episode_0075

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

I didn’t write it, but I asked Nigel to ghostwrite it.

The formal tone was awkward, so I didn’t have the confidence to write it properly yet.

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

Otherwise, two carriages might come to the main gate of the special building that day.

It’s like asking which of the two carriages you would rather ride.

On the morning of the 7th, I headed to the imperial palace in the marquis’ carriage, which had been parked in the archives.

The late spring sky was blue without a single cloud.

Maybe it was because it was still early in the morning, but even though summer was coming soon, the temperature wasn’t that high and it was refreshing.

At the front of the carriage, a new horse was harnessed and was shaking its head repeatedly.

Where did you get it? It was a sturdy guy with reddish-brown fur.

I asked Nigel what the horse was.

It was a special gift from Marquis Ludwig, who heard that my horse had died.

hmm. So, will it be okay to ride that horse from now on?

Looking at its large size and well-toned muscles, I think it is a fairly excellent breed.

—-

It’s stuffy.

I keep stroking the back of my neck in the rattling carriage.

Perhaps because I was wearing a uniform unlike usual, I felt a little difficult to breathe.

Even so, since we were visiting the prince of an empire, wearing simple clothes like usual could be somewhat of a problem.

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

Fortunately, the uniforms of the knight department are pants for both men and women.

Black pants with vertical gold stripes on the sides.

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

It looked like it was somewhere between a school uniform and a military uniform.

The tie around my neck was very uncomfortable, but I couldn’t loosen it, so I just loosened it a little.

Every time the carriage shook, the black iron longsword on my waist rattled.

Durandal did not bring it.

Since it is a national treasure, I kept it in my room to avoid any unnecessary controversy.

—-

Magnus Caelum.

The Imperial Palace of the Kalos Empire shared its history with the empire.

At the time when Carolus the Great held the coronation ceremony and ascended to the throne, this place was just a whitewashed brick castle.

It has a rugged appearance that makes the name imperial palace seem meaningless.

It was something that could not be helped.

The early empire was just a union that was finally brought together by the power of knights, and it was not yet a properly established country.

However, after repeated expansions over the next hundreds of years, the Imperial Palace was finally reborn as the most splendid and magnificent building in the archipelago.

Nowadays, it would not be an exaggeration to say that it has established itself as a representative symbol that reveals the authority of the empire to the world.

In the center of the imperial palace, the spacious main palace, which occupies most of the site, is revealed.

The exterior walls of this two-story building, built in the shape of a cross, stand out with ornate carvings and decorations.

Two separate palaces for the prince and princess were added to the rear on both sides of the main palace.

Because most of the royal family left the palace, few people actually lived there.

On the left front, lodgings for guard soldiers were built.

The elite Royal Guard live in the main palace or villa and guard the royal family, but ordinary soldiers and knights live in these lodgings and take turns on guard duty.

On the opposite side, on the right, an outdoor garden was created for banquets, boasting lush greenery all year round.

—-

It was around 9 o’clock when Nigel and I arrived at the imperial palace.

I thought it was a little early to meet someone, but I didn’t know how long the story would be.

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

Knights and soldiers patrol in groups outside the brick exterior walls that surround the area.

Small watchtower-shaped watchtowers were newly added at each corner of the outer wall.

It seemed like they had learned a lesson from the previous attack and had strengthened their guard even further.

As we approached the main gate of the imperial palace, the knight on guard blocked us, checked the marquis’ emblem on the carriage, and then approached Nigel.

“Excuse me for a moment. If you don’t mind, may I ask about your identity and purpose of your visit? The current imperial palace has been ordered to be on level 2 alert, so verification procedures are required even if you are a guest of Landenburg.”

Nigel showed the knight the princes’ invitation.

“This is Hashar Aishangior, the princess of Kahar, and her guard knight, Nigel. I came here at the invitation of His Royal Highness the Prince.”

“Aishangior, and there is the sword of Landenburg…! Excuse me, Sir Nigel. You can enter the palace right away. His Royal Highness will be in each villa.”

The driver hurriedly saluted and made way.

He must have been quite surprised, muttering something to himself.

Judging by the shape of its mouth, it looks like it’s a beast-like predator or something.

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

I passed through the main gate and entered the imperial palace.

The huge main palace comes into view.

