ITMWG 82

Chapter 82…

Something I want to have.

To Nadia, it was a shock similar to the world being turned upside down.

I guess the development could be different.

She had already changed Altair’s life a lot. According to the original novel, Altair should still be fretting over the poor estate.

But…

That was a change in which she was directly involved. It meant that the storyline changed as she intended. However, the relationship between Altair and Duke Viosques proceeded quietly, without her awareness. The source of her confidence was that she knew how the novel unfolded, hence, she had an information advantage over others. She was shook for a moment by the unpredictable development, making her remain dazed. But before she could fully come to her senses on her own accord, Altair introduced her to Duke Viosques.

“This is my wife, Nadia.”

“Ohh, so this beautiful lady is the Baron’s wife in the rumour.”

Duke Viosques took Nadia’s hand and shook it up and down.

“It’s a pleasure, I am Nadia Aylesford, Your Grace.”

“You were the daughter of the previous Marquis Vine. I remember you.”

She stumbled and barely managed to greet him due to his strong hand shake. Although it was nothing close to the usual way to greet a lady, the Duke of Viosques was known for not attaching importance to manners or formalities. Since he was a knight who wielded a sword, he seemed to have a practical inclination.

If you think about that, he is similar to Altair in some aspects.

Nevertheless, the reason why Altair and Duke Viosques became enemies in the novel was because of the duke’s loyalty. The duke was a firmer supporter of the emperor than anyone else. This was not simply because he was the emperor’s father-in-law, but because he had the belief that it was the duty of a nobleman to protect the Emperor. An honest knight with the fate to support the emperor based on his beliefs and a group of traitors who wanted to overthrow everything and take the throne was destined to become enemies.

Yet, Altair’s first social connection was Duke Viosques.

Did this mean Altair would become a member of the Emperor’s faction? So what would happen next? With this, did the possibility of Altair becoming a villain disappear? Complicated thoughts tormented Nadia’s mind dizzyingly. At that time, another interruption made the grand banquet hall quiet again.

“His Majesty the Emperor is entering! Along with Her Majesty the Empress!”

The Emperor and Empress appeared side by side. Thanks to this, the attention of people who were surprised by the connections between Baron Aylesford and the Duke of Viosques instantly shifted to that direction. Because it was an important event, the Emperor and Empress were dressed in splendid attire. Every time the two people walked, the countless adornments on their clothes sparkled in the light, dazzling people’s eyes. The nobles bowed as the regal duo passed by, expressing their respect for their rulers. No one dared raise their heads until the Emperor sat down and commanded, ‘Everyone, raise your heads!’ It was, as a given, the emperor’s authority. Upon settling down, the Emperor looked around at the nobles from his high seat and smiled kindly.

“I am extremely delighted at the blessing from God that we are holding a banquet to celebrate the Silver Jubilee. I hope everyone here today gets to enjoy abundance and peace.”

After the short welcoming speech, the first prince stood up from his seat and walked to in front of the Emperor.

“I have prepared a gift in the hope of congratulating Your Majesty on your glorious day.”

“I will gladly accept your kind gesture.”

In response to the emperor’s reply, the princes and other nobles began offering gifts in a pre-arranged order. The first prince gave him a sword, and the second prince presented a painting. Next in line was the third prince, Orca. Just like in the novel, he implicitly revealed the breadth of his knowledge by offering gifts of fascinating cultural artifacts he had acquired while traveling to various regions under the pretext of recuperation. The Emperor and Empress, as well as the nobles who had been watching in anticipation of what precious gifts would appear, were wide-eyed at the items brought by Prince Orca. Although Altair kept his mouth shut, Nadia could feel him closely observing the items Orca was laying out.

“It seems that the third Prince hasn’t only been recuperating.”

“Seems so. When I saw him today, his physique had improved a loit compared to when he was younger. He seems to be in much better health.”

“The way he speaks is also different… I never thought he would grow up so wonderfully.”

As Nadia listened to the whispering nobles, she could see that the way people viewed Prince Orca was improving. It seemed like the effect was even greater because the one they least expected turned out to be better than they thought. Moreover, since so many people were gathered, even at the whispers of a few, those around would join to agree, resulting in an enormous ripple effect. There was a reason why Prince Orca chose this stage as the starting point of his return. Next in line after Orca was the Duke of Viosques. He offered the skin of a huge lion that he had personally hunted, and after that, other dukes presented gifts one after another upon the chamberlain’s call. According to the titles ranking, the next order was the Marquises. Her uncle must have realised that his turn had come and he began to prepare to step forward. Considering that even before he left the mansion, he was boasting that he had prepared a great gift, he seemed to be quite confident. However, it was not her uncle that the chamberlain called next, nor other marquises.

“Baron Aylesford, please come forward and present your gift!”

“Baron Aylesford?”

It was normal for a baron’s name to be called at the end, and even more so if he was a baron who had just entered the social world. However, the chamberlain ignored that convention and called Altair first. Of course, since this order of names was designated by the emperor, it was not necessarily determined by the order of titles, but in general, it slightly deviated from the general framework. It was a very unusual situation. While everyone was surprised, only the Emperor, who had appointed the order himself, remained calm. Altair seemed taken aback for a moment, but he appeared in front of the Emperor without much agitation. Nadia also quickly followed up next to him and saluted the emperor. Then the servant brought the box we had delivered in advance to the Emperor. When the emperor nodded, the servant opened the box. Immediately, everyone gathered in the room burst out in admiration at the sight of the brilliant crown that appeared.

