Street vendors hastily pushed their carts closer to the roadside, and passersby either slipped indoors out of sight or dropped to their knees.
This was true for commoners and nobles alike, including Clea.
If there was no direct vassalage between two nobles, they were not considered superior or subordinate to one another.
Even if their ranks differed, that was the principle.
However, the emperor was a different story.
He stood at the pinnacle of all vassalage contracts and was the ultimate ruler of all land.
Before the one who stood above all, everyone had to kneel.
There was, however, a difference in how one knelt depending on their title.
Kings and dukes, the highest ranks, placed only one knee on the ground.
Marquess, border Marquess, earls, and court counts knelt on both knees but were allowed to keep their upper bodies straight.
Viscounts and barons had to sit formally with their legs folded beneath them.
Lastly, commoners had to place their hands on the ground and bow their heads.
***
“Ellie…!”
Clea, who had knelt on both knees, urged her friend.
“What’s wrong? Lower yourself quickly!”
If one stood tall while the emperor’s carriage passed, the consequences would be severe.
Ellie knew that.
She knew exactly what posture she should take.
But for a brief moment, she had a thought.
She wanted to see the face of the man who was supposedly her father.
She didn’t know whether he would pass the throne to her peacefully or if she would have to wrest it from him by force.
But for her goal, the final obstacle she had to overcome—the ultimate enemy—what did he even look like?
‘No.’
But she had to endure.
Had she been alone, she might have attempted it.
She could have hidden in an alley or concealed herself with magic.
However, she couldn’t drag her friend into this.
Ellie lowered her head and body.
The scent of dirt rushed up from the ground and filled her nose.
Her body trembled with humiliation.
But she had to endure, so she did.
The rhythmic clatter of hooves and the smooth rolling of carriage wheels grew closer from one side of the street.
Everyone held their breath.
The sound passed in front of Ellie and Clea and should have continued down the road.
But it didn’t.
A man’s voice rang out from the carriage.
“Stop for a moment.”
Early thirties? Late thirties? It was hard to tell, but the voice was clear—a smooth, rich baritone.
The carriage came to a gentle yet decisive stop.
The door opened.
The same voice that had ordered the carriage to halt now spoke in the direction of Ellie and Clea.
“You there. Are you a child of the Marquess of Lacostrin?”
Clea, who had been kneeling with her body respectfully bowed forward, hesitated for a moment before answering.
“That is correct, Your Majesty.”
“Then that means Marchioness Riali Lacostrin is your mother?”
“That is correct, Your Majesty.”
“Your name?”
“If you are asking for the name given to me by my mother, it is Clea.”
“She named you well. That sounds just like her.”
It was the emperor’s voice—something most people would never have the chance to hear.
Even though his attention wasn’t on them, the commoners around them were trembling.
Some had already fainted.
He was a man who could grant fortunes with a single word or take an entire family’s lives with another.
In their minds, two scenes flickered back and forth—a person receiving mountains of gold for making the emperor laugh and someone losing their head over an unfortunate bodily reaction.
The extreme contrast between fortune and doom was so overwhelming that passing out from stress was only natural.
The emperor had seen this countless times before.
Perhaps that was why, amidst the trembling masses, one person caught his attention—Ellie, who simply kept her head bowed without any noticeable reaction.
“If that is the case, who is the one beside the Marquess’s daughter?”
Clea carefully opened her mouth.
“May I have permission to answer first?”
“Go ahead.”
“Her name is Ellie, Your Majesty. She is my fellow academy student and…”
Her voice took on a slight heat as she continued.
“My friend.”
“Is that so?”
There was a note of mild curiosity in the emperor’s voice.
“If my eyes do not deceive me, she appears to be a commoner.”
“That is correct, Your Majesty. Ellie is the first in academy history to be specially selected by the admissions board.”
“Hmm.”
And then—
“Ellie. Raise your head and show me your face.”
Even if Ellie had remained silent and kept her head down, the emperor wouldn’t have found it strange at all.
Ellie also knew that if she acted a certain way, the Emperor would just accept it as it was.
Clea would defend her, saying that she was only acting out of shock and fear, and the Emperor, showing his benevolence, would let it pass without issue.
Honestly, this was an unexpected situation.
Humans, no matter how desperately they desire something, will instinctively push it away when it is suddenly thrown in their face.
However.
Ellie took a deep breath and lifted her head.
