"Don't be so sad, lady. Baron Orleans is a good man, so he must have gone to heaven. It is also for the sake of his soul to send him away as soon as possible."
Madame Marie said to me in a gloomy state. But contrary to her thoughts, I was not simply depressed by the death of Baron Orleans. What happened in the banquet hall made me sad.
Orleans' appearance aside, he had already been engaged to Edita, the owner of this body, before I came to this world. He was the fiancé she had won by crying and clinging, so I couldn't afford to borrow her body belatedly.
But the engagement with Duke Albenovic was different. Even though I was keeping my eyes open, my intentions were completely ignored, and the engagement vows were made quickly.
How could that happen? Isn't I the one who is involved? Even though Edita was the Emperor's favorite daughter, her wishes were not reflected in the engagement at all.
Blood oath. I was filled with joy. I felt like a toy that went back and forth to the men's swear games.
She looked at me and added.
"This is a tragedy for you, but if you think about it differently, it could be a slope."
The remaining fiancé had died, and he thought that Madame Marie, a sergeant, was secretly associating with the Emperor. Still, thanks to the slope, I escaped to the banquet hall, and when I was led back by Stefano, Madame Marie did not even scold me. That's one thing. Nope. However, it is not.
"I should have seen the atmosphere of the banquet hall at that time, but it's a pity. I wonder how the people who were talking about this and that with the identity of a lady must have looked when they found out that Prince Albenovic and the Lady were engaged."
Madame Marie even laughed out loud for the first time. I soon realized my rashness and kept my mouth shut. Seeing that the solemn Madame Marle couldn't hide her smile, she seemed to be very pleased that Brandt and I had made our engagement vows.
On the other hand, I was bitter because I remembered the shy Edita who had been pointed at by so many people in this palace because of her status. She was also a beautiful woman, but I couldn't have even thought of seeing it. So, even though I was the emperor's daughter, I think Prince Fabio and Princess Lena attacked me like that.
As I was still bitter, Madame Marie's eyes lit up with sadness, and she squeezed my hands tightly.
"Lady, be strong. Baron Orleans will break your heart, but you must deal with it resolutely."
Madame Marie was actually worried that Edita would despair because of Orleans' death. It was then that I realized that she was exaggerating on purpose and pretending to be positive.
The unconcealable nervousness on my face sank. But I wasn't the Edita I used to be. It was love at first sight, but it wasn't sad enough to die from the death of Orleans, who couldn't tell if he was from the world or from a cartoon. Of course, it wasn't very sad.
When I thought of Orleans, I felt like I had a hole in my chest. I wasn't sad enough to cry, but he was still a man who made me happy in this remote world for a while, and I couldn't bear the thought of dying overnight without ever seeing his face. I changed the subject to soothe my bitter heart.
"What kind of person is Prince Albenovic?"
"His Excellency Duke Albenovic is the owner of the Duke of Albenovic, the most prestigious family in the empire. He has a fiefdom in Alviv, east of Ludenbach, and it has a reputation for being fertile and good to live in. Also, if it's academic, it's academic, and if it's martial arts, it's martial arts..."
Madame Marie seemed to have been waiting for a long time, and she was not very curious about Brandt's compliments. I looked at her with salty eyes, thinking that she was trying to soothe me again.
From what I heard, Brandt seemed to be the son of a very prestigious family that could not be compared to Baron Orleans. However, I was not interested in such a field at all, and Madame Marie, sensing my feelings, seemed to stop giving him compliments and struggle.
"...And although the atmosphere is different from that of Baron Orleans, Prince Albenovic also has a beautiful appearance."
But did you think I would be harassed by talking about his appearance in this situation? However, her sincerity was so great that I made an effort to think about the Brandt I saw today.
He was a man with a dark atmosphere, but he was definitely in much better shape and stood out. His face was expressionless, so he was masculine and had good features. I was used to Orleans' gorgeous white color, so I was not impressed by Brandt's simple and balanced beauty.
But if you're handsome, whatever? Remembering the moment when I made eye contact with him at the banquet hall still gave me goosebumps. What was that strange feeling?
I wish I could have sent him a warm look when our eyes met. When I remembered the face that laughed at me, I became gloomy again.
A huge amount of books and scrolls were placed on the table. I looked at them with my mouth open, and Madame Marie wiped her sweaty forehead.
"I decided to start lightly today."
"..."
