The Award Ceremony (4)
As soon as I stepped down from the dais, a court lady approached me. "Schluss Heinkel, sir. His Majesty the Emperor wishes to meet with you privately."
"......"
It was something I had fully anticipated. After all, it was common for the recipient of the Black Eagle Award to have a private audience with the Emperor. I followed the court lady out of the building together with Emilia.
We walked for a long time, and I had to keep suppressing the gasps of awe that kept trying to slip out. The palace was so enormous it was hard to tell whether it was a royal residence or an entire small city. Most of the buildings were modest, around three stories high, but the sole high-rise structure soaring at the center—the Main Hall—displayed its majestic presence for all to see.
We were guided to an annex not far from it.
"Please wait here."
The court lady seated us in chairs before stepping through the inner door. Soon, quiet voices drifted out from inside. I caught a rather high-pitched tone among them, suggesting Aria was present as well.
"You may enter."
The court lady soon opened the door wide. When I glanced back, Emilia had both hands neatly folded and blinked at me, signaling that she was ready. It looked like she wouldn't let nerves cause any mistakes this time. I worked hard to steady my pounding heart and stepped forward.
Inside, I saw Emperor Gustav and Aria seated side by side.
"The hero has arrived, I see."
"......"
The Emperor greeted us with a low chuckle. His tone made it impossible to tell whether he was being sarcastic. That aside, when the Crown Princess grinned at Emilia, the latter flinched slightly. The atmosphere felt distinctly off. I wondered what kind of conversation the two of them had shared last time they were alone together.
"I greet Your Majesty the Emperor and Your Highness the Crown Princess."
"You saw more than enough of me on the platform earlier, didn't you? Just sit."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
I slowly lowered myself into the chair the court lady had drawn out. Gustav looked entirely different up close like this than he had from the platform. He was nothing more than a white-haired old man, yet he radiated dignity through his gaze alone, not through clothing or ornaments. So this was what it meant to be an emperor who had ruled a vast empire for decades.
"A mere medal seemed insufficient to express my gratitude, so I arranged this meeting."
"......"
Aria's face lit up as she spoke, but the Emperor remained silent. That was only natural. He probably felt no real gratitude. After all, it was none other than the Emperor himself who had ordered Henderson to assassinate the Crown Prince.
"In addition to the medal, I thought to offer another reward... I heard from the Crown Princess that you desire a treasure from the underground vaults of the imperial palace?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. I understand the warehouses beneath the palace are filled with treasures gathered from every corner of the continent. If I could choose one to take with me, there could be no finer reward."
"Very well. The Crown Princess has already given her word. She will hand over whatever you select without complaint. I approve it."
"Your benevolence overwhelms me, Your Majesty."
I had secured even the Emperor's personal approval. Was he that confident? Or did he believe I wouldn't recognize the true value of that? Either way, it was good fortune for me.
"By the way, the award ceremony seems to have been arranged rather hastily."
"What do you mean by that?"
"The invitation letter reached me only one day before the ceremony. It must have been quite urgent indeed."
"......It appears one of my subjects committed an error. I distinctly ordered it delivered three days prior."
The Emperor's eyes narrowed sharply. It didn't seem as though he had deliberately delayed the news. I didn't know who handled communications, but they were about to be torn apart. Not quite as badly as the two knights who had picked a fight with me, perhaps.
As I sipped the tea the court lady offered, an awkward silence settled over us for a time.
"It seems there is something you wish to say."
"Is it that obvious?"
"Yes. Please speak freely."
"What is your opinion of the Crown Princess?"
It was such an abrupt question. What did I think of Aria?
"I see her as someone possessing both the charisma to command others and the decisiveness to act. However..."
"However?"
"Her emotions appear to show rather clearly on her face."
"What...!"
"Hahahaha! Precisely!"
Aria slammed her hand on the table and shot to her feet while the Emperor threw his head back in roaring laughter. The commotion was loud enough that the court ladies cracked the door open in alarm to peek inside.
"You have a decent eye, at least. Yes. That will do."
"What exactly will do, Your Majesty?"
"How would you feel about marrying this child?"
"......"
My brain seemed to lag for a moment. The statement was simply too absurd. Marriage? With Aria? What kind of nonsense was that?
"Your Majesty! What are you saying!"
"Are you not at an age when marriage discussions should be taking place?"
"That may be true, but..."
"I do not have many days left. Should I not at least choose a marriage partner for you before I go? There have been many candidates, yet the only one you ever said you liked was this man. That is the only reason."
Aria had said she liked me... This was unexpected. The Emperor cherished his granddaughter beyond measure. He had even killed his own son to pass the throne directly to her. If she said she liked a man, he would approve the marriage regardless of who it was. It also meant he trusted her judgment that deeply.
But there was one fact the Emperor had overlooked.
"Your Majesty! When I said I liked him, that is not what I..."
"Be silent. I will ask Schluss first. Well? The Crown Princess as a marriage partner—what do you think?"
"She is far too good for someone like me. If I could wed her, there would be nothing more I could desire."
"Is that so? Then..."
"However, I believe Her Highness the Crown Princess's own wishes matter more."
The real issue was that Aria was a character who knew nothing of love. In the original story, she had never once shown affection toward anyone. She had only ever appeared as an iron-willed woman who walked the path of tyranny with absolute consistency and integrity. There were times when even I, her creator, had wondered if she might be a psychopath. Aria falling in love? That was impossible.
"I pray that Your Highness will marry someone you truly love."
"I see. And what are your thoughts?"
"Marriage is premature. I have no such thoughts at present, Your Majesty. I have not even held my coming-of-age ceremony yet..."
