Bab 103: [Chapter 103] She Doesn't Care About Me
Shortly after, a new advisor at the White Swan Castle was rumored to be a direct descendant of the legendary hero Elendria. A lineage more certain than the murmurs from the southern Elendria Marquis, a 'true of the truest' lineage.
Although it wasn't explicitly explained about Jewel Inside, there was an atmosphere where everyone understood. Both the hero and Jewel Inside were mysterious, so there seemed to be some connection...
It was evident who skillfully spread the rumor like a true story. Neris suspected that Cledwyn had decided to sway public opinion in this direction. And she agreed with the direction he had taken.
"This side is convenient."
Walking slowly through the morning garden, Neris murmured to herself.
No matter what their ancestors did in ancient times, some people were noble, while others were unbelievably vulgar. Nevertheless, many people admired great names.
If she was going to reveal Jewel Inside and walk around comfortably, it was better to be known for her southern origins.
Ha! Ha! The voices of soldiers training in the distance at the training grounds could be heard.
Even the royal knights didn't wake up this early. It was strange that the sound from the training grounds was so loud that it reached the Western Palace where Neris was walking. How hard they must be training.
The Empire of Vista had not experienced war for a long time, and as a result, the royal army had become corrupt. In important positions, distant relatives without the royal family's abilities were appointed, and even the soldiers were not particularly elite. Neris had heard Camille lament this fact many times in her past life.
Considering these points, how different was the atmosphere in Maindland.
"Are you really a noble now?"
Neris's reverie was interrupted by a sudden voice.
She was near the courtyard of the Western Palace. As Neris looked around, she noticed two men standing facing each other in a secluded corner where no one was present.
The man facing this way was a middle-aged subordinate lord from Maindland who occasionally attended meetings. And the man with only his back visible was identified as Aidan based on his attire and build.
"A peasant subject who barely received a fief two generations ago. Well, since he knows the family's subject well, that's why he can't speak up, right?"
Family?
Even without hearing the circumstances, it was clear why he was picking a fight.
The gazes of the two men, who could be heard trampling the grass, turned towards Neris. Aidan's eyes widened briefly.
"Advisor."
The lord quickly changed his expression and respectfully nodded.
His attitude towards Neris was extreme compared to his attitude towards Aidan. But on what grounds? Neris responded with dignity.
"I came to greet a familiar face passing by. Were you having an interesting conversation?"
"It was nothing special."
The lord tried to dismiss it casually. But Neris wasn't going to let him off easily.
Ignoring his followers in Cledwyn's castle would set a bad precedent.
"I heard that Aidan's noble lineage doesn't impress you, does it? Well, speaking of it, it seems like pointless nonsense."
The lord's expression momentarily faltered at the sharp choice of words. A faint sound of air escaping was heard from Aidan's side.
He seemed provoked by the laughter. The lord glared at Aidan.
"Arrogant!"
"Arrogant is what you should be called."
Neris looked the lord straight in the eyes. The lord stiffened.
"Except for the three heroes, all nobles on the continent, including the Maindland Ducal Family, did not become nobles by their own merit but by appointment. The Maindland Ducal Family was a special case, but even they were recognized as imperial nobles only after the Emperor's approval. Moreover, do you think the nobles appointed by the Duke would differentiate themselves in status?"
What Neris mentioned was a diplomatic custom on the continent.
In theory, according to imperial law, all lords on the continent were essentially or formally vassals of the Vista Imperial Family, regardless of royal noble status.
When the three heroes defeated the evil dragon and established the empire, there were no other lords on the continent. This was because humans had not prospered enough to form kingdoms during the era of the evil dragon.
And the lords that emerged after the founding of the Vista Empire relied on the popularity of the imperial approval for the legitimacy of their rule.
There were also instances where imperial consorts or empresses appointed by the imperial family became queens, so all royals and nobles, except the three heroes, existed not by their own right but 'through imperial appointment'.
Now that many countries had been established for a long time, this theory did not practically exert influence on interfering in the internal affairs of other countries. However, when conducting diplomacy with the imperial family, such ancient customs became important topics, and Neris, who had engaged in diplomacy in her past life, naturally repeated such discussions.
Especially when disputes arose among nobles of different countries.
The statement that Maindland was special referred to the fact that the Maindland people did not request imperial recognition and had lived as a kingdom in the north for a long time.
If the position was obtained through appointment, shouldn't one respect it if the lord granted the same position to others, being a faithful vassal?
"Never speak disrespectfully of His Grace again. Understood?"
What could he possibly say in response? The noble's face turned red. He dared not meet her eyes and muttered 'Excuse me' before leaving.
Only then could Neris look up at Aidan. The sunlight from the building behind him shone through the glass.
For a brief moment, her own face was reflected in the corner of the glass. Neris consciously focused her gaze on Aidan.
"Long time no see, senior."
"...Yes."
Aidan looked at Neris with wonder.
When they were young, Neris, who was smaller and weaker than her peers, seemed tiny and fragile to Aidan. Yet, the thirteen-year-old girl had a strange strength and naturally commanded Aidan, who was much older, like a servant.
Now an adult, she still appeared to have no strength outwardly, but her eyes held a dangerous glint.
