The Imperial Council was busy welcoming the returned Emperor.

The rumors spread as if it had a foot, and the ladies were cautious enough to withdraw from private gatherings. It seemed that the prowess of the Lady Satin, the main pillar of the social world, had a big influence.

It is not time to raise the tax rate on the boundaries of the territory.

Your Majesty. They are also Empires people, and they must pay taxes.

If I raise the tax rate right now, will they remain as my people? At least you have to give them time to settle down. Fabian gave a shot and pointed his finger at the Finance Minister. It indicated that the Minister needed to take care of the next issue.

Your Majesty, regarding the compensation money in the ministry

Fabians expression was not very good when the Minister mentioned that issue. The fee referred to the expenses used by the Imperial family, and the main problem was his mother. The huge amount of money was spent as the cost of maintaining the Southerns palace, the Empresss Dowager residence.

The Minister had advised him a few times, but Fabian was so stubborn that there was no sign of a solution to the two problems.

Solve the Southerns Palace case by yourself.

As if he had gotten used to it, the Minister retreated politely. Fabian despised the statement even today. Luckily or unluckily, as the Emperor, he didnt enjoy luxury, so the state treasury remained stable despite the leakage of money.

Your Majesty, Im going to talk to you about the issues that have been raised in Congress.

I have already confirmed it with the documents.

Fabian hated to waste his time. As a result, public affairs were handled concisely and quickly. It wasnt a very nice thing for the nobles because everything was done according to Fabians will, and he was a dogmatic person who didnt want to listen to other peoples opinions.

Except for the items previously approved by me, all are not allowed. Also, I wont allow them to post repeated requests.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Fabian, who ascended to the throne at the age of 16, always struggled to build up his own Imperial power. In fact, the Imperial power was powerful enough since his fathers reign, but Fabian wanted more power than that.

It was to shut the nobilitys mouth and carry out efficient politics as it was now.

Ill check the documents tomorrow, Fabian said. Actually, there were still many ministers waiting for their turn to submit a report, but no one dared to protest.

Recently, Fabian ended his official duties earlier than usual and disappeared somewhere. In fact, he didnt do anything else in particular. And many noble had wondered what the Emperor, who had been known to dislike wasting his time, was doing.

Ah, Your Majesty, we have received an official letter from the Kingdom of Felice.

What? Fabian, who was about to leave, suddenly stopped his feet. Youre supposed to report it first.

The Minister of Finance bowed his head and gave him a handwritten letter with the seal of Felice Kingdom.

Then, Fabian took the letter and left the room.

Serus, Fabian called his name low, hastening his steps.

Yes, I wont follow you today, Serus said in a calm, resigned manner. Well, if you give me permission, Id like to meet the spy I sent to the Vatican.

Is he back already? asked Fabian.

Yes, this morning.

Fabian nodded.

In certain cases, the two men went on their separate ways.

****

Fabians stopover at the afternoon break was none other than the masterless-Empress-Hall.

After meeting Duchess Perth, Fabian came here every single time to relax his heart when he was upset. Empress Hall was the quietest and most relaxing place in the Imperial Palace for him.

Whoa, its an obvious seal.

The letter was sealed with the Kingdom officials stamp. Perhaps it was King Felices apology for the unpleasant incident that happened at the banquet a while ago.

Fabian leaned his back on the couch by the window, where Evelyn had once looked out at the garden and ripped off the letter. A familiar, elegant handwriting caught his eye at once.

.E-Evelyn?

He was happy with the writing at first, but as soon as he read line by line, Fabians eyebrows frowned deeply. Huh?

Fabian doubted his eyes for a moment, but for sure, it was Evelyns unique handwriting that drew the endlong.

Besides, at the end of the letter, she confidently gave her signature. And the letter was officially concluded by writing down her role as Minister of Finance of Felice Kingdom.

Why..

No other kingdom had ever received such a shameful letter. No one dared to send threatening letters to the Imperial Emperor over the trade agreements trivial matter.

Yeah, he wouldnt have to step out if it wasnt for his ex-wife.

Finance? The Princess is the Finance Minister? Fabian frowned and spat a foolish self-talk.

Youre going to declare war on me directly? By the way, even if youre out of your mind, you shouldnt. Geez

He did not know what terms might be used to describe this letters content, Insolent, vulgar, or just too absurd. To be sure, the current Evelyn was not the Empress he had ever known.

