episode_0077

The affair with Leopold ended well.

In exchange for being reasonably friendly, I will block half of the nobles’ access.

I will help you become the successor to the Elector later, so please support me officially after that.

Anyway, after I pretend to be friendly at a banquet a few times, everyone will know whose side I’m on even if I don’t say it officially…

Still, making an official statement has a different weight.

At this level, you can assume that you have insurance for the future.

After that, it was just appropriate small talk.

Congratulations on reaching the level of master.

I would like to contact those who were active this time and involve them in my articles. Is there anyone you can recommend? Stories like that.

I glossed over the recommendation issue, saying I would think about it later.

I’ve been thinking about recommending Damien or Millia, but I’ll have to listen to their opinions first.

Considering their personalities, I don’t think they would want to get involved in politics.

According to the original story, Leopold draws Damian in that way, so it is right to recommend Damian here.

Although his merits themselves cannot be compared to mine, his ability to defeat a pure-blooded warrior at that age shows that he has the qualities of a knight.

However, if Leopold is a sure bet, he is not a safe asset after all.

I don’t think there will be a big problem since it would be difficult to touch me hastily due to my status and power, but if Damian and Millia were to get out of Isabella’s sight at this point…

…Maybe one day it will be found floating in the river.

I was planning to meet Ernst a little later, and of course, when I told him that I had no intention of being tricked, he advised me to be careful because Empress Isabella’s activities were suspicious in many ways.

He said that if you meet Ernst, don’t be overtly hostile and just move on.

They say that if they already show a hostile reaction, there is no way to know what will happen to them.

In the end, it was about an hour and a half later that all the talk ended.

“Then, I understand that everything has been agreed upon. Thank you for your cooperation.”

Leopold smiled and held out his right hand.

As expected, his hands were pure white with no calluses, perhaps because he was a civil servant.

Now that I think about it, I also don’t have calluses.

Perhaps because the body itself was strong, no matter how much I swung the sword, something like that didn’t happen.

“Yes. Let’s do our best together. Take care of yourself.”

These are not empty words. Just like in the original, if you die suddenly, you’ll be in a lot of trouble.

He smiled moderately, held his hand, and shook it lightly.

Leopold’s smile grew deeper.

Still, it didn’t feel particularly sinister, so I didn’t feel too bad.

He seemed genuinely happy about this agreement.

Rather, the handshake itself means that he will not treat me like a woman, as I wish, but rather treat me as a political partner or warrior.

Shaking hands is originally a etiquette between noble men, not a way to greet a lady.

You’re quick-witted, Leopold.

—-

When I returned to the living room, I saw Nigel calmly drinking tea.

I wondered if they were exercising here too, but I guess they thought it was against etiquette.

“Ah, Hashal. Did you finish the meeting successfully?”

“Yeah, it wasn’t a bad meeting. Unfortunately, it would be difficult to tell you the details.”

Leopold said he wanted as few people to know as possible.

It doesn’t matter, since Marquis Ludwig will hear it from Leopold anyway.

“Then, would you like to go straight to the next palace?

“Yes. Now I have to go see them too.”

After hearing my answer, Nigel glanced at the wall clock.

“There is about an hour left until lunch, so time may be a little tight.”

“It will probably end within that time.”

Because I had no intention of having a long conversation with Ernst.

However, it was cumbersome to wait until the luncheon was over to meet.

This means that I also have to eat at the imperial palace, but I don’t know where I should skip the food because it’s burdensome.

—-

I left Leopold’s villa and headed straight to the palace where Ernst was staying.

This villa also looked quite impressive.

While Leopold’s palace had a simple appearance that blended in with the natural environment, the villa here was extremely extravagant.

The garden was decorated with flower pots and marble statues here and there, and there was even a silver fountain in the center.

The palace was also made of the same marble material as the main palace, and gold work sparkled on each balcony railing.

If I just pull out that railing, I won’t have to worry about money for a while.

I approached the main gate of the villa, taking a good look at the scenery created by pouring money into it.

Two knights stood erect and guarded the door.

Judging from their attire, it doesn’t seem like they are Royal Guards, but rather simple guard knights.

I handed the invitation to one of them and entered the palace under the guidance of an attendant.

