Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Audience with the Consort
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Meeting people inside the imperial palace was a hassle.
Securing an audience was tough enough in itself, and even if you managed to schedule one, you had to endure two or three rounds of inspections from the palace entrance all the way to the audience chamber before you could even step into the "waiting room."
In the waiting room, you were under constant surveillance from attendants, maids, and knights—all under the polite guise of assistance.
Of course, my role in all this was simple: spread my arms wide when ordered, sit there with my mouth clamped shut and trembling like a leaf. Nothing too difficult...
"That one's..."
"Do you know him?"
"Isn't that the second son of Count Hume?"
"But what's he doing here...?"
The blatant stares we felt the entire way to the waiting room were a bit much.
A count's second son and a low-rank knight dressed in something oddly offbeat.
I knew our odd pairing would draw eyes—Audiences were reserved for those with major responsibilities or critical news, after all. So I expected the attention, but it pulled even more aggro than I'd imagined.
"Ugh..."
My stomach was churning.
I wasn't a fan of being gawked at like a monkey in a zoo.
I just hoped we'd reach the waiting room soon.
"Lady Rachel, as an imperial knight, you must be used to these kinds of stares. How do you cope with the attention from others?"
I'd been keeping my mouth shut tight the whole way, afraid I'd hurl if I didn't say something, so I tried a bit of small talk with Lady Rachel, who was walking silently beside me.
"......"
Lady Rachel, who had been walking ahead with her eyes narrowed in boredom, shot me a sidelong glance before lifting the corner of her mouth in a slight smirk.
"People pay far less attention to us than you'd think."
"Pardon?"
I widened my eyes and stared at her.
"Aren't knights popular?"
"I can't speak for other knights, but... imperial knights aren't all that popular. Nobles have little interest in us, and commoners avoid looking our way to steer clear of trouble."
"Oh..."
Must be because this was the capital. The vibe was so different from back home.
In our territory, knights were superstars—kids mobbed them in the streets, and merchants showered them with perks at the markets.
Yet the pinnacle of knighthood, imperial knights, drew no real attention.
"That's kind of surprising."
"What's surprising about it? In the capital, you only cross paths with imperial knights when you've committed a crime. It's only natural."
"That makes sense why people find us intimidating."
Even innocent folks shrink around cops sometimes.
And with a sword at their hip? Terrifying.
"These stares feel pretty novel to me too. I've never had anyone look at me so openly before."
"I'm so tense I feel like I'm going to die."
"I figured as much. Young Master doesn't care much for going out in public, after all."
"Yes."
I rubbed my upper belly and solar plexus, making a face like I was on the verge of collapse, and Lady Rachel let out a small chuckle before looking ahead again.
"Just a bit longer. We're almost there."
"Sigh... Hoo... Understood."
I took a deep breath in and out, nodding.
"Halt for a moment."
Just as Lady Rachel said, the knight leading us ahead soon stopped with a word and gesture, turning his body sideways.
"Enter."
The knight pulled the door wide open and pointed inside with his finger.
A room where two knights and one imperial attendant waited.
Looking closely, I spotted the luggage I'd brought in the corner.
"Thank you."
"You've had a long trip."
We gave a slight bow to the knight who'd guided us, then stepped into the room with the knights and attendant.
_
"William Henry Howard, second son of Count Hume, and low-rank knight of the Imperial Order, Rachel Scott, request an audience with Her Highness the Consort, Duchess Ross and beloved consort of His Imperial Majesty the Emperor."
"Let them enter."
After another round of body searches and luggage inspections in the side room of the audience chamber, we finally left the waiting room and met Her Highness.
Following the attendant's instructions, we bowed deeply and took mincing steps into the chamber, stopping about ten paces from the jade throne where Her Highness sat. There, we knelt and lowered our heads.
"William Henry Howard, second son of Count Hume, greets Your Highness."
"Low-rank knight of the Imperial Order, Rachel Scott, greets Your Highness."
"Mm. Raise your heads."
At Her Highness's command, we paused for a beat before cautiously lifting our gazes.
Her Highness sat on the right of the two jade thrones atop the dais, looking down at us with an impassive expression.
Stepping foot in the palace for the first time—and finally beholding Her Highness—had taken a full hour. We hadn't even started the real business yet, but I already felt a surge of accomplishment.
"Have you splendidly completed the task I entrusted to you?"
