Mess 162
by Cristae162.
“At this rate, I’ll forget what the countess even looks like. Why is it so hard to see your face these days?”
“Haha….”
Seraphie could only respond to Duke Felikia’s banter with a thin, dry smile.
“Oh dear, you look even thinner than before. Are you remembering to eat properly? And take it easy with your work, would you? When I return home, I’ll send a steady supply of nourishing ingredients to your estate—”
“Father, really. Please, that’s enough.”
“Oh, you. How embarrassing,”
The Duchess and Peonia, standing by, gently chided him.
“Words only go so far—instead, we ought to invite you over and have the honor of hosting you. Perhaps three proper meals a day would do the trick.”
The duchess leaned in, her violet eyes—exactly like those of the former Marquis of Iris, yet set in a far gentler expression—meeting Seraphie’s gaze. The contrast felt remarkable to Seraphie.
“…Thank you for your concern.”
Startled from her reverie, Seraphie managed a belated reply as she gazed at the duchess.
“I do feel I’ve been running myself ragged lately. Once the ball is over, I’m planning to take some time off.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Where will you go?”
“To a retreat I bought some time ago. I plan to visit with my mother and grandmother, and I want to check on the paddle boats before putting them on the market.”
“My goodness, Countess—that’s hardly a vacation; it’s more work than rest.”
The duchess furrowed her brow in concern, saying there was no way she could stop worrying with things as they were. Seraphie answered that she was already grateful for their kindness alone.
“I’m hoping to go with young Lord Felikia, if you don’t mind?”
“That’s precisely what I had hoped for, myself.”
The duchess propped her chin with a hand and released a deep sigh.
“My son has grown so much, thanks to you, Countess. I do hope you understand how grateful both of us are.”
Her words were wholly sincere.
A son who once shrank from people now strove in earnest, forming strong bonds—something the duke and duchess had dared only hope for. The gratitude they felt toward Seraphie, who had helped effect such change, was beyond words.
“But is he truly as attentive a suitor as he seems?”
“Mother…”
Orchis, abashed, tried to chide her.
“Seraphie.”
Peonia interjected and drew Seraphie aside for a word.
“Penny, shouldn’t you be entering with the crown prince?”
“We’ll make a formal entrance again in a little while.”
The reason Peonia took the trouble to come out and find Seraphie herself was because she had something to tell her.
“I saw him just now—young Count Baglosa is here.”
“……”
Seraphie’s eyes narrowed.
‘That shameless bastard.’
She had expected it, but knowing for certain that the lunatic stalker had really come disgusted her to the core.
How could he show his face here, barely months after committing such a monstrous act?
‘…So the crown prince must have summoned him after all.’
Disgusted by the company they kept with one another, Seraphie was about to sigh when—
“And, Seraphie, there’s news from the Mage Tower….”
Peonia covered her mouth and Seraphie’s ear fully behind her fan.
Then, in a voice lower and more cautious than ever, she relayed the Mage Tower’s message.
“Count Loria has returned.”
And on his own.
“…Alone?” Seraphie frowned, eyeing her with bewilderment. To her knowledge, he had left for scholarly travels abroad in the Kingdom of Apositia along with his family.
“……”
A vague sense of unease prickled at her.
And, sure enough—
“Don’t be startled. Try to listen calmly.”
Her ominous premonitions were always proven right.
What Peonia whispered was beyond shocking.
“Count Loria’s wife and children are all dead.”
“What?”
“The Mage Tower was asked to perform their autopsies.”
“Aut— Autopsies? Why would they have a mage do that…?”
“To confirm whether magic was used in their deaths.”
“……”
The current cause of death listed for all three was ‘suspicious circumstances,’ and it was Count Loria himself who had requested the investigation into why they died.
“His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor, will now dine.”
At the chief steward’s thunderous proclamation, the golden pinnacle of the Empire made his appearance.
All of the nobles bowed deeply in reverence to the solemn emperor.
“Tonight’s banquet is a pleasure I grant freely from my own heart.”
Amid the teeming crowd, the emperor quickly found Seraphie.
“Countess Validus.”
Seraphie stood and raised her head slowly. The emperor regarded her with a gaze brimming with approval.
“Had I been just a bit more foolish, I would have pinched those lovely cheeks of yours for sheer fondness.”
Eugh.
Seraphie ducked her head, feeling awkward.
Her reaction made the emperor break into laughter, and he addressed the entire assembly.
“That’s enough ceremony—let us all enjoy the festivities.”
As the ballroom filled once more with lively chatter, the emperor extended his hand to Seraphie.
“Countess, may I have the honor of this dance?”
“The honor is mine, Your Majesty.”
Hand in hand, Seraphie and the emperor moved to the center of the floor.
“Empress, do forgive me for a moment’s absence, and do not be jealous of my devoted companion here.”
“Just don’t spend too long together, Your Majesty, or I may have to dance with young Lord Felikia myself.”
The empress’s jest drew laughter from the nobles.
They took their places at the center of the hall.
“Nervous?” the emperor asked, sliding his arm around Seraphie’s waist.
