Geumui’s Return (4)
Third princess Fenia returned to the Cloel imperial family.
More than half a year has already passed since Princess Fenia who always stayed at the imperial court left for Sylvania Academy.
The way she always walked around the imperial palace with a beautiful appearance and lovingly looked after her servants was admired by everyone.
The people of the imperial family were very worried about the fact that Princess Fenia had to spend a whopping four years in a foreign country until she graduated. Still whenever she was on vacation she returned to the imperial palace and showed her face alleviating the worries.
The same goes for this vacation season. This is my third vacation since entering Sylvania.
Seeing Princess Fenia for the first time in a while the Royal Guard soldiers and employees all expressed their respect and respect. The dress that went well with her gorgeous white blonde hair and her confident yet elegant appearance made it clear that she was the very Princess Fenia whom I had always looked up to.
Like a triumphant general he proudly passed through the main gate of the imperial palace and prayed to Telos who crossed the threshold of the most splendid Rose Palace. It looked like a festival procession with numerous attendants following behind.
Entering the throne room Fenia politely bowed before Emperor Cloel.
“I returned home for vacation Abama. “Have you been in good health so far?”
“It’s been a long time Fenia. My health as always is at stake. “It’s probably because I wasn’t following the doctor’s wishes and was only focused on work.”
“Even though people from all over the world praise and praise Abamama’s name what is the meaning if Abamama’s body is not at peace?”
“That is correct. However my body is my body but you don’t look very healthy either.”
Fenia was suddenly speechless.
This is Princess Fenia who returned to the imperial court wearing gorgeous decorations and showing off her dignified elegance. No matter who saw her she looked as kind and benevolent as before she left the imperial family.
However Emperor Cloel didn’t seem to see it that way as his gaze towards Princess Fenia became even deeper.
To Emperor Cloel who had watched Princess Fenia since childhood the current Princess Fenia seemed very unnatural.
For example whenever he had an audience with Emperor Cloel rather than worrying about the Emperor’s safety and health he was filled with excitement and talked about his experiences and new facts he had learned. After talking about herself so excitedly she was a girl so full of life that she asked about Emperor Cloel’s well-being.
Princess Fenia’s childhood was not all good.
Even though he lived at the peak of power and was hit by all kinds of underhanded tactics there were many times when he showed an enterprising and lively side in front of Emperor Cloel. Such strength was one of the reasons why Emperor Cloel held Princess Fenia in the highest regard.
However as the time spent on Aken Island increases it feels like Princess Fenia is gradually losing her enterprising nature.
This is her third vacation since entering Sylvania. After this Emperor Cloel began to worry about Fenia.
The sight of Fenia changing little by little is a very familiar feeling to Emperor Cloel who has seen many people of all kinds.
“Have you ever been frustrated by numerous failures?”
Princess Fenia kept her mouth shut at the sharp words.
I entered Sylvania and had a lot of experience and I got involved in various accidents… No matter what Princess Fenia did things never worked out the way she wanted. She was very different from the royal family who were always able to solve problems on their own.
It is impossible to know exactly what Emperor Cloel experienced. He may simply have sexual problems or he may be deeply frustrated with human relationships or the logic of real-life politics.
Human growth takes place amidst numerous setbacks. Emperor Cloel was not unaware of this fact but it was also true that her heart ached to see her daughter who was born with her own blood walking down such a path of hardship.
The fact that Crown Prince Lindon became disillusioned with the disorganized royal palace strife and gave up on succeeding to the throne also left a great wound to Emperor Cloel. He didn’t want to repeat that history.
I am… “I feel like I am lacking too much to take over the throne of the emperor.”
“Penia.”
“I’m sure my position has been greatly weakened since I have been away from the imperial family for a long time.”
The power hierarchy within the imperial family is gradually shifting towards the first princess Selaha.
Position within the imperial family is ultimately achieved through the support of key officials.
The Imperial Chancellor the Commander of the General Guard the Commander of the Knights and the Central Butler were all gradually turning their minds towards Selaha… Few core personnel remained under Fenia.
In the end authority is established by subordinates.
The more people who support Fenia disappear the more distant they become from the imperial power.
Fenia also knew that fact well. However I had no intention of rebuilding the foundation.
