Eva was standing extremely tense.
“Eva, show it to them.” Élisabeth smiled warmly and patted her shoulder.
The child looked at her once before looking at her Majesty and her Eminence in front of her. She also took a glance at Captain Hervé Duhem standing guard behind them. The Captain of the Imperial Guard smiled handsomely and nodded his head.
The young Duchess Blanquer finally decided to move. She could not waste the time of these esteemed individuals after coming to the heart of the Riester Imperial Palace. Her brown eyes were shaking as if there was an earthquake. Eva desperately started to think about the person she treated like an older brother.
‘Then we will need to make the grand opening extremely big. This is Eva’s first step toward true authority.’
‘Yes, your highness. I will make it very very large. I’m going to invite everybody I know! It doesn’t matter about their identity. Agnes, Frank, and all of the attendants at home who helped me agreed to come too.’
‘Huh? Then I guess her Majesty and her Eminence will come too.’
‘…….’
‘Hahaha. I’m joking. Don’t feel too burdened.’
She thought about his beautifully curling purple eyes and his gentle voice. The child was planning on meeting the prince’s expectations. Of course, she knew he said that just to make her laugh. She knew that the prince would truly celebrate the opening of her business and be proud of her even if her Majesty or her Eminence did not come. She trusted his affection for her.
“Your Majesty, Your Eminence. May I speak?”
But she was the type to do something once she set her mind to it. She wanted to completely surprise the silly prince every so often. She wanted to give the man who would come home with all sorts of souvenirs for her a gift as well.
“Yes, Eva. We are listening.”
“My salon will soon……”
She felt extremely small after saying that much. The grand opening of her ‘Salon de Victoire’ seemed extremely trivial and worthless to such people who were busy with extremely grand achievements. The entire salon was probably smaller than the pantry in the Empress Palace. How could she invite such people to a place like that……
– Rustle.
A small bundle of warmth wrapped around Eva’s hand at that moment. The young Duchess became surprised and looked to her side. A boy with white hair was smiling at her like a stalk of spring snowflake flower.
“Hehe.”
“……Doing that doesn’t give me strength,” Eva scowled and whispered. She was a sixteen year old adult while Gerrit was only eleven this year. Her pride was hurt to be cheered on by such a little kid.
The boy, who would have no idea about what she was thinking, tilted his head and blinked.
She was at least relieved that he did not look like his father at all. Eva believed that she did not like Sir Geens very much. He was a white wolf pretending to be faithful in front of the prince!
“Hmph.”
“Hmph?” The boy mimicked the girl’s snort.
“Umm, I know this may come off extremely disrespectful, but I asked for an audience to present an invitation to you, your Majesty and your Eminence. I truly thank you for giving me this opportunity.”
The young Duchess, who did gain strength from Gerrit, finally managed to speak.
“Oh my. I’m looking forward to it.” Aurélie put down her coffee cup and quickly answered. Frédérique was usually magnanimous toward the weak but she was not very patient. She may verbally abuse the child if she had to wait any longer.
The Chief of Staff, Laura, received the invitation from Eva and offered it up to the two of them. The Empress snorted and opened up the card.
“The Grand Opening is on March 31st…… A salon anybody can freely visit without care for identity or age.”
“Yes, your Majesty. The Empire’s Beau Monde does not really have any space like this. Young kids like Gerrit are quickly sent back or not treated as proper conversation partners while mountain keepers like Agnes and other commoners are not allowed to enter.”
“……”
The child spoke clearly. “However, my mother told me something. She said that true authority comes from receiving the hearts of the people. She said it is not something you can forcibly take.”
“I see.”
“Yes, because of that…… I wanted to create a place where as many people as possible could come. I wanted to be able to hear the voices of people who suffered silently like Madame Victoire. I don’t know how it will go since it has not opened yet, but Vice Commander Moutet and everybody is helping me, so……”
The young Duchess trailed off. This was the limit for a child who knew that she could not lie in front of the Empress. She was too young to make a promise about the future. Her gaze fell to the ground.
Eva felt like she was so stupid. She should tell them about the future so that it sounded much cooler and made her seem quite mature, but she got scared and couldn’t even finish a sentence. It looked like it would be difficult to show off to the Prince like this.
“If…… If you have some time……” Her voice was shaking as she started saying that part. She felt embarrassed and scared to the point her cheeks flared up.
“Will that be enough?” She immediately heard a sarcastic voice back. Eva clenched her eyes shut.
“Frédérique.” The Cardinal quietly called out to her, but the Empress did not stop.
