I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess

147 – Audience

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Leaving behind a rather strange encounter, the four of them moved somewhere, guided by a woman.

Since it was such a wide imperial palace, it was quite difficult to know where they were going, even if the shape of the corridor they were walking through changed slightly.

Perhaps she said, ‘His Majesty is waiting.’ If I hadn’t rushed out first, it would have looked like I was being taken somewhere.

“By the way, are the two of us also allowed to have an audience with His Majesty?”

In the midst of moving his steps, Hagel couldn’t contain his curiosity and asked the guide a question.

In fact, Edgar was the only one who was formally invited today, and Ariel was not the person originally scheduled to accompany them.

However, since Ariel was in a location, she didn’t need to seek permission and search for it, so she only stepped forward. The other two were, in a way, unauthorized visitors who came without even sending a message.

In the edict that arrived in front of Edgar, ‘Any number of companions is permitted.’ Because there was a phrase written on it, it was only because I believed in it and came.

In response to Hagel’s question, the guide nodded in a businesslike manner and answered calmly.

“Yes, that’s fine. It’s because His Majesty has personally permitted me to bring a companion in the edict.”

“ah… That’s good. I thought it might be disrespectful to His Majesty.”

“Your Majesty is always thorough with what you say, so you don’t have to worry about it.”

After hearing the definite answer, Hagel, relieved, sneaked up to Sylvia’s side and matched his footsteps.

I was a bit taken aback by her gesture of grabbing her hand as if asking if she had come now, but then I held her hand with a light smile.

With such a throbbing heart, I urged my legs toward the audience room, and before long a new, wide space appeared in front of me.

The ceiling was so high that it felt far away, and the symmetrical structure on the left and right made it a space that gave a sense of stability structurally.

Nevertheless, judging from the fact that it was closer to the impression of being splendid rather than tidy, I could see how beautiful the decorations were.

“If you walk all the way here, you will come to the audience room. His Majesty is waiting for you there.”

Upon entering the audience room, at least the members of the imperial palace could not be seen through the hallway.

In other words, it also means that it is a place so solemn that even those who have lived here for a long time cannot recklessly set foot in it.

“Come to think of it, Your Highness, Your Majesty has asked about your next move… … .”

“If it doesn’t disrespect His Majesty, I’m going to go back to the villa right away. So do my friends.”

Ariel said it lightly, as if there was nothing to hide.

Originally, since the emperor invited him, he would have to stay for at least a day to save face.

However, according to what Yulken had told him the night before he left, the current emperor did not like old-fashioned manners or ostentation, so he thought it would be okay.

“I see. I expected His Majesty to say the same if she were the daughter of His Majesty the previous generation.”

As Ariel said, she doesn’t prepare a separate room, but if there is a change of heart, please feel free to let us know at any time, she closed her mouth.

Eventually, the space that had been splendidly extending in all directions narrowed little by little, and when a huge door appeared in front of them, the four of them knew that they had arrived at their destination.

“According to His Majesty’s order, we have brought distinguished guests. Please send me a message.”

“… … .”

At her request, the man standing on either side of the door silently nodded, and then sent a message in her place.

Soon after, another woman’s voice echoed from inside, and permission was granted.

At this, the two men guarding the door met their eyes, nodded at the same time, put their hands on top of the huge door, and then put their weight on it and pushed it as hard as they could.

Then, the huge door opened in an unusually calm manner without even the slightest squeaking noise, and soon I saw a red carpet leading to the center and a dignified man at the end of it.

I guess I was in my fifties.

If Yulken has a stern and wild impression, this one is sharper and somewhat weaker.

As if to prove this, the thickness of the arms and the overall skeleton were quite thin and dwarfed, to the point that Edgar heard concerns about his body as soon as he saw it.

“Welcome. You must have had a lot of trouble walking the long way.”

Bartheus Hellvenier, the owner of the Hellvenier Empire and the first in power, readily greeted the long-awaited guest first.

“Meet Your Majesty the Emperor.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Ariel and the rest of the staff got down on one knee and bowed their heads, and the Emperor nodded with a light smile and encouraged them to relax.

“Princess Ariel… No, now I should call him Grand Duke. It seems like yesterday that I saw you when I was doing this, but time seems to go by really fast.”

Bartheus pointed to the armrest of the throne he was sitting on and measured the height of Ariel, whom he had met the other day.

The Ariel I saw at that time was a tomboyish girl who fit the expression of a little child, but before I knew it, I was positioned as the owner of the grand duke’s family.

For him, who was always in the imperial palace and couldn’t feel the passage of time, these elements were the only things that let him know that time had passed.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been able to see you very often.”

