The next day, after completing all preparations, I went down alone at the appointed time.
Perdes was already ready and waiting in the hall.
The same goes for Sir Aldor and Sir Aaron, who were to be our escorts today.
As I was almost down the central staircase, two people moved.
It was Perdes and Sir Aldor.
“...”
“...”
The two people who came forward at the same time looked at each other in silence.
The first one to turn his head was Sir Aldor.
As he returned to his original position, Perdes smiled with satisfaction and approached me, extending his hand.
“You look pretty today.”
I glanced at Sir Aldor, who looked a little dispirited, and then gently placed my hand on Perdes' outstretched hand.
“I hear you’re saying that I wasn’t usually pretty.”
“Oh. I misspoke. I meant that you look prettier today.”
As Perdes spoke, trembling, I looked at him, blinking slowly.
Despite his bright smile, his complexion was not very good.
I saw dark circles under his eyes.
He seemed unusually happy, so I thought something good had happened, but it turned out that he was just acting exaggeratedly to hide his pale complexion.
“I guess you didn’t sleep well last night.”
The corners of Perdes' mouth twitched for a moment.
He touched his dry cheek with his other hand.
“I was a little nervous and couldn’t sleep... Will it be noticeable? Will Duke Lucien notice?”
“That’s not it.”
His dark circles are just a little darker than usual, so someone seeing him for the first time probably wouldn't notice.
“Then that’s good.”
His eyebrows trembled slightly as if he was very nervous.
I was going to tell you not to worry because you'll win, but I held back because I thought even that would be burdensome.
“Then shall we go?”
We boarded the prepared carriage right away.
The coachman drove straight to the Duke of Lucien's residence.
Most of the high-ranking nobles lived in White Lien Street, and it only took ten minutes by carriage to reach the Duke of Lucien.
“Have you ever been to the Duke of Lucien’s house?”
“Yes. I went there with my parents when I was young.”
“What kind of place is it?”
“It’s a place with a lot of books and pictures. I don’t know if it’s still like that.”
When the previous head of the family died and a new head of the family arose, the mansion was refurbished to suit that head's tastes.
So I thought it might be quite different from when I went...
“It’s changed so much.”
I thought that the only thing that would have changed was the interior, but the entire exterior of the mansion has changed.
The mansion, with its harmony of white and black, looks like...
“It’s like a chessboard.”
Perdes clicked his tongue, saying what I wanted to say.
“I knew that the Duke of Lucien was crazy about chess, but I didn’t know it was to this extent.”
“That’s right...”
“It’s a good thing it’s a healthy hobby, otherwise the empire would have been turned upside down.”
I agreed with Perdes' words in silence.
As I entered, guided by the security guard, the butlers, and servants waiting in the hall bowed politely to me.
“Welcome to the Duchy of Lucien. Your Highness the 4th Prince, Lady Leopold.”
I handed the servant my coat and bag and asked him.
“Your Highness the Duke?”
“He was waiting in the reception room.”
Even if it is true that he is the Duke and Prince Perdes came in person, instead of coming out to greet him, he is waiting in the reception room.
I was a little embarrassed.
There is a rumor going around that when the Duke of Lucien was learning the basic manners of a nobleman, he learned everything except manners... Is that rumor true?
I was worried that Perdes might be upset, but fortunately, his expression was fine.
Well, he's not an ordinary member of the royal family.
“I will take you to the reception room. Please come this way.”
As I followed the butler to the reception room, I naturally got to see the inside of the mansion.
I knew it when they painted the exterior of the mansion to resemble a chessboard, but they also made sure the interior had a chess feel to it.
This guy is really crazy about chess.
As I was walking to the reception room, looking at the strange sight, I felt a strange gaze on the back of my head.
It felt like someone was looking at me, but when I turned around, no one was looking at me.
What is it? I definitely felt someone looking at me.
“They are servants.”
Perdes, who was following right next to me, answered the question.