Chronic lethargy was eating away at Princess Fenia.
* * *
“I never would have thought that after Ed Rosstaylor the successor to the Rosstaylor family was excommunicated he would stick to Fenia. “If he hadn’t come to the Ross Taylor family he wouldn’t have had any way of finding out about this.”
When you finish dressing up and enter the throne room with elegant elegance it feels as if the air inside has frozen.
Because of her unique chilly atmosphere Selaha Einir Cloel was known as the Princess of Frost.
That cool elegance was always present even when sitting at the desk wearing only comfortable lace slips.
I became an adult this year. She was the first of Emperor Cloel’s one son and three daughters to become an adult.
After completing the coming-of-age ceremony he began to express his will to succeed to the imperial throne in earnest but no one in the imperial family was surprised or found it strange. Rather Princess Selaha was considered the most likely person to beat Princess Fenia.
If the 2nd princess Persica dreams of becoming an intelligent monarch with extensive knowledge regardless of field and the 3rd princess Fenia dreams of becoming a virtuous monarch who embraces everyone regardless of their status…
1st Princess Selaha dreams of reigning supreme over everyone using her high authority and power.
A strong and stable state comes from high authority and centralized power. A monarch is someone who sits firmly at the center of this vast empire. That is Selahah’s view of governance.
Therefore Selaha was a person who was infinitely sensitive to changes in the power structure and its direction.
“However I heard that Ed Rosstaylor’s excommunication was a decision made at the suggestion of Princess Fenia.”
“I guess so. It would be normal if the two were enemies who wouldn’t be surprised if they ground their teeth. But what happened while fighting on Aken Island that made our relationship so special that we entrusted him with an unsealed letter like this?”
Head Butler Dest who was standing next to Selaha poured tea into the empty teacup again.
Selaha is reading Fenia’s letter given to her by Crepin Rosstaylor. She even seems to be reducing the sound of pouring tea for fear that it will interfere with her concentration. This is the image of an infinitely skilled butler.
An elderly gentleman dressed in an elegant suit white silk gloves a red bow tie and a neatly trimmed square beard. He has moderation in everything right down to the way he pours tea.
Deacon Dest was Selaha’s closest associate who had been managing Ruhr Palace Selaha’s personal villa for 17 years.
Selaha wearing only a lace slip is practically half-naked but she doesn’t even care about Dest’s presence. In the first place the difference in social status was so severe that they did not even regard him as a person.
For her the difference in status has that meaning. It goes beyond simply high and low and becomes a standard that separates people from less-than-human things.
Therefore unless you are from the Rosstaylor family she will not pay attention to you.
Her platinum blonde hair is similar in shade to Princess Fenia’s hair but strangely more bluish. She swept her bluish hair down to one side and spoke as if repeating herself.
“Obviously the content of the letter itself is nothing special. “It’s just a greeting sent once a season to Crepin Rosstaylor.”
“Then the letter… .”
“Yes the key is the form not the content. It is important to know why such a letter was sent to Ed Rothtaylor at a time like this. Did they actually put a dot on Ed Rosstaylor as someone from my side? “It’s as if he had declared it in advance.”
Princess Fenia is the greatest threat to Selaha at this point.
If Princess Fenia was the kind of person who tried to lure someone to his side to this extent even Selaha couldn’t easily laugh it off.
Selaha crossed her legs rested her chin and lifted the teacup with one hand. His cold gaze is directed towards the end of the teacup.
Her alluring bare legs stretched out and tapped the edge of the luxurious wooden desk.
“Is this person worth it?”
That question sits in the back of Selaha’s heart.
“I’m not sure.”
There is no standard as useful as other people’s evaluations in evaluating someone but it should not be the only absolute standard.
Selaha was a person who saw things firsthand and judged them. However you can refer to other people’s evaluations.
“Well it’s probably something you just have to do at social gatherings a few times. “The social gathering will begin tonight.”
“How should I prepare my outfit Princess Selaha?”
“Don’t rely on your senses.”
The social gathering at Ross Taylor Mansion which lasts for five days becomes more grand as time goes by. I heard that on the last day they would use all of that large garden to create a huge party hall.
