196. Coming of Age Ceremony
The Imperial Palace in the early morning.
Hwang Tae-son sat looking in the mirror and quietly looked at himself.
The attendants were busily coming and going, putting on makeup.
Of course, the attendant, who was brought in yesterday, was arrested for poisoning the emperor.
“This is a letter from the Holy See.”
“Read it.”
“I convey my condolences to His Highness the Crown Prince. His Majesty Gustaf will shine the glory of the empire-“
“It’s a pity, read after the phrase you talk about.”
“······I will take out your Imperial Crown. We will prepare the coronation ceremony, so if you tell me the date you want-“
“That’s it.”
Being annoyed, Hwang Tae-son made the letter go away.
They declared that the coronation ceremony would be held today.
Anyway, they were a deaf people who couldn’t understand the language.
“Is the emperor’s crown ready?”
“Yes, Your Highness. They said they finished it after working on it last night.”
Originally, it was customary for the emperor’s crown to be prepared by the Holy See and delivered during the coronation ceremony.
There was also a pre-made imperial crown for the crown prince.
However, the crown prince refused and decided to use the one produced by the imperial family.
It was made in a hurry, so it wasn’t very flashy and there were few jewels, but it didn’t matter.
“Is the pope’s ass still heavy?”
“Yes. There is no news of departure from the Vatican.”
It seemed that the pope was still secretly expecting him to come to the Vatican for the coronation.
But that wasn’t going to happen.
There will be no coronation ceremony at this coronation ceremony.
Hwang Tae-son did not receive the crown from the representative of God, but he intended to wear it on his own head.
It was for that reason that we made the schedule so quickly.
Because it was obvious that the pope, unable to bear the displeasure, would personally go to the throne and try to disrupt his accession.
It was a well-known story that the proud pope never moved in a hurry.
“I can’t wait to see how many more seizures the Pope will have. hehehehe.”
“Your Highness······. Please keep that to your heart······.”
I was once told that the pope wielded more power than the emperor.
However, Gustaf, who had weakened the power of the pope throughout his life, did not recognize the Papal Dominion and turned it into a principality.
The pope’s prestige was not seriously damaged, but the Papal States ceased to be dominions, and all administration of the lands fell into the hands of the dukes.
However, Gustaf died without being able to completely root out the interference of the Holy See in the end.
No, to be precise, he died by these hands.
So, in order to take on that responsibility, I had to continue Gustav’s will.
“Your Highness. What you are wearing is for the coming-of-age ceremony, and this is what you will wear at the coronation ceremony.”
“Can’t we just unify it into one?”
“That’s embarrassing. Even now, there are many complaints among ministers because the schedule has been shortened…”
It was definitely compressing the schedule, compressing it again, and compressing it further from there.
Two days after the death of the emperor, the coming-of-age ceremony and coronation ceremony for the grandson of the crown prince were held.
In order to have the coming-of-age and coronation ceremonies all on one day, it was decided to skip the crown prince installation ceremony in the middle.
It was already beyond the level of anomaly in that all of this was done after delaying the funeral of the emperor.
“You should get up soon.”
“Ah, Your Highness. The makeup is still-“
“Too much. Now is the right time.”
Hwang Tae-son got tired of it and stood up.
It’s itchy, so you have to be patient.
At this point, it seemed like it was complete.
Then it was the moment when the door to the room burst open.
“Are you going to the ceremony, Your Highness?”
“·······.”
A tall man stood in the way in front of my eyes.
Schlus Heinkel.
It was a knight under the direct command of the emperor.
Originally, it was common to be escorted by the Imperial First Sword at such events.
However, the crown prince decided to stand next to Schluss Heinkel.
“Yes…”
“However, Your Highness. It looks like the makeup is still incomplete.”
“Isn’t that awkward? I thought I had enough luggage.”
“Yes, it’s awkward. I’d like you to listen to the attendants a little more.”
“Yes, you bastard…”
Hwang Tae-son, growling and annoyed, closed the door and went back inside.
Looking at it now, it really seemed like the makeup looked unnatural.
Hwang Tae-son crossed his arms with a displeased face and sat down in front of the mirror again.
“Go on.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
For a while, the makeup continued.
It was itching to the point of going crazy, but after persevering, Hwang Tae-son was able to leave the room again.
“How about it. Tell me your honest opinion. Don’t you think it’s too much?”
“It’s not too much. It’s beautiful.”
“Keep…
“I will.”
When Schluss Heinkel’s persistent gaze came toward him, the prince turned his head away.
It was fortunate that the makeup was thick.
Because the change in face color won’t show through.
Schlus Heinkel took a slight lead from the side.
There was no hesitation or fear in his steps as he walked down the road to the ceremony.
It was a sudden offer, but he accepted it without hesitation.
That composure did not come from somewhere special.
I’m sure it’s because I’ve been looking forward to and waiting for this moment.
In the first place, the person who drew these paintings was Schluss Heinkel.
“It turned out as you wished. How do you feel?”
“·······.”
In front of the door of the hall where the coming-of-age ceremony will be held.
While a chattering sound could be heard from beyond, Schluss Heinkel was silent at the Crown Prince’s question.
“Answer me.”
“Can I be honest with you?”
“So you meant to lie?”
“No…”
“Say it now.”
“To tell you how I feel, I am very nervous.”
It was an unexpected answer.
To think this guy was a person who was nervous.
To say that the emperor killed my father with a nonchalant face and brazenly walk into the imperial palace right after the emperor was poisoned is nervous.
