Yune, Debut Imminent! (3)
Yune, Debut Imminent! (3)
The Kaiserin appeared at the Founding Festival banquet hall and began her speech with supreme confidence.
"Hear me. The empire has, until now..."
Her passionate tone entranced her listeners, carrying a magnetism that made you want to follow her.
But I couldn't focus on the speech at all. I was too busy eavesdropping on the whispers around me.
- Look, in the Kaiserin's chest...
- It was rather awkward at first, but the more I look, the more splendid it seems.
- Is she emphasizing her femininity, like the young lords' codpieces? Then again, someone with a small chest could never pull this off.
- This could bring enormous changes to the empire's high society. That will definitely become a trend.
Someone said that walking around with something wedged between your breasts like that would become a trend.
My face went pale at those words.
That kind of thing, a trend? Women with big enough chests walking around with Magical Girl Wands tucked into their cleavage?
'The empire is doomed...'
With a heavy heart, I kept my eyes down, and soon the speech ended.
Afterward, the Kaiserin took the little kid beside her and headed to the head table, the most splendid-looking one.
"Mom, can I go see Her Majesty for a moment?"
"Hm? ...I suppose it's fine. Let's go together. Come along."
I pestered Mom until we approached the Kaiserin.
The nearby guards tried to block us, but thanks to the Kaiserin raising a hand to stop them, we were able to approach her.
The Kaiserin sat haughtily, and beside her a pink-haired girl fidgeted awkwardly.
After greeting that little girl, most likely the Crown Princess, we fixed our gazes directly on Her Majesty the Kaiserin.
"Your Majesty, that was a splendid speech. I, Erengard, am deeply impressed."
"Your son, Yunes. His attire is also splendid. He is the most dashing of all the debutantes I have seen so far."
The Kaiserin conversed naturally with Mom.
When she once again praised my outfit, the commotion around us grew louder.
- They said she arranged a betrothal with the young lady of the Charlottenburg family, so I thought maybe she'd turn to the Noble Faction. Is that not the case?
- And she spoke only with the Pro-Imperial Faction just now. And the Kaiserin herself praising his attire. Anyone can see they're fervent imperial supporters. Even dearly favored by the Kaiserin.
- Yet they made no effort to hide their familiarity with Duchess Schmut. What is the Grand Duchess thinking?
- This could cause an enormous upheaval in the empire's political landscape.
The commotion was probably stirred up by the Kaiserin's praise of my clothes.
My suit. No, even if my maid outfit far transcended this world's sartorial standards with its modern flair, the fact that the Kaiserin acknowledged it carried a different weight entirely.
At a grand occasion like the empire's Founding Festival, I had become an imperial-certified fashionista.
But without a moment to feel smug, I cautiously spoke.
"Your Majesty, um..."
"Yunes? ...No. Let's be comfortable. Yune. What is it?"
Even though I, the youngest son and not even the Grand Duchess herself, committed the insolence of speaking first to the Kaiserin, she simply bent down slightly and looked at me as if it were nothing.
Moreover, because the Kaiserin called me by the pet name 'Yune,' the murmuring around us intensified even more.
But I paid no mind and stated the purpose of why I'd come to see the Kaiserin in person.
"That. Why you have the wand tucked there."
"This?"
Representing the innocence of children from the Republic of Korea, I asked, 'Why did you wedge the wand in such a compromising place?'
But the Kaiserin, as if it were nothing, actually pressed her chest together with her forearm, emphasizing the wand—or rather, the heart-shaped jewel at its tip.
"The artifact you presented has a refined elegance, but its shape is inconvenient to carry around at all times. Moreover, since it must touch the skin directly, I couldn't hang it from my waist. I pondered what to do, and when I tucked it here, it stayed fixed. So I decided to carry it like this."
...
Upon hearing that explanation, I lost all words and stared blankly at the Kaiserin's chest.
...Certainly, with her chest squeezed tight enough that the clothing presses against it, a wand could be wedged into her cleavage without falling out. But still, that's just not right.
"Pfft. Don't stare so intently, Yunes. In high society, one must be careful even with a single glance."
"...Y-yes."
The Kaiserin giggled, likely misunderstanding my gaze. Unable to muster a rebuttal, I meekly averted my eyes.
Well. Compared to a middle-aged woman walking around carrying a Magical Girl Wand, this was... better...
'No. Still, that's just not right.'
* * * * * *
After we finished our audience with the Kaiserin, we returned.
"I'm exhausted..."
"What do you mean, already? It's only just begun. You haven't even danced yet."
When I whined, my sister Mar scolded me. The Founding Festival had only just started, and she was already getting on my case for complaining.
But that was because she didn't understand. The reason I couldn't help but complain of fatigue.
I couldn't even freely glance around, afraid I'd witness men in pants with bulging crotches giggling. And yet I still had to exchange greetings with others.
The only person whose heart and ideals matched mine, Kir, I'd seen conforming to reality right before my eyes. And the supposedly majestic Kaiserin was walking around with a Magical Girl Wand tucked between her breasts.
"Haaah... I'm going to the bathroom. Chloe, come with me."
"Yes."
But explaining this wouldn't make my sister or anyone else understand. So I decided to go to the bathroom to clear my frustrated mind.
Since Mom would obviously get anxious if I went alone, I called Chloe along.
