CH 29

What You Couldn't Keep and What You Should Keep

Translated by lipzoldyck

“An invitation?”

Arriving at the mansion and having dinner, I looked at the finely folded envelope on the silver tray in front of me and asked.

Yuta and Kellerhan were also examining the letter with curious expressions.

“Yes, it just arrived in front of the Miss.”

Harold, who brought the letter, answered. Next to him stood Magda with her hands folded.

“This…”

With a careful hand, I pointed to the dazzling golden pattern on the envelope.

“It’s the Imperial emblem, isn’t it?”

Magda and Harold looked at each other and nodded at the same time.

“Why did the Imperial Family send me a letter?”

“His Imperial Majesty sent it. He said he wanted to invite you to a small tea party. He also will introduce you to people your age.”

The Emperor’s invitation, a small tea party, friends of the same age…

Ah, it was that.

I could see why the Emperor sent me an invitation belatedly.

Because the same thing happened in my previous life.

The Emperor summoned me, who was engaged to Heiner, and held a tea party to deliver the message to the nobles: “I’m taking such good care of the daughter of the Viscount and Viscountess Schwires, who lost their lives in the Void.”

As I recalled the incident, I trembled without realizing it.

It wasn’t a very good memory.

Duke Lodgemund prepared to attend the tea party and thoroughly imprinted on me how I should behave in front of people and my position in Lodgemund.

Besides, the Emperor…

He didn’t even notice the look in my eyes, next to Heiner, desperately asking for help, harboring one last hope.

For all the Emperor wanted was to find a new explorer to go to the Void.

“Miss, are you alright?”

Magda asked as my expression wasn’t good.

“Hm? Yes, I’m fine.”

I didn’t want Magda to worry, so I said with a bright smile on purpose.

“I’m just nervous because I think I have to appear in front of a lot of people.”

“The Miss is so mature, so I’m sure you’ll do well.”

She gave me a friendly smile and encouraged me.

I felt comforted from the experiences from my past life by her kindness.

Yeah, now that there are people who take good care of me, nothing like my past life will happen.

Besides, I no longer need the Emperor’s help.

So let’s do it well.

I’ll attend the tea party to show them how I live well as a member of Barmuth.

That was the moment I thought about it.

“You don’t want to go?”

Kellerhan’s voice was heard.

“N-No?”

I shook my head in bewilderment, yet he didn’t believe me.

“Your expression looks like that, though.”

Perhaps it was because he had done a lot of criminal papers, so it was no business for him to see through a child’s expression.

“If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to go.”

Kellerhan made a sound as if it was nothing.

He’s probably the only one in the world who says to the Emperor’s invitation, “If you don’t want to, don’t go.” 

Without a word, I opened the invitation and checked the contents.

Nothing has changed from my previous life either.

As it was sent to Barmuth, the text of the invitation was slightly different, but it wasn’t to the point of concern.

I put down the invitation and opened my mouth, looking at Kellerhan.

“Even if I don’t want to go, I have to go.”

“You’re my daughter-in-law.”

Kellerhan frowned.

“You don’t have to force yourself to do something you don’t like.”

“Because the Duke has received me as your daughter-in-law, I think that I really have to go.”

“What does that mean?”

“I’m still young, but I know what His Imperial Majesty meant by sending this invitation.”

I gave him the invitation.

The gap between Kellerhan’s brows grew deeper.

“I also know that if I decline this invitation, the Duke, not me, will have to be rebuked by His Imperial Majesty.”

In the first place, the Emperor sent me, the only daughter of a viscount, to Barmuth to show people that he would never abandon the dead in the ‘Void’.

This tea party, where it will be announced to the public that not only verbal but real engagement has been made, and that I have become a preliminary Grand Princess, is a necessary extension of that sympathy.

But I can’t believe he said I wasn’t going there.

It was nothing like going directly against the will of the Emperor.

“The Duke is in a bad situation on my behalf, can I really rest in peace?”

I spoke with emphasis.

“I’m going. I’ll go and let everyone know that I’m doing well in Barmuth.”

Kellerhan wiped his face with one of his hands at my words.

He then reached out to my cheek.

“You really…”

“Hmpph?!”

Kellerhan’s hand grabbed my cheek.

It didn’t hurt, but I was terribly surprised.

What the hell is going on?

