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Chapter 36: I greet the Sun of the Empire.

As I stepped out of the carriage and glanced around, someone waiting nearby addressed me.

Turning my head at the familiar voice, I saw a middle-aged woman bowing respectfully.

"It\'s been a while, Bella."

"Yes, Young Master Lishite. I will be your guide while you stay at the Imperial Palace."

"I see."

The chief maid of the Imperial Palace, Bella.

I had encountered her several times back when Raiden frequented the palace as if it were his own home.

After the incident with Lucy, I never had the chance to see her again.

"Then, please allow me to guide you."

"Thank you."

"This way."

Bella led the way with a mechanical tone. I began to follow behind her.

Starting with a beautiful garden, we entered the lavishly decorated interior of the palace.

Red and gold threads were intricately intertwined on the white floors and walls, forming the grand crest of the Imperial family.

I was momentarily mesmerized by the dazzling chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

\'Magnificent…\'

Even though I inherited Raiden\'s memories, seeing the palace of this fantasy world with my own eyes was enough to send shivers down my spine.

As I was looking around, Bella suddenly turned to me and spoke.

"Before meeting His Majesty, I will make preparations for you to freshen up."

"Huh? Why suddenly freshen up… Ah."

Bella\'s words made me realize what state I was in.

My hair was messy from sleeping in the carriage, my clothes were stained with blood from dealing with the bandits, and there was even a faint scent of blood clinging to me.

It was definitely inappropriate to enter the audience chamber in this state.

No matter how much the Emperor favored me, I had to maintain a minimum level of decorum.

I quietly nodded.

"Please."

"Yes, then this way."

Bella and I moved towards the room I would be staying in.

***

Meanwhile, while Raiden was freshening up with Bella\'s help, a secret conversation was taking place in the audience chamber.

"Oh? Is that so?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The speakers in this secret conversation were two men.

One was the Emperor of the Empire, Milliam von Lietrolo, and the other was the coachman who had been driving the carriage Raiden was in until just a moment ago.

The coachman, kneeling respectfully, continued his report step by step.

The content of the report was what he had learned and felt while observing Raiden throughout the day.

"And at that time, Young Master Lishite…"

"Hmm."

Milliam stroked his chin as if intrigued by the coachman\'s story.

He was not one to show interest in anything other than his children or work, but the words flowing from the coachman\'s mouth piqued his curiosity.

"He dealt with about twenty bandits… alone."

"To be precise, he slaughtered twenty-two bandits in 5 minutes and 38 seconds."

The coachman added bluntly to the Emperor\'s murmur. Milliam stroked his beard, pondering the coachman\'s answer.

"I\'m certain that until about half a year ago, Young Master Lishite had no talent for martial arts…"

"Yes, as I recall, it was so."

"Hmm…"

Milliam fell silent, seemingly lost in thought.

He tapped his fingers on the armrest as usual, then posed another question to the coachman.

"What is Sir Austin\'s opinion?"

"Are you referring to Young Master Lishite?"

Milliam nodded at the coachman\'s question.

Then the old coachman, called Sir Austin, with his graying hair, gave a straightforward assessment of Raiden.

"He\'s outstanding."

"Oh? Is that so?"

"I\'m considering recommending him to the Imperial Knights once he\'s more seasoned."

"To that extent?"

Milliam\'s blue eyes were tinged with surprise.

He hadn\'t expected such high praise to come from Austin\'s mouth.

Who was Sir Austin?

He was the knight-commander of the Imperial Knights, a group composed of only the most talented individuals in the Empire.

He was a man known as "Cold Wind" due to his extremely cold personality.

He rarely had a good word to say to his knights, yet he was giving unprecedented praise to Young Master Lishite.

"This is quite surprising, to hear such words from you."

"......"

"Was there anything else that impressed you?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. I can\'t be certain, but... Young Master Lishite seemed to have grasped that the entire situation was a test set by Your Majesty."

"Chuckle… I expected that much. He was always a bright child, so he must have noticed."

The Emperor chuckled pleasantly, his eyes gleaming.

His lips were already curved into a long arc.

"Hearing your words makes me even more eager to meet Young Master Lishite."

"The young master is currently freshening up."

"Hmm, then… I should make preparations as well."

Milliam turned his head and called out to the maids waiting nearby.

"You there. The young master will be here soon, summon the Crown Prince and the princesses."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The maids moved according to the order.

