episode_0127

Seriously, this is the most legendary birthday event I’ve ever experienced.

It’s practically a national rule that congratulatory speeches always drag on longer than scheduled and end awkwardly due to someone’s intervention, but there’s no way to give a subtle hint to a foreign royal or the Pope’s representative to keep it short.

Even His Imperial Majesty was silently listening with a bored expression, so the congratulatory speeches continued like a marathon, exceeding two and a half hours.

Strictly speaking, the first two were okay.

It progressed relatively quickly until Countess Tigris, who came out as the representative of the demi-humans, and the Duke of the neighboring country gave their congratulatory speeches.

The Tigris family is famous for cutting their congratulatory speeches short in 1 minute, and the Duke is also a very cool person, so he didn’t speak for long.

But then, a certain prince from the neighboring kingdom took up about 40 minutes.

“Under the grace of God the Father, the Empire…”

Among them, the Cardinal, who is now fervently praying on the platform, took up nearly an hour and a half giving a sermon under the guise of a congratulatory speech, inflicting fatal damage on everyone.

That Cardinal, he’s not usually someone who recites congratulatory speeches so viciously.

Strangely, this year, as if he wanted to purify the Empire, he gritted his teeth and droned on and on with prayers and blessings, dragging out the time.

While praying and speaking, he keeps looking at the VIP seats next to the platform, is this perhaps because of me?

As I thought, after the Countess caused a ruckus, the gazes towards me weren’t very pleasant.

I thought it was passing by quietly, but it seems the person next to me realized that I’m William, who’s been reported frequently lately, and decided to be ruthless.

“Huu…”

In a situation where my mind was about to drift off to dreamland, I forced my heavy eyelids open and forcefully suppressed a yawn that I felt like had erupted a hundred times with my indomitable spirit.

Thanks to that, my jaw feels like it’s about to dislocate and my joints are numb.

“…?”

Secretly wiping away the tears welling up in my eyes and pinching my thigh to stay awake, something soft burrowed into my right hand.

Glancing at my hand, I saw Elizabeth’s hand interlacing with mine and gently caressing the back of my hand.

What…?

Looking up slightly, Elizabeth was smiling softly while fixing her gaze on the platform.

“… What’s wrong?”

“You looked sleepy, I’d be embarrassed if you caused a scene because of you.”

“Still, this is a bit…”

“So you don’t like it? The Princess is personally waking you up?”

“It’s burdensome.”

“Be quiet.”

As I said it too honestly, Elizabeth frowned and squeezed my hand tightly as if extracting juice from it.

“……”

Her grip is stronger than I thought.

It’s subtly painful.

But thanks to that, I’m wide awake.

About 0.8 Emily’s worth of performance.

Sometimes it’s worth using.

“Amen.”

– Clap clap clap!

As I was sitting blankly while fiddling with my hand, thunderous applause erupted with the word announcing the end of the prayer.

Just as I was wondering when I could naturally let go, we naturally let go of our hands and clapped along, as a good excuse had arisen.

“… I hope that the infinite grace of the Lord is with Frederica, the Empress of the Empire.”

Ignoring the applause begging him to stop, the Cardinal finished his congratulatory speech with a reluctant expression and came down from the platform, as he wasn’t such a bad person as to continue.

“Following that, the sun of the Empire, the mother of the Empire’s citizens, the guardian of all the Empire’s autonomous territories, and the protector of the demi-humans…”

“Ah…”

As soon as the room of time and spirit ended, the Imperial Chamberlain, who reappeared, began to recite the Emperor’s long and lengthy titles to the point where it made my head ache.

“… Her Imperial Majesty Empress Frederica will now deliver a word of instruction.”

After nearly a minute of the drawn-out titles of Her Imperial Majesty, the Imperial Chamberlain extended his hand towards the seats of Her Imperial Majesty and His Royal Consort, which were prepared on the opposite side of the VIP seats.

The Emperor, who rose from her seat with an indifferent expression, glanced over the plaza once and ascended the platform with a haughty gait.

– Tap tap

“Dear subjects of the Empire, loyal subjects who run the Empire with me, and noble people from other lands who protect the continent with the Empire, I would first like to express my gratitude to you for celebrating the day of my birth.”

Finally, the last part of this event arrived, and the moment to watch what bombshell remarks the Emperor would drop this year, threshing the minds of the nobles, had come.

“Leaving aside all the trivial and headache-inducing rhetoric, to get to the point, I will bestow the Duchy of Cornwall upon my first child, the Empire’s first Princess, Alexandrine, and appoint Alexandrine as Crown Princess, and next year, we will welcome a new member to the Imperial Family. It would have been truly wonderful if a new child had been born between me and the Royal Consort, but unfortunately, that is not the case, and the Crown Princess will fill the seat she has long left vacant.”

Interesting news flowed out one after another from the beginning.

Two problems that the nobles had been pleading for a decision on for the past few years were resolved so quickly and casually that it felt anticlimactic.

The nobles were bewildered by the Emperor’s decisive actions, as if she wasn’t the same person who had been playing it safe between the two princesses just a few days ago, but they also showed a favorable reaction, saying that things had been resolved correctly.

In a way, it was only natural, as the guys who were unhappy with Her Highness Princess Alexandrine’s position as Crown Princess were still in the Knights’ prison.

“The position of Crown Princess will be maintained forever, unless the Crown Princess has a fatal disqualification, and my second daughter, Victoria, will faithfully assist the Emperor of the Empire as a member of the Imperial Family and a subject.”

