CH 175

I urged Mayer to break his silence, but he remained silent until we reached our destination. It turned out to be one of the reception rooms in the imperial palace. Nochtentoria Castle also had a long history and exuded an oppressive sense of grandeur, but it gave a strong impression of practicality. That was due to changing into the base of the Dark Knights as well as being located in a remote place. The interiors of the imperial palace, on the other hand, showed delicate detail, perhaps intended as a display to others. I took a seat on the reception sofa wrapped in embroidered silk and asked Mayer, “Is it something so serious?”

“You could say that it is, yes. But there is no need to worry too much.”

“Then will you please tell me?” Just as I was begging for an answer, someone knocked on the reception room door.

“Enter.”

The door opened as soon as Mayer gave the permission to enter, and in came a lady with excessively puffed-up hair. She was dressed in a tight-fitting imperial uniform, and behind her attendants entered one after the other. If my memory was correct, I had definitely glimpsed her once in the first playthrough. I was certain she was…

The lady theatrically bowed to Mayer in greeting. “The shield of the hero, the strongest Dark Knight! It is an honor to my family name to be able to meet you like this. I am the imperial court tailor, Bellonet.”

Yes, right. She was the imperial tailor. But why was she here? And if she was the person we had to meet, then there was no real reason for Mayer to keep it secret from me… I quietly watched the situation, feeling mystified. Meanwhile, Bellonet began to sputter out the answers to my curiosity. “Oh, I must say I doubted my ears when His Imperial Majesty gave the order. I never thought I’d be the one to make Your Excellency’s formal dress. I am simply thrilled that you have given me an opportunity dreamt of by all the tailors in the empire.”

“Unfortunately,” Mayer interjected curtly, “the dress is not for me. It seems His Imperial Majesty did not explain that far.”

“Then…?” Bellonet cast confused eyes around the reception room, then finally spotted me, standing behind Mayer as if hiding. “Perchance, would the dress be for this lady here…?”

“Correct. Make her a dress that will make it so no one can dare approach her.”

“Hang on!” I exclaimed. Bellonet’s complexion turned white, shocked that I had raised my voice in front of ‘the’ Mayer Knox. But I wasn’t in a situation where I could be considerate of her feelings. I never saw this coming… I wondered what he wanted with the emperor to hold a private audience, and it turned out he was asking for the imperial tailor? To have my banquet dress made? No wonder! No wonder he kept his mouth shut when I asked who we were meeting so many times. He must’ve thought I’d run or something if I knew about it, didn’t he? But it wasn’t a big deal, so he could have just told me!

I suppressed the desire to snap at Mayer and argue. Barely managing to put on a smile, I asked Bellonet, “Could you give us some time alone?”

“But…” Bellonet looked cautiously at Mayer, which was a natural reaction as he was the one with the power.

“You may go.”

It was only after Mayer gave permission that the imperial tailor tip-toed out of the reception room. Even as she went out, Bellonet repeatedly shot glances my way as if she was trying to deduce what relationship I had with Mayer. I had been so careful to not give any wrong ideas about me and him, yet a single move from Mayer made it impossible for me to stay in the imperial palace.

The imperial tailor went out and closed the door behind her. Only then did I glower at Mayer and began speaking in a hard tone. “Putting aside the fact that you’ve done something like this without a single word to me… This is too excessive.”

“It is fine to be excessive,” Mayer answered, sounding adamant himself. It seemed he didn’t even feel any worth in discussing the matter. Leaning back on the sofa that was embroidered one stitch at a time with masterful craftsmanship, Mayer only crooked his head toward me. “You must flaunt,” he explained.

I stared at him, confused, and he continued, “Show how well you are living. Show that you are receiving what Fabian Ignis had never, could never do for you.”

My tongue was tied. I had a feeling that perhaps Mayer remembered more about how I was in the first playthrough than I had thought.