At that time, I felt as if this wide and huge castle wall was rejecting me, so I cried in the carriage endlessly. You can’t rely on anywhere else. Was it inevitable that I came to the capital at the same age as before because I was heartbroken that I had no one to support me? At the time, I was immersed in sadness, but now, the difference is that I have come to prove my innocence as confidently as possible. The situation is just the opposite. The speed of the carriage was so fast that we soon reached the castle wall. In front of the drawbridge, there were soldiers blocking the procession of passers-by and asking them why they were trying to enter the capital.
There were no separate inspections when moving from one territory to another, but the inspection of the capital was particularly thorough. There must be thousands of people entering the capital every day, but they are all censored. As I was clicking my tongue and shaking my head at the ineffective method, the carriage stopped and a voice came from outside. While we were talking about this and that, I heard the word Aztain. It’s probably about answering the identity of the carriage. As I turned my head to see if they would let me through, someone knocked on the carriage door. what? Ulli looked at me. What should I do? It’s eyes like this.
After nodding once, Yuli opened the door and asked.
“What’s going on?”
“Is the person inside Lady Lawrence of the Ajstain family?”
The soldier said arrogantly. He speaks informally from the first time we meet him.
“That’s right. Why?”
“There is someone who wants to see you face to face, so please ask if she can come out for a moment.”
See? It was pretty bad. I also don’t use that kind of underbelly with my employees. Are you a knight? Yuli looked at me. When she looked at me again, questioning my intentions, I sighed and nodded. When I got up from my seat, Yuli opened the door. As I stepped down the carriage steps, a bright light poured down over my head. I glanced up at the sky and then looked at the person who might have made the voice. A man who appears to be in his 30s. He is wearing different clothes than the other guards, so he must be the guard captain.
“Are you Lady Lawrence Ajstain?”
Normally, I would have responded with an honorific, but since he was a person who treated Uli very arrogantly, I didn’t feel any obligation to do so. She rolled her eyes, scanning him from top to bottom, then raised her eyebrows slightly.
“So?”
He must have been surprised by my lower body and was left speechless. It seemed surprising that the escort drivers around me spoke informally to me because they knew my tone and personality. The guard cleared his surprised expression, cleared his throat, and opened his mouth.
“There is someone who wants to meet you for a moment.”
“So?”
“Yes?”
“So”
If I say the same thing three times, if this man is perceptive and quick to judge the situation, he will figure out the hidden meaning in my answer. I really hoped so. However, the guard, who was too stupid and arrogant to be ignored, forced a smile and boasted about his stupidity once again.
“Can you give me a moment? I’ll show you around.”
‘Please give me time… It’s not funny that I too am so pressed for time that you ask me to give you time.’
Even if that wasn’t the case, I didn’t really want to follow this man’s words. He didn’t say who he was or what his business was. All he did was open the carriage door and ask for Katabuta’s time. Who will respond? He felt bad, but he had to figure out the situation. He crossed his arms.
“Who is looking for me?”
The guard smiled brightly, as if he thought the conversation was finally getting through. It was a laugh so cruel that it bordered on the cowardice of an opportunist. I want to tear off that mustache.
“This is Count Heztein. He is in charge of the southern security.”
Count Heztein? Never heard of it. No, after hearing this, I never had any interaction with the nobles living in the capital. I wasn’t particularly active in social circles, and since even my name was unfamiliar to me, I don’t think he was a person with great power who would call me like this…
“Why is he looking for me?”
“He says he has something very important to tell you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You have to go and talk about that…”
“That’s it.”
The guard’s face hardened. He showed his displeasure through his wrinkled face. The security guard is not good at hiding his emotions. Is it okay for you to show that face to me when you have to take orders from your boss? Isn’t it enough to flatter, request, and emphasize unfortunate circumstances as much as possible? The basics of dealing with people are lacking.
“If you come out like that, you’ll be in trouble.”
“Trouble?”
I laughed out loud. What’s the problem?
“Why am I in trouble?”
Why is it so difficult for me to not meet the person who didn’t come and meet me in person, but had someone else bring me to a place to talk? That logic was funny. Are you some kind of royal family? The guard narrowed his eyes.
“As for him, he is the man in charge of the southern gate leading to the imperial castle of the great Empire of Lyrus, the head of the prestigious Heztein Monastery in the capital, and the master of the Heztein family. It is nothing short of an honor to meet him.”
“…”
Are you serious when you say that? I had a vague idea that he was tactless, dull, and stupid, but I never thought he would be this foolish.
“Are you now ignoring me because I’m a noble from the countryside?”
