I knew what Bérénice looked like because someone had already described it for me. I was told she wore her glasses when she read, but she did not seem to have them today. I handed her her bag and smiled.
“Here you go.”
It felt a bit weird because I had some color on my lips. Christelle had taken out a small container earlier and dipped her ring finger to get some makeup before tapping it on my lips. That alone made me almost gasp but then she pushed a napkin towards my mouth. I just stood there like an idiot, blinking with flushed cheeks.
‘Bite down on it once.’ ‘Won’t it erase it then?’ ‘Naw. Just trust me and chomp.’
So I chomped. It was best to listen when our dear MC told me to do something.
“I, I……”
I quickly snapped out of my thoughts. The young lady looked quite anxious after seeing me. Her eyes and cheeks were so red I thought she might cry at any moment. She could not even form the simplest of sentences. She seemed to feel pressure after seeing me in my Archbishop formal attire and my mitre. I felt apologetic, wondering whether I should have dressed casually. ‘It was the first time the crown prince had been on my side for a while.’
“I ask for your forgiveness, your highness. This is the second daughter of the Duke’s House of Mendy, young lady Bérénice. She is quite timid……” The man who seemed to be representative of this gathering awkwardly smiled before bowing.
Bérénice finally slowly started to show her respects. After the two of them started it, the rest of the members started to introduce themselves. I was normally bad at connecting faces to names, but I decided to give it my best today.
Once they were all about done saying goodbye,
– What a great appearance. ‘Juliet,’ please raise your right arm if you can hear me.
The magic tool shaped as necklaces let out some created noises. My ears weren’t pierced so I needed an overlapping decoration, but thankfully, Marquis François helped. He spoke naturally and brushed his hair to the back with his right hand.
Christelle then whispered, ‘Roger that.’ Yes, she spoke English. I did my best to hold back the laughter.
‘If I show any signs of understanding, no.’ I couldn’t let her find out that I could hear her.
The reason my code name ended up as Juliet was because my name also started with J. For reference, Christelle was Charlie. She seemed to have watched a ton of Hollywood movies as she knew the names of a lot of the movies.
– You’ve already done so well until now, your highness. We will continue like this. Over.
– Squeak!
Demy (code name ‘Delta’) seemed to be next to Christelle as well. I clenched my lips shut in order to not chuckle.
Finally, Eva (code name ‘Echo’), who was with me, showed her respect. The child was super lovely as usual and was wearing a pretty satin dress with snow-like furballs.
“My name is Eva Blanquer. I am the young Duchess of the Duke’s House of Blanquer. I am here as his highness’s friend.”
“Wow.”
The members let out gasps. Eva had strategically volunteered to accompany me after saying that an adult showing up would make the atmosphere more difficult to handle. The reaction was better than I expected. I chuckled and motioned with my hand.
“Please have a seat. It is my honor to meet the troubadours of Riester.”
“Ah……”
Everybody’s faces stiffened after I said that. I immediately bit down on my tongue. ‘Did I say something wrong? But I studied up on this.’
According to the < Biweekly Riester >, none of the nobles of the Empire who enjoyed literature disliked the nickname of troubadour. I also heard that the ‘Amour Courtois’ group frequently wrote their own stuff.
‘In that case, wouldn’t troubadours be accurate?’
“……It is us who are so honored by an invite from such an esteemed individual as yourself that we do not know how to react, your highness. We will treat this as an honor for our families.” The president said that and bowed again. The rest of the group smiled and thanked me as well. Eva looked up at me and nodded her head. It meant that there were no issues.
‘I guess they must be tense because of my high position?’
“May the Almighty God find joy in your lives.” I greeted them with the traditional celebration greeting in order to relax things a bit.
“My goodness, may she find joy.”
“Our deepest gratitude for your blessing, your highness.”
The members covered their mouths with handkerchiefs with joy.
I felt relaxed seeing that their faces finally lit up. I dressed formally and holy after all, so I thought it might not be a bad idea to go down this route. I pulled Eva’s chair out for her and Benjamin (code name ‘Bravo’), helped me slowly sit down. The middle-aged pulled out all of the wrinkles in my robe and gown before stepping away. The fragrance of the strong pansy flower tea on the table tickled my nose. It was a purple tea with yellow flowers floating on it like golden stars. The faint sound of cello music was coming from the next room. ‘I guess that group shares an interest in music.’
