Chapter 30
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 30
The Frezier Grand Duchy spans a full third of the Brillant Empire.
However, because the empire itself was so vast, the distance to the Imperial Capital was quite significant.
Still, it only takes about a week by carriage.
“My condition for the deal is that you proceed with your original plan, Master.”
“……What do you mean by that?”
“Why would the youngest Pneuma be dispatched to the remote Frezier Grand Duchy, especially when the White Ivory Tower isn’t even on good terms with us?”
When a top-tier talent from an organization is suddenly assigned to the boonies, it’s because a much larger reward has been promised afterward.
“Master, aren’t you headed for the Imperial Palace next?”
“……Does mastering the Ancient Language also grant you insight into the ways of the world?”
“I’ve learned a lot from my grandfather.”
“Indeed, His Grace the Grand Duke seems to cherish you quite dearly, My Lady.”
The Grand Duke? Cherish me?
I don’t know what kind of misunderstanding he’s under, but…
Regardless, the deal between Schuls Schmidt and me was sealed that day.
Just like in the original game, Schuls Schmidt was set to become a Pneuma at the Imperial Palace.
I nearly had a heart attack when he told Grandfather he wanted to stay in the Duchy to keep teaching me.
I need you there so I can get to the Crown Prince through you!
In any case, Schuls Schmidt was certainly a capable—no, a brilliant—scholar.
After all, he managed to get Grand Duke Asis Frezier to permit my visit to the Imperial Palace.
I wonder how he talked him into it. He really is impressive.
I gazed out the window of the rolling carriage.
Thanks to the high-quality carriage, padded with multiple layers of fine cushions, the week-long journey wasn't particularly taxing.
The Imperial Capital was now right before my eyes.
But…
I shifted my gaze slightly to look at Grand Duke Asis Frezier, who sat across from me checking documents.
Why is the Grand Duke coming to the Imperial Palace with me?
I tilted my head, but no answer came to mind.
* * *
“The Grand Duke of Frezier should be arriving shortly.”
Alessandro, the Emperor of the Brillant Empire, muttered as he entered the Central Audience Chamber, which had already been prepared for the guest.
Even to the current Emperor, the Grand Duke was an elder.
In terms of age, Emperor Alessandro was actually closer to Marquis Aster Frezier—Tulia’s biological father.
“Your Majesty.”
A soft, melodic voice reached his ears. A beautiful woman appeared, leading a large entourage of ladies-in-waiting, her attire radiating nobility.
“Empress.”
Empress Carmi.
Her reddish-brown hair shimmered with health. A crown, delicately crafted from flawless emeralds and sapphires, sparkled with noble brilliance atop her head.
“Your Majesty. I have come to pay my respects before taking the Crown Prince and the Second Prince to the White Ivory Tower.”
“Mhm.”
“Pneumas of deep learning and high repute will surely be assigned to the Crown Prince and the Second Prince.”
Normally, the White Ivory Tower would send several Pneumas to the Imperial Family. That was the custom.
However, Empress Carmi had changed her plans the moment she heard that the Grand Duke of Frezier was personally visiting the capital.
Grand Duke Asis Frezier loathed Empress Carmi. To be more precise, he despised her.
A woman who had dragged the honor of the nobility through the mud.
She had no desire to cross paths with the Grand Duke, who would undoubtedly look her up and down with eyes full of such contempt.
“The Second Prince is still quite immature, is he not? He is not yet ready to face Grand Duke Asis Frezier.”
Empress Carmi’s voice was elegant and humble as she used her son as an excuse.
Normally, Emperor Alessandro would have snapped back with, ‘He is merely a noble beneath the Imperial Family,’ but not today.
Grand Duke Asis Frezier was old enough to be the Emperor’s father.
Furthermore, since its rise to power, the House of Frezier had never once seen its influence wane.
A massive dragon’s castle built upon a solid bedrock.
That was the most accurate description.
The taxes the Grand Duchy paid to the Empire every year were astronomical. Above all, Marquis Aster Frezier, the Grand Duke’s eldest son, had been racking up immense achievements at the border for over a decade.
While it wasn't exactly burning patriotism that had driven Marquis Aster to the border, it was an undeniable fact that his actions had elevated the prestige of the Frezier family even further.
There wasn't a noble alive who hadn't heard that the Marquis’s twin sons were the top students at the Academy.
Come to think of it, didn't he have a daughter as well?
He had heard that the one accompanying the Grand Duke today was that very daughter of Marquis Aster.
