Rumors that King Jedercayer had postponed the crowning of Krald as Grand Duke quickly swept through social circles. And there was a rumor going around that the cause was not only Krald's careless actions but also his mother, Queen Gilsis.
Whenever people gathered at a salon or anywhere else, they brought up the topic. Knowing full well that King Jedercayer had so far covered up Queen Gilsis' numerous faults with silence, the rumor spread quickly and loudly like a fire spreading through a dry field.
Some said it was no different from the King declaring that he would no longer stand by Queen Gilsis's insolence, while others said it was an intentional act aimed at Duke Laetian, who was staying in the capital. Some outspoken people even cautiously floated the prospect that Queen Gilsis would soon be dethroned.
However, no matter what anyone predicted or what rumors spread, Queen Gilsis was not dethroned in the end. Krald, too, had his appointment as Grand Duke postponed, but instead of moving to a remote area, as was the case with royals who lost their status, he continued to stay in the palace. As the situation unfolded, people started whispering other things. It was speculated that there was some reason why King Jedercayer could not oust Queen Gilsis.
The Crown Prince's investiture ceremony has arrived amidst rampant speculation. The frivolous and playful members of the nobility even made bets on whether or not the Queen would attend the investiture ceremony. What started out as a joke with just a few gold coins soon grew to the point where you could buy several bags of really nice terrace tiles, and people were talking about it too.
Queen Gilsis, of course, had no desire to participate in the investiture ceremony. However, because King Jedercayer demanded her unconditional attendance, she had no choice but to comply.
When the King reprimanded her for what she had done to Judith and announced that he would postpone Krald's appointment as Grand Duke, the Queen turned a blind eye and acted viciously, breaking three vases in front of him.
Still, it was surprising that his request was eventually accepted. The royal concubines' maids shrugged their shoulders, saying they had no idea what Queen Gilsis was thinking.
"Your Majesty."
Even though there was little time left to participate in the investiture ceremony, the King sat in front of the bedside table and rested his forehead. It seemed like he was deep in thought, or he simply seemed to be suffering from fatigue. The Chamberlain called him several times, but he did not respond properly, so he ended up hurriedly bringing the Duke of Vergy.
The King raised his head slightly at the Duke's call, but still made no reply, only slowly closing his wrinkled eyes. However, his eyes, which seemed to be staring blankly into space, suddenly returned to focus, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
“The chamberlain seemed restless the whole time, so he called you. I guess I’ve reached the point now.”
“The concern was enormous. Your Majesty, are you not feeling well? Then...”
“No. Just something to think about.”
As he stood up, something lying on the table made a rattling sound. The Duke of Vergy's lips parted slightly as he turned his gaze toward the sound.
It was a small rocket. The lid was open and he could see inside. He saw curled red hair. It was tightly secured to the velvet cushion inside the rocket by tying it with thread.
There was now only one person in the royal family with hair of that color. However, Franz's hair is not long enough to be made into a skein like that. The Duke of Vergy's eyes frowned slightly.
"Your Majesty."
“Don’t say anything. I know what you want to say.”
King Jedercayer was not the only one who remembered Emerea. The Duke of Vergy was also one of those people who could not forget her deceased sister, that brilliant person.
Nevertheless, he felt deep concern that the King was holding on to the past with Emerea forever. It's a story that no one will believe now, but at one time, the Duke of Vergy practically urged him to first forget about the previous Queen and attach his affections to the new Queen.
The King woke up dramatically but was still unable to escape his longing for Emerea. No one knew that the reason he devoted himself to work even at the risk of damaging his body was in fact to shake off the sadness that came every night and every dawn.
“If only Emerea were alive.”
“...”
“She must have been very happy to see that child today.”
“...It would have been so.”
“So shouldn’t I be happy too? Rather than being sad... I should do it for Emerea as much as she would be happy. I should make her feel proud of him, feel proud, and bless him.”
The Duke hesitated, unable to find anything to say. Meanwhile, the King, who had put the locket in his bosom, put back on the crown he had taken off, corrected his disheveled attire, and went to bed.
