Ch. 16
“Uhmm?”
As I stood there, dazed, the headmaster kicked the back of my heel, and Master Yael was giving me a serious look.
Both of them were silently pressuring me with anxious expressions…
“Ah!”
It was only then that I realized how rude I had been. I had been staring at the king for far too long. That was enough to get me into serious trouble.
“I greet the King of Dmitri! Eternal glory to His Majesty.”
Flustered, I ended up doing something incredibly foolish—I hurriedly knelt down and performed a deep bow.
Only after lowering my forehead to the ground did I realize my mistake.
This was not how people greeted others here. Kneeling on one knee was considered the utmost show of respect. And for a noblewoman, kneeling at all was unheard of.
Even knights only knelt on one knee when pledging their utmost loyalty. But here I was, on both knees with my forehead touching the floor. My embarrassment was so overwhelming that I wished I could disappear on the spot.
A deep silence settled over the room.
“Pfft!”
Laughter broke the silence, and soon, waves of chuckles followed.
“Hahaha!”
I sluggishly raised myself and kept my face down, now flushed as red as a tomato. If I could, I would have hidden under my mother’s skirts. The king’s laughter was at least tolerable.
“Hohohoho.”
The headmaster, on the other hand, laughed for what felt like an eternity. He must have found it amusing to see me, someone he usually found annoying, pressing my head to the ground in panic.
Even though it was my first time seeing the king, such behavior was unacceptable for a noble lady.
“Kehehe.”
“Hohoho.”
Even the maids started giggling.
Ugh, seriously, can they stop laughing?! This is humiliating! Anyone would make mistakes if they were this nervous!
[Hahaha!]
That damned spirit! No sense of reading the room!
[Hey! Stop laughing!]
[Pfft.]
[You’re going to live as a rat from now on.]
[…Huh? Master, I wasn’t laughing! This is unfair! Master! Maaasteeer!]
As if I wouldn’t recognize Rai’s laughter. His personality was too distinctive for me to mistake it for anyone else’s.
I seriously considered picking up a dead rat on my way back. And I made sure Rai felt my intentions loud and clear.
“Haha, it seems she was too nervous in such a place. Please understand, Your Majesty.”
“Of course. Children are bound to make mistakes. It is my duty to find it endearing.”
“Geenie, greet His Majesty properly this time. And no deep bows.”
The moment the king stopped laughing, the room fell silent as if nothing had happened.
I could feel the weight of his authority, and the fact that even the maids had laughed earlier told me he was a benevolent ruler.
“I greet you. I am Geenie Crowell, the fourth child and first daughter of House Crowell. It is a great honor to meet Your Majesty.”
I bent my knees slightly, lifted my skirt slightly, and bowed deeply with my head facing forward.
This time, it was a perfect and proper greeting. I rarely needed to practice etiquette at the academy, but I had received the basic training. After all, I was still a noble young lady.
After my greeting, I felt my tension ease, and my heart settled.
“You may be seated. Marquis Lyle, please pull out a chair for the young lady.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“This must be your first time attending a gentlemen’s tea gathering.”
Most noblemen preferred drinking parties over tea gatherings. But a king couldn’t move freely, nor could he participate in reckless revelry. So instead, he seemed to invite close acquaintances for light tea gatherings or luncheons.
The older and more powerful a man was, the more likely he was to enjoy tea gatherings. It was also a part of politics.
“This is my first tea gathering of any kind. I am still young.”
“Your first? I thought noble children debuted at tea gatherings around ten.”
“I entered the academy early and never had the chance. I appreciate Your Majesty’s invitation.”
“I see. That makes sense.”
I sat quietly, pretending to be composed, and picked up a cookie topped with red jam that the king offered. And then I noticed it—the plate holding the cookies was made of gold and silver.
The brooch pinned at my chest seemed to tremble slightly.
[Gold… silver…]
[Stay still, you lunatic.]
I forced a bright smile while delivering a deadly warning in my mind.
I was genuinely afraid that the insane spirit inside my brooch would act out.
The last thing I wanted was to cause trouble in the royal palace.
