Chapter 51: Chapter 51 – Balls and curiosities

Scarlett looked out over the throngs of people beneath her, all of them occupied in their matters and conversations. Essentially none paid any attention to her, though she hadn't exactly situated herself so that people would anyhow.

She stood at the edge of a large, circular terrace that had a red granite floor—polished to the level where you could basically see your reflection—and a low marble railing running along its edges. Small plants and trees were placed at even intervals next to the railing in ceramic pots.

Her terrace wasn't the only of these platforms around. There were dozens of them, spread out at different elevations, before her, connecting to each other with stairs here and there. Some of the terraces had lavish fountains at their center, while others were home to a wide assortment of impressive displays and exotic-looking plants that Scarlett was pretty sure didn't exist back in her world. A lot of people were walking around amongst these platforms, taking in—and seemingly enjoying—the atmosphere around them.

This was the imperial garden. If memory served her right it was named 'Rosa's Garden', or 'Rosalind's Garden'. Something along those lines, at least.

And this space was large. Absolutely massive, in fact. The throne room they'd been in earlier—the 'Chamber of Elysia', as it were—might have been big, yes, but this place was on a different level. It was probably over fifty meters to the ceiling, and the entire outer wall of this space was made out of glass, giving an incredible view of Rellaria Lake. The sun hadn't quite begun to set yet, but it was moving towards evening. Still, some ships could be seen out on the gleaming water. And if you really squinted your eyes, you could just barely make out land on the other side of the lake.

But the grandeur of this place aside, Scarlett wasn't really 'enjoying' herself. The terrace she was on was close to one of the entrances, but definitely one of the more boring ones when it came to the decor. The only ones here, except for her, were a male servant who'd served her a glass of wine earlier and an old couple that sat on a bench a few meters from her.

She had considered moving on to one of the other platforms, but she didn't really know what more to do so she'd just ended up staying here. It did give her a good view of the venue, at least.

After the Proclamation ceremony itself had ended—if that was what that whole thing earlier had been—Scarlett, and the rest of "His Majesty's loyal servants" had been led to a few rooms similar to the Inaugural Chambers they'd been led to at the start. There, they had been given some time to refresh themselves and interact, but that hadn't resulted in much for Scarlett. No one had bothered to approach her—she wasn't completely sure how those who hadn't witnessed her display already seemed to know something was up—and she didn't feel certain enough in her current situation to purposefully try and interact with others, so she had just whiled away time by herself in a corner.

Eventually, a bunch of servants had arrived to announce that the Elysian Ball was about to begin, which was when all of them had been slowly led to this section of the palace, where the rest of the aristocrats who didn't have titles had also started appearing.

The other nobles had been quick to begin their mingling, spreading out among the different miniature gardens scattered across the room. And while Scarlett hadn't done much yet, it was clear that people were avoiding her.

Some did it naturally, as if she wasn't a person they would have known to begin with, but others clearly did it intentionally. She'd seen several people throw glances her direction, only to then pretend she wasn't there. At one point her eyes had even coincidentally met with those of Viscount Clapham—the noble she had met at the wedding in Ambercrest—on a neighboring terrace, but the older man had awkwardly looked away after the minor interaction.

Even Evelyne was ignoring her. Although she wasn't quite sure if that was due to the same reason. She'd often spotted the younger woman, walking around between groups, trying to strike up conversations.

In a way, she felt that was for the best though. If an argument were to begin between the two of them now it would probably worsen the situation.

Honestly, there was a part of her that felt glad that people were ignoring her. That she had an excuse not to interact with any of the people here, in this noble culture that was still so foreign to her.

She had done just fine back in Ambercrest, so she'd had some confidence she would be able to manage conversing with others today. But after her mistake earlier she was a bit apprehensive that she'd mess up even a basic conversation.

She would probably be able to spin it as she wanted. She had gotten pretty decent at improvising some of these things, after all.

But, having that responsibility almost forcibly taken away from her...it felt reassuring, in an odd way.

She wished the entirety of her could have shared that sentiment. Unfortunately, being intentionally singled out and quite clearly ignored was never a nice experience. There was a part of her that felt uncomfortable at the fact, and a part that was fuming.

This whole day had been an odd mix of emotions that she had not often experienced.