***
The investiture ceremony was held at the Cornet Hall in the Magnus Palace. Large-scale banquets and large-scale investiture ceremonies held on New Year's Day were supposed to use the central hall, but the coronation of the King and the investiture of the Prince were traditionally held in the Cornet Hall.
The ceremony was long, but the sequence itself was not very complicated. Although the power of religion had been greatly weakened in Rotair for a long time, there was a formal high priest who was in charge of the royal family's major and minor affairs.
While he was reciting the great achievements of all the Kings since the founding of the nation one by one, and adding a long blessing at the end, the visitors were bowing their heads as if praying, with their palms folded in front of their hearts.
Finally, after the high priest finished reciting the long history, the King, accompanied by high-ranking nobles who would serve as witnesses, ascended to the highest stage of the podium. Since the witness was usually a Grand Duke or Duke who was related to the royal family, the Duke of Vergy naturally took on the role of witness at Franz's investiture ceremony.
After ordering the Crown Prince to fulfill his responsibilities as he knelt down, the King personally crowned the Crown Prince, filled a silver goblet with alcohol from the barrel opened for the first time that year, and blessed the Crown Prince and the future of the country. After that, all the rituals were over.
When Franz took the silver cup from the King's hand and drank, the nobles who were watching began to applaud in unison. But Judith did not clap or cheer with excitement. She was looking at him without missing a single trace of red liquor on the corner of his mouth as he emptied his glass. She thought.
'Someday, I will see him here, today wearing the Crown Prince's crown, holding a jade goblet rather than a silver cup, and taking over the throne.'
A banquet followed immediately after the investiture ceremony, but Judith and Franz did not immediately move to the central hall. Some young nobles, especially girls around Judith's age, also wanted something new to see rather than going dancing in broad daylight with someone of their stature.
"Perhaps! It’s really beautifully decorated!”
As soon as a group of people arrived at Nation Palace, someone shouted in a loud voice. Normally, this would have been frowned upon as being rude, but not today. That's because as soon as the shout broke out, everyone was busy praising the beautiful exterior of the National Palace with their voices raised as if they had been waiting for it.
“The thing decorated on the exterior wall is blue kyanite, right? But it seems like it’s not just kyanite that’s sparkling over there?”
“Isn’t it sapphire? Aquamarine or...”
“I think there’s amethyst too.”
“Look over there. There were so many Veronica pots decorated along the corridor railing!”
The chatter was so specific that Judith had the funny idea of just closing her eyes. Even without having to close her eyes and see the scenery, she felt like she could clearly picture what Nation Palace looked like just by listening to their words.
“Everyone, please step back. The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess must go in first. Are you going to go in first?”
When the excited people tried to step forward, the lesser Cheraan blocked them with a stern expression. She, who had her bright red hair up high to participate in the investiture ceremony, looked even more aggressive and demanding today, so everyone watched her and stepped behind her.
“The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess.”
Cheraan, who had taken care of the chaotic situation, had Franz and Judith come forward with a very serious attitude. The two people, who knew very well what Cheraan was like daily, desperately suppressed their laughter and crossed the crowd of people to enter the Nation Palace one step ahead.
The National Palace, which was completely renovated on the exterior as well as on the interior, was so beautiful that it was worthy of praise from people. The exterior wall, which had been decorated with dark blue kyanite, was made to look brighter by inserting new sapphires of a lighter color in between, and different types of blue flowers were planted in small square flower beds along the wall.
The Veronica flower pot decorating the corridor's railing had small flowers blooming in abundance all the way to the outside of the frame where the wing decoration was attached. From a distance, the round, puffy shape looked consistently beautiful, like a blue pound cake baked in a large cake mold.
As Franz and Judith entered the palace, the people who were only watching Cheraan behind them rushed through the entrance and looked inside. Among the people scattered everywhere, busy admiring, were Flavia and Anne Mille.
“Your Highness, what did you want to do here?”
Anne Mille whispered in a teasing voice. She said that Flavia did not want to go to the banquet, so she had no choice but to come along, but it was clear that she did not like it. Flavia could only smile faintly at the sight of her irreverent attitude for one of her maids.
“Well, I just heard that everyone is coming to watch... It’s a good opportunity.”
“What a good opportunity. What palace isn't pretty when it's just been renovated? Everyone said there was too much fuss.”
