116 – Debutante Ball (2)
[Sirien Ilencia]
When I woke up from a short sleep, the surroundings were still bright.
It looks like he couldn’t sleep for a long time.
On the way to the capital for the second time with Rajen.
The sound of rolling carriage wheels resonated softly, and the singing of unknown birds could be heard nearby.
It was a free and peaceful time.
As usual on this type of travel, there was a period of nothingness.
Unlike when we set off from the Barony of Isquente, this time we were using a safe road within the empire, so there was no danger.
I felt a little awkward.
Because Rajen and I travel has always been dangerous.
We took a nap together because we couldn’t stand the boredom, but it seemed like I was the only one who woke up first.
‘I’m sorry to wake you up, so should I just watch you sleep like this?’
Now that I think about it, it’s been quite a while since I’ve seen Rajen sleeping.
When she was young, she could sometimes be seen in the evenings when she followed her nanny around.
You look really comfortable when you’re sleeping.
I could endure the dark and scary nights because I liked the sight of it.
On a trip when it was just the two of us. I had this thought even in the cave I had so hard to hide in.
Did you kiss your forehead back then?
‘Like this.’
Side- The sound still felt louder than expected.
Still, my face didn’t turn as red as it did back then.
Now I can confidently say that you are mine.
I also made some progress.
‘In my heart, I want to see you like this all day, but…… ‘
I guess I should do at least a little bit of work when I have free time.
Because I can’t be an embarrassed lord in front of you.
Another pile of documents was taken out from the corner of the carriage.
It’s like a disgusting piece of paper. Even though I’ve taken care of all the urgent tasks, there’s still a lot of work to do.
There were things I had to memorize and things I had to check carefully, so there was no end to it.
I don’t feel like leaving the territory at such an important time.
However, there is more to be exchanged with the emperor in the future, so there is nothing we can do about it.
Since the amount of blood we have shed is by no means small, we will have to save the Emperor’s face at least once.
‘A clever old man. They will definitely try to sell Rajen. Now the entire empire will recognize the value of my knights, so how can I protect them?’
My own treasure.
Others did not recognize it because they had no discernment.
It shined so brightly that soon everyone coveted it.
In the meantime, the emperor gained significant political benefits under the pretext of being the Marquis of Eloran.
What the Marquis committed was practically a rebellion, and the emperor had no stronger justification than this.
If he wielded his power and said he would investigate whether there were any more people who had conspired with the demons, there could be no objection.
But even that cannot last forever.
The Marquis of Eloran’s weapons were almost gone, and Rajen and I took advantage of that opportunity to kill quite a few of the collateral.
It is a time when it is not strange for central political circles to say different things.
Whatever the reason, didn’t we kill two sword masters of the empire?
It could be said that the power of the empire was weakened when a great family was completely destroyed.
So, I guess the title award ceremony was decided to be held now.
The series of events concludes, with the new powerhouse named Razen clearly imprinted in our eyes, and the Emperor revealing that he can control us.
In many ways, there has never been a better time than now.
If you think about it another way, it seems like a signal has come to us to be self-respecting…… Well, I saw all the blood I needed to see.
Even now, the Grand Duchy is investigating whether Russell has any remaining blood relatives of Count Roxen.
From Noble mtl dot com
You can deal with the remaining traitors quietly, and if things get difficult, just find another excuse.
So, I was more worried about the debutante ball than anything else.
‘I don’t like it. I don’t want to go to social circles or anything. There must be a stray cat flirting with Rajen.’
I had a lot of worries.
What if Rajen falls for another woman?
If I see you smiling at a b*tch I’ve never seen before, I might go crazy.
I really only have you, but if your heart leaves me like that, I would be so miserable.
So I will never let you go.
I will cry and cling to you in an ugly way and hold on to you somehow.
Still, there was a plan.
‘Now that people all over the world know the value of my treasure, they should also know that its owner is me.’
If you want to covet something, covet it.
Because I will do whatever it takes to end it.
“When I think about it, I find it shameful. “I’m so distraught, but you’re sleeping peacefully all by yourself.”
I felt bad towards Rajen for no reason.
In the end, I shook Razen to wake him up.
Looking at her slightly opened eyes, her heart relaxed.