“Woah!”

It seemed to be a beautiful crown even for nobles who were always exposed to flashy and beautiful things.

“I created the crown in hope that Your Majesty’s reign would continue through the Golden Jubilee, Diamond Jubilee, and Platinum Jubilee.”

“Hoo.”

A look of satisfaction flashed across the Emperor’s face at the wonderful gift and the attached meaning that the couple presented.

It looks like the plan worked.

However, Nadia had no time to feel proud, as she got scared by the tension of standing in front of the Emperor and the pressure of everyone’s eyes on them. All she could think about was, ‘I wish the emperor would tell me to step down quickly… !’ However, the emperor must have been so satisfied with the gift that, unlike how he treated other nobles, he continued to talk.

“I’ve heard a lot about Baron Aylesford lately. So I put your name close to the top because I was eager to meet you. What a pity that I am only now getting to know such a fine gentleman.”

“I am flattered.”

“I hope to see you more often in the future. However, since you are based in the eastern territory and has no connections in the capital, it will not be easy to visit here… ”

The emperor trailed off. There seemed to be a moment of contemplation before he spoke again.

“I shall bestow upon the Baron the capital’s Valtron Manor.”

The Valtron Manor was one of the most prestigious villas in the capital owned by the Emperor. Giving Altair that magnificent manor in front of everyone was a strong signal that he wanted him on his side. Nadia instinctively turned to Prince Orca. she was worried about how Prince Orca, who clearly seemed to be targeting Altair, would react to this situation. However, he had a rather relaxed expression. His smiling face was no different from usual. Meanwhile, Altair…

“I’m afraid I am undeserving of the gift. I already have connections in the capital, so you don’t have to worry about me, Your Majesty.”

“You have connections in the capital?”

“Yes. My wife is the daughter of the former Marquis of Vine.”

“The former Marquis Vine…”

The Emperor’s piercing gaze turned towards Nadia. She tried to smile as naturally as possible, but she could feel her shoulders stiffen. The Emperor studied her face for a moment, squinted his eyes slightly, then nodded.

“I understand what you mean. There is something else that you want.”

“My apology.”

“I thought you were a knight by nature like the Duke of Viosques, but it seems that’s not the case.”

It sounded like a sarcastic remark, but it was filled with goodwill. The Emperor and Altair looked calm as if they knew there was a mutual understanding despite the vague words. Whilst the nobles, including Nadia, were just confused as they could not decipher the hidden meaning. What did Altair want to receive when refusing the Valtron Manor? Did the Emperor already know what it was?

“You can step down now.”

While Nadia was wrecking her brain hard for an answer, his order diverted her from her thoughts. She quickly greeted the Emperor and backed down with Altair. Then the names of the marquises began to be called. Her uncle was the second named among the marquises. Nadia whispered to Altair as she watched her uncle brag about his gift.

“What happened?”

Altair turned to look at her instead of answering. And she stared back questioningly.

“When did you become friends with Duke Viosques? Why did you refuse His Majesty’s gift? Do you plan to enter politics in the future?”

Altair widened his eyes slightly at the barrage of questions and then burst into laughter.

“Do you want me to step into politics?”

“No way!”

Nadia clearly knew what kind of villain Altair would become by becoming involved in the fight for the throne. To prevent that, she made Aylesford rich and tried hard to defend against Prince Orca and kept him at a distance! Perhaps he misunderstood her intention in actively spreading rumours about Baron Aylesford? Nadia sighed and cautiously glanced at the nobles.

“I just didn’t want people to look down on Altair and Aylesford. I know very well how nobles without honour are treated in the capital.”

When she thought about herself after her parents passed away, her shoulders naturally slumped.

“And I wanted our business to do well, so I spread rumours about Aylesford and the magic stone mine… Anyhow, I don’t want Altair to get involved in this.”

“What if I have to step up to get what I want?”

This also came up in the conversation with the Emperor. What Altair wanted.

“What do you want?”

“…”

When she replied to him with another question, Altair pursed his lips. His expression turned strange, and for some reason, her heart sank.

“… I just want to make it right. Correcting what is twisted. Does that make sense?”

It was an answer directed at her, but it also seemed like it was addressed to himself. As she tilted her head at the ambiguity of the words, the Emperor clapped lightly, drawing everyone’s attention to the end of the long gift-giving ceremony.

“On a good day like this, delicious drinks and exciting music are essential. Let’s all enjoy it to the fullest!”

As soon as the Emperor finished speaking, the waiting music band began to play. The Emperor and Empress were the first to start dancing to the elegant classical melody. Following them, nobles also began to ask and accept dances here and there and made their way to the centre of the banquet hall.

It feels very different from Aylesford, but I guess in the end festival is all about drinking and dancing after all.

As Nadia giggled at the thought that all places with living people were the same, a large hand suddenly stretched out in front of her. When she raised her head, Altair shrugged his shoulders with nonchalance.

“I heard that a woman who doesn’t dance at an event like this would be ridiculed.”