And it had gone to show that, maybe, some of the ways she had chosen to proceed weren't the best ones.

As she looked out across the vista of terraces, Scarlett's gaze lingered on the figure of Evelyne, seeing the woman try and converse with an older gentleman and his wife next to a miniature statue of a dragon.

Her mind went back to when they'd first arrived at the palace earlier today. While reciting the oath incorrectly in front of the emperor had definitely been her largest mistake today, it hadn't been her first. That had probably been when she hadn't shown any special reaction to the servants' welcome after she and Evelyne had exited the carriage. Back then Evelyne's strange look had clued Scarlett in that there was something she was missing, but it wasn't really until then that it clicked in her head that she had only ever heard Evelyne being referred to as 'Madame' around her, instead of 'Lady'. And this was despite her having read that 'lady' was a completely normal thing to address people with when in person if they either held a title or were the heir to one.

From that, Scarlett had roughly guessed the situation. But it had been a bit late to do anything about it at the time so she had simply ignored it and continued on.

Still. She did wonder what Evelyne's view of her was right now. It must be so confusing to her right now, seeing who she thought was her sister acting so erratically.

Scarlett took a sip out of the wine glass she had placed on the railing in front of her as her eyes moved away from Evelyne, slowly roaming over the other people here. Of the ones that were close enough to make out, there were a few she recognized from the game. Bendon Tyndall, standing at the center of a group of young women in fancy dresses. Count Hayden, standing in a group of other middle-aged men laughing next to a silver fountain. Count Soames, the portly man grabbing another two glasses of alcohol from a nearby servant.

"Baroness Hartford," a voice suddenly called out from behind.

Scarlett turned around, and froze for a brief second.

In the same black-and-red outfit as before, but now with a gold-handled saber hanging from her left side, was Princess Regina.

A step behind her was one of the Royal Guards, now without a helmet. A woman with sharp eyes and pale blonde hair that was mostly tied up in a bun at the back.

It took a moment longer than she would have wanted for Scarlett to remember what would be the correct way of address in this situation, as she performed a small curtsy. "Greetings to the star of the Empire, Her Imperial Highness."

She really hoped there weren't any other special rules other than what she'd found today.

The princess observed her for a moment. Although Regina was younger than Scarlett—maybe even younger than Evelyne—she had a very stern expression on her face, along with two golden irises that clashed with her black hair.

"I think this is the first chance we have had to speak," the princess said after a moment, before gesturing to the woman behind her. "You're likely already aware, but this is Leandra Alston. The third sword of the Royal Guard. She is oftentimes my escort for events such as this."

The woman behind Regina nodded at Scarlett. "Baroness."

Scarlett glanced at the woman, giving a slow nod in return. "I am well aware, yes."

That was definitely Leandra 'The Swift'. It didn't surprise her that she was the one to guard the princess today. But she didn't know if the original had ever met Leandra, so it was best to play it safe.

The princess looked back at Scarlett. "I have heard some of you before. You're Sir Leon's fiancée, aren't you?"

"...That is correct, Your Highness. Are you well acquainted with Sir Leon?"

"I suppose you could say that. He's the vice-captain of the Imperial Solar Knight order, after all. He spends a lot of time here in the palace."

"I see," Scarlett said. A lot of the normal steeliness and coldness that was usually such a natural part of her speech was easier to control when speaking to the princess, she realized. It was a nice change from what she was used to. Although she would have preferred it if Regina hadn't approached her to begin with. "Is it common that he speaks of me?"

"No. Sir Leon does not often mention anything from his private life, as far as I know. Leandra would probably know more about that." The princess looked back at Leandra, who raised an eyebrow in slight amusement.

"Sorry to say, but I can't recall him ever mentioning you when I've talked with him."

"There is nothing to be sorry about," Scarlett said, keeping her attention mostly focused on Regina. She wasn't sure what the young woman wanted. "It sounds as if Sir Leon is good at separating his personal affairs from matters unrelated to them. An admirable quality."

"Yes, Sir Leon is an upstanding knight after all." The princess turned quiet for a short moment, staring at Scarlett. "I have heard some interesting news about you lately from an acquaintance of mine," she eventually continued.

