LIGHTNOVELSTORY EP.13
“So, the Prince said to me—”
“Really, this is quite troublesome.”
“Perhaps—has the Young Lady—”
The Imperial Palace was bustling with the chatter of the nobility. Since this was a banquet held before the coming-of-age ceremony, nobles from all over the capital had gathered. I’m not exaggerating, it was truly the case.
I had heard that literally every noble, excluding the attendants, knights, or elderly folks, had gathered here.
Of course, I hadn’t taken the initiative to verify this for myself.
“If there were people who would skip a banquet attended by the Emperor, they wouldn’t go to the expense of living in a city where they couldn’t wield their power freely.”
“True?”
Maria had been sticking to my side all day, revealing an excessive amount of TMI that I didn’t really care about.
After a while of nodding along to her words, I finally asked, “But, don’t you need to go in there?”
Maria’s gaze shifted towards my pointing finger. The first floor hall, where the Young Ladies and Princes were gathered in cheerful clusters, came into her sight.
She shrugged her shoulders and replied, “Well, we’ve already discussed all the interesting topics long ago. I’ve already sorted out the people I need to keep in touch with.”
Judging her rather business-like attitude toward the joyful conversations between young nobles, I refrained from making any unfriendly remarks about her lack of friends. After all, she was never particularly sociable. In fact, it would be fair to say she never had the opportunity to enhance her social skills.
But still.
“If you don’t go, someone else will take the spotlight. Are you okay with that?”
Ultimately, the main character in this scenario was Maria. With the Young Lady participating in an event hosted by the Imperial Family, no one else could rightfully claim the leading role.
Thus, those organizing the banquet would have done their utmost to highlight her presence. The problem was that the very person who should enjoy this spotlight was simply clinging to me without a care.
“Well, who cares? You’re just sitting here doing nothing anyway.”
“That’s because I’m not actually part of this event…”
This event was primarily about the Emperor congratulating the young nobles who were reaching adulthood this year. Naturally, it was the soon-to-be nineteen-year-olds who were the stars of the show, while I, already well over twenty, was merely a side character.
My participation was limited to the audience with the Emperor after the ceremony; I wasn’t even part of the main festivities.
That was why my situation was different from Maria’s, who was actually attending the ceremony.
“It doesn’t matter. Not that kind of thing.”
Yet, Maria seemed unbothered and continued to sit next to me.
“Ugh, this is troublesome.”
When Maria finally had some free time to wander about, I had planned to blend in and pretend to be friendly with the Archbishop, who was preparing for the ceremony over there, but with her stuck to me like this, I couldn’t find the opportunity.
Of course, it wasn’t entirely impossible. She would eventually have to go down once the ceremony began, and the Archbishop had the role of leading the event with a prayer, much like singing the national anthem, and then he would be able to exit.
If I played my cards right, I could surely spread rumors among the nobility about how the Archbishop and I were close.
“Anyway, so—”
Before I could finish my question, Maria started spouting TMI again, likely to block out any chance of others approaching us. I figured it was better to listen to her than to deal with any strange people, so I went along with her chatter.
As we talked for some time, someone in the distance suddenly shouted.
“His Majesty the Emperor is entering!”
At those words, the chatting nobles all froze in place. Everyone closed their mouths and bowed their heads, waiting for the Emperor’s entrance.
Creak.
At last, at the far end of the hall, atop the staircase leading up to the third floor, the Emperor made his appearance.
“We pay our respects to the Most Noble One!”
The Chancellor, who had been seated nearby and sipping wine alone, stood up and approached the stairs, kneeling down to pay his respects. Following his lead, the other nobles also knelt and bowed their heads.
I, too, rose from my seat alongside Maria and lowered my head.
After a moment of waiting in that position, the Emperor’s voice echoed through the hall.
“Everyone, raise your heads.”
Though he hadn’t spoken particularly loudly, his deep, resonant voice resonated throughout the entire building. When I looked up, I saw the Emperor, splendidly adorned in resplendent garments, looking down over the hall.
“I wonder if you all are enjoying the banquet.”
At this, someone from down below boldly shouted, “Your Majesty, your grace seems more than enough to fill the Hafel River!”
Laughter rippled through the gathered nobility, and even the Emperor chuckled softly.
“Well, that’s a relief.”
However, he soon wiped the smile off his face and spoke with a serious expression.
“Until today, feel free to enjoy yourselves. After the coming-of-age ceremony, starting tomorrow, you will each carry the responsibilities of being an adult and a noble of the Empire, and you must always ponder how to contribute to its prosperity.”
As those words settled in, the hall fell silent once more. Maria nodded as if she found his statement to be quite reasonable. Then she shot a sidelong glance at me, as if proclaiming, “So, what are you going to do?”
I felt a bit guilty and scrambled for an excuse.
“Well, I’ve also been busy hunting monsters and guarding the nobles for the stability of the Empire.”
“Who said anything about that?”
