Selection: Cermiane’s Point of View. (1)

It was unusual for me to receive  a summon letter from my father, I could see the anger radiating through the lines. The letter from my father usually began with words of concern for my health and duties, followed by a request to come to the inner palace in the near future. However, this time he wrote in an imperative tone, “Come to the Inner Palace tomorrow.”

The message was short and there was no room for negotiation. It also said that I must be accompanied by my wife. It was in the form of an order. Even though it was an unofficial document, it was still an order from the emperor. I could not disobey it. It was not often that my father gave me an order.

He was probably going to ask me about the fact that I had never informed him that I was getting married and that I had not invited him to the wedding. I pondered, but there was no use in worrying, so I told Ralphine that I would be going out tomorrow and that I wanted her to dress formally. Ralphine looked at me strangely, but agreed. When I asked Khemera for help, she was incredibly happy. She said, “I was so regretful that I never had the chance to dress up your beautiful wife.”

She said. I could trust them to handle it.

I decided to wear an aristocrat’s coat, not a military uniform. It was something I rarely wear, but I had prepared for it. I had it prepared for visits to the Imperial Palace as it is necessary to maintain my private status.

The next morning, Ralphine, wearing a dark red dress, was so strikingly beautiful It was strange that she only looked like a noblewoman when she was dressed like this. Khemera looked satisfied, but Ralphine frowned at the jangly accessories.

I ask Hamas to escort me to the imperial palace in a borrowed carriage. Ralphine’s mood turned sour when I didn’t say where we were going, but I couldn’t explain it. I had no choice but to sit there with a sullen look on my face.

When I entered the palace, Ralphine looked surprised. She seemed to recognize the scenery of the Imperial Palace.

“Is this the Imperial Palace?”

“Yes, it is.”

When I affirmed it, Ralphine’s mood improved at once. She was gazing happily at the inside of the imperial palace, which is rarely entered by lower nobility. Compared to her good mood, the fact that it is impolite for a noblewoman to look out of the window like that was trivial.

The carriage eventually came to the front of the main building of the Imperial Palace, but it passed through there and headed towards the back. The carriage passed through the main building of the Imperial Palace and headed for the inner palace, where it stopped.

Ralphine’s face litted up with curiosity as she scurried around in a place she had never been before. I pulled Ralphine by the hand and approached the knight guarding the entrance door. Ralphine’s dress, a gift from the marquise, was not enough for a noblewoman to wear to the inner palace. The carriage was a rented one. The knights looked at me suspiciously.

I took off my right glove and gently showed my right hand to the knights. The ring on my middle finger. It is commonly known as a black ring. It was actually a blue-black color when closely examined, as the dye used to color the gem needed to make this ring was made from crushed precious stones of the emperor’s blue color. Since the gem was very valuable, substitutes of similar colors were used instead, but the emperor’s blue, which was abundantly used in the emperor’s official events and ceremonies, was the real deal. By the way, it seems that the dress I wore for my wedding also used the real emperor’s blue.

This ring, made from the processed gemstone, is a ring that is only given to the imperial family, so having it means that I am a member of the imperial family and it serves as proof of my status. The knights guarding the door were surprised when they saw it, but as part of their duty, they know how to distinguish the black ring.  The reason it is called a black ring even though it is originally dark blue is to make it difficult to create a fake. They would know without a doubt that it was the real thing. I nodded and reverently opened the door. Behind this door, I will be treated as a prince. I have to keep that in mind.

On the other side of the door, the chief chamberlain of the inner palace, whom I had met several times, was waiting for me. He smiled at me, then stiffened when he saw Ralphine beside me. It was probably because she was scurrying around happily. She didn’t look like the wife of a high-ranking nobleman.

“She is my wife.”

“Oh, I see.”

The head chamberlain seemed to have regained his composure, smiled at Ralphine, and began to lead us on our way.

The detached palace area is basically the residence of the royal family, but once you enter through the door, you will find a series of salons, halls, and other facilities used for social gatherings. The socializing that takes place in this area is done by the royal family, inviting only those they truly trust, so there were probably few nobles who had ever been to this part of the palace. Of course, Ralphine does not know such a thing, so she was simply smitten by the splendor of the place.