“They look at Young Lady as they pass by.”
“Why me?”
“I don’t know about that. If they were to openly look at me, I would grab them and ask them, but since they’re just glancing in a way that doesn’t show it, it’s hard to do that.”
“Still, Lord Perdes noticed.”
“Originally, people around you tend to see this better.”
I see.
While I was wondering why the servants were looking at me as we passed by, I soon arrived at the reception room.
Knock knock.
“Your Excellency, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Lady Leopold have arrived.”
“Come in.”
“Please come inside.”
The Duke of Lucien stood up and greeted us as if he had completely drowned his courtesy in soup.
“Welcome, Your Highness. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you, Lady Leopold. Seven years, huh?”
“Yes. I think it’s about that much.”
It felt older than it was, but in today's time, it was about the same.
“You were just a little kid back then, but now you’re a grown woman.”
“Because I’m an adult.”
"Yes."
“Nice to meet you, Duke Lucien.”
We were exchanging meaningless greetings when Perdes suddenly joined the conversation.
The Duke of Lucien's gaze naturally shifted to Perdes.
The crimson eyes that were characteristic of the Duke of Lucien sparkled meaningfully.
“I see. I often see other members of the royal family at social gatherings or commemorative events, but this is my first time meeting the 4th Prince.”
It was a blatant lie.
The Duke of Lucien was present when I announced my engagement to Perdes.
Today couldn't be the first time he's seen Perdes.
But why do you lie like that?
As I was staring at the Duke of Lucien to gauge his intentions, Perdes grabbed my shoulder and pulled me into his arms.
What...?
“My fiancée asked me to come with her because she had something to say to the Duke, so I had no choice but to come here. I hope you don’t feel too burdened by my presence.”
I'm sure it wasn't my mistake that the part 'fiancee' seemed to have a strong accent.
The Duke of Lucien also felt it as he stared at Perdes with strange eyes, then burst into a short laugh and pointed to the sofa.
“Don’t keep standing with sore legs. Come over here and sit down.”
“Thank you. Let’s go, Young Lady.”
I sat down on the sofa as Perdes led me.
“So why did you want to see me, Young Lady Leopold?”
As soon as I sat down, Duke Lucien asked the main point.
It wasn't a question asked out of genuine curiosity, but rather a nuance of telling me to hurry up and get lost.
Normally, I would feel bad if my opponent acted like this, but maybe because he's the Duke of Lucien.
I just thought, “As expected of the ill-tempered Duke Lucien,” but I didn’t feel particularly bad about it.
I also found it more comfortable this way.
“I have come here because I have a favor to ask of you, Your Excellency.”
“Is there anything you would like to ask of me?”
“I understand that the first formal Aletheia of the year will be held on the second Friday in March.”
Aletheia.
It was a term referring to a formal aristocratic meeting where 12 nobles belonging to the aristocratic council gathered to discuss.
Now that my father is gone, there are 11 of them.
Anyway, Aletheia was held once every three months, and the first noble meeting of this year is scheduled to be held in March.
“There will be a special agenda at that time.”
“Any special agenda?”
"Yes."
Now it's just beginning.
I took a deep breath, calmed my slightly fluttering heart, and said.
“I intend to become Duke Leopold.”
“...!”
Perdes looked at me in surprise at my words.
I told him over and over again that I would become a Duke.
But the reason he was surprised was because he didn't know I would tell this story so openly.
If the Duke of Lucien had said he would take my side, it would have been different, but since he didn't, it was natural for Perdes to be surprised.
“Hoo.”
On the other hand, the Duke of Lucien looked at me with great interest.
His eyes were like those of a child who had found a new toy.
Perdes was already ready and waiting in the hall.
The same goes for Sir Aldor and Sir Aaron, who were to be our escorts today.
As I was almost down the central staircase, two people moved.
It was Perdes and Sir Aldor.
“...”
“...”
