Chapter 72

"......And why was Emma sound asleep?"

The next morning, after waking up feeling refreshed and having a second helping of breakfast, a family meeting was held in Emma's room, which had been cleared of all others.

"Mother, the castle bed... was incredibly soft, like sleeping on a cloud, the best comfort I've ever had."

Sensing that she might be scolded for Mersa's question, Emma pleaded that it was beyond her control.

"Miss, before the banquet, after my dress was completed, I spent a long time drawing designs for the dresses of the young ladies I became close to during embroidery lessons."

"......Emma?"

William, who had been digging through Emma's desk, found a large number of design drawings and informed his mother. The look in his eyes was painful.

"Mother, everyone has been so kind to me and I've been taken care of. Each of them has their own charm, so designing dresses for them was so much fun... I just couldn't stop..."

She had been under a lot of stress from the constant etiquette lessons and not being able to do what she wanted. After seeing her dress that Harold had drawn, she was convinced that the dye was perfect, and one idea after another for dresses came to her. She drew designs non-stop and didn't realize it was morning until she looked up.

"But this, it would really suit Lady Marion, wouldn't it?"

Georg picked up one of the design drawings and showed it to the family. It was a black one-shoulder dress with a large flower decoration on the shoulder, and beads and embroidery flowing from it.

"I was thinking of using colors that wouldn't stand out on the black dress for the embroidery, but if we dye the embroidery thread with the ink, I think the colors will stand out without being overwhelmed by the fabric."

"This shoulder flower, if we dye the embroidery thread the same color as the ink and use real-looking artificial flowers, it will create a sense of unity..."

"Brother! Great idea! I'll take it!"

"The embroidery flowers should be stitched to look real... and I think it would be more beautiful to scatter many small beads rather than use large ones."

"That's true, Father, but if the beads are too small, they might not stand out on the black dress."

"Then why don't we dye the beads with ink as well? If we can control the colors, we can create a gradient effect, which will add more unity and elegance."

"Nice! William! We could also discuss with Harold about creating lustrous colors for future use."

"Then, Emma and I will choose the black fabric and oversee the tailoring, Georg will handle the flower decorations, Leonardo will do the embroidery, and William will be in charge of the beads."

"Understood."

"Then, let's move on to the design for the twin coordination... uh...!?"

"Ah!!"

Everyone had forgotten the main topic and was enthusiastically discussing Emma's dress designs. They had gone off track, and everyone was unconsciously trying to escape reality by focusing on something enjoyable.

"......"

"......"

"......"

"......"

"......"

"......Ah. Emma? When did you start speaking Imperial language?"

For a moment, they considered continuing the discussion about the dress designs, but Leonardo couldn't ignore the events of the previous night and decided to get back on track. Emma sighed and answered as if she had given up.

"Imperial language... but from what I heard, it was Japanese. The Imperial cuisine served at the banquet was Japanese, and I could only eat tamagoyaki, but the kelp broth was delicious."

She reminisced about the taste of tamagoyaki, which she hadn't had in a long time. The impression of the tamagoyaki was stronger than the fact that the Imperial language was Japanese.

"Eh!? Then, maybe rice? Is there rice?"

"Soy sauce?"

"Miso soup!"

Georg, Mersa, and William leaned forward at the mention of Japanese cuisine.

"I only saw the appetizers, so I don't know about rice and soy sauce, but there was miso."

I wanted to eat nasu dengaku... and felt a bit sad.

"Miso soup! Yay!"

Georg and William high-fived, happy to have the familiar taste of miso.

"With miso, we can make not just miso soup, but also mackerel miso, miso simmered udon, and stir-fried meat miso."

Mersa started listing the dishes she was good at from her previous life.

"Ah, I want to eat mackerel miso... I want to eat...!?"

"Ah!!"

The possibility of being able to eat the dishes from her previous life, which she had given up on after reincarnation, was a much more attractive topic than the main issue. The instinct of the entire family was to avoid the main topic, which was troublesome.

"...Ah, why did a commotion start just because I spoke Imperial language?"

While being drawn to the idea of mackerel miso, William tried to get back on track, sounding disappointed. The diplomatic relations with the Empire had just begun, and no one in the family knew about it.

"According to the Imperial prince, the kingdom people can't speak Imperial language."

Emma recalled the prince, who was excited and held her hand, talking about how kingdom people couldn't speak Imperial language. He was so excited at the banquet that he couldn't hide his joy.

"Also, when I went to pick up Emma, the diplomats gathered to hear the story, and we almost couldn't get back. Your mother-in-law helped us out."

Leonardo smiled as he recounted the incident with the diplomats.

"Father!? Did you start a fight with the diplomats while I was sleeping soundly?"

Emma was surprised to hear this for the first time. She was always told not to cause trouble, but this was like pouring oil on a fire, and she was sure she would be scolded. When she looked at her mother, two blue veins appeared on her forehead, which only appeared when she was extremely angry.

"Mother! I'm... I'm sorry..."

"Diplomats? Oliver DeFross?"

Mersa interrupted Emma, who was about to apologize.

"Yes, that's what your mother-in-law called him. Do you know him?"

Hilda remembered the name of the most troublesome man. He was about the same age as Leonardo and seemed to be a nervous type.

"That bastard! He became a diplomat!"

Mersa, who usually kept her composure, slammed her hand on the table and cursed in a way that was uncharacteristic of her.

"Mother?"

"Mersa?"

Mersa, with the blue veins on her forehead, was terrifying.

"That guy, when I was in school, he always said that women don't need to study, that women shouldn't stand up to men, and that women use their charm to get good grades from teachers... Just thinking about it makes me angry!!"

"Ah! I remember that guy!! A pitiful guy who couldn't understand Mersa's charm!"

It seemed they were acquaintances from their school days. Leonardo had forgotten about him, even though he had seen him.

"That guy, even when our dear Emma was unwell and unconscious, he tried to prioritize his own story, just as rude as ever!!"

As one memory led to another, Mersa's anger didn't subside.

"Mother, I'm... I'm fine?"

Emma's words didn't reach Mersa at all.

"We must protest... not just as the Stewart family, but also with the help of Mother and a direct protest from the Sullivan family!!"

"Mother?... I'm... I'm fine?"

What should I do?

Mersa, who always told her not to cause trouble and to be quiet and not stand out, was now pouring oil on the fire and was about to throw a dynamite into it.

"......"

"......"

"......"

"......"

In the awkward silence, the door to Emma's room, which was supposed to be cleared of all others, was knocked on with hurried footsteps.

"I said no one should come to this room for a while."

Leonardo opened the door to greet the servant.

"I'm sorry! The... the King is here!"

The servant, out of breath and pale, reported the shocking news.

"King... what?"

The King is not someone who would casually visit a noble family. Leonardo asked if he had heard correctly.

"The King is at the gate, asking to be let in!"

The servant repeated the message clearly to Leonardo.

What happened? It was as if a volcano had erupted behind them just as they were about to throw the dynamite.

How big would the commotion over Emma's banquet become...?

The Tanaka family meeting, which had not accomplished much, was cut short by the King's visit.

The most pitiful person was the gatekeeper, Evan, who was trembling at the King's visit but was still trying to do his job.