LIGHTNOVELSTORY EP.4
When I first arrived in the Palatinate, my feeling was one of astonishment.
In this world, I had never seen a city so vast. Buildings exceeding six stories lined the streets, and despite a river flowing through the city, aqueducts seemed to be constructed everywhere, as if there was a shortage of water. The imposing cathedrals and churches towered over the surrounding structures, flaunting their grandeur.
But above all, what amazed me the most was that this spectacle unfolded beyond the city walls.
“Impressive, isn’t it?”
“It’s a pride of the Empire and the core of our national power. There’s a saying that even if we lose everything, as long as we protect the Palatinate, we can revive the Empire.”
As Maria spoke, she drew back the curtain. Perhaps because a carriage bearing the emblem of the Imperial Family was passing by, people gathered around to watch our procession.
Watching Maria wave at them through the window reminded me of the attempted ambush that took place yesterday.
“Is this… safe?”
“Though the Empress is quite reckless, she’s not foolish enough to pull such stunts in the capital. Unless it’s within the Palace, that is.”
So, they had already concluded that the Empress was behind this.
When I thought about it, it made sense. Among the nobility of this country, the only one with a justification to kill her was the Empress herself. Even if it wasn’t the Empress directly, it would eventually lead back to her faction, so it wasn’t that different.
“How will they handle this incident, then?”
“As always, they’ll find the mastermind and pressure them, but the Empress’s faction will just find a convenient scapegoat to silence the matter. After all, these lowly pawns are sent with the mindset that if they succeed, great; if not, oh well.”
Seeing her talk about it as if it were someone else’s problem made me feel a slight pang of guilt. Not long ago, she had been a girl who felt fear from assassination threats and sorrow for the loss of life. In just a few years, she had changed significantly.
While this was quite an admirable development for someone in power, it was unfortunate to witness her emotional desensitization.
Seeing her like this made me realize why she had clung to me so desperately. Maybe she had seen me as a sort of emotional support.
“Well, I’ll handle this matter; you don’t need to worry. More importantly, is there a place we can stay?”
“A place to stay?”
Now that I thought about it, we didn’t really have a suitable accommodation. Our family didn’t have much connection to the capital, nor did we own a villa or mansion, and our relatives were more concentrated in the neighboring kingdom than in the Empire.
Still, I wasn’t worried.
“I’ll just contact some noble families I know to see if we can stay—”
“Stay at my palace.”
“Excuse me?”
Maria fell silent for a moment before turning to me abruptly.
“I said stay at my Sub-Palace.”
“But I’m not royalty…”
“It doesn’t matter.”
She pushed me against the wall and began counting off her reasons one by one for why I had to stay at the Sub-Palace.
“First, the Sub-Palace is originally meant to accommodate outsiders. It’s designed to host guests, so your staying there wouldn’t be a problem at all.”
“R-Really?”
With her face so close to mine, I felt a bit overwhelmed and wanted to back away, but the carriage’s narrow space left me no room to escape.
Maria raised another finger.
“Second, you came here at the behest of His Majesty, right? That makes you a guest of the Imperial Family, and you are more than qualified to stay at the Sub-Palace. Plus, since you came to meet His Majesty, wouldn’t it be much better to stay in the Sub-Palace, where you can quickly respond if His Majesty calls for you?”
“Well, that’s true.”
Listening to her, I felt somewhat convinced. Indeed, I wasn’t here for any personal business in the capital; I had come at His Majesty’s invitation, so staying near the palace didn’t seem unreasonable.
“And lastly, the noble families you were thinking of reaching out to probably have their own schedules, don’t they? Ignoring that and suddenly asking if you can stay is quite rude. It would actually be much better for your reputation to stay at my Sub-Palace instead.”
Indeed, her words rang true. Nobles tended to make a big fuss over the smallest matters, adhering strictly to procedures and protocols. Although the candidates I was considering didn’t seem too concerned about such things, I couldn’t be sure about their true feelings.
For someone like me, who relied on reputation, this was a significant issue. I could clearly feel her consideration for me.
However, there was still a problem.
“Even so, isn’t it a bit awkward for a fully grown man to stay in the same palace as a princess who has just reached the age of her coming-of-age ceremony?”
It was a scandalous issue.
Of course, I wasn’t completely innocent in this regard either. I wasn’t entirely uninterested in women; I had been entangled with various ladies during my travels (though I must clarify, none had gone that far). But I could confidently say I had never tangled with a noble lady.
I had taken meticulous care to avoid such situations. Among nobility, if you found yourself wrongly linked to a lady, you wouldn’t just lose your freedom; you might as well have to stay permanently tied down to her. If rumors were to spread without prior arrangements or promises of marriage exchanges between families, well, one could end up in serious trouble—possibly even dead.
Marriage for love? How could anyone utter such absurdity!
…Though, there were certainly a plethora of tales about romantic marriages among the nobility. Romanticized stories of unrequited love and miracles abound, but these typically involved people who were already prepared to settle down, or reckless individuals who got themselves pregnant—far removed from the life I dreamed of.
If the rumors involved a princess, it was even more serious. Not only would it jeopardize my own life, but it would also block her marriage prospects, making it all the more pressing.
But Maria dismissed this matter lightly.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“What?”
At that moment, my brain came to a halt.
With my eyes wide open in disbelief, I stared at her as her face turned bright red, and she quickly stepped back to explain herself.
“Well, regardless of what I do, if I’m seen with you inappropriately, the Empress will find a way to use it against me by mixing my purity into it. And whether or not the Empress’s faction believes it, they will definitely shun me, while those opposed to them will refute their claims due to political solidarity—so the truth doesn’t really matter!”