While she might have used honorifics even back then, it wouldn't have seemed strange.
"What happened?"
"Just a minor argument as I passed by..."
"It was a trivial dispute. But why did you just stand there?"
"...I am not good with words."
"Why not? Just speak your mind like I did."
"I am not from the Elendria lineage. Perhaps I should not have backed down."
Neris understood Aidan's words.
If he was of peasant origin, in noble society, he was not only a target to be ignored but even despised.
Because they thought it would 'destroy the class order from the ground up.'
Just like Neris, who rose to the position of a princess despite being of lower noble birth.
But what meaning was there in such a method of class distinction? Neris thought it was all nonsense. Did blue blood flow when you pricked a member of an old family?
"Even foolish people don't just take it without a second thought. You were just being arrogant. Aidan Pickerling, follow suit. 'Insulting you is the same as insulting His Grace you believe in.'"
Even if it was nonsense that one wouldn't respond to when alone, when it was related to the honor of a superior, one had to respond. Aidan understood the meaning of Neris's words.
He soon lowered his eyes and muttered.
"...Insulting you, is the same as insulting His Grace..."
"Say it louder, senior. 'Insulting is.'"
"Insulting is, the same."
"Well done."
Neris laughed heartily.
"Will you come later when everyone gathers at the castle?"
"Yes."
"Then see you later. If another noble insults you, don't stay silent."
With that said, she turned away without a trace of regret. The morning sunlight shone dazzlingly on her departing figure.
❖ ❖ ❖
"She said that?"
Cledwyn chuckled. Aidan, who had just reported every word of his conversation with Neris in the courtyard, nodded gruffly.
"Yes."
"There's nothing wrong with the advisor's words."
Talfryn evaluated with a snort. His sharp eyes behind the glasses shot a glance at Aidan.
"Are you just going to stay silent like a clam while fools spout nonsense? How many times have I told you that appearing complacent undermines the Lord's dignity?"
Aidan did not respond. In fact, it was rare for him to speak up.
Clang! The sword, which had been in a deadlock until now, made a sharp sound as it was drawn out. Watching Aidan lose his grip on the sword and look dazed, Cledwyn calmly spoke.
"You seem bothered by something. Speak."
"...When conversing with the advisor, you seemed momentarily startled when you glanced behind me."
"And?"
"You quickly averted your gaze, and since there were no other signs, I don't understand why you did that."
Aidan often received the misconception of being unresponsive to others' words, but he possessed the skills at a young age to become a close aide to the Duke.
The probability of misjudging the handling of the gaze of the person in front of him or the signs around him was low.
What was in the garden? Talfryn narrowed his eyes, but Cledwyn responded nonchalantly.
"You mentioned being by the building, didn't you? You probably glanced at the window and then turned away."
"Why should you turn away after looking at the window?"
Talfryn's words, which completely puzzled Cledwyn, were met with a shrug of the shoulders. Not willing to explain to the Lord, Talfryn turned off his attention to Neris's handling of the situation.
'He must have seen his own face reflected in the glass.'
Even without witnessing the situation, Cledwyn deduced the truth.
Although Neris herself did not mention it, and probably wouldn't in the future either, he vaguely noticed that she disliked looking at her reflection in the mirror.
It wasn't something he had found out through investigation, but rather something he had vaguely noticed in everyday situations, such as when she was dining, walking in the corridors, or encountering her in the study.
He had observed her casually shifting her gaze away from reflective surfaces like spoons, glass windows at night, or smooth shields hanging in the study that could reflect her face.
She was someone who didn't outwardly show her inner turmoil and was fixated on hiding her weaknesses, so probably very few knew this fact.
'For some reason.'
There was no reason to feel bad about a beautiful face.
As Cledwyn pondered, Talfryn analyzed the situation in his own way.
'Even that stone-like Aidan Pickerling remembers detailed details about the advisor.'
Aidan's ability to detect body language and subtle cues was undoubtedly exceptional.
However, apart from that, it was a matter of showing interest in others to be seen.
'How foolish.'
To openly show interest in someone who should not be of interest.
Nevertheless, as it was a long-standing relationship with Aidan, Talfryn decided to subtly alert him to the situation.
"Your Grace."
"What is it?"
"You must have given a gift to the advisor, and your mother must know you well..."
"The point."
"Yes. When do you plan to get married?"
"Married alone?"
"But..."
"She doesn't care about me. She can confidently tell me to marry someone else."
Why did you do that, Advisor?
Talfryn was astonished, but Cledwyn seemed indifferent and smiled brightly.
"First, I'll make her aware of my presence."
A gift? Just a box of jewels, hardly something to call a gift.
He would take the time to make her think. To him, her interest was valuable.
Aidan, holding the sword, shrugged as if feeling awkward. Cledwyn pointed the tip of the sword at him and twinkled his eyes.
"Once more, Aidan. You need to practice to get stronger, don't you?"
Even a single sparring session with Cledwyn was deadly. Seeing Aidan's shocked expression, Talfryn shook his head without saying a word.
White clouds drifted across the clear sky in the north. They rolled on until someone cried beneath them today.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone