Just as I was about to head to the Emperor’s office with Perry, I ran into Sir Samuel in the hallway.
He greeted me warmly when he recognized me.
“It’s been a while, Lady Mayhen.”
“Hello, Sir Samuel. Are you on your way to see His Majesty?”
“No, not exactly. I’m just picking up some materials needed by Lord Argon during a meeting.”
“Then, is His Majesty holding a meeting somewhere else?”
“Yes, that’s correct. Do you need something from him?”
I fiddled with the invitations in my hand.
After a brief moment of hesitation, I looked up at Sir Samuel.
“Well, yes, but it’s not urgent. Thank you for letting me know.”
“Why don’t we go together then? During the break in the meeting, I can speak to Lord Argon for you. There are plenty of things to see around the meeting hall as well.”
I was about to decline politely, but the mention of “things to see” caught my attention.
I’d never had the chance to explore around the meeting hall while walking around the palace with Perry.
“Things to see?”
“Well, since this is a place where delegations from various countries gather, there are many exhibits. For instance, the helmet used by Hamilton’s first emperor during the founding, or the cursed red diamond from ancient times, which is said to bring death shortly to whoever wears it.”
He went on, explaining various oddities and rare artworks on display.
Among them, especially when he spoke about the most expensive gem in Hamilton, I saw his face light up with more excitement than usual.
“If Hamilton were to fall, I’d be the first to rush there and snatch up the jewels. With that money, I could live comfortably in another country, without worrying about anything.”
“What did you say?”
Realizing what he’d just blurted out, Sir Samuel quickly cleared his throat.
“Oh, my mistake. That slipped out. Forget I said that. Now, what will you do?”
I wasn’t particularly drawn to jewels or artworks, so I wasn’t too excited about the idea.
As I was thinking it over, Sir Samuel added another comment.
“By the way, I almost forgot about the portraits of past Hamilton emperors. I believe there’s one Lord Argon from his time as Crown Prince.”
At that moment, Sir Samuel’s expression soured, as if he’d bitten into something bitter.
Normally, he was so attentive and devoted to the Emperor, so seeing him react like this was puzzling.
‘What kind of relationship do these two have?’
Just then, after hearing about the Emperor from Vice-Captain Reddit, my feelings toward the Emperor softened slightly.
I couldn’t help but wonder what the Emperor had been like when he was younger, with that sharp, handsome face.
“If that’s the case, let’s go see it. If not now, when else would I have the chance?”
“Good thinking. Follow me, then.”
Guided by Sir Samuel, we made our way toward the meeting hall.
It was certainly grand, fitting for a place where delegations from various countries gathered.
We passed through a hallway guarded by sentinels and stopped in front of a beautifully decorated reception room.
Sir Samuel pointed toward an open space to the right.
“If you go in there, you’ll find the exhibition I mentioned. After you finish looking around, you can rest here in the reception room, and I’ll bring Lord Argon to you during the break.”
“Alright, I understand. I’ll see you in a bit, Sir Samuel.”
After exchanging our goodbyes, Sir Samuel walked down the opposite corridor.
I guessed that this might be where the meeting hall was.
Together with Perry, we immediately headed for the exhibition hall.
“Perry, have you ever been here before?”
“No, I haven’t. I mostly stay in the Imperial Knights’ training hall. It’s actually the first time I’ve had a chance to explore the palace like this with you.”
That put me at ease.
It seemed like Perry would enjoy the sightseeing, especially since there were trophies and weapons from other countries displayed here, so it seemed like it would catch her interest immediately.
And my prediction was spot on.
“Wow, look at this! This is a double-edged dagger, isn’t it? It looks like it’s of good quality. I just want to swing it around for a bit.”
Her eyes, which had been indifferent to the artworks and jewels, now sparkled whenever a new weapon came into view.
I thought that, if we ever caught the real culprits and eventually returned to Mederland, it might be a good idea to get her a special weapon as a gift.
‘Dad would know about those kinds of things, so I’ll have to ask him for help later.’
As we continued to slowly walk through the exhibition, a wall filled with portraits came into view.
The first one that caught my attention was of the Emperor wearing a crown.
