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Chapter : 22
“So… about the relief event.”
I tilted my head at the prince’s words.
“You call it an excuse.”
“I said it was an excuse to come, not that it was unimportant. Thanks to Viscount Agnes telling me about your condition, I came sooner, but I was planning to visit anyway.”
The prince placed a document on the reception table, where the tea and empty cups had been cleared.
“Relief inspection and aid for orphans and the poor… hosted by the royal family and nobility?”
The prince nodded.
“Yes. Members of the royal family, those who will become members in the future, and notable central nobles plan to attend. It’s called a relief event, but honestly, it’s mainly for maintaining the royal image.”
I picked up the document and flipped through it. The first thing that caught my eye was the name of the person in charge of overall planning and preparation.
“…The empress is in charge?”
When I looked at the prince, he let out a light sigh.
“Yes. Traditionally, relief events hosted by the royal family are managed by the empress, the mistress of the royal household. Naturally, the crown princess or other princesses assist behind the scenes. In the empire, royal relief events are also a way to observe those who will become part of the royal family or the fiancée of the crown prince.”
“…Huh?”
“…?”
A strange sound escaped my lips as a fleeting thought crossed my mind, and the prince raised his eyebrows and looked at me curiously.
After the prince explained the document roughly and left, I went up to my room and opened my desk drawer. I saw the pile of letters I had hastily put away when the prince came earlier. Among them, I pulled out a letter stamped deeply with the royal crest, which I had mistakenly thought was from the prince or crown prince. I tore it open, and a neatly handwritten letter revealed itself.
To Spirit User Lien,
Do you like the Empire? I am Liandra von Lupium, the woman seated as the empress of this Lupium Empire. I’ve heard about you from His Majesty the Emperor and the princes and have long wanted to meet you, but I suppose this letter will serve as our first greeting.
I’m writing directly because one of our customary events—the relief event—is about to be held, and I wondered if you might be able to assist. Since you are engaged to our second prince, you will soon become a member of the royal family. Of course, Princess Aisien, the fiancée of the crown prince, will also attend. I hope this will also be a good opportunity for the ladies to have a pleasant conversation while preparing for the relief event.
I won’t take up more of your time. The location will be the Empress’s Palace, and the staff will guide you. I’ve written the time below. Let us meet then.
Looking forward to the day we meet, Liandra von Lupium.
My expectations were correct—it was a letter from the empress.
Since I had opened her letter, I opened all the other letters as well. The letter from Arienne contained similar content, suggesting a pleasant meeting at the Empress’s Palace—my brows furrowed. The crown prince’s letter was also the same, basically relaying his mother’s letter and saying the empress very much wanted to see me. Reading almost identical, irritating letters from three people instead of two was quite a chore.
“Ha…”
The empress, huh.
I had met her as a child, when I was the crown prince’s fiancée, but I remembered her as someone who always regarded me with displeasure, making interactions difficult.
Looking back now, her displeasure may have been because I had been adopted into the Aisien family. She probably didn’t like that her son was engaged to an adopted child whose origins were unknown.
Even though I had been the crown prince’s fiancée until five years ago, I barely spoke with the empress, so my memories were limited. Rather, her consistent dislike of me was far less irritating than the Aisien family, the crown prince, or the emperor—it was almost negligible. She felt more like a stranger than anything else.
Still, regardless of my feelings, she was the one who had led the prince’s mother to her death and was the crown prince’s absolute supporter.
In other words, an enemy.
Although I hoped I wouldn’t have to go, time passed quickly, and the day to meet the empress arrived.
It was uncomfortable, but manners had to be observed—though I didn’t particularly like the person involved. I picked a modest dress from the lavish wardrobe Sierra had prepared and boarded the carriage sent from the palace.
Upon arriving and following a maid waiting at the entrance, the Empress’s Palace appeared, nearly as extravagant as the main palace.
Overwhelmed by the almost gaudy display of gold, silver, and jewels, I kept my eyes on the back of the maid as she guided me.
“This is the place.”
Laughter and conversation typical of women could be heard from inside, suggesting Arienne was already there.
I stepped into the room casually and saw the empress reclining on a sofa, with Arienne sitting beside her, smiling.
A familiar unpleasant feeling slowly crept up as I lightly bowed my head to greet them.
“I am Spirit User Lien.”
“Ah, I am the Empress of this country, Liandra.”
I subtly squinted. The empress, appearing to be in her early forties, was dressed so extravagantly it was hard to tell where the jewelry ended and the dress began. Even her headpiece was large and heavy, making her look almost buried in jewels.
“It’s been a while, Spirit User!”
“…Ah, yes.”
Suppressing my irritation at Arienne’s cheerful greeting, I nodded. The empress lifted her head.
“Ah, were you two already acquainted?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. We’ve met a few times before.”
“…I see.”
I sat on the sofa opposite them, as far away as possible, and nodded slightly.
“Spirit User, if it’s alright, may we speak informally? I know it’s our first meeting, but since you are the fiancées of my sons, I wish to treat you like family. Arienne, after all, I already do.”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
Arienne, calling me by my name so naturally, indicated that the two already had a close relationship. Well, it would be stranger if they didn’t. After all, Arienne was not only a fiancée but also the daughter of the head of the crown prince’s faction, the Duke family.
“Thank you. Since it’s just us talking… I heard you recently decided to help my eldest son. I feel reassured that someone like a Spirit User would help.”
Arienne seemed to know already. The information must have spread to the main figures. The only thing left unsaid would have been my plan to eventually replace Arienne.
“…Not at all. The crown prince offered attractive conditions in return.”
The empress seemed to take my engagement to the prince as me helping him further.
During this trivial conversation, the empress suddenly looked at my face and hesitated slightly before asking:
“If it’s not rude… may I ask about your right eye?”
Arienne also looked my way, showing she wasn’t entirely uninterested.
I put on a somber expression and lightly touched the eye covered by my eyepatch.
“When I was young, before I could properly control spirits, I recklessly attacked a monster… and was struck directly in the eye with poison, which paralyzed the nerves.”
“…Ah, I’m sorry. Are you alright now?”
“Yes. I’m fine now, but I wear the eyepatch for comfort.”
Seeing the empress’s sincere expression of apology, I shook my head and lightly replied that it was nothing.
After discussing the relief event, Arienne and I left the Empress’s Palace.
Though it was called preparation for a relief event, in reality, we were only deciding which orphanage the empress would visit. Since it was like a volunteer activity where nobles gathered at an orphanage, the preparations only involved bread or toys for the children. Even then, the treasury seemed to manage the quantities. All we did was check documents and choose an orphanage that was suitable and not too dirty. Just as the prince said, it was an event for observing those being groomed to enter the royal family.
“…Spirit User, Spirit User!”
“…Ah, yes.”
Lost in thought, I turned to the voice calling me. Arienne was smiling brightly at me.
Then, suddenly, she grabbed both of my hands with her own.
“I heard from His Highness earlier but didn’t get a chance to greet you… I’m really grateful that you’re helping me and the crown prince. As a small thanks, would you like to come have dinner with us?”
