Chapter 12.2

Unprecedented Debut Party (Part 1) (from Cermiane’s perspective)

However, Ralphine’s eyes eyes were shining with a serious glint. On the contrary, with dreamy eyes, she said she wanted to hunt dragons too. Dragons are like living legends, legendary beasts that have rarely even been sighted. It is doubtful that it is even a living creature, as it is huge like a small mountain, flies in the sky and breathes fire. However, there have actually been cases of it attacking towns, and a few years ago it burnt a town called Cuan to ashes in half a day. They are definitely not something to be hunted.

As I was trying to restrain the girl’s delusions, Ralphine, who was in a good mood, suddenly said.

“I hear you, eh~, Cermiane. It’s a pain in the ass. Can I call you Mia?”

I was surprised. I had never been called by a nickname before. My father had given me my name, and my mother was so pleased and proud of it that she did not allow herself or her servants to call me by a contraction. I didn’t like my name that much because I felt it sounded feminine.

Mia is another girlish name. If I wanted to shorten it, I would have used Cel. Why Mia? I asked her later, but she said there was no particular reason. It was just a feeling.

I laughed when she gave me a more feminine nickname after I had disliked feminine names, but strangely I didn’t feel bad about it.

“Huh. It’s good. Ral. You seem like a really interesting young lady.”

Ralphine had apparently been frustrated by her inability to hunt since arriving in the imperial capital, and was very happy to talk about hunting with me, who sometimes hunts for training. She was so happy to be able to talk about hunting with me, even in the antechamber, which should have been quiet, she continued to talk without any distinction and attracted a lot of attention with her giggles. If she had been a low-ranking daughter, she would have been scowled at by those of higher status, but unfortunately she was the highest-ranking marquise in the room. There was no one to stop her.

Eventually the time came and she entered the audience chamber. It was a fairly large audience chamber, with a straight blue carpet, and on either side of it were filled with nobles who were the parents of the coming-of-age Ladies. It was a solemn Hall that even I, a mere escort, was almost intimidated by the solemn atmosphere, and some of the daughters were so scared that they couldn’t move.

But Ralphine was humming. She was nothing short of daring. When the guests applauded, she showed such a happy expression that she seemed like she might even wave her hand. Everyone was astonished by her beautiful yet frank smile and the way she walked, unbefitting of an aristocrat, but Ralphine didn’t care at all. I had mixed feelings while watching it.

She was a marquise, a noble status. In fact, she has the highest status of all those coming of age on this day. But because of her high status, she was expected to be responsible. A noble person is expected to behave in a way that sets an example and a standard for others to follow.

However, she was not behaving in a manner befitting a marquise. She was not aware of her responsibilities as a marquise. Her own character is admirable, but is that the right thing to do as an aristocrat? I had an unsettling feeling.

I was born as the bastard son of the current Emperor.

My mother was the lady-in-waiting and confidante of the current Queen. She served the Empress and caught the attention of the Emperor, who favored her, and I was born.

My mother was a loyal subject of Her Majesty the Queen, and she regretted for the rest of her life that she had betrayed Her Majesty to gain the Emperor’s favour. Therefore, she had quite mixed feelings about me, who was both her beloved boy and a symbol of betrayal. My mother used to say to me,

“You are of the Emperor’s blood. You must live proudly and honorably in the name of the Emperor.”

On the other hand, my mother had been given the title of Count Emilian when she became the Emperor’s mistress, but gave it back when she left the Imperial Palace, and only retained her original title of Viscount because their Majesties had tried so hard to persuade her to take it on, but she refused to let me inherit it.

“You will be a knight.”

My mother repeatedly told me this.

A knight is the lowest rank of the aristocratic class, which is considered to be noble but less than aristocrat, and is reserved for the children of nobles who cannot succeed to their parents’ ranks and cannot start a branch of their own family. Basically, it is a position that is only recognised for one generation. It cannot be passed on to children.

In other words, I was forced to become the bottom of the aristocracy even though I was the Emperor’s bastard son and the heir of a viscount family. My mother said,

“You may have the blood of the Emperor, but you are not a prince. And we cannot allow a son of the Emperor’s blood to inherit the title of Viscount. You must become a knight whose house will disappear in a generation and serve the Emperor.”

I can understand my mother’s contradictory thoughts a little now. However, as a child, what my mother said was unreasonable to me. I was told to be proud and aware of my descent from the Emperor. I was told to become a knight, which is the lowest position in the nobility.

The Emperor and the Queen frequently came to my mother’s residence, told my mother and me to return to the imperial palace and loved me as if I were their own child.

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