In the first place all the celebrities attending are busy people so it is difficult to get them all together in one place. So we are organizing such a grand event with the intention of being together for the last time.
The schedule for five days is not that complicated. In the evening parties social events and dinner parties take place and in the morning everyone rests in their rooms.
In the afternoon each celebrity meets individually. No matter where you go such as a private room or a pavilion around the garden of a mansion you are chatting with like-minded people.
And in the evening we all gather together again and have a social gathering. If you repeat this schedule for five days the number of people increases and you become more and more distracted.
“Who arrived on the first day?”
“Except for Princess Selaha there are few famous people. Margrave Zahur and the head of the Bloomriver family Senir Bloomriver. “Other than that most of them are small nobles trying to gain at least one more connection.”
Dest gently pushed a document and placed it in front of Selaha.
It was a visitor list that Dest had compiled well in his own way. Among them excluding the minor and minor nobles the arrival schedules of people worthy of Selaha’s attention were written down.
“Commander Magnus will arrive on the 3rd day and Saint Clarice will arrive on the 2nd day. Investor Roland… Arrived on the 3rd day… ”
Polkus commander of the Northern Plains Defense Force will also arrive along with Legion Commander Magnus. He has already been captured by Selaha’s forces.
As Magnus holds enormous military power he desperately wanted to break things off this time.
In addition it seemed certain that Archbishop Samuel of the Telos Church would also come.
When Samuel took over as the successor to the excommunicated Archbishop Vertius Selaha was delighted.
Samuel owes a lot to Selaha since his days as a bishop. Since he took power the Telos Church’s line has become stronger.
The position of Archbishop of the Telos Church allows him to directly exchange opinions with Saint Clarice and actively express his opinions.
This meeting was an opportunity to solidify that connection.
Roland an investor at Elte Trading Company is also in a position where he has to keep an eye on Selaha.
Selaha has a history of causing the Elte Chamber Cloeron branch’s tax exemption bill to be reexamined several times and is in a position to strangle it at any time using the authority of the imperial family.
If he uses it well he will be able to use this opportunity to establish contact with his immediate superior Lortel Kecheln who has risen to the position of real power in the chamber.
“The problem is with the alchemy city of Cret… .”
As she looked through the documents Selaha lifted her flowing hair and pushed it behind her neck.
Valvern is known as a master in Cret the land of alchemy. I have no contact with him. He is a research enthusiast who lives in the wilderness.
There is a need to literally build it from scratch.
“Shall I prepare a gift? I’ve heard that alchemists prefer practical gifts over ceremonial ones. “It would be good to gain favor if we packaged test tubes and consumable alchemy supplies nicely and delivered them.”
“Can we procure it now? “This is Ross Taylor’s territory.”
“Mr. Valvern arrives on the 4th day so we can make it on time.”
“Please.”
After saying that Selaha put down the document.
Selaha smiled coldly while gently shaking the ends of her crossed legs.
“Shall we have a chat with the proud head of the Bloomriver family tonight?”
Of course that’s something we’ll do at the social gathering tonight. The sun is still high in the sky.
“But before that… hmm… .”
* * *
-bang!
Fifteen wolves realized through hallucination magic were suddenly covered in flames and disappeared.
As soon as the ice spears that flew out after that were realized they were all consumed by the vast magical power.
It’s a magic that is quite sincere.
Senir Bloomriver the head of the Bloomriver family a middle-aged white-haired woman was incredibly surprised but did not show it outwardly.
“It’s over now… ?”
A duel practice area set up in one corner of the central garden of the Ross Taylor family.
There the girl who had received all of Sinir’s magic was standing and yawning. She is Lucy May Lil a girl with pretty white hair tied down neatly.
The people of the Rosstaylor family gathered to watch the duel. Everything from the refreshment table on one side of the duel to the wooden stand to block the sun was old-fashioned.
In the center you can see Crepin Rosstaylor and his children sitting next to him… I see Ed and Tanya.
“There isn’t even a scratch… .”
Sinir let out words of admiration.
The Bloomriver family the empire’s most prestigious magical family.
In particular rather than researching magic and delving deeply into the academic field it is a family that mainly deals with practical combat magic to win the duel itself.
