Chapter 43.2
While being guided down the many corridors of the Ivory Palace, Leo couldn’t help but admire the expensive decorations of the place, since this was his first time entering a castle . However, while he was doing that, the Harkenberg family suddenly arrived at a place that was far from being a party hall .
(Woah! This place…! I think this is the Audience Chamber, right!? It’s so huge!) – Thought Leo, as he looked around the room with an excited look on his face .
The audience chamber was on a whole other level, compared to everything that Leo had already seen of the palace . There was a fireplace located at the right side of the room, that was as expensive as the chandeliers hanging on the ceiling . There was also a lot of expensive painting and mirrors hanging on the walls . Not to mention the huge balcony located on the left side of the room .
This place was, without a doubt, the definition of the word expensive… however, none of those decorations could beat the two majestic thrones adorned in gold and jewels located at the far end of the room . Leo almost started drooling when he saw that . But the small anomaly–or rather, the small coffee table located at the center of the room, kept him from doing that .
According to the servant who guided the Harkenberg family to the audience chamber, every year, before the royal greeting, the Emperor and the Empress liked to sit down somewhere quiet to enjoy a cup of tea, while they waited for the parade to arrive at the castle .
Well, those two were busy people, so it was understandable that they would try to relax a bit, before a major event .
However, Leo still couldn’t understand why the two wanted to do the same thing this year as well, after all, they were the hosts of today’s party . So, after noticing the confused look on the little girl’s face, Emilia decided to explain what was going on .
“It’s okay deary . We’re just going to have a little chat with the Emperor and the Empress before the party . Also, I know that there are a lot of people here today, but I made sure to bribe–I mean, I made sure that no one would bother us while we’re having that conversation, so you don’t have to worry about anything . ” – Said Emilia, with a kind smile, as she let out a low, and evil, chuckle .
“I-is that, so…?”
When Leo saw that smile, he felt a chill run down his spine, so he made a mental note to never, ever, cross Emilia, since she could be really scary sometimes .
As they waited for the royal couple to arrive, Emilia took that moment to teach her granddaughter how to port herself in front of royalty .
Well, to tell the truth, this wasn’t a formal meeting, so Emilia didn’t really have to do that, but since those manners would help her granddaughter in the future, she decided to do it anyway .
“Oh, and one more thing . It seems like the Empress is quite interested in you, deary, so you should think twice before drinking anything that she gives you . ” – Said Emilia, with a serious look on her face, as she stared deeply into Leonora’s amethyst eyes .
“So… if she tries, to give me, some tea, I shouldn’t, drink it?”
“That’s right… in my opinion, you shouldn’t drink it–”
There was a brief moment of silence right after Emilia said that… but then, as if her serious expression was never there to begin with, she looked at Leonora with a gentle smile, before continuing her sentence .
“–But that’s up to you to decide, deary . You see, if an older lady, who has a son of marriageable age, decides to pour a drink to a younger lady of marriageable age, during an informal meeting, she’s probably asking you: “Do you want to marry my son?” And if you drink what she offered you, that’s the same thing as saying “yes,” which is why I told you to think twice before drinking anything that she gives you . ”
“!!!!!!!!!”
Leo was visibly surprised when he heard that . His main objective today was to sell a dress to the Empress, not to marry her evil son, so he was really grateful to Emilia for telling him that piece of information, after all, now that he knew what would happen if he drank anything that the Empress prepared for him, Leo just had to find a way to accidentally break the cup–
“Well, even if the worst happens, and everyone turns against you because of your choice, we’ll be here to protect you, so you should just enjoy the party after we finish here . Besides, I doubt Her Majesty will hold you accountable for your choice anyway . She may be a bit frightening at first, because of her demeanor, but deep inside she’s a good girl, so I’m sure you two will get along just fine . ” – Said Klaus, as he stroked his beard .
“……… . ”
–But what Klaus said next made Leo feel even more nervous than he already was . From what he now knew about the Empress, she was probably as frightening as Albert . There’s no way she would forgive him if he broke the cup, so Leo decided to just politely refuse anything to that she gave him, after all, that approach was a lot safer than the previous one .
However, before Leo could prepare himself for what was about to come, the doors of the audience chamber swung open… the Emperor and his wife had arrived . So, like Emilia instructed him, Leo quickly stood up by her side and waited for the two reach the table .
