The first place Valia went to was the annex close to the main building. In the Gel Empire, there was a standardized architectural style for nobles’ manors. The annex was a building that was treated as important, so the nobles of the Gel Empire separated the main building where the immediate family members lived with the annex for social activities.
‘It’s really fancy.’
The banquet hall of the Garth manor was adequately suited to its purpose. The spacious hall was perfect for holding a ball, and hanging high on its ceiling was a chandelier, dazzling in its resplendent light. If Valia’s memory was not wrong, a tea party should also be held in this building.
‘But I guess it is not used often.’
The floor and walls were filled with sky-blue marble, giving it a luxurious feel. But it was obvious that it was not frequently touched. However, it being unkempt was not a flaw, it was actually hard to keep the unused annex clean. It often happened in the Imperial Palace.
‘Still, I think it’ll look really good if it’s tidied up.’
If a few employees worked together, cleaned the place up, and decorated it with fresh flowers, then even the fussy aesthetic sense of the nobles would be easily satisfied.
After evaluating the annex for social activities, Valia looked around the other annexes one by one. There were quite a number of employees in the annexes used for various purposes. When they saw Valia, they stopped what they were doing and bowed politely.
Valia personally checked each and one of the annexes and came back to the main building. She had already known for the past two days about the first and second floors, so now Valia was curious about the third and fourth floors.
“There are offices and a study on the third floor.”
“Really?”
“Yes. The left is His Grace’s office and the right is your office. And in the center, a large study connects the two offices.”
“So, the structure is similar to the second floor.”
“That’s right, Madam.”
Valia was curious to hear that this large floor was all a study, she was also curious about the office assigned to the Marchioness. However, she decided to look around the main building for now.
Valia went up to the fourth floor.
‘There are many empty rooms on the fourth floor. There are also many exhibition rooms and storage rooms.’
And befitting the manor of Marquess Garth, all the rooms were fancy. The luxury of the furniture and pillars was not surprising because she saw it a lot even in the couple’s bedroom, bathroom, and even the dining hall. After wandering around for half a day, Valia looked forward to seeing it in detail in the future.
It was already past lunchtime, and Valia came down to the first floor.
‘What a really incredible and wealthy family. I guess they’re not rich for nothing.’
There were no trivial decorations on the wall. Valia was sure she could afford a few decent manors in the capital if she tore down and sold only one floor of this manor.
‘The manor is already this big.’
Most nobles decorated their castle, otherwise known as their main house, more splendidly and magnificently. As it was common practice, the House of Garth would be no different. Perhaps jewelry was embedded in each pillar and all the tapestries with delicate embroidery covered the wall.
‘It’s a pity that I can’t see it.’
Garth’s old castle would have been boasting an elegant and dignified style. Valia felt a little disappointed. She had a sense of frustration and felt as if the exhibition period at the museum was over and she could no longer watch it.
Since lunchtime was greatly delayed, Valia filled her hunger with simple fruits and snacks. After drinking a cup of warm tea, she went out for a walk. Valia contemplated for a moment about which way she should go; the beautifully decorated front yard, or the wide backyard.
‘The front yard is usually for couples to walk together.’
The noble couple walking together in the yard was a kind of standardized romantic action in the Gel Empire. In short, it was like a knight kneeling in front of a lady. The backyard seemed better for Valia to walk alone.
“Let’s go to the backyard. Only one maid will follow me, not everyone.”
“Yes, Madam.”
It was not very comfortable having people follow her in a row. Some of the most reckless Imperial families secretly ran away, saying that it was annoying that the ladies-in-waiting were following them. Valia was not someone of that extent but she did not want to carry people behind her like a school of fish. The employees politely obeyed Valia’s words.
The moderately cooled wind touched Valia’s white face. She walked with a more lively look than before. The backyard was wider than the front yard so it would take quite a while to walk to the end.
The sky was a little cloudy but neither Valia nor the maid noticed it.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
Earlier, in the Imperial Palace—the peak of the Empire.
A meeting amongst nobles was scheduled here today. The meeting that was held once a week was only open to the major nobles. And in the meeting, the agenda topics to be dealt with at the monthly general meeting were selected in advance. Therefore, it was great pride in itself to have the authority to attend the noble meeting. Schuden definitely stood out among them.
“Marquess Garth.”
The meeting was temporarily suspended. Schuden, who was looking through the documents, looked up. A familiar middle-aged man bowed his back. He was the Emperor’s Grand Chamberlain. When Schuden asked what was going on with his eyes, the Grand Chamberlain answered politely.
“Your Grace, His Imperial Majesty ordered me to bring you to the audience chamber.”
“Let’s go.”
Since the Emperor sent the Grand Chamberlain himself, Schuden could vaguely guess the reason why he was called. He put down the documents neatly.
“Your Imperial Majesty, Marquess Schuden Garth is here.”
