Chapter 104 First conversation between Vettel and Cecilia
Chapter 104 First conversation between Vettel and Cecilia
After a brief greeting, Cecilia sat down at the round table in the room. The table was bigger than the one in my room.
“You guys should sit here too.”
As expected, you invited me to have a chat.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Me, Flora, and Mulia answered at the same time and took our seats one by one.
Then Cecilia stared at me openly.
“Your Majesty?”
From noble mtl dot com
“Is there anything you want to ask me?”
Hmm? Suddenly?
I struggled to discern her intentions from her expression. But I couldn’t get any hints.
“For example, how I reached Sergel Kingdom in 15 days.”
“Ah! I was just curious about that, Your Majesty.”
“… ….”
After eating it, Cecilia slightly frowned.
“You seem to be having a very comfortable time?”
There was a hint of displeasure in his tone, albeit slightly.
When I slightly rolled my eyes, Flora and Mulia also had their eyes fixed on this direction.
“I was able to spend comfortably thanks to Her Highness Betel treating me well, but I think the imperial palace is the most comfortable place.”
“And?”
“And I was worried not only about Your Majesty, but also about how Lady Flora and Countess Fordward were getting along.”
“I’m glad I did.”
Only then did the wrinkles disappear from Cecilia’s forehead.
…… It’s been ten years
I let out a sigh of relief.
Cecilia huffed and cleared her throat as she put her fist to her lips. She then told the story of how she was able to get here so quickly.
Hearing that, I had no choice but to open my mouth.
“You mean you stayed up all night for two days?”
“Yes. Because I wanted to get there as soon as possible.”
In particular, she added that after a week since she left the Eckhart Empire, she only slept on the side of the bed.
“It was really hard then… ….”
Flora let out a deep sigh, and Mullia, who was next to her, patted her head right in front of her.
If Flora, no one else, is going to say that, then she really was a great forced march, right?
“Wow… …. Everyone must be very tired right now.”
“At least two days ago, I rested all day at an inn. Thanks to you, I am not in a bad condition now.”
Surprisingly, Cecilia seems to have good stamina.
Or maybe it’s because I’m still in my teens.
Flora and Mulia weren’t as tired as I thought either.
“You must have worked hard to come.”
“That’s how it is.”
Cecilia nodded her head once.
“I didn’t expect Your Majesty to be in such a hurry…….”
Flora made her bolmen sound.
Unlike usual, Mullia did not scold Flora for taking care of herself. It’s not uncommon for her ladies-in-waiting to agree on opinions.
That must be proof of the tight schedule.
Well, at that level, I don’t think it would have been possible if I hadn’t been dissatisfied.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be back at my leisure.”
“Yes… ….”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Cecilia changed the topic of conversation.
“So Luke. What have you been doing in the kingdom?”
I told them what had happened in the past 15 days. Traveling around the city of Perris, eating unusual food, and so on.
“I hope you enjoyed it, Mr. Luke. I envy you. I’ve been working all day…….”
Flora puffed out her cheeks. It was so cute that I burst into a light laugh without even realizing it.
“You worked hard, Lady Flora.”
“Please compliment me more.”
“Yes?”
Because of my embarrassment, a half door popped out without my knowledge.
I like everything about Flora, but sometimes it’s hard to follow her when she behaves like this.
She wondered if Mullian or Cecilia might be paying attention, so she looked around, but she didn’t show any signs of that.
“It was hard working while I was gone, right? You did very well, Lady Flora.”
“Hmm. It made me feel better.”
Flora smiled as brightly as the midday sun.
But that wasn’t the end.
“Luke.”
“… ….”
Certainly, you’re not making the same demands as Flora, are you?
“Luke. Flora was not alone in suffering. Mulia was like that, and so was I.”
“… ….”
Just in case, she slightly turned her gaze to Mullia.
She didn’t say anything, but she had a longing look in her eyes.
I really never imagined that Flora’s outright request for compliments would spread like this.
“The daughter of Count Fordward. You have suffered in many ways. Please rest well for a few days.”
“Yes, Secretary Nedville.”
Now, only Cecilia remains.
Unlike her ladies-in-waiting, she was the Empress, so I had to pay more attention to her remarks.
“Your Majesty.”
“Yes.”
“God is away for an important task of trading with Sergel Kingdom. It must have been a lot of hard work to handle various tasks in that not short period of time.”
“… ….”
“Nevertheless, thank you very much for working tirelessly for our empire. God will continue to do my best to take good care of Your Majesty by my side.”
I felt like I was making a declaration when I said something.
Still, seeing a subtle smile on Cecilia’s face, the effect must have been obvious.
Mulia also looks satisfied.
“Should we let our friendships go to this extent for now? I think we should have a brief tea party with King Bethel.”
At Cecilia’s words, me and her maids all agreed that it sounded like a good idea.
I took Cecilia’s place and tugged at the rope at her bedside. After a while, Fonta came to Cecilia’s room in person.
Cecilia told him her business in fluent Sergel Kingdom.
“I would like to have a tea party with King Bethel. When is it possible?”
“Please wait a moment. I will deliver your words and come back.”
