CH 76

Thanks to Dietrich’s tall and sturdy stature, I entered the audience chamber like a cicada hanging from an old tree. 

‘The ceiling is really high.’ 

The huge imperial tapestry adorning the wall swayed sideways in the spring breeze blowing through the open window. 

Because of that, the person sitting on the bright yellow golden throne was buried in the shadows and couldn’t be seen properly. 

“Greetings to the Imperial Sun.”

To my surprise, Dietrich, who stood right next to me, stepped forward and greeted the emperor in a very elegant manner. 

‘I thought he wouldn’t know about such things because he was learning the way of the sword.’

Even in my untrained eyes which didn’t know proper etiquette, I could tell that his posture was perfect. 

Quickly, I leaned forward slightly, bent my waist, and raised my hand into a greeting that I learned from Marilyn. 

“Sir, no, should I call you Duke now? You grew up well.”

The Emperor rose from the throne and walked down the podium. She was a beautiful person with long blonde hair, a symbol of the imperial family.

“It’s been a long time.”

“Oh my.”

The emperor burst into a small exclamation and quickly approached me, ignoring him. 

I was startled by her terrifying pace of walking that I hid behind Dietrich. 

“What a pretty child.”

“I greet the brightest sun of the empire.”

“Oh my, oh my. You know how to greet well, too. After living for a long time, I see that cute children like these are now born in the North.”

The emperor smiled and stroked my head. 

At the touch of a stranger, I inhaled sharply and stepped back; Dietrich stretched out his arm to block the emperor from getting to me. 

“You’re still a stranger, so please be careful.”

Daring to command the emperor to be careful might seem arrogant, but I knew for a fact that the Valliere empire was on the verge of collapse. 

‘I mean, their position is worse than the duke’s.’

The emperor let out a droopy smile and turned to Dietrich. 

“Are you here to get the official approval to succeed the title of Grand Duke?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“Hm. All right, Duke. What will you give me if I acknowledge you as the Grand Duke?”

“I promise you a three-year harvest from the Balan mine.”

“That’s not enough. Isn’t the war against the Euclids about to begin in full scale? It would be a disadvantage if you don’t have an official position.”

My mouth dropped open at the emperor’s dirty trick. She looked as if she wanted to instigate a quarrel between the two dukes. 

“Duke, I could buy enough time by delaying your succession as much as I want. Even if I’m only an emperor in the title, I’m still an emperor.”

No, there were no more candidates left who would contend for the succession, and Dietrich was the only one who could become the grand duke, so why would she say that? 

Knitting my eyebrows at the absurdity, I glared at the emperor but she was curiously enjoying my gaze and smirking mischievously. 

“What is it that you want?”

Dietrich didn’t seem particularly offended by the emperor’s attitude. When he asked indifferently, she clicked her tongue saying that nothing was free in this world, and pointed her finger at me. 

“Give me that.”

“...........”

“....huh?”

I panicked and tightened my grip on Dietrich’s hem. 

What was that woman asking right now?

“I didn’t know there was a girl like that in the North. I could give you the Grand Duke’s position right away so give me that.”

She’s crazy. I looked up at Dietrich, hiding my trembling hands inside my sleeves.

‘You won’t give me away, will you?’

Fortunately, Dietrich didn’t betray my faith. He shook his head firmly. 

“That’s not possible.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want to.”

“Do you want a deal? All right. Once Hermann Euclid becomes the Grand Duke, I’ll stall enough time for you.” 

The emperor’s sweet whisper broke Dietrich’s expressionless facade for the first time. After entering the audience chamber, his eyebrows which had maintained their composure as if he had been wearing a glass mask, rose upwards.

“Do I look like I need help from the imperial family to defeat Hermann right now?”

“N-no, don’t get angry first.  Isn’t she a useless girl anyway?”

“That’s not for you to judge.”

At Dietrich’s cold words, the emperor scratched her cheeks awkwardly.  She answered with her lips turned down as if it was extremely unexpected. 

“How temperamental. All right. First, go back to your mansion in the capital. This matter needs a meeting.”

She turned around with a snapping sound as if she was upset and added, “Ah, Duke Hermann is also in the capital, so be careful.”

“.............”

“He’s been grinding his teeth ever since you have beaten him on the battlefield.”

────── 〔✿〕──────

The emperor’s head was full of flowers. Even with my eyes wide open, forced laughter unwittingly comes out at the thought that I could be sold in an instant.

