We rode the Grand Duke’s carriage to the Imperial Palace. It was impossible to ride a horse while wearing a dress.

The interior of the carriage was very spacious, with ample room even with Arcadia, the Grand Duke, and I all riding together.

In the indecipherable silence, the three of us gazed out the windows in different directions.

It was Arcadia who broke the silence.

“Your Highness, are you heading to the audience chamber rather than His Majesty’s office?”

“His Majesty desires it. A public place.”

“He must have chosen a location where the North can be publicly looked down upon.”

The Grand Duke neither denied nor confirmed those words.

‘The audience chamber. A place where the North can be looked down upon.’

Having lived a short but long twenty-five years in my previous life, I knew what kind of place the Empire’s audience chamber was, even though I had never been there myself.

The audience chamber is a place that is open to the common people on major imperial occasions such as the National Foundation Day or the ‘Sacred Spring Festival’.

There are even provincial nobles who deliberately come up from distant rural areas just to catch a glimpse of the noble and esteemed Emperor. The place they gather is none other than the audience chamber.

An improper space to receive the venerable Grand Duke of the Empire.

The Emperor summoned the Grand Duke to such a place.

Without realizing it, I tightly grasped the hem of my dress.

That’s when it happened.

There was a carriage following us at an incredibly fast speed. That carriage brushed past us at a perilously close distance, almost colliding.

Although it was a major road, it was a path where people walked. Not only us, but it could have easily led to a major loss of life.

The startled horses neighed loudly and came to a halt.

The carriage swayed greatly.

I ended up falling and being caught in the Grand Duke’s arms.

“Are you alright, Esther?”

“Ah, yes. I apologize.”

What is this?

Why is my heart beating so fast?

“The Lahert crest.”

The Grand Duke spoke while looking at the carriage moving away.

“These bastards…”

Arcadia gritted his teeth.

“Shall I chase after them and split their carriage in half?”

“Doesn’t seem like a good idea.”

The Grand Duke responded indifferently, gazing at the Lahert carriage slowly disappearing in the distance.

‘Lahert, did they intentionally threaten us?’

“Esther, could you please get out for a moment and check if the people on the street are alright?”

The Grand Duke said.

“Understood, Your Highness.”

Some time later, the carriage we were riding arrived in the heart of the Imperial Palace of the Great Empire of Belfast.

‘So this is the Imperial Palace…’

In my previous life, I had been near the entrance of the Imperial Palace only once, but this was the first time I had properly entered inside.

The evenly paved, seemingly endless grounds. Upon those grounds stood the massive Imperial Palace.

The Northern Continental-style building, built with the souls of countless historical artists, boasted an overwhelming grandeur as it gazed up at the sky.

In the four directions surrounding the central palace, numerous detached palaces flaunted their splendid magnificence as if guarding the land.

Between the buildings were statues, fountains, and intricately sculpted gardens that seemed like the manifestation of myths and legends.

Unable to close my mouth, I looked down at those sights from the carriage.

“Is it beautiful?”

The Grand Duke quietly asked me.

His gaze fixed on me was lowered.

“…I don’t know. It’s beautiful, but it also feels desolate. I haven’t seen the Northern Grand Duchy yet, so it’s difficult for me to confidently say it’s the most beautiful.”

Arcadia responded to my words.

“Seems like your way with words has improved since I last saw you.”

“Yes. I’m a person who has layers upon layers no matter how much you peel.”

I smiled brightly at Arcadia. He then turned his head away with a sullen face.

Anyway, an innocent face with a not-so-innocent attitude. The fact that he risked his life to save me from the black bug is suddenly… No.

“Peel, layers? What’s that?”

The Grand Duke looked back and forth between Arcadia and me with a puzzled expression.

“No, Your Highness. Esther is still the same, only dressed prettily on the outside. Let’s go to the audience chamber already!”

Arcadia ordered the coachman driving the carriage.

With a heavy heart, I craned my neck back to gaze at the receding scenery outside the window.

The place where the carriage finally stopped was the southern outskirts of the palace.

There, at a location slightly more humble than the center of the Imperial Palace, was the palace for having an audience with the Emperor. In front of the massive hall built with pure white marble, a large number of people had gathered.

Arcadia and I got off the carriage first and lined up on either side.

As the door opened and the Grand Duke descended, the people in front of the hall flocked towards us. Seeing the shield crest engraved on the carriage and the Grand Duke’s black cloak, they all knelt down or bowed their heads.

Most of them appeared to be middle and lower-ranking nobles. Many had not brought attendants, but judging from the decorations on their clothes, they were nobles of at least the rank of viscount who had gathered from all over the country.

“Isn’t that the Northern Grand Duke?”

“Oh my, to think His Highness has come to the capital. How long has it been?”

Surprised voices could be heard.

“Ah, Grand Duke! You are the benefactor who saved our territory!”

“The Empire’s shield, the guardian of the North, we greet Your Highness!”

Some shouted with emotion, while others even had tears welling up in their eyes.

None of them dared to straighten their waists or raise their heads in front of the Grand Duke.

‘This is the prestige of Belfast.’

