Chapter 36

Via's day begins with a private meal with Alek.

As he has done since his days as a prince, Alek dismisses everyone except the head attendant, and Via, sitting diagonally across from him, serves the meal. The two chat while enjoying the morning hours.

After Alek leaves for his official duties, it's time for Via to be a mother.

She finishes her tasks and goes to the Crystal Palace where her children live, and they have lunch together. Prince Letheus is one year and five months old, and Princess Aveya is just over three months old.

Aveya is still too young to join in the meal, but Letheus sits at the same table as Via. Lady Vieta, the official wet nurse of the prince, also sits at the same table. Although the maids who attend to the prince's needs are present, Via has asked Lady Vieta to always sit at the same table as the prince during meals.

Via herself was raised this way.

Her mother, Zitti, was often away from the Amethyst Palace in the afternoons and evenings, but when she was, the head maid would take her place at the table and dine with Via and Celtis. In the forgotten Amethyst Palace, Via was indeed enveloped in the warmth of family.

Incidentally, the table is also joined by Myra and her mother, Sectur, who have finished their morning studies. Via, Sectur, Letheus, Myra, Lady Vieta, and Lady Elea, Aveya's wet nurse, make for a lively lunch. Eventually, Aveya will join them as well.

Incidentally, dinner often involves official duties, but when there are no plans, Via enjoys a relaxed dinner with Alek.

For Via, making Emperor Alek feel at ease and relieving his fatigue is the most important duty as Empress. In that sense, the children come second.

In the afternoon, Via is often busy with her duties as Empress, but on days when there are none, she spends time with the children at the Crystal Palace.

Alek knows Via's schedule, so on such days, if he is free, he visits the Crystal Palace. When he does, the Crystal Palace is in an uproar.

Myra shouts "Brother!" and leaps at him, and Letheus also flies into his arms, calling "Father." The young Aveya, though small, reaches out to Alek with all her might, but ends up being last, pouting and crying in Lady Elea's arms until she is finally picked up by her father.

Incidentally, the three children also love Prince Celtis, but Celtis rarely visits the Crystal Palace, though he does visit the Imperial Palace to see Via and Alek.

"They don't understand human language," is Celtis's excuse, but according to Via, Celtis himself used to babble incomprehensibly when he was young.

Perhaps due to the blood of the priestess of Thelma, the frequent dreams Via used to have stopped when she became pregnant. It might be because her emotions have stabilized, or perhaps her power is waning.

Via was relieved by this. While she had been helped by the dreams many times, the cruel dreams were indeed unbearable.

Today, there are no official duties, but she has informally invited the father of her guard knight, Kamie, who is visiting from his fief.

Incidentally, Kamie's maiden name is Evack.

The emperor highly valued the service of Evack, who presented the emblem to Via when she was in the city, and this led to the hereditary ennoblement. However, to the public, it is said that the name Lord Kamie was given to Evack, the chief guard knight, in conjunction with Via's elevation to Empress.

Via, who has many secrets that should not be revealed, is in such a position.

The elder Lord Evack, Kamie's father, is a retired noble who passed his title to his eldest son a year before Via became Alek's concubine.

When asked about the age difference between father and son, Kamie smiled wryly and said that his father had married late.

The eldest son was born when his father was thirty, followed by four daughters, and Kamie, the youngest, is thirteen years younger than his brother.

Incidentally, Kamie, who is often considered to have a better upbringing than Via, is from the Evack family, a distinguished house with a history dating back to the founding of Ancheise. As the youngest of a large age gap, Kamie was doted on and lived a life of luxury until he joined the Antoire, a true nobleman.

On the other hand, Via is the daughter of a dancer and a commoner, and from a young age, she was repeatedly sent incognito to the lower city, as she was expected to live there eventually.

Since meeting Via, Kamie has developed a habit of wondering about the true nature of beautiful and refined women.

Via wonders if her reluctance to marry is due to this habit.

Eventually, the visit of the elder Lord Evack was announced, and he entered accompanied by his son Kamie.

"Letheus, Myra, greet him," Via said, and eight-year-old Myra curtsied beautifully, while Letheus, following her example, performed a solemn knight's salute. Lord Evack returned their greetings with a bow, but when Myra noticed that the kneeling Lord Evack's head was fully covered, she whispered to Via, "It's all there," nearly making Via laugh out loud.

