Free Web NovelChapter 396: A very specific ’Emperor’ problem
The next morning, the grand corridors of the estate were crisp and flooded with early winter sunlight. Alaric was walking toward the strategy hall when a sudden shift in the air temperature made him stop.
Floating lazily at eye level, his arms crossed over his chest, was Norx.
The deity’s divine body was already completely healed, the heavy purple bruises and clawing marks from the previous day entirely vanished as if they had never existed.
He was narrowing his crimson eyes at the Duke, drifting in a slow, tight circle around Alaric’s massive frame like an irritated hornet.
"You told Julian, didn’t you?" Norx accused, his raspy voice dropping into a petulant hiss.
Alaric didn’t even blink, crossing his own arms over his chest. "Isn’t that obvious? Who else would I tell?"
Norx let out a long, dramatic sigh, throwing his head back in midair. This was the absolute worst. Why was this mortal man so fiercely faithful and brutally transparent?
Didn’t anyone in this family understand the concept of keeping a scandalous secret buried for the sake of petty amusement?
"That aside," Alaric continued, completely ignoring the god’s theatrical despair as he looked straight into those crimson eyes, "I need a favor from you."
Norx went entirely silent. He blinked, floating a few inches backward to process the request.
Since when did this guy—the very man who had shown nothing but open, lethal hostility toward his presence since day one—spontaneously start demanding favors?
The sheer curiosity of it was too tantalizing to resist. Subconsciously, Norx’s divine consciousness slipped past the Duke’s mental barriers, reading the heavy thoughts flashing across Alaric’s mind.
The moment the realization hit him, a sudden, wicked smirk cut across the god’s face.
"Hah," Norx scoffed softly, a genuine amusement dancing in his gaze. "If it’s like that... then don’t worry. I’ll do it."
Alaric’s jaw tightened, a dark scowl settling over his rugged features. He stood perfectly still, realizing he hadn’t even uttered a single word of his request yet.
He really hated it when this ridiculous entity read his mind without permission. But... if the god was actually going to cooperate without a fight, he supposed it was a victory he couldn’t afford to waste.
What Norx had read in the Duke’s mind was a very specific ’Emperor’ problem.
Alaric needed someone to handle Emperor Aurelian. Specifically, he wanted Norx to be the one to inform the sovereign about the upcoming ceremony at dusk, as well as pass on the tailored imperial attire he was expected to wear.
Alaric did not want his brother causing a single scene or ruining the momentous occasion, even if he was the ruler of the entire empire.
If anything, it would be far better for Norx to use whatever strange hold he now possessed over the Emperor to lead him away from the grand ballroom after Aurelian had finished showing his face, allowing the nobles to exchange their necessary pleasantries before the true event began.
"I’ll be counting on you," Alaric grumbled, giving a short, rigid nod before turning on his heel and marching down the corridor, leaving the floating deity chuckling softly to himself.
Meanwhile, in the eastern wing of the manor, Julian was standing in his private quarters, staring at the heavy wooden wardrobe.
The estate’s maids had just delivered a massive, protective garment bag earlier that morning.
When Julian had carefully unzipped the top, his breath had caught. The attire inside was white, crafted from the finest silk, intricately embroidered along the lapels and cuffs with delicate silver threads that captured the morning light like fresh frost.
It was utterly breathtaking, carrying an elegant, structured design that certainly did not look like a simple outfit for a standard estate dinner.
Julian ran his fingers over the smooth fabric, his heart doing a small, excited flip.
Over the past few hours, he had noticed the distant, echoing rumble of carriage wheels arriving at the front courtyard, and the entire manor seemed to be buzzing with an underlying, electric energy.
He couldn’t help but wonder what this massive surprise truly was. Knowing that Alaric had spent an entire week carefully building something just for him made a brilliant, anticipating warmth bloom deep in his chest.
But Julian was a scholar and a dedicated teacher; he would never use his personal excitement as an excuse to skip out on the children’s education.
When he walked into the sunlit conservatory classroom a short while later, he found he had two extra students waiting nervously by the entrance.
Betty and Bellard were standing shoulder-to-shoulder, their hands wringing their simple woolen coats.
They were deeply curious about learning, their eyes wide with a desperate desire to know more about the world, but the sheer weight of common protocol had them frozen at the threshold.
They truly didn’t know if they were fit to sit in the exact same space as the crown prince, the princess, and the young Lord, let alone listen to an imperial tutor.
Julian offered them a warm, incredibly gentle smile, stepping forward to usher them inside.
"Come in, don’t be afraid," Julian said softly, his voice carrying an absolute, grounding authority that instantly cut through their hesitation.
He looked down at the two local children, ensuring his blue eyes reflected nothing but complete sincerity.
"Wanting to learn is not a crime, and it is never a bad thing to sit with nobility to gain knowledge. If anything, sitting here today will help you understand just how much you need to work hard in order to become as knowledgeable as you wish to be. In this room, you are all simply students."
Prince Cassian and Princess Liora immediately shifted in their seats, offering welcoming nods—Cassian even clearing a space on his long wooden bench for Bellard, a silent acknowledgement of their shared sword practice from the day before.
As Julian turned to the large chalkboard to begin the history and geography lesson, watching the five children interact and scramble to share their pencils, a grand, revolutionary thought began to brew in his scholar’s mind.
He wanted to build an academy here in the North.
Not just a small private classroom for the elite, but a true, sprawling institution where both the high nobility and the poorest common children could sit under the same roof, learning science, history, tactics, and literature.
