Chapter 26

Chapter 26

I had met Lavini several times in my previous life. Even then, she was stunningly beautiful with her meticulously maintained appearance, but the empress, still in her younger years, was truly breathtaking.

Yet, there was a chilliness about her that matched her beauty.

Lavini slowly extended one hand toward my father.

“Are you Sir Gallahan Lombardi?”

I had practiced the woman’s version of a royal greeting with Shananet, but there were two greeting styles that men used. One was placing a hand near their heart and bowing their head. The other was a deep bow to touch the extended hand of the royal to their forehead.

The second version was considered more respectful, but it had also become obsolete.

The empress kept her hand confidently extended. After a moment’s hesitation, my father touched it to his forehead.

I followed suit and greeted the empress, but she did not look at me. She watched my father with slightly lowered eyes, seeming to feel a strange sense of triumph.

“The carriage of an invited guest didn’t arrive for the evening banquet, so I came out to see what happened. Is there a problem?” the empress asked the two knights.

“Um, well...”

Naturally, the knights looked flustered. They had been ordered by the empress to forcibly inspect our carriage, and now to make matters worse, they had been caught apologizing for it.

Lavini’s gaze towards them was exceptionally cold.

“Let’s not stand here like this. We should go inside. It’s impolite to keep our guests waiting on the road.”

With that, the empress turned and walked away, and half a dozen maids scurried behind her.

My father looked stern for a moment as he watched the empress depart. Then he turned to look at me.

“Shall we go too, Tia?”

I could tell that he had a lot on his mind, but he simply extended his hand to me and smiled.

***

The empress led us to a dining hall within the empress’s palace that was specially built for banquets.

Lavini regularly invited around ten guests to dine each month as a way to maintain her social network. The emperor often attended these banquets as well, making them a highly coveted event among the nobility.

However, as my father and I entered, we realized that our evening’s banquet was different from those we had heard about. The long table was set for only five people.

“I have only invited the two of you tonight. We have something to celebrate, don’t we?”

As the empress smiled, her large eyes curved beautifully.

It was a stunning sight, but I couldn’t focus on their beauty. Instead, I kept remembering the pitiful image of the second-born prince, which made me uncomfortable.

“It is an honor,” my father said, maintaining his courteous demeanor as he bowed and took the indicated seat.

As soon as we settled into our places, the dining hall doors opened again, and the first-born prince entered.

“Mother.”

“Welcome, Astana. It seems you have a friend visiting today.”

“Yes...”

Astana glanced at me briefly, then responded in an overly sweet manner.

“Friend”? Him? Me?

I wanted to scoff, but given the situation, I held back.

“Hello, Sir Lombardi.”

“I hope you have been well, Your Highness.”

After acknowledging my father’s greeting, Prince Astana took a seat next to the empress. It happened to be the seat next to mine.

Ugh, I’ve lost my appetite.

“I’d like to talk about something that I couldn’t mention earlier, Your Majesty,” my father said.

The empress paused while taking a sip of her water.

“Go ahead.”

“On our way to the palace today, our carriage was stopped and inspected by the royal guards.”

“Oh my.” she replied, feigning a surprised expression that was more of a smirk.

Usually, such feigned ignorance left the other party with nothing to say. If she claimed ignorance, what could one argue?

My father, however, continued undeterred with a stern expression.

“Members of the Lombardi family are not to be subjected to inspections and searches. Is this not the law?”

My father’s protest was justified.

“Indeed it is. Quite a strange law,” The empress replied, smiling at his words. “Why is it that the Lombardi family enjoys so many exceptions? Other noble families are subjected to thorough inspections when entering the palace.”

Her tone was heavily laced with sarcasm. For some reason, however, it did not seem intentional. It sounded more like her negative feelings towards the Lombardi family had accidentally slipped into her tone of voice.

“Of course, that is because the Lombardis are a very special family in many ways,” the empress quickly added with a smile.

My father did not respond. He held her gaze and refused to look away.

The tense atmosphere, which felt as if it could shatter at any moment, was broken when the dining hall doors opened once again.

“Aha! Gallahan!”

It was Emperor Yovanes entering with a booming voice. He had jet-black hair, like the second-born prince, and an exuberant presence.

