After the Imperial banquet, there were some changes in the high society of the Gel Empire. Marchioness Garth, who had stayed as a hot topic since her wedding, has emerged as the new main character. It was because her reaction in her debutante was impeccably perfect. Some of the nobles who questioned ‘Why did Marquess Garth marry the daughter of a knight from the Lisa Kingdom?’ were convinced by her appearance alone.
The second was the confinement of Carnie, the daughter of Duke Billiam. When the girl who reigned relentlessly in the Imperial high society suddenly stopped coming to banquets and tea parties, various words spilled out. The prevailing opinion was that it might be because she was furious that she lost while trying to insult Valia.
Valia heard all these stories at the tea party that Marchioness Joan held after the Imperial banquet. She did not say much. She just moved on while thinking that Duchess Billiam did keep true to what she had said.
Valia had a lot of work to do to be intoxicated with fame. The number of invitations pouring into Marquess Garth’s manor had decreased slightly from before. However, the quality level has improved significantly. All the guys who just wanted to give a go at her, be it Tom, Dick, and Harry, had all escaped. It was natural to act carefully because they already knew that Valia was not as gentle a noblewoman as she looked.
Instead, the invitations from high society’s influential noblewomen had increased. Sarah took more care than before in choosing the flowers and tying the ribbons.
Of course, Valia did not just send flowers to every invitation. She met some noblewomen who caught her fancy at the Imperial banquet. As she had to carry on appropriate social activities as Marchioness Garth, she also broadened the scope of her social activities.
“Isn’t the peony garden at the Imperial Palace always beautiful?”
“Yes, such a large and bright peony flower can only bloom in the Imperial Palace.”
Today, Valia entered the Imperial Palace. The beautiful gardens of the Imperial Palace were often used as a spot for tea time for noblewomen. It was possible because it was the garden of the outer palace rather than the inner palace, but if the practical reasons were dug into more, it was thanks to the Imperial law of the Empire.
The number of concubines that the Emperor of the Gel Empire could take was determined by the Imperial law. Even if the number was filled to the limit, not even half of this vast and extensive Imperial Palace could be used.
No matter how luxurious a palace was, it was only natural to wear out if no one used it. It was due to this background that the gardens of the Imperial Palace were opened to the nobles.
“Today, Countess Gertrude is also wearing lace gloves.”
“Haha. Marchioness Garth looked so elegant when she wore it at the Imperial Palace. I forgot how it was with me and also got a pair.”
“You’re just wearing what you like. Age has nothing to do with it.”
“She’s right. It looks good on you, Countess Gertrude.”
“I’m flattered, Marchioness Garth. Maybe because these lace gloves are in vogue these days, your exclusive designer is so busy.”
“Is that so? Then, it will be difficult for me to see her face.”
Valia smiled and drank her tea. After the Imperial banquet, more and more noblewomen began wearing lace gloves. In a year or two, it would be established as a more common glove than white silk gloves in high society. If there was one thing that had changed from the past, it was that the nobles perceived that lace had become famous because of Valia wearing it.
“The man of the house is so silly these days. You see, he’s been stealthily talking about cookies.”
“Cookie?”
“Is he talking about that? You know, the trend among ladies these days.”
Valia’s ears perked up.
“Yes, about that. He’s already old enough. When he acts like that, I’m the only one who feels embarrassed.”
“Count Durand is living young.”
“She’s right. So did you bake cookies for him?”
“Every night, he started his conversation with cookies and ended it with cookies. It’s so bothersome that I just baked it. It’s not even anything special but he keeps smiling from ear to ear.”
“The two of you still being like newlyweds is already a famous story.”
“He ought to know better at his age. He’s just acting silly.”
Countess Durand laughed. Valia smiled and listened to the noblewomen. Valia had also once tried the silly thing and did not act her age. So the cookies that she had ordered to bring without Schuden knowing were surprisingly good enough for humans to eat.
‘Is it because the House of Garth uses good ingredients?’
