"Right now. I can't wait."
"Fine. I'll summon the civil and military officials immediately and begin the court session."
Once Minister Honest had rushed off impatiently, Esdeath couldn't help asking,
"What on earth is going on with the minister? His demeanor seems a bit different from Nadjahit, whom you control."
"I took care of the real minister. The one just now was a decoy I found."
"I see. No wonder he didn't quite feel like the old minister."
Inside the palace, within the grand hall.
Civil and military officials gathered, with Shirou and Esdeath standing side by side on the military side.
Compared to yesterday, today's Little Emperor wore his hair long, and his features had taken on a somewhat girlish look, making him appear completely like an adorable young girl.
Shirou cast a calm, unreadable glance at the minister, thinking:
Is this the surprise he mentioned just now? Turning the emperor into a girl—what's the point of that?
All around them, quite a few officials were whispering about the Little Emperor's attire today.
"Why is His Majesty dressed like this today? Isn't it a bit too outrageous?"
"Has His Majesty suddenly developed a cross-dressing fetish? Truly a misfortune for the empire."
"His Majesty was fine just yesterday; why has he suddenly turned out like this today?"
"Besides, it's so late, yet they've called us all here for a meeting. Does anyone even know what it's about?"
"Didn't General Idris set out on a campaign this morning? Returning so quickly—could it be that the rebellion has already been successfully quelled?"
Amidst the collective gaze of the crowd, the minister slowly stepped forward and said with a solemn expression,
"General Idris set out on his campaign this morning and returned to the Imperial Capital by evening, bringing back the heads