"Hmm..."
Agatha waited for the Emperor's next words while gently drinking her tea. The Emperor, who had been swallowing his breath, finally opened his mouth.
“To celebrate the successful conclusion of the negotiations, I plan to hold a very grand ball at the palace. If I connect it to the originally scheduled last summer palace ball and hold it for two days, everyone will know that I am throwing a banquet for you and Marquis Aratus, even if it is not officially announced.”
“Your Majesty’s surname is like this sea.”
Officially, it is a treaty signed between the Nobilis family and the Mainukor Empire, not the Roxbard Empire, so it is a natural result.
“Didn’t I give you 500,000 karls of gold to commemorate your seventh marriage? In addition, to commend you for carrying out this imperial order well, I will give you an additional 500,000 karls of gold.”
“We should give a bonus to the knights who went with us this time. They must be happy since they worked hard standing guard until night.”
“...I don’t know if you heard, but Marquis Aratus, who entered the court for the first time today, was personally seated by me in the highest seat. It was precisely the first row where the ministers of each department sat.”
Only then did Agatha, who had put down her teacup, show interest.
Court meetings are held in the Hall of the Sun.
Below the seats of the Emperor and the imperial family, who sat on the highest throne in the center, the seats of the nobles were divided into three semicircles. Their positions indicated their status in court and the Emperor's favor.
“Did you give him the first corner seat?”
“No! I gave him the center seat.”
The Emperor added urgently. Enoch, the head of the prestigious Aratus family with the title of war hero and married to the heiress of the Nobilis family, should have been placed in the first row, but it was significant that he was seated in the center, and by the Emperor himself.
The Emperor continued speaking with a slightly excited expression.
“I asked Marquis Aratus for his opinion on every agenda item that came up for discussion today. His status at court must have risen.”
“What else?”
“...Will you grant tax exemption to the existing territory of Marquis Aratus?”
When the Emperor asked the question again cautiously, Agatha smiled brightly but said, “That’s enough,” and did not say anything.
“You left one thing out, Your Majesty.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Are you going to send me to that place again next time?”
In the same place where her ex-husband appears.
The Mainukor Empire and House Nobilis have entered into a preliminary agreement, and relations with the Roxbard Empire have also been restored, so this fall the Mainukor Empire will send an official envoy to formally declare the existence of the agreement and implement it.
Since something like this has happened, the Emperor of the Mainukor Empire will send the second Prince again.
'To prove on the outside that there is no problem.'
Of course, it didn't matter whether they came or not, but Agatha no longer wanted to greet the delegation or anything like that.
Enoch would hate it too.
“Please do not ask me to greet the Mainukor envoy who will visit in the fall. I doubt it, but you will not send me there again this time, will you, Your Majesty?”
Emperor Womilai II looked speechless.
“However, the Mainukor Empire would like you to accept it.”
"Your Majesty."
“Oh, I understand. But you must attend the welcoming ball. Okay? If you don’t do that, the Mainukor Empire will also be dissatisfied with the outcome of the negotiations.”
Agatha nodded as if she was truly reluctant to accept it.
“If Your Majesty says so, I can’t help it. I will attend with my husband.”
The Emperor, who had been feeling relieved without realizing it, soon made a sour expression on his face.
“How can ny goddaughter have such a certain personality? Well, it’s okay for a godfather to make a mistake once, but this is really too much.”
What kind of accident are you going to get into if you make the same mistake twice?
Agatha became serious.
“Honestly, if Your Majesty had given me the list of delegations from Mainukor in advance and had only offered me consolation, I wouldn’t have gone this far.”
“Really?”
“...”
Agatha pretended not to notice and lifted her teacup again.
She thinks it might have stopped at about half of what it is now.
Of course, she couldn't be sure because it happened at that time.
The Emperor, who had been staring intently, let out a deep sigh and relaxed.
“Okay. This was my mistake, so let’s move on. Okay, was there anything else that happened?”
“Yes. It was really good.”
What should I say?
Of all the honeymoons she's ever been on, this was definitely the best, Agatha could say with certainty. The Emperor spoke as he saw her smiling face.
“Would you like to have lunch with me after a long time? I’d like to hear about how you enjoyed your meal and the new territory and the Palavi Islands.”
'I have a lunch appointment with Enoch.'
