The older brother looked at Remesis with an indefinable grimace on his face.
It was a mixed expression of anger, surprise, and disgust. Remesis, for her part, took the encounter rather calmly. It would be wrong to say that she had not been prepared for it in advance.
Many influential persons invited to the council took their successors with them. It was a common practice among young nobles to get into affairs from an early age and prepare for their future role. And the Carter clan was certainly no exception.
Michelle, as the main heir to the duchy, was obliged to attend.
Remesis greeted her older brother according to etiquette, but he didn't say anything back. Only silently continued to stand in place and stare at her. The girl caught an unkind glint in his gaze.
Perhaps, if there were not so many people here, he would have done something about it by now.
But with so many members of high society gathered in one place and watching them, the boy couldn't afford to tarnish his reputation with rowdy behavior.
All he had to do was hold back.
Remesis noticed the way his fists tensed. She smiled.
— If you don't have anything to say to me, I'll go.
«…»
— See you soon, Brother Michel.
The boy's eyes widened as she began to walk away. His mouth dropped open as if he wanted to say something, but Remesis didn't give him the chance. She had already gone far ahead. The girl didn't turn around until the chamberlain led her into the palace. Only then did she sigh.
It had only been a couple months since Remesis had left the Carter family. But why did it feel like so much more time had passed? This meeting felt like a past life. Even her brother's features seemed alien to her now. Although, obviously, Michelle couldn't have changed that much in such a short period of time.
Perhaps it was because the days in the north were so long? Remesis couldn't believe it: that she had left home only recently. After so many events that had managed to happen to her, it seemed to the girl that she had been living in the north for a couple of years already. That life of the youngest daughter of the Carter family was in the distant past. Now she was only the princess of the northern fortress and no one else.
Remesis withdrew into herself for a while, pondering her past and present. But all her unobtrusive musings dissipated when a servant finally led her to the correct door.
The chamberlain knocked softly.
— Your Imperial Majesty, Princess Rania has arrived.
There was no response from the other side for quite some time. The girl heard some noise. It was like the sound of a broken bottle.
After standing for a while, the chamberlain finally addressed her:
— You may come in.
— What?» she was surprised, «But His Majesty…
— It's all right. If His Majesty didn't send you away, then He did. You just say hello and leave.
The chamberlain's idea sounded dubious, but he seemed to know what he was doing. Remesis decided not to argue and just do as he said.
— Good.
Remesis was a little nervous before entering the room. Normally things like greeting the emperor were supposed to be done in the throne room, well, or at least in a more formal setting. The fact that the girl was offered to meet the emperor right in his chambers was extraordinary. The chamberlain had only given as the reason that His Majesty was not feeling well, and so the meeting had been organized in a hurry.
As soon as she entered, a servant quietly closed the door behind her, and Remesis looked around. She didn't see the Emperor right away. It seemed that the richly furnished chambers were completely empty.
— Your Majesty? — Remesis hesitantly asked a question into the void: «Are you here?
She had heard the noise, though. Then someone must have been here.
She kept walking until she finally saw His Imperial Majesty lying on the bed. His silver hair was tangled and scattered on the pillow. His face, tired and swollen, gave the ruler an unhealthy look. He looked unkempt in general, lying in expensive clothes on a red velvet bedspread.
Hearing footsteps nearby, the man's golden pupils opened and looked at her.
Remesis froze for a moment. For the first time in her life, she was meeting the emperor in person. The man who had offered her a deal in exchange for killing her own daughter. The girl had involuntarily always imagined him to be a very majestic person. She never thought she would catch the emperor in such a form.
Alexis Caesia Ashelot seemed to come to his senses for a while, after which he immediately became furious.
— You… How dare you invade my room… I'll call the guards!!!
Remesis coughed quietly.
— Remesis Rania Ashelot greets His Imperial Majesty,' the girl bowed low, saluting the sovereign himself, 'I have come at your command. I wish to pay my respects to you on behalf of the North.
Only then did the man's face clear slightly. His gaze slid down her face.
— Rania…? — he finally muttered.
— I am the wife of Her Highness, Princess Nara,» Remesis explained.
The ruler of the Nadal Empire was silent. He slowly rose from the pillows.
— Where is she? — The emperor wheezed, looking around the room as if someone else were here.
Remesis was nervous, but tried to answer with restraint:
— Answering to His Imperial Majesty. Her Highness fell ill just before she left. The healer said it could be dangerous, so the princess had to stay in the castle.
