“Phew...”
“Well done, Agnes.”
“Lord Nazel, we are quite popular in this gathering, aren’t we? In the past, we were usually in a very delicate position.”
“Everyone wants to form a connection with us now. Sutrena is among the most powerful territories at the moment, and we both have King Bertrand’s trust. We were also the ones who helped him the most when he took the throne. In addition, those who were too reserved to speak to us before can move freely now that the former queen’s supporters have diminished... That about sums it up.”
“The power structure of high society really has been rewritten, then.” It was just as I’d thought. King Bertrand and Queen Latriche are steadily growing more powerful.
The king and queen, wearing matching, formal white attire, walked down the stairs at the end of the banquet hall, each holding a prince in their arms. The gathered nobles cheered in response. The two princes were awake, and I could see them waving their hands around even from far away; they looked full of energy.
Everyone rushed to greet the two princes. We’d gotten to see them yesterday, so we decided to wait and head over once things had calmed down. After this, some time would be dedicated for the nobles to hand over their presents, so the king and queen seemed quite busy. Naturally, they couldn’t keep holding their children forever, so they moved the princes to a twin crib. Although this atmosphere was hectic, it was overall a positive change for King Bertrand and Queen Latriche.
“I’m happy the two of them have more allies now, Lord Nazel.”
“Me too,” Lord Nazel said with a wide smile on his face, and I responded with one of my own.
After that, we continued talking to the nobles who’d come to greet us, calmly gathering information about the man who’d tried arranging a marriage with Kelly, and once the dust settled a little, we headed to the king and queen.
“Once again, we would like to congratulate you on the princes’ birthday, Your Majesties.” Lord Nazel and I offered our blessings together.
The people around us were casually observing us. I felt a little worried, but Queen Latriche smiled at me and said the same thing that Lord Nazel had.
“It’s all right, Lady Agnes. They want to have a positive relationship with us, so they’re only looking for a way to start a conversation. Unlike before, both Bert and I have become influential. And your House of Florescruz is one of our faction’s primary members, not to mention the exceptional Nazelbart is the head of the house. All of the nobles who’ve kept their distance until now are trying to get closer to us. You should also be confident.”
“Confident...”
“After all, you’re one of the leading figures responsible for Sutrena’s growth.”
“Huh? I am?”
“Yes... So you really were unaware? Even though you’ve done such excellent work that your territory is full of statues of you?”
“The margravine statues are just the result of the local artisans being a bit too enthusiastic.” Sutrena’s sculptors were a formidable force. After all, they’d seen through my disguises when I was incognito and turned even those into sculptures.
At first, there hadn’t been much demand for statues, so sculptors had made their living by crafting things like stone tools. But with Lord Nazel’s encouragement, they’d started making statues of me everywhere. Now, even people from Hihime—where crafts thrived—had joined in, and their skills improved with each statue they sculpted. I’d heard that some of them had been recognized for their ability and started working in other territories. No one could stop the sculptors anymore.
“You have loyally helped Nazelbart with your magic and are also praised for building a school in your territory. Your statues are apparently tourist attractions in Sutrena.”
“Tourist attractions? They certainly stand out, but I have mixed feelings as the person the statues are modeled after.” I’d desperately tried to stop these statues for some time, but I’d been unable to rein in the artists’ passion no matter what I’d done. Now, I’d given up on preventing any more statues from being built. They were apparently a bit useful as landmarks and meeting spots for the people of Sutrena.
“In any case, there should be many noblewomen wanting to talk to you from now on. I won’t let you suffer like before again.”
“Your Majesty?”
Queen Latriche’s expression suddenly turned serious.
“The last time you came to the palace, I couldn’t protect you from those three noblewomen. Instead, I relied on you, despite your inexperience, and ended up dragging you into Davier’s coup. After that happened, I...”
After that incident, Queen Latriche had spent time eliminating any nobles from the palace who were loyal to the former queen and hostile to the new king and queen. Despite Lord Davier’s downfall, it seemed that nobles supporting the former queen had stubbornly remained in the capital and kept opposing the new king and queen. However, Queen Latriche had continued dauntlessly fighting as the queen in social settings, and as a result, all hostile individuals had soon been expelled from the palace. Apparently, only noblewomen who were friendly toward her, meaning they were from the new king’s faction or the neutral faction, came to visit her at the palace now.
“Therefore, I’d like you to feel free and visit the palace anytime, Lady Agnes. Your son is also more than welcome, of course.”
“Thank you very much. Like I said yesterday, once Solis is a little bigger, I’d love to bring him here.”
“Yes. I’d be happy if he gets along with my sons. To tell you the truth, I’ve discussed with Bert that if you ever have a daughter, I’d like her to get married to one of them.”
“You really talked about something like that?!”
Lord Nazel had been chatting with King Bertrand, but he swiftly reacted when he heard that.
“Is that true, Your Majesty?”
“Uh, well, yeah. We want to further strengthen our ties with Sutrena.”
“You can’t have my daughter!!!”
“Nazelbart... You don’t even have a daughter, do you? Why do you always lose your composure when it comes to Lady Agnes and your children?”
“Even if I end up having a daughter, the answer will still be no. I want her to live a comfortable, cheerful, and free life.” To Lord Nazel, the royal palace was far from comfortable. It was understandable that he wouldn’t want our daughter to go to a place like that—even if we didn’t actually have one.
He must have gone through terrible things here. Lord Nazel didn’t speak much about his time as a prince consort candidate, so I’d avoided asking him about it. I didn’t want to do anything to remind him of that painful past. All I knew was that Lord Nazel had frequently visited the palace after becoming Princess Mia’s fiancé, and he’d spent all his time on various studies and work. He’d shown no emotion and indifferently fulfilled his duties, earning him the “animated doll” nickname.
I also wouldn’t want our daughter coming to the palace, unless she desired it herself.
Unfortunately for Queen Latriche, after seeing what Lord Nazel had gone through, I had my concerns about the relationship of a couple resulting from a political marriage. Of course, I understood that King Bertrand and Queen Latriche’s relationship was nothing like the one Princess Mia had with Lord Nazel, but it was still unclear what would become of a child entering a political engagement. Both Lord Nazel and I were satisfied with our lives in Sutrena, so we harbored no ambitions for our daughter to become the queen. If possible, I’d like for our children to get married to people they loved, like Lord Nazel and I loved each other.
“Nazelbart, Lady Agnes, could we also have some of your time tomorrow?” King Bertrand asked in a subtle, low voice. Lord Nazel and I didn’t have any problems with that, so we nodded. “You have my gratitude. We shall meet later then.”
The king and queen gallantly departed.
I wonder what that was about.
Queen Latriche seemed to want to talk to me more. She kept turning back toward me, looking reluctant to leave.