The Bloomriver family is known as the ‘House of Witches’ within the empire as they use somewhat cunning and wicked magic to win.
This is because the head of the family Senir Bloomriver was also a witch herself with a wicked side.
However in the face of pure power all kinds of tricks are dismissed as mere tricks.
It was hard to believe but it felt like his magical capabilities were several levels higher than that of Sinir who had been in charge of the powerful Bloomriver family for such a long time. Even though I am just a student.
Sinir swallowed dry saliva.
It was he who made this duel happen.
This is because Sinir also heard the story about Lucy Mayril a freshman who joined the school during last winter vacation.
Tracyana Bloomriver the current fourth-year senior at the Sylvanian Ministry of Magic and her twin sister Patriciana Bloomriver.
Both belong to the Bloomriver family and are children of Sinir.
I wanted to gauge how capable the twin sisters were when they came home from school and talked about Lucy Mayril all day.
The results are beyond imagination.
Sinir couldn’t even put a single scratch on Lucy’s body.
As Sinir nodded breaking out in a cold sweat Lucy turned her head and yawned without even saying thank you for her hard work.
Then he trudged over and sat on Ed Rosstaylor’s lap ignoring the stares of those around him.
It seemed as if the majesty of just moments ago had all been an illusion as I buried my head on his chest and fell asleep quickly.
“… “You have a strange friend.”
“Yes it’s weird.”
Even Crepin had no choice but to admit that Lucy’s appearance was more than he expected.
Senir Bloomriver is someone whose authority is recognized even by the highest wizards of the imperial family. It was objective proof that Lucy had already far surpassed his level as a student and that she was strong enough to join the ranks of strong men within the empire.
That age… She isn’t even an adult yet. No one could know what kind of monster he would become when he got older.
“Thank you Duke Crepin for arranging such a strange duel upon my arrival. “My children were making such a fuss that I wanted to test their skills.”
“Don’t worry too much. “I think I had a good time watching it too.”
Crepin responded gently to what Senir said while bowing his head politely.
“It’s the first day so not too many people have gathered but there will be a pretty luxurious social event starting this evening so enjoy it as much as you can.”
yes. Thank you.
Senir bowed his head and greeted me without being able to erase his bewildered expression.
Crepin sent Senir away like that took a sip of tea and looked at Lucy who was fidgeting in Ed’s arms. It was definitely more force than expected.
Even though he is among the nobles he doesn’t even seem to be intimidated. Rather it looks like he is taking a big nap.
If one had this much power such an attitude would not be arrogant. Crepin then realized that Lucy’s confidence was not in vain.
“You look pretty tired now.”
“I usually sleep a lot. “I had trouble sleeping last night.”
“You’ve come a long way so you’re probably tired. “You probably haven’t even gotten used to going to bed yet.”
To tell the truth Lucy stayed up all night to watch over Ed who was reading the letter he found in the dresser.
Although he fell asleep at times his sense of magical power was probably keen even while he was asleep. Even considering my naturally lazy temperament this was enough to make me tired.
“If you feel tired in the evening I would like to talk about it at dinner.”
A person who can make the great noble Crepin wait just because he is tired. How could anyone exist in this world without Emperor Cloel?
The workers were murmuring as they thought about it.
then… “I will talk to you in advance before dinner.”
* * *
Lucy’s room was just as luxurious as mine.
I threw Lucy on the frilly bed and went out closing her door. Even so it was relatively unlikely that anything would happen in broad daylight so it was necessary to take advantage of this opportunity to let Lucy rest.
As I crossed the hallway I saw a familiar girl pacing in front of my room. Without looking further it was the Yenica Failover.
“Ed… !”
He approached me at a slow pace and spoke slowly.
“Like I said I made the spirits look around the mansion… . Obviously there are very few people who have the ability to sense spirits so it was easier than I thought. So that… Duke Crepin’s personal office… .”
-Tub.
I covered Jenica’s mouth and looked around.
Yenika gasped with a blush on her cheeks at the sudden skinship but I quickly checked to make sure there was no one around.
Jenica seeing that opened her eyes and nodded as if she had acknowledged her mistake.
“First let’s go to a place where there are no listening ears. “Come into my room.”