“Come on in.”
Imperial permission to come was issued from inside. The knights standing in front opened the magnificent door.
Schuden went inside.
He had visited often, so Schuden was already familiar with the audience chamber. As always, the Emperor sat on his throne with a serious expression. Schuden immediately greeted the Emperor according to etiquette.
“I, Schuden Garth, extend my greetings to Your Imperial Majesty, the Emperor.”
“Get up.”
“Yes, thank you, sire.”
Schuden got up. The Emperor immediately asked him a question.
“Marquess Garth, how was your wedding ceremony?”
“It ended well. I received the gift you sent me through the Grand Chamberlain.”
“You must have not been able to open it yet. Ever since I ascended to the throne, you’re the first noble to meet me this quickly after the wedding.”
Schuden responded calmly.
“Are you tired of my face?”
“My my, do you think that’s the case? You work without even applying for a honeymoon leave. Aren’t you the perfect role model for the nobles in this Empire?”
Actually, Schuden was a little regretful that he had not applied for a honeymoon leave. But there was no reason to talk about that in front of the Emperor. He just answered plainly.
“It’s as absolute a thing as someone who received a stipend from the country.”
“It’s such a waste of talent. It would be perfect if you’re elevated to a duke.”
The Emperor was half-joking and half sincere. A long time ago, a Duke’s family was exterminated for unknown reasons, making there to be only one Duke family in the current Gel Empire. The story would be different if the Emperor was in the early days of his ascension. It was not a good picture for there to be only one Duke family in the Empire when the Emperor was way over his middle ages.
“As you know, the law of the Gel Empire stipulates that the title of Archduke can be awarded to one family, Duke to two families, and Marquess to four families. The Archduke is an exception because it’s a special case. But there being only one Ducal family does not look good in the eyes of other Kingdoms.”
The Emperor thought that if he were to award a family with Dukedom, he might as well award it to the House of Garth. After all, that house had made a lot of contributions and did not seem to have any intention of doing something else. However, Schuden had never readily agreed to his suggestion.
“I don’t have much desire for honor yet.”
There was nothing special about being a Duke. There were just more things to take responsibility for. Even if he was not elevated to a Duke, he already enjoyed wealth and honor as much as a Duke. So it was a suggestion that was not particularly interesting to Schuden.
“You’re too humble, Marquess. Where else is a noble with as much glory in his heart as you are?”
The Emperor trusted Schuden for a reason. The continental war had not yet been completely eradicated. The Empire has stabilized but there was still a bleak alert between the other Kingdoms. And due to his outstanding contributions made in the war, dozens of medals were awarded to him by the Emperor alone. Schuden was indispensable to the Gel Empire in any sense.
“I’m flattered.”
And the Emperor really liked his plain attitude. He burst into laughter.
“The reason I called you today is that I’m curious about the Marchioness.”
It was as expected. Schuden’s call into the audience chamber was regarding the couple’s visit to the Imperial Palace that Valia asked in bed last night.
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I’m preparing for that.”
“That’s nice. Grand Chamberlain, when’s my nearest schedule?”
“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty. Your entire morning schedule is empty in three days.”
The Emperor looked at Schuden with a satisfied face.
“Come to the palace with the Marchioness in three days. The detailed schedule will be told by the Grand Chamberlain.”
“I will follow your order.”
“You’re good to leave for today. I will send the Grand Chamberlain to the meeting room to let them know. Wouldn’t the new bride be too pitiful if her groom was caught in his work?”
It was common for meetings to take place until just before dinner, but as the Emperor said it was okay for him to leave, there was no need to remain. There was nothing important to deal with today. The contents of the noble meeting should be raised to the Emperor first so he must have already known about it.
“Then, I will get going.”
Schuden made a clean greeting and came out of the audience chamber. The sky seen over the huge well-cleaned glass window of the Imperial Palace was still bright.
‘I’m returning earlier than usual.’
The time Schuden originally expected to leave was just around the evening. If he returned home now, he would have to eat dinner a little early.
‘It would be nice to look around the manor together.’
“Your Grace, should I send someone to the manor?”
The coachman of the family, who was waiting for Schuden, asked.
“If I send a servant to the manor, it will be in vain. My carriage will arrive at a similar time as the servant does, so there is no need.”
“Yes. Then, I will depart right away without sending anyone.”
The coachman pulled up the reins. Soon, the carriage wheels began to roll. Schuden thought of Valia for a moment. He wondered how she would react upon seeing him coming early. She might burst into laughter or she might just open her silvery-gray eyes wide.
“There might even be no response at all.”
Schuden muttered like that and laughed briefly. He was not just saying it, he had never seen such a calm person in all his life. Moreover, at such a young age. Only the serenity resembling that of dawn could be seen on her face. Dwelling in her smiles and expressionless face, where did the handful of calmness come from?