After pausing for a moment to gauge the nobles’ reactions, the Emperor added a word as if to warn any potentially rebellious forces, then slightly tilted her head and looked at the VIP seats.

“Honorary Knight William Henry Howard, come up to the platform.”

Someone was summoned again this year without fail.

Whoever that William friend is, he’s so pitiful…

“Huh? Me?”

I pointed to myself with a bewildered expression and looked around.

Then, Elizabeth, who was looking at me with a beaming smile next to me, pointed to the platform and said.

“Yes, Her Imperial Majesty is calling for William, what are you doing?”

“Me? She’s really calling for me?”

“Would there be another Honorary Knight William?”

“Huh…?”

I felt my head turning completely white.

As I was at a loss for how to react, the Imperial Chamberlain approached the VIP seats, pointed at me, and gestured.

“You, quickly come up to the platform.”

“Ah, I understand.”

I got up from my seat without having time to organize my thoughts and staggered towards the platform.

Suddenly, the tension rose sharply, and my legs were trembling.

As I walked so uneasily, I somehow made it to the platform without falling and stood diagonally behind the Emperor to the left, waiting for her words.

“What are you doing? You have to come next to me.”

“So, sorry.”

The Emperor, who lightly chided me for standing so far away, pointed at the floor right next to her.

As I carefully took a step and stood next to the Emperor, my view cleared, and I saw everyone in the plaza looking at me and the Emperor.

“Gulp…”

My vision became dizzy.

I was uneasy from the moment I heard that I was invited as a VIP, but it ended up like this…

“Ha, calm down, you look like someone’s about to eat you.”

“Ha, haha…”

As I was suppressing the feeling that I was about to throw up, the Emperor chuckled and encouraged me in a low voice that only I could hear.

“This is a very good thing for you, so don’t worry too much.”

Then, she lightly patted my shoulder and put on a sly smile on her face before bringing her lips close to the microphone.

Right, I’ve already been to prison, there’s no way the Emperor would publicly kill me again.

Even though she has a cold and cruel side, she keeps that kind of thing strictly.

“Here, Sir William, the Honorary Knight of the Imperial Knights, and my loyal subject, has been at the forefront of promoting harmony between demi-humans and humans, commoners and nobles, through various activities recently.

He hires demi-humans without prejudice in his workplace, continues active transactions with demi-human workplaces, allows nobles and commoners to mingle without conflict, and has achieved various results based on this.

In addition, Sir William and the staff of his workplace have played the role of a bridge, leading the cooperation of witches and wizards who could not mix like water and oil, and recently, he has been continuing the role of a bridge with the demi-humans of the autonomous region by continuing active exchanges with the Tigris couple.”

“Your Majesty…?”

Unable to hide my bewilderment, I stared blankly at the Emperor with wide eyes.

This is absolutely not a story worth making a fuss about in front of the audience, using her birthday event as an excuse…

“Sir William is, it is no exaggeration to say, practicing the harmony beyond race and status, the fairness and flexibility that prioritizes ability over appearance, which I have repeatedly emphasized since I ascended the throne, in the most excellent way.

Therefore, I have called Sir William to this place to commend him for these efforts.”

“…!”

I prayed in my heart that it wouldn’t be, but in the end, I turned pale and shook my head slightly at the word ‘commend,’ which flowed from the Emperor’s mouth.

Commendation.

To put it a little differently, praise and rewards given by superiors.

I don’t dislike praise and rewards given by high-ranking people.

But this is not purely praise for what I have done.

This is a commendation to blatantly show that this is the kind of behavior the Emperor wants, a commendation to use me to openly say, ‘If you want to look good to me, act like this child.’

A political purpose that is about 90% full, a poisoned chalice in effect.

It’s not a gift I want to receive at all, but the person giving it is the Emperor.

“Hehe…”

The Emperor, who glanced at me trembling while turning pale, smiled and turned her body towards me.

And she extended her hand forward and shouted in a loud voice as if delivering a death sentence.

“Honorary Knight William Henry Howard, kneel down and listen to my command!”

“Yes, Your Majesty…”

I reflexively bowed my head slightly and knelt down.

As I was bowing my head and rolling my eyes diligently, I noticed the figure of the Imperial Chamberlain, who was holding something and approaching this way, in one corner of my vision.

“…!”

A flag and a fist-sized, square wooden block.

Realizing what it was, I trembled with horror and began to shake my teeth.

“I bestow the title of Baron upon William Henry Howard, this title does not grant land, but it is a hereditary title, and it is named Baron Howard, taking the title name from William Henry Howard’s name.”

At the same time as the Emperor’s words ended, the Imperial Chamberlain arrived next to the Emperor.

The Emperor took the items that the Chamberlain was holding and shouted again in a loud voice.

“William Henry Howard, raise your head and receive the crest and seal from me.”

“I am overwhelmed by Your Majesty’s glorious grace…”

As soon as I finished the formal greeting, I felt the sensation of soft velvet and rough wooden fragments in my hand.

As I was trembling and feeling the weight of the crest and seal, the Emperor, who had a soft smile on her face, looked at the audience, raised her hand high, and declared.

“Everyone, congratulations on the birth of a new noble!”

– Clap clap clap!

Applause erupts from the audience.

I stood up from my seat, hugged the crest and seal to my chest, and smiled awkwardly while trembling my lips.

As I was reminded that there would be even more people looking at me unkindly in the future, even though my status had risen, I felt my vision darkening.