chapter 93………………………………………
After coming all the way to a quiet corner of an empty corridor, I said to Perdel:
“You did really well just now.”
Perdel looked confused and asked,
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
“I mean the part about the letter. It’s true that it’s a bit troublesome, but it’s not such a big deal that it would cause that much of a commotion.”
“Then why did you seem so flustered earlier?”
Instead of answering, I glanced meaningfully toward the hall we had just come from.
“…?”
Perdel fell into brief confusion. Still, he seemed to roughly sense that this matter was connected to the succession competition.
“Yes, I’ll just go along with it appropriately.”
“Good. That’s the right attitude.”
I smiled at Perdel.
“Anyway, thanks to you coming over and talking to me on purpose, things got a bit more interesting. Thank you so much. You’re a really good kid, Perdel. This is a small gift from me—go buy yourself something nice.”
I took off the gold bracelet that had been bothering me and placed it in his hand, but his expression darkened slightly.
“Is one not enough?”
“No, that’s not it…”
Startled, Perdel waved his hands.
“My working conditions have improved, so I can afford expensive books now, and I buy snacks too. Lately, I haven’t really been lacking anything. Just hearing you say, ‘Thank you so much, Perdel. You’re a really good kid,’ is enough for me. That makes me happier than receiving a gold bracelet.”
“Perdel…!”
Moved, I grabbed his hand.
“You’re really good at social life, aren’t you? That line just now was absolutely perfect! Right, if you’re going to be one of my people, you need at least that level of flattery. I guarantee it—you’ll definitely go far in any organization!”
Feeling generous, I removed another bracelet with an emerald set in it and firmly placed it in his hand as well.
“…Thank you.”
Perdel looked down at the two bracelets for a moment, then quietly bowed and withdrew.
Honestly, they’re all such blessings.
I gazed contentedly at the spot where my postal aide had disappeared…
Just then, someone suddenly appeared from the opposite side.
It was the head butler of the ducal residence, holding a stack of papers. He saw me, paused briefly, and greeted me.
“Are you heading back to your room?”
“Ah, yes. What about you?”
“I have something to check briefly. Please go ahead.”
After bowing again, he walked toward the hall where the banquet had been held earlier.
What’s going on?
With the succession competition underway, I couldn’t overlook even the smallest matter.
I quietly followed him. From beyond a half-open door, I could hear the butler speaking.
“There isn’t enough time to prepare new formal attire, so for now, you’ll have to borrow ceremonial outfits from the main house. If you wear the cloaks you brought over them, it will look quite splendid. I’ll give each of you a sheet of paper, so please write down your name, measurements, and other details.”
“Oh, I don’t need formal wear. I’ll stay in the background.”
“Oh dear, Sir Oliver! You’ve even returned from the North, and you’re still like this? It seems Duke Hiperion doesn’t pay it much mind…”
Hmm? Duke Hiperion?
My ears perked up.
‘That’s Serene’s father, isn’t it?’
From what I remembered, Sir Oliver was the youngest among the elders, a brown-haired knight in his mid-to-late forties.
Was there some kind of story?
I was curious, but worried that Sion might catch me eavesdropping if I stayed too long, so I left for now.
I waited in the corridor, and soon the butler reappeared. He looked surprised to see me.
“Hm? You haven’t left yet?”
“I happened to overhear your conversation.”
I pulled him aside into a corner and pressed him.
“Is Sir Oliver deliberately avoiding Duke Hiperion? What happened between them?”
“…?”
Perhaps surprised that I was interested in such matters, the butler looked puzzled for a moment. But he seemed eager to talk.
“I’m not sure if I should speak carelessly about their affairs, but everyone who witnessed the incident back then still remembers it, even if they don’t talk about it.”
He began his story.
“As you know, the used to be held during the Founding Festival. It hasn’t been held for nearly ten years now because the First Emperor’s sword was lost, but it was a competition to determine the strongest knight in the Empire.”
I vaguely remembered something like that.
“Right. I think I heard when I was young that Her Majesty the Empress lost the sword—the first Empress, mother of Aldensis and Zikren.”
“Yes, that’s correct. Anyway, this happened back when the tournament was still being held. Sir Oliver once committed a great offense toward Duke Hiperion, who was overseeing the event. The duke tried to have him removed for violating the rule against drinking inside the arena.”
“Well, that’s understandable. Wielding a sword while drunk is too dangerous.”
