“Yes, please go ahead.”
“Why did you come all the way to Saxony to look for me? Even if I hadn’t been here, the Duke would have married the Princess and lived a comfortable life. You could have just lived without looking for me.”
This was my true feeling. The more I heard about that woman, the more I felt that the empire would run very well even without the Princess.
Was it really necessary for the Duke to search the entire North to find the Princess?
“There’s something I haven’t told Young Lady yet...”
Cesare trailed off with a troubled expression. Yes, it seemed like he was hiding something. Something very dark.
There's no way they'd be so desperate for something that's good only for me, no, the Princess.
I sat close to the table.
“Tell me.”
“May I dare say...”
“Tell me. It’s something I should have heard anyway.”
I jerked my head back. The door was open, and Laskan was standing in the doorway.
“When did you come?”
“A little while ago.”
A little while ago? How much a little while ago? It was an ambiguous question. Was it a little while ago that you could hear the childish chatter between Cesare and me?
I was about to ask one more time to be sure, but I stopped because I felt like I was digging my own grave.
Laskan asked, pouring water into a glass.
“Don’t you know about the relationship between Kairak and Ashkhabad?”
“Well, that’s right. Olga hated talking about ‘high-ranking people.’ She wouldn’t even let me read the newspapers. If a pickpocket let into the house and said anything like that, he would have to eat only dry bread for two days.”
Cesare shrugged his shoulders and replied.
“Princess Kairak is an objectively excellent person, but no one with the name Ashkhabad would want her to become Emperor.”
"Why?"
This time, no one dared to open their mouths. Looking at my face, which seemed to be dying of curiosity, Laskan continued speaking slowly.
“It’s a story from over 20 years ago. It was when my maternal grandfather was leading Ashkhabad.”
“Is it because of something that old?”
I made a face of embarrassment but quickly calmed down after seeing the atmosphere.
“There was an incident where the youngest Princess of Ashkabad died a month after marrying the Duke of Kairak.”
“She is the great-aunt of His Excellency. Not only did she not have any chronic illness, but she was also a healthy person, so poisoning was suspected. We requested the return of her body several times, but all that was returned in the end were the ashes.”
...This was really suspicious, even to me, who knew nothing about it.
When I was living in George, I saw the corpse of a person who had died from drinking poison.
His eyes were swollen, and his tongue had turned purple, so he didn't look like someone who had died in a normal way.
There were always traces of poison left on the bodies of those who died: a torn throat, a terrible stench, or a melted tongue.
There were no exceptions, no matter how expensive the poison was.
Burning the body in a situation where there was already suspicion of poisoning meant that there was something that had to be hidden.
“Is there something wrong?”
“Yes. It was an action that was no different from declaring war. Duke Ashkabad of the previous generation was furious and immediately declared all-out war against Kairak. But this is where the real problem arose.”
“Is this a real problem?”
“The Duke of Kairak has remarried. It’s only been two weeks since the funeral.”
“With who?”
“Natalia Olson. She was the only quasi-imperial descendant of His Majesty the Emperor and was recognized by blood. Now, attacking Duke Kairak would be considered a show of force against the Imperial Family and would be punished as treason.”
“...So you couldn’t do anything? Duke Kairak planned it all from the beginning? No, how could such a shameless man do that!”
I clenched my fists in anger. Cesare nodded with a look of utmost sympathy.
“The Emperor who eventually took on the role of mediator made several promises to Ashkhabad. One of them was a marriage with the heir to the throne.”
“But everything came to nothing when the Crown Princess died, and her daughter, the Princess, went missing.”
Laskan, who had been listening quietly, suddenly interjected.
“The Emperor believes that Ashkhabad was involved in the incident or that he knew about it but ignored it. As part of his revenge.”
“That can’t be...”
It was complicated, but now I think I'm starting to understand it a little. The tangled, resentful relationships.
Why are the Duke and his men so obsessed with the Princess?
“So you both believe you’ve fucked each other? Kairak is a real son of a bitch by the way.”
“...That’s true, but please, Young Lady.”
Cesare warned me sternly once again. I tapped my mouth with a stinging expression.