“I don’t think you truly believe that this Empress should attend the celebration of a mere salon.”
“……”
The young Duchess lowered her head and tightly held Gerrit’s hand. The child looked back and forth at big sis Eva and her Majesty.
“Ah.”
His eyes then opened wide. He knew this face of hers. This was the look her Majesty had before kindly playing a joke on someone. Her Eminence called her mean for this but Gerrit always thought she looked cool and kind.
“Increase the scale.”
“E, excuse me?”
“It was Élisabeth’s birthday two days ago. I also heard from my little attendant that the little bubble girl’s birthday is in a few days.” Frédérique mischievously motioned toward Gerrit with her eyes. Eva blankly looked at the young boy.
The child had a cheerful look on his face as he shook the hand he was holding. Gerrit was busy these days not only attending to the two adults for their tea but also being their conversation partner. He chatted with them every day until his fingertips were dyed black from ink.
“Then, then……”
“Shouldn’t it be a celebration fit for the Empress and Cardinal of an Empire to attend?” The middle-aged woman asked. Eva’s lips slowly opened wide. Her face lit up as if everything until now had been a lie and her small shoulders opened wide. The child smiled brightly like a sprout coming up in spring.
“Yes, your Majesty. I will prepare it that way. The celebration of the grand opening, a birthday party for Vice Commander Moutet and Dame Christelle, as well as a party to celebrate the return of his Royal Highness and his highness!”
“Yes. It sounds like you will be busy.”
“Yes, your Majesty!” Eva answered in a loud voice.
“Hahahaha.” Hervé was the first to laugh. The Empress glanced at him and he just let out a fake cough and covered his mouth, despite being unable to keep a stoic face. Frédérique clicked her tongue and sent the young Duchess out. The child had a lot of things to do now and was visibly so happy that she might fly up to the sky.
Gerrit bowed and trotted off behind her. Élisabeth, who had come as Eva’s guardian, showed her respects to the adults as well and left. The Empress had given her some time off for her birthday but she had returned in civilian clothes with the kid. She couldn’t believe it.
“Coffee for me please.”
“Yes, Captain.”
While Hervé sat down in a small chair and received a small teacup (small because he was too big, not because these things were small), Aurélie looked at her soulmate.
“Why did you do that?” She asked in a concerned voice. Her lips were still smiling, but the two of them had a realistic problem. First of all, they always had a mountain-load of Imperial Affairs to handle. They needed to deal with things at least three months in advance to plan an outing. Furthermore, they would need to seal off at least half of the city if the entire Imperial family was to head into the city.
“Why? You want to stay confined to your bedroom longer?”
“No, but…”
“It should be enough to show my face for about an hour while the kids play. The Beau Monde is not something I dare to meddle with.”
She did not say anything after that, but that was enough for Aurélie.
“……I see. That is a good idea.”
Her Empress felt neutral about the nobles and did not like the Beau Monde very much because of its tendency for extravagance and complacency. She said she did not dare to meddle with it, but it was more accurate to say that she let them be because it would lead to a lot of annoyance for her if she messed with it. That was why it meant a lot for Frédérique to visit Eva’s unconventional salon. It was a rare chance to show the Beau Monde that the Monarch wanted to see. She was not someone who would even take one unnecessary step.
“Why don’t you chat with the little Prince there?”
“……”
“The mood will be relaxed. That child likes Cédric too. We may be able to set a specific time,” he Cardinal quietly whispered.
The Empress’s sharp gaze slowly calmed down. She had been thinking about that too. Her one and only son needed a Religious Partner and Prince Jesse was someone who perfectly met all the conditions. Most importantly, Cédric wanted him by his side as well. He had never said it himself, but it was evident in his actions. Jesse was the first one since Élisabeth that the crown prince opened his heart toward so quickly.
“……If they take care of things well this time.”
“Yeah. If they can prove that they can do official business together, it should be okay to make an official offer.”
“You sound very excited.”
Aurélie’s eyes curled up in a smile at the brusque response.
The Captain of the Imperial Guard, who had been quietly drinking his coffee, carefully opened his mouth. “Your Majesty, I personally recommend it being in Autumn. His highness prefers cooler weather so it would be easier to do a ceremony at that time. Furthermore, if you will bestow a palace to him, I think the building to the east……”
– Pow!
“Pfft.”
“Cut it out. There’s no need to count the chickens before they hatch.”
The Empress kicked the Captain’s leg. The reprimand to stop faking like it hurt was just extra. Aurélie ended up laughing out loud.