His eyes sharply opened. What it means is, ‘You are a small noble from the provinces, and that man is a famous noble in the empire, so take care of yourself… Well, that’s what it means. Besides, what? monastery? In the past, the word monastery would have been quite heavy, but not now. It has been over a hundred years since religion was reorganized around temples. Monasteries have long since degenerated into unreasonable religious groups, almost like cults. However, a nobleman owns such a monastery. Besides, if you want to meet me, it’s unconditional. They’re looking for donations. This has happened a few times in the past. As soon as they entered the capital, people lined up, no matter where they heard the news, to come and ask to donate, sponsor, or invest in their business or organization. There’s only talk about money everywhere. Aren’t you tired of it? It was the same this time too. It’s so obvious that you can tell without even hearing it.
“That’s not true. In fact, Count Heztain was deeply impressed by the Aztain family’s effort to spend a large amount of money on a project to relieve the poor not long ago. After learning that the person who carried out the project was Lady Lawrence, he made sure to meet her at least once. You said you wanted to. Then, since this opportunity had come, you said you wanted me to bring the lady.”
Although the circumstances were long, there was only one conclusion. I guess I can extort some money from a young, rich lady. Of course, Count Heztein may have really good intentions and just want to meet me and talk. But I decided that couldn’t be the case.
“Then he has to come out and meet me in person, right?”
“…yes?”
Oh my. I laughed at the question on his face.
“I don’t even know what I have to do today, so is it right to hold me there for now and tell me to explain my situation and bring him to me? If you are touched by what I did and want to meet me because of it, you can do it in person. I think I need to come out, but if not, wouldn’t it be better to say I’ll come see you sometime?”
“Well… my lady, that’s not it…”
“I don’t feel the need to talk any more. Moreover, I can’t have any interest in the boss who is a guard who treats the child I personally carry with him. So, can you get out of the way? I’m busy with my way.”
He finished his last words and lifted himself up. I heard an urgent voice, but I ignored it, and soon a rustling sound followed by a groan of pain came out. He was probably trying to grab me when the escort driver blocked his hand. I climbed the carriage steps, sat down on the chair, looked at the man who was looking at me in confusion, and opened my mouth bluntly.
“You better be careful because you can lose that position if you trust it and speak informally to anyone.”
Close the door. Yuli took action as soon as she heard me say that. I took one last look at the man’s face through the window. Wow, that’s nasty. No matter where they were, the insides of the opportunists were extremely dirty and ugly. There were especially many people like that in the capital. After protecting their position by any means possible, they pushed their feet here and there to somehow advance to the center and take a seat. No matter who it is.
“Let’s go.”
As I delivered my ringing words, the carriage that had been stopped slowly began to move. I sat down in the shaking carriage, leaned back, and looked away. Woolly and I made eye contact. Her sparkling eyes were so bright that they were dazzling. Why are you looking at me with those eyes?
“Miss… Did you fight with that man because of me?”
“Huh?
“I can’t believe you got so angry for me, who was nothing to me… I felt burdened by the way Yuli looked at me with her hands clasped together. No, it’s true that I felt strange because of that, but I was angry because the words that came out after that were ridiculous. Should I tell you this? I think there’s some kind of misunderstanding.”
“I will sacrifice my life to help you, lady!”
‘I don’t need a fourteen-year-old’s life!’ I wanted to shout, but I didn’t want to break her mood, so I kept my mouth shut. With an awkward smile, I turned my head and looked at the view of the capital through the window. The side of my face stings. It will break through, Yuli.
* * *
After passing the outer castle and driving for a while, the road to the imperial palace finally opened. I knew well that the capital city was the largest among the empire’s territories. Even when I came here before, I was impressed by its size. However, due to its inconveniently large size, the travel time required to conduct business was considerable. Moreover, there were quite a few mayflies that were annoying. Moreover, as I entered the imperial palace due to bad news, it felt like this road was leading to hell. The magnificent scenery seen through the window showed that we had now reached the imperial castle. The sight of the gigantic palace with all its grandeur visible at the far end was daunting. A natural fortress surrounded by three walls. There were more than twenty palaces and five castles placed within it. Even considering just the site where the imperial palace was located, it was comparable in size to a large estate.
There are about 50,000 people living there. I could feel the enormous power of the Lirus Empire. As I closed my eyes and was randomly spouting information about the imperial palace, the carriage stopped and I heard a voice again. Then it moved again. It seemed like we had passed the first outer castle. When I turned my head, Yuli was busy darting her eyes here and there as if she was curious. Yes, Yuli. Please watch it a lot. How many people will be able to enter the imperial palace after birth?
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Translator Note:
Next week I will take a little rest, so see you in 2024!
Merry Cristmas and Happy New Year my lovely readers <3
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
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