Laskan smiled gently at the two of us and continued speaking.
“If we find the Princess, Ashkabad can clear his old reputation. We can also stop Duke Kairak, who uses the Princess as his guiding force, from swinging his ambitions around the empire. Do you understand?”
“Completely.”
I nodded vigorously.
There were such circumstances. It was understandable why he had been desperately searching for the Princess. It was a completely political issue.
I slumped my shoulders sullenly. It didn't seem like he was looking for the Princess because of childhood memories, as Isabella had said. I thought it was a very romantic reason.
Laskan spoke as if he had seen right through my thoughts.
“I can’t say that there is no political calculation at all, but finding the Princess is a matter of personal importance to me. That’s why I desperately want you to be her.”
“I hope so, too. But if I am recognized as a Princess, what will happen to Princess Kairak? What will happen to her?”
“He must return to the dukedom in the west. Put down the Emperor’s crown.”
Laskan kept his words short, but I could tell what he wasn't saying.
It was said that Lady Kairak, who was revered as the next Emperor, had everything taken away. Her position, her men, and even her followers who revered her.
Laskan is said to have a grudge against her, but... Who am I to push away and rise above?
“Don’t think too hard about complicated things. If you are truly the princess, you will just return to your proper place.”
I nodded, but my mind was complicated. Bringing down the Princess. Was that his revenge? Somehow, Laskan's handsome face felt a little cold today.
“There are three main types of dances performed at balls: the waltz, the minuet, and the saltarello, which has recently become popular at the Landel.”
Minyu, what? Salta, what? Another incomprehensible sound came out.
For someone like me who came from the slums, dancing was just dancing. The kind of dancing that started naturally when someone sang a thick tune or beat a worn-out drum. The kind of dancing that you do when you shake your hips and clap your hands and can't control your excitement.
“Among them, the Saltarello is a dance that had been completely lost for centuries, but it is said that it was remodeled by the new musicians of Landel to be much faster and more intense and became popular.”
“Intense and fast?”
I said with a funny expression on my face, trying to hold back my laughter.
No matter how intense and fast the nobles' dances are, they can't compete with ours. I grew up watching people who would flip over chairs and tables when they got excited.
How did you interpret my expression? Cesare said, shrugging his shoulders.
“It usually appears towards the end of the ball when the excitement is in full swing, so there’s no reason for you to appear. After all, it’s only at the very beginning of an imperial ball that the royal family dances.”
I just shrugged my shoulders. If I were to say something like that, I'd probably just get scolded for having noble thoughts and attitudes.
Cesare cleared his throat and took up a position with his imaginary female partner, lifting his arms and hands into the air and straightening his back.
“This is the basic posture for the waltz. Keep your back straight and lightly hold your hands like this. Basically, you just have to think of the ballroom as a big circle and go around to the music, so it shouldn’t be too difficult.”
“Yes. Let’s try it first.”
I stood up confidently. I've never taken formal dance lessons, but it looks easy. All you have to do is hold hands and spin around.
But Cesare scratched his cheek in a perplexed manner. It was an attitude that was unlike that of the man who had just been enthusiastically explaining theories to me.
“Oh, I can’t dance.”
"... Yes?"
What? When I made a face of bewilderment, Cesare replied with his cheeks reddening.
“I’m a staff member. If you’re smart, that’s enough. What good is dancing, too?”
“Then who do you learn to dance from?”
“I have learned the theory, so His Excellency will teach you the rest.”
“Wait a minute. Th, His Excellency...”
I was so flustered that I couldn't speak quickly.
“He seems busy, but is it really okay for him to come to me out of the blue for something like this?”
“What could be more urgent than a young lady’s dance lessons?”
Now that you mention it, it really seems to be true. After all, what could be more embarrassing than if I tripped over the hem of my dress at the royal ball?
As I hesitated, Cesare pushed my back towards the door.
“Are you really going?”
"yes."
“Are you really, really going to the Duke?”
“Yes, he’d be happy to help.”
“Really, really, really will you go?”
Now, there was no answer. Cesare pushed me out of the room as if he found me annoying.
The door behind me slammed shut as if telling me not to come back until I had learned how to dance.
