Chapter 11 - Disclosure
—Chatter…
"Please hurry, young man. I don't have all day to wait for your move." An impatient nobleman speaks in a subtle tone.
"Hold on a minute! I have to make the right move. Just wait a little more." A humble commoner says.
—Chattering…
"Yes! Now I have enough wins to have a go against Lady Kore!" A teenage boy voiced his exhilaration.
"Please keep it down! I'm trying to focus!" A noble lady scolds.
—Chatter…
"Lord Plutus."
At the spur of the moment, there appears to be a noble lady who is enjoying her time going against a gentleman in a game of chess. It also seemed like she was trying to strike up a conversation with Plutus, the arbiter for this event.
Chess is a game where one must place all of their concentration into it and use most of their time to come up with a sure-fire strategy. Not to mention, when the tea party is nearing its end, it only makes sense for everyone to hurry up their games to finally have a match with Kore.
If not, they would miss out on the opportunity to have an audience with the Emperor and be the representative of Olympus in the truce agreement. Who would waste their precious time over chattering? Not just anyone, but the arbiter as well!
"Yes, Lady Constance?" Plutus responds with well-taught mannerisms.
Despite the unforeseen, Plutus carries on remaining composed towards the young lady while, in the meantime, he was persevering in his duty as this event's arbiter.
As Kore's brother, it's within his rights to oversee everyone with an observant glance and thoroughly follow through with his duty no matter the difficulty. Needless to say, to ensure that only fairness is at play, and to protect his sister's reputation, any minor details will be considered.
Be that as it may, this is a moment where Plutus has to include yet another task on his plate. It's without a doubt Claudia's wish for a conversation with him that requires a lot of concentration.
Leaving a lady's unanticipated talk aside, it seems she doesn't quite understand that she's in the middle of a game, facing an opponent who had already engaged in a match with Kore before!
That opponent is Wilhelm.
"Claudia, concentrate." Wilhelm was strangely speaking informally.
"Hm? I am though. There's no need to worry about me, Wilhelm." Claudia also replied informally.
"Come now, I want to have a match where we focus entirely on the game!"
"Do you not know that the event is near its closure? The sky is dimming down and the sun is starting to set."
"Right, I understand that. But that doesn't mean you ignore me, Claudia!"
"Haha." Claudia chuckles.
"Claudia." Wilhelm sighs. "I honestly want to have a go with you. It shouldn't be that hard, should it? Really.."
"Haha. My apologies."
In the midst of this, Plutus is seen waiting patiently for Claudia to proceed with the conversation she was hoping for. If it was someone else who was in Plutus' position, they would surely grow impatient with how the lady was treating them with a prolonged waiting time.
It only took a few minutes for their friendly chatter to come to an end. After Claudia is satisfied with her conversation with Wilhelm, she finally begins to speak to Plutus, shamelessly having wasted his time earlier.
"Lord Plutus, I only wish to ask a few questions of mine. You see, these questions have been bugging me for quite some time. I would appreciate it if you were able to pique my questions." Claudia turns to Plutus and asks.
"My apologies, but I may not have the time to truthfully answer your questions with the utmost attentiveness." Plutus responds, shifting his glance back to the attendees right afterward.
"Whether or not the responses are satisfactory or not, it doesn't matter to me as long as I please my curiosity. I'm honestly grateful that you spared some of your time to give me an answer."
"Thank you for your understanding, Lady Constance."
"I understand that you may not have the time to spare to answer a curious lady's questions."
"Not at all."
"Then pardon my question. If, by chance, no one has come out victorious, will Lady Kore be the one to represent the Empire of Olympus?"
"Th—"
Plutus was about to respond when Wilhelm, Lady Constance's opponent, interjected. "It should be obvious that Lady Kore will be the one since she was pretty incredible."
"Wilhelm, please do not interrupt us." Claudia scolds the clueless man.
"Even though you're my dearest friend, you have to be aware of the fact that I'm not urging you to finish this game we're having currently. So allow me to have some fun while we're at it."
"Lord Plutus, I hope you don't mind Wilhelm, and continue with what you were about to say to me."
During their disturbed conversation, Plutus took notice of a happenstance occurring in the corner of his eye. Once he fixed his gaze on where it was, the sight of the 3rd Building of the Thesmophoros Duchy came into view.
One by one, the Imperial Knights, who are said to rightfully serve this empire with justice and laws, are currently dragging a noblewoman out of a building! It was as though the reveal of a criminal was being put on full display, catching the guests' attention and indicating to everyone this lady's wrongdoings and disharmony to society!
At that point, is there a need to discern what has happened? It takes only a mere glimpse to identify and recognize the situation upfront, which is why Plutus isn't at the slightest startled by the suddenness.