Following my father’s lead, I stood up and greeted him according to royal protocol.

“It’s been so long! How have you been?” he asked.

“I am glad to see that you remain in good health, Your Majesty.”

“Of course, as always!”

My father and the emperor seemed to be of similar age and had apparently shared a close bond in their youth. The emperor gave my father’s shoulder a hearty pat before his gaze landed on me.

“Oh-ho. You must be Firentia.”

“Firentia Lombardi. Greetings, Your Majesty.”

I guess I am the strong-under-pressure type, as I thankfully did not make any mistakes this time either.

The emperor looked me over with amused yet discerning eyes.

“Yes, yes. Such a lovely child,” he concluded.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” I replied.

“Gallahan, it seems you have quite a capable daughter, just like you!”

The emperor appeared quite skilled at dishing out compliments.

“Well now, let’s sit!”

The emperor took the most prominent seat, and the attendants began to bring food into the room, marking the start of the banquet. Amid the hustle and bustle of preparation, something felt a bit off.

The emperor hadn’t glanced even once at the first-born prince since he arrived at the dining hall, despite being the boy’s father. Astana appeared indifferent, likely accustomed to the silent treatment.

“So, what were you all talking about before I arrived?”

“Nothing much, just exchanging greetings,” the empress replied with a smile.

My father stared straight at the empress.

“That doesn’t seem to be the case,” the emperor interjected, glancing back and forth between my father and the empress. “Gallahan? Feel free to speak your mind.”

But the emperor’s words were empty. He clearly had no interest in what my father had to say.

The empress, too, seemed confident that my father wouldn’t bring up the topic of carriage searches in front of the emperor. She leisurely sipped her wine.

I, on the other hand, was quite angry. Though the emperor and empress would have been cautious with every word in front of my grandfather, they seemed to be belittling my father.

At the same time, the empress’s ease was understandable. I assumed my father would stay silent.

However...

“I was informing Her Majesty about an incident that took place on our way to the banquet,” he said.

I was astonished. My father did not back down, even in front of the emperor.

Both the emperor and the empress were clearly caught off-guard. They froze for a moment with miles still plastered across their faces.

“Did something happen?” asked the emperor as he scratched his beard.

“Our carriage was stopped and inspected by the royal guards.”

“Hmm?”

The emperor seemed quite surprised. He gave the empress a sideways glance.

“Haha, I see.”

It was clear he actually had already known about the incident. We likely weren’t the only ones to experience the intimidation tactic either. I had a strong suspicion that Viese might have fallen victim to the same scheme.

The empress kept her gaze lowered and her expression unreadable.

“It would seem... that there was some kind of misunderstanding,” the emperor said.

“They stopped a carriage bearing the Lombardi crest. This does not seem like a simple misunderstanding, Your Majesty,” my father countered.

“Gallahan, you seem quite angry...”

It was true. Such behavior was not typical of my father. Normally, his timid nature prevented him from adopting a harsh tone with his employees, let alone raising his voice to the emperor.

“My daughter was quite frightened,” my father replied in a low voice.

Only then did I understand my father’s actions. He was not angry about his own humiliation. He was upset because he felt that the knights had frightened me.

A cold tension seemed to settle over the table.

“Haha! I’m sorry about that!”

The emperor may have let out a hearty laugh, but eventually he had to apologize. However, he made no mention of the empress.

“Please forgive my knights’ zeal. There are those who, out of loyalty, cannot fully accept the special relationship between the royal family and the Lombardi family,” the emperor claimed.

Meanwhile, the empress who had orchestrated everything, was completely absolved.

My father, grasping the situation, sighed softly and nodded.

“I only hope such an incident does not occur again,” he replied.

“Of course, of course. It won’t happen again! Come now, have a drink!”

The emperor patted his own chest, as if to assure my father, and poured him a drink. I pretended to sip the juice in front of me while observing the empress’s beautiful face.

A chill ran down my spine.

While she maintained a smile, her eyes remained unblinking and fixated on my father. Ever since I learned of her attempt to kill the second-born prince, I saw her as a truly terrifying individual.