“Mm.”
‘……What do I say now?’ I had no talent in quickly getting close to people I didn’t know. I could feel Bérénice, who was seated next to me, staring at me.
Our young Duchess quickly stepped in.
“I am curious to know what kind of books you all enjoy reading. Do you discuss a different book every week?”
‘What a smart girl!’
“I want to know as well. I also love reading, which is why I asked to meet all of you. I hope it wasn’t too rude of a request.” I thought it was the right moment to interject and commented, leading them all to shake their heads and say that it was not rude at all, and that they were very happy right now. Some of them seemed to be groaning, so I asked if they were okay. I was relieved to hear them all say that they were fine.
I was so happy that the smart Eva got things started like this, so I placed the largest slice of gâteau moka on her plate. The cake, which had mocha cream in the shape of roses, was the kind of thing Eva liked most. The young Duchess’s legs dangled and she snickered.
“……”
The members exchanged chaotic glances for a moment. One of the young ladies finally spoke up in an extremely quiet voice.
“We usually…… Enjoy romance novels.”
“I enjoy novels about relationships as well.”
I quickly answered. ‘You can’t respond slowly to something like this.’
“My friends enjoy them as well. We are currently reading < Reason, Sensibility, and Holiness >.”
“Oh!”
“His Royal Highness doesn’t seem interested but he at least knows all of the character names. I wonder if he is secretly reading it when he is alone.” I made a joke and the group chuckled.
“Yes, that is a masterpiece.” “The latest release was amazing as well.” I received some responses too.
Bérénice quickly chuckled along. ‘I guess she is less scared of me now.’
I heard Christelle’s voice in my ear.
– You have talent for this, your highness. The young lady’s expression is a good one too. Over.
‘Now that I think about it, she is checking faces too. What the hell did François make?’ It was a blessing from the Almighty God that such a man was not the spy.
“Your highness, who is your favorite character in ReSeHo?” A young lady, who seemed much more mature than myself, asked.
I had to choose my words carefully as Benjamin was listening.
‘My favorite character? I never thought about that while I was reading.’
“I’m not sure about that. The story is so interesting and keeps me on my toes, so I have not been able to put much thought into each individual character. While there was trouble between the three main characters, I was on Jane’s side. So probably Jane?”
“Ahhh……”
“His highness likes Jane. Yes, Jane is truly the best in ReSeHo.” I heard Bérénice quietly mumble. All of the members of AC calmed down again.
I gently made eye contact with the young lady and asked, “What about you, young lady Bérénice?”
“Your highness.”
“Excuse me?
“Eek.”
She quickly covered her mouth with both hands. I must have asked the question in a weird way. The young lady’s eyebrows furrowed and her cheeks flushed red. The ripples spread out toward all of the members. I was about to ask again to give her a chance to set things straight, but I heard Vice Captain Élisabeth’s voice in my ear this time.
– Juliette, please respond. This is ‘Mike.’
‘How am I supposed to respond?! I know you are a soldier, but you adapted so well like this?!’
– You must brush past it without asking about it any longer. Please just smile beautifully.
‘But she’s so flustered she is about to cry…… Won’t I be a damn bastard if I smile here?’
– Please leave the rest to Echo.
‘Confirmed.’
“I like ReSeHo as well. I get angry whenever I read about young master Heathcliff, but Dame Christelle told me that is how you know it is a well-written story. Aggro? She said that the aggro was amazing. Anyway, I came because I heard that there would be an even greater opportunity than that today.”
Eva, who also received the signal, suddenly interjected. Miss Ga-in seemed to have taught the little kid another weird word.
Everybody looked toward the child after hearing such a young kid speak so distinctly. I had no choice but to just smile at Bérénice and look away. I heard her let out a deep but quiet sigh.
The young Duchess had put down the fork she was using to stab the cake and wiped her mouth with her napkin before cutely continuing.
“Based on what I have heard, the members of AC write their own stories and share them with each other for advice.”
“……That is correct.” The president’s voice sounded sorrowful for some reason.
“I heard there are some marvelous chanson de geste as well as romantic stories.”
“Chanson de geste……”
“If it is not too much, would you be able to share some of those stories with us?”
The mood became extremely heavy at that moment. A young looking boy raised his hand. His face seemed much more serious than necessary.