Valia’s cooking skills totally messed up the cookie’s appearance, but the mixture of flour, water, and sugar was not such a mess. It went without saying that it was a passing point for humans to eat. Still, Valia had low expectations for her own cooking.
However, Valia still did not know that Schuden had taken the cookies. She also did not know that Paul and Sarah, who were worried, had conspired with the chefs in the manor to create cookies with the same shape as similar as possible. Even though they were cookies that were desperately messed up by first-class chefs, the fact was the taste of cookies that Valia made could not be easily imitated.
‘If I practice the shape a little more, won’t I be able to give it to him in a few years?’
Valia’s heart was pounding.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
Schuden was also in the Imperial Palace at the same time. His job today was simple but not easy. He needed to meet the representatives of the Eastern Kingdoms Union delegation. In the vintage drawing-room of the main palace that was specially provided by the Emperor, Schuden, Leo, and more than a few attendants were seated.
The atmosphere was strangely overbearing, so the attendants were in a state of being crushed. The relationship between the Gel Empire and the Eastern Kingdoms Union was not bad on the surface. However, the mood of the two men sitting as representatives of each country had subsided so much that it would not be strange even if they took out their swords right away.
“Marquess Garth, Viscount Canute, have a cup…”
The head attendant spoke carefully. Schuden said expressionlessly.
“Everyone get out.”
“Pardon? Yes…”
The head attendant eyed the attendants, they quickly but silently exited the drawing-room.
The door had closed quietly, and a little silence had passed. The two men kept their mouths shut as if they were observing each other. Leo was the first to break the tension.
“Long time no see.”
“Did you come all the way to Gel to say hello to me?”
“Stop bullshitting me. I don’t have any greetings to share with you.”
Leo growled.
“I said that if we meet again, I would pluck out your heart.”
“Oh, yeah. I remember.”
Schuden replied calmly.
“Are you asking to draw a sword here?”
“It’s not that I don’t have that in my mind. I also have a few guys following me.”
“You’re neither here to kill me right away nor did you want to say hello. It seems like you have come all the way to Gel because, fairly, you miss me.”
“I told you not to talk bullshit, Schuden Garth.”
Each character of his name was given a tense. Since they were brothers with the same mother, his similar blood-like red eyes unavoidably had to stare at Schuden.
“Do you think we can go back to the past?”
“No way.”
Leo did not think he could get rid of the brimful murderous intent. It had been a long time since he had given up on such expectations. The hostility completely poured into him as he had nowhere to go. After suffering a terrible tragedy as a child, the reason why Leo did not go crazy was because of that single feeling of revenge. Schuden understood Leo’s anger. But understanding and accepting were two different things.
“Anyway, it would be better to talk outside.”
“What?”
“Get up, I know another place.”
Schuden did not fully believe the Emperor’s goodwill. Who knew what was on the wall? Since it was the drawing-room in the main palace, the possibility that the Emperor had ordered his men to eavesdrop could not be ruled out. The structure of the Imperial Palace was optimized only for the master, the Emperor.
When Schuden went out of the drawing-room without any explanation, Leo, who had a frown on his forehead, got up with a dissatisfied expression.
Schuden headed to the garden outside the main palace. A place where the red roses were blooming and the wind with a light floral scent blew gently. A white marble gazebo was installed in the corner of the garden and in the center of the gazebo, instead of a firm negotiating table, there was a pretty tea table. The sky was cloudy and it looked like it was going to rain soon but it was a beautiful garden anyway.
Why is he asking me to come to this place?
Although he was not a picky person, Leo was not used to such a peaceful place. He wrinkled his expression.
“There will only be one present here. As for the others, leave.”
“But, Marquess Garth, leaving just the two of you is a little…”
“Nothing will happen. If anything happens, I will take responsibility.”
“…Okay. However, since Viscount Canute is a guest of His Imperial Majesty, please make sure to treat him with the amount of hospitality that is worthy of the Imperial etiquette.”
“Suit yourself.”
