Consilium. It was the name of the peculiar building located in the eastern part of the capital, where the Council of Elders was held. Passing through the triangular roof entrance supported by columns reminiscent of a temple, one would find a spacious circular interior with an open ceiling.
As Seraphie stepped inside, a chill ran down her spine. Wow.
The towering ceiling and inner walls were adorned with paintings and decorations related to religious myths. With the light streaming in through the open ceiling, it truly felt as if a god was watching from above. Seraphie couldn’t help but feel her heart tighten.
“This is kind of scary…”
Even Lunie, who was visiting for the first time, couldn’t hide her nervousness.
“Sera.” Orkis, who had arrived first and was waiting, approached the two of them.
“Where’s the duke? I thought he would be coming.”
“Father went inside first.”
“Oh my, you’re calling her by a nickname.”
“Don’t tease me.” Seraphie lightly scolded Lunie.
Orkis spread his arms slightly, giving her a look. Feeling the gazes of those around them, Seraphie slipped into his arms.
“…Put your arm around my back.”
Soon, his large arm wrapped around Seraphie’s slender back.
“And kiss my cheek.”
“What?”
“If you don’t want to, just pretend,” Seraphie whispered, saying that if he just lowered his head and acted like it, no one would notice.
Orkis let out a short sigh. His breath brushing against her ear made Seraphie flinch her shoulders.
“Do you think I enjoy doing this…”
Seraphie, who had been responding curtly for no reason, suddenly widened her eyes. Orkis, who had approached in an instant, gave her a light glare. But the lips that touched Seraphie’s cheek were endlessly soft and cautious.
“…People are watching.” Orkis whispered as he pulled away. His deep red eyes drew a graceful arc as they moved away.
“I definitely said… “Seraphie swallowed dryly and gave a faint smile. “Just to pretend to do it…”
“You told me to just pretend if I didn’t want to.”
“…”
So, was that supposed to mean he didn’t mind? The question rose to her throat, but Seraphie ultimately chose to keep her mouth shut.
Orkis, who had raised his upper body after bending down, wore the same unreadable expression as always. But Seraphie could tell that the corners of his lips were lifted higher than usual.
“Lady Lunie is here as well.”
“…Huh? Ah, yes!” Lunie, who had inadvertently witnessed the entire scene, belatedly greeted them.
“Are we late?” Seraphie asked nonchalantly. In truth, her mind was entirely preoccupied with the cheek that damned man had kissed, desperately trying not to touch it with her hand.
“You’re not late, but everyone else is already here.”
“My father too?” Lunie frowned.
“He arrived with your eldest brother.”
“Ugh.”
Lunie hated her eldest brother the most out of her two older brothers. From what Seraphie had heard, that eldest brother of hers had tried to arrange her engagement with a count from some family before she had even started her relationship with Carl. At the time, Lunie was 16 years old, and the other party was a man in his 50s with two divorces under his belt—an old man.
“Looks like I’ll have to stick close to you today, Sir.”
“I’m already taken, so getting too close would be a problem.”
“Same goes for me.”
It was hard to tell whether their conversation was friendly or hostile.
“This is the place.”
Before Orkis opened the door, he whispered quietly into Seraphie’s ear. “Lady Lunie and I will be seated right behind the main conference table. Countess, you should head straight to the round table once you enter.”
“Where is my seat?”
“You’ll know once you go in. Do your best.”
A brief word of encouragement and a fleeting smile. Even with just that, Seraphie felt a great sense of reassurance.
Finally, the tightly shut door to the meeting room opened. The noisy interior of the meeting room fell silent in an instant. Seraphie entered, feeling the blatant stares directed at them.
Act calm, act calm…! Thankfully, her bravado kicked in just fine. Her unique experience of the forced succession trial had been a great help.
The interior of the meeting room was quite fascinating. From the outside, it looked incredibly spacious, but once inside, the area where the actual meeting was taking place was concentrated in the center. At the heart of the meeting room was a long, oval table. Chairs were arranged around it, encircling the seat of honor where the gavel was placed. Behind that, half-tiered seating followed the shape of the table, seemingly prepared for assistants. Orkis and Lunie were seated there, likely in spots designated for secretaries.
“Countess Vallidus.” Duke Felicia approached Seraphie warmly upon spotting her. “My apologies for not keeping my promise.”
“Not at all. Your son accompanied me, after all.”
“Haha! My son takes after me, a devoted husband!”
Duke Felicia personally guided Seraphie to their seat. Her spot was a middle seat, a bit removed from the seat of honor.
“Don’t sit just yet.”
As Seraphie was about to sit, the duke gently stopped her.
“Countess Vallidus, have you been well?”
“Let’s do our best today.”
Soon, a few nobles approached, acknowledging her presence. Seraphie was grateful for Duke Felicia’s consideration. Thanks to the greetings exchanged with the nobles, there was no need to sit down.
“It’s an honor to meet you all.”
Among the nobles offering their greetings, some were faces she was seeing for the first time, while others were acquaintances made during the rare social activities of Seraphie.
“Tsk, tsk…”
Amidst the greetings, someone let out a voice filled with concern.
“Such a young one already here…”
An elderly woman with yellow-tinted white hair tied up walked over. The cane in her hand made a sharp tapping sound with each step.