The interior of the palace was also extravagant with all kinds of decorations.

It seems that Isabella and Ernst’s tastes are a bit extravagant. Probably Isabella.

I followed the attendant and walked for about five minutes.

“Wait a minute, who is that person? It’s a face I’ve never seen before in the imperial family.”

As we were passing through the hallway, a woman spotted us and came striding towards us.

Bright blonde hair curled vertically.

There was a faint smile on the corner of the mouth, and the slightly raised corners of the eyes were full of playfulness and interest.

Beads of sweat trickled down his sharp jawline and skimmed across his reddened nape.

He was wearing clothes similar to riding clothes, as if he had been exercising, and every inch of exposed skin was slightly wet.

The sweet scent and rising heat reached me.

He wore a long sword at his waist, and its rough appearance without any special decorations suggested that it was a strictly practical weapon rather than an ornament.

The leather surrounding the hilt of the sword was quite worn, as if it had been used for quite a long time.

“James, could you introduce this lady to me?”

Overbearing purple eyes looked straight at me.

Isabella’s daughter, Leonor Wittelsbach.

She was the second princess of the empire and the leader of the Order of the Rosary Cross, an order made up of only female knights.

—-

Order of the Rosary Cross.

Made up of 40 knights, this group is virtually equivalent to Leonor’s personal guard.

There was nothing particularly special about them other than the fact that they were all female knights, but the sight of so many female knights gathered together was a rare attraction in itself.

The reason why this unique order of knights was created was because of Ferdinand II’s agony and affection.

From an early age, Leonor was a confident child who insisted to her parents that she wanted to be a knight rather than a lady, and the emperor could not break his daughter’s stubbornness.

If her skills were lacking, they could have opposed it for that reason.

However, Leonor had decent qualifications as a swordsman, and eventually proved it in front of the emperor.

Although he didn’t reach the realm of mastery… his skills were more than enough to become a knight.

The anecdote that a handful of the emperor’s hair was empty because of his daughter who wanted to run away from home and live as a free knight if he continued to oppose was still a famous story.

One morning, when the emperor woke up and saw a bunch of hair on his pillow, he finally made a decision.

He said he wanted to do it like that, so let’s just give him permission.

The problem was next.

It was impossible to assign noble women, such as princesses, to the existing knights.

If a beautiful woman were to join a knighthood full of men, and something untoward happened, it would be a serious problem.

So much so that one knight corps disappears into the dew of execution.

After much deliberation, Ferdinand II founded a new knighthood composed entirely of female knights and made Leonor its leader.

That was the birth of a group called the Order of the Rose Cross, commonly known as the Order of the Rose.

—-

The combat power of the knights themselves is just average.

You can’t say they were elite, but they were a ragtag bunch, so they were at an ambiguous level that would be difficult to judge.

Their knight commander, Leonor, was not a master level, but he was a very capable knight.

Maybe he’s similar to Damian now?

With that thought in mind, I looked at Leonor.

“This is Hashar Ayshangior, the princess of Kahar, who visited at the invitation of the prince. Hashall, this is Princess Leonor Wittelsbach, the leader of the Order of the Rosary Cross.”

The attendant introduced each other in a polite manner.

“Aishangior? That beast-human predator princess? Hmm…it feels quite different from the story I heard…”

Leonor tilted her head.

Drops of sweat fell from the tip of my chin, staining my upper chest darkly.

…Something dirty.

“Anyway, nice to meet you. This is Leonor Wittelsbach. Lady Leonor, Princess Leonor, Sir Leonor…you can call me whatever you want. Special permission.”

“Hashar Aishangiorda. Should I say it’s nice to meet you too? Princess Leonor.”

After hearing my answer, Leonor grinned as if it was amusing.

I smiled too.

If you look at her from the side, she may look a little arrogant, but I knew that this bold appearance was exactly her taste.

Since I’ve already chosen Leopold’s side, I may end up opposing her someday… but there’s no need to be angry here.

Unlike her mother, she is not a villain, nor is she particularly interested in power struggles.

“It seems like your personality is just as rumored.”

“If you are offended, you can be polite, princess.”

“No, I actually like it. After all, a knight must have a bit of dignity.”

Look. I knew it.