Episode 7. The Beginning of the Banquet
There was a reason for Canary's malice toward Renisha.
More than anyone else, Canary despised the fact that she was once a maid who washed Renisha's feet.
Her self-loathing spread to Renisha.
Therefore, Canary acted even more nobly, despised the maids who cared for her, and even now, she hated Renisha for ignoring her.
It was an inferiority complex she couldn't reveal to the Emperor.
The Emperor himself seemed to harbor some sort of inferiority complex toward Renisha.
If Canary revealed this, she might be miserably abandoned.
Canary's lips trembled.
With sharp eyes, she spat out a retort.
"Even so, wouldn't my situation be better than that of Your Majesty the Empress, who has been abandoned? Do you know what Your Majesty the Emperor is thinking?"
Canary walked briskly over to the chair across from Renisha.
“This is top-secret information I can share only with Your Majesty, the Empress. The Emperor is considering sending Your Majesty, the Empress, to her slave Kassius.”
Canary smiled gently.
Canary had no desire to leave this palace.
Her absolute standard was the enjoyment she enjoyed here.
The Empress would surely feel insulted by this statement.
And a slave! A status even lower than Canary’s.
When she had coaxed the Emperor into finding this out last night, she couldn’t contain her elation.
Renisha was finally becoming Canary’s subordinate.
“Really? That’s... what a pity,”
Renisha replied calmly.
Canary gritted her teeth. The unexpectedly calm answer was aggravating.
Canary glared at Renisha venomously.
“...Since we’ve been together all this time, reveal your true feelings. I, Canary, will kindly comfort you. How hurt must you be? It’s practically being kicked out of the palace.”
“Ah. I’m fine. I’m just grateful for your concern.”
What the heck?
Was Renisha becoming stupid?
Canary bit her lip.
“A slave,”
She whispered softly.
“A slave of a lower status than me, Your Majesty. You’re going to someone like that, aren’t you? And it’s the barren Hiloshine, isn’t it? You’re going to the most barren land of Loterra’s past. Do you think that’s all? That slave will be given the Loterra castle. Loterra!”
Renisha paused for a moment.
However, it was so fleeting that even Canary didn’t notice.
Laxus closed the door to the Loterra family with his own hand.
But giving Loterra's castle to Kassius?
It was a sufficiently malicious act.
But, thinking about it differently... it was actually a blessing.
It eliminated the need to exert all of my effort to restore Loterra.
Lexus must know there's a lot they can do with the Lottera name, so I wondered what they were up to.
There was a reason for Canary's malice toward Renisha.
More than anyone else, Canary despised the fact that she was once a maid who washed Renisha's feet.
Her self-loathing spread to Renisha.
Therefore, Canary acted even more nobly, despised the maids who cared for her, and even now, she hated Renisha for ignoring her.
It was an inferiority complex she couldn't reveal to the Emperor.
The Emperor himself seemed to harbor some sort of inferiority complex toward Renisha.
If Canary revealed this, she might be miserably abandoned.
Canary's lips trembled.
With sharp eyes, she spat out a retort.
"Even so, wouldn't my situation be better than that of Your Majesty the Empress, who has been abandoned? Do you know what Your Majesty the Emperor is thinking?"
Canary walked briskly over to the chair across from Renisha.
“This is top-secret information I can share only with Your Majesty, the Empress. The Emperor is considering sending Your Majesty, the Empress, to her slave Kassius.”
Canary smiled gently.
Canary had no desire to leave this palace.
Her absolute standard was the enjoyment she enjoyed here.
The Empress would surely feel insulted by this statement.
And a slave! A status even lower than Canary’s.
When she had coaxed the Emperor into finding this out last night, she couldn’t contain her elation.
Renisha was finally becoming Canary’s subordinate.
“Really? That’s... what a pity,”
Renisha replied calmly.
Canary gritted her teeth. The unexpectedly calm answer was aggravating.
Canary glared at Renisha venomously.
“...Since we’ve been together all this time, reveal your true feelings. I, Canary, will kindly comfort you. How hurt must you be? It’s practically being kicked out of the palace.”
“Ah. I’m fine. I’m just grateful for your concern.”
What the heck?
Was Renisha becoming stupid?
Canary bit her lip.
“A slave,”
She whispered softly.
“A slave of a lower status than me, Your Majesty. You’re going to someone like that, aren’t you? And it’s the barren Hiloshine, isn’t it? You’re going to the most barren land of Loterra’s past. Do you think that’s all? That slave will be given the Loterra castle. Loterra!”
Renisha paused for a moment.
However, it was so fleeting that even Canary didn’t notice.
Laxus closed the door to the Loterra family with his own hand.
But giving Loterra's castle to Kassius?
It was a sufficiently malicious act.
But, thinking about it differently... it was actually a blessing.
It eliminated the need to exert all of my effort to restore Loterra.
Lexus must know there's a lot they can do with the Lottera name, so I wondered what they were up to.
'Or, is he truly ignoring Loterra? Is this handshake just to insult me?'
It was a name that could sway the old nobles, a name that could unite the knights who had taken up swords for the Chorpa Plains under Loterra's name.
'Or... perhaps he was trying to wipe them out in one fell swoop.'
Perhaps he was hoping Renisha would just keep going.
Gather the people, revive Loterra, and then frame him for treason once more.