As always, the wait was fun.
*
I was standing extremely tense. There was a sudden chance to make things follow ‘protocol.’
“Do I really look okay?”
“Prince, do you know that you’ve already asked that question three times?” Joanne, who was standing by the door, clicked her tongue.
However, it was hard to trust Christelle because she just kept repeating that I looked so pretty. It would have been really bad if Sand was not here. He helped me put on new clothes, new shoes, and fix my hair.
Of course, these were all things given to me by Viscount Rambouillet. I was busy but I still changed Tithé’s bib and hugged each red panda once. I put the still unable to awaken Percy and his bed inside my Gabag and I was basically ready.
I shamelessly started speaking. “Now then, your Royal Highness, shall we alight?”
“……”
The punk gave me a gaze that seemed to say that I was stupid, but I ignored it.
‘This is big bro’s first time doing something like this. Please be a bit more understanding.’
– Knock knock.
Someone knocked from the outside.
Click. Crown prince Cédric started walking down the stairs as soon as the cool night breeze came in. I quickly rushed behind him.
According to protocol, the crown prince should be wearing the formal attire of the Riester Imperial family, while I had to wear the official robe of an Archbishop. However, that could not happen. That punk was abducted all the way here after all. He did have some luggage, but all it had were some travel items. As for me? I was his abductor so it wasn’t much different. But at least we got the nicest clothes the Rambouillet caravan had to offer…
– Click, click, click!
‘Ah, that scared me!’ I flinched and looked around. There was a long row of Vatican soldiers on either side of the wagon stretching all the way to the distant entrance to the Temple of Boundaries. It was at least 300 meters away. I then noticed a luxurious golden carpet underneath our feet. I didn’t think they would do something like this because it was so late at night, but as expected, the Vatican never failed to follow protocol. It wasn’t weird if you consider this to be its own little nation, but……
– Click, Click, click!
The soldiers bowed like robots everywhere we walked. Their armors were very different from the ones I saw in the Empire.
‘People’s skin color and appearances having differences is similar here too-’
“Gaze.”
“Sorry.”
The crown prince pointed out, and I quickly turned my head back forward.
The punk and I were walking in the front of the group as that was the rules. A few steps behind us were Viscount Rambouillet’s family, then Joanne, and finally, Sand, Johann and the divine beasts.
Looking only forward meant that large and magnificent building caught my attention again. I was in awe of it at a distance and it left me flabbergasted the closer I got to it.
“Wow……”
It wasn’t at the level of 21st century skyscrapers, but the Temple of Boundaries seemed to be at least 100 meters tall. It was extremely wide as well. I could confidently say that this would be one of the Seven Wonders of the QNW world. It didn’t feel like humans built it. Even the Riester Imperial Palace, which was magnificent and imposing all around, didn’t give off such a feeling. The temple, which was said to be made of marble from the foundation all the way to the ceiling, was glowing white from the light of the crescent moon.
“Your Royal Highness, is that perhaps……”
That was enough to make it unrealistic, but there was one more thing that made the temple so bizarre.
“Correct.”
‘The World Tree.’
Pitch black tree roots as thick as the pillars of the temple were wrapping around the pure white building in all directions. It resembled a pitiful building being attacked by a large creature of the deep sea, but upon taking a closer look, the World Tree and the Temple seemed to be coexisting in harmony. The branches reaching high up to the ceiling served as pillars while the smaller branches growing down became steps to head up to the temple. The thicker roots had marble sculptures of past Popes. Some were seated on the roots while there was one who seemed to be lying down for a nap as well. There was even one holding a torch, completely engrossed in reading. And they, just like people who were alive and breathing until moments ago……
They were all extremely realistic. My body subconsciously shook. I felt scared of this place for some reason.
“Welcome, I greet his Royal Highness, the Imperial Crown Prince, and his highness, Prince Jesse Venetiaan.”
Flinch. I urgently snapped back to my senses. An old man I had never seen before was suddenly in front of us. Profound and striking ears, eyes, mouth, and nose, as well as a luxurious Cardinal robe. He had neatly trimmed hair and a beard as sharp as a blade. He was taller than I had expected. His facial expression made it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
“My name is Ronald Rupert. My humble self is currently serving as the Vicarius Generalis here.”
He politely bowed toward us. I suppressed this odd fear in my heart and greeted him back.
—
Translator’s Comments
You know, he was supposedly here just a year ago. Is it just plot armor for them to not realize he knows nothing or do they just know he’s an airhead?