Agatha blinked but agreed. Up until just now, the Emperor had been acting weakly because he had committed a sin, but he had goodness.
“My husband will be waiting for me. Can I listen to it with him? I think it will be more helpful for you to hear it through him than through me.”
“No one can match the military acumen of Marquis Aratus. Is the Marquis currently in the military?”
The Emperor rang the bell next to the throne. The chief chamberlain of the Emperor's palace appeared without a sound and paid his respects.
“Your Majesty. Have you summoned me?”
“Summon the Marquis of Aratus. I will have lunch with my goddaughter and the Marquis.”
“Yes. I will send a servant right away.”
Agatha followed the Emperor's private dining room, located in the heart of the Imperial Palace.
A moment later, Enoch Aratus arrived, summoned by the Emperor.
“Your Majesty, I have heard of Marquis Enoch Aratus.”
“Tell him to come in.”
Agatha looked at the man who had finally stepped inside and smiled apologetically.
It was a shame that they missed the opportunity to have a meal together.
'I must endure it, for it will be of some help to the Emperor if I have a private lunch with him.'
There would be more opportunities to have lunch together in the future.
“Welcome, Marquis Aratus.”
“Welcome, Marquis.”
Enoch, perhaps noticing the situation as he came, bowed to the Emperor without saying anything.
“I have come at your call, Your Majesty.”
“Yes, Marquis. I heard from Agatha that this honeymoon was really good.”
For a moment, Enoch's gaze turned to Agatha. The Emperor continued.
“I called you because I wanted to hear about the new territory and the Pahlavi Islands. After all, no one in this empire can follow the Marquis in terms of military acumen. Hahaha!”
Agatha smiled and advised the emperor.
“Your Majesty. First, let’s sit down and talk. Wouldn’t it be better if we listened while eating something?”
“Oh, sit down, Marquis. Come, let’s talk while we eat.”
That day, the Emperor's luncheon lasted a long time, lasting a full three hours. As a bonus, Marquis Enoch Aratus's status at court rose even higher.
Agatha, who returned to the mansion, relayed to Lord Hubert the news that the magistrate, Conrad, was overjoyed to hear the news of the 500,000 karls of gold she had received from the Emperor through Enoch and the tax exemption for Aratus' existing territory this year.
And the end of summer.
A special two-day palace ball is approaching.
***
Late summer, when the heat is starting to subside slightly.
The return of nobles who had gone on vacation to nearby mountains, rivers, and villas to the capital began.
The first thing the nobles who gathered one by one did was to gather with their factions and exchange stories about what had happened while they were away from the capital.
After Agatha's marriage, the biggest topic of conversation was, of course, Agatha Nobilis again.
Word quickly spread by word of mouth that the trade agreement with the Mainukor Empire had been successfully concluded, greatly satisfying the Emperor.
As a token of his appreciation, rumors spread that the palace ball had been extended to two days.
After the rumor had traveled around the capital three times and once more, the day of the palace ball arrived.
Agatha spent the morning taking a milk bath in the bathtub and receiving an oil massage.
Enoch and she wanted to look perfect at their first ball as a married couple, as it was a meaningful event in many ways.
Agatha, whose skin was smooth and soft from head to toe, sat in front of the mirror and asked.
“Is he ready”
“He's ready.”
She checked the time. It was 1:00 PM.
If Enoch's preparations are complete, then this part needs to be finished. Agatha began to prepare with relief.
Blonde hair with thick curls that fall down to the lower back.
Her transparent white skin and brightly colored eye makeup accentuated her elegant purple-statis-like eyes.
Her beautiful face became even more gorgeous as she put red flower water on her lips and slightly raised her long eyelashes.
“How are you, Ma’am?”
“I like it. It’s pretty.”
“Okay, I’ll bring the clothes now.”
The maids brought the dresses, shoes, and accessories that they had chosen in advance. Everything she was going to wear today was something that Enoch and she had made in Madame Charlotte's dressing room earlier.
Made by embroidering small patterns on white, fine fabric.
The round shoulder line and collarbone were revealed, and the slightly flared top was gently tightened at the waist before the skirt hem flared out voluminously, which was attractive.
The mirror reflected a beautiful lady without a single flaw. The only thing that had not changed was the wedding ring on her left ring finger.
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