

“…You think I want to be doing this?”

Even though he wanted to just get it over with, he was making an effort for the sake of those looking forward to the debutante ball, and also for Alexis’s sake.

Since it’s come to this, should I try to make a definite impression? If I’m lucky, I might be able to leave a good impression on him.

Amidst his busy work, all sorts of worries intruded, and time just slipped away. Cecil rubbed his aching eyes.

Wouldn’t he feel less wronged if he gained something from this too?

The next day, he met with the treasurer at the appointed time.

The treasurer, with his stern impression, pushed up his slipping glasses. Sweat beaded on the bridge of his nose every time he looked at the budget proposal pushed in front of him. He continuously wrung his hands, showing his predicament.

“So, you are saying you need 5 million Sallas for the debutante preparation funds?”

“To be precise, 5.28 million Sallas.”

“Mr. Cecil. Her Majesty the Empress has already taken this year’s debutante budget.”

“Lord Roman. Surely you don’t see me as someone who would take a double payment to line my own pockets?”

Cecil sat crookedly and crossed his arms. It was a very slouchy posture, unbecoming of a member of the imperial family who valued decorum above all else.

“I have been informed of the situation, but… still, I cannot ignore the procedures. Normally, we would have to recover the funds Her Majesty the Empress has taken and then execute them again according to procedure.”

“Which is why I have prepared the necessary documents for the execution in advance, have I not?”

Cecil leaned forward and jabbed a finger at the parchment spread out on the table.

I couldn’t even sleep for two hours yesterday making this! Can’t you see the dark circles under my eyes? His fierce emerald eyes glared at the treasurer, conveying the unspoken words.

Ugh, the treasurer narrowed his brow and stared at the budget proposal once more.

He wished there was something to find fault with, but in truth, the budget proposal Cecil had prepared was perfect beyond words. The necessary expenses were meticulously listed by item, and there was absolutely no waste.

To be honest, it was a little surprising.

“Did you really do this yourself?”

“Is that something you need to know?”

If you told me who did it, I’d like to coax them into working under me… The treasurer pressed down the words he wanted to say.

Of course, there’s no way Cecil Adrian did this himself. He didn’t believe it to the end.

The treasurer, as if to say there was no need to check the budget proposal any further, took off his glasses and placed them on the table. He met Cecil’s gaze with his own equally sharp eyes.

“I think I can get about 3 million Sallas from the reserve funds.”

“It will be the first debutante ball in history without wine or musicians.”

“…If it’s truly urgent, you could try asking Her Majesty the Empress.”

“As if she’d ever agree to meet me.”

Empress Elizabeth had declared that she would not meet with Cecil for the time being.

More importantly, if he were to receive the budget from the Empress’s palace, the number of justification documents required would increase exponentially. It would only mean more work, so there was no need to take the difficult path.

“As you know, the debutante ball is the imperial event that the young people who have come of age look forward to the most. There are only nine days left, and at this rate, we won’t even be able to hold the event. Isn’t this a first in the Empire’s history? Are you saying you’re going to create such a mishap in the very year His Highness the Crown Prince has returned?”

“It is not I who created it, is it?”

“Lord Roman’s decision created it.”

“…You are taking a huge leap in logic.”

The treasurer rubbed his face, showing his predicament without restraint.

“Then let’s compromise at 4.2 million Sallas.”

“Can’t you read numbers? I said 5.28 million Sallas!”

“Mr. Cecil. There are things you can insist on and…”

“On average, the number of nobles attending the debutante ball exceeds three hundred. This year alone, forty-nine invitations were sent out. The scale is larger than last year, so how can you say we should hold an imperial event with 4.2 million? What does the treasurer think should be cut from here?”

As Cecil once again pushed forward the meticulously designed budget proposal, the treasurer flinched back his shoulders as if he had been stabbed.

“I heard the Empress’s palace took 8 million Sallas. The financial shortfall will be filled once it’s recovered, so what’s the worry? Shouldn’t you be more worried about the repercussions of damaging the imperial family’s honor? You gave me a mere 4.2 million Sallas. Of course, we can hold a banquet with that. But it will be the worst debutante ball, one that can’t even put on a decent appearance. Can Lord Roman handle the complaints?”

“Haa… Stop it… Please, just spare me.”

“You seem to have the leisure to whine?”

Cecil, despite being so young, expertly grabbed hold of the treasurer’s sanity and shook it. Under the relentless threats, the treasurer’s vision began to blur.

Cecil calmed his excitement and leaned back against the sofa. He slouched as if he had given up on everything and spread his hands benevolently.

“Alright. Then Lord Roman, you personally mention the items that need to be removed to match the reduced budget. My head isn’t working anymore.”

“As you said… all the items you’ve written down are essential.”

“So?”

The treasurer clutched his head as if a headache was coming on. Another wrinkle appeared on his already wrinkled forehead. He squeezed out his voice and said.

“5 million Sallas. Absolutely no more than this!”

“…”

Cecil leaned his head against the backrest and stroked his lips. His eyes, which had been boiling with anger, now began to sparkle like beautifully cut jewels.

“While you’re at it, why not add 180,000 more?”

“Even if 180,000 is added, it still won’t reach the amount you were aiming for, Mr. Cecil, will it?”

“It’s fine. I have my own allowance, don’t I?”

The treasurer’s eyes grew large. As far as he knew, Cecil was one of the participants in this debutante ball. Was he saying he would pour all of the 100,000 Sallas allocated for his grooming expenses into it? The one person who should stand out more brilliantly than anyone else?

“Then… are you saying you will prepare for the debutante ball without a single penny for yourself, Mr. Cecil?”

“Well, I don’t have anyone to look good for, so what’s the point of dressing up?”

“…”

“Hmm? You’ll do it, right?”

The young man, cupping his chin, curved his eyes into a smile. Just a moment ago, he was spouting threats like a demon, and now he was making an affectionate request with the face of an angel.

The treasurer could only laugh in resignation. There was no way to beat Cecil, who could lift a person up and put them down like this.

He decided to put aside the future hardships for now and grant the wish of the handsome young man sitting before him.

“Yes. 5.18 million Sallas. I will give it to you.”