“Thank you, Your Grace.”
The head attendant bowed his head. The quick-witted attendants quickly organized the gazebo and served tea and refreshments on the table. A neat tea table was completed in an instant.
“Then, we will take our leave.”
The attendants including the head attendant had left. The one remaining attendant was sent away to a distance where it was difficult to spy on their conversations. Leo sat down and looked down at the tea-table.
A white tablecloth was laid out and flowers and refreshments were placed on it. Leo’s gaze stayed on the snacks for a moment. He touched the snacks with a sudden graze. Sugar crumbs like glass fragments fell down.
“A follower of mine once saw me and said.”
Leo’s follower had always been curious as to why he did not eat sweet things after drinking bitter medicine.
“He asked why I don’t eat sweets.”
It had been several years since Leo stopped eating foods like honey, sugar, sweets, snacks, and cakes that sweetened his tongue.
“How about you? Do you still eat such foods?”
Even after going through something like that?
Schuden was able to fully understand the words that were omitted. Leo muttered.
“No matter how good they look, they just look like poison meant to kill me.”
The former Marquess Garth was a devilish man. He was not satisfied with just bringing Schuden. He thoroughly trampled him down and tried to make Schuden obey him. The first thing he did was to get rid of everything that Schuden had. But he did not stop at just taking someone’s life.
Schuden and Leo’s younger brother liked sweet things. No, back then, Schuden and Leo also liked sweet treats. In that poor life where the salty taste rushed in every hour, the boys cheered even with just sugar crumbs.
The ruthless Marquess Garth skillfully used the taste of children who liked sweets and chronic hunger from poverty.
[Share it with your brothers.]
Schuden received a piece of cake from Marquess Garth. Just one piece. And he even told him to share it with his ‘brothers.’ It was the first word he heard from Marquess Garth. Even as he visited the fishing village to take his only remaining direct line, Marquess Garth looked at all the people around Schuden like vermin. Perhaps his scornful gaze was also intended for Schuden, his grandson by blood.
After the Imperial banquet, there were some changes in the high society of the Gel Empire. Marchioness Garth, who had stayed as a hot topic since her wedding, has emerged as the new main character. It was because her reaction in her debutante was impeccably perfect. Some of the nobles who questioned ‘Why did Marquess Garth marry the daughter of a knight from the Lisa Kingdom?’ were convinced by her appearance alone.
The second was the confinement of Carnie, the daughter of Duke Billiam. When the girl who reigned relentlessly in the Imperial high society suddenly stopped coming to banquets and tea parties, various words spilled out. The prevailing opinion was that it might be because she was furious that she lost while trying to insult Valia.
Valia heard all these stories at the tea party that Marchioness Joan held after the Imperial banquet. She did not say much. She just moved on while thinking that Duchess Billiam did keep true to what she had said.
Valia had a lot of work to do to be intoxicated with fame. The number of invitations pouring into Marquess Garth’s manor had decreased slightly from before. However, the quality level has improved significantly. All the guys who just wanted to give a go at her, be it Tom, Dick, and Harry, had all escaped. It was natural to act carefully because they already knew that Valia was not as gentle a noblewoman as she looked.
Instead, the invitations from high society’s influential noblewomen had increased. Sarah took more care than before in choosing the flowers and tying the ribbons.
Of course, Valia did not just send flowers to every invitation. She met some noblewomen who caught her fancy at the Imperial banquet. As she had to carry on appropriate social activities as Marchioness Garth, she also broadened the scope of her social activities.
“Isn’t the peony garden at the Imperial Palace always beautiful?”
“Yes, such a large and bright peony flower can only bloom in the Imperial Palace.”
Today, Valia entered the Imperial Palace. The beautiful gardens of the Imperial Palace were often used as a spot for tea time for noblewomen. It was possible because it was the garden of the outer palace rather than the inner palace, but if the practical reasons were dug into more, it was thanks to the Imperial law of the Empire.
