At the end of their meeting review, Ayaka finally asked Yucheng the question she was most curious about. "Lord Regent, did the Shogun really prepare a birthday present for Lesser Lord Kusanali?"
Yucheng merely smiled faintly at the question. "Of course... not!"
At Yucheng's answer, both Ayaka and Kokomi looked surprised. "Then the gift box you just left with the Akademiya was..."
Yucheng said, "Naturally, it was a 'gift' I prepared for the Akademiya. Just think about it. Although Ei and Lesser Lord Kusanali both belong to the second generation of the Seven Archons, Lesser Lord Kusanali is only five hundred years old, while Ei is over two thousand.
"What's more, those two have never even met. Why would Ei suddenly think of giving a present to a god she doesn't know?
"Strictly speaking, that gift box really did belong to Ei. I just asked her to prepare a gift box bearing her own emblem for me and put a combination lock on it while she was at it. As for what was inside, that was the gift I prepared for Lesser Lord Kusanali."
Ayaka asked, "Then what gift did you prepare for Lesser Lord Kusanali, Lord Regent?"
At that, a sly smile appeared on Yucheng's face, making Ayaka feel rather uneasy.
Yucheng asked Ayaka in return, "Do you think the Akademiya's sages will dutifully hand that gift box over to Lesser Lord Kusanali?"
Ayaka exclaimed, "Surely not! Those sages wouldn't try to pocket even that, would they? It was given to Lesser Lord Kusanali in the Shogun's name! Wouldn't that be utterly shameless?"
Yucheng said, "Who knows? Given how cautious Azar and the others are, they'll certainly try every means to open that gift box and inspect it. After all, its unknown contents are a variable to them.
"Opening