Chapter 40: 40

The meeting room became dead quiet. Now they couldn’t set up another person to be the winner. Arianne’s standing grew stronger thanks to the damn Drude, making it impossible to disregard her achievement.

 

Marquis Hood carefully opened his mouth. “Now matter how much I think about it, I don’t think we should give a title to a woman.”

 

At Marquis Hood’s words, other nobles also cautiously nodded in agreement. Thanks to that, Marquis Hood added his words. “Why don’t we nullify the hunting competition awarding?”

 

At the words of Marquis Hood, Duke Krow looked into the emperor’s eyes. The emperor kept an expressionless face, but Duke Krow could tell he was quite angry. Now it was his turn to step out.

 

“To nullify the prize for the winner of the hunting competition, a national event, is an act of underestimating His Majesty’s authority.”

 

“What! It’s absolutely not like that. I’m just saying this because it’s not appropriate to give a title to a woman. Please don’t doubt my loyalty.”

 

“How dare someone who talks about loyalty to say about nullifying the award given in the name of His Majesty. After all, that woman is also a noble of the Harpion Empire. She deserves… the prize.”

 

“Duke Krow! How can you say that? Have you ever thought about what the aftermath would be if a woman had a title?”

 

Duke Krow glared at him with a deliberately angry expression. “Marquis Hood, do you see me as a fool who can’t even foresee the future?”

 

“But why are you doing this? I just can’t understand.”

 

Duke Krow spoke after a moment’s delay. “The foundation of this empire is the Emperor, and the law of this empire is also the Emperor. His Majesty has allowed that woman to participate, and she won the competition with dignity.” He didn’t say anything more after that.

 

No one could dispute Duke Krow’s words. There was no law in the Empire to nullify the winner just simply because the winner was a woman. Even more, the emperor, the center of the law, allowed her to be the winner.

 

Women were just ignored, despised, and considered lesser than men. Naturally, the law that women couldn’t keep their own territory was broken today. The first female noble who got a title. With that, Arianne Bornes marked a milestone in the history of the Harpion Empire.

 

That’s how the emergency noble meeting ended.

 

The agenda of the next noble meeting, which was set the very next day, was about the disposition of Count Merionus and Viscount Wales. In fact, their disposition was already decided.

 

At the invitation of Luiden, I, who was drinking the tea in the parlor of West Palace after the meeting, presented something to him as I had remembered.

 

“Ah, it’s the ring. I’m really glad I got it back.”

 

As Luiden smiled and said that, I replied with a smile. “I had no doubts that Your Highness would do well.”

 

“Honestly, I didn’t know if I could get it back because I didn’t do anything.”

 

I laughed mischievously at Luiden’s words. “Then do you mind if I don’t give it back? I think it will be beneficial in the future.”

 

Shaking his hand exaggeratedly at my words, Luiden said, “Haha. I dare not imagine what urgent situation Lady would be in the future. Please pretend that it would never happen.”

 

As I returned the ring, I said, “Thank you for doing me a favor. It was a good opportunity for Your Highness.”

 

“That’s all right. That’s not the only opportunity for me.”

 

Yes, because they have the secret ledger. I smiled silently at Luiden because I knew what he meant.

 

Seeing them smiling at each other, Charter was disgusted. “It looks like something happened between the two of you without even me as her fiancé knowing. Why does Arianne have that ring?”

 

Seeing Charter frowning, Luiden made fun of him. “Just something. Are you jealous now? Does Charter that I know even know how to be jealous?”

 

Luiden teasing drove Charter into irritation. This friend knew he hated it, but he didn’t stop teasing him. What’s more, he teased him in front of his fiancee.

 

Charter thought about paying it back, whether by beating him under the guise of sparring or by blocking the passage through which Luiden used to sneak out of the Imperial Palace.

 

Luiden, who read Charter’s thoughts, groaned. After coughing in vain, he looked away vaguely and complained that the painting on the parlor pillars was uneven.

 

The two of them were pretty cute, so I looked away from them and tried to contain my laughter.

 

“Huh? Emily?”

 

A white object was sticking out its head where my gaze landed. The black, sparkling eyes identified me and ran to my arms.

 

The black and sparkling eyes checked Arianne and ran into her arms.

 

“Kya! This fellow~ Were you happy to see me?” said me, stroking Emily, who was rubbing its furs against my arms.

 

“Ah, I can’t understand. I can’t believe Emily follows someone like this… Lady Arianne, do you have any tricks?”

 

I answered Luiden’s question as if it was nothing special. Should I say that because we’re comrades who survived between life and death? And I’m loved by all animals.”

 

It was Arianne who didn’t bat an eye when she lied. However, she spoke so calmly that Luiden believed her words right away. Of course, it was the same with Charter. My fiancée is a woman who excels in shooting and is loved by all animals.

 

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Arianne was a person who could even make the blind kitten raise its furs. If Madrenne had heard it, she would have rolled on the floor, holding her belly button.

 

Arianne, who didn’t know their thoughts, or to be exact, she didn’t want to know, was just busy playing with Emily.

 

“How does it feel to get a title?”

 

At Luiden’s words, I thought about it for a moment and said, “That’s like I won’t starve to death anymore?”

 

“What?”

 

My answer was something Luiden had never expected.

 

It felt really good. I’m the first woman who received a title, right? I’m proud of myself. It was the same emotion with the words ‘What do you feel about receiving something that you deserve?’. That was why I thought I should say something cheeky like that…

 

“I see…”

 

Charter and Luiden’s hearts felt heavy. They only endured this awkwardness in silence because they knew the meaning of her words. Those words clearly revealed the situation of women in this empire, the fact that a title, which was a matter of power and pride only for men, was a matter of surviving life for women.

 

“The coronation ceremony will be held a week later, right? Where will the estate I will receive? I wish they could give me an estate that could make some money.”

 

A refreshing sound broke the atmosphere that had subsided to the fullest.

 

“Ahem. Lady Arianne. That is such… a snobbish statement.”

 

Luiden had smacked his own face. His pity for her had already gone as if it didn’t exist before.

 

As expected, she hasn’t changed. Charter laughed at her unwavering appearance of taking care of things rather than lamenting over them while talking about heavy things.

 

Luiden was also confused for a moment by Arianne’s conversation style but soon began to adapt. He began to like her, who was extremely realistic and not pessimistic. But what should I do… There was no estate she would receive.

 

There was one more meeting of the nobles after the decision for Arianne to get a title, and Arianne had already left. It was about the estate that Arianne would receive. After a war of words, they finally decided to give her a fixed monthly allowance instead of an estate. The allowance was less than half of the amount of tax collected by the average baron. Still, that result was coming from the efforts of Luiden and Charter.

 

Luiden decided not to talk about that today. It was the same for Charter. It was because they had a foreboding feeling that if they said it rashly, they would have suffered from the anger of this woman who was laughing at the thought of the taxes she would collect from the estate. They were wise and quick-witted to do that.

 

* * *

 

It was dinner time with Madam Kaien after the chaos. Chater couldn’t attend because he had to do his work, and Layla was shocked by Arianne’s victory and fell ill.

 

There was only Madam Kaien and me at the dinner table. In the quiet dining room, as usual, Madam Kaien spoke to me, who was eating quietly as if nothing had happened.

 

“There was a tumultuous event in the empire today.”

 

This. The time has come.

 

I had a hunch that Madam Kaien wouldn’t let this go unnoticed. As I was about to sigh, wondering if I should listen to her long speech about women’s behavior…

 

“You did a great job.”

 

“…Yes?”

 

Madam Kaien put down the wine glass in her hand and smiled as she met my eyes.

 

“What are you so nervous about? You must have thought I would scold you.”

 

“Yes? Yes… I thought you would do that.”

 

Madam Kaien covered her mouth and laughed, then talked to me. “I may look stiff, but I’m not a strict person.”

 

“Yes. But what I’ve done is not a light matter.”

 

As I made the expression ‘did you know that?’, Madam Kaien made a playful expression and said, “That’s right. It turned the empire upside down. By tomorrow, there won’t be anyone who doesn’t know you. Even a child with a runny nose will know the name of Arianne Bornes.”

 

My eyes widened at the words of Madam Kaien. In fact, she was right, and I didn’t think that far.

 

All of the people in the empire would know who I am and what I have done. Probably more than half of them, or just say most of them cursed and blamed me. Even if they were also women. They wouldn’t even think they were in the same situation as me.

 

From now on, I will have to take care of myself because of what I did, not what my father did. Maybe, I could even get thrown by a stone while walking down the street quietly.

 

I had a foreboding feeling that somehow it was wrong for me to live quietly. I just wanted to live comfortably by getting a mine in exchange for the contract marriage, but I ended up growing my tasks.

 

It will work out somehow.

 

Still, who would dare to throw a stone at me, a Baroness?

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