Milliam watched their retreating figures and murmured to himself,

"It\'s been quite a while, Young Master Lishite…"

Milliam stroked his chin with an unreadable smile.

***

"Phew… that\'s better."

After washing up and changing into fresh clothes, I headed towards the audience chamber once again, guided by Bella.

With the stench of blood that had clung to me gone, I finally felt like I could breathe properly.

I adjusted my suit as I walked.

"Damn it… I should have brought Rachel along."

This damn tie is so hard to tie.

I followed Rachel\'s instructions exactly, but somehow, one or two parts always ended up crooked after I finished tying it.

How does Rachel tie it so neatly?

Is this the power of a personal maid…?

I muttered to myself as I repeatedly untied and retied the awkwardly tied tie.

As I was struggling with the tie, Bella, who was walking ahead, turned around.

"If the tie is bothering you, I can fix it for you."

"Ah… um, no. I\'ll try to do it myself."

"As you wish."

"Thank you for the offer."

I shook my head at Bella\'s question and continued my battle with the tie.

It felt awkward to ask someone I\'d just met to tie my tie, especially at the age of eighteen.

Besides…

-I-if it\'s alright with you, young master…

-I-I\'ll do my best… to tie your tie.

My tie already has someone responsible for it.

I nodded to myself, thinking nonchalantly.

My cheeks felt strangely warm, but it must be my imagination.

As I continued walking, fiddling with the unfortunate tie, Bella, who was leading me, stopped in front of a massive door.

We had arrived at the audience chamber.

"His Majesty awaits you."

"Yes, I\'ll enter right away."

I stopped fidgeting with my hands, straightened my back, and squared my shoulders.

The guards, who had been watching me, slowly began to push open the closed doors.

-Clank…

The doors started to open with a heavy sound.

Through the widening gap, the dazzling interior of the audience chamber came into view.

Golden pillars, a long red carpet stretching across the floor, and at the end of the carpet, a high staircase leading up to a single throne.

"Phew…"

I took a deep breath and stepped inside the audience chamber.

The soft texture of the carpet, even felt through my shoes, eased my tension a little.

I stopped in front of the staircase and bowed my head towards the throne.

Then, I calmly knelt on one knee and bowed in respect.

"Raiden Lishite, the eldest son of the Lishite family, greets the Sun of the Empire."

The figure who had been silent spoke.

"Raise your head."

A voice with a gentle timbre resonated in my ears.

I raised my head and looked at the sun above.

"It\'s been a long time, Young Master Lishite."

Platinum blonde hair as if colored by the summer sun, deep blue eyes like the ocean, a neatly trimmed beard, and an overwhelming charisma.

It was the Emperor of the Empire, Milliam von Lietrolo.

"I heard you returned about a month ago… but it\'s been almost a year since we last met face-to-face."

"I should have come to see you sooner, Your Majesty. I apologize for my negligence. Please punish me for my disloyalty."

"Chuckle… I\'m not blaming you. I\'m just expressing my joy at seeing you again."

Milliam stopped me from bowing my head again and continued.

"Yes, I heard about how you saved the Star of the Empire. I don\'t know how to reward you for such a great service."

"I was merely fulfilling my duty as a subject of Your Majesty."

"Hmm…"

I bowed as I spoke, and Milliam let out a small hum as if satisfied with my demeanor.

"The children aren\'t here yet… so let\'s discuss your reward later."

"I understand that the Crown Prince usually resides in the palace… but are the princesses here as well?"

Why are they here?

I\'m sure I saw them at the Academy just the other day.

"Of course, I brought them here immediately after the incident. They both arrived yesterday."

Well… it\'s only natural that he wouldn\'t leave the royal family alone after the Academy was breached.

They need to be protected within the Imperial Palace, at least until the Academy\'s security is reinforced.

"It seems it will take some time for the children to arrive… In the meantime, would you tell me about the attack?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

I calmly began to recount the events of that day.

***

On the opposite side of the audience chamber was the "Palace of Stars".

It was a place where the Emperor\'s children, excluding the Crown Prince, usually rested.

Lucy, who had returned to the palace after a long time, was spending her time listlessly sitting on a sofa.

Until Milliam\'s summons arrived.

"What? His Majesty has summoned us?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"What is it about…?"

As Lucy murmured while getting up, the maid who was attending her answered.

"I heard that Young Master Lishite has visited the palace."

"What…? Raiden…?"

Lucy froze slightly at those words and looked at the maid.

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