“On this meaningful day, I, as master of this palace, welcome you who have come to Rauli.”

As is typical of court couples bound by political strategy, the empress and emperor don’t have a normal marital relationship. Sometimes political partners, sometimes political enemies. Which side is it now……

“The empire that has continued unbroken since the founding emperor established Lamuah in God’s name remembers your loyalty.”

Her eyes caught the empty space near House Levizet, where Duke Este should have been standing. The empress’s brother from her natal family who couldn’t attend the founding day event due to the emperor’s sudden demand to inspect the battlefield.

The founding day event isn’t simply a festival that happens once a year where people gather to dance and enjoy themselves. At least not at Rauli Palace.

It’s nothing less than a kind of ritual that gathers the families leading the empire to re-imprint the emperor’s majesty and remind them that the majestic emperor’s trust lies with them. To intentionally prevent attendance at such an event,

“Remember that my trust lies upon those gathered in this place.”

If interpreted as withdrawing the emperor’s trust, which is your foundation and base……

When the emperor finished his speech, the empress, who had drawn a smile like putting on a mask over her expressionless face, raised her glass.

“As the hostess presiding over this event, I shall raise my glass. Let us toast to the glory of the merciful Holy Father and to the empire that has continued until now and will continue in the future. To the brilliant glory of the empire!”

“To the brilliant glory of the empire!”

While shouting the toast following the empress, her mind was busy turning. Was it speculation, or a prediction close to the truth?

After the brief speech ended, the emperor exited, and following the band’s performance that had begun at some point, people came out in formation to dance. No matter how prestigious families gathered, within them the high and low of status were further divided.

Unofficial banquets or masked balls aside, official balls held in the Silver Room were thoroughly divided by status, so one couldn’t dance with just anyone. Since she wasn’t particularly in the mood to dance anyway, such restrictions were rather welcome. Not just anyone would dare think of asking for a dance.

“Your Grace the Marquis, there’s a message.”

She was just tapping a crystal wine glass and watching those dancing when suddenly a servant approached. The neatly folded envelope on the silver tray had no pattern. Antoine picked up the silver paper knife on the tray with his gloved hand and tore open the envelope. His brow furrowed as he read the paper.

“Oh dear. Something urgent has come up, so I’ll excuse myself first.”

Since the emperor had exited, leaving afterward wouldn’t matter much, but this early? She frowned. What on earth could it be? Privy Council work? Family matters? Or, Caleb? Then, Mélisande grabbed Antoine’s sleeve.

“Are you leaving already, without even one dance?”

Mélisande’s voice trembled thinly. As far as she knew, it was the most active intention Mélisande had ever shown toward Antoine.

Against the background of the band playing a brilliant courante, Antoine hesitated. The sleeve end that Mélisande had grabbed swayed slightly. Antoine sighed lowly and reached out to remove Mélisande’s hand from his sleeve. Mélisande’s face immediately darkened.

“I’m sorry, wife. I’ll come find you a little later.”

The shadow lifted from Mélisande’s face. Like sunlight falling on a lake after a long rainy season ended, expectation rose in her large eyes.

“Really, do you mean it?”

Antoine nodded. A fresh smile befitting her age bloomed on Mélisande’s face.

“Then I’ll be waiting. Please send a servant.”

Whether he properly heard the shyly offered words or not, Antoine, who only nodded, put the letter in his coat and disappeared from the ballroom like the wind. Mélisande, with a slightly flushed face, moved her lips several times then whispered to her from behind her fan.

“Alix, did you hear? He said we’ll meet later!”

“……You like it that much?”

“Oh my, am I being a bit foolish? But he said to meet.”

She fell into thought for a moment while looking at the shyly smiling Mélisande. Antoine doesn’t usually make empty promises. But the sun hasn’t risen in the west either. Would Antoine, who never once sought out Mélisande in the original work, really come to meet her? She frowned slightly and pondered. Could it be that the original story is changing?

That thought didn’t last long.

“Alix, how nice to see you.”

A woman with soft caramel-colored hair elegantly pinned up glided over. Her crimson eyes shone warmly.

“Oh my, Madame Elizabeth.”

“I was greatly indebted to you at the wedding last time.”

“It wasn’t such a debt. Considering the long friendship between the three houses of Levizet, Lorge, and Lambize, we could do even more. Mother was also regretful that she couldn’t attend due to urgent circumstances.”

Elizabeth smiled gently.

“It was a modest ceremony, but I’m embarrassed that you speak so kindly of it. By the way, who is the lady beside you?”

