Allan was truly someone with a refreshing personality. He immediately promised to help us.
The fact that a prince from Cassan is on our side is somewhat reassuring.
“For now, since you must be tired from your long journey, why don’t you take a rest? Ah, but before that, would you like a tour of the imperial palace?”
Allan instructed a maid to show us around the palace.
While most of the maids in the Kingdom of Boleno had been replaced by automatons, this place still employed human staff.
The palace of the Cassan Empire was particularly impressive for its geometrically designed garden.
“Other nations even try to mimic Cassan’s gardens.”
Simone explained that, highlighting the palace’s beautiful gardens.
Of course, it wasn’t just the garden that was beautiful. The palace’s exterior, adorned in white and gold, was equally magnificent and grand.
It’s hard to explain, but if I weren’t a noble, I might feel inspired to start a proletarian revolution in response to such grandeur.
The maid then guided us to the prince’s quarters and showed us the rooms we’d been assigned.
“Each of you may use one room on this floor. If you need anything, please inform the assigned attendant.”
“Please convey my thanks to the prince.”
I had been excited enough about staying in a hotel room, but now, after such a long time, I was experiencing a noble’s room—no, a palace room—so I could barely hold back tears of joy as I looked at the soft bed and spacious room.
As I looked around the room and unpacked my things, I heard a knock at the door.
Once I gave permission to enter, a maid dressed in a servant’s uniform came in.
“My name is Mary, and I’ll be attending to you, Miss.”
“Oh, Mary, nice to meet you.”
“The prince has invited you for dinner a bit later, but would you like a warm bath prepared first?”
“Hmm, no, I’d like to rest for now.”
“Understood. I’ll be waiting nearby. Please pull the bell when you need anything.”
After arriving in a new room, the first thing to do is, of course, take a nap—that’s *my golden rule.
After a comfortable break, I followed the maid’s guidance to the dining room. On the way, I happened to run into Raffaelo.
“Seraphina, is your room comfortable?”
“Yes, it’s been so long since I’ve had such treatment… All thanks to Raffaelo’s connection with the prince.”
“Haha, I didn’t expect him to treat us this well either.”
“Were you close with the prince in the past?”
“There was a time when we got along without knowing each other’s status. But since we hadn’t seen each other in a while, I thought things might be awkward. Seems he also has some need of us.”
Raffaelo lowered his voice to a whisper.
“There’s currently a succession struggle in the Cassan imperial family.”
“A succession struggle?”
“Yes. The second princess is apparently threatening the first prince’s position. By associating with influential figures from neighboring kingdoms like us, the prince can raise his reputation, which gives him a slight edge in the struggle.”
“Oh, I understand.”
We stopped talking as we arrived at the dining hall. Arkhangelo, Ghieuspe, Simone, and Allan were already there.
“Oh dear, are we late?”
“You’re not late, Raffaelo. Come on, take a seat and enjoy the meal.”
On the dining table was a spread of typical Cassan-style dishes.
The fragrance of olive oil and parsley wafted from a snail dish, while beautifully presented beef tartare made from raw meat and a steaming hot onion soup also looked appetizing. The main dish, beef bourguignon, with its juicy, red meat, was enough to make my mouth water.
As someone who enjoys Cassan Empire cuisine, this was perfect for me. I eagerly began with the snail dish served as an appetizer.
While we ate, Allan began to talk about the Kingdom of Boleno.
“Not too long ago, I saw a painting by an artist from Boleno named Peace—it was truly remarkable.”
“Ah, Peace is well-known. But surely, there are many artists just as talented in Crman, right? It really lives up to its reputation as a city of art.”
“Hmm, I’ll admit that Crman is indeed an artistically developed city.”
With his unique tone, Arkhangelo joined the conversation naturally, and fortunately, Allan didn’t seem to mind.
“Still, Peace said he was greatly inspired by the Kingdom of Boleno, so I’m curious to visit at least once. I’d love to see the red rooftops there.”
“If you come, I’ll give you a grand welcome.”
As the peaceful conversation continued, Allan suddenly addressed us in a cautious tone.
“By the way, I’ve heard some rumors about Boleno lately.”
“Rumors?”
“They say the capital of Boleno, Pérez, has been placed under strict control, preventing anyone from entering or leaving….”
“Oh, that.”
“You mean you don’t know the reason either?”
My appetite disappeared. Even the empire’s prince couldn’t figure out the cause!
Why exactly did Princess Eva decide to lock down Pérez?
No one, aside from those inside, would know the reason. But since no one can enter, it’s quite the issue.
I was worried about my father, who was in the capital, but returning there was impossible. I could only hope that, as a noble, he’d be safe within the family estate.
“Yes, we also have questions about this matter. We truly have no idea what could be going on.”
“There are rumors of a plague spreading or an earthquake, but… is any of that true?”
“Well, we’d like to know the reason for the capital’s lockdown too.”
Simone elegantly placed her fork down as she spoke.
“As nobles of the Boleno Kingdom, are you really not aware of anything?”
“No, it’s likely a decision made solely by Princess Eva.”
“Princess Eva, the one currently governing Boleno in proxy?”
“Yes, it’s probably at her discretion.”
The more we talked, the more ambiguous things became, and there was no solid theory that could explain it all.
At that moment, Allan spoke up as if something had just occurred to him.
“Oh, by the way, have you met Princess Angela?”
“Princess Angela?”
“Yes, Princess Angela from the Kingdom of Boleno, now the Duchess of Lithman.”
Allan’s words made me slowly search my memory. Now that he mentioned it, the Kingdom of Boleno had two princesses—Princess Eva, the first princess, and Angela, the second princess.
Angela had been betrothed to a noble in the Cassan Empire since she was young and moved there. She got married as soon as she came of age.
Nowadays, whenever people thought of the Boleno princess, they’d think of Princess Eva, and many had forgotten about Princess Angela. But, regardless, Angela was also a princess of Boleno.
Now I remembered; Angela’s husband was the Duke of Lithman.
“It has been a long time since the Duchess of Lithman has met anyone from her homeland, so I thought she might welcome you all warmly. Especially since there’s a young lady of similar age among you.”
In that instant, something flashed through my mind.
Could Princess Angela possibly know something?
After all, she was one of the people closest to Princess Eva!
There might be a chance she holds some sort of hint.
Thus, I decided in my heart that I needed to meet Princess Angela.
Allan continued the conversation.
“The Cassan Empire has admittedly been somewhat lax in the study of magical engineering compared to Boleno.”
“Lax, you say? We are constantly impressed by Cassan’s incredible blossoming of culture and art.”
“Still, we also fully recognize the significance of magical engineering in opening a new era. Recently, we’ve been actively increasing our research and investments in that field.”
With those words, Allan smiled warmly.
“Soon, the imperial family is planning to hold a magical presentation competition.”
“A magical presentation competition?”
When I asked, Allan elaborated.
“It’s a competition where mages showcase their unique specialties. It’s essentially the beginning of a broader push to promote research in magical engineering within Cassan.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Yes, which is why I’d like to make a suggestion. Since there are three magicians here…”
Allan’s gaze fell upon me, Raffaelo, and Ghieuspe.
“Would you be interested in participating in the magical presentation competition?”
🍓; *The term refers to a personal habit or principle that the speaker follows consistently, like an unwritten rule for themselves.