"This is nothing to you. Hohoho... Isn't that right?"
When I didn't respond well, Madame Marie asked the maids who carried the luggage with her to agree. When I turned around, they all smiled and nodded in agreement.
Ah, this is a conspiracy. Otherwise, I can't study again at this age.
"The lady is just twenty years old, so if you read it, it will come right into your head."
Huh... I was twenty. Looking up in surprise, Madame Marie added quickly.
"You've already read it once when you were in your home, so it will be easier. Ho ho ho. I was surprised that you suddenly wanted to study as soon as you recovered."
I'm surprised and fall back.
Thanks to Madame Marie's presence, the maids didn't seem to have any doubts about Edita's coming back to study. When it was time to begin my studies in earnest, Madame Marie chased the maids out of the room again.
"Lady, don't you still remember?"
"I just found out that I was twenty."
Madame Marie sighed. I felt like I had done something wrong. It wasn't that I didn't understand her feelings. After a few days here, I was also human, so there were things I could see.
The daughter that the Emperor had brought from outside, and the daughter whose mother's status was lowly and could not be called a Princess. One of them was the Crown Prince, the son of the Emperor, and the other was the Princess, the daughter of his son.
Except for the fact that I was favored by the Emperor, he was in a position where I could be completely isolated from the palace. To make matters worse, Edita is now an idiot who can't remember anything... So I had to memorize all these books! Oh... I hope Madame Marie understands a little bit of my heart...
But if you can't avoid it, enjoy it. To cheer up Madame Marie's dark face, I picked up a book even though I didn't ask her to. It was thick enough to pick up with both hands, and the surface was white with dust. The title was 'History. ' It's just "history" without saying anything else. From here, the feeling of daunting was no joke.
But when I was there, there was something strange. I lived in another world and suddenly fell into this world, and I read the writings of this world. Not only did I write, but I also spoke. It was a story that did not make sense in terms of common sense.
Speaking of which, when I heard the news of Baron Orleans' death, I cried against my will. Instinctively, I knew it was Edita's tears.
"Am I borrowing the memories embedded in Edita's body?"
It is not just knowledge, but memories that have become embedded in the body Iike language or intense emotions. Otherwise, this situation could not be explained.
Maybe Edita and I weren't just swapped bodies. In other words, even if I fall into the pond again, I may not go back!
"Lady, you shouldn't leave that book in such a cursory way. History is the basis of the basics that the royal family should know."
Madame Marie said. I was so lost in my thoughts that I was flipping through the pages without realizing it. Madame Marie showed me the books and scrolls one by one and explained.
"First of all, you should read the entire history, and then you should read the Bahist scriptures, the only religion of Ludenbach. After that..."
The study time was long and boring. It was the first time I had been here and was so bored. Still, since this was the case, I thought I should learn it properly so that I wouldn't be caught by Prince Fabio or Princess Lena.
The Ludenbach Empire originally began as a small kingdom in the mountains. The fifth King and conquering monarch, Caliphe II, conquered most of the Western continent and was soon recognized by Pope Vahist and became Emperor. Paul Lutensbach, the current Emperor, was the eleventh Emperor. He did not bring in a new Empress after the late Empress gave birth to Prince Fabio and died of puerperal fever.
'What happened to Edita's mother?'
I looked at Madam Marie, who was teaching with enthusiasm and sincerity, like a tweezer instructor at an entrance exam. I felt like I should know, but I couldn't help but ask.
Her end was dignified, but it didn't seem to have been a happy ending at all.
"It must be a sad memory for Madarne Marie."
It must be a story that even the palace doesn't talk about.
When I lowered my head in bitterness, I saw a large, flat booklet.
'List of Nobles in Paul's 2nd Year?'
I was curious and flipped through the booklet. It was published in the second year of the reign of the current Emperor and described the influential noble families and their members. It contained not only the insignia of the family but also the portrait of the head of the family.
I saw for the first time a map of the Ludenbach Empire through the estates of each family drawn in the book. More than half of the fat boomerang-shaped continent was Ludenbach's land, and most of Ludenbach's land was the estates of the nobility.
If a few nobles own all the land, what do the others do? Do you live as a sharecropper on this land? As a commoner among the common people, I couldn't help but think about this.
Madame Marie, who found me looking carefully at the list of nobles, said,
"I was going to explain it later, but if you're interested, can I tell you now?"