“Eh ed room… ? Let’s go in together… ? Now… ?”
I opened the door and grabbed Jenica’s wrist. Yenika came into the room with a dazed look on her face and looked around as if she was coming to the city for the first time.
“Woah this is the room Ed used… . It’s definitely neat… .”
“The maid always cleans it up.”
“That’s right but… huh… Nana… where? Where should I sit… ? floor? Should I sit on the floor?”
I don’t understand the mentality of having to sit on the floor when there are only four sofas you can step on that you can sit on. I guess I was just confused because I wasn’t used to such a dazzling room.
“Anyway no one will listen here. No one will come into my room without permission. So here we can talk alone.”
Yes… okay… Still you let me into Ed’s room… What should I say… That’s right! huh! “It certainly is!”
Yenika looked around and wiped her wand again. And the moment I tried to control my flushed cheeks and continue speaking――
“Well it doesn’t seem like a very appropriate place for a secret meeting. “There are passengers.”
It was a clear and pure voice.
The reception sofa behind it couldn’t be seen because it was blocked by the large door. Only then did a passenger arrive at the sofa and table that came into view.
The woman sitting quietly with her legs crossed and her chin resting on her head… This is probably Princess Selaha of Frost the first princess of the Cloel Empire. She was so cold and still that she didn’t even know she was in the room.
A cold air wafts between the rooms. Her strangely alluring smile represents her personality.
I calmly knelt down and bowed. It was as polite as possible.
Princess Fenia and Princess Fenia were seniors and juniors within the school and due to Sylvania’s culture where academic excellence is a priority they did not show courtesy like this.
However this is not a Sylvanian bachelor’s degree nor is there even a senior/junior relationship with Princess Selaha.
“I have committed a discourteous act Princess Selaha. “I didn’t know you were in my room.”
As soon as she heard the name Princess Selaha Yenika took a deep breath and quickly knelt down. Even just looking at him he looks like he’s sweating profusely.
“I instructed my butler to call you but I didn’t know you would arrive before him. “It seems like things are mixed.”
“… Is that so.
“By the way Confucius certainly seems to have complicated relationships with women. “He must not have been a very nice man to those funny women if he went so far as to lay hands on commoners and have secret affairs with them.”
After saying that Princess Selaha glanced towards Yenika.
Yenika blushed and was embarrassed but Selaha did not even recognize Yenika as a person.
Commoners and nobles are different nobles and imperial family are different. The gap between the two stages is even more enormous.
The fundamentals of his thinking are different from Fenia who tries to treat even commoners with dignity.
“If I made you feel uncomfortable… .”
“It’s inconvenient. It is quite a classic hobby for high-ranking nobles to make four or five commoner women cry before getting married. “I have no intention of discussing Confucius’ personal hobbies again.”
“… .”
why? Did Confucius have a sincere relationship in his own way? “It looks like we became friends in Sylvania.”
Selaha said that and laughed for a moment.
“It’s better not to be too serious about things. As soon as a child catches it it turns upside down. I have seen many noble men being swayed by mere commoners like that. “It was so ridiculous that it’s now so incoherent.”
“Thank you for your consideration Princess Selaha.”
okay. If you’re going to tease the groin it’s best to be careful. Confucius is a precious body. “Precious bodies should be used for other precious bodies.”
Jenica’s shame had already reached a lethal level and she was on the verge of exploding. She is on the verge of humiliation just by being misunderstood as a secret love affair and it seems that she is having a hard time dealing with Princess Selaha’s unrelenting words.
It seemed as if the situation of being despised no matter what it was was not even in his mind. I’m rather glad.
“Well I’m sorry for interrupting you at such an important moment. “But since we’ve come all the way here let’s cool off and talk for a while.”
“Do you have any business for me?”
“Ed Rosstaylor.”
Selaha took out a letter and threw it on the table. It was a handwritten letter from Princess Fenia that I delivered to Crepin.
“There is no need to talk at length. “You probably know everything.”
I looked up at Princess Selaha who was quietly kneeling with her feet crossed.
Princess Selaha spoke quietly with an alluring smile.
“Would Confucius continue to be on a sinking ship like that?”
This… It was an unexpected suggestion.