«…»
There was a heavy pause. The Emperor, having stopped looking for Asil, cast a grim gaze over Remesis. He made the girl uncomfortable. She had no idea what the sovereign was thinking at that moment. But probably nothing good.
— I see,» the Emperor replied nonchalantly after a while. He took a glass of water from the bedside table to take a sip.
Remesis exhaled.
Ever since she entered the room, she had been all on pins and needles. The girl was worried that the emperor might misinterpret Asil's absence and raise a scandal because of it. Worst of all, take it as a personal insult and hold the entire north responsible. But to her surprise, he seemed quite calm.
— It's a good thing she's not here,» the emperor opened and closed his mouth.
Remesis stared at him in silence.
«This man… Really an emperor?»
Based on all the rumors about Alexis Cesius Asheloth, she had expected to see an arrogant and shouty man who did nothing but take advantage of his status left and right. Rumors couldn't have come out of nowhere, right? But then why does the emperor look like this in front of her now? Could it be an exception and Remesis just happened to catch him like this today?
The emperor really could have been sick. But Remesis noticed several empty bottles on the floor. Her gut told her something was wrong.
Sweat-wet hair clung to the man's face, but the girl didn't know if it was from alcohol or if it was really from indisposition.
She involuntarily noted that although father and daughter shared many similarities in appearance, they were still different. Compared to the princess, the emperor's amber eyes were much duller. And his hair didn't have that lunar glow that made the girl's hair look like silver threads. Rather, they resembled wire.
The Emperor mumbled in unconsciousness for a while longer before his gaze drifted back to Remesis.
— Is that all of them? — He asked coldly.
The girl swallowed.
— Y-yes, Your Majesty…
— Then get out. Don't disturb my rest.
Remesis had no intention of insisting. She bowed her head obediently.
— I obey. In that case, please forgive me, Your Imperial Majesty.
When the girl had already retreated and headed for the door, the man behind her suddenly spoke:
— What do you think?
This question echoed in the empty room.
— I beg your pardon…?
Remesis stopped in the middle of the room.
— How do you like life in the north, girl? — Alexis Cesia Ashelot grinned grimly, — Do you miss home?
Remesis was a little puzzled. She didn't know how she should behave in a situation like this. After all, any question from an aristocrat, much less an emperor, could not be a simple question.
Such were the unspoken rules of high society, where everything was always hidden and veiled.
But Remesis, not having much experience with aristocrats, couldn't think of a suitable answer right away. In the end she decided to answer in the way the Emperor would least expect.
— That's not true,' the girl said, 'Her Highness is a good person and takes care of me, that's why I like living in the castle.
«…»
Toth fell silent, staring at her.
— It's probably because you raised her properly,» she decided to add a rather risible statement.
She backed away slowly, observing the rules of etiquette and not turning her back on the emperor until she reached the door.
As Remesis closed the door behind her, she heard the emperor chuckle loudly.
***
The next morning a servant came to escort Remesis to the assembly hall. Only now did she realize that she was a little nervous. She glanced around her modest clothes in doom and realized that she was completely unprepared.
Among the aristocrats who liked to flaunt new fashionable outfits on and off, she would be like a white crow.
«So what? What do I care what others think of me?»
Finally burying her anxiety under such beliefs, Remesis put on a simple blue dress with the only gold embroidery she had and headed to the palace. Even though the meeting didn't start until nine o'clock, the corridors of the palace were already full of people.
The hall where the meeting was held was luxuriously furnished. The girl noticed a pair of polished lions made of pure gold at the entrance. As soon as Remesis appeared in the doorway, many gazes fell silent and turned to her. This sort of thing accompanied her everywhere in the palace. Laughs, reproachful glances, contemptuous whispers.
Remesis simply tried to pretend not to notice it.
She walked quietly into the hall and took her seat at the round table. Across from her sat the nobles. Very powerful nobles. Most of them she had seen for the first time in her life and involuntarily became nervous. Each of the gathered men and women could have a huge impact on the fate of the empire just by lifting a finger. Compared to them, the girl was just a small insect who shouldn't be here at all.
Among those present, she only recognized some members of the noble family.
Grand Duke Nadal of the Empire and his eldest son.
Remesis didn't particularly want to greet her father, but it would be too rude to simply ignore him. She pursed her lips and gave him a brief nod of greeting. Michael Carter stared at her unflinchingly with a complicated expression on his face. Clearly, they said nothing to each other.