As she rushed through her explanation like a rapid-fire rap, I finally sighed in relief.
“See? I thought you meant that you wouldn’t care even if people started gossiping that I was doing ‘that’ with the princess.”
She pouted at my words. It seemed she was trying to say something, but perhaps she had put some kind of magical silence on herself, as I couldn’t hear her. It turned out she had picked up the habit of using silence when muttering to herself after I overheard her once or twice when she lacked knowledge about a knight’s physical prowess.
Well, I had no intention of prying too deeply into her thoughts, as that would be impolite.
“Alright, then. I’ll take the plunge and stay at the Sub-Palace.”
“Not at all.”
Nodding in acceptance, Maria flashed a smile.
—
If the Palatinate left me in awe with its grandeur, the Imperial Palace overwhelmed me with its opulence. I prided myself on having seen many splendid mansions and castles during my travels, but I could confidently say there was no structure that could compare to the Imperial Palace.
In terms of sheer size, there were indeed buildings larger than the palace that often appeared—some ancient tombs or palace ruins would make you question reality with their overwhelming scale.
However, I could assert with certainty that the cost of construction was in a league of its own here.
The exterior was densely adorned with reliefs and sculptures, and the walls depicted myths and the emperor’s epic tales in murals made not of mere marble or paint, but with substantial pigments ground from gold, silver, and various gemstones, decorating the palace.
As I looked around like a countryside bumpkin newly arrived in the capital, the carriage halted in front of the Sub-Palace.
“Go on in first.”
“What about you?”
“I need to personally hand over the prisoners; it’s important to ensure accuracy.”
“…You have it rough as well.”
“It’s nothing compared to the privileges of being royal.”
With those words, she gestured outside. Zophie opened the carriage door for her.
“Well then, see you later.”
After catching a nod from Maria, I stepped out of the carriage and watched it depart before heading toward the Sub-Palace.
The Sub-Palace, while not as grand as the Imperial Palace, was still plenty splendid. Of course, since it wasn’t where the Emperor resided, it felt a bit downgraded, but it still overflowed with magnificence.
To be honest, I still couldn’t quite believe I was residing within a palace.
“Welcome! It’s been a while.”
As I wandered around the palace, a familiar voice reached my ears.
“Matilda?”
“Yes, you remember me!”
It was Matilda, Maria’s dedicated maid, who had previously served as the head maid during our time in the mansion. Even though Maria had changed quite a bit since she was at the age of growing up, Matilda hadn’t changed at all, making her easily recognizable.
“Did everyone move here? You used to stay at the Imperial villa down south.”
“Yes, the forces to guard Your Majesty are now in place, and you see, she’s no longer the spoiled child she once was. It’s thanks to Sir Wilhelm’s help.”
Her formal tone, while stiff, carried a sense of pride and affection for Maria. It was only natural, considering she had cared for Maria since childhood.
However, the fact that there was now a force to protect her and that she had returned to her homeland felt bittersweet to me. It was indeed a bleak household. While she didn’t seem to have a bad relationship with her biological brothers, it seemed the Empress was the source of all the trouble.
I understood that this was inevitable given the imperial throne’s stake, but as someone personally close to Maria, it was hard not to feel uneasy about it.
Still, today was the first day I had arrived in the Palatinate, so I should try to enjoy the atmosphere a bit. With that thought, I shook off my gloomy feelings and asked,
“So, where should I stay? Should I just grab any room?”
“No, a room has already been prepared for you. Please follow me.”
Prepared in advance…? Did the Emperor know I would be called?
It seemed like something didn’t quite add up, but I brushed it off as just a feeling. After all, being a daughter, it’s not unreasonable to receive some prior notice.
Following Matilda’s lead, I admired the interior of the Sub-Palace for a while, but soon I couldn’t help but feel a growing unease.
“Um, isn’t this going a bit deeper into the Sub-Palace? This place seems like it’s part of the royal area…?”
It wasn’t paranoia. We were not just passing through a building; we had gone through one building, crossed a courtyard, and entered a walled courtyard to head towards a building situated deep inside.
If we were entering an area that required three levels of security to access, this was clearly not a guest area, but rather a royal-only space.
“It’s alright. This is a place where the Emperor and royal family members occasionally have invited guests stay.”
“Really…?”
For that to be the case, it seemed a bit too closed off, didn’t it?
I was puzzled, but since they said it was so, I had no argument. After all, how could I debate anything when I barely knew anything about the palace?
Matilda halted a bit further inside the building.
“This is Sir Wilhelm’s room.”
“Oh, finally—”
As I turned to confirm it was my room, I noticed something strange. My room was one thing, but right next to it was a door adorned with opulent decorations that looked exceedingly expensive.
It was clear to anyone that this room belonged to the true owner of the building.
“Uh, just in case, is the owner of this room, um, Princess Maria?”
“You caught on quickly. Yes, this room belongs to Her Highness.”
My brain throbbed.
“…I’ll just find somewhere else to stay.”
This couldn’t be right. Was my life really going to end like this?
Of course, Maria’s earlier words were mostly true, but if this were my room, it would be better for me to take the rudeness of staying at someone else’s house. I couldn’t be expected to stay in a room that screamed we were ‘that’ kind of relationship. My life could end both socially and physically if I did.
But Matilda stood in my way.
“I’m sorry, but you must stay here.”
“Why do I have to?”
“A report has already been sent to His Majesty that you would be staying here.”
“Oh my God.”
I never imagined the first time I would fervently seek divine help would be at this moment.
The summons from the Emperor arrived before Maria had even returned.