'That won't do.'
Loterra wasn't about to be fooled twice by Laxus's will.
Renisha smiled gently.
"Canary. You still worry so much. Just like you did when you were Jessica, serving me."
Canary's face turned pale.
Jessica was the name she used when she worked as a maid. As soon as she entered the Emperor's bedroom, she begged Laxus for a new name.
She was going to live as the Emperor's servant, so she needed a pretty name befitting that.
Laxus gave her a name, overjoyed.
It was Canary.
"Don't mention that name... Your Majesty."
In fact, it was Canary who was furious.
Before the indifferent Renisha, Canary revealed her true feelings.
"Why? I think that name is better. Canary is the name of a bird that lived in the Imperial Palace for a long time. A poor bird whose feathers were clipped and never left its cage. Do you really like that name?"
Renisha casually poked Canary where it hurt.
Canary chewed her red lips.
Even Canary knew that.
When the name she'd earned through flattery was merely Canary, even she couldn't hold back her tears of anger. But it was a name bestowed by the Emperor, who, despite his feigned affection, was nurturing a monster within.
Canary had no choice but to become Canary.
"Do you know what that bird's fate was like?"
"..."
"Forgotten by everyone, even the gardener. No more food or water, and the bird stopped singing. Forgotten, lonely, she died."
Canary couldn't have ignored Renisha's meaning.
It meant that Canary would meet the same fate as that bird.
A government that would sing only when the Emperor desired, and ultimately be abandoned.
Renisha had once again exposed Canary's shameful side in such a noble way.
Canary's vision was dyed red with anger.
Canary slowly closed and opened her eyes.
Renisha gestured to Lindy.
“I’m thinking of drinking the new tea. Do you plan to stay longer?”
Canary shook her head and stood up.
“No, Your Majesty. This is enough for me. I simply came to chat. I hope you understand the respect and concern I have for you, Your Majesty.”
“I always... know how you feel.”
Canary nodded and left.
Renisha stared at her back.
“Why does she always try to do things that don’t work out?”
Head maid Lindy asked in a disgruntled tone.
“She keeps challenging herself, hoping that someday she’ll surpass Your Majesty. What a pitiful life.”
Renisha turned her head.
Going to Hiloshine with Kassius, in the name of Lottera, was actually a good thing.
At first glance, Canary had practically given her the answer to her frustrated heart.
She would start over from Hiloshine.
A fiery man gazing intently at Renisha.
It was a far more anticipated experience than the hopeless days of languishing in the imperial palace.
***
The day of the dinner party, when everyone's desires gathered, Kassius stood awkwardly in the banquet hall, fiddling with his clothes.
"It really suits you. You'll be wearing it often from now on, so you should get used to it. You truly look like a nobleman now."
To think that a single outfit like this could be enough to pass for nobility?
Madame Turiel gave Kassius a long lecture on the importance of attire.
She even taught him the basics he absolutely needed to know in a short amount of time.
"Is this also a favor from the Empress?"
"No. Her Majesty only asked for your attire. However, I want to prevent Sir Kassius from causing any harm to her. She must be overwhelmed by her current situation."
Kassius muttered.
"Avoid it..."
We need to know what these guys are up to before we can deal with it. No matter how hard Therian ran around, he couldn't peek into the Emperor's inner thoughts within the castle.
He only discovered a few things.
Nine years ago, Renisha had married Emperor Laxus.
Laxus had become Emperor through Lottera's power.
A year later, the Lottera family was pushed by the Emperor to go to war.
And five years ago, the Emperor took Renisha's maid as his mistress.
Countless women had passed by the Emperor, but she was the one who had stayed by his side the longest.
Her name was Canary.
People said she was beautiful, but vulgar.
It was said that Canary's malice towards Renisha was beyond words.
"Tsk. Even that's a husband,"
Kassius muttered and entered the banquet hall.
There were already many people gathered inside. They had come at the Emperor's invitation.
"Where should we sit?"
"This way."
The chamberlain who had invited Kassius guided him to his seat.
It was the second seat to the right of the highest table.
Kassius frowned.
There was no reason for the Emperor to treat Kassius like this. He was given a higher seat than the other nobles, perhaps to make up for the previous mistreatment.
However, no one complained, maintaining the silence.
Soon, the banquet hall door opened.
"Oh my. Is Canary late?"
Canary winked as she spoke coquettishly.
She said her name as if to emphasize who she was.
“Is this my seat?”
Canary sat on the left of the table of honor.
Kassius knew that Canary, too, was a commoner, yet she sat above the nobles. It was truly a bizarre scene.
Canary and Kassius’ eyes met. Canary smiled brightly.
“Your name is Sir Kassius, right? The hero who saved our empire!”
“...”
“Let’s be friends from now on, Sir Kassius. Our names are similar, right? Canary and Kassius. Do they start with the same letter?”
“They are different.”
Kassius frowned slightly and cut her off.
“Yes?”
“Canary’s ‘Ca’ uses the letter C, and my name, Kassius, uses the letter K. Just because they are pronounced the same doesn’t mean they are the same letters.”
“What...? Usually, Kassius’s name...”
Kassius sighed, as if annoyed.
"Yes, it's correct to use C. However, there was an Emperor named Kassius in the past, and since then, C has not been used in his name. So, there's no reason for us to be friends."
Canary's face turned red.
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