Chapter 5 – Issen (Part 10)

“What a mean man.”

Bryant placed the teacup down with a clatter, listening without a word. Now only the language of Ritten could be heard in the brightly lit audience chamber.

“Isn’t it too much? Taking another woman to a designer of my taste.”

Reinus muttered, touching the frill on her sleeve. Bryant replied without even looking at her slightly sulky face.

“It’s my taste too.”

“Of course it is.”

“I’ll take it as a compliment.”

“Suit yourself.”

Reinus snorted softly as she brought the teacup to her lips.

“You’re lucky. You can live as you please.”

“Enough with the nonsense. Now tell me.”

“Tell you what?”

“The purpose.”

The woman slightly raised her eyes, covering her lips with the teacup. Light blue eyes. Meeting those eyes, Bryant continued.

“As far as I know, you’re not an ardent reader who wants to meet an author because you’re impressed by a novel.”

Reinus lowered her gaze again. She took a sip from the teacup and slowly set it down in front of her chest. Her perfectly dignified posture. Her fully revealed face was smiling slightly.

“If you knew I had another purpose, why did you grant my request?”

“Because it was your request.”

Their eyes met. The distance between them, seated across the corner of the table, was close.

“How could I defy Your Majesty’s command?”

The man spoke with an expression that was not at all polite. The woman laughed softly as she looked at his face.

“The purpose. Are you not going to tell me?”

“It’s a personal matter.”

“A personal matter between the Empress and a novelist.”

Instead of replying, Reinus brought the teacup to her lips again. A sign that she wouldn’t answer. Therefore, Bryant needed to change his question.

“What kind of person is the Duke of Windberg?”

“You saw him. A stiff northerner.”

“He seemed fine. Polite and diligent type.”

“Diligent and arrogant type, I’d say.”

“So what if he’s a bit arrogant? He’s a Duke.”

“He’s also famous for being stubborn.”

“Stubborn?”

“He’s a renowned bachelor. You might have something in common with him.”

Reinus added laughter to the end of her words, as if she found it amusing. Bryant raised an eyebrow.

“Are you saying he’s unmarried?”

“A very clean bachelor. Never even engaged.”

That was unexpected. To Bryant, the Duke seemed around his own age. A noble over thirty who hadn’t married. And the head of a ducal house at that.

“A direct heir of a noble family must get the Imperial Family’s approval to get engaged. It’s formal, but the Empress’s consent is needed. So if he had been formally engaged, I would know, and as far as I know, the Duke of Windberg has never been engaged.”

“How is that possible? Did the previous Duke die without engaging his heir?”

“My goodness, Bran. Don’t you remember?”

Reinus looked at him with a pitying expression.

“The mine accident. The one that happened three years ago.”

“…Ah.”

So that Duke was that Duke.

Bryant nodded.

He naturally knew about the accident three years ago. An incident where two brothers died simultaneously, leaving the youngest as the Duke. It was such a rare and coincidental event that it was a hot topic in the Kingston social scene for a while. When Bryant heard the news, his feelings were unique. A kind of sympathy or empathy for a young Duke in a neighboring country. After all, being a second or third son meant growing up away from the line of succession.

Having one’s own territory meant financial freedom. There was no need to work to maintain a living and dignity. It was the privilege of the eldest son most envied by the younger sons. However, inheriting a title also meant accepting a completely different life. The greater the family’s power, the heavier the responsibilities of the head of the family, and often external pressures overwhelmed personal will. For instance, the obligation to have a son to continue the family line.

So Bryant had once imagined himself in the Duke’s situation. If a title suddenly came to him, if he had to return to Elgagrove as a Marquis overnight, how would he feel?

It would simply be astonishing.

“But having inherited the title, he should have hurried to marry. No matter how much he wants to remain single, the duty of succession is a separate issue.”

“True. The eldest brother was married, but the second brother had a fiancée. It was expected he would marry her, but it seems that ultimately fell through.”

The second brother’s fiancée. Bryant thought that would have been the most straightforward path. Since noble engagements are agreements between families anyway, it would have been reasonable and presentable to both families suddenly facing a broken engagement. Yet, the Duke didn’t marry, which meant one of two things. Either he really didn’t like the woman, or he had someone else in mind.

“Even after that, he hasn’t married, so there’s speculation that there might be other issues.”

“I suppose there could be.”

“That’s why his mother doesn’t come out into society. She has no face to show people.”

“He’s an interesting character.”

“He’s very stubborn, I tell you.”

“How did you manage to move someone so stubborn?”

Bryant pulled the topic back to himself. He wasn’t interested in the Duke of Windberg’s views on marriage.

“I provoked his pride a bit.”

“His pride?”

“There’s no better bait for moving a stubborn person.”

“Specifically?”

“I said there’s a famous novelist from Trissen living abroad, and shouldn’t we bring them over?”

The man fell silent. Though his expression didn’t change, his eyes sharpened slightly. Reinus couldn’t have missed that.

