Ch.170First Day as a Guard

The effects of my etiquette lessons must have been excellent, as Perceval hasn’t caused any problems since then.

In fact, he was so tense, like a fresh recruit just assigned to a unit, that I was quite satisfied.

Indeed, lessons accompanied by pain tend to be the most effective.

“You understand, don’t you, Perceval? That was all advice given for your own good. I understand you might feel a bit proud now that you’ve just become a Royal Guard… but if you keep walking around with your head held high, unable to recognize your place, you’ll find your skull smashed before you know what hit you.”

I offered warm words of comfort to Perceval as we walked side by side toward the main palace where the court meeting would be held.

“Yes…! Thank you… for the lesson…!”

“No need to thank me, this is just what seniors do. If you were an enemy, I would have ripped off all your limbs… But you and I are colleagues of sorts, both guarding His Highness the Prince. We’ll be spending time together for a while, so we should avoid unnecessary conflicts. Don’t you agree?”

You understand what I’m saying, right?

If you ever betray us, you’ll be saying goodbye to those limbs. Remember that well.

“Senior’s words are correct…!”

“Senior…? Perceval. Did you just call me ‘Senior’? How dare you?”

At my suddenly lowered voice, Perceval’s mouth twitched in confusion.

“…Pardon? But you yourself said—”

“No, Perceval. Just because I referred to myself that way doesn’t mean you can address me like that. Do I need to remind you again who’s standing next to you?”

I can, but you can’t.

Is that so difficult to understand?

“I apologize! Princess Aishan-Gioro!”

“Hmm? Why specifically emphasize the surname ‘Aishan-Gioro’? Are you trying to mock me for not being a pure Imperial, but merely a princess of barbarians?”

“N-no, not at all!!”

Perceval’s face turned a sickly blue.

…This is quite amusing.

I chuckled and patted Perceval’s back.

His breastplate, forged with steel alloy, rang like a metal bell.

“Why so flustered? I was just joking. Don’t worry about it, call me Princess Aishan-Gioro. Or, well, you could call me Lord Median.”

Perceval hung his head low.

The exposed nape of his neck was trembling.

“No response? Are you angry? Are you protesting because your senior made a little joke?”

“Not at all! I apologize! Lord Median!”

“Good. Just keep it that way.”

After nodding in approval, I continued following Prince Leopold.

Behind me, I heard the pleasant sound of grinding molars.

Abusing his teeth like that will cause him trouble when he’s older.

Not that it’s any of my concern.

—-

I walk through the corridors of the main palace.

Perhaps because my stress levels had decreased significantly compared to the morning, people no longer reacted with horror when they saw me.

Though they did whisper a bit.

Still, no one dared to cross the line with outright disrespect.

That’s only natural. With an Imperial Prince right before their eyes, anyone tactless enough to utter malicious remarks would have been… dealt with long ago.

“…Weren’t you a bit too harsh on him?”

Suddenly, the Prince whispered in a quiet voice, just low enough that Perceval following behind couldn’t hear.

So he was listening after all. I thought he wasn’t paying attention since he hadn’t said anything.

I lowered my voice as well.

“He seems to have a strong sense of pride, so I wanted to see how he would react when shaken up a bit. I wanted to confirm that.”

That’s right.

Surely, I wasn’t just scraping at Perceval’s nerves simply because it was entertaining?

I couldn’t possibly be that ill-natured.

I did it all with purpose.

It was to roughly gauge how wary I should be of that man.

…Though honestly, it was fun.

If he just grumbles to himself, that’s a normal reaction I can overlook.

After being treated like that, anyone would complain a bit.

If he contacts someone else to vent, I need to know who that person is.

Someone he would share his grievances with must be close and trusted.

If that person is connected to Ernst’s faction, then Perceval is likely their spy.

If he endures it as if nothing happened… this would actually be the most suspicious response.

It would mean he has a reason to tolerate such treatment.

Perhaps he’s the Empress’s pawn, biding his time for revenge, or something like that.

“What if you end up driving a perfectly good knight into the Empress’s camp?”

“Your Highness, traitors will betray regardless.”