"How dare you charge me with a crime?! I have committed none! It should have been that commoner!"
Seething with rage written all over her face as well as the relentless energy to bellow at the top of her lungs, she's none other than the notorious Narcissa!
"Oh my. Isn't that Lady Narcissa?" Claudia utters after hearing the blaring shout from afar.
"She must have caused quite a stir if it escalated this far to where the Imperial Knights have to intervene like that. Honestly, what a disgrace she has become." Wilhelm comments with a sigh.
"For a Marchioness to behave in such a manner, how can such a person handle the responsibility of her status in this demeanor?"
In the blink of an eye, the subject of their conversation suddenly shifted to Narcissa's personality, her reputation, the behavior she exhibited, and so forth to further engage in their leisure discussion. Not only that, it seems to Plutus that this conversation will take forever to end if he doesn't intervene.
In addition to that, Plutus doesn't have enough time to lie in wait for a lady's conversation with him to resume again, nor does he wish to be burdened by it any longer when his arbiter's duty is underway.
"Please focus on your match, Lady Constance and Lord Wilhelm." Plutus interrupts these nobles without a hint of his displeasure, continuing to speak.
"And Lady Constance, I shall answer your question about my sister, Kore. She won't be attending as Olympus Empire's Representative."
With his statement alone, it left both Wilhelm and Claudia in a daze, persisting onwards with their awestruck expressions even after a few seconds had passed! Due to their similar reaction, Plutus didn't have to access their bewilderment and already had an understanding of their shock.
Seeing how the atmosphere has become tiresome, Plutus takes the initiative before any of these two could speak or misunderstand his words.
"My mother has long had an unfriendly relationship with the Royal Family. This plays a big part in why my sister isn't permitted to engage on any occasion where it involves the Royalties."
"This tea party is merely an exception because of Kore's desire to host this event for the Empire's sake. My mother has already approved of my sister's wishes and has permitted me to use a plentiful amount of money to decorate this humble occasion to her daughter's preference."
"Of all things, how gracious can Lady Kore be! She truly thinks of the empire even while her mother is against royalties! Truly a maiden!" Wilhelm gives a positive response despite losing a match against Kore.
"It appears the rumors about Duchess Thesmophoros are true. I wonder why she doesn't favor the royal family." Aroused by curiosity, Claudia wonders.
Be that as it may, both Claudia and Wilhelm instinctively knew that they must not mention any hostility or negativity towards Duchess Thesmophoros and Kore. The reason is clear when they shift their eyes to the arbiter.
If one of them were to insult the Thesmophoros family in front of a Thesmophoros, they would obviously wish to be gravely punished at the hands of Plutus, the personification of wealth itself!
Despite being a young adult in his 20s, Plutus is the sole administrator of the Plutocracy. Far different from the aristocracy where only nobles are its members, the wealthiest people, who can manipulate the authorities and anything with their immense income of riches, are ones with the plutocracy.
Due to such high standing, Plutus is considered to be a threat to anyone, no matter their status, which is the reason behind why Claudia and Wilhelm must watch their mouths in front of Plutus whenever they're within the former's proximity.
"Thank you for your answer, Lord Plutus. I do appreciate it greatly. With that aside, there remains one more question I would like to ask of you." Before speaking, Claudia slowly takes a sip of her tea.
"And what might that be?" Plutus responded.
"Considering Lady Kore isn't the one who will represent the Empire, does it imply that no one who can outmatch her will pose a problem to the Emperor?"
"Surely not! Isn't there supposed to be an amazing commoner in the crowd? Whose name is Caissa, I presume?" Wilhelm hurriedly changed the topic, unaware of his second interruption to the conversation.
"Ah, yes. How could I forget such a challenging commoner.." Claudia's voice somehow seems sulky.
"Pardon me, Lady Constance. I can't give you an honest answer since I'm unsure of who'll come out victorious. All I can say is that the one who proves to be a difficult challenge to my sister will be granted an audience with the Emperor."
"Fascinating. So I might have a chance after all." With hopeful thoughts, Wilhelm said.
"It's too slim to call it a chance." Claudia jokes.
—-------
On the other hand, someone is currently making use of her time to walk towards the garden nook where the hostess resides. This is the moment when every guest's curious eyes become restless at the sight of a new challenger who will play a game of chess with Kore.
However, it's a strange ambiance where almost everyone is paying close attention to this peculiar commoner, showing no signs of astonishment or cluelessness as to who this teenager is. Without any assumption, it was no doubt Caissa who was heading her way to her next opponent!