“Marquis Lyle and I are old friends, so we often have tea together. He, in particular, never drinks a drop of alcohol. So the only way to invite him over is with tea.”
“Your Majesty, alcohol is harmful to one’s health.”
“You always say such obvious things. I swear, Marquis Lyle will lecture me on the dangers of alcohol even on his deathbed. Assigning him as the headmaster was inevitable.”
To me, the headmaster was just an old man who nagged too much. But in reality, he was a marquis and a trusted confidant of the king.
According to Master Yael, the only reason the Spirit Magic Department even existed was because of the headmaster. That alone showed how much influence he had.
Of course, to me, he would always be a grumpy old man.
“So, how is the academy? Is there anything lacking? Is it a good place to study? How do you find it as a student? Feel free to speak your mind.”
“…It is perfect. There is nothing lacking. All thanks to Your Majesty’s grace.”
At my textbook-perfect answer, Master Yael, who was still standing beside me, gave me a look as if I had lost my mind.
His expression screamed, There’s no way you would say something like that.
“A nation’s greatest treasure is its talented people. It is the future. Of course, they must be nurtured. It reassures me greatly to see someone like you… But you are still too young to understand. Such matters are best left unknown in childhood.”
The king, a formidable swordsman who had swept through battlefields, held his teacup with the utmost grace, embodying the very essence of royalty.
Was this the power of noble blood?
Was it because he was a king?
Or was King Dikel III simply an exceptional ruler?
“I will grow old and disappear one day, but talented individuals beget more talent, and they nurture even more. That is the true path to a nation’s everlasting strength.”
“……”
“Did I speak too complicatedly? Don’t try too hard to understand. Simply put, I find myself wishing there were more individuals like you.”
It seemed clear that our king was an extraordinary man. In the span of a single tea session, I had unknowingly fostered a quiet sense of loyalty toward him.
Seeing him in person, conversing with him, and meeting his gaze—something about the experience made it inevitable.
If this was his intention in summoning me here, then he was indeed a masterful politician.
“If you ever face any difficulties, do not hesitate to speak to Marquis Lyle.”
“It would be an honor.”
“Our kingdom suffers from a severe lack of magicians, so I intend to actively support those in the field. Naturally, Spirit Mages fall into that category as well. I do not yet fully understand Spirit Mages, but I will make an effort to learn more. As you grow, so too will my knowledge. I have great expectations for you.”
“I am still lacking… but I will do my best.”
“Good. I should grant you a reward. Is there anything you desire?”
“A… reward?”
It was considered improper to respond to the king’s offer with a question. Then again, there were many things I wasn’t supposed to do.
But I was still a child, so it seemed they were willing to let some things slide.
“Speak of anything you have always wished for.”
It was an unexpected opportunity.
The king was asking about my wish. I had to suppress my true feelings that nearly burst from my throat.
‘I want to leave the academy!’
…Yeah, no. That would be the worst possible answer.
Saying something like that in this setting wouldn’t end well for me. So what should I ask for instead?
Should I request gold and jewels? It was a reasonable wish, but it might make me seem greedy. Which, of course, I was—but still.
Or perhaps I could ask for various metals? That would certainly make Rai happy. After all, the more metals he could absorb, the better.
But… wasn’t that a bit of a strange request? Ugh.
“I heard your father holds the title of a baron. What do you think? If you wish, I could elevate your family to the rank of viscount.”
Wasn’t that a bit excessive? I blinked a few times in surprise.
And then, I realized—this was a test.
The king’s sweet words were bait, meant to gauge me.
He was curious about the extent of my ambition.
“If you grow into a great Spirit Mage and bring glory to the kingdom, such a thing would be of little consequence.”
But I had no thirst for power whatsoever.
Even if the king tried to unearth something, there was simply nothing to find.
I had never once dreamed of becoming an influential figure in this life.
Even my parents in this world did not cling to status.
Though we were nobles, our title was little more than a hollow shell. In truth, we were barely any different from wealthy commoners.
“Do you not wish to be the young lady of a viscount house?”
The king was clearly intrigued by me. He wanted to know what kind of person I was, what desires I harbored.
He must have thought that, since I was still young, I would be easy to read.
But I…