“But Sir Oliver insisted it wasn’t true. He claimed he never drank alcohol and caused quite a scene, loudly protesting. He even accused the Hiperion family of picking on him because they feared losing to the Rozen family, calling it cowardly… But later, it turned out he really had been intoxicated due to a strange cause he himself didn’t even realize.”
“What cause?”
“He was excited about attending the Founding Festival for the first time and went around making many friends. A knight from a distant region gave him a lot of unusual fruit to eat. Unfortunately, those fruits had fermented for too long inside a leather pouch and had taken on alcoholic properties. So in the end, he really was drunk. He had never drunk alcohol before, so he didn’t even realize something was wrong.”
“Goodness… So what happened?”
“That’s about it. Duke Hiperion quietly covered it up out of consideration for our duke’s reputation, but he refused Sir Oliver’s apology. Since then, Sir Oliver has wanted to apologize but couldn’t even approach him. The duke is known to be quite strict and rigid.”
So that was the story.
I fell into thought.
‘Serene’s father is indeed strict…’
But there was something others didn’t know. Not long ago, through Serene, I had heard some recent news about him.
Apparently, he had realized that living by constantly pushing himself too harshly wasn’t all that happy.
‘It seems raising a child has softened his personality a bit. If he tries again now, maybe he’ll be forgiven more easily than expected?’
Sir Oliver was rather pitiful too. After all that hardship in the North…
Because of a mistake from over twenty years ago, he felt too ashamed to even step forward at the honorable occasion of receiving the Emperor’s praise.
‘Should I try to bridge the gap?’
I recalled something Serene had told me before the succession qualification test.
“Aristina, my parents said they’d really like to meet you sometime, to thank you for being close to me.”
In that case, opening the conversation wouldn’t be so difficult, right?
Among those elders who seemed like an impenetrable wall of steel, it felt like I could see a small crack.
‘Good.’
I smiled faintly.
* * *
The next day.
A messenger from the ducal house rode toward the imperial palace, waving a flag, to deliver news that the knights of the Rozen family had returned from the North after slaying the leader of the monsters.
Soon after, the ducal family’s carriage set off as well. Behind it followed the elders who had participated in the northern expedition, each on horseback.
When we arrived at the guest hall where we would have an audience with the Emperor, rumors had already spread, and people were gathered in droves. The chief attendant came out to greet us.
“You’ve arrived. His Majesty the Emperor, Her Majesty the Empress, the Crown Prince, and the Second Prince will arrive shortly.”
“Then we should enter first.”
Duke Kanel looked at the two of us.
“Once you officially become the heir of the family, you’ll often attend public events as a representative. Let’s see each of you make a fine entrance.”
“Yes.”
As soon as he answered, Sion stepped forward.
“Chief attendant, please make the announcement.”
“Yes.”
After clearing his throat, the attendant called out loudly:
“Presenting Sion Michael of House Rozen, who has returned after achieving great merit in the northern territories!”
People who had already been glancing this way all turned their heads at once.
“It’s been a while, everyone.”
Sion greeted them confidently as he walked across the red carpet.
As if to show he had just returned from the North, his fur-lined cloak fluttered grandly. His formal attire, adorned with luxurious gold embroidery, emphasized his physique.
He was no longer the pretty boy people remembered, but a fully grown, masculine figure.
Thanks to the rigorous training he received from the ducal house, his demeanor was elegant. The eyepatch covering one eye didn’t detract from his appearance—in fact, it enhanced the beauty he inherited from his mother.
People held their breath in admiration.
“It looks like this season’s star of high society has already been decided. He’s grown splendidly.”
“Not just his looks—he’s a strong candidate to inherit House Rozen. People will already be trying to get on his good side.”
Amid the flood of praise, Sion looked at me with satisfaction.
“Wait a moment.”
I turned around and walked toward the back.
People began murmuring. Sion asked, puzzled,
“Elder sister? You’re not leaving, are you?”
“Of course not.”
In a corner at the back stood a man trying not to draw attention. I stopped in front of him and looked at him.
“Sir Oliver, I hear you’re planning to stay in the background today instead of stepping forward before His Majesty. I understand you have your reasons, but…”
I turned again to look at Duke Kanel and spoke:
“Today is a place to commemorate the achievements of the knights of House Rozen, who have fought against monsters in the North for the past two years. Therefore, wouldn’t the most impressive entrance be for everyone to enter together—without leaving a single person behind?”