Fonta left the room again. Right after that, Flora and Mulia simultaneously cast their gazes at Cecilia.
“Your Majesty. Is there anything we can do to help?”
Flora’s voice was overflowing with her will.
“If you just tell me, I will do my best to assist you.”
As Mullia also joined in, Cecilia showed her worried look on her face. After a while, Cecilia’s conclusions flowed from her lips.
“First of all, let’s have a tea party with King Bethel, and then we’ll talk. We might need your ideas.”
“Yes! I will do my best, Your Majesty!”
“I will do my best to contribute even if it is weak.”
Cecilia put on a satisfied expression after hearing the two maids’ answers.
She waited for a while, and Fonta returned here again.
“His Highness Bethel told me that it would be nice to see you right now in the drawing room.”
“Hmm. I get it. Luke.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
As expected, I am being dragged into a place like this…….
I followed Cecilia Fonta to the drawing room of the palace.
* * *
As soon as Vettel saw me and Cecilia, he smiled kindly.
The three of us sat across from each other at a table. Of course, my seat is right next to Cecilia.
When everyone was seated, the palace maid immediately prepared three cups of black tea.
“I didn’t expect Her Majesty to ask for a tea party first. She seemed to be very tired, so I tried not to schedule the day.”
“Thank you for being considerate, but I didn’t just come here to play.”
“That is true too.”
After a short conversation, the two lifted their teacups at the same time. After confirming that they were drinking black tea, I was able to take a sip of black tea as well.
‘The taste of black tea is definitely different from that of our empire.’
If you use this as a trade item, it might be quite popular.
Perhaps Cecilia had similar thoughts, she gave a good review of black tea.
“I’m glad you liked it.”
“This also seems worth considering as a trade item.”
“It is a welcome decision for us.”
Vettel raised the corners of her mouth and smiled lightly.
After that, there was a very brief silence.
“… ….”
“… ….”
I could definitely feel it when I was watching from the side. That Vettel and Cecilia are engaged in a desperate war of nerves to uncover each other’s true intentions.
Fortunately, the war of nerves did not last long.
It was thanks to Vettel putting a new topic on the table first.
“By the way, I heard something from Captain Nedville. I mean, Her Majesty must have brought a present for us.”
“Ah. Did my secretary already tell you?”
Cecilia smiled lightly.
‘As expected, I brought a present.’
Seeing that reaction, I was relieved on the one hand. As expected of Cecilia, she meticulously took care of that part.
“I’ll show you a gift whenever you want.”
“Oh. Then may I ask you a favor tonight?”
There was little anticipation in Vettel’s eyes.
“Of course.”
Cecilia gave a short answer and nodded her head once.
Vettel waited a moment, then opened her mouth with her serious face on.
“I think we have a lot to share in the future. Properly sealing the wrongs committed in the past is also the biggest task to be solved in this meeting.”
“I totally agree. Did my secretary tell you? The fact that they decided to execute the people of the Marquis of Ranker.”
“Yes. I listened carefully.”
Vettel responded in a clear tone.
“Before they came here, we locked them all in the dungeon of our imperial palace.”
“Are you punishing them when the negotiations go smoothly?”
“That’s how it is.”
I was inwardly amazed as I listened to their conversation. I didn’t know that Cecilia had prepared all the way there.
‘You really made up your mind for the sake of trade.’
It was one more reason to properly participate in the meeting.
“All right, Your Majesty. We are also responsible for the declaration of war, so we will do our best for the talks so that we can achieve good results for each other.”
“We also promise to attend the meeting wholeheartedly.”
After that, the two had a relatively light conversation.
About 40 minutes after the conversation started, Cecilia complained of her tiredness. It seemed that the aftermath of the forced schedule had finally arrived.
“Yes. You seem to have accumulated a lot of travel poison, so please rest well today, Her Majesty.”
“I guess so. I am sorry for taking up your precious time.”
“You are welcome.”
Vettel tried to call Fonta, so I stopped him.
“Your Highness Bethel. I will accompany Your Majesty.”
“You are a loyal secretary. Nice to see.”
“I am just doing what I am supposed to do.”
I turned my gaze to Cecilia.
“Your Majesty. We will take you to your room.”
“Please.”
I left the parlor next to Cecilia.
She told me as I walked down her hallway.
“As you said, the conversation seems to go well.”
“Thank God, Your Majesty.”
“You can look forward to the discussion in the future.”
“Yes. But today, as Her Highness Vettel said, you’d better take a full rest.”
“That’s right… ….”
Cecilia’s voice was soaked in languor. Maybe you’ll fall asleep when you enter the room?
‘Then I should rest a little more comfortably today.’
* * *
After the tea party, Vettel went straight back to his office.
His aide, Fonta, was already doing paperwork in the office. As soon as Ponta saw Vettel, he said he had news to tell.
From noble mtl dot com
“What is it?”
“Princess Louise visited an hour ago.”
“Oh, again… ….”
Vettel let out a deep sigh with a puzzled expression on her face.
“How about having a queen at this time?”
“Not yet. Because I’m not ready.”
Vettel said in a determined tone, and Fonta stopped vomiting.
-Continued