I Became the Master of the Empress - Chapter 272



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“I’m not quite sure myself.”

I was puzzled by Alexander’s response.

“If you, the head of the Chancellor’s Office and the Grand Duchy, don’t know…”

“Although the Intelligence Department is under my command… strictly speaking, I only follow the Emperor’s orders.”

Has the Intelligence Department gotten involved?

If so, it will take a long time to investigate.

“Understood. Then I’ll just take a few items while I’m here.”

“Please do as you wish.”

Saying that, I took out the fountain pen and three transformation rings I had received from Theodora from my drawer.

Since I had finally opened my eyes after a long time, I thought I might as well go outside.

I had only been inside the palace for a while.

After that, I changed into plain, shabby clothes and finished preparing to leave the palace.

“What should I do about the rings?”

Black hair, blonde, red hair.

I had prepared rings in these three colors.

Originally, there would have been many Romans who didn’t know my face, but since becoming a saint, many people have come to recognize me, so I need to change my hair color.

“But… how do I get out?”

The Golden Knights were more densely stationed than I expected.

It was too bright to scale the walls, and using the entrance would inevitably reveal my identity.

Hmm… what to do?

—

Lost in thought, she pondered.

Come to think of it, the watchtower where Theodora had tried to escape before…

Is there a knight stationed there too?

With that thought, she headed towards the watchtower.

“No one’s here?”

The watchtower, built long ago.

There exists an emergency passage for the royal family here.

It’s hard to get in from the outside, but easy to exit from within.

But does the Golden Knights not know the location of this passage? Or do they know but choose not to station anyone here for secrecy?

With such thoughts, she stepped inside.

“It’s too dark in here.”

An old torch stuck in the wall.

She took it, igniting a flame in her hand.

Following the bright light, she made her way out of the palace.

***

Slowly waking in the fading light of dusk, Theodora stirred.

Still not fully awake, she reached out for her husband in bed.

Finding solace in the warmth of his embrace was a small happiness for her.

But as she fumbled around the bed, her husband was nowhere to be found.

“Darling?”

Calling out to Devian with her eyes closed, she received no answer. Rubbing her eyes, she opened them…

And found the wide bed empty except for herself.

“Seriously… where on earth did he go?”

Feeling a twinge of annoyance at her husband, who had been so fervent during the day yet vanished, leaving her behind.

She resolved inwardly that she wouldn’t let it go tonight.

“Yawn…”

Covering her mouth as she yawned, Theodora now headed to her office.

As expected, there were piles of documents stacked high.

This was already a significant reduction.

Since she had taken power as Empress and begun her reign, the duties of the Grand Duke had also been transferred here.

—

Due to her husband’s meticulous scrutiny, which bordered on the murderous, she adjusted her authority to ensure that her workload remained at a reasonable level, fearing that she might literally be crushed under the weight of paperwork.

‘He’s really… lost it…’

Normally, she would have to shake her head at the tasks that ranged from overseeing the maintenance of the pipelines handled by the Roman city hall to checking and directing matters as broad as prices, economic development, and technological advancement.

On top of that, she had to meticulously monitor domestic law enforcement and the judiciary.

‘It’s about time I divided the responsibilities among the departments so he can’t meddle.’

While it’s commendable to feel a sense of responsibility in one’s work, she couldn’t help but worry as his wife that Deviant might meet an untimely end.

To put it bluntly… he had even faced a life-threatening crisis.

‘Honestly, here I am, worrying about becoming a widow right from my honeymoon.’

With a wry smile, she set about her tasks.

***

The Roman city, after a long absence.

It felt like it had been nearly a year since she had last been here.

Previously, she had refrained from coming out because of intelligence suggesting that someone who had noticed her frequent undercover visits was plotting to eliminate her.

Of course, even though it had been a while, nothing seemed particularly different.

She felt satisfied watching the lively people around her.

Wasn’t all the hardship endured just to see things like this?

Despite the pleasant atmosphere on the surface, she intended to check the prices while she was out this time.

According to the indicators, prices had dropped significantly.

She wanted to see just how much they had fallen.

So, she went to the market to check the prices of grains and fruits.

They hadn’t dropped as much as she expected.

Perhaps it was because Roman, being the most expensive in the Empire, had such prices.

Fundamentally, the buildings within the castle were quite pricey.

To be able to stay within the Roman castle, the imperial capital, was no small matter.

“Hmm…”

She stopped by the financial district to look around at the trading prices before heading to a restaurant.

Was it because this was a place where capital was heavily concentrated?

She felt that there were quite a few restaurants with a lavish atmosphere.

“Shall we try this place today?”

Drawn in by the appetizing aroma of spices, she found herself entering a restaurant without even realizing it.

“Hello. How many of you are there?”

A boy greeted me warmly.

“Just one. It’s my first time here, what’s good to eat?”

The boy looked me up and down.

“You don’t know our Jean-Michel restaurant? You must not be from Roman, then?”

Strictly speaking, I’m not a Roman.

