I Became the Assistant of a Romance Villainess

Chapter 4. Maurice Dmitri (2)

* * *

The Sun Palace, the Emperor’s residence.

I entered the massive and opulent Imperial Palace, built of marble to symbolise the grandeur of the Empire.

It was a place I found unpleasant no matter how many times I visited it.

When I first entered this world, it had been a space filled with excitement and novelty.

But after several narrow escapes from death due to palace intrigue, it became nothing more than a backdrop to the main scenario.

“His Majesty is expecting you.”

The guard saluted when he saw me.

I returned the gesture with a wave of my hand and stepped into the Sun Palace.

“Minister, please follow me.”

I followed the steward past the meticulously manicured garden, which the gardeners took great pains to maintain, and into the Emperor’s private audience chamber within the Sun Palace.

“Your Majesty, Minister of Magic Dmitri has arrived.”

“Let him in.”

The doors opened to reveal the Emperor lounging casually in the audience chamber, sipping wine.

‘He really is stunning.’

Platinum blonde hair and piercing blue eyes.

His appearance was flawless, enough to inspire awe no matter how many times I saw him.

The Emperor of the Bermuth Empire.

Luclyde of Bermuth.

The male protagonist of the novel “Finding a Happy Ending from Evil”.

The Emperor looked down at me from his throne.

“I greet the sun of the Empire.”

I bowed to the Emperor with impeccable imperial etiquette.

It was as perfect a greeting as the etiquette demanded.

The result of tireless practice to avoid unnecessary conflict with the nobility.

“Your etiquette is always a thing of beauty.”

“This is our first meeting since the investiture ceremony, isn’t it?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“It’s been a week already. How are you finding the work?”

“It’s not much different from what I was dealing with as Deputy Minister, so I’ve had no trouble settling in.”

“I hear you’ve been working hard.”

“Thanks to Your Majesty’s grace, I’ve been able to work without worry.”

“Have you anything to report?”

“Apart from the barbarians taking advantage of our weakened borders after the coronation, nothing of note.”

“The southern barbarians, a troublesome lot.”

“The deployment of troops to the border should solve the problem.

“I will have to discuss this with the Minister of Defence.”

The Emperor nodded and set down his wine glass.

“I notice Her Majesty the Empress is not present.”

“There is no need for her to attend discussions on matters of state. She’s resting in her chambers.”

“Is that so?”

I saw it clearly – the coldness in his eyes as he spoke of the Empress, the woman who was once the heroine of this world.

The Emperor waved his hand dismissively and straightened his posture.

“Well, I didn’t call you here to talk about mundane affairs of state.”

Finally we came to the point.

“Have you received my gift?”

It was, of course, Seria, the woman who had lost the name of Siegfried.

“The knights delivered it to me yesterday.”

“And? What do you think?”

“What do you mean?”

“Her, of course. She’s one of the most beautiful women in the realm, second to none.”

I remained silent.

“How could I harm a gift bestowed by Your Majesty?”

The Emperor shook his head at my answer.

“Minister, that’s not the reaction I was expecting.”

“What kind of reaction would please Your Majesty?”

“Must I spell it out? I assumed you’d understand perfectly.”

“How could a mere mortal ever presume to understand the heart of the sun?”

“Haha, the war hero who crushed the former minister – a blatant traitor – with magic now shows such humility.”

The Emperor chuckled briefly before speaking slowly.

“They call you ‘Maurice the Warmonger’, a nickname you earned for your cruel methods of killing and tormenting your enemies. So I’ve heard.”

His piercing blue eyes gleamed as he studied me.

Before I became Deputy Minister, I had been ruthless with the Ministry’s enemies who tried to oppose me.

That was when the nickname began.

Maurice the Warmonger.

So he hadn’t forgotten.

Hearing that nickname from the mouth of the male protagonist was unexpected.

“I want her to suffer,” he said. “I want her to feel the same pain she caused me – pain that tears the heart apart, not just physical agony. That’s why I sent her to you.”

‘So that’s what this is about.’

Of course it was.

That is the kind of man he is.

Despite his handsome and dignified appearance, a cruel nature lay dormant within.

‘I thought meeting the heroine had softened him.’

Apparently not.

I bowed silently.

“I trust you understand me well. I hope you won’t disappoint me in the future.”

‘Damn it.’

It felt like I’d been dragged into something unpleasant.

***

“What were you talking about?”

As soon as I got back to the office, Jane bombarded me with questions, her tone over-excited.

“Shut up and concentrate on your work. I assume there’s still a mountain of work to be done…”

Thud! 

Jane dropped a huge pile of documents onto the desk with a dramatic flourish.

“All done. So tell me, what did you discuss with His Majesty?”

“Nothing much. Just matters of state, that’s all.”

“You’re lying.”

Of course it was impossible to fool her.

“It’s Seria Siegfried, isn’t it?”

“You’d be wise to be careful with that name.”

“That sort of warning only works with humans, you know.”