“Oh, so you guys were already here, eh? Haha, sorry for keeping you all waiting!” – Said Balthazar von Weizsäcker, as he strode towards the Harkenberg family in an elegant gait .
Like a true Emperor, Balthazar was wearing an expensive white tunic, decorated with shiny jewels and golden ornaments… however, Leo couldn’t care less about that right now . The man know as the Emperor of the Weiz Empire wasn’t just handsome, he was really scary as well . The contrast of his gentle, light brown hair, compared to his sharp, grayish blue eyes, was too much for Leo to handle . In fact, his gaze was so sharp, that Leo couldn’t even focus on appraising the expensive jewels and golden ornaments on his clothes .
“Please, take a seat . ” – Said Alexia von Weizsäcker, as she gestured for the Harkenberg family to take a seat by the table with them .
Much like Balthazar, Alexia was also wearing expensive clothes . Her light blue dress contrasted perfectly with her blond hair and azure eyes . However, contrary to her fierce husband, Alexia was exuding a gentle aura; she was the complete opposite of Balthazar . It was like Leo was dealing with the beauty and the beast, from how different the two were .
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Well, first impressions aside, this was the first time Leo ever spoke with the two rulers of his country, so he bowed his head and introduced himself .
“I-it’s a, pleasure to, meet you, I-I am Leonora, von Harkenberg . ”
Leo was really nervous right now, but a good first introduction was the most important step to any successful transaction, so he did his best to sound as respectful as possible while doing so–
“Hee∼, so you’re that Leonora, huh…? I can see that the rumors about you were spot on… . ”
–But Balthazar didn’t seem to care much about that, seeing that he just slumped down on one of the couches by the coffee table, as he continued glaring at the little girl . However, Alexia, who was sitting by his side, wouldn’t let that rude behavior slide off, so she momentarily glared at her husband, before turning back to look at Leonora with a smile .
“I’m really sorry about Balthazar . I’m sure he didn’t mean to be rude . Also, there’s no need for you to be this tense, Leonora . This is an informal meeting, so please, relax . ”
Alexia had a gentle and soothing smile . Anyone who looked at her would think so as well… but to Leo, that wasn’t the case .
(T-the Emperor… h-he… he fixed his posture when she glared at him…!)
At first, Leo thought Alexia was the complete opposite of Balthazar, since she seemed to be a lot gentler, but after having a glimpse of her true self, he couldn’t trust that smile anymore . Leo could easily read someone’s intentions if they were as straightforward as Balthazar, however, the same principle didn’t apply to people who were that good at hiding their emotions behind a mask–or rather, a smile, like Alexia was .
(S**t…! That fake smile…! I have the worst compatibility with people like her! She’s definitively that type of housewife who’ll try to cut down the price of what she’s going to buy by half!)
Well, Leo was a seasoned salesman, so he knew what to do to counter those types of housewives . The only real problem though, is that they were a pain to deal with .
(Khh…! So I’ll have to flatter her until she gives in, huh? …She’s indeed a tough opponent…)
To Leo, this wasn’t just an informal meeting anymore, this was now a battlefield, and to win against the Empress, he would have to go all out .
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Following the cue to the start of that mental battle, a servant approached the table and poured some tea to the five of them, before retreating to one of the corners of the room, so Leo took that opportunity praise Alexia’s choice of teas .
“Oh, if I’m, not mistaken, this is, Lambert tea, right? This tea, has such a, nice aroma… you have a, great taste, in teas, Your Majesty . ”
“Ara, so you like Lambert tea, Leonora?” – Said Alexia, with a impressed look on her face .
“Yes… Lambert tea, has a, beautiful color, and a, refreshing aroma, so, I like it, a lot . And, what’s more, it goes well, with the sweets, that you prepared, for us today, Your Majesty . ” – Said Leo, with a nod, as he smiled at Alexia .
The reason why Leo knew that Lambert tea went well with sweets, was because of the oldest son of the Bernstein family, Francis . When the two met for the first time, after the field trip, Leo ended up learning a lot about that tea . But, of course, no one here knew that, so they were a bit surprised to see that the little girl knew a lot about tea .
“Oh my! So you know a lot about teas, huh? Fufu, that is certainly unexpected, but… we’re all drinking different types of tea, you know?”