“There are indeed stories like that. Young lady Mendy’s < A Scheme of Ice and Fire > is an amazing adventure story. Once you hear it, you can’t help but think about it all week-”
“No!”
Flinch. Bérénice screeched and tightly hugged her backpack. She looked as if she might run out at any moment. It seemed like the manuscript was in the bag she dropped earlier.
I shook my head in order to calm the young lady down. “I have no desire to force you to let me see it, young lady Bérénice. Please don’t worry.”
“……”
“But the title is very amazing,” I added on, as gently as possible. I might not know what it is about, but it sounded like something that would be a mega hit if it was released as a five season drama.
The young lady looked at me with a blank, sleepy-like gaze. At that moment…
“If your highness would allow me to do so…… I would be willing to share my work, as lacking as it may be.”
“President!”
“Oh, Almighty God.”
“I feel it is only right to repay his highness for his grace for lifting us up to such a bright place,” The president proclaimed with an extremely solemn look on his face. Someone might think that he was climbing up Golgotha while carrying the sins of the entire group.
I looked at the young man who had jumped up and nodded my head with bewilderment.
‘What does he mean by allowing them to come up to such a bright place? Is their usual meeting place dark? They should all be the children of rich families……’
“The title is < Silver-colored Lily >. The Imperial Princess with the power of water…… Enid. The skilled swordsman Emperor…… Eric. It discusses the romance between the two.”
– Holy shit.
– Pffft!
– Squeeeee?
My ear instantly became chaotic. My jaw dropped in shock.
“For reference, the two of them are not blood-related. Ah…… It is because Enid was switched with the true Imperial Princess as soon as she was born.”
“Wow.”
‘Forbidden love with the hidden secrets of birth mixed in it as well.’ My eyes sparkled and I tightly clenched my teacup. This seemed as amazing as ReSeHo, which focused on a love triangle as well as the intricacies of the differences in status. The description was so interesting that I paid more attention to the president than Bérénice.
The members’ faces lit up again after hearing the introduction. ‘I guess they were worried about how I would react.’
“Then…… I will start reading from chapter 1.”
“Yes, please. Please start. I am really looking forward to it.” I smiled brightly and nodded my head. I made eye contact with Eva, who had turned pale from shock.
‘I guess this is too stimulating for a sixteen year old girl. Should I get her out of here right now?’
“This is the story about two people who shone in silver and were destroyed by water.”
‘Oooh. It sounds suspenseful. This intro makes you think about a tragic ending……’
– Your highness.
Christelle called out to me in a serious voice.
‘One moment please. Let me just hear this.’
– Prince Jesse.
‘Bérénice is focused right now too. This is all part of the process of getting closer.’
– Golf enter.
Flinch. That was crown prince Cédric’s voice just now. My eyes opened wide and I quickly turned around. As Benjamin, who was standing by the door, started to walk toward me…
“Your Highness.”
“Sir Johann?”
Code name Golf.
The Cardinal of the air attribute silently appeared in the social gathering room of Passion Palace. He had his usual luxurious jade-colored coat and a simple white cravat around his neck. I heard them summon him, but his sudden appearance still surprised me. The members of AC who saw him all let out deep sighs and moans. I even saw somebody pull out a fan from their bag. Bérénice became as quiet as a mouse now.
“Is something wrong? The atmosphere is pretty good right now……” I whispered and the Holy Knight gently bowed. Some of his white hair elegantly fluttered down.
“The < Biweekly Riester > released an emergency extra edition. It is information about the Temple of Boundaries.”
‘Both her Majesty’s and my informants confirmed it.’ His quiet whisper had the coldness of the snowy winds outside.
I was certain that he came here as soon as he heard about it. Something even more important than delaying the crown prince’s marriage. Information I needed to know right away.
“The Vicarius Generalis in the Vatican wishes for a mediation between the two nations. He has officially invited the Riester Imperial family.”
My mind instantly flashed and lightning struck! This was a completely unexpected development and, in some ways, amazingly good news.
I looked at the Imperial Instructor with my pupils shaking. His mint-colored eye became dark like turquoise.
“He suggests swearing in front of the Paten of Wishes for peace.”
‘……Wait a minute. Can we get into the holy room where the paten resides?’
—
Translator’s Comments
She said it to his face! That its him! OMG!