Chapter 9

Chapter 3. Nice to meet you (3)

I smiled and waved at the people on the podium.

That was all the prince’s role was, and Calian did not want to do anything more. Soon Lemain gave a long greeting, thanking those who visited. The order of awarding knighthoods to some common soldiers, promoting some noble titles, and granting fiefdoms was carried out.

After the event in the square ended, Kalian waved his hand again and returned to the palace.

Of course, I knew that people were talking and staring at me throughout the event. Since I had set out on this path, I thought it would of course stand out.

– Black hair and red eyes.

However, I had no idea what people who were impressed by Kalian’s perfect appearance would find and say about his appearance.

Kalian returned to the room and ate all of the lunch that Jan had brought. After making a promise to Jan to do so, I have yet to break it once. And changed into new clothes.

Because it was an outfit prepared for tea time, not a banquet, I insisted on a simple design. Instead, based on Merlin’s opinion, I decided to add just one more decorative pin.

‘Instead, take the smallest one.’

With those words, what Calian chose was a pin with three thin chains connecting both collars of the shirt. At the center of the shortest chain was a pendant the size of an index fingernail.

Since other accessories were too flashy by Kalyan’s standards, it was decided to only wear the pin when wearing other robes.

Calian couldn’t have predicted how the aftermath of that shirt pin would spread.

After completing preparations on time, Kalian came out of Chermil Palace again and got into the carriage. Then he spoke with a bleached white face.

“I’m really out of my mind.”

“That’s right. It looks like it’s especially busy this year.”

Yan shook his head with a face half as small as usual.

Yan, too, must have been having a war-like day assisting Calian. It was fortunate that the luncheon was canceled.

The destination we were heading to now was Seneu House, where we had dinner with Viscount Briesen not long ago. I was planning to have tea time with many people there. Of course, Kalian and the princes had the role of saying hello and sitting still, so they didn’t have to doze off.

Calian, who was thinking about the nobles he would soon meet, suddenly asked.

“Jan. You said your family is in Kairisis too, right?”

Most of the nobles of Secretia lived in their own fiefs, but in Kyris, there were quite a few nobles who had fiefdom managers and stayed in the capital Kairisis for most of the year.

The same seemed to be true for Jan’s family.

I once told Calian that my family lived in Kairisis. Jan’s eyes turned round at the sudden mention of family.

“I remember you, Prince. My sister and father are in my hometown, and the rest of my family lives in Kairisis.”

“So, are you coming to the palace today?”

When Kalian asked, who smiled awkwardly because it was something that belonged to the old Calian and he did not remember it directly, Jan smiled awkwardly this time.

“Yes... I will come if I received an invitation.”

It was a vague answer.

It seemed like he was reluctant to talk.

The servant working at Kairis’ royal palace did not reveal his last name. In some cases, nicknames or pseudonyms were used.

When you first enter the palace, the internal affairs officer checks your real name and strictly reviews whether you are a person you can trust, so there are many cases where you do not need to use your real name after that. This is because many of the nobles who worked as servants or maids did not want to mention their origins because they were the bastards or illegitimate daughters of nobles or children of unnamed families.

Calian, who thought that Yan also had similar circumstances, nodded and did not ask any more questions.

Before long, the carriage pulled up in front of Senyu Pavilion.

Calian got out of the carriage, his expression now relaxed as he was with Jan.

I gathered my posture once again and walked to the banquet hall where the nobles would be, nodding once to the knight standing in front of the door.

After showing respect to Calian, the knight opened the door to the banquet hall and said.

From behind, Jan reassured Calian in a low voice.

If either of them had grasped this situation correctly, the ridiculous situation of the price of Kyris’ rubies skyrocketing and the number of people searching for the Sispanian nest that had been empty for 500 years increasing like crazy would not have occurred.

In addition, there was no need for anyone watching Calian to become impatient.

* * *

Siegfried’s Summer Night.

It was a famous piece that was by far the best among the pieces left behind by Olive Wrench, a famous violinist and composer in the Kingdom of Riverne. It was also a song that expressed the feelings that Wrench, who had been invited to the King Kairis Palace, felt upon seeing Siegfried’s coffin.

Siegfried’s Pavilion, known as the most beautiful building in the Kairis Palace, was a huge pumpkin-shaped banquet hall made of platinum-plated columns and crystal walls. Therefore, at night when the magic lanterns were lit, it gave a fantastic feeling as if the entire building had become a brilliant jewel.

Many people shed tears of joy and sadness as they listened to the joy of facing Siegfried’s coffin shining brightly on a summer night and the violin melody that captured the loneliness of the royal palace hidden behind it.

‘If you do music, you must visit the Siegfried Pavilion.’

So much so that this kind of thing went around among musicians.

In fact, the name of Siegfried House comes from the Duke of Siegfried, which is considered one of the two major knightly families of Kairis, along with the Marquis of Briesen. It was the surname of Duke Cytros Horn Siegfried, the first head of this family and one of the eight heroes of the War of the Two Gods.

However, it was later said that because Cythros died on a midsummer night, the Duke of Siegfried’s family considered the song more special than the royal palace of Cairis.

And now.

The famous song was playing in that beautiful Siegfried coffin. The people gathered in the banquet hall quieted their words and began to listen to the music.

“I can’t believe this song was being played at the right time! How could you not love it!”

The man who had just arrived at the entrance to Siegfried’s coffin said with a hearty laugh.

Big voice. Several nobles recognized him and approached him with joy.

“Lord Siegfried, are you coming now?”

The great man, the head of the Siegfried family, the only duke in Kairis, and one of the five sword masters on the continent, hummed a melody and pretended to play the violin. Everyone gathered burst into laughter.

“The way you gesture makes me more curious about your violin.”

“Why don’t you come down and take a rest? I’ll be happy to stop by.”

“I understand. I look forward to seeing your violin skills to the fullest.”

“Of course. There is a saying that there is no Siegfried who cannot use a sword, but there is no Siegfried who cannot play the violin.”

“Is that so? That’s a really interesting story.”

As they talked at the entrance, all the sounds and sights were relayed to Calian, who was heading towards Siegfried’s coffin on Raven’s back.

“He’s a very pleasant person. His name is...”

Calian, who was smiling happily, opened his mouth like this.

Yan, who was looking at the same person with a look of disgust, answered Calian, who was searching through his memories.

“This is Duke Slayman Hon Siegfried, the head of the Siegfried family, prince.”

There was an empty Sispanian nest south of Kairis, and Siegfried’s territory owned a very large area centered on that nest.

Since they were the only dukedom, the Siegfried family would have been interested in the throne, but they spent more than 500 years with the sole intention of protecting the Cispanian territory.

I heard such a story from my friends back in Bern and I don’t know how impressed I was about this honest duke.

“Yes, I did.”

He was truly the type of person Kalyan liked.

Of course, their actions cannot be dismissed as loyalty to the king. But what attracted Calian was his long-held beliefs, not his loyalty.

“I want to hear that violin too.”

Calian looked at the duke with sympathetic eyes.