I nodded, and she flipped through a few pages and opened the pages of Albenovic's house. There was a portrait of a middle-aged man looking straight ahead with a determined expression. Even though I saw it for the first time, it was strangely familiar.
"He is the father of Brandt, the current Duke of Albenovic."
Come to think of it, he looks a lot like Brandt.
"Didn't you say that Prince Brandt of Albenovic is the owner of the house now?"
"This is an old book published in the second year of His Majesty's reign. Of course, there are no major changes after that, so you can learn about the noble world with this book alone, but there are some things that have changed. Let me explain it all."
The Albenovic family was one of the oldest families in Ludenbach. Three families founded the early Ludenbach kingdom along with the imperial family. Ludenbach, and it was the only one that survived the power struggle.
The emblem is a soaring blue dragon, and it was based on the legend of the blue dragon that lives in Alviv. A brave hunter who lived in Alviv spent a night burning bones and flesh with a lost woman. After a while, she revealed herself to be a blue dragon and left the shocked hunter who had made love to a reptile, leaving only the egg that was the fruit of their love. The next development, of course, is that the founder of the Albenovic family was born from that egg.
'What kind of story is this?'
Duke Albenovic, who had a great birth secret, served as the chairman of the Privy Council, which was an advisor to the King, for generations. The Albenovic family has also produced six Empresses and three Popes. Even a cursory reading showed that it was a family at the peak of power.
'Am I really married into a great family?'
The secret part of the birth is especially interesting.
Madame Marie, when my reaction was unexpected, turned the page and showed me the enormous estate of the Albenovic family. Indeed, the whole of Alviv in the eastern part of Ludenbach was the territory of the Albenovic family.
However, it didn't inspire me much because I was worried about what the common people would do if the aristocrats ate all the land of Ludenbach.
"If I marry Duke Albenovich, will I go to live here?"
"You will go to the estate every season, but the nobles are involved in politics, so you spend most of your time in Ludens, the capital. Duke Albenovic, in particular, is the president of the Privy Council."
"If he is the president of the Privy Council, he must be busy."
For a man from such a great family, it was understandable that the Emperor would mate Edita, who had lost her fiancé in the middle of her life, with him. No matter how much Orleans was compared to the aristocratic Duke Albenovic. Moreover, according to what I had heard at the banquet, Orleans did not seem to be treated as well as Edita.
'You were a sad lover.'
Suddenly, I was curious about the Orleans family and turned the page. However, no matter how much I turned it over, the Orleans family did not come out. Seeing that Stefano's family was not listed, it seemed that the book was only about a very powerful aristocratic family.
Then, even though Edira was the Emperor's daughter, did she marry an unpowerful nobleman? Because of status and checks?
"Madame Marie, what kind of family is the Baron of Orleans? It's not in this book."
"At the time of the publication of this booklet, the Baron of Orleans did not officially belong to the aristocracy."
Madame Marie pouted.
"After making many contributions in the war, he dreamed of entering the social world and becoming a formal aristocrat. In particular, Baron Felix Orleans' beauty and eloquence made even noble ladies kneel."
"Then how did he officially become a Baron?"
Madame Marie looked at me dumbfounded.
"The Lady has begged Her Majesty to marry the Baron of Orleans. His Majesty granted him the title of baron in Orleans, befitting the Lady's body. His Majesty didn't like the idea of you marrying into such a family, but thanks to that, you were able to avoid the checks of noisy and talkative people."
However, Orleans's glory was short-lived. Felix, Baron of Orleans, had died on the battlefield.
Edith was no longer married to a newly established aristocratic family, but to a venerable Duke family with a history in Ludenbach. Therefore, it was no longer possible to avoid the checks of noisy and talkative people.
'But what do you think? If you're going to live with this or that, just get rid of it.'
The problem is Brandt. Just looking at the example of Princess Lena, who demanded that I be forced to abstain, it was clear that the world was conservative and tightly blocked. I understand the Emperor's excitement when he asked Albenovic out of nowhere, but he also did not respect my wishes and forced the engagement vow.
So do I have to obey the cold man and live now? It was far away. I had never imagined a life like this.
At that moment, Madame Marie warmly placed her hand on the back of my hand. Her face was filled with tenderness for the girl who was depressed.
"The lady will live happily ever after. So don't worry."
It was a voice that cared for me like a mother. Even though I knew that nothing had been resolved, I was a little sad.
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