Ivania came to visit while the Emperor was still filled with worry.
Perhaps she had been bothered by the fact that every meeting so far had been with her drenched in sweat from training—this time, Ivania appeared quite neat and tidy.
Even so, instead of looking embarrassed, she tried hard to maintain an cool expression.
It was clear she knew why she had been summoned. Her demeanor was only natural, after all.
The Emperor had never had private meetings with his ministers before. And wasn’t there a strong public reason behind this one as well?
There was no need for unnecessary speculation. So, Ivania let out a deep breath she had tried to suppress and spoke in the most respectful tone she could manage.
“I heard Your Majesty summoned me.”
“…Ivania, is it?”
The Emperor’s response was slower than usual, likely due to exhaustion.
But he had always lived buried in endless work. Countless worries and harsher trials in the past had steeled him.
His tired, unfocused gaze quickly regained clarity. Gesturing toward a chair, the Emperor looked at Ivania.
“Sit. There are things we need to talk about.”
“If that is Your Majesty’s will, I will obey without question.”
Ever dutiful, Ivania’s shoulder-length blonde hair swayed as she moved—something that briefly caught the Emperor’s eye.
But he quickly shook his head and began speaking about the reason he had summoned her: Halid’s origins.
“Ivania, I’ve called you because there are certain concerns about the man newly appointed as commander of the Murtati.”
“Oh? I thought that flippant knight was in charge of the Murtati?”
“I thought so too.”
Ivania’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected revelation.
The Emperor had felt the same way when Francisco brought the man in, so he fully understood her reaction.
He had assumed Francisco would continue overseeing the Murtati as well, only for someone completely unforeseen to appear.
Francisco may have been a madman, but compared to this new figure, he seemed almost sane. The thought was so absurd that a laugh escaped the Emperor.
From his origins to his behaviour, the newcomer was anything but ordinary.
At the very least, his first impression had been unforgettable. Whether in a good or bad way, he had certainly left his mark. With that in mind, the Emperor continued.
“The man appointed as the new commander of the Murtati was recommended by Francisco and also came forward on his own. However, his background is… problematic.”
“…So that’s what Your Majesty meant by ‘origin,’ isn’t it?”
Ivania swallowed hard and nodded repeatedly. The Emperor answered with a light glance that conveyed affirmation.
But simply saying his origin was a problem wouldn’t be enough. So the Emperor didn’t hide the details of Halid’s background.
“He calls himself Halid Murtat. He is the son of a traitor who turned his back on the Empire and defected to the Ottomans. He himself has lived as a soldier for the Ottomans until now. His father, in particular, is quite well-known among the troops. So I ask you to keep his background strictly confidential, and also to ensure that the soldiers don’t bring it up. I fear it would only stir unnecessary conflict.”
“I see… I understand, Your Majesty! You can count on me!”
Fortunately, Ivania showed no particular resentment toward Halid’s background. The Emperor was able to breathe a sigh of relief in his heart.
Though he hadn’t shown it, he had been worried—especially after her reckless behaviour during the recent conflict with the lords of central Greece.
He had feared she might harbor a deep hatred for ‘traitors,’ but her swift and calm acceptance made those worries seem foolish. Perhaps it was also proof of her deep loyalty to the Emperor.
Looking back, the Emperor realized how long he had known Ivania.
A boy who had sworn to drag the despairing back to their feet, and a female mercenary captain shunned by every employer.
A series of faint coincidences and unexplainable events had brought them together, and they had stayed together ever since—sharing nearly a decade of time.
The Emperor looked at Ivania with fresh eyes, recalling the past.
The time he was startled upon discovering her odd tastes. The day she came to him while trembling from the aftereffects of overworking her young body. The countless battlefields they had survived together.
Not every moment with Ivania had been tender or happy. It wasn’t love, either. The Emperor felt no burning desire for her.
His emotions were calm, not passionate. Still, it wasn’t just about rewarding her for her loyalty and devotion over the years, either.
‘Then how exactly do I feel about Ivania?’
The Emperor’s gaze deepened as he stared at her, lost in thought. Ivania wasn’t a perfect warrior, nor was she a perfect woman. The serious, reserved side of her he sometimes saw now seemed like a distant memory. And there was not even a trace of the fiery passion poets and artists so often sang about. So then—what was it that he truly thought of her?
“…Your Majesty…? Do you still have more to say…?”