The two people who came forward at the same time looked at each other in silence.
The first one to turn his head was Sir Aldor.
As he returned to his original position, Perdes smiled with satisfaction and approached me, extending his hand.
“You look pretty today.”
I glanced at Sir Aldor, who looked a little dispirited, and then gently placed my hand on Perdes' outstretched hand.
“I hear you’re saying that I wasn’t usually pretty.”
“Oh. I misspoke. I meant that you look prettier today.”
As Perdes spoke, trembling, I looked at him, blinking slowly.
Despite his bright smile, his complexion was not very good.
I saw dark circles under his eyes.
He seemed unusually happy, so I thought something good had happened, but it turned out that he was just acting exaggeratedly to hide his pale complexion.
“I guess you didn’t sleep well last night.”
The corners of Perdes' mouth twitched for a moment.
He touched his dry cheek with his other hand.
“I was a little nervous and couldn’t sleep... Will it be noticeable? Will Duke Lucien notice?”
“That’s not it.”
His dark circles are just a little darker than usual, so someone seeing him for the first time probably wouldn't notice.
“Then that’s good.”
His eyebrows trembled slightly as if he was very nervous.
I was going to tell you not to worry because you'll win, but I held back because I thought even that would be burdensome.
“Then shall we go?”
We boarded the prepared carriage right away.
The coachman drove straight to the Duke of Lucien's residence.
Most of the high-ranking nobles lived in White Lien Street, and it only took ten minutes by carriage to reach the Duke of Lucien.
“Have you ever been to the Duke of Lucien’s house?”
“Yes. I went there with my parents when I was young.”
“What kind of place is it?”
“It’s a place with a lot of books and pictures. I don’t know if it’s still like that.”
When the previous head of the family died and a new head of the family arose, the mansion was refurbished to suit that head's tastes.
So I thought it might be quite different from when I went...
“It’s changed so much.”
I thought that the only thing that would have changed was the interior, but the entire exterior of the mansion has changed.
The mansion, with its harmony of white and black, looks like...
“It’s like a chessboard.”
Perdes clicked his tongue, saying what I wanted to say.
“I knew that the Duke of Lucien was crazy about chess, but I didn’t know it was to this extent.”
“That’s right...”
“It’s a good thing it’s a healthy hobby, otherwise the empire would have been turned upside down.”
I agreed with Perdes' words in silence.
As I entered, guided by the security guard, the butlers, and servants waiting in the hall bowed politely to me.
“Welcome to the Duchy of Lucien. Your Highness the 4th Prince, Lady Leopold.”
I handed the servant my coat and bag and asked him.
“Your Highness the Duke?”
“He was waiting in the reception room.”
Even if it is true that he is the Duke and Prince Perdes came in person, instead of coming out to greet him, he is waiting in the reception room.
I was a little embarrassed.
There is a rumor going around that when the Duke of Lucien was learning the basic manners of a nobleman, he learned everything except manners... Is that rumor true?
I was worried that Perdes might be upset, but fortunately, his expression was fine.
Well, he's not an ordinary member of the royal family.
“I will take you to the reception room. Please come this way.”
As I followed the butler to the reception room, I naturally got to see the inside of the mansion.
I knew it when they painted the exterior of the mansion to resemble a chessboard, but they also made sure the interior had a chess feel to it.
This guy is really crazy about chess.
As I was walking to the reception room, looking at the strange sight, I felt a strange gaze on the back of my head.
It felt like someone was looking at me, but when I turned around, no one was looking at me.
What is it? I definitely felt someone looking at me.
“They are servants.”
Perdes, who was following right next to me, answered the question.
“They look at Young Lady as they pass by.”
“Why me?”
“I don’t know about that. If they were to openly look at me, I would grab them and ask them, but since they’re just glancing in a way that doesn’t show it, it’s hard to do that.”
“Still, Lord Perdes noticed.”
