Chapter 143
Chapter 143
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: First Visit to the Imperial Palace
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The first day in the capital, the heart of the empire, was less eventful than I'd imagined.
We just wandered around, enjoyed a delicious dinner, then spent the evening chatting in bed with Ella and Lize.
We talked about all sorts of things we wanted to do in the capital until we drifted off to sleep.
I fell asleep without realizing it, so I couldn't even remember what we were saying last.
"Hmm..."
Honestly, I slept incredibly well last night.
A good amount of time had passed since I woke up, but I definitely felt refreshed.
At first, I was a bit worried since it was the first time three of us shared a single bed... but maybe because I had cute, pretty girls on both sides?
Honestly, it was nice.
"Lize... how was it for you last night? Did you sleep well?"
"Thanks to you, Young Lady, and Lady Ella, I was able to rest comfortably."
"Hehe, that's a relief then."
Ella and Lize had been lying on either side of me, and when I opened my eyes, I was in a position like I was back-hugging Ella—we'd slept that soundly.
Of course, since I woke up before Ella, nothing happened.
"Yawn..."
"Young Lady, how would you like your hair done?"
"Just dry it for me. We're going to be out and about anyway, so no need to style it or anything."
"Understood."
From the morning, we were bustling... preparing for the day.
Unlike my other friends who were getting ready to head out, I wasn't busy at all.
Lize had come along to assist noble ladies like me... but since she was my exclusive maid, after all.
Besides, no one really wanted her help with bathing or getting dressed.
"Yawn..."
Anyway, as a result, from my bath assistance to having her dry my hair after I got out of the bathroom, I could just relax.
Lize's gentle touch drying my hair felt so familiar.
I'd been receiving this treatment for nearly ten years, so it was second nature.
"Lize, what should I wear today?"
"With the weather warming up lately, something light and cool would be fine. I recommend a dress or a blouse."
"Let's go with that."
"Yes. I'll prepare a cardigan just in case it gets chilly."
Yeah, this is really convenient.
I handled most of the business-related stuff myself, but everyday life like this was the opposite—and I loved it.
It was all possible because Lize knew me so well.
"You look super comfortable."
"Yes, super comfortable."
I answered Ella's question with my eyes closed.
Lize was drying my hair with a magic tool, and it felt too good to resist.
"Sigh..."
"Grace, are you all ready?"
"I finished ages ago. You're the only ones not done besides Sis."
"My hair's almost dry; I just need to get dressed."
"Sigh..."
There was still plenty of time before the schedule started, and Lize would handle all my prep anyway, so no issues.
Grace might say that, but not everyone else was fully ready either.
We'd been preparing since morning, but today's schedule wasn't anything major.
Just heading to the imperial palace in the morning, touring the Solchemia Imperial Palace once we arrived, then moving to the next spot?
"Has anyone here been to the imperial palace before?"
It was a rare trip to the palace, and it was my first time, so I asked.
Even though we were all nobles... the imperial palace wasn't a place just anyone could enter.
Unless you were from a ducal family like Ivana, most people only got to glimpse it from the road.
"I've never been...!"
"Me neither."
The two from count families were also first-timers.
"You must have, right?"
"Well, yeah."
Even Ella from a barony family said it was her first time.
After hearing that from the three of them, we all turned to Ivana.
She was the only one left who hadn't answered.
Not just any family—she was from the Nordal Ducal Family, so we were all convinced she had experience.
"I went often as a child."
Ivana's response was just as we'd expected—no, as we'd been certain.
"Hmm... I haven't been recently either, so I don't have much to say."
"As expected of a ducal family."
"Yeah..."
"Lady Nordal, just in case... are there things we shouldn't do when entering the palace? It's my first time, so I'm a bit worried..."
Honestly, it was just a palace... albeit an enormous, magnificent one.
Excluding Ivana, the rest of us were really looking forward to visiting the imperial palace.
We kept asking her questions like that right up until we left, even while riding in the carriage.
*
About thirty minutes in the carriage... that's probably how long it took.
Yeah, time passed quickly chatting, so it's a bit fuzzy, but that's about it—and we arrived at the imperial palace.
We arrived... right.
"Wow."
I'd expected a grand palace right there when we stepped out, since it was the imperial palace.
But the view after dismounting was completely different.
No, the palace was visible...
"It's huge."
"Yeah. And really... super huge..."
"Yeah..."
The spot we'd gotten off wasn't the palace itself, but somewhere close to the gardens in front.
The palace loomed in the distance; the gate we'd passed through earlier must have been the main entrance.
"Heh, Camellia...? The teachers say it's time to move..."
"Ah, sorry. I got distracted looking around."
Anyway, we started walking.
Today, each teacher was in charge of a few groups, leading us along with a palace staff member as guide.
Probably because there were so many students?
"The imperial palace gardens are on another level, fitting for the palace..."
"Yeah... I always thought our family garden was pretty objectively, but there's a huge gap."
"Yeah. The Rosaki garden is gorgeous too."
Even though I'd been there as a child and toured it plenty thanks to Karen, it couldn't compare to the palace's.
Not just the Rosaki garden—the Leonhardt one Ashley and I made back then was no match either.
At first, it was so vast and far from the palace buildings that walking felt like a hassle.
But listening to explanations while strolling slowly through the garden... my eyes were drawn to it instead.
I wasn't particularly into nature, plants, or flowers, but I couldn't look away from this garden.
"The statue here depicts the Fourth Emperor from the past..."
The guide explained the various artworks and landscaping, which was nice, but honestly, even without it, the sheer scale and quality were impressive.
We were all truly sightseeing, slowly strolling through the imperial palace gardens.
"Wow..."
Even Grace, who was always nagging me, had this pure, enchanted expression—it was that beautiful.
"Don't you come to the palace often, Lady Ivana?"
"I do, but this garden is so stunning. I can't help but take it in every time."
"Definitely. I don't think I've ever admired a garden this intently before."
I chatted with my friends as we walked slowly together.
"Camellia."
"Yes, Lady Ivana."
"Do you know that gardens are rare in the Northern Region?"
"Hmm... that's news to me."
It came out of nowhere, but it was definitely the first I'd heard of it.
The North wasn't exactly overflowing with public info to begin with.
So Ivana's comment about scarce gardens felt a bit odd.
"You mean noble houses there don't have gardens at their mansions?"
"Yes."
"Don't most nobles have gardens at their estates? At least every noble home I've visited did."
"Most nobles do make them, but the North's climate is harsh."
Grace explained that the barren climate meant they prioritized training grounds for their house knights over gardens.
With regular monster hunts... it made sense for the North's belligerent nature.
"Hmm... it's quite different from down south. Of course, southern families boast about their knights too."
"But the biggest issue is just how hard it is to maintain a garden there."
"That makes sense."
I'd heard from Rozalin long ago how brutally cold the North was, so I knew that much.
But why bring this up now?
Was it just because we were touring the garden?
"So personally, I'd love to create a massive garden in the North. Not quite on the palace's scale, but something equally impressive."
"Ah."
Got it.
"Are you asking what it would take to make that happen?"
"Yes."
It was sudden, but now I understood why Ivana brought it up.
One thing I'd learned from knowing her so far: Ivana always acted with a purpose.
That's why I could guess why she mentioned gardens to me.
"It's not hard. With enough money... most things can be solved in this world, right?"
I looked at Ivana and said it with a light smile.
"If it feels a bit tough, you just need more money."
This was true.
Most things really could be handled by throwing more money at them.