Justification
The rumors spreading through the noble quarter had been gnawing at me, I'll admit—but no matter what, I could not keep the imperial family waiting any longer. The Emperor himself, no less.
With the stories already out there and this much attention converging on me from every side, if yet another rumor were to spread—one involving the imperial family, no less—there was no telling what might come of it.
Rattle, rattle— the carriage rocked this way and that. It lurched over jutting stones, the gravel beneath its wheels grinding against one another with every turn, and every so often one side of the carriage sank deep, as though plowing through a mound of mud.
'...I think this every single time, but couldn't they at least smooth the roads out? Pave them, even?'
I was gazing out the window, lost in that thought, when thin silver threads came fluttering into view before me.
"Mm... mmmh... nya..."
"..."
At some point, Ella had nodded off right in front of me, her head bobbing back and forth, then swaying side to side. Worried she might crack her head if I left her be, I propped a cushion up beside her and tucked it gently over her, then settled back to enjoy the jolting ride for a while longer—until, before I knew it, it began to come into view.
As if to prove that place was indeed the Imperial Palace: a flag flying from the peak of a towering spire. And at its center, the crest of the imperial house, rippling in the wind.
A grand, imposing air greeted me, as though welcoming me into the domain of the Empire's master.
"Halt, if you please. The road ahead leads to the Imperial Palace. We cannot permit you to advance any further."
"Oh dear, j-just a moment, s-sir! Is this really the right w-way?"
Following the road all the while, we at last drew up before the Imperial Palace, where two knights stepped forward and barred the way. Carved ostentatiously into their pauldrons was the image of a blazing sun. Perhaps flustered by the sight of those knights in their gleaming silver armor, the coachman broke into a cold sweat and threw a question into the carriage.
"Young Master, our letter envelope..!"
"..."
The same went for Ella.
Without a word, I drew the envelope from inside my coat and waved it out the window a few times—the envelope embossed with the imperial crest that Luindel had handed me before he departed.
Before long, the envelope in my hand passed into a knight's grasp.
"...What is thi— gasp!!"
"Hey, what's wrong?!"
"Th-this is..!"
Their reaction, too, was immediate. The knights huddled their heads together and began whispering among themselves. Even from a distance, the urgency about them was plain to see.
"F-first, then, I shall go and escort him here..!"
"W-wait, then what about me..!"
"Carry on, then..!!"
"W-wait up..h-hey..!!"
"..."
"..."
In the end, one of them abandoned the exchange and chose to leave his post, while the one left behind simply stood there with a dumbstruck look on his face, staring blankly after his retreating back.
"..."
"..."
"I-I'm sorry! I failed to recognize a guest of the imperial family..!"
"...No, it doesn't really matt—"
"I-I truly apologize!!"
As the fervent apologies and uncomfortable silence stretched on, yet another figure began trudging toward us from far off.
"Hah... hahh... that crest—you're certain it's genuine?"
"Y-yes... sir... yes, certain."
"And so, where is this person now?"
"Th-that way."
He wore the same silver armor as the other knights—but its design was very different. Across his chest sat a breastplate bearing the emblem of his station as a Knight Commander of this realm, the figure of a great lion with its jaws spread wide, and its quality, too, was on another level entirely, so finely wrought that polish and sheen seemed to ripple across it like flowing water.
His body was no ordinary sight, either. Every inch of him was packed with muscle, and a scar carved its way across his eye. His frame was like a bear's, far larger than that of an average grown man, and the sword strapped to his back was of a size no ordinary strength could ever lift.
"Pardon me.."
"..."
"Might I be so bold as to ask which house you hail from, and whether word of your visit was sent ahead?"
"...?"
Having at last reached the carriage, he laid out what he had to say, point by point. For all his rough looks and bulk, his manner was its complete opposite.
"...I currently belong to no house."
"...!"
The moment my words ended, the expressions of the knights behind him began to shift. Was it because I was no noble? The burden that had hung upon their faces seemed to ease, if only a little.
"If that is so... might I ask from whom you received this letter?"
"...Must I really tell you?"
"...Forgive me if this displeases you. It is only that we were given to understand no one would be visiting the imperial residence today..."
Not even the faintest tremor showed in his eyes. Which meant that, in all likelihood, he spoke the truth. From their standpoint, they had been told to expect no visitors—and now someone had appeared bearing an envelope stamped with the imperial crest. Their bewilderment was only natural.
"Sir Luindel handed it to me personally before he departed."
