Ch.75The Imperial Palace, Magnus Caelum

I sent a reply to both princes, saying I would visit them that day.

It wasn’t written by me, but a letter ghostwritten by Nigel.

I still wasn’t confident enough to write in formal language since it felt awkward.

Just in case, I also included that I would prepare the carriage myself.

Otherwise, two carriages might show up at the special dormitory’s main gate on that day.

As if asking which carriage I would ride in.

On the morning of the 7th, I headed to the palace in the lord’s carriage that had been parked in the storage.

The late spring sky was clear blue without a single cloud.

Perhaps because it was still early morning, the temperature wasn’t too high despite summer approaching soon, making it refreshing.

At the front of the carriage, a new horse was harnessed to the reins, constantly shaking its head.

It was a sturdy beast with distinctive reddish-brown fur, though I wasn’t sure where it came from.

I asked Nigel about the horse’s identity.

Apparently, it was a special gift from Lord Ludwig after he heard that my horse had died.

Hmm. So I’ll be riding this horse from now on?

Judging by its large build and well-defined muscles, it seems to be quite a fine breed.

—-

It’s stifling.

I keep adjusting my collar in the rattling carriage.

Perhaps because I was wearing a uniform unlike usual, breathing felt somewhat difficult.

No matter what, since I was visiting an imperial prince, wearing casual clothes could potentially cause problems.

That’s why I ended up wearing the academy uniform for the first time in my life.

Fortunately, the Knight Department’s uniform included pants for both men and women.

Black pants with gold vertical stripes on the sides.

A white shirt with six buttons in two rows and a black half-coat.

It always looked like something between a school uniform and a military uniform.

The tie around my neck was very uncomfortable, but I couldn’t just remove it, so I only loosened it slightly.

The black iron sword at my waist rattled whenever the carriage shook.

I didn’t bring Durandal.

Being a national treasure-class item, I left it safely in my room to avoid unnecessary controversy.

—-

Magnus Caelum.

The imperial palace of the Empire of Karl Las has shared its history with the empire.

When Carlos the Great held his coronation ceremony and ascended to the throne, this place was merely a whitewashed brick castle.

It had such a crude appearance that the name “imperial palace” seemed inappropriate.

It couldn’t be helped.

The early empire was merely a coalition finally united by the power of knights, not yet a properly established country.

However, after hundreds of years of continuous expansion, the palace was finally reborn as the most splendid and magnificent building in the empire.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that it has now become a representative symbol that displays the authority of the empire to the world.

In the center of the palace stands the vast main palace occupying most of the grounds.

Elaborate sculptures and decorations stand out on every wall of this cross-shaped two-story building.

On both sides behind the main palace, two separate palaces were built for the princes and princesses.

Though most of the imperial family had left the palace, so few actually resided there.

To the front left was the barracks for the guard soldiers.

While the elite Royal Guards live in the main palace or separate palaces to protect the imperial family, ordinary soldiers and knights stay in these barracks and take turns standing guard.

On the opposite side, to the right, an outdoor garden for banquets was created, boasting lush greenery throughout the four seasons.

—-

Nigel and I arrived at the palace around 9 o’clock.

It seemed a bit early to meet someone, but we didn’t know how long the conversation would last.

I took in the view of the palace through the carriage window.

Knights and soldiers patrolled in groups outside the brick walls surrounding the area.

Small watchtower-like structures had been newly built at each corner of the outer walls.

It seemed they had strengthened security after learning from the previous attack.

As we approached the main gate of the palace, a knight on guard stopped us, checked the lord’s emblem painted on the carriage, and then approached Nigel.

“Excuse me. If you don’t mind, may I ask about your identity and purpose of visit? The palace is currently under level 2 security alert, so verification is necessary even for guests of Landenburg.”

Nigel showed the princes’ invitation to the knight.

“This is Princess Haschal Aishan-Gioro of the Ka’har and her guard knight Nigel. We’ve come at the invitation of the princes.”

“Aishan-Gioro, and the Sword of Landenburg…! I apologize, Sir Nigel. You may enter immediately. The princes should be in their respective separate palaces.”

The knight hastily saluted and stepped aside.

He seemed quite surprised, muttering something to himself.

Judging by his lip movements, he seemed to be saying something about “Were Eater.”

Has that really become my official nickname? Well, I suppose it’s better than being called a prostitute…

We passed through the main gate and entered the palace grounds.

The massive main palace came into view.