The first place Valia went to was the annex close to the main building. In the Gel Empire, there was a standardized architectural style for nobles’ manors. The annex was a building that was treated as important, so the nobles of the Gel Empire separated the main building where the immediate family members lived with the annex for social activities.
‘It’s really fancy.’
The banquet hall of the Garth manor was adequately suited to its purpose. The spacious hall was perfect for holding a ball, and hanging high on its ceiling was a chandelier, dazzling in its resplendent light. If Valia’s memory was not wrong, a tea party should also be held in this building.
‘But I guess it is not used often.’
The floor and walls were filled with sky-blue marble, giving it a luxurious feel. But it was obvious that it was not frequently touched. However, it being unkempt was not a flaw, it was actually hard to keep the unused annex clean. It often happened in the Imperial Palace.
‘Still, I think it’ll look really good if it’s tidied up.’
If a few employees worked together, cleaned the place up, and decorated it with fresh flowers, then even the fussy aesthetic sense of the nobles would be easily satisfied.
After evaluating the annex for social activities, Valia looked around the other annexes one by one. There were quite a number of employees in the annexes used for various purposes. When they saw Valia, they stopped what they were doing and bowed politely.
Valia personally checked each and one of the annexes and came back to the main building. She had already known for the past two days about the first and second floors, so now Valia was curious about the third and fourth floors.
“There are offices and a study on the third floor.”
“Really?”
“Yes. The left is His Grace’s office and the right is your office. And in the center, a large study connects the two offices.”
“So, the structure is similar to the second floor.”
“That’s right, Madam.”
Valia was curious to hear that this large floor was all a study, she was also curious about the office assigned to the Marchioness. However, she decided to look around the main building for now.
Valia went up to the fourth floor.
‘There are many empty rooms on the fourth floor. There are also many exhibition rooms and storage rooms.’
And befitting the manor of Marquess Garth, all the rooms were fancy. The luxury of the furniture and pillars was not surprising because she saw it a lot even in the couple’s bedroom, bathroom, and even the dining hall. After wandering around for half a day, Valia looked forward to seeing it in detail in the future.
It was already past lunchtime, and Valia came down to the first floor.
‘What a really incredible and wealthy family. I guess they’re not rich for nothing.’
There were no trivial decorations on the wall. Valia was sure she could afford a few decent manors in the capital if she tore down and sold only one floor of this manor.
‘The manor is already this big.’
Most nobles decorated their castle, otherwise known as their main house, more splendidly and magnificently. As it was common practice, the House of Garth would be no different. Perhaps jewelry was embedded in each pillar and all the tapestries with delicate embroidery covered the wall.
‘It’s a pity that I can’t see it.’
Garth’s old castle would have been boasting an elegant and dignified style. Valia felt a little disappointed. She had a sense of frustration and felt as if the exhibition period at the museum was over and she could no longer watch it.
Since lunchtime was greatly delayed, Valia filled her hunger with simple fruits and snacks. After drinking a cup of warm tea, she went out for a walk. Valia contemplated for a moment about which way she should go; the beautifully decorated front yard, or the wide backyard.
‘The front yard is usually for couples to walk together.’
The noble couple walking together in the yard was a kind of standardized romantic action in the Gel Empire. In short, it was like a knight kneeling in front of a lady. The backyard seemed better for Valia to walk alone.
“Let’s go to the backyard. Only one maid will follow me, not everyone.”
“Yes, Madam.”
It was not very comfortable having people follow her in a row. Some of the most reckless Imperial families secretly ran away, saying that it was annoying that the ladies-in-waiting were following them. Valia was not someone of that extent but she did not want to carry people behind her like a school of fish. The employees politely obeyed Valia’s words.
The moderately cooled wind touched Valia’s white face. She walked with a more lively look than before. The backyard was wider than the front yard so it would take quite a while to walk to the end.
The sky was a little cloudy but neither Valia nor the maid noticed it.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
Earlier, in the Imperial Palace—the peak of the Empire.
A meeting amongst nobles was scheduled here today. The meeting that was held once a week was only open to the major nobles. And in the meeting, the agenda topics to be dealt with at the monthly general meeting were selected in advance. Therefore, it was great pride in itself to have the authority to attend the noble meeting. Schuden definitely stood out among them.
“Marquess Garth.”
The meeting was temporarily suspended. Schuden, who was looking through the documents, looked up. A familiar middle-aged man bowed his back. He was the Emperor’s Grand Chamberlain. When Schuden asked what was going on with his eyes, the Grand Chamberlain answered politely.
“Your Grace, His Imperial Majesty ordered me to bring you to the audience chamber.”
“Let’s go.”
Since the Emperor sent the Grand Chamberlain himself, Schuden could vaguely guess the reason why he was called. He put down the documents neatly.
“Your Imperial Majesty, Marquess Schuden Garth is here.”
