In the Doghouse - Chapter 193
As the twins eagerly followed Anton to the sofa, Courtney smiled softly.
But her unconditional smile was reserved solely for the young twins.
When she turned and approached the emperor’s desk, her expression became so stern it was almost grim.
Neither Richard nor the attendants dared to stop her, stepping aside as if it were only natural.
Courtney picked up one document from a towering stack.
She quickly skimmed through it before setting it down and randomly grabbing another.
As she examined the reports as though she were grading homework, Richard swallowed nervously, his face tense.
The aides, too, became wary of her mood.
If they had missed any part of the emperor’s—frankly abysmal (a term the empress herself had once used)—handling of the documents, there would undoubtedly be a repeat of the fierce scolding that had happened before.
In the imperial palace, such scoldings usually cascaded down the hierarchy: from the empress to the emperor, and then from the emperor to the aides.
After reviewing five or six documents, Courtney pointed to another pile.
“The meeting minutes?”
“Here they are.”
Like a faithful servant, Richard promptly handed her the full minutes of the noble council.
Courtney accepted them casually and began reading.
In truth, she wasn’t looking to judge whether his work was right or wrong.
That was, after all, the prerogative of a ruler anointed by the heavens.
She merely checked whether he had done his work with sincerity, though she pretended to read carefully.
It was her way of ensuring Richard would put more effort into his duties.
The empress examined the emperor’s governance as though it were the palm of her hand—no empress in the history of the empire, no matter how powerful her family, had ever acted so brazenly.
But in the current imperial palace, no one dared to criticize her behavior.
In fact, no one even perceived it as abnormal anymore.
Without her, the new emperor would have ruined the empire long ago.
After a long while of pretending to meticulously read, Courtney finally set down the minutes.
“Well, it’s not bad.”
“Does that mean I passed?”
“Yes, just barely.”
“Just barely!”
To others, it might not even sound like a compliment, but Richard’s face lit up.
He was so delighted he seemed ready to wag an invisible tail, regardless of who was watching.
If someone outside the palace had witnessed this, they might have asked the emperor, ‘Don’t you have any pride?’
Of course, Richard would have confidently replied, ‘No, not at all.’
“So, about the walk—or picnic…”
“You can come along.”
“Ah…!”
Though he was merely granted permission to join the outing, Richard looked as though he could soar with joy.
Courtney, finding his reaction endearing, averted her gaze with a cool expression.
There was a reason Richard had worked so hard today.
Today had originally been the spring picnic day she had planned long ago for the four of them.
The problem, however, was the presence of his cunning chief aide, Anton.
He had stayed silent until late the previous night, then approached the empress to report the emperor’s procrastination.
It was a calculated and perfectly timed move.
The enraged empress immediately locked the bedroom door and declared she and the kids would leave for the spring picnic without him.
Anton had been certain Richard would spend the next day working himself to exhaustion, only to end up in despair when he failed to finish in time.
Though Richard often likened Anton to a meddlesome bat, that wasn’t quite accurate.
Since the near-divorce incident during his time as crown prince, Anton had never truly been on Richard’s side.
He was entirely on Courtney’s side—or, rather, the empire’s.
If Richard had a problem with it, he could execute him.
But then he would be ignored by the empress for the rest of his life, so he could do as he pleased.
Faced with such a defiant chief aide, Richard could no longer control him.
In truth, there were times when Richard even found it reassuring that his most trusted aide was loyal to Courtney.
But the picnic was a different matter.
Richard had been looking forward to it more eagerly than even the young twins.
For him, there were no limits when it came to an outing with Courtney.
Having earned a final chance through tears, he had waged war against the mountain of documents from the early hours of the morning.
The aides, who had suffered alongside him, each offered their congratulations.
“Your Majesty, congratulations.”
“You’ve truly worked hard.”
“Have a pleasant outing.”
Courtney, watching them, felt as though even the aides were starting to resemble Richard.
While she looked on with a faintly exasperated expression, Richard was brimming with pride.
“I won’t forget your efforts—except for one of you.”
Of course, he made sure not to forget to single someone out.
Though Anton openly showed his displeasure, he had partially succeeded in his scheme by forcing the emperor to fulfill his duties.
Courtney let out a small, helpless laugh.
Anyone would think they were celebrating a victory in war.
Ridiculous and pathetic, yet somehow endearing—her little puppy.
Thinking this, she herself seemed, to outsiders, completely enamored.
Richard, still elated, dashed over to the sofa.
The twins, who had been nibbling on their snacks, looked at him in confusion.
He grabbed the twins and swept them into his arms, shouting.
“Lyle, Larissa! Let’s go on a picnic!”
The blossoming spring had come.
Their first family outing of the year was about to begin.