The number of concubines that the Emperor of the Gel Empire could take was determined by the Imperial law. Even if the number was filled to the limit, not even half of this vast and extensive Imperial Palace could be used.
No matter how luxurious a palace was, it was only natural to wear out if no one used it. It was due to this background that the gardens of the Imperial Palace were opened to the nobles.
“Today, Countess Gertrude is also wearing lace gloves.”
“Haha. Marchioness Garth looked so elegant when she wore it at the Imperial Palace. I forgot how it was with me and also got a pair.”
“You’re just wearing what you like. Age has nothing to do with it.”
“She’s right. It looks good on you, Countess Gertrude.”
“I’m flattered, Marchioness Garth. Maybe because these lace gloves are in vogue these days, your exclusive designer is so busy.”
“Is that so? Then, it will be difficult for me to see her face.”
Valia smiled and drank her tea. After the Imperial banquet, more and more noblewomen began wearing lace gloves. In a year or two, it would be established as a more common glove than white silk gloves in high society. If there was one thing that had changed from the past, it was that the nobles perceived that lace had become famous because of Valia wearing it.
“The man of the house is so silly these days. You see, he’s been stealthily talking about cookies.”
“Cookie?”
“Is he talking about that? You know, the trend among ladies these days.”
Valia’s ears perked up.
“Yes, about that. He’s already old enough. When he acts like that, I’m the only one who feels embarrassed.”
“Count Durand is living young.”
“She’s right. So did you bake cookies for him?”
“Every night, he started his conversation with cookies and ended it with cookies. It’s so bothersome that I just baked it. It’s not even anything special but he keeps smiling from ear to ear.”
“The two of you still being like newlyweds is already a famous story.”
“He ought to know better at his age. He’s just acting silly.”
Countess Durand laughed. Valia smiled and listened to the noblewomen. Valia had also once tried the silly thing and did not act her age. So the cookies that she had ordered to bring without Schuden knowing were surprisingly good enough for humans to eat.
‘Is it because the House of Garth uses good ingredients?’
Valia’s cooking skills totally messed up the cookie’s appearance, but the mixture of flour, water, and sugar was not such a mess. It went without saying that it was a passing point for humans to eat. Still, Valia had low expectations for her own cooking.
However, Valia still did not know that Schuden had taken the cookies. She also did not know that Paul and Sarah, who were worried, had conspired with the chefs in the manor to create cookies with the same shape as similar as possible. Even though they were cookies that were desperately messed up by first-class chefs, the fact was the taste of cookies that Valia made could not be easily imitated.
‘If I practice the shape a little more, won’t I be able to give it to him in a few years?’
Valia’s heart was pounding.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
Schuden was also in the Imperial Palace at the same time. His job today was simple but not easy. He needed to meet the representatives of the Eastern Kingdoms Union delegation. In the vintage drawing-room of the main palace that was specially provided by the Emperor, Schuden, Leo, and more than a few attendants were seated.
The atmosphere was strangely overbearing, so the attendants were in a state of being crushed. The relationship between the Gel Empire and the Eastern Kingdoms Union was not bad on the surface. However, the mood of the two men sitting as representatives of each country had subsided so much that it would not be strange even if they took out their swords right away.
“Marquess Garth, Viscount Canute, have a cup…”
The head attendant spoke carefully. Schuden said expressionlessly.
“Everyone get out.”
“Pardon? Yes…”
The head attendant eyed the attendants, they quickly but silently exited the drawing-room.
The door had closed quietly, and a little silence had passed. The two men kept their mouths shut as if they were observing each other. Leo was the first to break the tension.
“Long time no see.”
“Did you come all the way to Gel to say hello to me?”
“Stop bullshitting me. I don’t have any greetings to share with you.”
Leo growled.
“I said that if we meet again, I would pluck out your heart.”
“Oh, yeah. I remember.”
Schuden replied calmly.
“Are you asking to draw a sword here?”
“It’s not that I don’t have that in my mind. I also have a few guys following me.”
