Chapter 155
Chapter 155
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 155
Chapter Title: Presenting the Necktie
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The audience hall was packed with dozens of people standing in tight formation.
Sweeping my gaze across the interior while fiddling with my necktie knot, I muttered under my breath, eyebrows twitching.
"This is fucked..."
The setup divided the Emperor's faction and the noble faction, with the central carpeted aisle as the boundary.
I hadn't noticed at first, but once I heard the report that the Duke of Devonshire and a few others I'd encountered in prison were directly opposite me, it clicked.
It wasn't impossible for it to be coincidence.
After all, my mother's dear friends, the Earl and Countess of Albemarle, were lightly waving at me from their line opposite mine.
It could have been a coincidence that resulted in such a clear division.
But this wasn't some casual banquet where people chose seats freely; it was an imperial event where even the servants accompanying nobles were strictly managed.
In a world of paranoid souls who infused meaning into every path taken and every gesture made...
Did they not intend for Crown Princess Alexandrine and Princess Elizabeth to stand side by side to my left, while nobles close to my parents lined up to my right?
Ridiculous.
"......"
It's dizzying.
No one denied the existence of the Emperor's faction and the noble faction, but the imperial family had always pretended otherwise, insisting everyone was a loyal subject of the Empire. This was the first time they'd been so blatantly obvious about it.
And it was happening less than two months after His Imperial Majesty had given the noble faction a crash course in prison life as a stern warning.
Of all times, when neither my father nor mother was here, and I had to come alone.
I had resolved to live more proactively this year, but our god had granted that resolution with infuriating thoroughness.
"Haa..."
I roughly straightened my slightly rumpled necktie and collar from all the fidgeting, then locked eyes with the Duke of Devonshire standing right in front of me.
He resembled the late duke but was much younger.
Yet the emotions in his eyes were darker and sharper.
He seemed to harbor all sorts of negative feelings toward me.
Sure, I'd been rude to the late duke and his children, but I'd taken the first hits, so I felt justified.
They started acting prickly, so I gave it right back, and now they're pissed...
"Tsk."
The duke and I clicked our tongues and furrowed our brows in unison.
Our mutual animosity was palpable even from afar, making it hard to keep composed expressions.
Well... it had the side effect of loosening the tension a bit.
I couldn't believe they still hadn't learned after getting chewed out by His Majesty.
It was exasperating, but with their faction barely out of prison tourism a month ago, what good did this venomous attitude do?
"All of you, kneel!"
As the duke and I exchanged heated glares, the chamberlain's shout shattered the silence in the audience hall, and the doors burst open.
At that command, every noble dropped to their knees and bowed their heads, putting a temporary halt to the fierce standoff that had dragged on for nearly ten minutes.
"Her Imperial Majesty, the Radiant Sun of the Empire, Empress Frederica, and His Highness Consort Leonard enter!"
The arrival of Her Majesty the Empress and His Highness the Consort followed.
This marked the end of the quiet, ominous prelude—the true beginning of the intense, fiery political maneuvering that would last all day.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ When do you think the fiercest mind games erupt at an event honoring the high and mighty?
Before it starts?
Or when the banquet is in full swing?
We might assume that's when the most intense politicking happens, but surprisingly, open squabbles before the event or banquet were rare.
No matter how bitter the political rift, they were still colleagues running the country together. Being too openly hostile invited intervention from Her Majesty, so they plastered on fake smiles and acted chummy.
The late Duke of Devonshire openly snubbing me on Founding Day was an outlier.
The pup thought he could teach me a lesson and strutted out confidently, only to get flattened by the crown princess's one-two punch.
"Next, we shall proceed with presenting gifts to His Highness the Consort! Those called forward shall step up and offer what you have prepared to His Highness."
In truth, the most sordid and ferocious political battles unfolded during the gift presentations to the event's honoree.
Everyone judged superiority based on countless factors: how lavish the gift was, how useful it was to the recipient, how strongly the recipient reacted... Nobles pulled out all the stops.
From trash-talking rivals' gifts to hyping their own faction's offerings with gold plating, and attaching flowery rhetoric to imbue profound meaning—they spared no effort.
Thus, the gift-giving segment kept everyone on edge, eyes blazing as they vied for dominance.
And in this pivotal moment, I was the first to present a gift to His Highness the Consort.
Normally, it was absurd for a mere baron to go before royalty or foreign dignitaries.
But I wasn't just anyone—I was the proxy for Count Hume, friend to both the Empress and the Consort.
The most loyal retainer to rush to their side first—that made it possible.
"......"
Everyone here knew that, regardless of faction, so they all fixed their gazes on me, waiting for my name to be called.
"Hmm..."
To show not a shred of weakness to the nobles, I held a posture of utmost confidence, my expression haughty to the point of seeming arrogant and brazen.
"Heh..."
"Tch..."
The same actions drew diametrically opposed reactions: youthful impudence to some, bold audacity from a rising star to others.
"First, Crown Princess Alexandrine, please step forward and present your gift to His Highness the Consort!"
"Hm?"
"What...?"
But shattering all expectations, the first name called was the crown princess.
Everyone betrayed their shock at this sudden variable, scrutinizing my reaction—and those of Her Majesty and His Highness.
"......"
I was just as thrown, but showing it would cede momentum, so I flashed a serene smile as if I'd anticipated it and turned to the crown princess.
"H-Hem... To my father and the father of the Empire, Alexandrine offers..."
The crown princess, clearly hearing this for the first time, glanced at Her Majesty with wavering eyes before composing herself, stepping to the center, and kneeling.
We'd narrowly averted the first crisis.
The problem? No one knew when my turn would come.
