Chapter 44: The Duchess’s Tea Party

“It’s not about the etiquette lessons.”

“Then what is it about?”

“I was just curious—when did you and His Majesty become acquainted?”

At once, Sir Samuel’s face turned ashen.

From his contorted expression, I could tell how much he disliked the topic.

I nodded eagerly as my eyes sparkled, and Sir Samuel let out a deep sigh.

“Well, I did say I would tell you anything, so I suppose I have no choice. Honestly, there’s nothing special. I’m just an ordinary civil servant in the Imperial Palace.”

“But from what I’ve seen, it seems like you two are incredibly close, doesn’t it?”

There were so many things I had witnessed.

The most striking scene was when Sir Samuel carefully wiped the blood from the Emperor’s face with his handkerchief.

Not to mention, before I arrived, Sir Samuel had been the Emperor’s partner at a ball.

“Well, we’re always together. Honestly, if it weren’t for the money, I wouldn’t even have a reason to be near him.”

“Money?”

“Yes, money! How wonderful it is! He doesn’t have any personality, so I don’t need to cater to him, but he only brings benefits to me. Where else would you find such a lovable being…!”

Sir Samuel’s voice, full of excitement, rang through the room.

It sounded much like when he had spoken earlier about the most expensive jewel in Hamilton displayed in the conference hall.

But his joyful eyes quickly turned dull.

Before I knew it, deep melancholy had settled in.

“In contrast, what about Lord Argon? His personality isn’t good, he loves to torment people at every chance, he makes you work overtime all the time, and there’s always something to worry about with him.”

That was the sorrow of someone who had been suffering for a long time.

It made me feel pity, but then a thought suddenly popped into my head.

“Could it be that Sir Samuel… is staying close to His Majesty for the money?”

If he hated someone this much, it seemed impossible for them to have a typical romantic relationship.

So, perhaps this reasoning was valid.

As I had this thought, a faint smile appeared on his face.

“Well, there are some things I am grateful for, of course.”

“Grateful?”

“Before Lord Argon ascended to the throne, Hamillon was quite a stuffy place. It was difficult for anyone who wasn’t a noble to work in the Imperial Palace. And not all nobles are the same, so particularly the fallen families couldn’t even dream of it.”

Certainly, there was a big difference between Medderland, where I lived, and Hamillon in that regard.

As Deputy Director Reddit had said, the premise that commoners couldn’t enter the swordsmanship academy didn’t exist here.

Of course, Medderland also had the twelve families who made decisions for major matters, but unlike Hamillon, it wasn’t divided by an absolute class system that created an insurmountable gap.

Being from an old family was respected, but opportunities to become a fixer were available to everyone, and no family had special privileges.

“But Lord Argon changed the rules so that all nobles could equally enter the Imperial Court based solely on their abilities. If it hadn’t been for that, I wouldn’t be here right now.”

“Does that mean Sir Samuel is from a fallen noble family?”

“Yes, that’s right. I’m a noble by name only, and I didn’t even have a single servant in my mansion. But thanks to Lord Argon, who expanded opportunities even to fallen nobles, I’ve made it to where I am now.”

Behind the always confident and seemingly perfect Sir Samuel, there seemed to be a great deal of hidden effort I wasn’t aware of.

“Then, this position must be very meaningful to you.”

“Well, thanks to working day and night, my family has become much more stable. Even though I don’t like admitting it, I do feel grateful to Lord Argon for that.”

A faint smile briefly appeared on his face, but as quickly as it had come, it disappeared, replaced by the usual negative and dissatisfied expression on Sir Samuel’s face.

“Of course, enduring his nasty personality is all for the salary. If it weren’t for the salary, I would have left this position a long time ago.”

Even though he was grumbling like this, I could tell that his feelings about the Emperor were sincere from what he had said earlier.

It was such an interesting experience to learn about someone else through another person’s perspective.

‘I wonder if there will come a day when I’ll think of the Emperor as a good person?’

I couldn’t fully resonate with that thought yet, but I felt that if such a day came, I could get along with him better than I do now.

“Well, now that we’ve rested enough, shall we start the lesson again?”

