Rose Empire

Chapter 24: News from Platinum City

Charlotte instructed Herman Green to lead the convoy into the overgrown garden first. Guards carried chests of riches down into the castle basement, while Renee was put in charge of sorting through thousands of pieces of jewelry, fine dresses, and everyday items. Beyond these goods, there were also special items on the vehicles that required expert handling, so Charlotte summoned Lilith, who had been rather inactive in the castle for days.

After being occupied for the better part of the day, Charlotte finally had a moment to sit down with Cecilia.

"Why have you come to my territory, Cecilia?" Charlotte asked her old friend, curiosity piqued.

Cecilia took a deep breath before explaining, "My brother failed his Awakening Ceremony, and my family… well, they have certain expectations. I couldn't bear the thought of becoming a courtesan, so I felt I had no choice but to seek refuge with you, Miss Mellefield."

"Ah, the Awakening failed," Charlotte murmured, understanding dawning.

Every Awakening Ceremony carries the risk of failure. Even for the most promising noble children, with the finest materials and the most skilled mages officiating, success can only be improved, never guaranteed. Cecilia's brother was likely just one of those with average, or perhaps even below-average, talent, making his failure hardly surprising.

Fortunately, in this world, failing the Awakening Ceremony isn't a life sentence of lost potential. A second attempt is possible, and for those with sufficient wealth, even a third or fourth try isn't out of the question. This is why some seemingly unremarkable noble children might secretly possess supernatural abilities, like Monica Mellefield.

Don't let Monica Mellefield's persona as a delicate lady who enjoys reading and poetry fool you. She is, in fact, a supernatural. Monica's talent is merely average, she dislikes cultivation, and her luck is notoriously poor. This unfortunate combination led her to fail multiple Awakening Ceremonies, starting from the age of six. However, her father, a high-ranking noble, and her mother, a woman of considerable means, ensured Monica underwent a staggering eleven Awakening Ceremonies throughout her life, eventually succeeding and, arguably, altering her fate.

But was it really altering fate? The cost of eleven Awakening Ceremonies would likely bankrupt a middle-class noble family. Cecilia's family wouldn't even dare to dream of such extravagance. Yet, the faintest hope of their youngest son succeeding in another Awakening Ceremony still lingered in their minds.

Cecilia had once traded upon her own resources to gain support from Charlotte. Now, even with Charlotte gone, Platinum City was never short of nobles seeking connections. And so, Cecilia's parents urged her to find another wealthy noble patron.

Cecilia's parents were likely typical of commoners in this world. They wouldn't consider it shameful for their commoner daughter to become a noble's mistress; in fact, they might even brag about it to their neighbors – "My daughter is sleeping with such-and-such noble!" Their equally impoverished neighbors would only respond with envy. Conversely, noble children might feel a touch embarrassed to boast about a mistress who was merely a commoner.

But Cecilia couldn't stomach such a future, and so she fled. Charlotte had once promised that should Cecilia ever need sanctuary, she could always come to her, even if pursued by the emperor himself. Cecilia reasoned her situation wasn't quite emperor-chase-worthy, but looking around, Charlotte's territory seemed the safest haven.

Charlotte smiled, "I'm probably the only one in this world who truly appreciates your talents. Everyone else just sees a pretty face, like lustful wolves."

Cecilia resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She almost retorted, "Aren't you describing yourself, Viscount?" But now that she was seeking Charlotte's protection, she bit back the words.

"As long as you can offer me a place to stay, I'm willing to work for you in any capacity," Cecilia said, head bowed.

Charlotte waved a dismissive hand and stepped closer, embracing Cecilia's slender waist. "We can discuss that later. Let Renee arrange for you to rest first. But I'm serious, you know. Since you've come to serve me, I fully intend to entrust you with important tasks."

As the most accomplished student of the sage Simon Capriati, Cecilia possessed a vast and varied knowledge base, spanning philosophy, mathematics, rhetoric, political science, education, architecture, herbalism, hydraulics, agriculture, and more within the classical system of learning. She was also fluent in over a dozen languages and well-versed in the histories, legal systems, and political structures of numerous countries. While her knowledge might be broad rather than deeply specialized, for Charlotte, such a talent was already incredibly valuable.

