Chapter 19: Six Officials

"Your Ladyship, I've found something you might like." 

Ett glanced back at Akan before resuming to sign the papers before her.

"Place it." 

Akan placed the papers in the centre, which must be addressed urgently and with importance. 

"It's the first time the Emperor directly met up with someone not part of the Six Officials." 

The Six Officials were the Emperor's most trusted advisors, each overseeing a different territory or province, and were just below Archduke Lakis in the hierarchy. 

It became an unwritten law as soon as His Majesty became an Emperor that all must go down to Archduke Lakis, Butler Xiwen or Akan, and they could not meet him unless either the three of them deemed that their request could be directed to the Emperor even though they are known for their long heritage, wealth and contribution. 

It may be a normal position in the eyes of Guren and Ett, but it would become priceless for the Six Officials if the Emperor gave them an audience. As such, if something disrupts their seat, it would surely make them feel agitated. 

Just like now, specifically if it's someone not from the Six Officials.

"Well, if that young man becomes the next duke, he has the potential to remove one of the six standing officials. They did have the potential to be one; however, the head is quite too gentle with his son. His standing as peace-loving duke is quite well-known." 

Ett read the paper containing information about the person and to whose son he belongs. Lastly, it was the young man's face. 

"…" 

Without a doubt, Ett recognizes the person involved. 

"What do you think, Your Ladyship?" 

Headache. Massive headache. Just what is Guren doing?! Ett racked her brain, trying to remember an event like this in the novel.

"Where is he now?" 

"He is staying with Butler Xiwen." 

So Xiwen became his teacher while in this palace. 

"He will be taught by Butler Xiwen. The young lad will likely handle personal tasks from the Emperor once his apprenticeship is finished. 

But at what cause and how long? Ett furrowed her brows. 

This person would be one of the reasons Guren dies. Well, not that Guren knows what will happen in the future, yet he keeps his enemy closer without even knowing it. 

It's strategic; I can agree with that. But that's it. That child, will he manipulate Lativ's trust when it's been built? Can Guren even make friends with his commanding attitude? You'll just make him wary of you even more! If there comes a time that he betrays, then Lativ knows the ins and outs of the palace and can bring proof to the male lead--in short, we will die early!

"Burn this." 

Ett just hopes Guren has a plan in mind once it backfires.

"As you wish." 

Akan took the paper in her hands and started to make a fire in the heathen, where it would turn to ashes. 

"Keep an eye on him." 

That's all that Ett can do now. 

Without proper reason, she can't kill Lativ, or Guren would be viewed more as a tyrant. Although she wouldn't be questioned, the nobles would do so. His tyranny shouldn't be extreme, but still, most of the time, he has a ground of reason. 

"Is that fine, Your Ladyship?" 

"Why is it not fine?" 

In Akan's view, her power will weaken the more Guren finds talented individuals. 

"Don't you think you might be discovered if he stays long in this place?"

"You all will take care of it."

"Your Ladyship has such wonderful words as always."

Akan pursed his lips. Quite a bit of a letdown, but it's not something he should be bothered so deeply. The woman he serves is never power-hungry, even though she holds tremendous power. She's just like a sea.

"Tsk."

Ett's really curious. Just how did Guren meet this kid?

Lativ, the Son of Yushon. A duke's son. After the family's downfall, which was discovered as part of the Noble Faction, the guise of a Neutral Faction was ripped from their title. That's fine. However, one night, a fire occurred in a small hut on the edge of Adiand's border where thick canopies of trees were densely packed. 

No one was left alive except for Lativ, who went to a cave. Who knows what he was doing there. Long story short, he came back after years to prove his value as a man even though he is a fallen noble whilst not forgetting the past. And what else? The plot for his character's downfall revealed in the later part that it was not an accident. 

It's time for revenge. 

Yushon Duchy is the primary informant of the Noble Faction.

"The Yushon Dukedom are quite scholastic people. To think that Butler Xiwen will be training their heir like a knight. What a pity for that young man."

"Indeed."

The Lativ in the novel should be a scholastic person, too, but he changed and became a knight of the Emperor. He is exceptionally talented and skilled in using swords and literature. Ha, a knight reading a book in his hands. Isn't that cute?

"Your Ladyship, do we also have a noble I don't know of?" 

Wow, is this Akan's quick sense kicking up again.

Ett enthusiastically nodded.

"I met an assassin." 

"Your Ladyship met what? How dare they! Wait, then that means for you to have survived, you might have negotiated...no, threatened maybe, albeit subtly or his family… But...huh, then the person who hired him is a noble that you discovered its identity, and depending on who it might be, then the longevity of that noble family's usefulness will be observed before making them either proper or one-use pawn." 

Hehe, this guy is truly remarkable. 

"You're not entirely wrong." 

Akan frowned, "Then I have judged the situation inaccurately." 

He doesn't feel good about it. If he did not know the situation wholly, even if he is not entirely wrong, it would still affect the plan if it's set in motion. 

"The assassin was a noble." 

"Ah, I see." 

Akan muttered as if he had discovered something new. "How come I've never thought of that?" 

