episode_0094

I looked around the banquet hall, using my senses to find the marquis.

Normally, it wouldn’t matter if I didn’t have to do this, but now that my vision is covered by a veil, I have to concentrate a bit to see it clearly.

“Let me see… Oh, there it is. In the corner of the second floor, next to the balcony.”

Marquis Ludwig was sitting on the sofa, turned his head, and was talking to the knight standing behind him.

Looking at his strangely gaunt face, he seems to be the knight I met at the Marquis’ Territory.

His name was probably Shane.

Go up to the second floor with Friede.

Every time I walked, the nobles around me would sneak out of the way to show consideration.

Thanks to this, I was able to cross the busy hall without hesitation.

“The effect is great because I go with you, right? If it were normal, there would have already been five people who stopped by and said ‘Greetings to Lady Palun’. It’s literally a magic tool that chases away bugs.”

Friede whispered softly and smiled happily.

“Ha, I guess everyone wanted to become friends with you. You should have at least been a friend. You have few friends, right?”

It was a small act of consideration on my part to say there was less instead of saying there was nothing.

It’s okay to be thankful.

“My friends are all full of greed. Either you are greedy for Palun’s power, or you are greedy for me.”

His attitude was cold, as if he was sick of it.

“Well, I guess so.”

“I wanted to tell him to go away right away, but I couldn’t do that because of respect, so it was a huge headache.”

Speaking of respect, it seems like you dressed up like this, and surprisingly, you care about what other people think.

Although it is said to be due to family honor.

—-

“Hmm? Princess Harshall, Lady Palun, and Sir Nigel. It’s been a while. How is the Grand Duke?”

“Yes. Fortunately, my father still corrects me. Is the Marquis also at peace?”

Friede picked up the hem of her dress and bowed politely.

Because of the frightening foreignness, I could not help but tremble like a child having a nightmare.

Is this how the nobles felt when they saw my face earlier?

“I always feel peaceful as long as the eastern part is quiet. Please sit down first.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

Friede placed herself on the sofa with a graceful movement.

I just sat down roughly.

“Uh, um. It’s been a while?”

I usually spoke informally, but it was very awkward to speak politely.

That said, Friede is being treated with respect, but it’s a bit difficult for me to act like I normally do.

Marquis Ludwig burst out laughing, probably finding my half-baked tone quite amusing.

“Okay, congratulations on your complete recovery. Sir Nigel looks healthy too.”

“I have no shame for causing you concern.”

Nigel, who was standing next to the sofa with Shane, bowed deeply.

He said that since he is a guard knight, he cannot be rude by joining the table.

“But, what is that veil? I heard that Panam ladies cover their faces when going out, but I didn’t know there was such a culture in Kahar too.”

“That’s not it…it’s something Nigel prepared for me. The nobles who saw me were very confused…”

To be honest, I wasn’t just confused, I felt like I was going to faint.

Marquis Ludwig pursed his lips.

The corner of his mouth kept twitching, as if he was holding back the laughter that was about to burst out.

“Keu, keuhm. okay. It could be so. hmm. They are generally weak. Pfft…!”

okay. Smile, smile.

—-

“So, what brought you to visit me?”

“The Marquis is a close friend of my father and a supporter of my friend, so I wanted to greet him first before the banquet.”

Friede smiled lightly.

Now that we’re friends, we’re completely treated like friends. At first, it looked like an animal.

Yes, if you are, then that is it.

“Friend. I’m also glad that they seem to have a deep friendship with you to the point where you ask for an escort. I was worried about whether I would be able to adapt well to the academy, but thanks to Lady Palun, I can now relax.”

“Hehe, that’s too much praise.”

That’s an overstatement. Isn’t it actually Archduke Palun who was having a hard time?

I heard that my crazy daughter finally has a friend.

Shuddering at Friede’s pretense, I chatted pleasantly with the Marquis for a while.

When he heard about the skills he showed in the sparring with Leonor, his eyes lit up and he said that it was a good thing. Regarding his refusal of Isabella’s invitation, he said that it was a prudent but dangerous thing to do and gave him advice to be careful in the future.

I was thinking of talking about Isabella’s evil deeds, but while I was wondering if I could talk about it in Friede’s presence, my free time came to an end.

“I guess I should come down and take a look. The time has come for His Majesty the Emperor to arrive, so I guess that’s where the story ends. It was fun.”