Fabian had no idea who he was married to. How did Evelyn, who used to smile shyly, treat him coldly, and even send him such a challenge? It was an act that he couldnt think of as the same woman.

[ The countries and provinces in the south that signed trade agreements, led by the Felice Kingdom, had decided to stop witnessing the imperial Tyranny that almost exploited trade.

If the Empire had not signed a trade agreement, or if no precautions had been taken to fix it, all the Southern Regions trade agreement members would have cut off trade relations with the Empire.

Evelyn Felice, the finance minister of the Felice Kingdom, head of the trade agreement. ]

Fabian reread the end of the letter carefully. His eyes werent wrong. It was this letter that was wrong.

Tyranny? Exploitation? Are you treating me like a thief now? Huh, it was so ridiculous that he burst out laughing.

Stop trading? Yeah, theres nothing you cant do.

Fabian shot the last line of the letter. Evelyns face, when she wrote down her position and what she was in charge of, came to his mind. After the reunion, her cold expression that looked down upon him was clear.

Youre gambling on me, thinking that I still have a feeling left for you? Dont be stupid.

Above all, public affairs and private life had to be clear. What Fabian regretted was the loss of his Empress, not the Finance Minister of another Kingdom who sent such a threatening official letter.

Chief! Call the Congress again!

He hated situations where he felt sorry for other people.

The gentle air that enveloped Fabian a moment ago immediately turned into suffocating steam.

***

Evelyn, who wasnt aware of the roar in the Imperial Parliament, spent her day watching Adrian running around the garden.

Since she took over the title of Minister of Finance, it was a time for her mind and body to take a break from reviewing the documents, meeting the nobles, and receiving their testimony.

This job, its harder than I thought.

But its wonderful. Theres already a lot of talk about your competence.

Rebecca also stayed in the palace and helped Evelyn in numerous ways. With open arms, Liam accepted the reason why Rebecca always came to the royal palace under the excuse of working. Because he was finally able to get rid of her annoying sister.

If you set a precedent like this in the royal palace, you will also open up opportunities for other women.

Is that so? Then my responsibility is heavier.

Youll do it well. At this rate, there may be a day when Liam will give me the keys to the Duke of Akshires safe.

Rebecca laughed coolly. If Liam had heard it, he would have freaked out. And Evelyn didnt think such a day would come at all, after seeing the banquets cost, somehow, she understood Liams feelings.

There will be a response from the Empire soon. Honestly, Im scared. Evelyn said.

Why? Its an official document. Your majesty will take care of it publicly.

Yes, the official part. Evelyn silently recalled her letter. She just felt it was too much after she had already sent the letter. I think Ive gone too far from the beginning.

Its all right. King Majesty thought it was all right, thats why he sent it.

Evelyns face was slightly clouded.

Wait, didnt the Kings majesty see it? But youre still

Suddenly, there was silence between the two. How far have you written it?

A little bit.

A little bit Rebecca wondered.

If you dont stop exploitation and tyranny, were going to stop trading Evelyn said softly.

Rebecca suddenly swallowed her dry saliva. No Kingdom had dared to say like that to Fabian. So she couldnt predict what kind of reaction would come back.

But I didnt say anything wrong.

Well, then, thats it. And I dont think theres a need to trade with a tyrannical Empire. It was a problem that nobody had ever said, but they decided to skip that part.

Yes, His Majesty is a sure person in public affairs. He wont be too emotional when he makes a judge, so hes going to make a wise decision in some way. Evelyn said calmly. As long as they were married, she had never seen Fabian go overboard or get too angry.

People were afraid of Fabians harsh impression, but he was a man who wasnt easily overwhelmed by emotions.

But at the same time, the nobles thoughts who looked at Fabian in Congress were completely different.

Today theres something I need to clarify. A cold anger burned in the black eyes of the young Emperor.

Only

Did the Empire, my Empire, ever commit tyranny and exploitation?

Fabians voice was so deep and calm that everyone in the meeting room stopped breathing.

I will personally check and judge.

Fabian put Evelyns letter down with a loud voice. The chief palace took it like a sinner and handed it to the ministers.

Where. Fabian exhaled a long breath. Lets find out who blasphemed my honor. I, on behalf of the Emperor, wont tolerate this humiliation. His icy words seemed to freeze the air in the room.

Will he declare a war with the former Empress?

There was a lot of speculation, but no one dared to open their mouths. This Congress seemed wouldnt be over in the meantime.