167: At the Audience Chamber
The route to the throne room was quite difficult.
Going up some stairs, down, up again, then down once more. Right, right again, right, and more right. Then, return to the original place.
After repeating this process, they finally arrived at the throne room. But why did it feel like they were being guided along a winding detour around the same place?
Is this… harassment?!
A long time had passed since she last encountered such obvious meanness. Some time had passed since she left the Allingham household, after all.
It was only because she met Dylan that she’d been able to live a life free of harassment. Due to his affection, Avril was able to realize that she was being abused in the first place.
Once again, her heart was filled with gratitude.
When I’m with Lord Dylan, I feel like I can experience all kinds of joy. These feelings, they must be frustration… and gratitude.
As Avril felt gratitude for her happy life, Dylan complained to the servant. He wore a grim expression on his face.
“Why are you leading us in circles?”
“Excuse me, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You may have thought that I wouldn’t notice because this is my first time here and everything looks the, but I know you’ve been leading us around in circles. Explain yourself.”
“Not at all. It seems that you’ve misunderstood something, Your Excellency. The decor certainly is similar all through out, but I’ve done no such thing. I apologize if that’s what you thought. I’m sorry for the confusing layout…”
It seems like this isn’t the time to enjoy myself and relax.
The civil servant suddenly became brazen and bowed his head with a distorted expression.
However, in a diplomatic situation, Dylan would never say something that’d cause friction without proof. The civil servant had definitely lead them around.
What does he wish to achieve by doing such a thing?
Unable to understand the intentions, Dylan reluctantly accepted the apology. His outburst was probably a warning of sorts to stop things from escalating any further.
“I understand. I won’t pursue this any further.”
“…Then let me lead you to the presence of His Majesty the King,” the civil servant showed a meaningful smile.
Then, a pair of large double doors creaked open. Beyond them was His Majesty the King, a man who had a reputation for being difficult to deal with.
A red carpet was laid out on the marble floor.
The carpet continued on and led to a staircase, and at the top of the stairs was a luxurious chair. A throne. Avril had never seen something like that in her life.
A man sat there, younger than she had imagined.
From their history of the succession and Prince Lawrence’s story, I had imagined His Majesty to be young—but not this young…
Attesting to Lawrence’s words, the king, who was also his old friend, seemed to be around 25 years old.
He had a deep lustrous black hair, almost like obsidian. His eyes were red, they reminded her of a vampire she’d seen in a story. However, his short, trimmed hair made him appear more like a knight than a ruler of a country.
The contrast between his bewitching eyes and rugged appearance made it difficult not to stare.
“His Majesty, King Listeard Kunzendorf of the Kingdom of Claughton, I’ve come here under the orders of His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Lawrence Geeson of the Kingdom of Branwill. My name is Dylan Sherard, Marquis Sherard. I’m extremely honored to meet Your Majesty.”
The sight of Dylan respectfully greeting the king was beautiful. Gazing upon the two, the king smiled—something that was inappropriate for the tense situation.
“Thank you for coming all the way here.”
Then, he looked around. With that as a signal, everyone in the audience chamber turned to face Avril and Dylan. The sight of them all lined up was overwhelming.
It’s just as I read! This is a formal greeting…!
From what she had learned, in diplomatic situations, it was good manners to greet everyone in order, starting with the most senior person. Then, once everyone had finished the greetings, they’d sit down after receiving permission from the host.
This was a common rule in both the Kingdom of Branwill and the Kingdom of Claughton. Behaving in a way that significantly violated this rule could displease the host.
As a villainess with no official position, and happened to be there on vacation, she would definitely be the last to step forward. Or rather, she might not be granted a chance to speak. Thinking that, her tension disappeared.
She felt much more at ease thinking that all she had to do was listen and remember everyone’s greetings.
I thought I’d have to do something as a villainess, but it seems I won’t.
However, her relief was short-lived. At the king’s command, a teenage girl stood up to speak next.
She had black hair and red eyes, and looked very similar to the king. Her hair was beautifully curled. Not being drawn in by its shimmering, wave-like luster was difficult. Her formal attire, ivory dress, and tiara were such a stunning sight.
No doubt, that woman was a princess.
However, even though this was an occasion for welcoming an envoy from a foreign country, wasn’t her attire a bit too formal?
Judging from the attire of everyone present, her garments were clearly too strong. Incidentally, the civil servant who had guided them along that long and winding path was standing firmly next to the princess.
It seems that the civil servant was quite an important person after all.
As she was thinking about that, the princess began her greeting.
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