“Why did you come all the way to Saxony to look for me? Even if I hadn’t been here, the Duke would have married the Princess and lived a comfortable life. You could have just lived without looking for me.”
This was my true feeling. The more I heard about that woman, the more I felt that the empire would run very well even without the Princess.
Was it really necessary for the Duke to search the entire North to find the Princess?
“There’s something I haven’t told Young Lady yet...”
Cesare trailed off with a troubled expression. Yes, it seemed like he was hiding something. Something very dark.
There's no way they'd be so desperate for something that's good only for me, no, the Princess.
I sat close to the table.
“Tell me.”
“May I dare say...”
“Tell me. It’s something I should have heard anyway.”
I jerked my head back. The door was open, and Laskan was standing in the doorway.
“When did you come?”
“A little while ago.”
A little while ago? How much a little while ago? It was an ambiguous question. Was it a little while ago that you could hear the childish chatter between Cesare and me?
I was about to ask one more time to be sure, but I stopped because I felt like I was digging my own grave.
Laskan asked, pouring water into a glass.
“Don’t you know about the relationship between Kairak and Ashkhabad?”
“Well, that’s right. Olga hated talking about ‘high-ranking people.’ She wouldn’t even let me read the newspapers. If a pickpocket let into the house and said anything like that, he would have to eat only dry bread for two days.”
Cesare shrugged his shoulders and replied.
“Princess Kairak is an objectively excellent person, but no one with the name Ashkhabad would want her to become Emperor.”
"Why?"
This time, no one dared to open their mouths. Looking at my face, which seemed to be dying of curiosity, Laskan continued speaking slowly.
“It’s a story from over 20 years ago. It was when my maternal grandfather was leading Ashkhabad.”
“Is it because of something that old?”
I made a face of embarrassment but quickly calmed down after seeing the atmosphere.
“There was an incident where the youngest Princess of Ashkabad died a month after marrying the Duke of Kairak.”
“She is the great-aunt of His Excellency. Not only did she not have any chronic illness, but she was also a healthy person, so poisoning was suspected. We requested the return of her body several times, but all that was returned in the end were the ashes.”
...This was really suspicious, even to me, who knew nothing about it.
When I was living in George, I saw the corpse of a person who had died from drinking poison.
His eyes were swollen, and his tongue had turned purple, so he didn't look like someone who had died in a normal way.
There were always traces of poison left on the bodies of those who died: a torn throat, a terrible stench, or a melted tongue.
There were no exceptions, no matter how expensive the poison was.
Burning the body in a situation where there was already suspicion of poisoning meant that there was something that had to be hidden.
“Is there something wrong?”
“Yes. It was an action that was no different from declaring war. Duke Ashkabad of the previous generation was furious and immediately declared all-out war against Kairak. But this is where the real problem arose.”
“Is this a real problem?”
“The Duke of Kairak has remarried. It’s only been two weeks since the funeral.”
“With who?”
“Natalia Olson. She was the only quasi-imperial descendant of His Majesty the Emperor and was recognized by blood. Now, attacking Duke Kairak would be considered a show of force against the Imperial Family and would be punished as treason.”
“...So you couldn’t do anything? Duke Kairak planned it all from the beginning? No, how could such a shameless man do that!”
I clenched my fists in anger. Cesare nodded with a look of utmost sympathy.
“The Emperor who eventually took on the role of mediator made several promises to Ashkhabad. One of them was a marriage with the heir to the throne.”
“But everything came to nothing when the Crown Princess died, and her daughter, the Princess, went missing.”
Laskan, who had been listening quietly, suddenly interjected.
“The Emperor believes that Ashkhabad was involved in the incident or that he knew about it but ignored it. As part of his revenge.”
“That can’t be...”
It was complicated, but now I think I'm starting to understand it a little. The tangled, resentful relationships.
Why are the Duke and his men so obsessed with the Princess?
“So you both believe you’ve fucked each other? Kairak is a real son of a bitch by the way.”
“...That’s true, but please, Young Lady.”
Cesare warned me sternly once again. I tapped my mouth with a stinging expression.
Laskan smiled gently at the two of us and continued speaking.