"Hahahaha! Very well. Then I shall ask again once your coming-of-age ceremony is complete."
The Emperor's breathless laughter stood in stark contrast to Aria's pout as she glared at him. By now I was dying of curiosity. It couldn't possibly be because of a single offhand comment about liking someone. Just what exactly had Aria told him about me that he would bring up marriage from their very first meeting?
Honestly, there was no reason to refuse a marriage with Aria. It would be a shortcut to instantly rising to royal status while seizing both power and wealth. Why on earth would I decline? I had simply never looked up at the fruit because it had seemed utterly beyond reach from the start. After all, there was no chance Aria would ever show interest in something like marriage...
"Ha. I truly am grateful. For making up an appropriate excuse."
Only after confirming the door was firmly closed did the Crown Princess speak with visible relief. Gustav could no longer hear them.
"When I said I liked him, I did not mean it romantically. I meant it as one person to another..."
"Yes. I understand, Your Highness."
"......"
Schluss's relaxed smile made irritation flare inside the Crown Princess. She felt like a fool for having blushed and grown flustered only moments ago.
"However, it was not entirely an excuse."
"What do you mean?"
"The part about how there would be nothing better than to marry Your Highness. That was sincere."
"Hmph. You've been inside the palace for only a few hours and already your tongue is as smooth as any courtier's."
With that, the Crown Princess turned her head sharply away. She didn't want him to see her face. She had no idea what expression she was making, whether her cheeks were flushed or not. This strange feeling was entirely new to her, so she had no way of knowing what she looked like right now.
He's a commoner... It can never happen.
Marriage to Schluss. There was no need to think deeply. It was something that could never occur in the first place. After her coming-of-age ceremony she would become Crown Princess and ascend to the second-highest position in the empire. It meant gaining the formal right to succeed the Emperor's throne. A commoner marrying someone like her would threaten not only the dignity of the imperial family but the very stability of the empire's federal system.
Above all, fierce opposition from the ministers would almost certainly erupt before any wedding could even be discussed.
But...
Even so, she kept stealing glances at Schluss. His face, which she had paid no attention to at first, kept drawing her eye. His seemingly indifferent yet subtly courteous personality kept revealing itself. It had been this way ever since she'd heard Gustav's absurd speculation. Although the comment about liking him had truly been nothing more than casual interest. A statement completely devoid of any romantic curiosity whatsoever...
"Your Highness. Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
"Hmph! I am perfectly fine! There is nothing for you to concern yourself with!"
The Crown Princess forcefully shook off her wandering thoughts and strode forward. Come to think of it, the attendant following behind Schluss seemed slightly strange. It almost felt as if killing intent was radiating from her...
No, surely not.
"Here we are."
"This is..."
"Indeed. The underground vault."
What the Crown Princess finally stopped before was a massive metal door. The warehouse was essentially one enormous safe. An impenetrable vault that no explosive or magic could breach. Since it housed every treasure on the continent, such security was only natural.
"Obviously, removing any treasure without my permission will result in immediate execution. Now open it."
At her command the guards began turning the cranks one by one. Thick pillar-like bolts shifted, and finally the door's seal was released.
Rumble... The door vibrated through the entire basement as it slowly swung open. Blinding light poured from within. Every jewel and piece of gold and silver was reflecting the illumination at once.
Both the attendant and the Crown Princess raised their hands to shield their eyes. Yet Schluss alone stood motionless without even closing his. It wasn't that he couldn't see. How was that possible?
The Crown Princess felt a flicker of puzzlement.
"I simply need to choose one item I desire from inside, correct?"
"Correct. For reference, claiming that anything you can hold in one hand counts as a single item is not permitted."
"I would not commit such a vulgar act."
Schluss smiled leisurely and began walking slowly, gazing around. He didn't seem entirely uninterested in the brilliantly shining gold and silver, yet the speed with which he passed them suggested he would not choose anything so trivial. Had he done so, the Crown Princess would have been sorely disappointed.
"It really is vast."
"Most of it is blood-stained plunder. When you consider how many nations the empire has conquered, it could hardly be otherwise."
"Hahaha."
At her self-mocking joke, Schluss burst into laughter. He truly was different from the other nobles. While they would grit their teeth and force solemn expressions because they didn't know how to respond, this insane side of Schluss greatly appealed to her.
"......"
Then Schluss's steps halted. His gaze had fixed on a small vase. Realizing what it was, the Crown Princess barely suppressed a gasp. An Elixir. In other words, a panacea. The imperial family currently possessed only three of them—an object whose value was almost impossible to calculate properly.
He did have an eye for value. The Crown Princess sighed and spoke.
"That is an Elixir. Will you choose it?"
"It is certainly a precious medicine. However, it is not enough to satisfy me."
"......?!"
Without even glancing back, Schluss walked straight past the Elixir. Simply selling it would provide enough wealth to live in luxury for a lifetime. Yet he claimed that even the Elixir—the highest-grade item here by any measure of value—was insufficient?
"You will regret this. I guarantee the Elixir is the most valuable treasure here. Therefore, taking the Elixir would be..."
Whether listening or ignoring her, Schluss kept walking until he stopped once more. The Crown Princess, who had been following without thinking, closed her mouth.
In the deepest, most obscure corner of the vault—a spot one would miss unless deliberately searching for it—sat a small black box. No, a safe. Even the Crown Princess was seeing it for the first time. A safe inside a safe to hide something...?
"I will take what is inside this."
At Schluss's smile, the Crown Princess felt goosebumps crawl across her skin. She had no idea what was inside, but her instincts screamed that this was seriously fucked.