The Monster Knight wants Parental Leave

Within the grand hall of the Imperial Palace, the atmosphere was far from the solemn dignity one would expect. With the recent establishment of the New Empire, the lords gathered, and disputes erupted like the bustling of a market.

The topic at hand was the disciplinary action concerning Lucia’s parental leave.

“Your Majesty, isn’t it a dereliction of duty? We cannot simply overlook this matter,” Count Rendor voiced his concern.

“That’s right! We must treat the manager who recently abandoned their duties the same way if we let this slide,” chimed in another lord.

“And she claims it’s for parental leave! Five whole years!” exclaimed a bureaucrat.

Emperor Caius listened to their complaints, but he seemed uninterested and even a bit annoyed. This attitude was in stark contrast to how he had treated Lucia with great care.

“Your Majesty, no matter her status as a Sword Master, the laws of the royal family…” someone started to say.

“That’s right. A Sword Master. Do you all not realize how much she contributes to the nation’s interest?” the Emperor interrupted casually, brushing off earwax from his finger.

Unknown to anyone, Lucia was on the path to becoming a Grand Sword Master, a secret the Emperor kept hidden. He feared that her rivals might exploit this information to burden her further.

‘Tsk… She should just accept the title when it’s offered. Why does she find managing a territory so tiresome? It’s frustrating,’ thought the Emperor.

He loved Lucia’s lack of ambition, but at times, he found it somewhat exasperating.

“Enough! I’m well aware of the hostility you harbor towards Lucia. Stop making pointless remarks and focus on the real issues. For instance, why do I keep seeing the same faces in this conference? I’m tired of it!” the Emperor exclaimed, displaying a terrible mood.

The lords in the room, who seemed to have a pre-arranged plan, spoke in unison, defending themselves. They claimed they needed more time to prepare and understand the situation.

These conservative nobles had been trying to hinder the new power for the past five years, and the Emperor’s patience had reached its limit.

-Bang!

“It’s been five years already! If that was the problem, they should have observed this conference without speaking rights, and no petitions would have come forward! Enough with these petty squabbles. Enough. Tsk.”

With that, the Emperor stood up, banging his hand on the massive table, and gestured to the secretary to end the meeting. He promptly left the room.

The silence that followed the door’s closing was heavy with tension.

“Will you just stand idle and watch this?” Count Rendor asked, glaring at the nobles who had supported his opinion.

But without the Emperor present, there was little they could do. They averted their eyes, not daring to engage with the count.

“See this! Are you going to let a mere knight, who is under the Emperor’s protection, return to work without any punishment?”

Count Rendor’s face was still flushed with anger from his confrontation with the Emperor.

“What do you propose we do, Count Rendor?” a low voice spoke up amid the brief silence.

The speaker was Count Pedellin Ruins, Leon’s father.

“Oh, Your Excellency. As I suggested earlier, we must impose a heavy penalty this time to make her come to her senses,” Count Rendor replied firmly.

“That’s right! Strip her of her commander position!”

“Yes! We need to break her arrogance!”

When the influential Count showed interest, many nobles who had previously remained silent joined the conversation.

Count Pedellin Ruins nodded and then spoke in a scolding tone, “Alright. Then let’s impose a penalty on your feelings of inferiority.”

The nobles were taken aback, and one of them protested, “Inferiority! How can you say such a thing?”

The Minister interrupted, setting aside the documents he had been organizing with apparent annoyance. He asked Count Rendor, “Would you like to consider the reason for her reckless behavior in the current situation of the empire?”

“She mocks those who have truly contributed and flaunts her talent just because she’s a woman! Your Highness!” Count Rendor responded with excitement.

The Minister chuckled quietly and shook his head, “You’re wrong. She does so because she can.”

This sharp-witted response left Count Rendor speechless, and the Minister stood up, announcing, “Then, let’s discuss the participation of all nobles in the next meeting. It’s time for that, isn’t it?”

With those words, the Minister left the conference room, and the restless nobles slowly began to get up and leave, exchanging looks.

Observing them, Count Rendor clenched his fist, trying to contain his anger.

“My son has been wanting the commander position for a long time,” someone consoled him, breaking the silence.

It was Duke Anton Kilgis, who had remained silent throughout the meeting.

“The Empire needs talent. Thanks to her, we can live more comfortably,” Duke Anton remarked in a cold and harsh tone.

Count Rendor felt a chill at the Duke’s words, sensing an unfamiliar temperature in his demeanor.

“Duke, do you really think it makes sense for a woman to represent the empire? My son could have done the same with proper training…!” Count Rendor retorted, his anger directed at Lucia.

“Stop dwelling on the past. She’s a knight, sharp and dangerous, but ultimately just a weapon that someone has to handle,” Duke Anton replied, his words cold and unsympathetic. He comforted Count Rendor’s shoulders, which seemed to shrink from his icy energy.

***

At Eldarion Academy’s kindergarten annex, a newcomer named Emily Tangst entered the staff room with enthusiasm.

“I’m Emily Tangst. Nice to meet you!” she greeted with a bright smile, her golden hair cascading over her shoulders. She wore a simple blouse and skirt, carrying a neat and slightly worn bag.

The staff members, who greeted her with nods, began to whisper among themselves.

“Is she the teacher who was supposed to join us?”

“Oh yes, she’s from the Tangst Count’s family…”

“Wait, isn’t she the young lady who lost her bankrupt territory buried in debt and got kicked out?”