“Ah, you haven’t met my new sister-in-law yet.”

When she gestured to Mélisande, Mélisande stepped forward.

“Embarrassingly, I’m not one to engage in social activities very actively, so I’m meeting you for the first time at such an occasion, Marchioness Levizet.”

Mélisande opened her mouth calmly as if she had never been excited.

“I’m also meeting you for the first time, Madame. I am Mélisande of Levizet. I knew that Mademoiselle Lambize had an older sister, but if I had known you were such a beautiful and dignified person, I would have visited you long ago.”

“Please speak comfortably. I too have heard much about the extreme affection between the two ladies of Levizet, Mademoiselle and Marchioness. Also the story that the marchioness’s beauty is as lovely as if made from moonlight.”

“Since rumors can make even a mustard seed appear to be a lush tree, I fear I may not meet the expectations you’ve heard.”

“How can you say such a thing? The rumors didn’t contain even half of the reality.”

A round of warm chatter passed. Madame Elizabeth smiled brightly.

“I’m delighted to meet the beautiful marchioness. Though we’ve met for a short time, I have a feeling we can continue a precious friendship. I’m planning to hold a salon at Lorge mansion soon—may I invite the marchioness?”

Jackpot.

Among the figures who frequent Duchess Lorge’s salon are wives of key political and financial figures, influential scholars and writers. An invitation from Elizabeth, who will inherit her salon, is by no means light. She invisibly poked Mélisande’s back slightly from behind. Mélisande understood and nodded.

“If you would invite me, it would be the utmost honor. Please call me Mélisande.”

“Oh, thank you, Mélisande. I’d also like it if you would call me Elizabeth.”

Madame Elizabeth smiled at Mélisande, then suddenly asked as if remembering something.

“Oh, I almost forgot. I have something urgent to tell Alix. Alix, could you spare me a moment?”

What could it be about? Though she was curious, she nodded readily and followed Madame Elizabeth to the terrace.

“It’s nothing else. I just called you because I have something to deliver.”

Elizabeth slipped something into her hand. A stiff, high-quality envelope settled in her hand. Thick and heavy, it was clearly premium paper incomparable to cheap pulp paper. Like Antoine, is it fashionable these days to exchange messages at ballrooms? Elizabeth gestured for her to open it.

Since there was no paper knife, she hastily removed her brooch. She tore open the thick envelope with the sharply honed brooch pin. The contents were simple. It was an invitation to a masquerade ball. An invitation thinly coated with gold leaf.

“What is this?”

Elizabeth blinked her eyes innocently.

“It’s a masquerade ball invitation. Tonight, I really hope you’ll come.”

She couldn’t understand. If she had wanted to invite her, she wouldn’t have given the invitation directly on the day like this, but would have sent someone to deliver it to her room.

“There’s someone I absolutely must meet there, but I can’t go alone, so I really hope you’ll come, Alix. However, since times are turbulent, I hope we can both go in a way that doesn’t attract attention. You’re the person I can trust most after family.”

Madame Elizabeth, who spoke rapidly, winked and slipped away from the terrace. She was slightly dumbfounded. What was that just now? She opened the invitation she had received in confusion. The time was 10 o’clock tonight, the location was the Belchia Embassy. It said to come wearing a mask.

What could it be? As she closed the paper again, another note fell out from between the envelope. The note had Madame Elizabeth’s room location, evening time when the banquet would be ending, and a request to come alone.

***

Right after Alix excused herself and disappeared with Madame Elizabeth, Mélisande received a glass from a servant carrying a tray. When she took a sip of wine, a fragrant aroma spread pleasantly.

Until now, she had only known about wine in terms of sweet, sour, or bitter. In her family home of Boden territory, wine was something only her father and brothers drank, and the wine Mélisande had tasted was just the bitter and astringent liquid she occasionally received during communion at the temple.

It was Alix’s teaching that lifted her dull ignorance. Claiming that Levizet’s mistress shouldn’t be unable to distinguish wines, she had her practice distinguishing tastes by laying out wines by type. The practices that often ended with both of them getting drunk and collapsing came to mind, making Mélisande chuckle softly.

Fortunately, like grape berries ripening in a good year, the practice bore fruit. She could now distinguish the subtle differences in aroma that varied according to origin and grape variety, the heavy texture of the body determined by aging period and method, and the subtle differences in aftertaste that remained in the mouth and throat when taking a sip. Instead of simply seeking sweetness, she had learned to find flavors that rose like a wisp of smoke between bitter tastes.

Mélisande liked Château Libre wine, mainly produced in the Levizet region, the most.