Chapter 267

I was puzzled. It was clear that I was supposed to stay at the Imperial Palace to prepare the three-day banquet more smoothly. My father, who smiled faintly looking at me, said, “Don’t worry about it because the emperor already approved it. He told me I could take you home today because it must have been pretty difficult for you today.”

“… Really?”

“Yes, that’s right. What’s wrong with you? Did you have anything bad today?”

“Not really. In fact, I heard very good news today, Daddy…”

When I told him what I heard from the royal doctor, he repeatedly asked me with a subdued voice if it was true. Then, he hugged me silently and brushed my hair for a long time.

I smiled bitterly, burying my face in his tight embrace.

How strange it is! Why am I not happy? Normally, I should be happy because my pent-up wish to have a baby came true. But why do I feel so jammed up inside?

Why do I feel like crying instead?

I don’t remember how I got home. Only when I returned to the room and flung myself onto the bed did I come to my senses. As I came back home for the first time in two days, I should feel comfortable, but I could not go to sleep at all.

I tossed and turned inside the blanket for a long time before getting up. I felt I couldn’t go to sleep.

When I looked around my room blankly, I suddenly noticed a blue box glowing under the dim moonlight. I slowly stretched out my arm, picked it up, opened the lid and looked at the doll in it for a while. Precisely speaking, it was a jeweled tiara on the head of the silver-haired doll.

I wound up the spring.

I heard him whispering ‘I love you’ through the melodies echoing into my room. I recalled him earnestly asking me to look at him as a man, not as the emperor.

I wound up the spring again.

With the blue moonlight beaming through my room, I recalled the lake where I walked with him one day, the garden where I walked with him sharing the umbrella with him, and the silvery flower tree under which we fell asleep under the stars.

I wound up the spring again.

I recalled the warmth of his chest through the texture of the cold metal, his cold touch when he caressed my cheek when I was poisoned, and his deep kiss.

Tears dropped on the white blanket. My heart ached so much, and my tearful eyes trembled.

I kept winding up the spring again and again until the blue moonlight faded and the bright sunlight was filling the room the next day.

The sun was pushing out the darkness little by little. In the early dawn when the darkness just faded, I headed to the Imperial Palace to stand on duty. As I couldn’t sleep well for a few days, I felt heavy, but I had to take care of all the work backed up during the three days of banquet.

“Good morning, Sir Monique.”

“Are you kidding? The sun has not even risen yet. Don’t you see that?”

“Yeah, good morning at dawn sounds funny.”

I broke into a smile when the two knights had a light quarrel in the morning. I heard that the two were bosom friends who knew each other since childhood.

“Hello, Sir Lian and Sir Dilon. It’s been a long time! I’m sorry I can’t give you a good reply.”

“Pardon? Did something bad happen to you? ”

“Oh my goodness, are you pretending to not know?” said Sir Dilon who put his hand over his chest in a rather exaggerated motion.

“Well, as you were transferred to the 2nd Knights Division, I was reassigned as the captain’s aide. Thanks to that, I was really having a hard time these days. I’m losing my hair. How are you going to take responsibility for this, Lady Monique?”

“Huh, how could you dare put blame on her now? I know you have had thin hair from the beginning.”

“How ridiculous of you! I lost lots of hair because I had a hard time under the captain, man. I didn’t have thinning hair before.”

At that moment, I unwittingly turned my eyes at Sir Dilon. Although he was young and handsome, he had really thinning hair. Compared with Sir Ryan’s hair, he looked old for his age.

I hurriedly closed my mouth with both hands, but it’s too late. He already heard my laughing coming out my palms.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Sir Dilon…”

“I was very hurt a moment ago. I didn’t expect you would hurt me like this.”

When I saw him pounding his chest, I broke into laughter again. I felt like I was seeing a comedy in the theater.

Watching me giggling next to him, the man said with a smile, “Now you look a little better.”

“Pardon?”

“I don’t know why so many people around me are having a hard time these days. But I don’t care about the guys. I would like to cheer you up only, Sir Monique. So, cheer up! Don’t you know that smiling brings you good luck?”

“Ah… Yes, thank you. ”

“As I’m done and you are taking over my post, let me leave now. Oh, forgive his rudeness. I don’t think he is too absent-minded to greet you properly now.”

“Pardon?”

I asked again what he talked about, but Sir Dilon didn’t say anything and took Sir Ryan out, who was standing behind him blankly.

Was that what he meant by “rude”?

As I turned around, tilting my head, I saw a shadow, which was black with the rising sun behind his back, approaching me quickly.

I was so surprised at his sudden appearance that my heart was beating hard.

But calming down my surprise, I tried to greet him calmly.

“Oh, hi, Sir Spia, it’s been a long time.”

“Yes, it’s been a while.”

Was it because he slept fitfully last night? I was a bit offended by his slight bowing, but I came up with a different topic instead of taking issue with his attitude. I felt he might have been tense since he failed the recent promotion test.

“I heard you were transferred to the 4th Knights Division. I guess it must be difficult for you to adjust to the new environment there.”

“Well, so far so good. By the way, it seems you are loved everywhere.”

“Pardon?”

“Well, aside from Sir Ryan, Sir Dilon is notoriously strict to apprentice knights by nature. Oops, sorry I have made a mistake. Come to think of it, you have officially become a full-fledged knight. ”

“Ah, yes. Well, I think you will have good results next year. So, don’t worry too much…”

“Thank you.”

His voice was tough, though. Obviously, he was hurt a lot because he failed the promotion test. And I could understand his feelings because among those who passed the test were his colleagues and even his juniors. It was natural that he felt very uncomfortable because he was not in a position to follow their direction overnight.

In the empire, the full-fledged knights were selected through very strict standards, so the difference between apprentice and full-fledged knights made a great deal of difference in their treatment. No matter how early they joined the knights division, apprentice knights had to treat the official knights as their superiors. Besides, apprentice knights had to serve under their command, receiving only 30% of their salary.

In the past, only a handful of people passed the test, but this time there was a massive hiring of full-fledged knights because of the creation of additional knights divisions. In fact, I would not have become a full-fledged knight without the benefits of massive hiring this time.

How much time passed?

We finished the day in an awkward atmosphere. Then I went straight to the conference hall. It was very unusual for the political meeting to take place one day after the festival was over. I didn’t want to go because I was too tired, but I had to because of the emperor’s order that all the nobles with the rank of earl and above should attend the meeting by all means. I thought I already knew today’s agenda.

“The Sun of the Empire His Majesty is entering the conference room.”

When everyone was seated after showing their due courtesy, Duke Verita slowly stood up.

I heard that he held the funeral of his eldest son only recently, but he also had to attend the meeting because of the emperor’s order.

“Today’s agenda is…”

“Please wait, Duke Verita. I clearly issued an order that everybody should attend the meeting. But why don’t I see Marquis Mirwa?”