The elder brother, for his part, was not as reserved as the duke. Michel's face contorted as if he had seen a nasty insect. The venom lingering in him was begging to come out. But under his father's influence, the boy only glared at her and moved his lips in mute anger. Remesis sighed. Already, she could already surmise that the meeting would go «just fine.» Especially in such pleasant company.
Be that as it may, the next moment their silent gazes were interrupted by the Emperor's chamberlain, who had unexpectedly arrived with important news:
— Great gentlemen, we deeply apologize for the unforeseen change. His Imperial Majesty is not feeling well, so today's meeting will be conducted by the Chancellor.
The head of the Imperial Chancellery entered the assembly hall next, and everyone present rose to greet him. Remesis also stood up and bowed her head.
Gregory Ardelio's gaze lingered on her for a moment. It reflected a slight confusion. It was as if the man had not expected anyone to actually come from the northern fortress. It didn't last long, however. As if nothing had happened, the chancellor turned away from her and took the seat that the emperor usually occupied.
— …Unfortunately, although our lordship will not be able to grace us with his presence, he has kindly entrusted this honorable duty to me. Please give me your suggestions and thoughts on today's topic. I will certainly convey them to His Imperial Majesty.
Shuh. Shuh.
Someone whispered, but these conversations quickly died down.
Among the nobles, there wasn't much of a complaint about it, and the chancellor looked satisfied. After everyone had taken their seats, the first meeting of the Small Council was declared open.
— The main agenda of today's meeting will be the military unrest on the border of our empire, — the Chancellor became serious and folded his hands on the table in a lock, — As you already know, the Marseille Empire is currently in decline. There have been two coup attempts there recently. The first, led by Junior Prince Roden III, failed almost a year ago. However, a second attempt has recently been made, led by allied forces of the nobility, which continues to this day. Because of this, the situation in Marseille is now extremely unstable, which could affect the neighboring states as well…
Those present whispered animatedly, and soon lost interest in the little cursed girl. The discussion of the tense situation in the neighboring state grew louder and louder.
Remesis breathed a sigh of relief when the attention from her finally shifted to something else.
— Gentlemen, I believe this is not the time to interfere in the internal affairs of another country…» one of the aristocrats spoke up first.
— Sir Bolivio, you forget that Marseille's border is right next to Nadal. That means the fire could spread to us at any moment,» the military-looking man said dryly.
— Supporting Marseille's allied forces could be a favorable solution. But on the condition that it would be an equal exchange and not a waste of resources,» the man in the blue robe said, «the Red Sea, the largest on the continent, is in Marseilles' territory. And how many mines with gold and valuable metal deposits are there? As long as the country is in turmoil, many will try to capitalize on it.
— In other words, you're suggesting we risk Marseilles' cooperation in exchange for their resources?
— Sir, I believe you know better than I do that business is best when a country is prosperous and when it is in decline…» the man in the robe said eloquently, stroking his beard.
Remesis listened to these boring adult conversations, catching only half of what was going on. Thankfully, no one was asking her opinion on the situation, and she could just occupy herself with something like looking at the pattern on the carpet. Of course, who would seriously think that an eight-year-old girl could possibly know anything about war and politics?
The first few hours of the heated discussion dragged on very slowly.
To Remesis, who had never shown any interest in politics, all this information meant nothing. She just pretended to look more or less collected.
In reality, though, she wanted to get out of here as soon as possible.
Because of the summer heat, the meeting room was very stuffy. To cheer herself up a bit, the girl decided to get some fresh air. During the noisy argument, she modestly asked if she could go to the restroom, but no one paid attention to her request. Finally, deeming that she had asked permission after all, Remesis quietly rose from her chair and stepped out.
Walking through the half-empty corridors, where it was now unusually quiet, the girl finally felt free. Since there was nothing to do anyway, and her absence would be noticed by few, Remesis thought why not take a walk around the neighborhood. This would probably be the last time she would be able to visit the Imperial Palace.
«It's been a while since I left. Maybe I should write a letter to Maester Leeuwen, and ask how Asil is doing? — pondered the girl, walking along the path, «I hope they at least did not quarrel…»
Stopping in the garden, the little lady squatted down, taking in the delicious smell of fresh buds. Her solitude, however, was destined to be short-lived. Focusing all her attention on the flowers, Remesis didn't immediately notice the presence of an intruder.
— Hey, you.