But Mom narrowed her eyes.
"I'll go too. It's dangerous."
"Still, this is the Imperial Palace. What could possibly happen? Besides, I'm wearing all the artifacts you gave me, and Chloe is coming too. It'll be fine."
"It's not fine. I'll—"
Mom was determined to follow me all the way to the bathroom, holding true to her word.
She tried to take my hand, but...
"Er. Got a moment?"
"Schmut?"
"About Her Majesty the Kaiserin just now..."
Because Duchess Schmut suddenly approached and spoke to Mom, she pulled her hand back to the table.
"Schmut. Just a moment. ...Charlotte. Take Yune."
"Yes, Head of House."
Ultimately, Mom gave up on following me. But this time, my sister Charl took my hand instead.
"...Yunes. Come along."
"Okay. Sis."
* * * * * *
I headed to the bathroom accompanied by my sister Charl and Chloe.
The three of us exited the hall and trudged along the corridor.
Then, through the windows lining the corridor, the sight beyond made my jaw drop.
"Wooooow..."
The round moon in the sky, and the garden shimmering mysteriously under its light.
The bushes were even trimmed into precise patterns, so that from above they looked like a maze or a magic circle.
The artificial beauty, so utterly different from our estate's gardens, had me pressing my face against the window in awe.
"It's so, so amazing..."
I'd noticed the garden on the way, but from ground level it just looked like neatly trimmed grass. Seen from up here, it was on another level entirely.
I forgot we were heading to the bathroom and stood there marveling, until my sister Charl chuckled beside me.
"Pfft. Now that I think about it, Yune, this is your first time seeing a garden like this, isn't it? That's called a 'Knotengarten.'"
"Huh? We don't have anything like this at our estate. Does the imperial household just do things differently?"
"No. Most things the imperial household can do, we can do as well. It's just... the boxwood used there can't survive the northern winter. It can only endure the capital's winters."
"I see..."
Though Chloe was there, my sister seemed to decide she didn't need to mind her and returned to her usual tone.
After hearing her explanation, my eyes sparkled and I looked at Chloe.
"Chloe, lift me up for a moment!"
"...Yes."
Then Chloe grabbed my waist and hoisted me up. Beside us, my sister Charl muttered, 'I could have done it...' But what fun is there in not teasing my personal butler? I had to ask for something like this.
Thanks to Chloe, my point of view rose even higher. I pressed my forehead against the window again and began to admire the garden.
'This is truly fascinating... Playing tag there would be so fun. The people, too... Hm?'
While looking, I spotted a figure fidgeting in a distant corner of the garden.
It was hidden in the darkness, so I couldn't make it out clearly. I tapped Chloe's hand.
"Chloe, Chloe."
"Yes, Young Master."
"In the left part of the garden, there's a shadow that looks like a person, but I can't see well. Can you tell what it is? Cats can see well in the dark, right?"
"...Please wait a moment."
Chloe stared, curious about what they could be doing over there.
Her pupils sharply contracted into cat-like slits, and soon blue mana flickered in her eyes.
...Well, she didn't need to go so far as to enhance her vision with mana.
Chloe frowned for a good while, as if trying to pierce the darkness.
Suddenly, her expression changed drastically.
...!?
-thump.
"Chloe? What? What's wrong?"
Chloe silently put me down. Only after clearing her throat several times did she open her mouth.
"Uh... well... a lady and a gentleman were... conversing amicably."
"Ooooh. How romantic."
I marveled quietly at Chloe's description. Sir Max had said the Founding Festival was a place for nobles to meet, so I guess they could meet and grow closer like that.
Indeed, since no one could see them there, they could share intimate conversations they couldn't have inside the hall. A perfect spot for a quiet chat.
My curiosity satisfied, I smiled at Chloe and thanked her.
But Chloe, oddly, fanned her reddening face with her hand and avoided my gaze.
I was staring at her in confusion, wondering why she was acting that way, when—
My sister Charl, who had been trying to see where I pointed, unexpectedly spoke.
"Where are you talking about? I can't see— Ah. Yune, your fiancée is over there too."
"Huh? Kir?"
Looking where she pointed, I saw Kir with her purple hair and a backless dress, glancing around as she headed into the garden.
And then.
"Huh? Someone's approaching your fiancée."
"...What?"
Then a young man began to approach her. Even from a distance, he was much taller than Kir or me, looking at least fourteen or fifteen years old.
The man and Kir stopped and began talking.
"Hmmm... Cheating on our Yune after getting engaged? Shall I beat her half to death to knock some sense into her?"
My sister was muttering something under her breath, but I couldn't hear it clearly.
Well, it was probably nothing.
"It's not nice to spy, so let's get back to the bathroom... Hm?"
Watching them talk felt awkward, so I was about to head to the bathroom again.
But then, as the man talking to Kir pulled something from a pouch at his waist, my gaze locked onto it.
Something he pulled out, and the eerie red mana emanating from it.
I had recently seen an object that emitted mana like that.
"...? Appraisal."
I instinctively used Appraisal, even forgetting Mom's order not to use it outside.
Thankfully, it was just barely within range for Appraisal, and soon a status window appeared before me.
-Ding!
[Unstable Inner Core of the Solar Fire Carp (Replica)]
"...Why is that thing here?"