‘Ah.’
And as soon as she saw the imperial jade eyes for the first time, a thought flashed through her mind.
‘He is my father.’
Hair that shimmered like it was dusted with stardust, eyes that were a deep blue with the brilliance of stars inside them—identical.
Even setting aside the colors, their facial features alone were undeniably alike.
Especially when she was under the effects of magic, revealing her true beauty.
She was an exceptional beauty.
And the Emperor was a man handsome enough to be the father of such a beauty.
That fact was slightly irritating.
***
“A humble orphan greets Your Majesty’s jade gaze.”
Ellie’s voice rang out clearly.
The man, the supreme ruler of all, who had no awareness that he was her father, raised an eyebrow at her.
‘Now, what do we have here?’
A commoner who did not lose control or grow nervous in front of him—he could not recall encountering such a person before.
Of course, she must have been tense to some extent.
However, those intelligent black eyes remained calm, showing that she had perfectly contained her emotions.
“You said your name was Ellie? Even as a commoner, do you not have a family name?”
“No, Your Majesty.”
“The academy’s headmistress permitted your admission?”
“On the contrary, the headmistress is one of the warmest and most welcoming people I have met.”
“Is that so? That relic of the old era.”
The Emperor made a thoughtful noise.
“Then, where do you get the funds for tuition and living expenses at the academy?”
“At present, the headmistress is covering a portion of my expenses, which means, in the end, I am but a humble being indebted to Your Majesty’s grace.”
The Emperor became even more intrigued.
He was impressed that she could instantly link her response to the fact that the academy was an imperial institution.
‘This child has a sharper mind than most high-ranking officials.’
The Emperor decided to ask one final question.
“Most graduates of the academy aspire to serve the imperial family. Do you share the same ambition?”
“…If I may speak boldly.”
Ellie closed her eyes and bowed her head respectfully.
“Serving in the imperial palace is my dream.”
It was not a lie.
However, the position she envisioned was vastly different from what the Emperor assumed.
So, while her words were not untrue, they were certainly not entirely straightforward either.
She lowered her head to hide her face and ensure her true intentions were not discovered.
“Is that so? Admirable.”
The Emperor spoke indifferently.
And then—
“Sir Lis.”
His secretary, seated across from him, responded immediately.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I wish to bestow upon this girl a high-grade wand.”
Clea, rather than Ellie, was the one who flinched in surprise.
The Emperor was widely known for being frugal with gifts and rewards.
“In that case, I believe it would be best to introduce her to a master craftsman and have the craftsman bill the imperial treasury for the cost.”
“Then let it be so.”
“Would Your Majesty please place your seal here?”
The secretary picked up a blank sheet of paper.
In an instant, magic flashed, transforming the paper into a fully formatted letter of introduction and a financial guarantee.
The Emperor pressed his fingertip against the blank space at the bottom.
At that moment—
The magic released was on a completely different level from what the secretary had used earlier.
It was violent.
Just as earthquakes that topple homes and mountains are, in essence, merely tremors, and just as waves that swallow people are, at their core, just disturbances—
This force was nothing but a tremor.
Yet, it was confined precisely around the Emperor’s fingertip.
Which made it all the more terrifying.
Someone who could create an earthquake at will was frightening.
But someone who could control that earthquake within an exact one-meter square was far more terrifying.
Immense power, and an equally immense level of control over that power.
Any magician would lose their will to fight upon witnessing such a scene.
In fact, Clea, who was sitting beside Ellie, was so stunned that she collapsed onto the ground, despite having the right to sit upright.
“Is it done?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The secretary rolled up the document, now bearing the Emperor’s seal, and bound it with golden thread before handing it to Ellie.
“His Majesty has bestowed this upon you. Extend both hands to receive it properly.”
Ellie stared at the document.
Not for long.
If measured in time, not even a full second.
The Emperor had already turned his gaze away from her.
Which meant that the only one who caught the expression in her eyes during that fleeting moment was the secretary, Lis.
At first glance, her face seemed emotionless.
However, it was not the expression of someone rendered speechless by shock.
It was too composed for that, and there was even the faintest hint of amusement in her gaze.
“I am deeply honored. I shall cherish and make the best use of the wand His Majesty has bestowed upon me.”
The girl bowed her head and accepted the scroll with both hands, reverently.
And just like that, as if it had all been a mirage—
The moment was over.