When Alexia pointed that out, Leo instinctively glanced to the side, and, indeed, Emilia’s tea was different from the one that he was drinking, so he also sneaked a peek at everyone else’s cups, before pointing out the name of each one of those teas .
“I see… so, everyone is, drinking a, different type, of tea . Emilisama, is drinking, Hanish* tea, Klaus-sama, is drinking, Kuradeel* tea, and Your Majesties, are drinking… I presume, it’s Stolz* tea, right?” (*Tl/n: I tried googling the name of those teas, but I found nothing, so I did a literal TL . )
Because of all the tea dyes that Leo had to create, until he found the right one to dye his dress, he became quite familiar with a lot of different types of teas . It reached a point were he could tell the name of a tea just by it’s color . So, this time, Leo not only surprised the four of them again, but he also managed to surprise the servant who served the tea as well .
(How is it, ma’am? Did I manage to impress you?) – Thought Leo, as he stared at Alexia’s surprised expression with a beaming smile .
Leo wanted to change the topic of the conversation to the dresses that he made as fast as possible, but given the personality of the Empress, that would be a bit difficult to do right now . Not to mention that now wasn’t the right time to strike anyway . However, once Leo managed to get on Alexia’s good side, she would probably let her guard down… he just needed to wait a bit more .
(This girl… she’s way more knowledgeable than I expected…) – Thought Balthazar, as he studied the little girl that was sitting across the table .
Leonora was an adorable little girl and she had a warm personality… however, that wasn’t the only good thing about her . She was also way more intelligent than normal–
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(–and above all else, she’s not scared of me…)
Balthazar was way more of a warrior, rather than an Emperor . He fought alongside Klaus in innumerable battlefields and reaped many lives, so he knew how to intimidate weak people with just his gaze… but nothing happened to Leonora when he glared at her . On the contrary, she just stared right back at him with her amethyst eyes, as if she was unfazed .
And the same thing happened to his wife .
Alexia wasn’t just a beautiful and elegant woman, she was also really sharp and she knew how to hide her emotions behind a smile, which is why many younger ladies respected her a lot . However, even though most girls her age would’ve started squealing by now, after being praised by the Empress, Leonora didn’t show any reaction, except the usual “Thank you . ”
Leonora’s social skills were the real deal . Balthazar even wondered if she had turned into an experienced merchant midway through their conversation, after all, sometimes, her compliments managed to get through Alexia’s thick skin . But that wasn’t all . Leonora knew a lot about other things as well, not just tea . Be it jewelry, the market price of goods, or even money, she never dropped off of a topic . However, what impressed Balthazar the most wasn’t her knowledge… it was her humbleness .
Even when Balthazar thanked Leonora for saving his two kids during the presentation, or when he thanked her for helping Bianca become a Child Loved by the Spirits, Leonora was humble enough to say: “I didn’t, do much . They’re, the ones, who should, be praised, not me . ”
(I see… I didn’t believe Bianca and Gustav because I doubted their judgement, but after seeing this, I guess there’s no denying it… she really is the Altruistic Saintess…)
As a matter of fact, Leo didn’t do anything to help either of them . Those were total coincidences, so he ended up feeling really bad for being praised for something he didn’t do . But the Emperor didn’t know that, so he ended up thinking highly of the little girl .
(Hmm… now I don’t think it’s a good idea to involve her on that matter anymore…) – Thought Balthazar, as he stared at the delicate pendant hanging around the girl’s neck .
That pendant on Leonora’s neck was Albert’s dragon mark . In other words, she was still loyal to his son, which only made Balthazar feel even more conflicted, since he was indebted to her for saving the life of his kids . However, it was also true that, because of her, Albert stopped being the perfect prince that everyone loved, so Balthazar decided to use Leonora as his son’s test, after all, he had to make sure that Albert was still suitable for the position of Crown Prince .
Besides, if that gamble paid off, Balthazar would get two worthy successors to the throne . The only problem though, was that Alexia didn’t know of his plan . She had grown attached to the little girl with amethyst eyes and she didn’t want anything bad to happen to her, so she glanced at Balthazar with a concerned look on her face .
(You don’t have to worry, Alexia, I won’t punish her–)
After winking at Alexia, Balthazar then glanced at the clock that was hanging on the wall, before turning his attention to the front door of the Audience Chamber with a smile .
(–I just want to see how she’ll help my our son fare through that test…)
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