When the Mad Emperor Suddenly Becomes Sweet

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Lucius had an expression on his face that looked like someone who had put a rat in a sewer and was casually watching it to see what would happen next. This was certainly not the expression of someone who was giving out a reward, from Freya’s point of view. Herro quickly intervened and said, “But Your Majesty, this is not a man.”

This sudden intervention gave Freya a moment of relief, and she felt a surge of gratitude. It seemed that Herro was on her side, and might help her after all. If it were the case that only a man could be a servant of a royal, then Freya might be in luck. She smiled as she glanced at the box which she hoped contained gold coins. Perhaps her efforts would not have been in vain after all.

Freya’s thoughts were interrupted as Lucius asked, “Is there such a rule recorded anywhere in the Morciani Empire?” Herro was hesitant and began, “Your Majesty, there is no written rule as such….” Before continuing he wondered why Lucius was being so stubborn. Surely he knew why this situation could not be considered to begin with? Of course, there were no particular rules preventing anyone from becoming a servant, as long as their identity was clear and they had the abilities to perform the servant’s duties.

But Herro knew that this lady could not possibly be a servant. How could she handle His Majesty’s unusual mood swings and not run away? He wondered why His Majesty was so keen to have this questionable girl as his servant.

As Herro wondered, Lucius turned to Archer and asked, “Tell me Archer, is Freya weak? Is she able to run well and cope with errands? Does she know how to take care of armour, which is one of the most important duties of a servant?” Archer replied quickly, “Your Majesty, you should not worry about this. Freya cleans and delivers my armour every day. I have been personally training her in endurance every day too, and now she is as quick as a swallow.”

While the men were talking, Freya started to worry more. It looked as though she might really become a servant to the Crown Prince Lucius at this rate. She interrupted Archer and said, “I only know how to run errands. I’m not sure I can….”

A strange feeling came over Lucius as he listened to Freya. She seemed unwilling to take the generous offer that he had made, and he considered that most normal people would have been thanking him profusely by now. Yet this young girl seemed to be trying to find a way out of the situation. Lucius decided to play to her greed,  to see what results would come about. He looked at Freya and said, “I will give you five pieces of gold each month.”

Freya’s eyes lit up triumphantly at these words. Finally, His Majesty had said what she wanted to hear! She looked up at Lucius with glowing eyes and said, “It’s difficult to earn even one piece of gold a month doing errands.” Freya thought to herself that, despite all of the hardships she had endured, her life always seemed to lead somewhere unexpected. She did a quick calculation and realized that she could possibly get sixty pieces of gold per year as His Majesty’s servant, and quickly remarked, “I might not fit well at first, but I promise to do my best!” She was also hopeful that, if she did it for a year, she would be able to live comfortably with Loti. Of course, it wouldn’t always be easy to deal with His Majesty, but she felt that the opportunity was too good to refuse. Her green eyes shone with hope.

It was the first day of work and Freya was following Lucius to begin her new role. Despite walking freely behind him, she couldn’t help but feel as if there were a leash attached to her neck and that Lucius was leading her like a dog. She walked slowly and was aware that she looked depressed, so she tried to keep positive thoughts in her mind and stop herself from focusing on that bright blonde hair in front of her. It wouldn’t be that bad, she would be able to stay in Archer’s tent at night and then take care of His Majesty during the daytime. Soon the gold pieces would begin to increase.

Freya had decided that she needed to set some rules for herself if she were to be successful in this new role. Firstly, she would never look into his eyes. Nothing good ever came from meeting his eyes, and she knew that she had to be careful of his pretty and dangerous face, lest she got lost in it. The second rule was that she would only give him one answer per question. She needed to keep some distance from His Majesty and maintain their master and servant relationship. She knew that she often showed her weakness during their conversations by entering into long verbal exchanges. Now she was determined to be short, abrupt, and to-the-point. After all, she was there to work and not to make friends.