After waking up, I have nothing to say.
She just smiled and said she was hungry.
* * *
Ethelmarion, who returned, still looked majestic.
We stayed at a villa near the imperial palace instead of the accommodation we had previously booked.
It was only natural that he became the Grand Duke of Ilencia.
The great nobles of the empire often travel to and from the capital, so they purchase temporary villas.
Although it may seem extravagant at first glance, it was a reasonable decision on the other hand.
Is there one or two of the Grand Duke of Ilencia’s entourage?
It is troublesome to find their accommodation every time.
A lot of auxiliary facilities such as stables are needed, and as management becomes lax, it becomes vulnerable to the threat of assassination.
Even on days when there are no vacancies, it would be a disaster. Rather than going through something like this, it would be easier to build a villa.
Anyway, the interior was very clean thanks to regular maintenance by the users.
Sirien took the largest room that her father used, and I was in the room next to it.
Because I left some room in my schedule, there was quite a bit of time left until the title award ceremony.
The title award ceremony and Sirien’s debutante are on the same night, so you just need to finish your preparations before then.
As soon as I unpacked my luggage and came out, I ran into Sirien.
“How’s the room? “It’s nice because it feels warm, right?”
“It seems a bit big to use alone.”
“You’ll have to get used to that by now. Now Rajen is no ordinary knight. “The names on her shoulders are heavy.”
Her head nodded at Sirien’s words.
When she thought about it, she was right.
Now, I was officially the leader of the knights in charge of Sirien’s protection, and I was the heir to the count’s family.
Even though the family was in name only, it didn’t change anything.
I will have to think about my position and move accordingly.
Maybe it was because I had lived such a rough life, but I couldn’t really feel it.
Well, since there’s Sirien next to me, wouldn’t it be okay if I don’t get into an accident?
“Okay, now that we’ve reached the capital, I’d like to say let’s start by looking at clothes…… “
“I want to, but?”
“That’s tomorrow. “The nanny decided to look for a designer today, so we can decide what to wear for the ceremony and debutante by tomorrow.”
“Then is your schedule empty today?”
“No. “There is something very important to do.”
Sirien curled the corners of her mouth.
Although she may have been a somewhat stern sentiment toward the Archduke, her smile conveyed strong malice.
“Let’s go to the pantheon.”
“Why are you there all of a sudden?”
“Don’t you remember? “What did I tell you the last time I came here?”
Was it the last time you went to put Hybras’ name in the pantheon?
In order to be recognized for the church’s contribution to the empire, it had to make a significant donation.
The archbishop of Asirel raised the corners of her mouth to the sky, and Sirien remembered being indignant at her return.
At that time, every penny was precious to us.
He grumbled, asking if he had any idea how much he could do with that money.
The money I had so diligently saved finally paid off recently.
Just because Sirien returned to Reheim, she wasn’t able to get her money out of Ilencia’s top right away.
We had to first use the money we had saved through blood and sweat.
– Thinking about it makes me angry again. Just wait and see. I will definitely get that money back later. With a lot of interest!
– How?
– Just rip it off. Among those who make money in the empire, there is no one who is not afraid of tax audits. Let’s see if you can keep your head straight even when I put pressure on you in Ilencia’s name. I will sweep every inch of dust away.
My mouth dropped open as I thought about it.
At the time, I thought it was just something I tried.
“As soon as I get there, I’m going to ask for details on how my donation was used. In addition, I need to receive all documents related to money. “Because I am a saint, I have the right to view the records of the pantheon.”
“First of all, I’m curious, what are you going to do if I don’t give it to you?”
“Now that I am the Grand Duke of Ilencia, can I do that? They’ll protest that they’re not giving it to them because there’s something wrong with it. “If you give it to me, you can just shake off all the corruption.”
An idea that felt shocking even at the time.
The words that said the pantheon would be wiped out through a tax investigation were now becoming reality in front of me.
As if there was not a single lie in what Sirien had said so far, he even came up with a plan.
The only blind spot is if the pantheon is really clean and honest…….
In my opinion, that was a very unrealistic assumption.
“Let’s go. “We are ripping out corrupt religious people to their very marrow!”
“Uh, uh… ….”
xD