After finishing her morning wash, Vera put on a light touch of makeup.
She usually never wore makeup, but today it was necessary—she had to attend the morning’s Crown Festival opening ceremony together with Meliya.
She lived in a luxury apartment near the Guards’ barracks in the heart of Seles City.
Meliya had urged her more than once to move into the palace, but she had always declined her like this:
“No matter what, I am still the nominal United Governor of the Northern Provinces… If I move into your home, next time those old men in the Council of Nobles will probably charge you with treason.”
But she was also unwilling to live in the Mansion, since it was basically just an empty shell.
Nominally, she was the United Governor of the Northern Provinces directly appointed by the Empire, but anyone with sense knew it was the Duchess who truly held power here.
So there was rarely any government business for her to handle in the Mansion, and, as someone who prized efficiency, she saw no reason to live there.
She opened her door, and as always, the Breakfast Cart provided by the Apartment Manager was waiting at her doorstep.
She pushed it inside, quickly finished her breakfast, then washed the plates and utensils and placed them back on the cart.
Originally, the servants would have knocked and delivered the meal in person, but she disliked being seen by others before she was ready in the morning… so she had arranged things as they were now.
After finishing all this, she was ready to head downstairs—but suddenly she had a feeling she had forgotten something.
So she ran back into her room.
She looked all around, unable to recall what she’d forgotten.
“—Ah.”
Her gaze fell on the Sword she’d casually left by her bedside table.
She finally remembered what it was.
So the woman known as the “Sword Saint” hung the Sword she’d forgotten at her waist and left her residence for the opening ceremony… that is, to the Mansion she wasn’t so eager to visit.
She hailed a carriage at the street side, and soon enough it took her to the Mansion at the entrance to Civic Square.
A large crowd had already gathered in the square to witness the ceremony.
When Vera stepped down from the carriage, people greeted her with cheers:
“Her Highness the Princess is here!”
“Sword Saint! Sword Saint! Our legend, our Hero!”
Though she was never comfortable with this, Vera forced herself to relax the muscles of her face and do her best to show a close approximation of a smile.
Because they always called out to her this warmly, no matter which identity she appeared with.
“Your Highness, good morning.”
The Guards at the Mansion and the staff—more hurried than usual—greeted her one by one, and Vera nodded in return.
But as she greeted them, she deliberately avoided their reverent gazes.
Everyone who worked here belonged to the Second Royal Guard Division under her command: a pitiful unit of barely thirty people, including herself.
This was very different from what Lian had imagined when he first saw her—she was no longer the Highest Commander of the Empire’s Army.
The reason was simple: when Meliya, acting as proxy for the Hero’s territory, became a target for all, Vera had personally mobilized the Imperial Capital’s direct Legion to deter the nobles looking for a chance to strike.
And that gave the nobles the perfect excuse to suppress her.
They banded together in the Assembly to impeach Vera, stripping her of her major military posts and most of her command… and then, over the following decade, they continued to maneuver and infiltrate politically, reducing the division directly under her to this hollow state.
They surely knew this unit was now little more than a name.
Yet these people were still willing to remain at her side, willing to serve in an institution that had become nothing but a formality…
Vera felt she could never repay such loyalty in her lifetime, and so, ashamed, she always tried to avoid seeing them—that was one reason she was reluctant to come to the Mansion.
She entered her office.
Someone was already waiting for her.
“Ah, Vera, good morning. Forgive me for making myself at home? There were a few things I had to deal with before the opening ceremony.”
Sitting at her desk was Meliya Klauscher.
She waved Vera over, then continued to sign off on several documents.
“You didn’t sleep here, did you?” Vera glanced at the blanket on the office sofa and sighed.
“You found me out.”
“…I really don’t think the opening ceremony needs to be held at the Civic Square and the Mansion—compared to here, the Outer Palace of Honglian Palace is far more suitable and spacious, isn’t it?”
“That’s true. But for the sake of putting on a good show to the very end, it’s best to start the grandest festival of our year right here, don’t you think? The Imperial Capital has sent officials this year too; they’re downstairs in the reception room right now.”
“Well, they’re here… they never tire of these things, do they? Haven’t they realized nothing they do has any meaning anymore?”
Vera walked over to the sofa, intending to sit down, but Meliya stood and pulled her over.
She pushed Vera to sit at the desk, her rightful place, and massaged her shoulders as she said:
“They might just be here to enjoy the festival atmosphere. The commemorative parades in the Imperial Capital are always so dull, after all.”
“That’s because the Crown Festival has taken all their tourists… Looks like you have no awareness of your own good deeds, do you?”
“What does it have to do with me? Isn’t it the credit of you, a member of the Brave’s Party?”
Meliya looked at her with an innocent expression, and for a moment Vera couldn’t tell if that was her true self or just an act—but, logically, it had to be the latter.
“…Since you have time to massage my shoulders, it means you’re done with your own business, right? Go get ready for the ceremony!”
…
……
………
Vera stood atop the Mansion’s dais, gazing silently at the sea of people flooding Civic Square.
The giant Crown Festival banners hanging from distant buildings flapped in the wind.
Citizens waved banners embroidered with wheat stalks for Harvest and the Duke’s Crest, their voices echoing across the clear autumn sky.
Dressed in her ceremonial attire, Meliya stood at Vera’s side—she had just declined the proposal of the visiting officials from the Imperial Capital to join them on stage for the opening ceremony.
“How do you feel?” Meliya waved to the crowd as the two of them waited for the Church bells.
“No different from usual. It’s not the first time I’ve stood here with you.”
“Then why don’t we make it different? How about you read the speech this time?” Meliya produced a sheet of paper with the opening speech and handed it to Vera.
“No. That’s not something I’m good at.”
Her refusal was only natural.
“Oh, are you not confident you’ll remember it?”
“…No.”
Meliya waved the script teasingly in front of her face, and Vera nearly lost control of herself and snatched it away.
“Sigh, you really aren’t any fun.” Meliya regretfully tucked away the paper and took a step forward.
As if in response to her movement, the Church bell tolled for the eighth time that day—the signal that a new day had officially begun.
Salutes fired from both sides of the Mansion as Meliya began to speak.
At that moment, the sunlight broke through the clouds and fell upon her.
Vera squinted slightly, but when she opened her eyes again, the figure she was so accustomed to watching was suddenly distorted into someone else—
A man in shining silver armor, Lian En Klauscher, holding the Saint Sword aloft with heroic bearing.
After rousing the crowd with a shout, he began a stirring speech.
Vera couldn’t make out what he was saying… in fact, she couldn’t hear anything at all.
Trapped in her memories.