“Madam.” Duke Felicia personally introduced Seraphie. “Madam, this is Countess Vallidus. Countess Vallidus, this is Viscountess Kia.”
“Far too young.”
The elderly woman, whom even Duke Felicia addressed with respect, scrutinized Seraphie with a disapproving gaze. Her sharp eyes scanned her from head to toe, and Seraphie couldn’t help but feel intimidated.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Seraphie Valli—”
“Let’s see how you do.”
With that curt remark, Viscountess Kia moved the cane and headed back to her seat.
“…Did I do something wrong?”
“It seems the viscountess has taken an interest in you.”
Receiving her attention twice was enough to make one feel utterly small.
“Honorable council members.”
Bang! Marquis Kastane, seated at the head of the table, struck the gavel.
“The meeting will begin shortly. Please take your seats.”
“Well then, let’s suffer through this together.”
“Excuse me?”
Duke Felicia threw out a snide remark before returning to his seat.
Like father, like son. Or maybe he’s even worse than his son. It seemed like this world was devoid of any decent fathers.
Seraphie, now seated, finally began to observe nobles sitting across from her. Near the head of the table was the crown prince, and aside from Count Mars, the rest were unfamiliar faces.
“Hoho, your preparations are thorough.”
The noble sitting next to Seraphie commented, impressed by the documents Seraphie had brought for the meeting.
There wasn’t a single section left unannotated. But to Seraphie, it still felt insufficient.
“I’ll be lucky if I don’t make any mistakes.”
“Don’t worry too much. There wouldn’t even be room for mistakes.”
“What do you mean by—”
Before she could ask what that meant, the gavel struck again. This time, it was twice—bang, bang. The Council of Elders meeting had begun.
* * *
This is supposed to be a place where nobles gather for meetings. I thought it would be elegant and refined. Seraphie had imagined a graceful meeting where people exchanged opinions in a gentle manner while sipping tea. Graceful my ass. She was left speechless.
“How is this bill supposed to help anyone? Who is this supposed to benefit…!”
“Damned fools! Trying to push this through again without any amendments!”
“Now, now! You’re going too far!”
“And you oppose every single bill I proposed…!”
As soon as the meeting began, shouting erupted from both sides. Occasionally, there was finger-pointing, and considering the unidentified objects being thrown now and then, the finger-pointing was actually a very sophisticated form of objection. Even the noble who had just told Seraphie there wouldn’t be a moment to make a mistake was now on their feet, yelling at the opposing side.
Seraphie’s ears were ringing. …Damned Emperor! What was the emperor thinking, recommending her to this chaotic mess?
While resentment toward the emperor boiled up, Seraphie also felt genuine gratitude toward Duke Felicia for having kept her out of this mess until now. Though it was only for a very brief moment.
Wait. The duke ultimately didn’t reveal what would happen during the trial. As expected, he had a personality that was utterly useless, even for dog food.
Seraphie glanced up slightly behind her.
“Holy crap, what is this!”
“A meeting.”
“This is totally my style, though.”
“…”
Fortunately, Orkis and Lunie seemed to be fine.
Seraphie suddenly found herself worrying whether the meeting was proceeding properly.
“… It’s not bad, but the second clause might need further discussion.”
“However, pushing it further could negatively impact the merchants. How about we settle here?”
“Your Highness, you of all people should know about the monopoly on these goods…”
Thankfully, despite all this, the meeting was progressing smoothly.
Aha. Seraphie finally saw the Council of Elders in a new light. This was just a power struggle, just like street thugs. While some raised their voices to break their opponents’ spirits and boost their own, the real power players would be scheming among themselves in the background, reaping the benefits. The noble facade of discussing national affairs was blatantly crude and disgusting.
A brawl would be better than this. Fistfights seemed fairer and cleaner in comparison. Still, the meeting continued, and Seraphie struggled to keep up with the flow. Of course, unlike the other nobles, she couldn’t bring herself to shout in outrage.
“Then, about this punishment bill for stalking and persistent obsession…”
Seraphie perked up her ears. Finally, the controversial law was brought up. She sharpened her focus.
“…”
But something felt a bit off.
“It’s already been four years. Considering the increasing reports of harm recently, we can’t let this continue any longer.”
The one strongly pushing for the stalker punishment bill wasn’t the crown prince. … It’s Duke Felicia? Moreover,
“This bill has many points that need to be discussed. Is it truly a crime that warrants punishment to this extent…?”
The crown prince, who had pushed for this law in the original story, was now opposing it. Even providing reasons that left no room for excuses, even if someone were to hit him for it.
“Right now, the development bill for the redevelopment of the old square seems like a more pressing matter.”
“For this bill to pass…”
Just as Duke Felicia was about to raise his voice,
“Wait a moment!” Seraphie stood up.
NOTICE
Hello, Alyalia is here~
This will be the last chapter I will update on the Moonlight Novels since I’ll be transferring this novel to another site. Starting next week, you can find the new updates in here. Just click the word here (the bold one) and you’ll be directed to the new site right away. That’s all I have to say, thank you for reading it~
If you enjoy the story, please leave a review in the Novelupdates. Thank you~