His silent staring must have made her self-conscious. Ivania, who had just been replying with confidence, now began to fidget, her eyes wandering. If this continued, the atmosphere would surely grow awkward.
Realizing this, the Emperor shook off his thoughts and regained focus. What came to mind instead was Ivania’s continued loyalty and service. And with only the two of them present, he made his decision. With a softened gaze, he spoke again.
“Now that I think about it, it’s been quite some time since we’ve had a proper conversation. Though I did provide reward money, there were many occasions during the Morea campaign where I failed to pay you appropriately.”
“N-no, not at all, Your Majesty! That’s not true! In fact, it was a tremendous opportunity for us to gain honour and reputation we would never have achieved otherwise. It was a fair exchange with mutual benefit!”
“To hear you say something like that—you must have been studying quite a bit.”
“…T-the soldiers under my command helped me a lot.”
Lately, the emperor had sensed that Ivania had become more serious—so this was the reason.
The thought hovered unspoken in his mouth, a silent monologue.
Ivania, groaning under the strain of unfamiliar studies.
A faint smile touched the lips of Emperor Dragases, who had always maintained a strict and serious demeanor.
Unfortunately, Ivania, who had bowed her head to hide her flushed face, couldn’t see it.
“Have you had any trouble training the non-commissioned officers?”
“Of course not! Though everyone seemed worn out from training, they are all grateful for Your Majesty’s consideration. It’s rare to find an employer so generous to mercenaries who’ve been injured—those who’ve lost arms or legs and can no longer take to the battlefield.”
It was a time when most disabled veterans received little attention after the war.
In such a period, the emperor’s new non-commissioned officer system was a bold innovation.
He reemployed experienced veterans as training instructors, ensuring they had a future beyond the battlefield.
It appeared that the mercenaries had welcomed the change.
If it could be maintained, it would surely improve the overall quality of the troops.
Of course, none of this would have been possible without Ivania.
“Ivania, this is your achievement. In many ways, meeting you may have been a turning point for me.”
“I-I never imagined you, Your Majesty, would say such a thing…”
“To be honest, I never thought the commander of a mercenary company would be such a young woman.”
“…Nor did I expect the employer to be such a young boy.”
“And yet even now, though I am no longer a boy, you still follow me.”
“P-People change. Just as Your Majesty has grown, so too has the direction of my loyalty.”
The emperor was inwardly impressed.
To hear such words from Ivania’s mouth—how much time and effort had she poured into studying to get to this point?
When they had first met, he had even feared the outbreak of a riot.
Looking back, they had both undergone a great deal of change.
And it wasn’t just Ivania.
The emperor, too, had changed.
With a voice still tinged with a warm smile, he spoke again.
“Ivania.”
“Y-Your command, Your Majesty.”
“I still don’t know exactly how I feel about you.”
“…Those words…”
The emperor learned, through Ivania, just how much a single sentence could shake a person.
Her face, flushed just moments ago, drained of all color in an instant.
When Ivania snapped her head up, her blue eyes—trembling with deep turmoil—met the emperor’s gaze.
Only then did she finally see the smile on his lips.
But because of the words he had just spoken, she couldn’t grasp what that smile meant.
Her confusion did not fade easily.
And there was only one thing that could settle Ivania’s shaken heart:
The emperor’s next words.
“But I know this—I can trust you, and I do trust you.”
At that, the smile disappeared from the emperor’s face.
What replaced it was a serious, resolute expression, like one making a vow.
A decision he had long delayed had finally arrived at his doorstep.
This moment, granted before all deferrals expired, was his last chance.
If he turned away now, there would be no next time.
Clenching his fists beneath the desk where they wouldn’t be seen, the emperor at last voiced his decision.
“…And so, today, I intend to spend more time with you.”
“Your Majesty!!”
With a jump, Ivania threw herself over the desk and into his arms, sending the chair clattering to the ground.
The emperor nearly toppled over as well, but in her excitement, Ivania couldn’t be bothered with such things.
“Your Majesty! Your Majestyyy~~~!!”
“Thank you for everything, Ivania. And I’ll be counting on you from now on as well.”
“Your Majestyyyy!!!”
The emperor could have sternly scolded her for losing composure in her joy—but he didn’t.
Instead, he gently patted Ivania’s back as she clung to him, unwilling to let go, and simply hoped the decision he had made was the right one.
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