Paying Respects
After arriving at Port Hams, they traveled the rest of the way to Wynn by carriage.
"Brother-in-law, the Grand Duchy has a completely different atmosphere from Roman, doesn't it?" Joy asked, peering out the window.
Compared to Roman, with its abundance of grand, marble-adorned architecture, the buildings of the Grand Duchy looked rather plain. In the Grand Duchy, unless it was a church, buildings were constructed primarily of wood or cement, left unadorned so that the rough plaster was completely exposed.
"Indeed. Roman is an ancient city with a long history, after all. The Grand Duchy has barely been around for five hundred years."
Joy nodded at my explanation and turned her gaze to Theodora. "But Sister, does that mean you are both the Empress and the Grand Duchess?"
Theodora glanced at me, trying to gauge my reaction, before nodding slowly. "I suppose so?"
"It's not a matter of 'supposing.' You are the Grand Duchess."
In this world, the highest title was officially placed first, and any subsequent titles were omitted in formal address. Officially, Theodora held the title of Empress along with various kingdoms, duchies, and counties. And as my wife, she also held the title of Grand Duchess of the Grand Duchy.
"Is that so?" Theodora murmured.
The laws governing titles and positions here were highly complex, and since such matters were typically taught to heirs by the elders of the family, it was understandable that Theodora was unfamiliar with them.
As Theodora nodded slightly, my mother-in-law, Thera, looked at her and spoke. "Oh dear... Dora, do you still not know much about titles?"
Theodora nodded meekly at her mother's question.
"I see," my mother-in-law murmured, nodding in understanding. "Normally, women do not receive this kind of education."
Indeed, it was incredibly convoluted. In fact, it bordered on the absurd. Historically, there had been plenty of wars waged solely over titles, honors, and positions. One lord might claim a title could only be passed through male-line succession, sparking a war when a maternal grandson tried to inherit it. Another conflict might erupt over whether a title's jurisdiction extended to a passing river. Wars broke out over the most trivial matters.
Because of these frequent conflicts, the Imperial Diet had gone so far as to pass a law stating that territorial wars could only be waged with the Diet's explicit permission.
Yet, this remained an ongoing struggle. Although the Imperial Diet tried to prevent territorial wars, many lords simply initiated conflicts under various pretexts and sought retroactive approval. Some would even claim the other side had struck first... In any case, because titles, styles, and jurisdictions were so convoluted, mastering them was no easy task.
"It would be wise to learn them now," Thera continued. "Your father also suffered greatly because of the laws of succession."
Theodora looked up, surprised. "Father did?"
"Indeed. The laws and customs differ from region to region, so many incomprehensible situations arise. Not only that, but while the Emperor must outwardly maintain neutrality, it is impossible not to intervene."
I nodded at her words. The throne was a seat of immense authority and equally heavy responsibility. Unlike us, the late Emperor, who had maintained stable power throughout his reign, had also struggled. The path ahead for Theodora and me did not look easy.
As we spoke, the carriage finally came to a halt with a soft screech.
Knock, knock!
"We have arrived, Your Majesty."
A voice called out from beyond the door, and as it swung open, a royal purple carpet rolled out on the ground caught my eye. I stepped down first and offered my hand to Theodora. She placed her hand gently over mine.
"We warmly welcome Your Imperial Majesty's visit!"
The soldiers and servants of the Grand Ducal Palace stood in neat ranks. And there, standing right in the center, was Mary, whom I hadn't seen in a long time.
Dressed in a gown of striking red and black, she offered a soft smile as she looked at Theodora and me.
"Lady Mary, I thank you deeply for your warm welcome," Theodora said graciously.
Once the formal greetings between Mary and Theodora concluded, Mary turned to me. "Brother. It's been a while, hasn't it?"
Looking at my younger sister, who wore a slightly more mature smile than before, I spoke. "You seem to have grown up a bit since I last saw you."
I used to think of her as just a child, and in some ways, I still did. But there was something different about her now—she truly felt like an adult.
"Of course. I'll be of age soon."
I nodded. "Right, you're an adult now."
Mary was turning twenty soon. Remembering her as a tiny newborn, I couldn't help but marvel at how quickly time had flown.
"What's with that look? You sound like an old man who's lived his whole life," Mary grumbled with a slight pout.
I smiled. "I was just reminiscing. Ah... could you escort Theodora and the imperial family inside?"
Mary and Theodora looked at me with puzzled expressions.
"I'm going to pay my respects to Mother."
Seeing them nod in understanding, I turned and made my way toward the mausoleum of the Grand Ducal Palace.
Beneath the Grand Ducal Palace lay the Lyon family mausoleum. Unless there were exceptional circumstances, anyone bearing the surname Lyon was laid to rest here.
It was a circular structure crafted from pristine white marble, crowned by a magnificent bronze dome. Stepping inside, I passed the statue of Pippin Lyon, the founder of our house, and descended the central staircase.
Whoosh. Guided by the flickering torches lining the walls, I continued down into the depths. After descending for what felt like an eternity, I reached the lowest level and followed the central corridor.