“You say everything. by the way… … .”

When Bartheus’s gaze turned to Edgar, who was on the right side of Ariel, her gaze moved along with it one after another.

“Looking at that red hair, I know at once that you are the young hero I have been told about.”

“My name is Edgar Bilhark, Your Majesty.”

“Bilhark… Yes, that discovery was definitely the symbol of the Billhark family. Thank you for coming.”

Even to Edgar, the words Bartheus conveyed did not sound very pretentious.

Maybe it was because he met someone like Albrich a while ago, who felt nothing.

On the contrary, Edgar was satisfied that he could sense a slight humanity in each and every word of Bartheus.

“I also wanted to thank you for saving Yulken, so I called you here. Publicly, it was the relationship between the emperor and the grand duke, but in private, it was a fairly close relationship. Of course, we don’t see each other very often because we have each other’s positions.”

I don’t know if it’s a relationship that can be described as a close friend, but at least Bartheus and Yulken, who were the same age, had quite a lot to meet when they were young, so they were able to get close easily.

Even though it was a blurred bond because of each other’s position and given responsibilities after getting older, that bond didn’t go anywhere very much.

“I just wanted to thank you for saving my best friend, so don’t feel pressured.”

“hahahaha, your young friend is very clever. So, it might have been what Lord Yulken wanted to keep by the side of his beloved daughter.”

At Edgar’s reply, which seemed to mimic exactly what he was trying to convey, Bartheus burst out with a boisterous laugh that did not match his somewhat insignificant physique.

“It’s an overstatement.”

In response, Edgar expressed his modesty and only smiled enough to not look too frivolous.

At this attitude, Bartheus let out a low exclamation and observed Edgar a little more carefully. Usually, when meeting the emperor for the first time, there are a lot of people who stiffen with tension or don’t know what to do, but his attitude was so relaxed that it was amazing.

At least, if you’re older, you might think it’s a mature beauty that comes from years of experience, but from what he heard, it was truly amazing to hear that he was a man with a contract.

As Hagel and Silvia, who were standing behind them, revealed their identities as they continued to talk about a number of topics that seemed a bit trivial, a smile of joy formed on Bartheus’ lips.

Being in the imperial palace, it was easy to see only the people you always saw, so meeting new people was always fun.

“It’s been a long time since I heard the name of the Lorentz family. I doubted my ears at first because I had a daughter as pretty as a rabbit under Sir Damian’s command.”

Sylvia’s father, Damian, had a rather rambunctious and rough impression, unlike her, who fits the phrase “a flower in a greenhouse.”

So when Bartheus first heard the news, he thought, ‘Did a bear give birth to a rabbit?’ What surprised me.

When Sylvia also vaguely understood what he was trying to say, she recalled her father’s impression with a faint smile.

Certainly, she did not think there was much of a resemblance between father and daughter.

both in character and appearance.

“By the way, a meeting between the second son of the Lukeville family and the eldest daughter of the Lorenz family… It is truly amazing.”

As Bartheus remembered, the relationship between the two families was not so good externally.

Of course, it wasn’t a relationship so ferocious that they would spit in each other’s faces openly even in public places like certain families did, but that didn’t mean they were friendly at all.

However, the members of those two families coincidentally met, and love sprouted, leading to the current relationship.

I thought it was something I would live to see for a long time.

On the one hand, there is a possibility that harmony between the families will be promoted through the two people, so if you look at it that way, it must be a positive direction.

“My father also told me not to worry too much about what happened to my ancestors, saying that it is not something that young people should care about.”

“Well, Lord Lukeville would have said that. I also agree.”

Bartheus nodded his head slightly, tried to withdraw his hand as if he was groping for a moment, then twitched his eyebrows in a moment of shock.

“your majesty?”

“Are you okay? complexion… … .”

“… It’s okay, don’t worry about it. As I get older, it’s just that sometimes it’s like this.”

He stiffened his face for a moment, but then he waved his hand lightly with an effortless expression.

However, no matter who saw it, the complexion was not very good, so Ariel glanced at the three people behind her and spoke to the emperor first.

“You don’t look very well, Your Majesty. How about taking a break… … .”

Bartheus, who struggled for a while at Ariel’s remonstrance, nodded slightly.

“I’m sorry, Archduke. Let’s talk about the long story later.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I apologize for not being able to take care of the condition.”

“Don’t worry.”

Bartheus, who tried his best to smile, let the four men go, and before long his body leaned against the throne like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

While the sound of his fast breathing resounded, those who had heard of his condition came to visit, but the emperor sent them all away.

As for the reason, only he would know.