“Yeah, I’m just visiting.”

At my words, the boy nodded and led me to a table.

“We’re famous for our osso buco, a dish made from veal shank. When paired with wine, tomatoes, and herbs, it’s simply exquisite. Or you might like coq au vin; we simmer chicken in broth and wine, and that’s quite popular too.”

Listening to the boy, I decided to order the osso buco.

“One serving of osso buco and a wine that goes well with it.”

“Altogether, that’ll be one gold. Is that alright?”

I was taken aback by the exorbitant price.

But since I was out for the first time in a while, I nodded willingly.

“Yeah, that’ll do.”

As I ate, I focused on the conversations around me.

– I heard that the tech investment fund has increased its capital. Should we consider applying?

– I’ve heard it’s stricter than expected, so it’s not easy… Didn’t Ford decline last time?

– They say iron ore prices are going to rise significantly?

– Why wouldn’t they? I heard they bought a huge amount from the Hebron workshop and even placed call options?

– But food prices keep dropping.

Being able to catch such economic gossip was intriguing.

“Your food is ready, sir.”

A delicious aroma and beautifully presented dish arrived.

As I looked at the red tomato sauce, various herbs, and the large piece of meat, I took a bite with my fork…

The tanginess of the tomato sauce, the sweet fragrance of the herbs, and the tenderness of the meat blended together in perfect harmony.

Wow… this is insane.

I was amazed by a flavor hard to find in the imperial palace.

Compared to the rustic taste of the duchy, I personally prefer the Roman’s rich and sweet flavors.

Roman cuisine is definitely something special, you know?

When one has eaten a certain amount of food.

– Have you been to that shop?

– Ah? You mean that red shop? Goodness, what a world we live in! What is the Vatican doing that they haven’t shut down such a place?

– I heard that a new clause was added to the commercial law last year, didn’t it? Because of that, I heard the Vatican is just twiddling their thumbs.

I looked at the two men engaged in this intriguing conversation.

Two impeccably dressed gentlemen.

They were casually chatting while eating meat.

But if it’s about commercial law, isn’t that the case?

Previously, local lords had the power to arbitrarily close shops or businesses they didn’t get along with, so a law was enacted to prevent forced closures unless the business clearly had a negative impact on the territory, which is now overseen by the Ministry of Commerce.

To summarize simply, if one wants to forcibly close a shop, they need the approval of the Ministry of Commerce.

But what kind of shop would prompt the Vatican to step in and try to shut it down?

Curiosity piqued, I focused on their conversation.

– But if it’s that disreputable of a place, wouldn’t the Duke order its closure? How is it still operating so openly?

– I’ve heard that many nobles frequent that shop. Moreover, the Vatican, which should be taking action, might refrain from requesting its closure because it could be seen as a political move.

So, to put it roughly, there’s a brothel, and its main clientele is nobles, which is why it can’t be shut down?

But that’s strange.

Prostitution is semi-legal here.

The reason it’s only semi-legal is that, influenced by religion, it’s deemed illegal under imperial law, yet no one enforces it.

It could be regulated, but as long as human trafficking isn’t involved, the Ministry of the Interior doesn’t even investigate.

The reason? Prostitution occurs so frequently.

It’s not only difficult to round everyone up, but even if they did, it would consume too many resources.

Additionally, the citizens aren’t particularly conscious; in fact, if there were crackdowns, the backlash from the imperial citizens would be significant.

But what kind of establishment is being called disreputable by citizens who wouldn’t bat an eye at such prostitution? My curiosity deepens.

Should I go over and ask?

After all, they won’t recognize me.

With that thought, I stood up from my seat and approached the two men.

“Excuse me, may I ask you something?”

As I spoke, the two turned their heads.

“Feel free to speak.”

“It’s about the shop you mentioned a moment ago.”

When I asked that, both of them had rather unpleasant expressions.

One of them snapped back sharply.

“Tsk tsk, for a young person to be so forward or curious… It would be wise to avoid such matters, just like the Duke.”

But I am the Duke, aren’t I?

“Ah? It’s not that I’m interested; I’m just curious.”

Yet, perhaps thinking my words were an excuse, their expressions didn’t soften.

“Enough. Why do you act this way? A young person can be curious, after all.”

Another person said that, but their expression was still not very pleasant.

“Over at 231, 5th Street, there’s a place called the Witch’s Shop. That’s what we were talking about.”

The Witch’s Shop?

I was puzzled by the unfamiliar name and asked again.

“What do they sell there that has you both so upset?”

The man who mentioned the Witch’s Shop replied.

“They say they sell artifacts that assist with… self-pleasure.”

“…Excuse me?”

Artifacts that assist with self-pleasure?

Here, self-pleasure is taught to be a crime worse than prostitution.

Of course, it’s not punished by imperial law… but someone who indulges in it frequently is seen as having a flawed character.

But artifacts that assist with self-pleasure…? Isn’t that akin to an adult shop?

Should I go take a look?