23. Things You Wouldn’t Believe About the Imperial Palace
“Knights of Saint Malik…?”
“Ah, Your Majesty the Empress. That is…”
Yvette, who possessed extensive knowledge of the empire’s history, didn’t miss the opportunity. When she noticed that Lacilia clearly had no idea what that meant, she quickly whispered in her ear.
“They’re the knights of the Harios Temple. The Order of Saint Malik has a long history, but they were considered a rather suspicious group claiming to inherit ancient magic, so they were shunned by society. But recently, the Harios Temple officially accepted them as a knightly order. It was a very sudden development, so there’s been a lot of talk.”
Harios was the name of the primordial god said to have created the continent.
Though Delarta revered Kanes, the god of water and prosperity, as their patron deity, they didn’t deny the existence of other gods.
In Elialden, the main god was Harios. The farther you went from the capital, the more people freely worshipped regional deities, and though there were no strict restrictions on other sects within the empire, the Harios Temple was still the most powerful.
“But why is their emblem a snake head?”
“Ah, I’m not sure about that either. Saint Malik was an ancient mage, but there’s no known connection to snakes. He wasn’t known for using snake-related magic either…”
Though Yvette whispered, it wasn’t quiet enough to escape the ears of the shadow knights.
“Because those bastards have long tongues, Your Majesty,”
Riyan said, glancing at Yvette.
“And considering they’re invoking the name of that fraud magician, it’s clear—they’re desperate to bring down the royal family with demonic blood in its veins.”
That too was an ancient matter. It dated back to before Elialden even had a name.
The emergence of demons couldn’t have been as mystical or beautiful as a fairy tale. Their existence was naturally perceived as a threat to humans, and eventually, through many twists and turns, the demons subjugated their blood to humans and began to humanize themselves.
Mages were the ones who fought the demons back then. Among them, the most prominent was the Archmage Malik.
Yvette quickly shook her head side to side.
“Do you think I’m a spy from the Order of Saint Malik? I swear I’m not! I can promise you!”
“I’m not saying that you are. But if those snake-heads find out that Her Majesty personally broke imperial law, they might use that against her.”
“Ah… oh no…”
Yvette’s face fell, and she shut her mouth with a mournful look.
Lacilia patted Yvette’s back and looked Riyan in the eye.
“His Majesty has already guaranteed Yvette’s life. A knight of His Majesty would not treat his words lightly, so what more are you trying to say?”
“As I said, I will follow His Majesty’s will. But I want to prepare a solution. We can spare her life and find a way to avoid breaking the law. That way, even if she is colluding with the snake-heads, it won’t be an issue.”
Serben nodded in agreement. That didn’t mean he had no complaints, though.
“I agree as well. …Though I still think it’s dangerous.”
Lacilia also knew better than to trust people blindly.
She already owed the emperor a small emotional debt, albeit unintentionally. She didn’t want her guilt to cause unnecessary harm to him.
“If it’s possible, I think that would be best, Your Majesty.”
When Lacilia said this, Rescal smiled slowly. Everyone looked slightly puzzled by his sudden good mood.
“If the Empress says so. Then tell me the method.”
“Well, um…”
Yvette, who had been wiping her tears, suddenly raised her hand.
“Your Majesty said that seeing someone’s appearance change isn’t necessarily bad, right? If I can become one of those exceptions, wouldn’t that be fine too? Since I’m not a royal, I’ll make a death oath if necessary!”
In a way, Yvette was like a clear piece of glass—you could see right through her. Whatever she was thinking showed on her face immediately.
Riyan shook his head.
“She doesn’t have the temperament to be a spy… but still, that’s not allowed. She’s not a knight.”
“Oh… I see…”
Yvette’s eyes darkened with disappointment.
Lacilia held her hand gently, as if to console her. Then the emperor, who had been watching, reached out and grabbed Lacilia’s other hand.
Lacilia looked at him as if asking what he was doing. Rescal looked away nonchalantly but didn’t let go.
“No exceptions?”
Still feeling indebted, Lacilia gave up trying to pull her hand away and asked Riyan.
“Not that I know of. We could ask a legal scholar for more detail, but that would increase the risk of this secret getting out.”
Rescal casually spoke up.
“Then just make her royalty.”
“Pardon? Make a court lady royalty? How?”
“Adopt her.”
“No, I mean… who would adopt a grown woman into the royal family? She’s not a baby…”
“There’s me.”
“…What?”
For the first time, everyone in the room shared a single thought: Is this really the emperor saying this right now?
“Kartagena and I don’t have children yet. Adoption wouldn’t be too strange.”
Serben couldn’t help but raise his voice.
“It would be strange! Completely strange!”
Yvette, panicking, tugged on Lacilia’s sleeve.
“Your Majesty the Empress, I’m older than you. I know this is an incredible honor, but still…”
Riyan frowned and looked at Rescal.
