With the government of Red Dusk tucking their head within their shell like a turtle while turning a blind eye to all the questioning and criticism being directed their way, Emilia knew it was time to strike them where it hurt.
And finally receiving the ‘summons’ he had been waiting for, Tom was also inwardly relieved.
Given how childish and whimsical this empress seemed, he hadn’t been quite sure if she would perhaps just forget about his existence over time.
Of course, it wasn’t that he was captivated by her beauty, or overwhelmed with gratitude. Tom wasn’t so stupid.
No matter how pretty a girl was, in his opinion, they were only good for a few years at most. Once their beauty faded, these types of obsessions only gave birth to regret.
The real reason he was so eager to meet her was because after carefully analyzing everything that had happened before, he’d arrived at a shocking, almost unbelievable conclusion.
Blue Dawn had what was most likely a ‘miracle drug’ that could cure all ailments… no, maybe something even better! And its source was none other than the ’empress’ herself!
Even he thought it was a little absurd at first, but Tom hadn’t arrived at this conclusion without good reason.
As someone who was very proficient at judging people’s expressions, he could obviously tell that the confidence he felt from the girls in that room in the ‘cure’ they had given him was extremely strong.
Since the president of the commonwealth wasn’t stupid or careless, and he fully believed that a ‘cure’ for the substance he had been given didn’t even exist… that left only one possibility.
Blue Dawn had something so nonsensical and magical that it could be used as a ‘miracle drug’ to get rid of nearly any poison.
It was unbelievable and unscientific, and Tom definitely wouldn’t have believed it had he just heard about it from someone else. But having felt his own disappearing vitality instantly being restored the moment that liquid touched his lips… he knew he couldn’t be wrong.
Having replayed the scene countless times in his head, Tom was absolutely certain now that the cure he had been administered was just a glass of water taken from the dispenser, and the only ‘unusual’ thing about it had been that the empress had taken a sip from it just moments before.
Her speech had been completely normal before taking that sip, so she shouldn’t have been hiding anything in her mouth, so that left only two possibilities. First, the whole dispenser had been filled to the brim with the ‘miracle drug’, which was unlikely, or second…
Emilia’s lips were the source of the drug, no, most likely, her whole body had some sort of mystical property that not only cured people, but also healed them!
Tom couldn’t help but clench his fists in excitement. ‘Fuck, even the chronic pain I always had in my knee for the last ten years is gone!’
Once he accepted this ‘fact’, Tom found himself realizing many more things about Blue Dawn and this ’empress’ that he had previously been completely oblivious to.
’No wonder… no wonder! No wonder she has so many fanatics and worshipers who believe in her blindly, and no wonder her so-called family ‘treasures’ her so much! This bitch is not a girl at all, but a walking treasure trove!’
Although he couldn’t be sure, from the brief moment he had come in contact with the ‘drug’, Tom had the feeling that drinking ‘enough’ of it could even restore his youth!
In his excitement, the man didn’t even realize when they had already arrived at their destination.
”Empress, we have brought him in. May we enter?”
Hearing an affirmation from the inside, the soldiers escorting him only gave Tom a warning look before opening the door to the room the empress was supposedly staying in.
Quickly shaking off his stray thoughts, Tom’s sharp, bright eyes instantly locked on to the young crimson-haired girl he had been thinking about day and night.
Lounging on the lap of an older girl sprawled on the sofa while feeding her grapes, Emilia still didn’t seem to have any majesty or presence that an empress should, but Tom didn’t care about that.
If his memory served him right, the other girl should be Emilia’s elder sister, named Samantha, the heiress to the White Deer Corporation. And aside from them, there were quite a few others whom he recognized in the room.
The blond girl who had been gaining quite a bit of fame recently, Crystal, the star employee of White Deer, Noelle, and a short-haired ‘maid’ who was on record for often following Emilia around before she arrived at Blue Dawn.
Even the abominable dark-haired girl who fed him the ‘drug’ was here! Of course, he didn’t resent her for feeding him the drug, but because she let the rest of the water go to waste on the floor instead of letting him drink it all!
Tom knew they must not think much of it since the supply was so abundant, but still… how could she waste it like that?
