Chapter 191 - Chapter 191: The People of House Archibalt
While the three were discussing the investigation contents, Christina arrived there.
Lilia quickly stood up and bowed her head.
"Mrs. Archibalt, thank you for inviting me this time."
"Oh, you don't need to be so polite. Besides, it was Arthur who invited you. I heard about it."
Christina had also heard from Arthur about Lilia's visit and its purpose.
She had not failed to greet the fiancée, which is why she had shown her face like this.
Normally, the lower-ranking Lilia should have gone to pay her respects, but today was not a formal visit, and Christina did not care about such things.
And Lilia was pressed by Christina's pressure and became nervous.
She had intended to judge whether Arthur was suitable as her marriage partner, but if he turned out to be unsuitable, she felt she could not bring herself to propose breaking the engagement to Christina. It was the moment she realized she did not have enough aura to oppose whatever Christina decided.
Furthermore, in the hierarchy of power among the women of House Archibalt, Abigail stood above this, and there was no one in the family's women who could voice an opinion against her.
Now, returning the conversation to Christina, she had done various things as a member of House Archibalt to extend the family's power. Sometimes this involved strong-handed measures that did not suit her face, and it was impossible for a student like Lilia to wear such an aura.
And after the greetings ended and Christina left the room, Lilia, relieved of her tension, felt the need to go to the toilet.
"I will step away for a moment."
"Yes."
And upon leaving the room, she was guided to the toilet by a servant waiting outside.
"This is the place."
Just as she was told and was about to enter the toilet, a tall woman came out from there.
"Isabella?"
That name came from Lilia's mouth.
"Yes, you are Isabella and Arthur's classmate, the daughter of Margrave Remington, the fiancée."
With that reply, Lilia became bewildered.
But, looking closely, she noticed that the woman was considerably older than Isabella.
And then, a certain person floated up from her memory.
"Your Imperial Highness⁉"
Yes, it was Cecily, the Empress of the Yellow Empire.
From there, her brain went into full rotation. The Empress who looked exactly like Isabella. And Isabella was a student from the Empire. She also held Empire citizenship.
In other words, Isabella was the Empire's princess. She could not appear at official events for some reason, but that was because she was the child of the Empress and His Excellency the Dragon Head Medal recipient.
Misinterpreting such heavy circumstances, she was worried about whether she should keep secret the fact that she had met the Empress right here.
However, that was only a brief moment.
Against the frozen Lilia, the woman coming out of the toilet, Nancy, spoke with a smile.
"No. I thought it was too early for you to know our family's circumstances since you are still the fiancée, so I intended not to show my face today, but I never expected to run into you in the toilet. I am the older sister of Empress Cecily. I am also Isabella's mother. Yes, that is why I looked like Isabella to you."
She was in a good mood for being mistaken for someone young.
And she added.
"I am supposed to have died in the war with the Kingdom of Cryptomeria. The story is that I was killed by my own husband, and there is even a tombstone for me. That is why I cannot appear at official events, so when you and Arthur got engaged, I was not introduced."
"Now that you mention it —"
Lilia had also learned about the war between the Kingdom of Cryptomeria and the Kingdom of Cascade as historical knowledge. Behind the Kingdom of Cryptomeria was the Yellow Empire, and in the battle between Steve and the Suit Knights, the Queen of Sword betrayed the Empire, but in the end, she was defeated by Steve.
In the Kingdom of Cascade, Nancy's popularity was immense, to the point that the tragedy is still performed on stage today.
However, in the Yellow Empire, many citizens view her as a traitor. She protected His Highness Louis, who was driven out of the country by a coup, and her younger sister Cecily succeeded in reclaiming the imperial throne, resulting in an evaluation exactly opposite to hers. Since she might be targeted for her life by the conservative faction of the Empire, she remains "dead."
However, due to the armistice treaty, the crime of betrayal itself has been erased.
Hearing such a story, Lilia cursed her own memory for not remembering the Empress when she saw Isabella.
And she finally understood what Elizabeth had said, that Isabella can also behave appropriately at official events.
"That is why, I want you to keep the fact that we met here today a secret."
"I understand."
At that moment, a sudden doubt floated up in Lilia's mind.
"Um, you are the Queen of Sword, right? Could it be that Isabella-san has been practicing since she was young?"
She had tried to fight Isabella at school, but it had not come to pass. However, if her parents were the Dragon Head Medal recipient and the Suit Knights, she could imagine their strength must be quite considerable.
"Yes. If it were now, I think she could become the Ace of the Empire's Suit Knights. Well, that child likes this country, so she probably won't become a knight of the Empire."
"Is that so...?"
Lilia silently patted her chest in her heart, relieved that she did not have to fight.