“Well…I still had something left to say…I guess I can’t help it, let’s talk again next time.”

“If you have anything you want to say, come see me after the prom is over. And, I hope Lady Palun will have a pleasant banquet.”

“In the name of Palun, we thank you for taking the time to spare us the construction work.”

Friede bowed her head and waved goodbye.

Marquis Ludwig responded with a smile and immediately headed downstairs.

We should go down too.

The royal family is coming in, but you can’t look down from the second floor.

“Hey, you’re good at acting? It gave me goosebumps.”

“It’s not about acting, it’s about courtesy. Is this a concept too difficult for a barbarian to understand?”

“Well, it’s easier than the penance of going without a friend for a year, right?”

We made an innocent joke, held Friede’s hand, and went downstairs.

A few nobles still looked at us, but soon they too had no choice but to turn their heads and look at the front door.

“The rightful rulers of Karl Roth, His Majesty Emperor Ferdinand Rheinfell Wittelsbach, Empress Isabella, His Royal Highness Prince Leopold, His Royal Highness Prince Ernst, and His Royal Highness Princess Leonor enter!”

With the servants shouting for the banquet hall to leave, the members of the royal family finally appeared.

All the nobles bowed and showed respect.

I also looked sideways at them and imitated them.

The emperor who walked in ahead looked much older than before.

Sunken cheeks and sunken eyes. Even unfocused eyes.

There are now more empty spots on my hair, and even my gait is weak and unsteady.

Embarrassment, anxiety, and desire were clearly revealed in the eyes of the nobles who witnessed the scene.

That’s because it was no exaggeration to say that he now looked like a sick person who lived today and tomorrow.

A thick cloak drags on the floor. A luxurious red cloak lined with sable fur and embroidered with a lion pattern with gold thread.

The attire that was supposed to reveal the emperor’s elegance and dignity looked rather shabby, like a blanket wrapped around a dying old man in a hospital bed, due to his withered physique.

If that were the case, wouldn’t it have been better to just take a break and not come to the banquet?

Isabella must be in trouble too.

If the power structure were as overwhelming as before, she would also want to avoid the emperor suddenly dying at this point.

It may be tempting to postpone the succession vote among the Electors until Ernst regains the upper hand.

I slowly raised my head and looked at the woman walking behind him, one step behind the emperor.

Since your face is covered with a veil, you won’t be able to tell that I’m watching you.

…Of course, she is a beauty.

Rich blonde hair that sparkles and curves as if melted starlight. Purple eyes that exude a strange charm.

Long, feather-like eyelashes reveal decadent beauty.

There were small tear spots under the slightly sunken corners of the eyes.

The sharp bridge of the nose falls in a delicate line, and the plump lips shine with a moist red color.

Even though she is a mother with grown children, she has a magical beauty that does not look like she is over 30.

The purple dress that clung to her upper body exposed her brightly bulging chest line, and the slightly raised ends of her hair made her look more seductive than not wearing it at all.

A necklace decorated with diamonds and rubies sparkles and covers her cleavage.

The bottom hem of the dress was two-layered, with translucent black fabric billowing like fog over a dark petticoat.

A cape decorated with the fur of a snowy fox was wrapped around his shoulders like a cardigan, and on the outside of his gloved hands, he wore golden decorations that rolled up in a geometric pattern from the fingertips to the elbows.

One step, another step. Between the breasts that shake with each step, a breathtaking scent of color spreads everywhere.

I could see the faces of the men around me turning red and their breathing becoming heavier.

Sometimes even women did that.

She looked down at her surroundings with a haughty expression and followed the emperor across the center of the banquet hall.

The emperor with his back bent and the empress with her back straight.

It seemed as if they were revealing to the world who was in power in this country.

But it smells disgusting.

The scent of alcohol. The smell of strong perfume. The smell of mixed medicine. The man’s body odor. The fishy, thick smell of bodily fluids after sexual intercourse.

And, the acrid, rotten smell that is unique to Magi.

Even though I tried to cover it up with natural color and strong perfume, I couldn’t escape my sense of smell.

It was a familiar sight, and it was just as I expected.

Because she was not a woman I had seen once or twice. It wasn’t a woman who had been killed once or twice.

okay.

The last empress of the Empire, Isabella Benes Wittelsbach.

The culprit that brings about the destruction of the empire.

Witch Isabella.