“Come on in.”
Imperial permission to come was issued from inside. The knights standing in front opened the magnificent door.
Schuden went inside.
He had visited often, so Schuden was already familiar with the audience chamber. As always, the Emperor sat on his throne with a serious expression. Schuden immediately greeted the Emperor according to etiquette.
“I, Schuden Garth, extend my greetings to Your Imperial Majesty, the Emperor.”
“Get up.”
“Yes, thank you, sire.”
Schuden got up. The Emperor immediately asked him a question.
“Marquess Garth, how was your wedding ceremony?”
“It ended well. I received the gift you sent me through the Grand Chamberlain.”
“You must have not been able to open it yet. Ever since I ascended to the throne, you’re the first noble to meet me this quickly after the wedding.”
Schuden responded calmly.
“Are you tired of my face?”
“My my, do you think that’s the case? You work without even applying for a honeymoon leave. Aren’t you the perfect role model for the nobles in this Empire?”
Actually, Schuden was a little regretful that he had not applied for a honeymoon leave. But there was no reason to talk about that in front of the Emperor. He just answered plainly.
“It’s as absolute a thing as someone who received a stipend from the country.”
“It’s such a waste of talent. It would be perfect if you’re elevated to a duke.”
The Emperor was half-joking and half sincere. A long time ago, a Duke’s family was exterminated for unknown reasons, making there to be only one Duke family in the current Gel Empire. The story would be different if the Emperor was in the early days of his ascension. It was not a good picture for there to be only one Duke family in the Empire when the Emperor was way over his middle ages.
“As you know, the law of the Gel Empire stipulates that the title of Archduke can be awarded to one family, Duke to two families, and Marquess to four families. The Archduke is an exception because it’s a special case. But there being only one Ducal family does not look good in the eyes of other Kingdoms.”
The Emperor thought that if he were to award a family with Dukedom, he might as well award it to the House of Garth. After all, that house had made a lot of contributions and did not seem to have any intention of doing something else. However, Schuden had never readily agreed to his suggestion.
“I don’t have much desire for honor yet.”
There was nothing special about being a Duke. There were just more things to take responsibility for. Even if he was not elevated to a Duke, he already enjoyed wealth and honor as much as a Duke. So it was a suggestion that was not particularly interesting to Schuden.
“You’re too humble, Marquess. Where else is a noble with as much glory in his heart as you are?”
The Emperor trusted Schuden for a reason. The continental war had not yet been completely eradicated. The Empire has stabilized but there was still a bleak alert between the other Kingdoms. And due to his outstanding contributions made in the war, dozens of medals were awarded to him by the Emperor alone. Schuden was indispensable to the Gel Empire in any sense.
“I’m flattered.”
And the Emperor really liked his plain attitude. He burst into laughter.
“The reason I called you today is that I’m curious about the Marchioness.”
It was as expected. Schuden’s call into the audience chamber was regarding the couple’s visit to the Imperial Palace that Valia asked in bed last night.
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I’m preparing for that.”
“That’s nice. Grand Chamberlain, when’s my nearest schedule?”
“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty. Your entire morning schedule is empty in three days.”
The Emperor looked at Schuden with a satisfied face.
“Come to the palace with the Marchioness in three days. The detailed schedule will be told by the Grand Chamberlain.”
“I will follow your order.”
“You’re good to leave for today. I will send the Grand Chamberlain to the meeting room to let them know. Wouldn’t the new bride be too pitiful if her groom was caught in his work?”
It was common for meetings to take place until just before dinner, but as the Emperor said it was okay for him to leave, there was no need to remain. There was nothing important to deal with today. The contents of the noble meeting should be raised to the Emperor first so he must have already known about it.
“Then, I will get going.”
Schuden made a clean greeting and came out of the audience chamber. The sky seen over the huge well-cleaned glass window of the Imperial Palace was still bright.
‘I’m returning earlier than usual.’
The time Schuden originally expected to leave was just around the evening. If he returned home now, he would have to eat dinner a little early.
‘It would be nice to look around the manor together.’
“Your Grace, should I send someone to the manor?”
The coachman of the family, who was waiting for Schuden, asked.
“If I send a servant to the manor, it will be in vain. My carriage will arrive at a similar time as the servant does, so there is no need.”
“Yes. Then, I will depart right away without sending anyone.”
The coachman pulled up the reins. Soon, the carriage wheels began to roll. Schuden thought of Valia for a moment. He wondered how she would react upon seeing him coming early. She might burst into laughter or she might just open her silvery-gray eyes wide.
“There might even be no response at all.”
Schuden muttered like that and laughed briefly. He was not just saying it, he had never seen such a calm person in all his life. Moreover, at such a young age. Only the serenity resembling that of dawn could be seen on her face. Dwelling in her smiles and expressionless face, where did the handful of calmness come from?