"Sir... Sir Luindel, you say?"
"Yes."
At the name Luindel, his gaze wavered, just slightly. He tried not to let it show, but he would know as well as anyone what that name meant in this Empire. That even among Knight Commanders, the weight carved into that name was not the same.
"...Then there appears to be no need for further verification."
"..."
"My apologies for the inconvenience, young lord. Welcome to the Imperial Palace."
As he slowly drew back from the carriage, the knights parted to clear a path. The impregnable gates of the royal residence split at their center and swung wide to either side.
"Whoaah..."
"..."
The moment the great gates opened, what greeted the eye were beautiful gardens and structures. The cathedral of the Church I had seen before was by no means small—quite the opposite, it had been an enormous building—but the Imperial Palace played on an entirely different plane. Its very size bestowed a sense of grandeur upon the eye alone, adorned with ornaments worthy of it. Gleaming snow-white walls and the golden lines embroidered across them wove together in beautiful harmony. Jewels set into the walls glittered each in its own hue, and the ground was paved with finely hewn, snow-white stone.
A road that might as well have been laid with marble tile. A road that was, in itself, a work of art. And alongside it, a beautifully kept garden unfolded before us. Flowers, trees, and grasses, tended to perfection—fitting indeed for the name of the imperial house—greeted us. Leaves swayed and danced in the passing breeze, while blossoms flaunting colors almost too brilliant to behold scattered their fragrance, each in its own way.
"So this is..."
The place where the master of the Empire lived. Where the Empire's most noble bloodlines dwelt. The Imperial Palace.
"Your Majesty, the letter was delivered to him without incident, just as you ordered."
"Hm, is that so? If it's you, I can believe it. Good work, Luindel."
Thwack— thwack— something came down mercilessly upon the documents, leaving its seal behind. One sheet fluttered and went flying through the air, and in the next instant another appeared to snatch its place. Thwack— another crest was stamped into the paper, and that sheet, too, went drifting off into the air.
"Luindel."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Half-buried among the mounds of paper heaped upon his desk came the Emperor's voice. The voice of Siegfried Frabel.
"In your eyes, what was the boy like?"
"...I beg your pardon, Your Majesty, but I am not certain what you mean."
"Hm... I mean, did he strike you as special?"
Special? In what way? In what respect? Luindel had served him for quite a long time, yet he still could not get a read on the man's manner of speaking.
"Haha, your feelings have always shown plainly on your face, ever since the old days."
"...Have they, now."
"Hm. It seems my question was not clear enough... allow me to put it another way."
The moment the Emperor rose from his seat, several documents nearby drifted up into the air. And then they settled—upon the fingers he had outstretched.
"What do you make of him? If you were to compare the boy against others his age?"
"Anything will do. Go on, answer."
"...He was composed."
The corner of the Emperor's mouth curled. A smile formed. And then, down it fell—one of the documents perched upon his outstretched fingers.
"In what way?"
"Boys and girls of that age have always shown the same reactions upon seeing me. Nervousness, or admiration."
"Hahaha! Why, your self-esteem must be swelling by the day!"
Luindel pressed steadily on, leaving the Emperor's teasing behind him, laying out everything he had felt from that boy, piece by piece.
"The boy was remarkably composed. Both when he looked upon me, and when he was received by His Holiness the Pope."
"Hm.."
"I sensed no admiration or reverence from him. Nor any nervousness or surprise."
"It was as though he had instinctively concealed his presence."
The Emperor stroked his chin once—with the very hand upon which the documents had settled. Yet the papers did not so much as flutter. They simply hung motionless in the air.
"Furthermore, I witnessed His Holiness the Pope stepping into the carriage the boy was riding in."
"Oh ho.."
"And he emerged again after some interval, so I believe it certain that they exchanged words."
"...The boy had met with the Pope before?"
"No, Your Majesty. According to our investigation, he has visited the Church only once, and that only recently."
"Hm... he is certainly hiding something, that much is sure."
But it mattered little to the Emperor. That the boy was hiding something, that is. With the throne's standing still under threat, it was thanks enough that the ducal house's power had not grown any larger. Besides, word had it that the one who had cast the boy out of his house was the family head—that man. All the better, was it not?
For now he had his justification. One that would let him draw that boy into the imperial fold.
"Hm.."
"Is something the matter, Your Majesty?"
"Ah, no, it's nothing... just."
"...?"
"I was only thinking... our daughter must be just about reaching the age to be married."