As the two of them separated from the crowd, Anne Mille's words became increasingly harsh. Because of Anne Mille's reaction, Flavia felt a secret joy inside her. She couldn't be more comfortable as she recited for her like a parrot the words she couldn't say on her own.
Finally, after the high priest finished reciting the long history, the King, accompanied by high-ranking nobles who would serve as witnesses, ascended to the highest stage of the podium. Since the witness was usually a Grand Duke or Duke who was related to the royal family, the Duke of Vergy naturally took on the role of witness at Franz's investiture ceremony.
After ordering the Crown Prince to fulfill his responsibilities as he knelt down, the King personally crowned the Crown Prince, filled a silver goblet with alcohol from the barrel opened for the first time that year, and blessed the Crown Prince and the future of the country. After that, all the rituals were over.
When Franz took the silver cup from the King's hand and drank, the nobles who were watching began to applaud in unison. But Judith did not clap or cheer with excitement. She was looking at him without missing a single trace of red liquor on the corner of his mouth as he emptied his glass. She thought.
'Someday, I will see him here, today wearing the Crown Prince's crown, holding a jade goblet rather than a silver cup, and taking over the throne.'
A banquet followed immediately after the investiture ceremony, but Judith and Franz did not immediately move to the central hall. Some young nobles, especially girls around Judith's age, also wanted something new to see rather than going dancing in broad daylight with someone of their stature.
"Perhaps! It’s really beautifully decorated!”
As soon as a group of people arrived at Nation Palace, someone shouted in a loud voice. Normally, this would have been frowned upon as being rude, but not today. That's because as soon as the shout broke out, everyone was busy praising the beautiful exterior of the National Palace with their voices raised as if they had been waiting for it.
“The thing decorated on the exterior wall is blue kyanite, right? But it seems like it’s not just kyanite that’s sparkling over there?”
“Isn’t it sapphire? Aquamarine or...”
“I think there’s amethyst too.”
“Look over there. There were so many Veronica pots decorated along the corridor railing!”
The chatter was so specific that Judith had the funny idea of just closing her eyes. Even without having to close her eyes and see the scenery, she felt like she could clearly picture what Nation Palace looked like just by listening to their words.
“Everyone, please step back. The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess must go in first. Are you going to go in first?”
When the excited people tried to step forward, the lesser Cheraan blocked them with a stern expression. She, who had her bright red hair up high to participate in the investiture ceremony, looked even more aggressive and demanding today, so everyone watched her and stepped behind her.
“The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess.”
Cheraan, who had taken care of the chaotic situation, had Franz and Judith come forward with a very serious attitude. The two people, who knew very well what Cheraan was like daily, desperately suppressed their laughter and crossed the crowd of people to enter the Nation Palace one step ahead.
The National Palace, which was completely renovated on the exterior as well as on the interior, was so beautiful that it was worthy of praise from people. The exterior wall, which had been decorated with dark blue kyanite, was made to look brighter by inserting new sapphires of a lighter color in between, and different types of blue flowers were planted in small square flower beds along the wall.
The Veronica flower pot decorating the corridor's railing had small flowers blooming in abundance all the way to the outside of the frame where the wing decoration was attached. From a distance, the round, puffy shape looked consistently beautiful, like a blue pound cake baked in a large cake mold.
As Franz and Judith entered the palace, the people who were only watching Cheraan behind them rushed through the entrance and looked inside. Among the people scattered everywhere, busy admiring, were Flavia and Anne Mille.
“Your Highness, what did you want to do here?”
Anne Mille whispered in a teasing voice. She said that Flavia did not want to go to the banquet, so she had no choice but to come along, but it was clear that she did not like it. Flavia could only smile faintly at the sight of her irreverent attitude for one of her maids.
“Well, I just heard that everyone is coming to watch... It’s a good opportunity.”
“What a good opportunity. What palace isn't pretty when it's just been renovated? Everyone said there was too much fuss.”
As the two of them separated from the crowd, Anne Mille's words became increasingly harsh. Because of Anne Mille's reaction, Flavia felt a secret joy inside her. She couldn't be more comfortable as she recited for her like a parrot the words she couldn't say on her own.
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