“Originally, people around you tend to see this better.”
I see.
While I was wondering why the servants were looking at me as we passed by, I soon arrived at the reception room.
Knock knock.
“Your Excellency, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Lady Leopold have arrived.”
“Come in.”
“Please come inside.”
The Duke of Lucien stood up and greeted us as if he had completely drowned his courtesy in soup.
“Welcome, Your Highness. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you, Lady Leopold. Seven years, huh?”
“Yes. I think it’s about that much.”
It felt older than it was, but in today's time, it was about the same.
“You were just a little kid back then, but now you’re a grown woman.”
“Because I’m an adult.”
"Yes."
“Nice to meet you, Duke Lucien.”
We were exchanging meaningless greetings when Perdes suddenly joined the conversation.
The Duke of Lucien's gaze naturally shifted to Perdes.
The crimson eyes that were characteristic of the Duke of Lucien sparkled meaningfully.
“I see. I often see other members of the royal family at social gatherings or commemorative events, but this is my first time meeting the 4th Prince.”
It was a blatant lie.
The Duke of Lucien was present when I announced my engagement to Perdes.
Today couldn't be the first time he's seen Perdes.
But why do you lie like that?
As I was staring at the Duke of Lucien to gauge his intentions, Perdes grabbed my shoulder and pulled me into his arms.
What...?
“My fiancée asked me to come with her because she had something to say to the Duke, so I had no choice but to come here. I hope you don’t feel too burdened by my presence.”
I'm sure it wasn't my mistake that the part 'fiancee' seemed to have a strong accent.
The Duke of Lucien also felt it as he stared at Perdes with strange eyes, then burst into a short laugh and pointed to the sofa.
“Don’t keep standing with sore legs. Come over here and sit down.”
“Thank you. Let’s go, Young Lady.”
I sat down on the sofa as Perdes led me.
“So why did you want to see me, Young Lady Leopold?”
As soon as I sat down, Duke Lucien asked the main point.
It wasn't a question asked out of genuine curiosity, but rather a nuance of telling me to hurry up and get lost.
Normally, I would feel bad if my opponent acted like this, but maybe because he's the Duke of Lucien.
I just thought, “As expected of the ill-tempered Duke Lucien,” but I didn’t feel particularly bad about it.
I also found it more comfortable this way.
“I have come here because I have a favor to ask of you, Your Excellency.”
“Is there anything you would like to ask of me?”
“I understand that the first formal Aletheia of the year will be held on the second Friday in March.”
Aletheia.
It was a term referring to a formal aristocratic meeting where 12 nobles belonging to the aristocratic council gathered to discuss.
Now that my father is gone, there are 11 of them.
Anyway, Aletheia was held once every three months, and the first noble meeting of this year is scheduled to be held in March.
“There will be a special agenda at that time.”
“Any special agenda?”
"Yes."
Now it's just beginning.
I took a deep breath, calmed my slightly fluttering heart, and said.
“I intend to become Duke Leopold.”
“...!”
Perdes looked at me in surprise at my words.
I told him over and over again that I would become a Duke.
But the reason he was surprised was because he didn't know I would tell this story so openly.
If the Duke of Lucien had said he would take my side, it would have been different, but since he didn't, it was natural for Perdes to be surprised.
“Hoo.”
On the other hand, the Duke of Lucien looked at me with great interest.
His eyes were like those of a child who had found a new toy.
...but there was no sign of childlike innocence.
“Instead of His Highness the Fourth Prince receiving the title of Duke, is it that Young Lady herself will become the Duke?”
“I, Adele Leopold, am the bloodline of the Duke Leopold family. So I think it is right for me to be Duke Leopold.”
“That’s true.”
“But for me to become a Duke, I need the consent of a majority of the nobles.”
“So you’re asking me to vote for you?”
As I nodded, the Duke of Lucien stroked his chin and spoke as if talking to himself.