“What a funny joke.”
“I’m not joking. I’m nervous about what’s going to happen next.”
“What will happen from now on? Your ordeal is over now. But what makes you afraid?”
It was virtually certain that the imperial family would actively employ Schluss Heinkel after the crown prince ascended the throne.
There was nothing officially declared, but just having him by his side instead of the Imperial First Sword was already showing his trust in him to the outside world.
What else is he afraid of when he, who was once a commoner, has risen in the world in an instant?
“What lies ahead is a challenge. It is the same for me, for the empire, and for the continent.”
“Tell me about that hurdle in detail right away.”
“It’s going to be very long. I’ll tell you later.”
“Crazy…”
Schlus Heinkel, who turned his back completely, never looked back.
This side is sending infinite trust like this, but it came out like this.
If it had been the way the prince’s disposition was, his words and actions would have been more than enough to end up in an underground torture chamber.
But I couldn’t kill Schluss Heinkel.
Even if he said it so rudely, there was never a time when what he said was a lie.
The emperor struck Schluse thinking that he knew everything and was hiding it.
However, Hwang Tae-son had no intention of making such a mistake.
Why are you cutting open the belly of the goose that lays the golden eggs?
“Are you ready?”
“Okay. Open now.”
Kiik······
As the soldiers and Schluss pushed the door as hard as they could, the large door began to move.
Finally, the panoramic view of the vast ceremony hall was revealed.
Numerous nobles gathered and focused their attention on this place.
The chatter I had just heard had completely subsided.
Soon after, the nobles got down on one knee and showed courtesy to the crown prince.
Hwang Tae-son walked proudly in front of him.
At that moment, the road was blocked by a group.
“Your Highness. Could you change your mind now?”
“It is unreasonable to digest two schedules at a time. For the coming-of-age and coronation ceremonies, send His Majesty the Emperor first and proceed slowly.”
“As expected, instead of the insignificant imperial crown, a splendid one prepared by the Vatican-“
“It’s noisy. Get out of the way.”
“·······.”
The ones standing in the way were the ministers.
Even though he was scolded by the prince, they didn’t seem to want to back down.
From noble mtl dot com.
‘They’re like ghosts from the damn past.’
They felt repulsed by the fact that the Vatican was excluded from politics.
Odds with dyspepsia who just don’t know how to replace the familiar and accept the new.
In the first place, the incompetence of the church was largely responsible for the spread of xie jiao in the empire, but I just couldn’t figure out why they kept waiting for the pope to come.
“Clear the road. Otherwise, your office will be confiscated.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Confiscate it.”
“·······.”
These were opponents who could not be blackmailed.
It was because the position of a substitute was not an easy position to replace.
Strictly speaking, the replacement itself was easy.
The question is whether the newly appointed person can carry out normal duties.
That’s why even in the despotic emperor of the Freya Empire, ministers used strikes as a weapon to wield considerable power.
“Your Highness. You may confiscate them. I know of better talent than them.”
“What, what…!”
“What did you just say, Schluss Heinkel!”
The ministers’ eyes widened.
How dare an article or something like that discuss politics or personnel matters of a minister.
It’s been a long time since I crossed the line.
The ministers who waited for the prince’s work-
“Okay. Get rid of these right now.”
“I will.”
“Ugh uh uh?!”
My body moved on its own due to the sudden force.
In an instant, the ministers made their way and knelt down on either side.
While the ministers were weighed down by a weight so heavy that even a finger could not be moved, Schluss Heinkel and the prince passed leisurely between them.
The nobles who watched the scene shuddered.
It is a secret that Schluss Heinkel deflected the annihilation cannon, but it has already been widely spread among nobles.
While under the protection of the Crown Prince, Schluss Heinkel was wielding his immense power to his heart’s content.
“Are you ready, Your Highness?”
“Yes.”
A vessel prepared with holy water.
In front of him stood solemnly the bishop of the institutional cathedral.
In the first place, since the coming-of-age ceremony itself was a religious ceremony, it was impossible to eradicate religion completely.
Still, it was important that the person standing in front of it was not a pope or a cardinal, but a lowly bishop who oversaw an institutional cathedral or something.
“Now we will hold the coming-of-age ceremony.”
At the bishop’s words, the nobles stood up again.
While everyone was watching, the bishop stood in front of the crown prince with his eyes closed, dipped his hand in holy water, took it out and made the sign of the cross.
Similarly, Hwang Tae-son also immersed his hand in holy water and made the sign of the cross.
“Under the protection of the holy Aegis, a follower, a virgin, and the person who will lead a nation have reached the age of majority. It is the age at which you can fully enjoy all rights as a member of the imperial family. Bless your future as such. And give it a name.”
The grandson or crown prince gets a name only when he or she becomes an adult.
It is a person who has been called by a nickname or an official position without a name for the rest of his life, and then has a unique name.
No one knows how the name came about.
There was no way to know whether the decision was made by the Holy See or by the bishop on the spot.
Even if the emperor ordered them to confess, the clergy remained silent.
So, this was the first time the prince heard my name.
“Your name is Arya.”
Aria.
It was a name I had heard somewhere.
Hwang Tae-son, Aria looked back in surprise.
There was still Schluse Heinkel with his empty eyes.
Looking into those eyes, Arya seemed to have all her doubts cleared.
‘Aegis-sama arranged for you…!’
The one who sees the future.
Or the guy from the future.
Thinking that way, everything was explained.