If someone would switch sides just because of a little verbal harassment, they were rotten to begin with.

Even if I hadn’t provoked him, he would betray us as soon as the other side offered better conditions.

“Just trust me. I know these things well.”

Leopold shook his head.

“I’d rather trust Isabella.”

“Do you have a death wish?”

Unable to find a response to my subject-less question, Leopold simply let out a deep, earth-shattering sigh.

—-

The court meeting was a disaster.

Instead of exchanging constructive opinions, they split into Ernst’s faction and Leopold’s faction, busy blaming each other.

The main point of contention was, of course, Matthias’s death.

“That matter has already been concluded as the work of monsters! What is your intention in bringing up baseless rumors in this place?”

A nobleman from Leopold’s faction opened the argument.

With his shouting, the noise of the state council meeting increased dramatically.

“Monsters? Who would believe that! A monster suddenly appeared near the capital, killed only Prince Matthias, and then vanished without a trace? Even a five-year-old child wouldn’t fall for that. It’s more believable that it was the work of those remaining Werebeast scum!”

A bald nobleman from Ernst’s faction retorted with bulging veins.

The chandelier light reflected off his shiny scalp like a halo.

“Oh? That actually sounds plausible. It really could be the Werebeasts’ doing…”

“Mind your words, Count Hanson. That’s not the important issue here.”

What’s with this guy?

This is getting ridiculous enough to make me laugh.

“So, are you saying it was our doing?”

“If not your side, then who else would commit such a terrible act!”

“Are you trying to slander His Highness without any evidence? Why would we do something that would obviously cast suspicion on us!”

As the conversation between the two grew more heated, another nobleman from Ernst’s faction stepped in to try to calm the atmosphere.

“Count Beynum, please calm yourself. How could the wise Prince Leopold have done such a thing? We don’t think so either. However… not everyone who follows His Highness is as wise as he is. Some might try to prove their loyalty through extreme actions. That’s what Duke Vald meant.”

…Is that really an attempt to calm things down?

The tone is respectful, but the content is still blaming Leopold’s faction, just like the bald nobleman—Vald.

“So you’re saying… one of our foolish members acted on their own?”

“Seeing how quickly you understood, Count Beynum, you must not be the culprit.”

After that, it was nothing short of a festival of personal attacks, stopping just short of outright cursing.

Isabella, who should have been presiding over the meeting, merely sighed lightly and calmly watched the chaos.

Ernst also remained silent with a dark expression, while Leonore didn’t even attend.

I suppose Matthias’s death must have been shocking for Ernst and Leonore, if not for Isabella.

Leopold also sat quietly in an ornate chair next to the throne, just listening to the meeting.

Is he choosing to remain silent rather than risk counterattacks?

It would be disadvantageous for him if the topic turned to his former guard knight, Hektor.

I approached Leopold and whispered in his ear.

“Is the Empire’s court meeting always like this?”

Honestly, it’s a miracle the country has been functioning with this kind of governance.

Is this truly Elpinel’s blessing?

“It wasn’t this bad before… but it’s gotten worse lately…”

Leopold responded quietly with a smile that masked his discomfort.

Despite his expression, his voice was low and suppressed, full of weariness.

“That’s enough, everyone. We have numerous matters to discuss, yet you’re causing a commotion over rumors and delaying the meeting. Is this truly honorable behavior? If you wish to discuss this matter, let us postpone it until definitive evidence is found.”

Finally, Lord Wien, who could no longer bear it, spoke up, and the argument was somewhat concluded.

The nobles, still divided into two factions, continued to glare at each other, but at least no one was shouting anymore.

“Your Majesty the Empress, if it’s not disrespectful, I would like to move on to the next agenda. Do you have any objections?”

“No, that’s fine, Duke Wien. I am merely the Emperor’s wife, and I’m ashamed to say I don’t know much about state affairs… it would be right to entrust the proceedings to you.”

Thanks to Isabella’s ready agreement, the rest of the meeting proceeded smoothly.

Seeing how willingly she handed over control to the Duke, it seems she was just as displeased with the meeting, though she didn’t show it.