“If I agree, the neutral nobles who follow me will also agree.”
Among the 11 nobles currently belonging to the Noble Council, there were 4 pro-imperial nobles, 4 anti-imperial nobles, and 3 neutral nobles.
The Duke of Lucien was the head of the neutral nobles, so if he agreed as he said, the votes of the other two would be obtained naturally.
“For Young Lady to become a Duke, you need to get at least 6 votes... Where will you get the remaining 3 votes?”
“I have also thought about it separately, so Your Excellency, please do not worry about that part and just agree.”
“Just shut up and agree. How funny.”
The Duke of Lucien's lips rose smoothly.
“Surely you’re not asking me to help you bare-handed... If I help you, what will Young Lady give me?”
“Do you need anything?”
“Well, I wonder if there’s anything Young Lady can give me that I need.”
It's clearly a tone that looks down on me.
This made me feel a little bad, but I didn't show it and asked calmly.
“How about a game of chess?”
When the topic of chess came up, the Duke of Lucien's eyes changed.
He asked, leaning his upper body towards me.
“You’re proposing a chess bet to me. You don’t think that just because your father won, his daughter, Young Lady, can beat me, do you?”
"That..."
“I think you’re mistaken. I’m the one who’s going to deal with the Duke.”
When Perdes suddenly joined the conversation, the Duke of Lucien's gaze turned to him.
“Are you saying that Your Highness the Fourth Prince will deal with me?”
“Yes. Are you afraid that you might lose?”
The Duke of Lucien's lips tilted slanted at the obvious provocation.
“That’s possible. Okay. Let’s do that.”
The Duke of Lucien immediately told his butler to prepare a chessboard.
“But since this is a betting game, you will have to pay a price if you lose to me.”
“Instead of His Highness the Fourth Prince receiving the title of Duke, is it that Young Lady herself will become the Duke?”
“I, Adele Leopold, am the bloodline of the Duke Leopold family. So I think it is right for me to be Duke Leopold.”
“That’s true.”
“But for me to become a Duke, I need the consent of a majority of the nobles.”
“So you’re asking me to vote for you?”
As I nodded, the Duke of Lucien stroked his chin and spoke as if talking to himself.
“If I agree, the neutral nobles who follow me will also agree.”
Among the 11 nobles currently belonging to the Noble Council, there were 4 pro-imperial nobles, 4 anti-imperial nobles, and 3 neutral nobles.
The Duke of Lucien was the head of the neutral nobles, so if he agreed as he said, the votes of the other two would be obtained naturally.
“For Young Lady to become a Duke, you need to get at least 6 votes... Where will you get the remaining 3 votes?”
“I have also thought about it separately, so Your Excellency, please do not worry about that part and just agree.”
“Just shut up and agree. How funny.”
The Duke of Lucien's lips rose smoothly.
“Surely you’re not asking me to help you bare-handed... If I help you, what will Young Lady give me?”
“Do you need anything?”
“Well, I wonder if there’s anything Young Lady can give me that I need.”
It's clearly a tone that looks down on me.
This made me feel a little bad, but I didn't show it and asked calmly.
“How about a game of chess?”
When the topic of chess came up, the Duke of Lucien's eyes changed.
He asked, leaning his upper body towards me.
“You’re proposing a chess bet to me. You don’t think that just because your father won, his daughter, Young Lady, can beat me, do you?”
"That..."
“I think you’re mistaken. I’m the one who’s going to deal with the Duke.”
When Perdes suddenly joined the conversation, the Duke of Lucien's gaze turned to him.
“Are you saying that Your Highness the Fourth Prince will deal with me?”
“Yes. Are you afraid that you might lose?”
The Duke of Lucien's lips tilted slanted at the obvious provocation.
“That’s possible. Okay. Let’s do that.”
The Duke of Lucien immediately told his butler to prepare a chessboard.
“But since this is a betting game, you will have to pay a price if you lose to me.”
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