Episode 6
The golden rays of late afternoon sunlight swept across the emperor’s office.
“As you ordered, I’ve loosened the guards around the cell holding the official,” Merlin reported, standing upright.
But inside, he was uneasy.
Especially because the emperor wasn’t even listening properly.
He was busy flipping through a notebook filled with… recommended pasta restaurants.
“Your Majesty, shouldn’t we be increasing the guards? What if someone tries to silence him…?”
“He can’t talk anymore. If he dies, it doesn’t matter.”
Alastair had returned to his usual black hair.
As he wrote down the restaurant’s name on a new list, he replied calmly.
It was the place he’d gone for lunch today.
Before the ink ran out, he dipped his pen lightly into the inkwell.
“Besides, the official needs to be in danger for our plan to find the mole in the assistant office to work.”
The emperor explained,
“To get information from the enemy, we have to give something away too.”
Whatever the plan was, no one could deny the emperor’s schemes always brought the best results.
So, despite his worries, Merlin followed the orders and reduced the guards.
“That man will soon realize he dug his own grave. And then—”
Alastair stood up and walked toward Merlin, glancing at a mirror near the desk.
“Merlin, I’ll need your help again. The disguise magic’s wearing off.”
Merlin bowed respectfully.
He placed his hands gently on the emperor’s hair and eyelids, changing their color.
A soft, milky brown hue spread across Alastair’s features, giving his appearance a much gentler look.
As the emperor checked himself in the mirror, Merlin suddenly brought up something else.
“Was it really necessary not to show your face in Woodrock?”
They had gone in secret at dawn.
Aside from the arrested official and a guard, no one even knew he’d been there.
Alastair answered as if it was obvious.
“I can’t let people know I’m still managing things behind the scenes. If I do nothing, they’ll get careless and show their true selves.”
“Then…”
Merlin swallowed nervously.
“…how long do you plan to keep hiding your identity?”
Alastair’s cold gaze turned toward him.
“Until I’ve rooted out every two-faced snake in this empire.”
Merlin was shocked.
“That could take years, Your Majesty!”
“No. In the past year, I’ve already narrowed things down. Most of the small fry are gone. I’ll be back on the throne soon.”
Merlin’s face relaxed a little.
“So all our work day and night… it was worth it.”
“Yes. I even collected proof of the ones who ordered the assassination.”
Merlin bit his lip.
In the early days of Alastair’s reign, a group of nobles had tried to control the young emperor.
They were corrupt aristocrats who had escaped punishment during his father’s reforms—
and now they had returned, aiming their blades at the son of the former emperor.
They wanted revenge.
Alastair, just a boy then, had survived five years among poisonous snakes.
In his sixth year as emperor, he declared his “strike.”
Merlin honestly thought it was the right choice.
If Alastair had stayed on the throne like nothing was wrong,
he might not have survived the year.
Or worse, become a puppet, fooled by lies.
“Acting like I didn’t care… like I gave up… made them drop their guard.
They had no idea I was secretly tightening the noose.”
Merlin, burning with loyalty, couldn’t stay silent anymore.
“Please be careful, Your Majesty. Even the loyal ministers who tried to uncover the truth behind the empress and Count Meyer’s deaths died one by one, just last year.”
His mouth went dry.
“You’re disguised as John Smith now, but what if they try to kill you too?”
“I know. That risk came with the disguise spell.”
“Has anyone in the assistant office started to suspect you?”
“No. I cast a memory-fogging spell as well. My face becomes hard to remember.”
The emperor let out a sharp sigh.
“No matter how careful we are, there will always be rats aiming for blood. They wouldn’t dare go after someone like you, Merlin, but still—stay alert.”
He paused, falling quiet for a moment.
“And if anything happens to me… I’m counting on you to protect Rose Foy.”
“…Sorry, what?”
“Don’t read too much into it. Just saying, if John Smith were to disappear someday, Miss Foy would need to become the next chief assistant.”
The order came out of nowhere.
Merlin tilted his head in confusion.
Rose Foy.
She was always knocking on his door with paperwork.
She had a bit of a temper… but…
“Is she really that capable, to earn the emperor’s full trust?”
“Make sure you look after her,” Alastair repeated, firmly. Merlin immediately sensed the weight behind the command.
He engraved her name into his mind and bowed deeply.
“As you wish.”
The emperor gave a pleased smile—so cold that the air itself felt like it froze.
“Also… I think another spy has slipped into the assistant office. We still haven’t found the one who helped the Woodrock official. Let’s each move separately.”
And so, their hidden conversation ended.
They stepped out of the office.
In the hallway, Alastair raised his voice cheerfully.
“Well then! Great work today, Sir Merlin!”
Wearing the kind smile of John Smith again, he bowed politely like a perfect civil servant.
“You too, Mr. Smith.”
Merlin replied with the same ease, like they were coworkers from different departments.
Their secret meeting ended.
And all the while… they had no idea what Rose Foy was going through at that exact moment.
Nope. No way. This was just TOO MUCH.
I buried my head on my desk and wiped away a tear.
“Miss Tiera…? Why are you suddenly quitting—I mean, why are you submitting your resignation?”
“This job just doesn’t suit me.”
It had been 370 days since the emperor went on strike.
Every time one problem was solved, another would pop up to drag us down.
“You’ve only been here two days! You haven’t even learned the job yet. Everyone struggles at first. You have to give it time.”
I tried to comfort her, but Tiera was firm.
“No, I’m certain. I can feel it. Also… um… my mother is a spiritual medium, and she told me not to come back.”
“…What?”
That had to be the most ridiculous resignation reason I’d ever heard.
“Miss Tiera. Are you… being serious?”
“I am.”
But despite her confident tone, she couldn’t look me in the eyes.
For a second, I wondered if she was seeing actual ghosts—
but no, she was just avoiding my gaze.
“Be honest. Do you just not like working here?”
“…How did you know? Wait—no, I mean—uh…”
Yeah. You just admitted it.
“Miss Tiera?”
“Okay, I’ll be honest. The heavy workload is one thing, but… I’m scared of all the pressure from around me.”
I raised an eyebrow.
This was getting serious.
“Do you mean the tensions between departments?”
Tiera hesitated… then confessed something shocking.
“No. Some nobles came to see me when they heard I was assigned here.”
Nobles?
“They kept asking if I’d ever get to meet His Majesty. And then… they offered me money if I’d share any information about him.”
“They wanted… information?”
A chill ran down my spine.
I’d had similar offers before, too.
But I never imagined they’d target someone only two days into the job.
“When I said no, they showed up at my house in the middle of the night and threatened me. They tried everything to buy me off.”
“Did they mention being friends with Duke Davilport?”
Tiera froze.
“N-not directly, but… I did hear they were close. That’s what scared me.”
As I suspected.
“I don’t want to work in a place where I’m being watched, pressured, or threatened.”
She tried to act strong, but her clenched hands were shaking.
Finally, I gave her a gentle smile.
“If that’s the reason, I understand. Your life matters more than this job.”
“Thank you. Really—thank you so much!”
She left her resignation letter on my desk.
And I silently wished her a safe and peaceful future.
For a while, the office was completely quiet.
To be continued…