With the argument resolved, the banquet officially began. Carefully prepared dishes began to appear in sequence. Although the empress was hosting, and the dishes were naturally exquisite, they still did not compare to the Lombardis.

While the emperor was making small talk with my father, he suddenly brought up the textile business venture.

“So, I hear the project you spearheaded has been very successful?”

The empress suddenly seemed intrigued by their conversation.

“It truly is wonderful to see the two pillars of the empire, the Angenas and Lombardi families, working together!”

“You are too kind,” my father said.

Since when have the Angenas family been considered a pillar of the empire?

The emperor seemed to be subtly trying to elevate the Angenas, his wife’s family, to the level as the Lombardis. He was attempting to use them to curb the Lombardi family’s dominance.

It was the same reason he turned a blind eye to the empress poisoning the second-born prince, even though the emperor was vaguely aware of it.

However, according to my previous life, there were about three years left until the Angenas would incur the emperor’s wrath when their outrageous tax evasion was uncovered. That had put an end to the partnership between the empress and the emperor.

“Please continue to support the Dyurak Merchant Guild. They are just starting out so they need some hand-holding,” the empress said with a friendly smile.

But the response was not so friendly.

“I have already informed the guildmaster that I will soon be withdrawing from the textile business, Your Majesty.”

“What...?”

She broke her poker face for the first time and revealed genuine surprise.

The empress seemed to recognize that, without my father as the driving force, the business could result in disaster. Furthermore, it was the source from which she expected to fund her son’s appointment as crown prince.

Her campaign would be disastrous without it.

“I have other personal ventures in mind,” my father explained.

“That was quite... sudden. Aren’t you being a bit hasty? It would be great if you could help out a little longer,” the empress urged.

“I am sorry, but that will not be possible.”

Despite the empress’s attempts to dissuade him, my father remained firm.

“It’s just not feasible for the Lombardi Merchant Guild to be supporting the Dyurak Trading Company indefinitely.”

In other words, he was telling them, “Good luck on your own.”

The empress’s lips trembled slightly at the implication, and her gaze changed. Just moments ago, she had been thinking about how to manipulate a seemingly pliable man to get what she wanted. Now it seemed she had completely abandoned the notion.

“Sir Gallahan, you are quite different from what I imagined.”

“I am sorry if I did not meet your expectations, Your Majesty.”

My father was not normally so assertive. He seemed to be extremely displeased with the empress.

I felt the same way. Thinking about what she was doing to the second-born prince as well as how she behaved towards the Lombardi family… She was truly a detestable person in many ways.

Thus, the dinner ended leaving a bitter taste in both of our mouths.

My father was unusually quiet on the carriage ride home. Since it was past my bedtime, he would typically stroke my forehead as I lay on his lap and fall asleep.

Tonight, however, he only muttered one thing while staring out the window.

“It’s because I’m powerless...”

***

A single candle flickered in a dimly lit room. Though it was a small annex, it felt vast and empty to the eleven-year-old boy left all alone.

Perez sat on the edge of his bed and took out the pouch that he wasn’t quite used to handling yet. He carefully measured out the exact amount of the golden medicine Firentia had instructed him to take before swallowing it in one gulp.

The medicine was bitter, but Perez didn’t even grimace. There was no one left to care even if he had.

He closed the lid of the medicine bottle tightly, ensuring not a drop would spill. Then he pulled a round piece of candy from the pouch and bit into it. His pale cheeks bulged slightly, taking on the shape of the candy.

“It’s sweet...” Perez muttered to himself.

He was so accustomed to the taste of bitterness that he found sweetness both unfamiliar and awkward.

Perez continued to roll the candy around in his mouth until it gradually lifted his spirits.

Is the sweetness spreading in my mouth making my heart beat faster? Or perhaps...

Perez’s fingers gently traced the edge of the soft pouch.

He recalled Firentia’s face from earlier that day. For a moment, her adorable features had resembled those of a forest fairy. Her large, round, green eyes, which seemed to have borrowed the color of the leaves, was etched in his mind.

She had said, “I want you to live. No, I think you need to live.”

Perez clutched the medicine bottle tightly in one hand, as if he would never let it go.

The candy rolled around his mouth once more.

“It’s sweet...” he murmured again, watching the flickering shadows cast by the candlelight.