His face looked younger than it does now, but there was a clear darkness and an undeniable sorrow in his expression.
In contrast, in the family portrait that seemed to be from his time as Crown Prince, he wore an innocent, childlike smile.
The stark contrast between the two portraits was so striking that I couldn’t hide my surprise.
‘What could have happened between those two moments?’
In the family portrait, there was a man with blond hair and blue eyes, and a woman with silver hair and gray eyes—both of whom looked remarkably similar to the Emperor.
They were likely the Emperor’s parents.
The one wearing the crown was his mother.
There was something strangely reminiscent of his aura in the soft upward curve of her lips.
“I guess this is the mother of the Emperor. They really look alike, don’t they?”
“Yeah, it’s obvious they’re family.”
In contrast, the Emperor’s father clearly resembles Sir Kerif.
From the eyes and hair to the well-defined facial features.
Even the round ears and striped tail that were typical of tiger beastkin were identical.
At first, I didn’t believe the rumors of them being half-brothers, but seeing this family portrait, it was clear they were truly siblings.
As I continued to gaze at the portraits, I accidentally bumped into someone ahead of me, not having noticed them.
“Ah, I’m so sorry! I was looking elsewhere and—”
“It’s alright. I wasn’t looking ahead either.”
I looked up at the soft voice, and there stood a familiar face—the same Sir Kerif I had met at the ball.
“…Sir Kerif?”
“It’s a pleasure to see you again, young lady.”
His eyes, sparkling like a clear lake, narrowed gently.
For a moment, I was surprised, but then I remembered that the meeting hall was on the opposite side of the exhibition hall.
“Are you here for the meeting as well, Sir Kerif?”
“Yes.”
“Then why aren’t you at the meeting hall, and instead here…?”
At my obvious question, Sir Kerif looked a little flustered before he broke into a smile.
“The atmosphere in the meeting hall is rather stiff, so I decided to take a short break. What about you, young lady?”
“I’m waiting to speak with His Majesty. I’m not sure when he’ll be done, though.”
After thinking for a moment, Sir Kerif asked in a polite tone.
“Would you spare a bit of your precious time for me? There’s a place I’ve wanted to go to with you.”
“A place you want to go with me?”
“Yes, I’m sure you’ll like it.”
Curiosity piqued, I wondered where this place could be.
However, since I had something to ask His Majesty regarding the invitation to the Duchess’ tea party, I hesitated a bit.
“But I don’t know when His Majesty will be out…”
“If it’s during the break in the meeting, there’s still plenty of time. I’ve attended a few of these meetings before, so I remember how long they usually last.”
I glanced at Perry.
She shrugged her shoulders, seemingly indifferent to what I decided.
I hesitated for a moment, then smiled at Sir Kerif.
“Alright, but we can’t go too far. I can’t leave the palace either.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Just trust me and follow me, young lady.”
Following him with Perry, I felt uneasy.
What if this was some sort of plan to lure me away with bad intentions?
On a personal level, I hoped Sir Kerif wasn’t a bad person.
‘He’s the first person from Hamilton to ask me about Medderland, after all.’
I was happy to have someone with whom I could share my homeland, even if it was just for a brief moment.
If the memory of that warm, sunny moment were to be ruined, it would hurt my heart.
After walking for a while in an unknown direction, Sir Kerif stopped in front of a clock tower that reached high into the sky.
With a worried look on his face, he asked me:
“From here, we have to climb a lot of stairs. Are you sure you’re alright with that, young lady?”
“Of course. The beastkin of Mederland have been climbing cliffs since they were little. This won’t be a problem at all.”
My confident response made Sir Kerif laugh.
“I’m relieved to hear that. Then, let’s head up to the top of the clock tower.”
The stairs leading up to the clock tower were narrow and steep.
There were windows along the way that let light in, but otherwise, it was quite dark.
Suddenly, I felt like anything could happen in a place like this.
As we continued to climb, Sir Kerif’s conversation gradually became quieter.
A sense of foreboding filled my mind.
‘Could it be…?’
Perhaps Perry sensed something was wrong as well.
She stayed close to me, her eyes scanning the surroundings cautiously.
Then, Sir Kerif’s steps suddenly came to a halt.