Beneath the blue-painted roof, the marble shone dazzlingly in the sunlight.

I heard that the Marble Palace is extremely cold in the winter. I wonder if they can solve the problem with magic.

Nigel rode towards the carriage house.

Inside the outdoor structure that covered only the ceiling, several richly decorated carriages were lined up side by side. Although there were not that many.

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

Aside from servants and guards, it was rare to see anyone walking around.

Is it a day with no schedule?

Well, that means you invited me. Usually, you’re probably quite busy with policy discussions and other work.

“Arrived, Mr. Hashal.”

“That’s right.”

Nigel stopped the carriage, untied the reins, and tied them to the railing in the storage room.

It looks like you have to walk from here to the villa.

After rearranging the hilt of his sword and roughly brushing away his disheveled hair, he got off the carriage.

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

—-

The villa where Leopold lived was the building on the left.

According to Nigel’s explanation, this villa is where the children of the former Empress Anna live, and the villa across the street is where Isabella’s children live.

Although it was not as splendid as the main palace, it was a very impressive building with a simple feel.

A small lake located on one side of the palace and a well-groomed garden surrounding the lake caught my eye.

I handed the invitation to the attendant at the entrance to the villa.

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

It was quite amusing to see him hurriedly lower his head, probably realizing that it was rude.

Guided by an attendant, I headed to the parlor of the villa.

It was a gorgeous room.

There was a tea set on the table that looked like it had just been prepared, and the soft-looking sofas had delicate work on the corners.

A magic light, deliberately made in the form of a chandelier, brightly illuminated the room.

Leopold is said to be currently in his office.

I was told that I would just have to wait here for a while until I received permission to meet, so I sat down on the sofa in the living room and drank tea leisurely.

Not long after, another servant informed me that permission to meet with him had been granted.

Are you really asking us to leave the living room and meet in the office? There’s no reason why we can’t follow suit.

I put down the teacup and headed to the office.

Since I was the only one who had permission to meet him, I left Nigel in the drawing room.

He also briefly handed the long sword to her. It seems that guests going to meet the royal family are not allowed to have weapons.

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

A gorgeous surcoat with a shield pattern engraved on it. He was a knight of the Imperial Guard and a member of the Royal Guard.

Did you say there are eight masters in the Royal Guard?

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

The other two were supposed to guard the emperor’s children… This man was not a master level no matter how you looked at it.

Since there are three children left in the imperial palace, did they send all two masters to Isabella’s children?

Instead of escorting Prince Leopold, to Princess Leonor.

According to Marquis Ludwig, Ferdinand II lost his firearm, so it seems to be true.

No. In fact, the side that openly discriminates like this would have had fewer conflicts.

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

The imperial nobles will be completely divided into two factions and engage in all kinds of secret battles with each other.

Rather, this method of overtly discriminating against one side and giving power to one side may be a more stable method of power succession.

Then, if an angry Leopold staged a coup, things would go wrong.

—-

The servant who guided me bowed to me as if that was all he had left and returned.

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

“His Royal Highness the Prince. Princess Aishangior has come to visit.”

“Indeed.”

It was a fluent voice that seemed to flow.

The driver opened the door and moved to the side as if to tell me to go in.

A person was seen sitting inside the office.

The prince was filling out an unknown document with several stacks of paper on his desk.

The large window at the back shone like a halo, casting bright sunlight.

“Nice to meet you. His Highness Leopold. This is Hashar Aishangior.”

1 If you’re a prince, you’re probably the third-highest person in the empire, so it’s appropriate to be respectful, right?

It’s a bit awkward to use a respectful word that I didn’t even say to Marquis Ludwig.

“Leopold Wittelsbach. Welcome to Magnus Caelum, Princess Aishangior.”

Leopold stood up and looked at me.

Because he was standing with his back to the sunlight, there was a dark shadow in front of him.

A sturdy, tall, and thin body.

He was dressed in robes decorated with jewels and gold, and had a fancy sword at his waist.

Should I say that I think he would be better suited as a civil servant rather than a military officer?

I nodded slightly and entered the room.

It may be a greeting that goes against imperial etiquette, but it would be difficult to expect such a thing from me in the first place.

Leopold also accepted the greeting without saying anything.

He looked at my face and his eyes sparkled with admiration.

What.

Don’t admire.