He naturally had no idea that as long as it wasn’t consumed, all of Emilia’s energy would quickly return to her own body. Since their goal was only to let Tom live temporarily to achieve their own goals, Dixie obviously didn’t want him to gain any more than what was absolutely necessary.
His obviously heated gaze aimed at their princess wasn’t missed by any of them, and the soldiers who escorted the man even gave him a warning shove. “Control your eyes, vermin!”
Emilia didn’t seem to mind his gaze as much as the others, though. “Well, thank you for your hard work, everyone. You can leave, I’ll have Dixie send him back once we’re done, okay?”
The soldiers were obviously a little concerned, but obeyed their empress swiftly just the same.
His treatment hadn’t been too bad after he was ‘cured’, and without a gag in his mouth, Tom was naturally free to speak. “Uh, Empress Emilia, you—”
”Hold on, just a moment.”
The crimson-haired girl then proceeded to ignore the dumbfounded man while feeding the rest of the grapes to her older sister one by one. “Big sis, I know you’ve worked so hard the past few months, and it might feel like it’s too soon…”
The older girl bit another grape between her teeth, enjoying the burst of sweet juices in her mouth while licking the little beauty’s soft fingertip. “Mhm… but we’ve only been together for such a short time, do I really have to leave?”
Noelle rolled her eyes while looking at her ‘lazy and reluctant’ posture, but seeing the look Emilia threw her way, she could only sigh and allow the younger girl to handle it.
She had to admit that Samantha’s efficiency was greatly boosted each time the younger girl gave her ‘motivation’ while convincing her to go somewhere. Much better than her own scoldings did, at least.
”Don’t worry, big sis! This time, I’ll also be following after you shortly after, and we can all meet up in Phoenix country and go to the Golden Crown together as well!”
Emilia’s words seemed to finally convince the older girl, who nodded obediently after finishing her grapes. “Okay… since my adorable little sister is the one asking, I can’t say no, can I?”
”Thank you, big sis!” The crimson-haired girl smiled happily while leaning forward to peck the taller girl’s lips.
Of course, Sam wasn’t quite satisfied with just a peck, and quickly took the chance to bite the soft, succulent lips of the younger girl as soon as they touched. From her delighted moan, it was clear just how ‘delicious’ she found the experience to be.
Had it been before, Tom would have either been disgusted or disdainful. But knowing what he did now, Samantha’s behavior was completely rationalized in his head.
This ’empress’ might look like a girl, but she wasn’t really a ‘human’. No, she was a walking fountain of youth! What did her ‘relationship’ matter to anyone, then? Whoever had the opportunity to ‘take a sip’ and didn’t would just be a moron, as far as he was concerned.
Emilia pushed Sam away after a brief struggle, looking slightly shy. “W-Well, we can continue that later, let me just finish some… uh, work.”
Turning to Tom, the gorgeous girl’s expression quickly turned neutral. “I’m sure you have many ‘thoughts’ and ‘ideas’ right now. First, though, let me tell you that there is a reason why I saved your life, and something that you absolutely have to do for me.”
The man nodded generously. “Of course, nothing in life is free, and with our previous ‘accounts’, I’ll do whatever I can to make it up to you if I possible.”
In fact, listening to and working for this ’empress’ wasn’t something he was reluctant to do at all. Before he came here, Tom had even carefully considered completely abandoning all his previous plans to fully dedicate himself to this new opportunity.
After all, the benefits he could gain here included things that many wouldn’t even dare to imagine.
If he could use his own talent and ability to climb up the ranks and become a prominent leader in the Empire of Blue Dawn, being the right-hand man of the Empress wouldn’t be too far-fetched a dream.
And once he was able to slowly win over her trust… needless to say, he wouldn’t be as wasteful or careless as her current ‘handlers’.
No, Tom knew how to make efficient use of resources, and this was a ‘treasure trove’ that was absolutely being grossly under-exploited.
Of course, all these frivolous thoughts completely flew out of his mind once he finished listening to Emilia’s ‘plan’.
”Y-You want me to… what? No no no, do you think this is a child’s play? Red Dusk isn’t Blue Dawn, it’s not so easy to pull off something like this!”
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