Kellerhan pulled my cheek for a while, and then barely let it go, and said.

“Gosh, you have a lot of thoughts that don’t fit your age.”

I laid my hands on the cheeks Kellerhan had pulled, and stared blankly at him with my mouth open.

Kellerhan shrugged his shoulders and placed the Emperor’s letter back on the silver tray.

“I understand what you mean. Then, let’s make sure we show them what we’re going to show them.”

Yeah? Make sure of what?

I was still confused as I couldn’t get over the shock that Kellerhan pulled my cheek.

“Magda, Harold.”

Kellehan left me alone and beckoned to the two servants.

“Prepare everything thoroughly so that no one at the tea party will ever doubt that Isabella is being treated well.”

He said.

“Practically, this tea party is Isabella’s socialite debut, so I’ll let you use the ‘key’.”

Magda and Harold both looked surprised at the word ‘key’.

“If it’s the key, would you like to open the jewelry storehouse?”

“Yes.”

Harold asked, and Kellerhan nodded his head.

“Give the key to Isabella right now. As the only person in the family who can use jewelry is Isabella.”

“Give the key to the Miss? I understand.”

Harold looked more startled than surprised, but quietly followed Kellerhan’s words.

“But choose only those with clean history and write them down. Don’t use any jewelry that is tangled with gossip.”

He made a mysterious request to Harold.

Is there anything to do with the clean details of a jewelry? Besides, tangled jewelries?

“I will guide you to the jewelry storehouse.”

As I was trying to figure out what Kellerhan meant, Magda led me.

With Harold and Magda, I headed to a place called the ‘Jewelry Storehouse’.

“We must go to the Gottfried Knights’ headquarter first.”

I thought it was in the mansion because it was a jewelry storehouse, but I arrived at the Knights’ headquarter.

Harold and Magda exchanged friendly greetings with anyone we met as if they knew each other.

Harold went straight to Abraham’s office.

“We want to go to the jewelry storehouse.”

“You mean the jewelry storehouse?”

When I heard Abraham, who had greeted me loudly saying, “Ooh, Young Madam!”, saying ‘jewelry storehouse’, I opened my eyes wide.

“The Duke has given you permission, right?”

“Of course. He told me to open the jewelry storehouse for the day the Miss debuted in the society.”

“Yes?!”

For a moment, Abraham shouted out in a very loud voice.

“The Young Madam has reached the age to debut in society! This Abraham Blasiha, I can’t hide my excitement!”

“It’s more like His Imperial Majesty is calling her out rather than the Miss reaching the age.”

Harold corrected Abraham’s words in a dry tone, without the slightest bit of mercy.

Apparently, he was used to Abraham’s fuss.

“What’s the event? ball? Tea time? Salon party?”

Abraham called the socialite party an ‘event’ as if it were a game.

“It’s a tea party.”

Again, Harold answered in a dry voice.

“Ooh, tea party!”

Abraham looked up at me from a kneeling position with his hands together as if he was praying.

“Then we should open the jewelry storehouse. We have to open it!”

Abraham said.

“Come and destroy everything, Young Madam!”

I can’t believe he said destroy, what? What do you destroy at a tea party?

“The key is here.”

Abraham moved quickly, opened a small safe, took out an old key, and handed it to Harold.

“Thank you. Then we’ll see you later.”

Abraham begged for more conversation with me with his eyes of anguish, yet Harold was like a sword.

“Let’s go, Miss.”

We left Abraham’s office and headed towards the innermost building of the Knights’ headquarter.

It was a place I had never been to even when I was researching Schutan with Caroline.

“This is a place like the Central Bank Vault, where all the important things of the Knights are kept. There is also a jewelry storehouse here.”

Harold greeted the guards guarding the building and opened the door.

Then the inside of the building, which was neatly and simply decorated, appeared.

Instead of the magic lights of the magicians, the interior was illuminated with traditional gas lamps.

“The jewelry storehouse is also the very innermost part of this place.”

From here on, Harold led the two of us, presumably because it was the first time Magda came here.

He stopped in front of an unusually heavy door, put the key in the lock and turned it.

Then, after hearing the faint sound of gears inside, the door to the ‘jewelry storehouse’ was finally opened.

Harold stepped aside and looked at me as if he was telling me to go in first.

With his consideration, I was the first to step inside, and I opened my mouth to see the scene unfolding in the room.