“Your Majesty. I understand you want to help Her Majesty, but this solution is far too extreme.”
“Do we have another option? If you do, speak up. I’ll listen.”
“Well, when you put it like that… I suppose not. But still, if an older princess suddenly appears, people will start whispering that something shady’s going on…”
The solution came from a rather unexpected place.
“Ahem! I believe I can be of assistance.”
Flap!
The Duke of Shuraiden dramatically flapped his large wings and made his presence known.
“What now…”
The expressions on the shadow knights’ faces were a mixture of shock and disbelief.
The Duke of Shuraiden clearly had been waiting for this reaction. He lazily circled the air once and landed squarely on Lacilia’s lap.
“I am Shuraiden I! A legitimate royal!”
“…Huh?”
Pipi, the still-unofficial temporary name, was safely hidden within the feathers on the duke’s head.
When Lacilia confirmed Pipi was fine, she relaxed. Pipi was so small, no one would notice.
“A royal…? The bird?”
“Wait, more importantly, is it really okay for a parrot to talk like a human? It’s not just mimicking words—it’s having a conversation.”
Serben and Riyan looked at Rescal.
Rescal narrowed his golden eyes at the Duke of Shuraiden. In truth, he knew nothing about this strange bird either.
“Shuraiden I?”
“Ahem. The northern tower of the palace is the domain of Shuraiden I. That was decreed by the late emperor.”
“Why would the late emperor do something like that?”
Rescal frowned, and the startled Shuraiden burrowed into Lacilia’s arms, peeking out from her sleeve. That only made Rescal’s expression colder.
“Your Majesty, do you know the Duke of Brennen?”
“…I do. And is a bird really supposed to sit like that?”
“The last duke of Brennen raised me. He tragically passed away at the age of nine and bequeathed his title to me. But humans are unspeakably greedy, and they tried to strip me of my inheritance just because I was a bird. I could write several volumes about what I endured… And for the record, birds perch neatly. As long as the human opposite isn’t glaring at them.”
“Wow… he speaks really well—oops,”
Yvette, caught up in admiration, quickly covered her mouth.
Shuraiden, undeterred, continued:
“The late emperor couldn’t stand the vile deeds surrounding the Brennen family and revoked their titles and lands. I, being just a young bird, couldn’t defend my estate. The emperor likely thought that it would be a problem if all future successors were birds. However, my right of inheritance had gone through legal channels, so even the emperor couldn’t take it away easily. That’s why he granted me a new title—valid for one generation—and set aside land within the palace, assigning attendants to care for me.”
“Oh! I’ve heard that story too!”
It was Yvette again.
“I read about it in the royal records at the Imperial Library. The royal scribe left a memoir titled Things You Wouldn’t Believe About the Imperial Palace.”
Shuraiden chirped eagerly.
“There’s a signed deed of nobility! Open that drawer and you’ll see!”
At his words, Serben quickly got up and opened a vintage drawer.
Inside was a certificate engraved with fine print on a gold plate.
“What in the world… This is like something from a fairy tale.”
Riyan echoed the sentiment with the same expression.
“Come to think of it, that does sound like something the late emperor would do. He probably chuckled—no, laughed in delight—while signing it.”
Rescal glanced at the certificate and handed it back to Serben.
It was authentic.
“So you’re saying that since you’re the heir to the Brennen family, and that family had close royal blood, you’re royalty even though you’re a bird?”
“Correct. Except for five houses, the Brennen family had the closest blood ties to the royal family. I may not have received the title, but I’m the official heir—so I am indeed royalty.”
“…That’s a bit of a stretch, but it might work.”
Still clearly displeased, Serben nodded.
“Well… yes, it’s less scandalous than the emperor adopting her. Having a bird do it might be easier to explain.”
Riyan agreed.
“Fewer people know about the Duke of Shuraiden anyway, so it won’t cause much gossip.”
Yvette’s face flushed with excitement.
“T-then I’d become a noble lady of a ducal house? Really?”
Serben quickly added an explanation.
“Yes, but you won’t inherit the title. The Duke’s title is for one generation only. And he probably doesn’t have much wealth.”
“No, no! I’m not asking for anything! Just not dying is enough—now I’m a noblewoman out of nowhere! I can’t believe it! It’s like a dream!”
Yvette, overwhelmed with joy, grabbed Lacilia’s hand and shook it.
“That’s great,”
Lacilia said with a smile, looking at Yvette. Rescal also started shaking Lacilia’s hand.
She turned to him.
“Your Majesty, why are you doing that?”
“Because you’re happy.”
“It is a happy occasion for me, but…”
“Then it’s a happy occasion for me too.”
Rescal brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it.
Thump.
Lacilia froze for a moment and stared at Rescal.
Ah… What is this feeling.
“Because you’re happy, I’m happy.”
That was a phrase Lacilia had never heard in her life.