Scarlett readied herself. "What would that be, Your Highness?"

She really hoped Regina's reason for talking to her wasn't something that would cause her even more trouble.

It wasn't as if the princess was a walking timebomb, but it was frighteningly easy to get her to join your party in the game. And while the following questlines related to her being a princess were interesting from a player's point of view, Scarlett doubted she would feel that way in real life.

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"Is it true that your house recently uncovered a new Zuverian ruin?"

Scarlett paused.

Now that she thought about it, Regina had had an interest in the Zuver in the game.

"That is indeed true. It was at the beginning of last month, in an area not far from Freybrook. I and a local Shielder were the first to explore the ruins."

"Truly?" the princess asked.

While their previous exchange had only seemed like basic niceties to Scarlett, she now saw a small spark in the princess's eyes.

"And what were your findings? Was there any new discovery, or anything else special?"

"There were some artifacts amongst what we uncovered. We did also encounter some undead that appeared to have been buried there and protected the ruins."

"Undead? Yes, I've heard that's not uncommon." The princess nodded. "Then, what of the artifacts? Which era did they seem to hail from? I've read in Myerscough's Pursuit that many of the Zuverian relics found in the southwestern part of the empire appear to originate from the Datihr period."

Scarlett blinked at the princess, then shook her head. "I am afraid I will have to disappoint, Your Highness. However, I am not the right person to ask such a question. I am not an expert on the subject, so unfortunately I cannot give you an answer, nor can I speak for the value of the ruins or what was found there beyond some of the artifacts."

"That is a shame." The princess looked slightly disappointed. "But if so, how did you find the ruins? From what I have heard it does not sound like it was simply an accident."

Scarlett gently swirled the remaining wine in her glass. "Perhaps one could say that it was partially a coincidence," she said, glancing down. "By happenstance I discovered some research in our family library left by one of my ancestors. It was a collection of old local tales that pointed to these ruins. For some reason it had yet to be used, so I saw fit to change that."

"Really?" The princess's eyes widened just barely. "Then might we expect another discovery like this in the near future?"

Scarlett fought back a frown. She wasn't quite sure if the princess was just curious, or if she had another aim when asking that question. With what she knew of Regina, both were very real options.

"...I am uncertain," she said after a moment, taking a deliberate sip out of her wine glass. "We are still investigating some of the information. It is conceivable that this is all that we will find. As such, I do not wish to inaccurately attempt to predict the outcome."

The princess seemed to study her for a second, then nodded her head. "The Baroness is quite prudent. I don't think I would act much differently in your situation. Still, I wish for the best in this research. There are still so many things about the old Zuver that we don't know, and any new findings are a blessing."

Regina's head turned as her eyes appeared to move to one of the other terraces. Her gaze temporarily returned to Scarlett. "I will have to take my leave now. It was a pleasure speaking with you, Baroness. I hope we will get more opportunities like it in the future."

"The honor has been mine, Your Highness," Scarlett said with a small curtsy. The princess then turned around to leave, and Scarlett glanced at Leandra who gave her a curious look before adopting a neutral expression and following the princess.

Scarlett was once more left to herself. She turned around to the railing once again, eyes wandering over the large array of gardens as she began to ponder this interaction.

She hadn't been expecting to even see much of Regina in this world, much less have a conversation with the young woman. Thankfully it at least seemed to have been a much more innocent interaction than she had feared. Regina wasn't the type of person to 'plot', per se, so it was likely that her choice to approach and speak with Scarlett really was just due to curiosity.

The question was if that was where it ended. Because, while Regina had a very strict and dutiful personality, Scarlett knew she wasn't satisfied with her role as simply being a princess. And while—realistically—Regina would have no reason to get overly involved or attached to the actions of some minor baroness who superficially only dabbled in some ruin exploration, Scarlett couldn't shake off the feeling that Regina would want to join her party just because she had already recruited two other companions.

Maybe it was because this world was still, in many ways, a game to her. It felt real, it functioned like it was real, and it held living people in it. But it was still the world of a game to her. And because of that, sometimes she couldn't avoid this feeling of being the 'protagonist'. Of being the player. The one everything naturally revolves around, and whom every other person accommodates in some way.