"Yes. We did our utmost to ensure Your Highness's satisfaction."
"Confidence is a fine trait. Now, show me the results."
"Yes."
I bowed my head once, then rose and glanced at the attendant.
The attendant met my eyes and signaled the knights, who brought the box I'd carried forward.
"In the two weeks Your Highness granted me, I revised the uniform for female knights, designed undergarments to wear beneath it, and produced prototypes for both the uniform and undergarments."
I pulled out the three-view drawings and patterns from the box and handed them to the knight standing nearby.
The knight gave them a quick look before passing them to the attendant, who in turn delivered them to Her Highness.
She took the papers, skimmed them casually, then handed them back to the attendant with an amused chuckle as she regarded me.
"Heh heh... Is stirring up trouble a hobby of yours? I seem to recall assigning just one task."
"Well... it just sort of snowballed."
"Heh... I thought you weren't like your father and were at least normal, but you're the craziest one after all."
"Pardon? Did I mishear?"
Caught off guard by the sudden deep-cut jab, I blinked and stared blankly at her.
Her Highness eyed me intently with narrowed eyes, then waved her hand dismissively and closed her eyes slightly.
"Just muttering to myself—pay it no mind. More importantly, you made prototypes? Can you show them?"
"...Yes. I'll start with the dress uniform."
Feeling a lingering unease, I gestured to Lady Rachel.
As I retrieved the pants from the box, she rose from her spot, smoothed her posture, straightened her back, and clasped her hands behind her to display the garment well.
"Oh."
The moment Her Highness laid eyes on Lady Rachel, she let out an exclamation and opened her mouth with a meaningful smile.
"A garment His Majesty would surely love. Quite radical."
"It's a bit progressive, yes."
"From what you're holding, it looks like you agonized between pants and skirts. Why choose the skirt?"
"Because skirts are prettier. Imperial knights are His Majesty's most beautiful and sharpest swords, so I thought they deserved the most beautiful uniforms."
"Even the reasoning would delight His Majesty. Tell me, was this intentional?"
"No, it's just my taste."
"Heh..."
Letting out a sigh, Her Highness broke into a full smile and propped her chin on her left hand.
"This is trouble. Big trouble."
"My apologies, Your Highness. Did I do something wrong?"
"No, you've done nothing wrong. That's the problem—no wrongs at all."
"Yes...?"
"You'll understand soon enough. Moving on."
"Yes..."
Her Highness left those cryptic words and shifted topics.
The more we conversed, the more uneasy I felt.
"No need to dwell on the combat uniform. But why make undergarments when I didn't ask for them?"
As I fidgeted with anxious eyes darting about, Her Highness turned her interest to the underwear.
Anxious or not, the job had to be done. I pulled the bra and women's drawers I'd stitched together in stolen moments at dusk and dawn from the box and handed them to the nearby knight.
Following the same process, the undergarments reached Her Highness, and I began my explanation.
"I learned there were no proper undergarments for the uniforms. When I asked the knights, they voiced plenty of complaints, as expected. So I made something comfortable for action and suited to wear under the uniform."
"What are these metal bits on the shoulder straps and connectors?"
"They're adjusters to fit sizes. I commissioned Heini Bailey, a mid-level mage from the Magic Tower, to make them."
"Hoo..."
Her Highness's eyes sparkled as she examined the hooks and eyelets.
She poked at the hooks, tested fastening and pulling them, then nodded in satisfaction, smiling as she regarded me intently.
"Very good. I like it..."
She murmured softly, glanced back behind the throne, and addressed the knight standing there in a helmet with his head bowed low.
"What do you think? Fun, just as I said?"
"Even better than I heard."
"?"
Her Highness speaking politely to the knight. The knight addressing her casually in return.
In that bizarre scene that warped space and time, I shuddered and stared at the mad knight.
"Hurry and remove the helmet, Your Majesty."
"Eh?"
Her single word halted my brain.
"Clang... Why do you always cut these enjoyable moments so short?"
"If my dear friend's son faints in the audience chamber, even I'd have trouble dealing with it."
"Tsk tsk... My retainers have no respect for me."
I stared blankly as the knight removed his helmet.
Golden hair cascaded down, and as the helmet dropped to chest level, eyes unmistakable to any subject of the empire appeared where it had been.
"... I greet the Sun of the Empire!"
I slammed my knees to the floor and bowed with my forehead nearly striking the ground.