“You’re neither here to kill me right away nor did you want to say hello. It seems like you have come all the way to Gel because, fairly, you miss me.”
“I told you not to talk bullshit, Schuden Garth.”
Each character of his name was given a tense. Since they were brothers with the same mother, his similar blood-like red eyes unavoidably had to stare at Schuden.
“Do you think we can go back to the past?”
“No way.”
Leo did not think he could get rid of the brimful murderous intent. It had been a long time since he had given up on such expectations. The hostility completely poured into him as he had nowhere to go. After suffering a terrible tragedy as a child, the reason why Leo did not go crazy was because of that single feeling of revenge. Schuden understood Leo’s anger. But understanding and accepting were two different things.
“Anyway, it would be better to talk outside.”
“What?”
“Get up, I know another place.”
Schuden did not fully believe the Emperor’s goodwill. Who knew what was on the wall? Since it was the drawing-room in the main palace, the possibility that the Emperor had ordered his men to eavesdrop could not be ruled out. The structure of the Imperial Palace was optimized only for the master, the Emperor.
When Schuden went out of the drawing-room without any explanation, Leo, who had a frown on his forehead, got up with a dissatisfied expression.
Schuden headed to the garden outside the main palace. A place where the red roses were blooming and the wind with a light floral scent blew gently. A white marble gazebo was installed in the corner of the garden and in the center of the gazebo, instead of a firm negotiating table, there was a pretty tea table. The sky was cloudy and it looked like it was going to rain soon but it was a beautiful garden anyway.
Why is he asking me to come to this place?
Although he was not a picky person, Leo was not used to such a peaceful place. He wrinkled his expression.
“There will only be one present here. As for the others, leave.”
“But, Marquess Garth, leaving just the two of you is a little…”
“Nothing will happen. If anything happens, I will take responsibility.”
“…Okay. However, since Viscount Canute is a guest of His Imperial Majesty, please make sure to treat him with the amount of hospitality that is worthy of the Imperial etiquette.”
“Suit yourself.”
“Thank you, Your Grace.”
The head attendant bowed his head. The quick-witted attendants quickly organized the gazebo and served tea and refreshments on the table. A neat tea table was completed in an instant.
“Then, we will take our leave.”
The attendants including the head attendant had left. The one remaining attendant was sent away to a distance where it was difficult to spy on their conversations. Leo sat down and looked down at the tea-table.
A white tablecloth was laid out and flowers and refreshments were placed on it. Leo’s gaze stayed on the snacks for a moment. He touched the snacks with a sudden graze. Sugar crumbs like glass fragments fell down.
“A follower of mine once saw me and said.”
Leo’s follower had always been curious as to why he did not eat sweet things after drinking bitter medicine.
“He asked why I don’t eat sweets.”
It had been several years since Leo stopped eating foods like honey, sugar, sweets, snacks, and cakes that sweetened his tongue.
“How about you? Do you still eat such foods?”
Even after going through something like that?
Schuden was able to fully understand the words that were omitted. Leo muttered.
“No matter how good they look, they just look like poison meant to kill me.”
The former Marquess Garth was a devilish man. He was not satisfied with just bringing Schuden. He thoroughly trampled him down and tried to make Schuden obey him. The first thing he did was to get rid of everything that Schuden had. But he did not stop at just taking someone’s life.
Schuden and Leo’s younger brother liked sweet things. No, back then, Schuden and Leo also liked sweet treats. In that poor life where the salty taste rushed in every hour, the boys cheered even with just sugar crumbs.
The ruthless Marquess Garth skillfully used the taste of children who liked sweets and chronic hunger from poverty.
[Share it with your brothers.]
Schuden received a piece of cake from Marquess Garth. Just one piece. And he even told him to share it with his ‘brothers.’ It was the first word he heard from Marquess Garth. Even as he visited the fishing village to take his only remaining direct line, Marquess Garth looked at all the people around Schuden like vermin. Perhaps his scornful gaze was also intended for Schuden, his grandson by blood.