She was pretty sure that wasn't the case. Mostly because she hadn't felt any real signs of it yet. But maybe it was also because she almost didn't want it to be true. Because that would somehow invalidate everything about this place and her actions here. As well as the people.

And although she didn't actually want to live out her life here—for reasons other than it simply being annoying having her personality shackled by an undecipherable system—she also didn't want everything here to be meaningless.

She shook her head. Whatever. She wasn't quite sure of Regina's intentions, but she wasn't going to spend too much of her time worrying about them either. She had plenty of other things to do that with as it was.

Looking out before her, Scarlett spotted the princess once more on a terrace a couple of levels below her current one. Leandra walked closely behind in her gold-and-white armor.

The princess was approaching another platform that had grass growing on much of its bed, sporting several hedges sculpted into different animals and people. There weren't too many people there at the moment, but on the far end of the platform Scarlett saw a figure in the white-gold Royal Guard armor who towered over even some of the nearby sculptures. The figure was too far away to make out a face, but Scarlett knew that this was Holdger 'The Mammoth'.

Close to him was the small shape of a child, hunched over on the grass next to a verdant sculpture of a woman. Regina was currently walking over to the young girl, soon stopping next to her. Her escort lined up next to her larger compatriot as the two Royal Guards kept watch over their charges.

Scarlett watched as the older princess seemed to share a few words with her younger sibling, but her attention shifted when she heard a gathering of heels hitting the floor approaching her from behind. Turning around, she saw a small posse of women around her age, in fancy dresses and wearing jewellery, stop close to her with smiles on their faces.

"Why, Baroness! It's been so long since we last met," one of the women declared, a tall brunette in a blue dress.

Scarlett arched an eyebrow at that. Up until a short while ago people had been avoiding her like the plague, but now these women had just decided to approach her like that? While she was no expert on the subject, her incoming-bullshit-O-meter did go off at this.

"I love that dress!" another woman said with a large smile as the group stepped closer to Scarlett.

A third woman shook a wine glass. "Yes, it's simply amazing. I had one like it before, but it couldn't compare to the cut on yours Baroness."

"Was that the first Imperial Princess you were speaking with earlier?" the first woman asked. "To think you would have connections even within the imperial family. As expected of you, Baroness."

Scarlett eyed all of the women with an impassive expression.

Right. Being ignored definitely wasn't so bad then.

"Was there a matter of which any of you wished to speak to me about?" she asked coolly, earning surprised reactions on their ends. Not that she cared much. She had no idea who any of them even were—she was pretty sure none of them had been among the nobles swearing oaths to the emperor earlier—but judging from how they treated her they probably weren't particularly important.

The brunette opened her mouth and closed it, before slowly opening it again. "We just wanted to greet you, Baroness. I feel like we haven't had many chances for so long, after all."

Scarlett looked at the woman for several seconds, feeling maybe just a little bit too much satisfaction in seeing the woman's eyes shy away at her stare, then took a step forward. Two of the women almost immediately stepped to the side to make way.

"If that is all, then this greeting should be enough. I trust we will meet again sometime in the future," Scarlett said, beginning to walk towards the stairs that led down to the next terrace. There was another spot a few platforms away that she felt looked secluded and comfortable enough that she could try moving to for now.

The women seemed flabbergasted at her words, and none seemed to try and stop her leaving, which fit her perfectly. She had originally come here ready to try and socialize with those necessary—and she definitely didn't intend to consciously make more enemies than she might already have—but she had a decent enough general understanding of what kinds of people these women were, and they weren't people she wanted to bother with right now. One could call it her gut instinct. Or just her prejudices. Whichever it was, she wanted to spare herself the irritation.

None of the women seemed to follow her, and as she passed over to the next platform—which had more people than the one she had been on, but still relatively few—she placed her wine glass on a small round table she passed by filled with other empty glasses and made her way towards her goal.

After having crossed a couple of increasingly populated terraces, nearing the one she was aiming for, her attention was caught by a person's movements in her peripheral vision. Someone who looked like they were advancing towards her. Turning to look, she saw a person in golden black armor weave their way through the crowd of people, their eyes locked on her with a serious expression.

She paused at the sight. Right. She had completely forgotten about his existence for a time.

Leon Delmon was making his way to her.

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