“I’m telling you she’s a completely crazy woman!”

“Ah, I did hear that Her Majesty, Marguerite likes girls.”

As I snorted in agreement at what Marilyn said, she frowned. 

“It was rumored that she believed she could keep her youth if she sleeps while hugging a young girl.” 

She shook her head saying she didn’t know that the rumors meant buying girl slaves. 

“Because the imperial family is on the verge of ruin, I understand why she’s out of her mind.”

I buried my face on the fluffy feather bed at Marilyn’s words. 

The people of the empire respected Grand Duke Euclid and feared Grand Duke Lagrange, but ignored the Valliere Imperial family. 

The imperial family, which had neither earned the respect nor the reverence of the people, would eventually collapse. The empire would soon be split into two principalities. 

‘The final winner will be Hermann.’

Ah, come to think of it, the emperor said that Hermann Euclid was also in the capital. 

I raised my head because I was curious about the news of my real older brother -- Anissa’s real older brother. 

“Where is Euclid’s capital mansion?”

“Well, it’s right across the street.”

Marilyn pointed to the open window at my question. The capital mansions of the nobles were clustered together, and a modest ivory mansion was located across the river she pointed to.

I bit my lip as I looked down at the open garden full of hawthorn berries. 

‘We’re not going to bump into each other, will we?’

The relationship between Hermann and Dietrich wasn’t bad, it was the worst. Even the reason why Hermann gritted his teeth and became the Grand Duke early was because of Dietrich. 

‘Now that I think about it, Hermann seems to be the only one conscious of such things.’

Dietrich didn’t seem to care much about Hermann. 

‘Hermann? Oh, are you talking about Euclid’s noisy dog?’

He didn’t even know Hermann’s name. After hearing the emperor’s further explanation, he had looked at her with a face that said, ‘what about it?’

“When will the Great Nobility Conference be held?”

“It takes about a week.”

“Oh, then can I go and take a look outside?”

In Lagrange, I was confined only in the mansion, so I had to ask permission first. Marilyn tucked my hair behind my ears with tears in her eyes as if she was feeling sorry for me. 

“Of course. You can go anywhere you like now, Princess.”

“Anywhere?”

“Of course.”

“Then I want to go there. To the Great Market.”

The Great Market was the largest market in the Empire, known to gather all the merchants of the continent.

‘Dietrich left the mansion early in the morning saying he had business to deal with in the capital so I should go alone.’

“What do I do? It’s been a long time since the Lagrange family left the capital mansion empty so I had a lot of things to take care of.”

“I can go by myself.”

I clenched my fists proudly and thrust them forward, grinning.

As if I was admirable, Marily stroked my head like a puppy. 

“You can’t go alone. You can take the faceless knight.”

With that said, Marilyn glanced behind me. I followed her gaze and turned around to see a man whose nose and mouth was covered with a gray cloth bowing to me. 

“I’ll carry out my duty.”

The knights of the Grand Duchy of Lagrange work quietly without revealing their faces or names. With Derek’s death and Dietrich becoming the head, the master of the Knights Order seemed to have transferred to him as well. 

I looked down at the knight whose face I couldn’t clearly see but who greeted me politely. 

‘It’s probably because I’ve done so much bad stuff.’

The wolf of Lagrange was engraved on the back of the knight’s hand like a symbol. I caught sight of the wolf’s sharp teeth and quickly took a step back grabbing my dress. 

“Then, I’ll be in your care, Sir.”

“Yes, Princess.”

No matter how good the security of the capital was, it wouldn’t be a good idea to go out alone since there was Euclid's mansion right across the street. 

I went out together with the knight that was a little cumbersome -- though I feel awful saying this.

When I was just entering the Great Market with excitement, I was extremely relieved to have a knight escort me despite the hassle. 

‘Is it the heroine’s specialty to be in trouble every time we meet?’

Charlotte, who appeared in front of me in an incredibly ridiculous way, was in a difficult situation. But I’m not the hero who would save the heroine, I’m just an insignificant supporting character. 

‘Should I help her?’

I put my palm on my face as I saw Charlotte in the middle of the square whose hair was caught by a bad man. 

“Let go! I said let me go!”

“Where do you think you’re stealing, bitch!”

“The ones who were stealing were you lot! That necklace is a sacred object from the temple!!!”

No, if you couldn’t do it by force, you should at least just shut your mouth.