She snorted dismissively and shot back, “So, how do you explain running away from your engagement?”
“Cough.”
Engaging in this topic would only corner me into a losing battle, so I decided to avoid the subject. Maria looked at me with a mischievous smile.
Damn.
I really couldn’t win this verbal game…!
“Well, isn’t it about time for the ceremony to start? Shouldn’t we be heading over?”
“Trying to change the subject again.”
“…….”
Maria had K.O.’d me with that one.
I had nothing to say, so I fell silent, and she let out a little chuckle before getting up from her seat.
“You’re right. It is about time to start heading over.”
As she turned toward the hall, she suddenly came back, grabbed my shoulder, and pulled me closer. Whispering in my ear, she said, “Don’t you even think about running away. I’ll be right back after the ceremony.”
“…Wait, are you really not going to mingle with your peers at all?”
“If someone saw you, they’d think you were much older than you are!”
…Honestly, mentally, I’d probably be at least two to two and a half times older than most people here.
Anyway, there was no real reason to turn down her request. Besides, I had to wait here until it was my turn to meet the Emperor, so I had no intentions of refusing.
“Alright, I’ll wait here unless something happens.”
“Even if something happens, you’ll wait.”
“…Isn’t that a bit unreasonable?”
Pffft.
Finding my reaction amusing, she let out a quiet laugh and turned back toward the hall.
What on earth was she trying to achieve?
Did she really lean in just to have that little chat?
‘…Well, she is pretty, so I guess it was a nice visual treat.’
I felt my face heat up a little, so I took a swig of cold water and scanned the surroundings. That’s when I realized I had once again fallen victim to Maria’s antics.
The middle-aged nobles nearby were casting warm glances at me.
I recognized that gaze. It was the same expression my mother sometimes wore when she was watching a morning drama. I felt a bit dizzy as a result.
I couldn’t just get up and leave, so I kept sipping cold water while waiting for the archbishop to appear.
At that moment, someone called out to me.
“Are you Lord Wilhelm by any chance?”
It appeared to be a servant of the Imperial Family. Not just any servant, but one whose attire was markedly superior to the ordinary attendants flitting about the banquet hall.
“If you’re looking for Wilhelm von Branden, then that would be me,” I replied.
The servant nodded, affirming that he indeed had business with me.
“The Empress is looking for you.”
And then, the name I dreaded the most slipped from his lips.
“Damn it.”
I couldn’t help but curse upon hearing that name.
“…Excuse me?”
“I said I understand.”
“Uh, uh… yes…”
The servant seemed a bit confused, wondering if he had misheard as he nodded hesitantly.
‘Of course, if we’re in the Imperial Palace, then it makes sense that the Empress would be here.’
The Empress.
Honestly, whether personally or publicly, she was someone I certainly did not care for much.
To be fair, she was the root cause of all sorts of conflicts within the Imperial Family. Shortly after the late Empress gave birth to Maria, she passed away, and the Emperor elevated the current Empress, who had previously been his mistress, to the position of Empress.
The problem was that after she bore a son with the Emperor, she harbored ambitions of placing that son on the throne.
Understandably, she was very wary of all the children born to the former Empress, even if only nominally, as they held claims to the throne through their daughters. In fact, if anyone were to ponder the countless assassination plots that Maria had survived, it could be safely said that targeting the Empress was often a likely answer.
‘The electors choose the next Emperor, but conversely, that means if the electors could be persuaded, all concerns about primogeniture and succession could be completely disregarded.’
And besides purchasing votes, another way to win in an election was to eliminate rival candidates. The Empress was very forceful in employing this strategy against Maria.
Of course, since a certain point, I and the knight order I introduced had completely thwarted these attempts, yet that didn’t mean she had given up. After all, wasn’t there a suspiciously well-equipped bandit attack on our way here?
Of all people, she was after me.
Now, of course, there was no way she could outright attack me in this banquet hall. Only the emperor’s elite guards and the palace mages, who answered solely to his command, were present in this hall. Regardless of her status as the Empress, she would not be able to carry out her schemes past them.
I just really dreaded even seeing her face.
“Lord Wilhelm?”
The servant urged me to follow quickly.
I glanced back at the chair where Maria had been sitting. Though she had told me to wait, it seemed I wouldn’t be able to uphold that promise.
With a deep sigh, I retrieved my fountain pen and scribbled a note on a napkin.
‘The Empress has called for me; I’ll be back shortly.’
I placed the napkin in front of Maria’s plate and rose from my seat.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, please follow me.”
Following him, I ascended to the third floor, a place that ordinary nobles weren’t allowed to enter. This area was reserved exclusively for the Emperor, his confidants, and his kin. We stepped into a room positioned directly above the hall, with a magnificent open ceiling providing a breathtaking view of the festivities below.
“This is the first time we’ve met face to face, isn’t it?”
“…Yes, indeed.”
I was greeted by the Empress Joannina, a mature woman who comfortably enjoyed tea and snacks.