Under the blue-painted roof, the marble gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight.

I’ve heard marble palaces are terribly cold in winter; I wonder if they solve that with magic.

Nigel drove the carriage toward the carriage storage area.

Inside the outdoor structure with only a roof, several elaborately decorated carriages were lined up. Not many, though.

It seemed there weren’t many visitors to the palace today.

There were few people walking around except for servants and guards.

Is it a day with no scheduled events?

Well, that’s probably why they invited me. They must be quite busy with policy discussions and other duties on normal days.

“We’ve arrived, Lady Haschal.”

“So we have.”

Nigel stopped the carriage, untied the reins, and tied them to the railing of the storage area.

It seems we’ll have to walk from here to the separate palace.

After adjusting my sword hilt and roughly brushing back my disheveled hair, I got out of the carriage.

I could feel the guards and some servants glancing in my direction.

—-

The separate palace where Leopold resided was the building on the left.

According to Nigel’s explanation, this palace was where the children of former Empress Anna lived, while the palace on the opposite side was where Isabella’s children lived.

Though not as splendid as the main palace, it was a building with an impressively simple feel.

A small lake at one corner of the palace and a well-maintained garden surrounding the lake caught my eye.

I handed the invitation to a servant at the entrance of the separate palace.

After reading the name on the invitation, he quickly looked up at my face, then turned his eyes back to the invitation with an expression of disbelief.

Soon realizing that was rude, he hastily bowed his head, which was quite amusing.

Following the servant’s guidance, I headed to the reception room of the separate palace.

It was a splendid room.

A tea set that looked freshly prepared was placed on the table, and the plush sofas had delicate engravings on their corners.

A mana lamp deliberately made in the form of a chandelier brightly illuminated the room.

Leopold was currently in his office, I was told.

I was to wait here until I received permission for an audience, so I sat down on the sofa and leisurely drank tea.

Before long, another servant informed me that permission for the audience had been granted.

He wants to meet in his office rather than the reception room? I have no reason to refuse, but still.

I put down my teacup and headed to the office.

Since only I had received permission for the audience, I left Nigel in the reception room.

I also handed my sword to her temporarily. Apparently, guests meeting royalty shouldn’t carry weapons.

In the corridor in front of the office, a knight in full armor stood guarding the door.

A splendid surcoat with a shield emblem. He was a member of the imperial guard knights, the Royal Guard.

I heard there were eight Masters in the Royal Guard.

Four of them guard the emperor, and two protect the empress.

The remaining two would guard the emperor’s children… but this man was clearly not Master-level.

With three children remaining in the palace, did they send both Masters to Isabella’s children?

To Leonore instead of guarding Prince Leopold.

Lord Ludwig mentioned that Ferdinand II had lost his vigor, so it seems to be true.

No, perhaps this blatant discrimination actually reduces conflict.

If the two princes were treated equally, the conflict between princes with equal power would be maximized.

The imperial nobles would completely split into two factions and engage in all sorts of schemes against each other.

Perhaps this method of openly discriminating against one side and concentrating power might be a more stable way of succession.

Though things would get complicated if an enraged Leopold staged a coup.

—-

The servant who guided me bowed and left, indicating his job was done.

The guard knight turned and lightly knocked on the office door.

“Your Highness. Princess Aishan-Gioro has arrived.”

“Let her in.”

It was a flowing, elegant voice.

The knight opened the door and stepped aside, gesturing for me to enter.

I could see one person sitting inside the office.

The prince was writing some unknown document with several stacks of papers on his desk.

The large window behind him shone like a halo, casting bright sunlight.

“It’s my first time meeting you, Your Highness Leopold. I am Haschal Aishan-Gioro.”

As the First Prince, he would be about the third highest-ranking person in the empire, so using honorifics would be appropriate, right?

It feels awkward using honorifics that I didn’t even use with Lord Ludwig, but still.

“Leopold Wittelsbach. Welcome to Magnus Caelum, Princess Aishan-Gioro.”

Leopold rose from his seat and looked in my direction.

With the sunlight at his back, his front was covered in deep shadows.

A tall, slender build.

He wore ceremonial clothes decorated with jewels and gold, with an ornate sword at his waist.

He seemed more suited to be a civil official than a military one.

I nodded lightly and entered the room.

It might be against imperial etiquette, but it’s unreasonable to expect such things from me in the first place.

Leopold accepted my greeting without comment.

He looked at my face with admiring eyes.

What is it?

Don’t look at me like that.