Reborn as a Mind-Reading Empress-Chapter 720: Drive to Improve

Ronald did not want to be ignorant of what was happening around him again after seeing how badly hurt Ivan was last time.

With Ivan gone, all of Arabella’s assistants rose and greeted her.

"Greeting to Your Majesty," they all bowed stiffly.

They felt embarrassed when they realized it must have been too obvious they were here because they were curious why Ivan was summoned.

[I did not think this through. What will Her Majesty say?]

[I was so focused on trying to learn why Ivan was summoned that I forgot to think that Her Majesty would realize why we were here earlier than supposed to be.]

[I got too confident because everyone else was going.]

[We should have waited until we were informed of what was going on. But what if it was something like last time?]

[Her Majesty won’t get angry, right?]

Arabella’s assistants grew nervous when they realized that they got too curious and impatient.

"Good morning," Arabella rose and smiled at her assistants.

[Her Majesty clearly figured out why we are all here earlier than usual.]

Her assistants glanced at each other and had a silent agreement to look as confident as they were as if they were simply here early to come to work and not because they were curious as to why Ivan was summoned.

It was still obvious on their faces though the more they tried to hide it.

"I see that everyone is aware of their surroundings. It’s good to be conscious and observant," Arabella did not scold them. "I have to be in the Court Sessions soon so this works well for me."

It was better that they were observant of things for their own safety as well. She had allowed them to bring their own guards with them to ensure they remain safe but it was still better if they are cautious and observant.

[I can’t figure out if she’s smiling because she’s angry or if it’s truly alright we are here?]

’Huh? Why do they have to figure it out? I’m smiling like usual. Alwin said my face is easy to read. Or that was only to him since he knew me from my past life? Or is Ferdinand rubbing off on me?’

Arabella smiled so they would not be tense and yet instead, they wondered if she was angry.

"As you already know, I summoned Ivan here. It’s because I assigned him to another task so he would not be here for a while and would be working elsewhere. It’s confidential for now so I won’t discuss the details," she decided to speak directly so they would stop fretting.

Arabella could not reveal the details yet until she had some responsibilities related to it assigned to her office. Once that happens, she could inform her assistants since they would be helping her. Or once they could already reveal the matter in the Court Sessions. They were still set on keeping silent about it to prevent panic.

[Why only him? Is it something only Ivan can do?]

Narcissa wondered if it was a difficult task specialized for someone like Ivan. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

[Had Her Majesty been silently testing us the past few months and only Ivan passed?]

Norbert tried to find any sign they were secretly being tested and the possibility of him passing or failing.

[The first time, it was for something related to Safiro and Nadia was with. Last time, we did not know about the details about where they were exactly but it was with Ronald. Would someone not be sent with Ivan this time?]

Felix wondered as well, hoping he would be the one to be sent in case someone else was needed to go with Ivan like the first two field tasks.

[Is it something like last time? I was with Ivan back then. And Father had finally explained the details about Estrella. I will be meeting the King of the Elves again soon due to that. But what would this task be about?]

Ronald who had finally been enlightened about his real ancestry looked with so much more vigor and life than before and was no longer depressed and insecure of Raymond who was not even truly his sibling. He had finally understood why Raymond was too far from his level with the latter’s long life and past experiences.

[Is Narcissa truly not related to this? What if Ivan is given another task to distance Narcissa from him so she would no longer bother him?] Denzel wondered and glanced at Narcissa.

The others glanced at Narcissa as well when they considered the possibility.

"I didn’t do anything!" Narcissa quickly said defensively.

[Why would they immediately assume it’s me? I did not do anything. Do they think I’m too idiotic to try it again after I already got reprimanded and almost fired?!]

Narcissa frowned at her fellow assistants.

It might lead to further conflict so Arabella clarified, "Yes, Narcissa did not do anything this time."

"See?" Narcissa pouted.

"Our apologies. We just considered the possibility," they apologized in unison.

"A problem related to one of Ivan’s fields of expertise occurred so I decided to send him to help and contribute. I’m not sure how long it will take. It could be weeks, months, or several seasons or years," Arabella explained and her assistants were even more surprised.

"That long?!"

They were even more curious now about what this could be about.

"Yes, it’s something that may take a lot of time. So while he is away, I trust that all of you can divide his usual workload among yourselves. Is that alright with you?"

Arabella eyed her assistants and they all replied in unison, "Yes, Your Majesty. We will do our best."

[I don’t know how important his new task is, but this is an opportunity! I have to perform so much better while he is away and work hard to improve. Who knows if I’ll be able to catch up while he is away.]

[I know I won’t be able to defeat his memory but I might be able to perform better in something else.]