Chapter 41

What Are These Scary People

(What an intense day…)

Waking up in an unfamiliar bedroom, being greeted by a maid, and then immediately meeting His Highness Lian—

Suddenly, I realized something.

(Come to think of it… who healed my ankle injury?)

I’ll ask tomorrow, I thought.
But with the whirlwind of a day I’d had, I fell unconscious in an instant.

☆

The next day,
I contacted His Highness Lian through an attendant.

I wanted to pay my respects to His Majesty, the Emperor of the Lumos Empire.

I needed to know what the Emperor thought of me, and if I was to stay in the Lumos Empire even temporarily, a formal greeting was essential.
Lingering without one would surely leave a bad impression.

With that in mind, I asked His Highness Lian about the procedure for an audience—but instead of sending a reply through the attendant, he came to see me in person.

“There’s time available now. It’s sudden, but would you like to go?”

“Eh!?”

(That’s a bit…)

An audience right now wasn’t something I’d planned for…!!

Before I knew it, maids rushed in to prepare me, and I was whisked off to the audience chamber.
In front of the heavy double doors, knights stared at me intently.
It was incredibly uncomfortable.

His Highness Lian, accompanying me, gave a wry smile.

“My apologies for the suddenness. He’s that kind of person.”

“I-I see…”

By “that kind of person,” he probably meant someone bold… or something like that, right?
I was undeniably nervous. Forcing a stiff smile, His Highness Lian added:

“My elder brother will be present as well, so you don’t need to be too tense.”

(That makes me even more tense…!!)

After all, in my mind, His Highness Lian’s brother—Crown Prince Lumière—was firmly fixed as [that scary person].

(He did put me in my place, after all…)

The thought of facing those cold eyes again eased my tension slightly, but now my stomach started to ache with anxiety.

(But… there was no hostility or malice in Crown Prince Lumière’s eyes…!!)

Not that I felt any goodwill or kindness either…

“…”

Maintaining my smile, I absently rubbed my stomach.
At that moment, the knight guarding the door announced loudly:

“We will now open the doors!”

The doors slowly swung open.

(Ugh, so bright!)

The ceiling seemed to be covered in stained glass, with sunlight streaming through.
The dazzling atmosphere nearly made me close my eyes.

In the audience chamber were a man and woman I assumed to be the Emperor and Empress, and, as His Highness Lian had said, Crown Prince Lumière was there too—but…

(…A violence of beauty??)

I’d already met Crown Prince Lumière, so I knew of him, but the Emperor and Empress were both exceptionally beautiful.

The Empress had a delicate yet commanding beauty, her forehead exposed with a feronière adorned, likely with a sapphire.
Her blonde hair and lemon-yellow eyes matched His Highness Lian’s.

Her overwhelming beauty was almost blinding.

(Onee-sama had a delicate, fragile beauty… like glasswork that might shatter.)

But the Empress’s beauty was commanding, the kind that made you want to bow before it.

(I figured the parents of Crown Prince Lumière and His Highness Lian would be stunning, but…)

This was beyond my imagination.
In this space, I was the ultimate outsider.

I felt like an intruder who’d wandered into an unfamiliar office.

The Empress looked at me and smiled warmly.

“Please, come forward.”

His Highness Lian bowed and approached the throne, snapping me back to reality.

The Emperor looked far too youthful to be the father of two grown sons. Like His Highness Lian, he had long blonde hair loosely tied back.

Standing slightly behind His Highness Lian, I lifted the hem of my dress and performed a lady’s curtsy.
The Emperor’s quiet voice reached me, strikingly similar to Crown Prince Lumière’s.

“You are the Witch of the Tower of Grief, I presume. A pleasure to meet you. I am Ashel Lumos, the fifteenth Emperor of the Lumos Empire. I hear from Lian that you are a guest from the Tsoabella Dynasty… Is that correct?”

“Yes. …It is my honor to meet you. I am Felicia Frenzel, daughter of the Frenzel Ducal House, granted a ducal title in the Tsoabella Dynasty. Thank you for granting me your time today.”

“Raise your face.”

At his words, I looked up.
The Emperor’s face showed no particular expression.
He merely narrowed his eyes slightly, observing me.

(Is he… doubting me?)

That intense gaze—definitely a family trait.
It was just like Crown Prince Lumière’s and His Highness Lian’s.

I felt like that piercing stare could cut me down, but then the Emperor’s expression softened faintly.

“…Hm. Indeed, your lady’s curtsy does seem old-fashioned. They say children of rigid, tradition-bound houses are still taught such manners.”

“…”

(Is this… a compliment?? It doesn’t sound like one at all!?!)
(And yeah, it is outdated!!)

I hadn’t yet researched Lumos Empire etiquette, so I didn’t know…

(But… does this mean he somewhat believes me?)

I shook my head internally.

(No, he doesn’t fully believe me.)

I’d only provided the barest hint—hardly solid evidence—that might make him consider believing me.

The Emperor spoke casually.

“So, Lady Felicia. In our empire, five hundred years after your time—in this Lumos Empire—what do you intend to do?”