"I propose lifting the warrant for Yila Elkaras."
"..."
With the proposal from the newly appointed Chief Governor Marilla Elkaras, the murmurs among the court officials instantly fell silent... The new Chief, promoted by Her Majesty the Empress, is truly fearless.
Both the Noble Faction and the Yila Faction turned their eyes to Isabella, sitting high on the throne.
Isabella, draped in the intricate and lavish robes befitting the {King}, sat there with an expression neither happy nor sad, characteristic of a king, showing seemingly no intention of making any evaluation.
Just as when Yila was present, Isabella did not behave as many malicious nobles imagined; she did not wail like a child after being separated from Yila, disappointing many... simply because she remained calm.
"Why is the court so silent?"
Isabella's calm voice spread through the hall as she glanced over everyone standing respectfully, continuing, "Is it approval or objection? I require an explanation."
Her voice was calm and indifferent. Under Yila's tutelage, Isabella had become a child that could only be described as a {King}, unlike her unsavory father.
"Your Majesty! Even if Baron Laiman was the first to incriminate and has already been punished along with his entire clan, Yila still committed treason!"
An old-looking official spoke with impassioned accusations towards Yila: "Yila Elkaras has long harbored rebellious intentions! Please, Your Majesty, see clearly!"
Immediately, another official stepped forward to refute the old man, almost pointing at his nose, cursing, "Old fool! Shut your mouth! The opinion of Her Majesty doesn't need your interference!"
The girl with glasses looked furious, her eyes filled with admiration for the {Yila} she spoke of.
"Your Majesty! The old minister thinks..."
"Report to Your Majesty, if..."
"..."
Arguments began in a surprisingly orderly manner... These officials truly are troublesome fellows.
Isabella listened indifferently as her ministers one by one began to express their positions... But now, the inner workings of the empire have finally ceased to be a monologue of the Yila Faction.
"Your Majesty! Yila Elkaras is nothing but a rebellious scoundrel! He is a lowly individual who deceived the former king to rise to power, a commoner born from the mud! The empire should show no leniency towards those incompetent!"
"..."
"..."
The atmosphere suddenly froze, as everyone — whether from the Noble Faction or the Yila Faction — looked at the speaker with the eyes of someone dealing with a dead man, a young noble.
Isabella is perhaps an agreeable and easy-to-understand king... More or less.
Meaning... she'll be upset if someone speaks well of Yila, upset if someone speaks ill of Yila; repeatedly mentioning Yila makes her angry, deliberately not mentioning Yila makes her angry; praising her as a suitable king makes her upset, claiming she's not a competent king makes her upset, speaking well of her father makes her upset, speaking ill of her father makes her upset... that's all.
So, this remark unknowingly stepped on many landmines, even turning her acknowledgement of Yila during her reign into an accusation of Yila deceiving Yilabella; in other words...
Although the speaker didn't mean to imply it, it was essentially suggesting that Isabella and her father Yose were both blind.
Moreover, Isabella knew him; she knew... this noble before her had countless connections with Baron Laiman, who had privately drafted the {Search Warrant} related to the previous incident.
And it was precisely because of this that an ordinary {balancing game} with tacit understanding between Yila turned into an irreparable situation...
{Repress} versus {Detain}, {Order to return} versus {Capture here and now}, it sounds as though there is no difference, but Yila actually enjoyed witnessing her carry out the former, even personally teaching how to do it.
Because they were both the same kind of madmen.
But with unseen forces at play, shrouded in the darkness within the empire, and with spies by her side, everything changed, although... it must be admitted, the current empire is better than when Yila was present.
"Guards, take him away, and imprison him in the death cell."
Isabella's flat words instantly crushed the young noble, who opened his eyes wide and immediately let out inexplicable cries and sounds of confused grief... It seems he was just an ordinary fool.
One of the {nine out of ten nobles lack brains} {nine}.
Sharing Yila's disgust towards the stupid, Isabella swept her gaze over the stain of excrement left by the foolish noble in the palace, her expression unchanged as she regarded the silent civil and military officials.
"As of today, lift the warrant for Yila Elkaras."
Isabella said so, her words sparking heated discussion among the officials, yet she gave no opportunity for others to voice objections, instead announcing, "The morning court is adjourned... Lord Marilla, come to the Imperial Study Room."
As her words ended, the maid at her side assisted her in rising, and she left the grand hall.
...
Marilla... As the newly appointed Chief Governor, is a central figure of the Yila Faction, yet the Noble Faction did not oppose her as fiercely as they did Yila, because she did not possess overwhelming strength like Yila.
The court debates became much more relaxed.
A balance of factions and powers is the key to the stability of the empire.
——————————
"Princess Isabella, mission accomplished."
Marilla said respectfully, nodding towards the Empress who was reading a book, having proposed lifting the arrest warrant in the morning according to Isabella's instructions... Without the cumbersome attire, Isabella indeed appeared more like a sixteen-year-old girl.
Rather than a cold king.
"Please sit, if I remember correctly, you came from the battlefield of magical creatures, right?"
Isabella, asking this of the governor before her, appeared a bit lazy, with a smile on her face. She said, "Is Yila doing well?"
"???"
Seeing Marilla's expression, Isabella knew the other party was equally clueless. She sighed lightly and said, "I see... but there's no need for concern, as Yila is more suited than I am to be a king."
"..."
These words, no one dared to continue the conversation.
"Your Majesty, do you regret issuing that decree?"
But Marilla dared.
"..."
"Rationally speaking, I do not regret it. Even if it was a misinterpreted decree that led to Lord Yila's departure, I still believe the empire will be stronger without Lord Yila."
Isabella responded.
Marilla: "And emotionally?"
"..."