Myra's interest in baldness stems from the baldness of the head attendant of the Jade Palace where she lives.

Still, Via wonders why Myra is so knowledgeable about baldness.

Recently, she told Letheus, "Your grandfather had a full head of hair, so your father won't go bald, and neither will you," and explained that there are two types of baldness: one that starts at the top of the head and one that starts at the forehead.

Via secretly wonders who gave such trivial knowledge to Princess Myra.

Well, she can check it out later, but for now, she must prioritize entertaining Lord Evack.

"Please, this way," Via said with a gentle smile, inviting Lord Evack to the sofa.

"Father thinks you are very refined and elegant, so could you please play the part?" Kamie had asked beforehand.

As a request from an important guard knight, Via was happy to comply.

The Empress and Lord Evack conversed pleasantly and courteously throughout, and eventually, Lord Evack left the Crystal Palace, looking very satisfied.

"Such a wonderful person," Lord Evack said to his son Kamie several times after returning home, and Kamie heaved a sigh of relief.

"Did you feel reassured seeing the person I serve?"

Actually, when Kamie reported to his father that he was serving the first prince's concubine, his father did not look particularly pleased.

At the time, Emperor Palesis was still alive, and Prince Alek's position was unstable. It was hard to believe that the throne would be smoothly passed to the first prince, and his father might have been worried about that.

However, when Kamie mentioned this, his father surprisingly denied it.

"I was prepared for political upheaval when I had you join the Antoire with the prince."

"Then, did you dislike me serving the concubine?"

Kamie asked, and Lord Evack reluctantly nodded.

"Princess Via was adopted by Emperor Palesis but had never appeared in public for sixteen years.

The lack of any information was a concern.

Moreover, Princess Via was the real sister of Prince Celtis, who could become a political rival to Prince Alek. I thought that if you got involved, your movements might be restricted."

Kamie lowered his gaze.

"I... might have been naive. I never thought about such things."

He just thought she was the most beautiful person he had ever seen.

And when the first prince spoke to him directly and asked him to guard the princess, he was overjoyed.

"At the time, Princess Via became the prince's concubine under the protection of Prince Celtis."

Kamie confirmed, and his father nodded.

"However, I only learned this much later. From what I could see, the prince held the concubine in very high regard.

I couldn't believe that she was brought in to balance the political scales... Even now, I find it hard to believe."

Lord Evack was silent for a while, then said softly,

"Emperor Palesis and the current Emperor Alek are similar in two ways."

Kamie frowned.

"In what way? I don't think they are similar at all."

To Kamie, the current Emperor Alek and his father, Emperor Palesis, are completely different emperors. After killing his brother and usurping the throne, Emperor Palesis was obsessed with concentrating power in his own hands.

"Emperor Palesis was also indifferent to politics.

I am not in a position to judge the actions of a noble person, but during his reign, politics were indeed stagnant."

"I know that much," Lord Evack said with a bitter smile.

In contrast, the current emperor is an enlightened ruler, and even as a prince, he initiated reforms in the capital, Midas.

After the sudden death of Emperor Palesis, he fought for the throne with Lord Sezon, who used Prince Romaris as a figurehead, seized the palace, and has since devoted himself to the administration of the country, bringing Ancheise under control in about two years.

"Emperor Palesis and the current emperor are similar in two ways.

Emperor Palesis was also handsome, but his inner cruelty and brutality were reflected in his face, so no one thought he was similar to the current emperor."

"What is the other similarity?"

Lord Evack sighed.

"His obsession with a single woman."

Emperor Palesis's obsession with Concubine Zitti was extreme.

The emperor, who had taken a fancy to the dancer Zitti, forcibly brought her into his chambers in exchange for her daughter's life.

After the queen bore him a prince, he continued to take lower-ranking maids as his mistresses, fathering three princesses, but after making Zitti his concubine, he changed completely.

He doted on Concubine Zitti day and night, and while she was alive, he never looked at another woman.

From what Lord Evack could see, Emperor Alek also had a similar side.

