Rumenia Empire, Imperial Court.

Day XXX, Time: XX: XX

At this moment, the letter penned by Mary, the famous maid of Duke Lockhart, reached the emperor's ears, and a frown appeared on that ever-smiling face.

All those who saw the emperor make such a face flinched before they held their ground and averted their eyes.

In a situation where their emperor showed such emotions, it was best to look away and pretend they had not seen anything. It was the best option for the dignity of the imperial family.

Not that the emperor cared. He ruled with such a tight fist that no one could say 'no' to him.

"Hand that letter here. I will read it before checking if this is sensitive information."

The emperor held his hand out, and the guard handed him the letter without hesitation.

If the letter had belonged to anyone else, the emperor would have had the guard open it first to check for tricks. However, the emperor took this risk since this was Duke Lockhart's trusted main.

The emperor would get hurt if any poison or other scheme was involved. But he had taken precautions so he wouldn't die or get seriously injured.

This would finally give him an excuse to punish that Duke and establish superiority above the other.

Unfortunately for him, the letter was not deceptive and was as nicely worded as a formal letter.

The contents of the letter were surprising, and the crown prince who read it above his father's should not have helped but shake in rage once he read it all.

"Father, surely you cannot-"

The crown prince spoke before remembering where he was and quickly shut his mouth. But the damage had been done.

Since he had voiced his surprise and annoyance, the emperor knew his guards were looking at him like vultures at a piece of meat. It was time for the emperor to let out some news slip.

"Crown prince, this matter is not for you to decide. Minister, get me a pen and paper. I will allow the Duke's ward to enter the business district and establish a business. We cannot exclude them from this wonderworld world they are starting to take a step into."

The emperor spoke like a benevolent master, and everyone gasped. They had not expected their emperor to give in this easily.

Truly, their emperor had nothing and no one to fear. He even allowed the ducal family to expand their influence.

"Father, but-"

"It's fine. The duke is a precious asset for our imperial family and this nation. His success is a success for all of us. Do not forget, crown prince, Duke Lockhart, is someone we cannot take lightly."

The emperor joked, but his words were serious enough to tell the crown prince he was serious.

And as much as the crown prince wanted to interfere again, he knew it was a bad idea. His father was getting impatient, and it would not be long before the crown prince was made to pay the price for it all.

"I understand, father. I will stay out of it."

The emperor smiled, and he went about his business as usual. But as soon as he was alone, his smile faded, and rage took over.

"That bastard-! He knows he cannot enter the business field and asks his wards to enter it. He is pushing his boundaries too much! I need to put him in place without my name getting out. Minister Calam, come inside right now."

Minister Calam was the Minister of Secret Affairs. He also monitored the emperor's orders and ensured they were carried out as the emperor wanted.

He bowed before the emperor as soon as he was called, and his neatly cut wheat-blond hair swayed in the gentle wind.

"Emperor, please tell me how I can lighten your burn. Whatever you ask me to do, I shall make it happen."

The minister assured as he kept his head down and his body bent forward. He was ready to lay his life down for the emperor.

"Minister, I need you to take care of Duke Lockhart's ward discreetly. Do not let anyone know that the royal family was involved in this. But at the same time, do not hold back. I want to send the message that Duke Lockhart should stop trying to push his luck like this."

The emperor did not look at his minister when he said this, but his intention was clear. The minister was quick-witted enough to gather all of this and not ask any questions.

He just bowed before he quickly left.

"Alright, this is one thing that is taken care of. I do not care why this is happening, but I cannot let this continue. The imperial family needs to be at the top of the world, and I will ensure their position is maintained no matter what I do."

...

Layla shivered as soon as she got out of her bath and changed clothes. She could finally relax after a hard day's work, but something was nagging her in the back of her mind.

"Miss Layla, is something worrying you? Would you like me to check the perimeters for you?"

Mary asked worriedly, but Layla shook her head to show there would be no need for that.

"I am fine. I just had a shiver go down my spine, but I am sure it is nothing. What about you? Were you able to get a reply from the imperial family?"

Layla asked, Mary's expression smug as she pulled out a letter.

"Of course I did, Miss. Here! This is our permission letter from the Imperial Palace. But even with this, I am sure we will have a hard time with our upcoming task of getting a place."

Mary's words could not be truer; however, no one knew how much trouble the trio would go through because of this. The first shop they returned to with the imperial letter rejected them again, and the same kept happening.