[V7C4] Descendant of the Saintess

Once Frieda took her seat, she straightforwardly broached the main topic without touching the tea or sweets.

“Silent Witch-sama, you expressed an interest in the etiquette of the Empire, but I don’t think there is much you need to concern yourself about.”

Monica had paid a visit to the Albright residence to learn about Imperial etiquette from Frieda, a woman who hailed from the Empire. However, Frieda simply said there was no need to worry, so Monica grew perplexed.

“Um, but what if I do something rude…?”

“If you look back to the roots of the Empire, you would see that it is a multi-ethnic aggregate made up of several small nations. The culture and even language differ greatly between the north and the south.”

As she spoke, Frieda pinched a lock of her neatly trimmed hair.

“For example, my hair… Several decades ago, a countess from the south cut her hair and personally led the suppression of a barbarian tribe. For a while afterwards, short hair boomed in popularity among women.”

Despite the valiant countess taking up the blade and riding a horse into battle, she was also knowledgeable about fashion and considered a socialite.

Many women wanted to imitate the fashionable hairstyles used for her short hair.

“In Valmbelk, where women often take up swords and ride horses, short hair for women is rather common. On the other hand, in the northern regions of the Empire, short hair for adult women is abhorred as the sign of a criminal.”

After explaining this, Frieda turned to look at Ray.

Suddenly caught in her gaze, Ray blushed and averted his eyes. However, Frieda continued to stare directly at him without any sign of minding.

“By the way, it seems the noblewomen of Ridill tend to keep their hair long. This is my oversight for not researching Ridill’s customs beforehand. Ray, I apologize for any embarrassment I may have caused you.”

“N-No, I think… short hair suits you… Oh, but I’d also like to see longer too… Maybe…”

Ray fidgeted while twiddling his fingers, still unable to look directly at Frieda. His face had grown red up to his ears.

At this sight, Frieda lifted the corners of her mouth ever so slightly into a smile.

“Is that so? Then I’ll try growing it out.”

“I-I’ll give you a hair accessory as a gift…”

“I look forward to it.”

His eyes tearing up with emotion, Ray attempted to press down on his cheeks, which refused to stop smiling.

In contrast to her affectionate fiancé, Frieda remained refreshingly calm. She casually said “But I digress,” and returned to the main topic.

“In other words, within the Empire, there are significant differences in manners depending on the region. That said, the general etiquette of Ridill isn’t much different from the central region of the Empire, so I don’t think there will be any issues.”

“I-I see…”

While nodding along, Monica secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

If Ridill’s etiquette was acceptable, then the manners she learned at Serendia Academy should be just fine.

Meanwhile, Raul swallowed the tea snack and interjected.

“Well, the visiting princess is going to marry into our country, so I suppose she’ll adapt to Ridill’s manners.”

“Princess Cecilia will be marrying into Ridill?”

Upon hearing Raul’s comment, Frieda widened her eyes. The engagement between Prince Lionel and Princess Cecilia had yet to be made public.

Raul muttered, “Oops,” and placed his index finger against his lips. “Keep that last bit a secret. Seems like it’s still under wraps.”

“Who will Princess Cecilia be marrying? Perhaps Prince Felix, since they are close in age…?”

“Nah, it’s First Prince Lionel.”

Frieda squinted her sharp gray eyes and fell silent, seemingly lost in thought.

Only the crisp sounds of Raul munching on sweets echoed through the room.

After Raul finally swallowed, Frieda voiced a quiet concern.

“To be honest, that is a bit surprising. I never would have imagined Princess Cecilia marrying into another country… especially not Ridill.”

“What’s so surprising about it?”

“Princess Cecilia is a descendant of House Achenwall, who played a significant role in the war from over fifty years ago. Perhaps you will understand better if I mention that she has inherited the Mirror of Bern, an artifact of the Empire.”

A war between Ridill and the Empire occurred over fifty years ago, and initially, Ridill boasted a huge advantage. However, the Empire turned the tide by bringing out the Mirror of Bern, an ancient magical artifact.

Ancient artifacts contain power incomparable to modern magical tools. Only a few still exist to this day, and most of them are kept in a vault as a national treasure, or managed by high-ranking nobility.