Excitement, exasperation, admiration, expectations, despondency, and jealousy drenched the entire atmosphere of the tea party! Since Kore has matches where she hasn't suffered a loss whatsoever, the people have concluded that Caissa will be defeated in a matter of seconds.
Even if that's the case, the performance Caissa has displayed thus far, has enchanted some to consider a chance where the commoner might win! In these circumstances, the guests were feeling eager to figure out who would come out victorious in this game of chess!
—Chatter! Chatter!
—Cheering!
Be that as it may, Caissa's playstyle, along with her undefeated win rate, has caused some concerns for a small number of noblemen and women, resulting in a divided crowd where a handful would speak behind Caissa's back whereas commoners would praise the girl for her outstanding performance.
Thankfully for Caissa, her ever-changing reputation within this tea party will never come close to surpassing a fraction of the maiden, Kore's fame.
—Bustling!!
In any case, the moment has come for the match between Kore and Caissa to commence! This is the time when everybody must keep a focused gaze on every single detail in this match!
Immediately after the match began without a hitch, Kore was behaving as gracious and kind as always, offering her greeting to her opponent with a smile.
"It's nice to see you again. Let us have a delightful match, shall we?" Kore spoke in a polite and friendly manner.
"Naturally so."
As a response, Caissa returned a smile similar to Kore's. While it may appear as though the teenager is displaying a warm-hearted gesture towards her enemy, she's keeping her mind on the main purpose of why she's here in the first place.
To have a game of chess, one must either come out victorious or defeated. And Caissa knew to her core that if she were to win this game, it would result in something far greater than just a simple victory for her.
An outcome where the barriers between nobles and commoners would shatter relies solely on this match between two varied different statuses.
As the game progressed smoothly, Kore made her moves with the exact skill and precision she had against the rest. The second Kore proceeded with her king pawn opening, Caissa instantly reacted and responded with the Sicilian Defense!
—Bustling!
At a moment's notice, the match soon brought out an intensifying atmosphere! An array of tactics was exceptionally made known to everyone by the genius Caissa as well as the ingenious Kore! The fierce counterplay and the handling of the pieces were truly a spectacle to bear witness to!
"My word! Lady Kore is starting strong!"
"Impossible! How did that commoner anticipate Lady Kore's moves?!"
"I can't see it if you keep shoving yourself in front of me! Move aside, buddy! I have got to see this!"
From the audience's perspective, Caissa is attempting to put pressure on her opponent's queen's side with the use of her bishop and knight! But to everybody's surprise, the hostess managed to hold on without a fault being made!
"Sir Somnus Lethe."
Out of the blue, a voice that belongs to Kore is heard by Caissa. This became the cause of why the girl hesitantly paused before withdrawing her next advance.
"How was he?" Kore asks without any regard for Caissa's limited time on the hourglass beside the chessboard.
"Sir Somnus is as the rumors foretold. His duty to protect the citizens of Olympus is visible earlier in the hallway. And I thank him for seeking to punish those who threaten the laws."
As Caissa is casual while carefully giving her answer to Kore's unexpected question, the girl carries on with her next move and places her chess piece on the spot she desires. Kore eventually carries on playing the game, but it wasn't until a few seconds of silence passed that she chose to make her next move!
It was out of the blue when the teenager was about to flip the hourglass upside down to end her turn that the hostess promptly spoke, yet it somehow put a stop to Caissa's action!
"There is something I'm rather interested in. I wonder if you're aware that Somnus Lethe isn't actually who he appears to be."
"Pardon me, I can't seem to understand your words. What exactly are you implying, your ladyship?"
"The Underworld's First Harbinger is Somnus Lethe's truest identity. After all, isn't it less troublesome to have a renowned reputation to offset suspicion?" Kore smiles differently.
With all of one's calculations and predictions, there's always one situation where that becomes an exception, coming across as utterly baffling to some. Even so, this current moment is beyond unfathomable to the point where anyone would be left speechless!
At this moment, she is unable to voice a word because of how unanticipated Kore's words are. For someone like Caissa, she wouldn't place her trust in a noblewoman, no matter how idolized and admired this person may be.
But Kore is showing no sign of lying! From the lady's glance at her body movement, nothing of the sort revealed a hint of falsehood from what Caissa had observed and felt!
"What are your thoughts on this?" Kore rests her unreadable eyes on Caissa, waiting for however long it takes to get a reaction from the girl.
'Her plan might work..' Caissa thought while recovering her composure despite the unpredictability.
The usual smile that is shown throughout the day to her guests and her opponents appears dissimilar in the eyes of Caissa; somewhat forbidding! The awful sensation formed by a single smile from a so-called maiden is the truest personality of Kore!
Not only that, what were Kore's intentions in disclosing Somnus' real identity right in front of Caissa?!