What is this? This was prime bureaucrat material!

Did this world even have bureaucrats? Charlotte wasn't sure, the world was vast, and her travels limited. But she knew the Orlan Empire, at least, did not.

The Orlan Empire's emperor typically governed through the Privy Council, a body of seven officials: the Privy Minister, the Finance Minister, the Military Minister, the Keeper of the Seal, the Royal Treasurer, the Cupbearer, and the Court Chaplain.

The Privy Minister, currently Earl Marco Lehman of Redpine Mountain, handled the emperor's documents.

The Finance Minister, Earl Rad Paster of Ifa, oversaw taxes and the treasury.

The Military Minister, David Boyan, commanded the Royal Griffin Knights.

The Keeper of the Seal, currently Earl Urosh Lindal of Gating, was responsible for the emperor's seal – seemingly ceremonial, yet wielding significant power, especially in times of imperial incapacity.

The Royal Treasurer, Marquis Pierre Horowin of Libao, managed the personal and family wealth of the emperor.

The Cupbearer was Earl Gilmore Butler of Wolfheart, whom Charlotte had met before.

And the Court Chaplain was Charlotte's old acquaintance, Archbishop Maitland Contao of the Lune Diocese.

These seven individuals formed the administrative core of the empire. As was evident, aside from the chaplain, they were all nobles.

Occasionally, the emperor would summon the empire's major nobles to Platinum City for discussions on matters of great importance. This assembly was known as the Grand Privy Council.

Through the Privy Council and the Grand Privy Council, the emperor and the nobility directly guided the nation. There was no system of departments and ministries, or bureaus and circuits. Perhaps nobles brought scribes to meetings, but their role was purely record-keeping, not bureaucratic in nature.

Perhaps for the Orlan Empire, a bureaucratic system was deemed unnecessary. Their view likely equated land granted to vassals as subordinate administrative units, and vassal nobles as subordinate administrative officials. They seemed unconcerned with population counts or industries within vassal territories, only requiring nobles to regularly remit sufficient taxes and provide manpower for war.

However, Charlotte disliked this loose feudal system. She had no desire to remain ignorant of the population she governed, nor did she want overly powerful vassals – like the "two kings, two dukes, and one marquis" – who could disregard her commands at whim. Therefore, Charlotte intended to implement a more advanced administrative system, allowing for more effective governance of her territory.

But first, Charlotte needed to assemble a corps of bureaucrats capable of executing her will.

In truth, Charlotte had been quietly gathering talented individuals for years, bringing them to Ripple Bay Viscounty under the guise of scribes. However, in this era, those with the means and opportunity for education were primarily nobles. Charlotte didn't wish to recruit nobles, and noble children were unlikely to seek service in a backwater like Ripple Bay.

The talent pool among commoners was meager. Literacy alone qualified one as a scribe, and a grasp of rhetoric practically made one a literary prodigy. A commoner girl as learned as Cecilia was incredibly rare, possibly unique in the world.

While Cecilia was relieved Charlotte would still take her in, being suddenly pulled into Charlotte's embrace made her tense and nervous. Cecilia was tall, and Charlotte could easily bury her face in Cecilia's chest simply by lowering her head.

Charlotte sniffed and remarked, "You smell a bit… you haven't bathed."

"I've been traveling with the convoy the entire way. When would I have had the chance?" Cecilia retorted defensively.

Charlotte playfully licked a strand of hair near Cecilia's ear, drawing it into her mouth, and whispered, "Shall we bathe together then?"

Cecilia was silent for a moment before saying, "You said you appreciated my talents…" Her tone held a mix of annoyance and embarrassment.

"Of course I appreciate your talents, but that doesn't mean I can't also appreciate your beauty, does it?" Charlotte replied matter-of-factly.

Cecilia finally couldn't restrain herself, "You're just a lecher, Charlotte!"

Charlotte never minded a little scolding, especially from a beautiful girl. Perhaps it was the memory of their intimate night in Platinum City, but though Cecilia remained somewhat resistant, Charlotte's persistence eventually led to a shared bath.

The bath lasted two hours, with water overflowing from the bathroom and cascading down the stairs.