“If we find the Princess, Ashkabad can clear his old reputation. We can also stop Duke Kairak, who uses the Princess as his guiding force, from swinging his ambitions around the empire. Do you understand?”
“Completely.”
I nodded vigorously.
There were such circumstances. It was understandable why he had been desperately searching for the Princess. It was a completely political issue.
I slumped my shoulders sullenly. It didn't seem like he was looking for the Princess because of childhood memories, as Isabella had said. I thought it was a very romantic reason.
Laskan spoke as if he had seen right through my thoughts.
“I can’t say that there is no political calculation at all, but finding the Princess is a matter of personal importance to me. That’s why I desperately want you to be her.”
“I hope so, too. But if I am recognized as a Princess, what will happen to Princess Kairak? What will happen to her?”
“He must return to the dukedom in the west. Put down the Emperor’s crown.”
Laskan kept his words short, but I could tell what he wasn't saying.
It was said that Lady Kairak, who was revered as the next Emperor, had everything taken away. Her position, her men, and even her followers who revered her.
Laskan is said to have a grudge against her, but... Who am I to push away and rise above?
“Don’t think too hard about complicated things. If you are truly the princess, you will just return to your proper place.”
I nodded, but my mind was complicated. Bringing down the Princess. Was that his revenge? Somehow, Laskan's handsome face felt a little cold today.
***
“There are three main types of dances performed at balls: the waltz, the minuet, and the saltarello, which has recently become popular at the Landel.”
Minyu, what? Salta, what? Another incomprehensible sound came out.
For someone like me who came from the slums, dancing was just dancing. The kind of dancing that started naturally when someone sang a thick tune or beat a worn-out drum. The kind of dancing that you do when you shake your hips and clap your hands and can't control your excitement.
“Among them, the Saltarello is a dance that had been completely lost for centuries, but it is said that it was remodeled by the new musicians of Landel to be much faster and more intense and became popular.”
“Intense and fast?”
I said with a funny expression on my face, trying to hold back my laughter.
No matter how intense and fast the nobles' dances are, they can't compete with ours. I grew up watching people who would flip over chairs and tables when they got excited.
How did you interpret my expression? Cesare said, shrugging his shoulders.
“It usually appears towards the end of the ball when the excitement is in full swing, so there’s no reason for you to appear. After all, it’s only at the very beginning of an imperial ball that the royal family dances.”
I just shrugged my shoulders. If I were to say something like that, I'd probably just get scolded for having noble thoughts and attitudes.
Cesare cleared his throat and took up a position with his imaginary female partner, lifting his arms and hands into the air and straightening his back.
“This is the basic posture for the waltz. Keep your back straight and lightly hold your hands like this. Basically, you just have to think of the ballroom as a big circle and go around to the music, so it shouldn’t be too difficult.”
“Yes. Let’s try it first.”
I stood up confidently. I've never taken formal dance lessons, but it looks easy. All you have to do is hold hands and spin around.
But Cesare scratched his cheek in a perplexed manner. It was an attitude that was unlike that of the man who had just been enthusiastically explaining theories to me.
“Oh, I can’t dance.”
"... Yes?"
What? When I made a face of bewilderment, Cesare replied with his cheeks reddening.
“I’m a staff member. If you’re smart, that’s enough. What good is dancing, too?”
“Then who do you learn to dance from?”
“I have learned the theory, so His Excellency will teach you the rest.”
“Wait a minute. Th, His Excellency...”
I was so flustered that I couldn't speak quickly.
“He seems busy, but is it really okay for him to come to me out of the blue for something like this?”
“What could be more urgent than a young lady’s dance lessons?”
Now that you mention it, it really seems to be true. After all, what could be more embarrassing than if I tripped over the hem of my dress at the royal ball?
As I hesitated, Cesare pushed my back towards the door.
“Are you really going?”
"yes."
“Are you really, really going to the Duke?”
“Yes, he’d be happy to help.”
“Really, really, really will you go?”
Now, there was no answer. Cesare pushed me out of the room as if he found me annoying.
The door behind me slammed shut as if telling me not to come back until I had learned how to dance.
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment