The Empror's Trap

In the early morning, accompanied by the rooster's dawn call, Kenji awoke from his sleep.

Last night's sleep was quite comfortable, and his second thought was that Lina's body was really soft~

Ahem, it couldn't be helped, this was a fact.

"Young master, are you awake?"

A girl's voice came from beside him. Kenji turned his head to see Lina sitting next to him.

By now, she had already changed into her daily guard uniform and was smiling at him while combing her shoulder-length short hair.

"Mm, good morning."

Kenji greeted her, then got up and took out the clothes he would wear today.

Knowing he needed to change, Lina withdrew from the room, only returning after he had dressed.

"Today's official documents have been delivered to the study. There are several from various military units that need priority handling; in the afternoon, you need to attend the disciplinary assembly for high-ranking military officers; then there's the matter of expanding Duke Anos' residence into a prince's mansion..."

"Mm, I understand."

Having many daily tasks to handle had become Kenji's normal routine. It couldn't be helped—with great power came many responsibilities.

Just as Kenji was about to deal with the official documents, suddenly, Lina embraced his neck from behind.

Her hot breath brushed against the back of his neck without reservation, and he could feel her warm body temperature.

"Young master... you won't leave, right?"

"Leave what?"

"Young master is playing dumb again," Lina said somewhat reproachfully. "You should know very well."

"I told you, I won't. Your worries are unnecessary." Kenji smiled, then turned around and gently hugged her. "Lina, giving you that job isn't about making you leave me, but about my trust in you, and hoping you can develop further—as the guard of the Prince, you should have some authority that others would be wary of."

"I know. Whatever work young master gives me, I will do my best."

"That's good."

Kenji nodded, and then they separated.

Right after, there was a knock on the door.

The old butler's voice came from outside: "Young master, there's a messenger from the court here, saying the Emperor requests your presence at the palace."

"Ok. I'll be right there."

Kenji felt a bit embarrassed.

He didn't believe the old butler would coincidentally knock on the door right after they separated. There was only one possibility—the old butler had arrived earlier but, hearing what was happening inside, didn't knock immediately.

"Do you need me to come with you?" Lina asked.

"Come with me. I should also inform Her Majesty about your appointment."

Strictly speaking, he could have made the appointment himself, but Kenji felt that if he didn't mention it to Pluvia, his actions might give others reason to criticize him. Since Pluvia would ultimately approve anyway, it was better to tell her now than to have her discover it later.

"As you wish."

Lina immediately began preparing. This time, drawing from her previous experience entering the palace, she didn't bring any weapons, just a very elegant fan.

Of course, the fan ribs were made of iron, and the tips were sharpened.

.............

Pluvia seemed to be in a good mood today.

That was Kenji's first impression upon seeing her. Today, the Emperor was unusually dressed in a short garment she rarely wore. If one ignored the intangible aura about her, she had quite a fresh and pretty girlish charm.

At the moment, she was playing with her kitten, a new cat gifted to her by the Vishi Empire before their departure—a native cat from their homeland.

Perhaps because the Emperor was female, many countries liked to give cats as gifts to Pluvia, resulting in several different types of cats in her chambers.

"You're here. Sit down," she said while feeding the kitten in her hand.

She also tossed a piece of meat to a cat lying in the corner.

It could no longer be called a cat—the creature's size nearly matched that of a wolf. Its rumbling purr didn't resemble the elegant charm of those small cats at all, instead giving off an extremely dangerous impression.

This was a "cat" sent by the Sal Kingdom. Kenji remembered when it first arrived, it was just an adorable kitten, but after a few months, it grew increasingly robust. Would you believe that this cat would eventually run out to catch rabbits to eat?

"You did very well this time, Kenji. After establishing the heir apparent, those ministers shouldn't dare to say much more for now."

She looked out the window and beckoned. The big cat ran over and obediently lay in her arms.

"It was Your Majesty's composed handling that made the ministers cautious. My contribution was merely adding flowers to the brocade," Kenji humbly replied.

"You're being too modest," Pluvia frowned and said. "By the way, how about making you a prince? I thought you would be surprised at being granted a princedom by me."

"I am indeed overjoyed, but I'm not surprised that Your Majesty would bestow this title upon me."

"Oh? Explain."

"Although I was a Duke, my rank ultimately could not equal that of the princes. Your Majesty's promotion of me is partly due to my achievements, and partly because Your Majesty values me and wants me to take on the important task of governing Camelot. Therefore, I'm not surprised by Your Majesty granting me a princedom."

"Hmm, you're right. However, I have another consideration," Pluvia said while stroking the large cat in her arms.

"Please enlighten me, Your Majesty."

Kenji respectfully replied.

Pluvia raised her head, looked at Kenji and Lina beside him, paused for a moment, and asked:

"If I remember correctly, you are not yet married, right?"

Although there had been rumors about Kenji getting married before, that was just a tactic he used to express his dissatisfaction to Pluvia. But in reality, he had never taken a wife.

"That is correct."

"As Duke Anos—now Prince, your marriage is no longer just your personal matter, but concerns the policy direction of the entire Camelot Empire. Do you understand this?"

"...I understand."

He had been prepared for this realization long ago.

The saying uneasy lies the head that wears a crown applied equally to him as Grand Marshal. At his position, his marriage was indeed not just a simple matter of matrimony. It was like the princesses of the royal family—almost none of them truly held their weddings according to personal preference.

"So, I plan to arrange a marriage for you. Of course, considering your status, rest assured that my choice will definitely be a suitable match."

After saying this, Pluvia stopped speaking, waiting for Kenji's response.

Of course, there was another reason she didn't continue.

That was because Lina beside him seemed to have some minor emotions.