Despite the whispers, Emily continued to smile brightly, pretending not to hear. She asked, “So, where’s my seat?”

The kindergarten teachers, with awkward expressions, directed her to an available desk on the edge of the room.

Today marked Emily Tangst’s first day as a rookie kindergarten teacher. With her noble upbringing, good education, and a soft, kind smile, it was hard to believe that being a kindergarten teacher was her true calling.

However, underneath that pleasant exterior, there simmered a strong desire for ambition and revenge.

‘Those bastards! They’ll see. I’ll make sure their mocking mouths will be praising me in the social world!’ Emily seethed with determination.

She was not merely a person with a bad character; rather, she was driven by pure ambition.

Emily Tangst was once a young lady from a Count’s family. During her academy days, she used to look down on other young ladies of similar status and was just one among many ordinary noble girls.

However, as her family’s status declined, those who used to surround her left, leaving her in a miserable state. Her prospects for a decent marriage proposal dwindled, but she refused to give up.

Her plan to secure a good marriage despite her diminished status involved becoming everything men admired in a woman: bright, kind, skilled at raising children, and wise as an inner housewife. The most popular profession among men nowadays was that of a teacher at the empire’s only kindergarten.

‘Hehe, just watch how far I will go…’

“Miss Emily, Miss?”

“Yes!? Yes! How far shall we go!?” Emily, lost in her ambitious thoughts, blurted out nonsensically when someone called her name.

“Um, to the principal’s office. The principal wants to see you.”

Startled by Emily’s reaction, the teacher quickly moved away, leaving her alone. At that moment, Emily’s fierce demeanor seemed somewhat lacking in menace.

As she opened the door to the staff room, she overheard some colleagues badmouthing her.

‘…Tch. They are merely the offspring of viscounts or baronets. Back in the day, they used to grovel at my feet.’

Despite her kind and rabbit-like face, one could feel the force in her words.

She couldn’t forget her days at the academy when she was the queen bee.

“Phew……” Emily leaned against the hallway window and relaxed her facial muscles, as if releasing tension. She checked her appearance, flicked her teeth to ensure nothing was stuck, and wiped her lipstick-stained lips with her finger.

When someone opened the window, the sunlight reflecting on the glass disappeared, revealing the classroom inside. The children caught her eye, and they excitedly pointed at her, calling out, “Teacher!”

“……!!!” Emily was taken aback, quickly composed herself, and scanned the classroom to make sure no adults were present during the break time. Fortunately, there were none.

She could tease the children. She could do that. She can do that……

Feeling somewhat drained, she made her way to the principal’s office, grumbling about the teasing from the children.

“Come in.”

The principal’s office was warm and cozy, bathed in sunlight.

Norjia von Ruins, the wife of a chancellor, kept the office simple, with only a few furnishings and a narrow bookshelf. She greeted Emily with a kind smile, her silver hair resembling an angelic figure from the empire.

“Um, it’s an honor, Duchess… Oh, no, I mean Principal teacher. I’m starting work today,” Emily stammered, attempting to appear innocent and naive in front of the principal.

However, behind her facade of aiming for a good marriage, lay her true intentions and ambitious nature.

Emily sought the best revenge against those who had looked down on her and shunned her, and that was to secure a marriage proposal from the most eligible bachelor in the empire, Leon Ruins—the son of the woman standing before her.

But catching a unicorn like Leon, who rarely showed himself to the public, was no easy task. Moreover, the real problem was another woman—Lucia, the formidable and elusive Black Beast, who had captured Leon’s heart.

When rumors spread that Leon, the empire’s top groom candidate, had taken an interest in Lucia, many competitors naturally gave up on pursuing him. Emily, too, felt intimidated, especially since she had tormented Lucia during her days as the queen bee.

‘I had the power of my family back then. If I were to meet her now, I…’ Emily swallowed hard, realizing her past actions might come back to haunt her.

However, Emily had a plan to avoid Lucia’s attention—by targeting Leon’s mother. It seemed like an easy solution, but the problem was that no woman as young as 25 had ever been accepted into this kindergarten. Normally, only women in their 30s or 40s with experience in childcare were granted acceptance.

Nonetheless, Emily was desperate and had tried for five years, attending interviews and tests, until she finally received an acceptance letter.

The principal congratulated her, saying, “Congratulations. I wondered when we would finally work together after seeing you every year.”

Emily feigned gratitude, replying, “Oh, my. I’m touched! To think you remember me…”

The principal then mentioned that there were many guests that day and asked if Emily could help. She eagerly agreed, presenting herself as Emily Tangst, a passionate and warm novice teacher.

-Knock knock.

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation, coinciding with Emily’s intense resolution.

The principal, wearing an enigmatic smile, said softly, “She must be here. Shall we welcome her? Ho ho…”

Emily felt lucky. She had managed to establish a connection with the duchess from the very beginning. For a fledgling teacher like her, being recognized by the principal like this meant securing her future in the school.

But was it really so?

As the door opened, she saw a mother and daughter with long ebony hair standing there—the very path she had taken to avoid her biggest obstacle.

On that path stood a grown woman, no longer a girl, holding the hand of a child who bore a striking resemblance to her.

“……Eek……!” Emily gasped, realizing that her grand plan as a fledgling teacher was quickly unraveling, concluding with a finale of terror.