Lord Evack, who knew Prince Alek in his late teens, thought of him as a playboy, a son of Emperor Palesis.

Not only was the prince handsome, but he had a certain charm that attracted women, and Lord Evack had seen several noblewomen blush when the prince spoke to them.

And everyone at court knew that the prince enjoyed his reputation as a womanizer, associating with many noblewomen.

In the midst of this, the prince, at the age of twenty-one, took in Princess Viatora, the step-sister and forgotten daughter of Concubine Zitti, as his concubine.

Rumors had it that she was a spitting image of Concubine Zitti, and the prince had taken her away from Emperor Palesis, who secretly desired her.

Like Emperor Palesis with Concubine Zitti, Prince Alek became infatuated with Concubine Via.

His doting on her was so intense that his close aides sent her to Galacia for a rest, fearing it would become an obstacle when he eventually took an empress.

The emperor, who had been separated from Concubine Via, devoted himself to his duties, fulfilling his role as emperor, but refused to take an empress.

Fearing that the royal bloodline would be cut off, his aides brought Concubine Via back from Galacia and made her empress, about two years ago.

The empress soon conceived, and Prince Letheus, born shortly after, was immediately made crown prince, followed by the birth of Princess Aveya the next year.

"What's wrong with that?"

Empress Via, who became the prince's concubine at the age of sixteen, is now twenty-one. Her beauty is whispered to be the best in Ancheise, and she exudes a luster that seems to shine from within.

Kamie thinks it's no wonder the emperor is infatuated with her.

"If he were infatuated with a concubine, it would be a problem, but since he cherishes the empress, there is no issue."

The empress is revered by her subjects as a flawless noblewoman, possessing both grace and education, and while fulfilling her duties as empress, she also devotes herself to charitable causes, earning a good reputation among the people.

"One misstep and the country could have been in danger."

Lord Evack warned.

"During Emperor Palesis's reign, Concubine Zitti knew her place. In Emperor Alek's case, it was the merit of the aides who recommended the concubine as empress."

However, Lord Evack has no complaints about the empress.

He believes that a young and beautiful sovereign is a source of strength for the country, and the empress is no exception. Her beauty has captivated many admirers. This was evident when the emperor issued a decree to the knights.

"Speaking of which, the recruitment of the empress's guard knights was quite a spectacle."

Kamie sighed, recalling the commotion at the time.

At that time, an incredible number of knights applied.

The requirement was for those with a solid background, so the recruitment was limited to the three major knight orders of Ancheise, but applications poured in not only from Antoire and Roffman but also from Reiatou, which had supported Prince Romaris.

"Did you do the selection?"

When asked, Kamie replied, "Yes," with a tired expression.

Since the empress had appointed Kamie as the chief knight, he was in charge of selecting the twenty or so knights.

The most exhausted were the Roffman knights. Due to the time when Empress Via had taken refuge in Roffman's fortress, an overwhelming number of knights applied.

While it was understandable for regular knights, it was unacceptable for high-ranking officers of the knight order who had a close relationship with Empress Via to apply.

How was a young man like himself supposed to command such high-ranking officers?

He politely declined their offers.

"There were nearly four hundred applicants, and I couldn't handle it alone.

I had the leaders of each knight order judge the applicants based on their family background, ability, and character, and selected an equal number from each."

"It's no wonder. There are few women as refined and graceful as her."

Kamie's eyes took on a distant look.

Playing the part of a refined and graceful woman is a piece of cake for the empress.

When he once asked if she didn't get tired, she replied with a smile, "I am enjoying it."

She has a certain robustness and always approaches life with a positive attitude. She is also very charming.

When Empress Via was made empress, the third princess of Galantia, who was considered the most likely candidate for the emperor's marriage, visited Ancheise as a representative of her royal family.

The surrounding people were on edge due to the princess's temper, but the empress remained calm and entertained her, and by the time she returned home, the princess had become a devoted follower of the empress.

... "Can I call you sister?" What is that about?

It's a world Kamie can't understand.

"I'm proud that you are the empress's chief guard knight."

Praised by his father, Kamie straightened his back and said, "Thank you."

Whatever the case, "all is well that ends well."

I like the poem "Spring Morning" by Robert Browning (translated by Ueda Toshiki).