Sir Samuel’s etiquette lessons continued until the day of the Duchess’s tea party.

After completing the training in a rather Spartan manner, he looked on with tears of emotion at the results, as though overwhelmed by my transformation.

“At this point, there’s nothing more to teach. You’re perfect. You’re such an excellent student. This has been a valuable learning experience for me as well.”

“Then I’ll go carefully and safely.”

“Yes, be careful above all else. Be careful again. And be careful a third time. Those women are like vipers.”

Finally, it was time to show the results of my hard work to the people.

My heart pounded in anticipation, wondering what would happen next in so many different ways.

***

As I stepped out of the carriage, the sight that captured my attention was the grand Duke’s residence.

While not as magnificent as the Imperial Palace, it had another kind of grandeur and beauty.

Sir Walton, who had been escorting me and holding my hand, also seemed quite impressed.

“Wow, it’s so grand.”

“Is this your first time here, Sir Walton?”

“Yes, people like me, commoners, don’t get invited to noble gatherings.”

Unlike Sir Walton, who was full of admiration, Perry wrinkled his face and kept sniffing the air.

“Perry, what’s wrong?”

“I don’t know, but I keep smelling something terrible.”

“I don’t really smell anything.”

“That’s strange… My nose can’t be wrong.”

Perry had said the same thing before.

‘He said something about the smell of sewer rats, didn’t he?’

But no matter how much I sniffed, I couldn’t smell anything out of the ordinary.

Unable to find the source of the odor, Perry walked ahead, looking unsettled.

Following the butler’s guidance, we arrived at a garden where soft, melodic music from a band could be heard. In the distance, I spotted some familiar noblewomen I had seen at the ball.

As Sir Walton tried to follow me into the garden, the butler immediately stopped him.

“Only invited ladies are allowed to enter here.”

“But I’m here on the Emperor’s orders. Is the Emperor’s command not higher than a mere invitation?”

“Well…”

The butler’s face showed clear embarrassment.

The invitation had explicitly mentioned that the tea time was for ladies only, and bringing Sir Walton in would surely draw harsh judgment.

I didn’t want to start off on the wrong foot, especially since there were already many who weren’t too friendly toward me.

“If that’s the case, is it alright to bring Perry along instead? This child who came with me.”

“Hmm… Guests without an invitation…”

The butler’s voice trailed off as if he was finding it difficult to resolve.

“His Majesty ordered me to keep Sir Walton and Perry close by. Since this is a tea party for women, I can’t bring Sir Walton in, but beyond that, I cannot make an exception.”

The butler’s face was still filled with clear conflict.

I responded in a voice full of pity and sadness.

“In that case, I suppose I’ll have to return to the Imperial Palace… If His Majesty asks why I came so early, I will have no choice but to tell him about the insult I received at the Duke’s residence…”

Upon hearing my words, the butler sighed deeply. It was clear that he had given up, acknowledging that there was no way to avoid the situation.

“Understood. Then, please go inside with the child. I’ll inform the lady of your arrival.”

At that moment, Sir Walton whispered to me in a voice only I could hear.

“I’ll wait out here. If anything happens, call my name. I’ll come running faster than anyone else.”

“Thank you, Sir Walton.”

As I entered the garden, I could hear the pleasant chatter of the guests.

Like at the ball, the women were dressed in grand attire, and the decorations around the space were just as extravagant, if not more so.

At the center of this tea party was a middle-aged lady, exuding the elegance of a swan.

Upon spotting me, she smiled warmly.

“Oh, it seems we have a precious guest. Everyone, please pay attention.”

At her words, the laughter that had been blending with the music abruptly stopped.

All eyes turned to me.

Without needing to say anything, I could sense it.

The hostility in their cold eyes made it clear that no one was welcoming me here.

“Thank you for inviting me to this meaningful gathering, Lady.”

The guests remained silent, with only the Duchess smiling leisurely in response.

“It seems everyone is a bit tense since it’s been a while since we had a new guest. Hmm, where should I seat you… Ah, you seem to be about the same age as Lady Enullin, so I’ll seat you next to her.”

There, seated beside Lady Enullin, was a woman glaring at me with an expression full of contempt.