The torchlight cast soft, dancing shadows along the dark path. I walked until a white marble sculpture came into view, and there, I stopped.
Looking at the sculpture of a woman in her thirties flanked by two cherubs, I crossed myself. My mother's tomb looked exactly as it had during my last visit. I closed my eyes gently.
Mother... I'm here. It's been quite a while, hasn't it? Are you resting peacefully with my brothers?
I've been living a busy life, buried in work every single day. Since my last visit, I've become the Grand Duke, just as you wished, and I've also gotten married.
You're probably curious about my wife, so let me tell you. Don't be shocked... my wife is none other than the Empress of the Empire. Thanks to that, I'm running myself ragged managing an empire I never asked for, busy beyond belief every day.
But knowing that you, my gentle and wise mother, are watching over me, I don't find it too hard. I think of it as living to atone for my sins.
Actually, who am I kidding? It is incredibly hard. The imperial capital is colder than I imagined. Everyone only cares about their own self-interest, with no concern for the empire or its people. Haha... listening to me complain like this must make me sound like a child throwing a tantrum, so I'll stop here.
Oh, and Mary is getting married soon. You wouldn't know him, but she's marrying my dear friend, Agrippa. Thinking of that tomboy getting married fills me with a strange wave of emotion.
I suppose the nephew or niece born to them will be the next Grand Duke. If they inherit Mary's brute strength and simple mind, it'll be terrifying... but I trust Agrippa's intellect to balance things out.
Step, step.
Just as I was silently sharing these updates with my mother, the sound of footsteps echoed through the chamber.
Speak of the devil. To show up right when I'm talking about them. Smiling at the thought, I turned around.
"Mary, did you take care of the imperial—Huh? Theodora? What are you doing here?"
I had fully expected Mary, but to my surprise, it was Theodora. She had already changed into a black dress and stood there holding a large bouquet of flowers in both hands.
"I wanted to pay my respects to Mother as well."
"I see... Come over here."
At my invitation, Theodora walked over with quick, light steps, placed the flowers gently on the altar, and stood beside me. Once she was settled by my side, I spoke aloud, letting the words leave my lips instead of keeping them in my heart.
"Mother. This is my wife, whom I was just telling you about."
I looked at Theodora as I spoke, and she bowed her head gracefully.
"I am Theodora Augusta, Mother."
Watching her, I spoke with pride. "Isn't she beautiful, Mother? She is rumored to be the most beautiful woman in the entire empire."
I gazed back at my mother's statue. "I'm busy, but I'm managing well enough. I trust you are doing well with Rohan and Roden. I'll take my leave now."
There was so much more I wanted to say, but it would never end. Now that Theodora was here, I decided to cut my visit short.
"Darling, may I also say a few words to Mother?" she asked.
I nodded in response.
"Mother. Please forgive your daughter-in-law for only coming to greet you months after our wedding," Theodora began.
"To be honest, the start of our marriage wasn't very pleasant. When he first proposed, he threatened me by taking my family hostage."
Wait, what...? I felt as if I had been struck on the head with a hammer. I never expected her to bring that up so bluntly in front of my mother.
"But now, I've fallen completely for him, and we are living happily and harmoniously every day."
If she hadn't said that next, I might have actually covered her mouth.
"Seeing you now, I see he inherits his handsome looks from you. Thank goodness for that. If he had resembled Valorang, he would have been quite ugly."
Watching Theodora speak with a gentle smile, a faint grin tugged at the corners of my own lips.
"My husband is a diligent, responsible, and upright man. I deeply respect you, Mother, for raising and guiding him to become such a person. When we have a child in the future, I will raise him to be as wonderful a son as he is."
After that, she proceeded to share several trivial details with my mother, going so far as to bring up how I behaved back in Roman.
"Back then, seeing him cry broke my heart so much."
Watching her bring up the time I got drunk and cried, I shook my head in embarrassment. "Theodora... stop... let's go back up now."
She ignored me and continued speaking to the tomb. "Look at him, Mother. He's so embarrassed just because I mentioned him crying. Isn't he adorable?"
Flustered, I spoke quickly. "Mother, we've only just arrived at the palace, so we'll come back another time. Please rest well."
I reached out and took Theodora's hand, but she resisted.
"Ah... wait a moment. There's still something left to do."
I let out a soft sigh. "What else are you planning to do?"
At my question, Theodora gently took the flowers from the altar one by one and placed them on the tombs of Rohan and Roden.
"Dear brothers-in-law, my husband is rushing me, so I cannot greet you properly, but I am his wife. I will come back to pay my respects properly next time."
She finished her greeting and turned to look at me, a bright, playful smile on her face.
"Sigh... but when did you even prepare those flowers?"
Instead of answering, she turned the tables on me. "Of course I had to bring flowers for my first meeting with Mother. Did you not prepare any?"
I scratched my head sheepishly. "Uh... I forgot."
"Oh, you silly man. You're always so thoughtless about these things."
With no excuse to offer, I simply shook my head. She smiled and linked her arm through mine.
"So, what kind of person was Mother?"
Answering her question, we walked out of the mausoleum together.