The Northern Grand Duke, Sion Belfast, known as the ‘Messenger of the Battlefield’.

A figure of terror to the nations bordering the Empire, but a symbol of salvation and a hero to the people of the Empire.

That person gazed at those expressing their respect and reverence with tranquil blue eyes.

After a moment, the Grand Duke moved forward without a word. As he brushed past me, the scent of the dawn forest wafted once again.

‘Is it the Grand Duke’s scent?’

It was like that before, and even just now in the swaying carriage, I could smell this forest fragrance. And at the same time, my heart pounded and raced.

It was strange. Even when Arcadia was beside me, I couldn’t detect any scent from him.

The huge crowd parted like two streams of water on either side of the path the Grand Duke walked.

Following behind Arcadia, who was trailing the Grand Duke, I quietly asked.

“Deputy Commander, does the Grand Duke perhaps wear perfume?”

“No idle chatter. Stand up straight and hold your head high. We are the North.”

Only then did I come to my senses. I lightly surveyed the surroundings with a dignified posture. Everyone who made eye contact showed reverence not only to the Grand Duke but also to Arcadia.

And surprisingly, some of the nobles even directed admiring gazes at me.

I elegantly lifted my chin and gazed at the Grand Duke’s back.

We are the North. I am a member of this North.

‘I have come to meet His Majesty the Emperor.’

The audience chamber began from the entrance inside the palace.

As soon as we entered, a double door made of gold with the golden Lucella crest engraved on it came into view.

The palace knights guarding in front of it were startled to see the Grand Duke and brought their swords to their chests. Then they knelt on one knee and paid their respects.

The attendant in charge of the palace raised his voice.

“The shield of the Empire, His Highness the Northern Grand Duke of Belfast has arrived!”

‘The Emperor… Is the one called His Majesty the Emperor inside?’

My heart began to pound wildly, racing uncontrollably.

Placing a hand on my chest, I exhaled shallowly.

After a moment, the huge door began to open from the inside to both sides.

I followed Arcadia and the Grand Duke, bowing at the waist as I had learned.

When the door was fully open, the attendant spoke.

“His Majesty is already here. He tells you to enter.”

At that, the Grand Duke raised his head. I also slowly raised my head, following him.

A long, long blue velvet carpet, easily 2 lena in length, stretched out before my eyes. The carpet extended to the wall at the end of the hall, opposite the entrance.

The wall at the end of the length, with a huge golden sword carved on it.

Beneath that sword was the silver-haired Emperor.

A silver platform with several steps. On that platform, the Emperor’s silver throne. Sitting on that throne was the silver-haired old man.

His upright posture and radiant eyes could be felt even from a distance.

‘That person is the Emperor.’

“We are to stand here, by the door.”

Arcadia said. In a dazed state, I stood behind Arcadia, my superior.

The Grand Duke slowly approached the Emperor. And finally, when he reached the center of the hall, he placed one hand on his chest and bent one knee.

“Northern Grand Duke Sion Belfast. I greet His Majesty the Emperor, the sun of the Empire!”

“Rise, Grand Duke.”

The Emperor’s loud voice filled the entire hall.

‘That is… His Majesty’s voice.’

My hands trembled involuntarily. I tightly grasped the hem of my dress, but the trembling didn’t stop.

‘It’s like a timbre of scratching a rough, old tree.’

A voice filled with strength, as if pushing up a huge rolling boulder.

But I soon realized.

‘He is deliberately raising his voice towards the Grand Duke. It’s not that he has strength.’

I just raised my gaze and looked towards where the Emperor was again.

The Emperor’s eyes were fixed on the Grand Duke.

‘That person is my grandfather.’

Without realizing it, I lowered my head.

That’s when Arcadia let out a small sigh.

I raised my head.

The Emperor was making a small gesture. Then, someone who had been unseen stepped out from behind the platform below.

Grand Duke Lahert.

It felt as if darkness filled my vision.

‘Why are you… You ran ahead and arrived first, beside the Emperor. Lahert. You snake’s tongue.’

I gritted my teeth without realizing it.

“You’re a little late, Grand Duke Belfast. It’s been a long time. So… Have you been well? No mishaps?”

The Emperor asked in a welcoming tone.

Although the conversation took place at a distance, every sound reverberated loudly inside the huge hall. That’s why I could hear the Grand Duke’s reply.

“Thanks to Your Majesty’s grace, I have been able to preserve my life while wandering through countless battlefields.”

“I see. I heard you successfully fought this war against the barbarians as well. Driving them all out of the South, I commend you for that achievement.”

“I am deeply honored, Your Majesty.”

“Yes, I heard there was an unexpected small incident, but seeing you unharmed like this puts me at ease.”

A small incident?

Could it be… That incident…

“Are you referring to the attempted poisoning of me and the attempted assassination of my deputy, Your Majesty?”

The Grand Duke asked.

The Emperor spoke.

“Grand Duke, there are many eyes and ears directed at you, so I hope you refrain from words that could cause the South to be misunderstood.”

“…A mere misunderstanding, Your Majesty?”

“Grand Duke.”

The Emperor’s voice lowered as if sinking.

“Are you trying to pick a fight with the South again?”