However, Emperor Alessandro quickly lost interest.
In the vast Brillant Empire, there were thousands, tens of thousands of nobles.
Even if she was the child of a prestigious family, the Emperor had no reason to remember someone rumored to have been abandoned by her own kin.
“Regardless, I am worried about the Crown Prince.”
At Empress Carmi’s words, the Emperor’s face instantly contorted.
“What do you mean by that?”
“It is obvious he will think his chance to meet a powerful figure like the Grand Duke was ruined because of the Second Prince. As a mother, I am simply at a loss and feel so terribly sorry, Your Majesty.”
Every word Carmi spoke grated on the Emperor’s nerves.
The Emperor had betrayed Empress Olivia to carry on a secret affair with her lady-in-waiting, Carmi.
The shock of witnessing that scene while pregnant with the Crown Prince had caused Olivia’s health to deteriorate rapidly.
After her death, when he appointed Carmi as the new Empress, the Grand Duke of Frezier had been the first among the nobles to stand at the forefront and condemn him.
He insulted me under the guise of 'remonstrance.' A mere noble, daring to judge me.
As if the Grand Duke wasn't enough, the mention of the Crown Prince—the very existence that caused the world to continue criticizing him—made it difficult to suppress his rage.
Emperor Alessandro spoke with a voice thick with anger.
“No matter if Ferdinand is the Crown Prince, would he dare defy an Imperial command? If that boy dares to be disobedient, report it to me immediately! If he looks down on the Second Prince, report that to me as well!”
“Please, calm yourself, Your Majesty,” Carmi urged, her voice sounding flustered.
“I did not mean it that way. It was merely a mother’s worry… Of course, since I am not the Crown Prince’s biological mother, he does not listen to me well, but still…”
“Even though I am his biological father?!”
“The Crown Prince is a child with deep scars in his heart.”
“A child? At his age! Only his appearance is like that!”
If only Olivia hadn't poured Divine Power into the Crown Prince while he was in the womb.
The problem was that the Crown Prince had ended up in that state because of the Divine Power she had desperately forced into the unborn child while in a state of shock.
That was why people couldn't forget the past and kept gossiping about it.
Emperor Alessandro spat out a low curse, unbecoming of his station.
“That damned Divine Power.”
Yet, none of the knights or servants in the audience chamber looked surprised. The nobles standing below like vassals were the same.
The atmosphere was neither frozen nor peaceful.
It was a common occurrence, yet the Emperor’s short bursts of profanity were something no one could ever truly get used to.
Hatred and condemnation directed at his own biological son.
In this ice-thin atmosphere, even Empress Carmi remained silent for a moment.
After a short while, she resumed speaking in her usual gentle tone.
“Then, I shall take the Crown Prince and the Second Prince to the White Ivory Tower, Your Majesty. It is a pity I cannot personally welcome Grand Duke Asis Frezier.”
* * *
“The closer we get to the capital, the more villages I see.”
True to the setting of the most prosperous empire, there were many thriving towns along the way.
It went without saying that the journey was comfortable.
My heart was pounding with a mix of nerves and anticipation at the thought of finally meeting Male Lead Candidate #1, the Crown Prince.
But then, I heard something that felt like a bolt from the blue.
“We’re splitting up here? You’re going to the White Ivory Tower? Why?”
It was because of what Schuls Schmidt said when he came to my carriage.
I was so shocked that I dropped my formal speech.
Since Schuls Schmidt had officially resigned from his position as the Grand Duchy’s Pneuma, he was technically my subordinate under Imperial Law.
Of course, most nobles continue to use polite speech with their Pneumas even after their lessons end, out of respect for their teachers.
But Tulia was originally a villainess who spoke informally to everyone, and that’s how she was in The Milk Bread, so whatever.
Anyway.
“The Crown Prince is in the palace. The Second Prince is there, too.”
Of course, for certain reasons, Schuls Schmidt would end up tutoring the Crown Prince rather than the Second Prince, who was the current Empress’s biological son.
Regardless, it was certain that Schuls Schmidt, as the youngest Pneuma, would enjoy the honor of teaching one of the current members of the Imperial Family.
“……?”
In an instant, a look of confusion crossed Schuls Schmidt’s face.
“My Lady.”
“Yeah? What?”
“I mentioned I was going to the Imperial Palace, but I never informed you that I was scheduled to teach the members of the Imperial Family…”
Schuls Schmidt’s sharp eyes flashed.
“How is it that you can point them out so specifically?”