Sevens

Intermission: The Emperor Who Ran Away Vera Arc

“Today, you see, I met with Fidel-san. He was all smiles, but did anything happen? It was ridiculously scary.”

Vera’s mansion in the inner palace was decorated with guns in glass cases. Other than that, there were small ships and other ornaments that made one think of the sea, even when it was a mansion on the same, its contents were quite different from Aria’s.

For the guns, Monica and the Valkyries worried that a chick might get injured, so they prepared the glass cases in excessive care, but you could see where they were displayed in the room before the talk of babies came up.

The one who stopped by that room was Lyle, to whom Aria had told it was no good to hole up in her mansion every day, and that he had to go see the other girls as well.

A few days was one thing, but he had spent over a week at Aria’s place, and even Aria had scolded him, so he had decided to drop by and see Vera.

“My father? Well it’s true he looked happy today, but I haven’t really heard anything. More importantly, I heard you lingered around Aria’s place, but… why me? I heard Miranda recommended you go to Thelma-san or something.”

Passed her mid-thirties, and without any place left, Thelma had been included in the inner palace. Gastone stuck Aura with her and made it a limited-time offer.

Their motherland of Zayin was a country involved with Lyle from his early days, and they wanted to display the strong bond they had with the lad.

“No if Miranda recommended it, that means it’s a trap, or so I can’t help but doubt. She invited me to her mansion and ate me up, after all.”

“… Miranda doesn’t choose her means. But you see, Lyle. This is your fault. When a few months have passed since the inner palace was complete, you didn’t come here once, and spent all your time in your office. What’s more, being taught the knowledge from an automaton, of course Miranda would feel desperate. Novem holds a deep belief in your love to her, so this will just tear us apart more.”

Vera informed Lyle of just how worried Baldoir was when he consulted with Novem and Miranda.

Since Lyle had grown apart from his close friends Maksim and Damien, Baldoir had grown worried.

Founding an empire was well and all.

Taking the throne, so be it.

But not making successors would be troublesome. If talks came to adopting a child from a Walt house branch family, there was a possibility that war would break out.

While there were plenty of talented kids among them, the problem would be the forces that would form trying to put them up on pedestals.

“… I just wanted prepare my heart. Up to this point, the environment was always one such to say, ‘lay hands on anyone and we’ll lose the war,’ you know. So there’s no way I can make a sudden transition to a, ‘now choose someone already!’ environment. I’m not saying I wasn’t going to do it, but couldn’t we have just taken it slowly?”

While there were some points to be heard in Lyle’s opinion, heirs to the emperor’s throne was already an important issue.

From Vera’s point of view, her own children would succeed the Trēs House someday, or perhaps help support the Trēs House up.

You’d find them quicker counting the kids in order of throne rights from bottom to top. The reason being Vera wasn’t a noble. And the legal wife was Novem.

If Novem had a male child, they would be placed first in the line of succession without question. They’d surely become the imperial prince. If there weren’t any problems, that is.

“It’s fine and all that you came over to me, but you have to prioritize the points that should be priority. Thelma-san, you see… she’s got an age problem as well. You should get to her as fast as you can.”

Lyle made a dubious face.

“From my point of view, she’s old enough to be my mother. Well I am thinking to hurry, but, since Miranda was the one who said it, I ended up raising my guard.”

“Why are you so wary? It’s not like she did anything terrible to you.”

Lyle crossed his arms, going into serious thought.

“Well if you say it aloud, it does sound like she was just serving me, but from my point of view, it was a sneak attack. What’s more, I’m terrified. Of Novem… and Novem.”

Her sense of rivalry blazing up, it could be said Novem in turn served Lyle too much.

On top of Miranda’s sneak attack, the defiling of the sequence put Novem into a rage. There had been a ruckus about a portion of palace being blown away.

After that, their feud to draw Lyle’s attention had only intensified.

“What are you going to do when Ludmilla and Gracia get here? Elza’s settled down these days, but this can’t turn out any good.”

“You’re right, it can’t. What shall I do.”

Seeing his daily fatigue from governmental work coming out in him, Vera covered her face with her right hand. There were some things one just couldn’t get used to, and the current Lyle had way too much work on his plate. That his system of rule had yet to be instituted was one of the larger reasons, but that Lyle himself had grown capable of handling that amount of work was just as large of a reason in itself.

His experience up to now gave Lyle considerable power when it came to governmental affairs. And his current deskwork was reforging him by the day.

But competence and exhaustion were different problems entirely.

(No wonder Novem and Miranda prepared food to give him stamina. Just looking at him is enough to worry you.)

A worn-out Lyle.

Chased by paperwork every day.

(It would be too much for me. I think I’d be able to somewhat endure managing the finances, but government is something different from business. And my involvement isn’t met with much applause.)

Vera hailed from a merchant house. For that sake, there were many who thought it wasn’t a good thing she involved herself with politics. If she didn’t leave things to Lyle, then the Beim of old would revive in no time… the merchants of death would rally, revive the city, and by the power of money, return to being an existence, the empire couldn’t lay hands on so easily.

It’s precisely because she understood that, that Vera stayed quiet. But- ironic in a sense- it was precisely because of it that Vera had become a sort of healing oasis to Lyle.

“Today’s fine, but you’ve got to properly make for Thelma-san’s place in the near future.”

“I know. I will.”

As they carried on such a conversation, Monica had stepped into the room before anyone had realized. A Valkyrie was clasped around Monica’s legs, trying to stop her advance.

“You piece of scrap! This district is under our jurisdiction! Return from whence you came!”

The Valkyrie supporting Vera tried to drive Monica away, but Monica put up resistance as she took a memo.

She didn’t really need to write anything down, but she was playing the part of a secretary.

“Heey! Let me go! My jurisdiction lies wherever my chicken may be. Managing the Chicken Dickwad’s schedule is also one of my duties! … By the way, damn chicken.”

Looking on her feud with the Valkyrie as a matter of course, Lyle gave a reply. He wasn’t particularly surprised.

He was accustomed to the existence that was Monica.

“What is it?”

“Since you’ve been commuting to Aria’s place lately, that vixen Novem is restless. You should go to her before something explodes.”

Hearing that, Lyle looked up at the ceiling, focusing his eyes on something far, far away.

At the final decisive battle, at the end of the end, he had confessed his love before several hundred thousand, so why was he running away from that girl now?

As Vera thought that, Lyle hung his head.

“I’m staying with Vera today. Maybe Thelma-san tomorrow. And then I’ll drop by Novem’s place.”

Vera was relieved.

Perhaps Lyle was feeling pressure from Novem’s enthusiasm, thought Vera as she decided to just sleep with him in the purest sense today.

(It feels a bit lacking, but when I see him so tired… well, there will be plenty of opportunities from now on, so let’s just endure it for now.)

She recalled the proposal that she leave the inner palace once she left Fidel a grandson.

But seeing the worn-out Lyle…

(Well, it’s true he might need someone more lenient with him for now.)

She thought as she invited Lyle out for a meal.

Fifth Generation Head (；゜д゜): “That’s why I told you! Harems aren’t a game! I said it! Let yourself be worn out, and you let your guard down. And what that leads to is nothing but trouble… do your best, you can do it Lyle!”

Sixth Generation Head (´・ω・｀): “You could’ve given that advice in my time…”

Fifth Generation Head ( ゜д゜): “… With you, everyone you chose was a bit… I think the problem comes before any advice is concerned.”