"At whose son does he belong to, Your Ladyship?" 

"Son of Garth." 

"Son of…" 

Akan was in a daze before chuckling. "That's unexpected. A son of a duke. Garth Duchy really is too amusing."

They need to be more creative. There are three children in the central Garth Duchy family: One is the first-born daughter, who is ill; the eldest son, who is second in birth; and the last one. Even though he is the same age as His Majesty, that boy cannot do something like that. It should be the eldest Garth who is capable of doing it. 

Garth Duchy is one of the six standing officials. Their power is no lesser than the Ostelian Duchy, equal or maybe higher in five standing: Roots, Connection, Wealth, Military Strength and talented or skilled descendants. Those two would compete with each other even if no rankings are part of the Six Officials.

A ruthless family producing outstanding generals for generations and known for their bluntness. They were quite a headache with spouting how much they were neutral with both sides. Unlike the Duke of Yushon, to whom Lativ belongs, the Garths are flawless enough to show impartiality in both factions. 

Besides, they are more on brawls than brains. They like to be vanguards; who would have thought someone would become an assassin? A shadow? How funny.

"Did the Emperor know this?" 

Ett nodded, "Yes." 

"Oh." 

Then both caught big fish, one not far ahead. "Those impudent nobles are now showing their fangs and dare to lay a hand on royalty after seeing them up close." 

Akan began to make plans in his head. 

Knowing Akan's thought, Ett shook her head. "It was not me." 

"Your Ladyship?" 

"I just witnessed an assassination. That young man, along with his men, killed some Imperial Faction people in a passage that has not been used for some time." 

"Ah, no wonder I heard some ruckus with the maids. It was because of that." 

"Butler Xiwen had taken care of it." 

Ett muttered nonchalantly. 

Akan nodded but was still bothered. Her Ladyship was alone witnessing such a sin with someone from the Garth family, and he had his men with him. It was easy to kill her, and even if they didn't recognize who she was, the eyes and hair resembling the Adiand Empire were a clear sign she was royalty. 

They may even think she is a hidden princess, the sister of the Emperor. Adiand royalties were always mysterious, with many hidden secrets that no one could reveal. Even as an advisor, he still has some things he does not know. 

"Did Your Ladyship make a deal with that person?" 

It must have been so significant that it made even that young stubborn cog unable to kill the Dowager. 

"Now that you've said it, can you bring me the Thunder's Teeth?" 

Ah?

Akan thought for a moment, but his mind went blank. 

He cleared his throat, "Excuse me, Your Ladyship, and forgive me for my ignorance. But, are you implying that thunders have teeth?"

This time, Ett became silent. They don't know, and not much in her own world knows about it. Well, the lightning bolt that Zeus wielded is different to what she is referring to. 

"When thunder strikes, you can see it." 

Akan: "…"

How did you even see it? You've been locked up in this palace for decades and have yet to explore the entirety of Adiand and the mountains beyond the border.

Ett didn't notice the crumpled state of Akan's face and reminisced about the past she had once seen and touched; her grandmother called it thunder's teeth. Her grandfather said it struck a tree in the forest and waited for days or a week before the temperature cooled. This novel may go close to what she knows, but if it's not, at least they tried. She can think of another plan if the deal is broken. 

"You don't believe me?"

Akan was about to say, no. "Well, if that's what Her Ladyship says, it could be possible to send someone from the Estera land." 

Adiand Empire rained heavily, but there was never a time that thunder fell on this Empire. The neighbouring Empire was the same; they did have it, but it was rare. Instead, the Estera land, a tropical region, has more chances to experience thunder. 

"Alright." 

Ett nodded. If it were possible to harvest thunderstrikes, then a thunder's tooth wouldn't be a big problem. However, even on Earth, it was hard to do so, and not all thunderstrikes are created equal; they could be higher than expected or lower than mentioned. 

The effects of the thunderstrikes would then depend on how much it has stored. Besides harvesting thunderstrikes with little knowledge and this novel's state of technology, which is close to zero, if the one billion joules strikes the instrument they'll use, the loss is highly more significant than the gain. 

Just thinking about it, Ett felt depressed. The only one who could make this possible was Dr Stone himself. Wait, if it's Guren, maybe…no. Ett erased that thought just as she had it in mind. 

Hah. The people that will be sent out might take months to return, travelling to a faraway land and returning. The sooner they leave, the better. 

"Make sure someone can do the job properly and keep it in secrecy." 

If possible, Ett wants Akan to do it. However, she still needs this guy to run errands for her. Still useful. They could still benefit each other. 

"Will do so, Your Ladyship." 

"Regarding whatever the Emperor is planning in the future, don't worry about it." 

Akan genuflected. "Understood, Your Ladyship." 

She meant they would only involve themselves if the situation required them to do so and nothing else. 

"Then would you like me to secretly invite the Duke of Garth?" 

Ett pursed his lips. 

"For now, he doesn't deserve my invitation." 

"You mean?" 

"Instead, the Son of Garth should come if he wants to." 

"Surely, he will, Your Ladyship."