The Mirror of Bern, owned by the prominent House Achenwall of the Empire, had the power to create a shield that reflected all attacks back at the enemy.

Apparently, it could cover the entire Imperial capital and then some.

The Empire had been pushed into a corner by Ridill, but then they lured Ridill’s mages into launching a magical bombardment, and used the Mirror of Bern to reflect that attack.

As a result, the Mirror of Bern nearly annihilated Ridill’s entire Magic Corps, reversing the tide of the war, which eventually ended with a victory for the Empire.

“Um… if I remember correctly, ancient artifacts can only be used by a limited number of people, right?” Monica asked, to which Frieda nodded.

While this didn’t apply to all ancient artifacts, many had user conditions such as lineage, gender, or other specific requirements.

“The Mirror of Bern can only be used by the women of House Achenwall. And those who activate the Mirror of Bern must sacrifice their lifespan as compensation.”

Apparently, the woman who used the Mirror of Bern in the previous war was Cecilia’s great-aunt. She sacrificed her lifespan to the Mirror of Bern and passed away as soon as the war concluded.

As a result, House Achenwall gained prominence for using the Mirror of Bern, becoming the heroes of the war. The woman who saved the Empire was praised as the Saintess of Salvation, even to this day.

“To the Empire, Princess Cecilia is a descendant of the Saintess of Salvation and the only person capable of wielding the Mirror of Bern, a trump card for any war.”

Marrying a princess who holds such a trump card to a former enemy nation? Her value as a hostage was clearly immense.

However, Isaac had already explained all of this to Monica the other day.

He, too, had found this marriage surprising. According to him:

“On the surface, it appears as if the Empire is offering a hostage to Ridill——an act ill-befitting the Black Lion Emperor, who has never been the type to surrender quietly. Well, I suppose it could mean the internal situation of the Empire is just that dire.”

Currently, the Empire did not have the resources to wage a war with Ridill. That was why they offered Princess Cecilia as a hostage.

While this reasoning made sense, Isaac seemed bothered by the idea of the arrogant Black Lion Emperor presenting a hostage to another nation and gauging their reaction.

Frieda appeared to be thinking along similar lines.

“There will likely be considerable opposition to this marriage within the Empire. Especially those geezers… I mean, the Senate is sure to voice their dissatisfaction.”

“Is the Senate not on good terms with the Black Lion Emperor?”

To Monica’s question, Frieda fell silent for a moment, carefully choosing her words before speaking.

“One might say the elderly individuals who contributed to the previous war cannot forget the taste of victory’s fine wine.”

Frieda kept her words tactful in front of Monica and the others, since they were from Ridill, but her words implied the following:

——The elderly members of the Senate were sure to protest this act, since they still fancied themselves as the victors of the war. It would be disgusting for the Empire to lower itself by offering a hostage to Ridill, the losers.

“I believe there are more than a few people in the Empire who would oppose this marriage. Please remain cautious.”

Monica grew tense at Frieda’s warning, while Ray blushed and murmured with a dreamy expression.

“My fiancé is so intelligent, cool, and reliable…”

“I will spare no effort for my husband’s advancement. Please feel free to ask for anything.”

“Husband… We’re not married yet, but… Hehe, husband… That sounds really nice… Hehehehe…”

In contrast to the serious Monica going deep in thought, Ray continued to sway back and forth while emitting an eerie laugh.

＊　＊　＊

Inside a carriage heading towards the Ridill Kingdom, Princess Cecilia (full name Cecilia Charlotte Phoebe Belschweig Kreving) gazed out of the window at the passing scenery with a sigh.

She could be described as a delicate and lovely princess, in stark contrast to her vibrant older brother, the Black Lion Emperor. Her fragility resembled a flower that might wilt the moment it was plucked.

Her hair, swaying with the carriage’s movements, was colored silver like the winter moon. Hence, she was often called the Silver Moon Princess of the Empire.

The border town was coming into view outside the window. She was about to cross the border and enter Ridill.

Covering up the despair on her face with both hands, Cecilia let out another sigh.

(Oh, Onii-sama… This burden is too heavy for me…)

Her pale face exuded a sense of sorrow, fear, and most of all, guilt.

(Someone like me is worth nothing as a hostage…)

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