“…If I step on your foot, please don’t scold me too harshly.”
Seraphie’s mind went blank. She had never even imagined the day would come when the emperor would place his arm around her waist.
“I’ll see to it you pay for every misstep, so tread carefully.”
At the emperor’s raised hand, the orchestra began to play.
Their opening steps matched the emperor’s gentle lead, swaying to the music.
“You don’t look well,” the emperor murmured discreetly, hiding his words in the melody.
“Is it because of Count Loria?”
“……!”
Seraphie glanced up, startled, then quickly lowered her gaze. The emperor’s laughter resonated softly above her head.
“I’ve heard his wife and two children are dead?”
“He even requested autopsies from the Mage Tower.”
“What strikes you as odd about it, Countess?”
As the music quickened, so too did their dance.
“…Why would someone request an autopsy from a mage?”
Seraphie, short of breath, forced herself to speak with clarity.
“He claims he wanted it checked in case they were killed by magic. But would any ordinary person suspect such a thing—and what made him suspect it in the first place?”
If the suspicion was warranted, why was the Empire still so tranquil?
It was strange that such news, which gossips would have devoured, had not already set the capital abuzz.
“Countess, did you reason all that from a single detail?”
“It’s just a limited opinion, Your Majesty.”
“No.”
The emperor spun Seraphie grandly, holding her waist as he lifted her into the air.
“I believe your suspicion is correct.”
Her dress billowed beautifully as the crowd gasped in admiration.
“My spouse and children are dead….”
The emperor’s voice turned somber, utterly at odds with the joyful dance.
“…And yet all is so quiet.”
He spoke as one who understood from experience.
“Your Majesty…”
Seraphie found herself at a loss, unable even to reply. The hand on her waist, another gripping her hand—it was as though she could feel nothing but scars.
“Countess, such silence isn’t for the sake of appearances. My own circumstance was entirely different.”
The music began to slow.
“Be careful of Count Loria.”
As their dance drew to a close, the pair exchanged a final bow, met with thunderous applause.
As Seraphie rose, the emperor spoke quietly.
“He was once a suspect in the murder of the former Baron Kia and his family.”
The ball continued in an exuberant mood.
After Seraphie, as the guest of honor, danced with the emperor, the nobles took their turns on the floor as well.
She danced another round with Orchis—and, unlike the previous year, her stamina was noticeably improved.
“Huff, huff…”
“Are you all right?”
As Orchis tried to steady Seraphie, bordering on collapse, something was being quickly set up in the hall.
It was an experimental demonstration of the new magical material.
“We shall call this device a ‘telephone,’” the emperor declared, lifting the top piece of the machine and bringing it to his face. One bar, shaped much like a carriage door handle, was placed at his ear and the other at his mouth.
“When you speak here, the voice comes out over there.”
Ooh—murmurs of wonder rose from all around like those of children.
“Now I shall converse with someone. Listen carefully and guess who will answer.”
Clearing his throat, the emperor addressed the device.
“Ahem, is anyone there?”
His tone was awkward, speaking into the machine, but no one dared to laugh. Everyone was too focused on what might come from this curious contraption.
At that moment—
“Ah.”
Before excitement could ripple through the crowd, the emperor signaled for silence.
“Ah. Can you hear me?”
Seraphie immediately recognized the voice that came through the receiver.
“To His Imperial Majesty, the great Emperor of the Empire, this is Estir Lesario Ortus, Third Prince of the Empire, offering his greetings.”
As the nobles realized it was Ex’s voice, a ripple of excitement crossed their faces.
“Prince, where are you now?” the emperor asked, struggling to hide his smile.
“I am currently at the experimental site set up at the main gate of the capital’s outer wall.”
The meaning was clear.
“Congratulations, Your Majesty! The experiment is a success!”
An eruption of cheers threatened to shake the very hall.
This was to be remembered as the first successful demonstration of the ‘telephone’—an invention that would become the Empire’s greatest technological feat, its revolutionary legacy.
Upon returning to the palace after the experiment, Ex was met by a chorus of acclaim. Nobles lavished praise on his dazzling achievement.
“How could such a feat be solely mine? It was only possible under the Emperor’s magnificent reign.”
Ex set aside all his usual idle airs and responded with grave composure, expressing humility and crediting the emperor.
“The prince is bolder than I expected.”
“Indeed. Who would have thought he’d take part in such a remarkable venture….”
“I hear he is quite close with Countess Validus as well….”
“Does that mean Validus supports the third prince?”
“But isn’t the crown prince the heir apparent…”
“That’s hardly certain. His Majesty is still vigorous—a change could happen anytime.”
“Speaking of which, have you heard the latest rumors about the crown prince?”
The conversation, which had been filled with admiration for Ex, began to turn to discomfort and disappointment surrounding the crown prince.
“About the white mage being kept at court?”
“And I noticed earlier—Lady Felikia seems to get along awfully well with that white mage.”
“Well, the truth is, His Highness the Crown Prince forced the white mage to stay by his side—”
“Heavens! So he keeps a woman who wants nothing to do with him at his side by force?”