Afterward, Cecilia collapsed onto the guest bed prepared by servants. Exhaustion from days of travel overwhelmed her. Just then, someone in a bathrobe tiptoed into the guest room.

"Don't even think about it. Let me sleep for a while. I'm worn out," Cecilia mumbled, eyes closed.

"I want to sleep too," Charlotte insisted, climbing onto the bed.

"Honestly…" Cecilia chuckled weakly, complaining, "When you poured your heart out to me under the banyan tree, I really thought you were a good person."

During Charlotte's early days at the Banyan Academy, she had pursued Cecilia with fervor, hoping to charm a highly skilled, unpaid worker and bed warmer into coming home with her, but she had failed.

"After all that sweet talk, you still rejected me. I almost considered knocking you out and tying you up," Charlotte confessed, lying beside Cecilia and toying with her golden hair.

"You'd dare do that at the Banyan Academy?" Cecilia scoffed, unconvinced.

Charlotte paused. She certainly wouldn't have dared, mainly because the academy's master, Simon Capriati, was too highly respected. Even someone as reckless as Henry Horowin had to show public deference to Simon Capriati. As Simon Capriati's nominal student, Charlotte couldn't afford to be less respectful than a notorious fool.

But then Charlotte smiled and asked, "I'm curious, did our teacher say anything when you left Platinum City this time?"

Cecilia didn't answer immediately, as if considering her words. After a long pause, she dropped a bombshell on Charlotte.

"Actually, it was our teacher who advised me to leave Platinum City," Cecilia revealed. "Shortly after you left, our teacher, as was his routine, went to the palace to give the emperor a lesson on continental history. That night, he was detained in the palace and wasn't released until two days later. Upon his release, he quietly told me that the emperor had suddenly collapsed during the lesson and only recovered after two days of treatment. However, our teacher suspects it wasn't the court physicians who saved the emperor, but the Church's June Metamorphosis."

Hearing this, Charlotte immediately sat up, a grave expression settling on her face.

June Metamorphosis was a miraculous artifact held by the Church, long kept in the Radiant Cathedral within Platinum City. Legend claimed it was created from the remains of a devout divine mage through a specific ritual. Its effect was to extend the life of a dying person by approximately six months, but with severe side effects. Those who underwent June Metamorphosis would inevitably weaken day by day until death, with little to no chance of recovery.

Simon Capriati was well-informed, and his judgment was highly reliable. This meant Emperor Leopold was likely to die within six months.

While Charlotte had anticipated Emperor Leopold's declining health, she had estimated a timeframe of two to three years, given the persistent rumors of his imminent demise in Platinum City, rumors he had consistently defied. Now, those two to three years had abruptly shrunk to six months, catching Charlotte somewhat off guard.

The situation might be even more precarious. Artificial miracles often shared a common flaw: their efficacy diminished with each use, eventually vanishing entirely. In this world, divine mages were as rare as mythical ancient dragons. Everyone knew the legends, but if you asked anyone if they'd seen one, they'd shake their heads. Given this, the Church likely hadn't had the opportunity to produce another divine mage to create a second June Metamorphosis.

The June Metamorphosis held by the Church had historical records dating back over two hundred years, when the previous pope used it to extend his life to choose a successor. If June Metamorphosis had already been used once, its life-extending effect would inevitably be reduced, whether by ten percent or ninety percent, no outsider could know. But in any case, Emperor Leopold might not even survive for six months.

"Thank you, Cecilia, for bringing me such vital news," Charlotte said sincerely.

To prevent national chaos, the news of the emperor using June Metamorphosis would undoubtedly be suppressed by palace officials with any sense. Cecilia, being a commoner girl, would be vulnerable to the dangerous turmoil about to engulf Platinum City. It was conceivable that Simon Capriati, unwilling to see his student meet a tragic fate, had revealed just a hint of the truth to Cecilia.

"I should have kept this secret for our teacher," Cecilia sighed sadly.

Knowing Cecilia's deep respect for Simon Capriati, Charlotte understood the inner conflict this decision must have caused her. Charlotte raised a hand and comforted her, "Don't worry, I swear I will never reveal this secret to anyone."

Cecilia rolled her eyes, "The oaths of the cunning are as worthless as papyrus."

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