“Dennis Howle is a Trissenian. Shouldn’t she rightfully be our asset?”

“You talk as if the novelist is a gold mine.”

“A resource more precious than gold.”

“So, what do you want?”

“I was thinking it might be good to have her stay in the Artists’ Village for a year or two.”

The Artists’ Village. For a year or two. Bryant lowered his gaze and let out a small laugh.

“Wouldn’t it be good for the writer too? Staying in their own country would be more comfortable. The Duke will fully support them. Writing in a new environment will lead to new works, and—”

“No.”

He interrupted her and looked up. His gray eyes met hers directly.

“She won’t stay here. She’ll go back to Kingston.”

Reinus looked at the man holding the teacup. Despite her calm expression, she knew he was displeased. Others might not know, but she did.

“Oh dear. That’s troublesome. It seems the Duke has taken quite a liking to her.”

So she needed to shift the blame slightly.

“The nobles of this country take great pride in staying in Issen throughout the social season. They’re eager to enter the Imperial Palace even once more. But that Duke of Windberg never comes. He reluctantly visits for just one day a year, on the first day of the Sun Festival, and then quickly leaves.”

“…”

“But when asked if he would support a writer named Dennis Howle, he came all the way here without hesitation. The Sun Festival is still two weeks away. My, I didn’t know he was so passionate about literary projects.”

Reinus spoke lightly, observing the man’s expression. He still looked very displeased with the situation. So she needed to shift the blame a bit more. She had just given some to the Duke, and if that wasn’t enough,

“Bran.”

She had no choice but to turn it back to herself.

“You asked for it.”

Reinus said in a soothing voice.

That was true. Last month, when he sent a letter to set an audience date, it was an exchange condition he added. The day he visited Evelyn’s boarding house and got permission for the trip to Issen in three days, it was one of the methods he devised to achieve his ‘purpose.’

Seeking Reinus’s help.

“You asked me to think of a way to make the writer engage in public activities.”

“…”

“If we involve her in the Duke’s project, it will happen very naturally.”

“…”

“And when the time is right, I’m considering granting her a title. Then she really won’t be able to avoid public activities.”

“A title?”

“A knighthood. As an artist.”

Bryant finally furrowed his brows.

In modern times, a knighthood is the highest honorary title given to commoners. An honor bestowed as a commendation to those who have contributed to the state or the Imperial Family. However, he had never heard of a woman being awarded a knighthood.

“Is that possible?”

“There’s no reason it can’t be.”

Reinus answered as she clinked her teacup down. Sunlight patterns floated on the remaining pink tea in the bottom. She stared at it as she spoke.

“If only the first precedent is set.”

“You’re going to give that first precedent to a novelist.”

“As I said, there’s no reason it can’t be.”

“…”

“Someone has to start.”

A moment of silence passed between them. Bryant lowered his gaze as if organizing his thoughts, then looked back at the woman.

“Thanks for the idea, but it doesn’t seem like a good one.”

“Though I don’t agree, may I hear why you think so?”

“First, I don’t think you can grant her a knighthood. If you can get a title for writing a couple of popular novels, something’s wrong. Either this country’s criteria for awarding titles are too lenient, or the Empress’s power is excessively large.”

“Oh dear, that’s a rather audacious statement.”

“Secondly, she’s my writer. I can’t let her stay here long. Whether it’s the Artists’ Village or the city, she won’t be writing there.”

“She can write here and publish through your company. Nothing would change for you, would it? Don’t you have a branch in Issen?”

It was a sharp observation. Bryant kept his mouth shut. And those eyes, looking directly at him. Meeting those blue eyes with a mysterious smile, he thought.

I’ve been caught.

“Bran.”

To be honest, he never intended to hide it from the beginning. Reinus wouldn’t be unaware. Others might not know, but she did.

“Do you like her?”

So he didn’t need to open his mouth to answer.

Silence flowed again in the audience chamber. It was a slightly different shade of silence than before. The man lightly lowered his eyes, and the woman looked at his face blankly. With light blonde hair and pale blue eyes, she sat like a doll. Without even blinking, she looked at the man and then said,

“You’re really lucky.”

In a languid tone, she snorted softly.

“Then try to persuade her well.”

“Persuade?”

“Persuade Miss Howle to return with you.”

“…”

“If the writer wants to return to Kingston, even a Duke can’t forcibly keep her, right?”

Reinus laughed as she countered. Of course, the opposite was also possible. If the writer wanted to stay in her homeland, not even a publisher could forcibly take her away.

“I’m in for quite an interesting spectacle.”

Reinus tilted her face slightly as she spoke. Then slowly, she blinked her long eyelashes once.

“It’ll be very interesting.”

Interesting indeed. Bryant let out a snort as he extended his right hand. He picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, swallowed it down, and set the cup back down. The porcelain with the Imperial pattern clinked with a clear sound as it touched the saucer.

The tea was almost cold, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. Lukewarm and astringent. A taste Bryant didn’t particularly like.