Jane grinned from ear to ear, clearly amused.

Realising that she wasn’t going to let it go unless I said something, I nodded reluctantly.

“Really? What were you talking about? Was it something about protecting my wife? Or maybe, I’ve stripped her of her status, but she’s still my love…”

“Jane.”

I cut her off before her babbling could get any worse.

“This matter is not as romantic as you imagine.”

The Emperor wanted nothing more than to see his former fiancée’s pathetic and miserable downfall.

I had been dragged into a post-mortem melodrama.

This was going to be a real headache.

“So what are you going to do with her, Minister?”

As I rubbed my temples in frustration, Jane pressed on.

“What do you mean, what am I going to do?”

“She’s your property now, isn’t she?”

What am I going to do with her?

“I haven’t decided yet.”

At that moment –

“Minister, it’s Cedric.”

The number one person to keep an eye on, Cedric, had arrived.

“Come in.”

“This is the Ministry of Magic’s budget for this month, along with the new Mage Tower research papers submitted this month.”

“It’s quite a lot.”

“It’s the beginning of change. There are a lot of people who want to stay on the good side of the newly appointed Minister of Magic.”

Cedric finished his sentence with a hearty laugh.

“Keep it down. My head is pounding.”

It seemed that today was going to be another day buried in work.

***

Having completed all my tasks, I finally returned home.

Today’s workload had left my head throbbing.

Even for someone like Maurice, whose intelligence and mental strength far exceeded that of an ordinary person, the sheer volume of work at the Ministry of Magic was overwhelming.

Having a place to rest – a home to return to – always gave me a sense of relief.

I gazed at Dimitri’s vast estate, with its sprawling courtyard and magnificent manor house.

Three years.

That was how long it had taken to rebuild this crumbling family into its present state.

A masterpiece I had created in this world.

Whenever the work became unbearable, I found comfort in admiring this mansion.

Ambition, Meritocracy, Perfectionism

These traits formed the basis of Maurice’s personality and were the reason for his relentless drive.

Of course there was another reason.

To remember where I had been and where I was now.

Never let your guard down.

In the cutthroat political arena of the Bermuth Empire, a single misstep could send you plummeting back to the bottom.

I thought, as always, that my home would give me the rest I needed today.

I was sure of that – until I opened the front door.

“What… is this?”

I stood frozen, staring at the chaos that had descended upon my living room.

The expensive porcelain decorations were smashed into countless pieces, the carpet was crumpled and dishevelled, and the carefully arranged artwork was now hanging crooked, or worse, tossed about with no rhyme or reason.

‘Ah.’

A wave of dizziness hit me.

I felt dizzy.

My home.

The sanctuary that once brought me peace of mind.

It had been turned into a rubbish heap.

I didn’t need to ask who had done it.

There was only one person in the house while I was gone.

The one who had lost all her status as of yesterday – Seria.

Cold rage began to consume me.

‘Don’t lose your temper. Don’t get carried away.’

I took a deep breath, inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly to calm myself.

‘Calm down. Stay calm.’

‘Inhale… exhale…’

Once I had calmed my breathing, I waved my hand.

Twisting the formula for a time spell, I began to restore the shattered porcelain on the floor.

Like a film being rewound, the shards of broken pottery gradually returned to their original places and reassembled into their original form.

The crumpled carpet was magically smoothed back into place.

The tossed artworks floated back to their rightful places on the walls.

Quickly, I drew complex spells in the air and chanted the necessary incantations.

Casting five spells at once wasn’t easy, even for someone as close to an Archmage as I was.

My head throbbed like it was going to burst.

I had overworked myself trying to clean up this disastrous house.

“Seria.”

I called her name in a low, mana-drenched voice.

If she was anywhere in the mansion, she should have been able to hear me.

But there was no response.

“If you come out now, I’ll settle for taking your clothes off and nothing more.”

Still no answer.

I went to the second floor.

The second floor wasn’t much different from the first – just as chaotic.

I gritted my teeth and fought the dizziness.

Once again I used magic to tidy up.

Items floated around and found their rightful place.

As for the items that seemed impossible to restore, even with time magic, I burned them on the spot.

Fwoosh!

‘This was one of my favourites.’

It was a piece of porcelain that resembled a white celadon vase from the Joseon era.

A precious object that reminded me of the world I lived in as Choi Yoo-jun.

And she had the audacity to break it?

The veins in my forehead burst.

It was clear that she hadn’t learned her lesson yet.

‘I give her credit for her stubbornness.’

But the time for polite conversation was long past.

I manipulated the mana in the air, causing it to ripple.

The mana vibrations, starting at my feet, quickly spread throughout the mansion and into the courtyard.

Although my eyes were closed, I could clearly see every corner of the mansion.

It was a detection spell based on ultrasonic principles.

With a wave of my hand, I swept through the illuminated image of the mansion revealed by the mana.

And then…

I found her.

Hiding silently in one of the guest rooms on the third floor.

* * *