Reborn as a Mind-Reading Empress
Chapter 513: Please Apologize

Chapter 513: Please Apologize

Ivan blinked twice, not understanding why Ferdinand would ask that to someone like him. He froze when he realized Ferdinand meant he may be gathering information about Valeria to leak it outside.

"No, Your Majesty. I never was and never will be. I am just a farmer’s son. And I do not plan to leak information to enemy kingdoms either. I would never dare."

"I see. But you would make a good spy. A memory like yours would be useful in gathering information outside," Ferdinand noted since Ivan was able to recall things he only saw for a bit and could describe them in detail when asked.

"Your Majesty, he is already my assistant," Arabella reminded.

{No poaching. I found him first. You already have a lot of people for spying purposes. Ivan does not even train his body since he’s always focused on studying. He won’t be able to escape in case he is caught.}

"Yes, of course. It was just a passing thought," Ferdinand held her hand. "But we need to assign guards for this walking treasure trove. If an enemy kingdom learns someone like him who knows so much about Valeria just walks around defenselessly, they will target him. I’ll have some knights guard him."

[He is that important now?!] Narcissa realized she just made Ivan’s value increase further because of raising an issue about him.

"Yes, of course. If that is what Your Majesty says. Thank you for valuing my assistant," Arabella said to emphasize to Narcissa that this was the emperor’s decision, not hers.

Ferdinand then left since he still had things to do. He only came to check on Arabella after he was done with his meeting with the Ministers.

Ivan and Nadia sighed in relief when Ferdinand was gone and settled their backs against their seats. Then, they both gasped when they realized they were still in front of Arabella. They quickly fixed their posture and apologized.

They were heavily pressured simply by Ferdinand’s presence.

Alwin had explained this to Arabella before and said that it was because even in his human body, Ferdinand’s mana was still too strong that other people could feel it but did not know it was his mana. It was why they felt pressured by him. Most could feel it by instinct and think that he was dangerous.

Arabella felt it as well when they first met officially. But Alwin said it was likely not as much as the others did since she was Ferdinand’s mate. And her mana was compatible with Ferdinand so there was likely a little reaction. Meaning, that what she felt from Ferdinand when they first met was nothing compared to how other people who met him for the first time had felt.

"It’s alright. Let’s have some tea and refreshments," Arabella let her assistants relax first.

Once they had had a breather, she dismissed Ivan and Riley sent him back to Estrella.

Meanwhile, it was time to resolve matters with Narcissa.

"So, Narcissa, as you have seen, Ivan has no need for cheating. Even His Majesty recognized what he could do. He answered all our questions and beat our expectations. Do you still think he cheated?" Arabella asked and Narcissa gulped.

"N-no, Your Majesty," Narcissa finally admitted.

"Then please reflect on your actions and apologize to him later for all the things that you did to him," Arabella instructed. "Apologize to the kitchen staff you had beaten and threatened as well."

Narcissa remained silent since she had her pride. She didn’t want to apologize to a commoner. But Ivan was indeed too capable and valuable now for her to simply dismiss what she had done to him.

"Narcissa, we are nobles and royals for a reason. We did not become nobles so we could trample on the commoners. Read about the beginning of nobility. Royalty and nobles were also just commoners before. But our ancestors did great and generous deeds for everyone. Thus, everyone held them with high honors and respect. They were the ones who placed us where we are now because they believed we were capable, just, and humane people who could make the right choices for everyone’s sake. Without the commoners, our status will have no value. Do you understand?" Arabella reiterated.

If Narcissa refuses to apologize, Arabella would have to make her choose either to leave her position as an assistant or face her victims in court if they decide to have this officially investigated.

"Alright. You don’t have to answer now. I’ll give you time to reflect on this before saying your reply," Arabella didn’t push.

They then returned to discussing how not just Ivan but also Nadia and Odette made a way to study despite their circumstances at the time.

"In Nadia’s case, she’s observant and has a good memory stemming from being a warrior at a young age. In Safiro, even ladies can be a warrior and Nadia was trained since childhood. When the situation in Safiro turned grim, she was faced with many life and death situations which pushed her to learn a lot of things just to earn money to be able to feed their people," Arabella related.

"When she became the guard of Count Cordelia’s daughter, who was studying for the Imperial Exams, it was then that she saw an opportunity to save her people. She decided she would become a civil servant and apply for jobs working directly in the palace for her to be able to earn as much as she could to help support her people.

"Thus, Nadia listened keenly while the Count’s daughter was getting her lessons. And she borrowed all the books that the Count’s daughter had finished using or did not need yet. Count Cordelia then informed Nadia about the public library, and she stayed there in all her free time studying as much as she could since there were already books there she could use to review for the exams thanks to Ivan," Arabella relayed what she learned from her visits.

"She would have had to read a ton of books. But how was she able to take in all that information in that short amount of time? There are those who hail from Riva that do not pass despite studying from childhood," Narcissa pointed out.