Bracing for the worst—being pushed to last—I waited with a smile for my indeterminate slot.
"The Cardinal of the Imperial Diocese..."
"The Duke of Devonshire..."
"The Marquis of Bath..."
"The Earl of Tigris..."
From imperial kin to guests, guests to dukes, dukes to marquises and earls.
My name hadn't come despite the descending ranks.
As those yet to present dwindled, anxiety crept in.
"Finally, William Henry Howard, Baron Howard—step forward and present your gift to His Highness the Consort!"
Just as everyone had presented and I trembled fearing I'd be skipped, my turn arrived.
In a way, it was a snub.
In another, favoritism.
I'd endured the humiliation of last place, but now had the chance to leave the strongest impression.
"Hoo-"
Exhaling lightly, I strode forward confidently and knelt at center.
An imperial chamberlain then placed several boxes before me one by one.
"Baron William Henry Howard, as proxy for Count Hume and as a noble in his own right, presents the gifts prepared by House Hume and his own convictions to His Highness the Consort."
As the chamberlains set down the boxes and withdrew, clearing my view, I bowed deeply with formal greetings.
"Baron Howard, raise your head and explain the gifts you present."
"Yes."
At His Highness's permission, I lifted my head and opened the lid of the leftmost box—prepared by my father—as I began explaining.
"This is the gift from Count Hume: the pelt of a pure white fox from the eternal permafrost. Obtainable only in the pitch-black northern winter without sunlight, it's a rare treasure even seasoned elf hunters risk their lives for."
I then opened the center box, prepared by my brother.
"And this is from the heir apparent and eldest son of Count Hume, Viscount Hume: a craftwork carved from reindeer antler. A 1-meter horn sculpted to depict a spirit."
I paused after explaining the gifts from Father and Brother.
These were from House Hume as a whole.
My gift was from Baron Howard personally, so I distinguished it.
"Mm, convey our thanks and these fine gifts to those absent."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Noticing, His Highness nodded gratefully to Father and Brother, then fixed his gaze on the rightmost box, wrapped in ivory silk.
"But what of the box you haven't opened?"
"This is the gift prepared by Baron Howard, newly ennobled. The box is wrapped in the finest woven silk, and the inner container is crafted from top-grade mahogany suitable even for instruments."
Responding to His Highness's prompting, I carefully unwrapped the silk.
"Ugh..."
"Kuh..."
As the mahogany's distinctive hue emerged, the noble faction groaned and scowled.
Silk and mahogany.
Materials valuable enough to be gifts on their own, used merely as packaging—they must have felt the threat.
I'd seized the initiative.
Now, Her Majesty and His Highness just needed to love the neckties.
"Gulp..."
Swallowing hard against my pounding heart, I opened the box with trembling hands.
I rotated and tilted it slightly for the two to see inside easily.
"This is a necktie, a garment I designed and crafted myself. Worn wrapped around the neck like a cravat and knotted, I've made four varieties to pair with various dress codes, using the finest materials and our atelier's master artisans over three days."
"Hoo..."
A sigh of clear intrigue.
But this time, it wasn't His Highness—it was Her Majesty.
Gazing into the box with heated eyes and a satisfied smile, Her Majesty suddenly rose from the throne, golden dress robes fluttering as she approached me.
"Each one seems a perfect accessory for Our consort."
"Thank you for the kind words."
"Baron Howard, which of these four neckties do you think suits Our consort best?"
She nodded approvingly at the neckties, then pointed inside and questioned.
This was a question I'd anticipated, so I glanced at His Highness's attire and indicated one with my hand.
"The one that best suits His Highness is this: a simple navy fabric with gold thread stripes."
"Why? You've made that judgment? We think this one is best."
"......"
With a mischievous smile, Her Majesty pointed to the skinny tie beside it, posing a devilishly tricky question.
Agreeing would imply I hadn't looked properly at first; disagreeing defied the Empress's judgment.
I gathered my thoughts briefly, then spoke calmly to His Highness.
"...First, His Highness wears deep burgundy, a dark tone. Thus, this navy with striped accents harmonizes best color-wise."
"Mm."
"The brown skinny tie Her Majesty indicated is appealing standalone but mismatches His Highness's current attire. In formal settings, it feels too casual for the occasion, so I recommend it for lighter or private venues."
I affirmed Her Majesty's choice while explaining the rejection via dress code incompatibility.
Finally, I alluded to my intent in creating it with a meaningful smile.
It toed the line, but with Her Majesty setting the stage, I couldn't play dumb—I stepped boldly.
"Haha! You impudent thing, you're starting to take after your mother."
"......"
"Very well, we'll go with your recommendation."
Amused by my display, Her Majesty laughed heartily, leaned down, and picked up the navy necktie.
"Haa..."
His Highness gave a wry smile at the sight, sighed softly, and rose from his seat.
He unwrapped the cravat from his collar, handed it to the attending chamberlain, straightened his collar, and held his head high for the approaching Empress.
"Heh..."
Halting a step before His Highness, Her Majesty chuckled pleasantly, wrapped the necktie around his collar, knotted it neatly, and adjusted the collar and tie.
She then slowly drew her hand down from the knot, gripping the end like a leash, and locked eyes with His Highness.
"Mm, as Baron Howard said, it suits you perfectly."
After three seconds of silence and eye contact, Her Majesty's satisfied voice emerged.
"Baron Howard, who offered such a beautiful and precious gift to Our consort—we thank you."
"You've pleased Our Empress—thank you, Baron Howard."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. Thank you, Your Highness."
A sizzling performance and boundless praise.
Witnessed simultaneously from Her Majesty and His Highness.
Thus, the first battle of gift-giving ended in my flawless victory.