Chapter 46 - Vignettes of a Winter Day (1)
On that day, snow fell in the royal capital.
Even though winters in the royal capital were cold, snow was not particularly common. It was the sort of thing that might accumulate once a winter, if at all. And even if it did pile up, it was at most only a finger or two deep, disappearing in less than half a day.
Even if the peaks of the Dragonbone Mountains visible in the far distance were dyed pure white every winter, snow falling in the royal capital was a somewhat rare occurrence.
The sleet that had fallen on the royal capital, which had grown severely cold several days prior, turned to snow before midnight. The intensity of the snow was not so fierce, but dawn broke without any sign of it letting up. As the royal capital began to move with the dawn, the snow continued to fall.
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"How was the snow? How does the garden look?"
In the hallway of the House Mares royal capital estate.
Stuart, the butler, called out to Felix, the gardener, who had returned inside the mansion covered in snow.
"No, no, it's quite a handful,"
Felix replied.
"I've knocked off as much snow as I could from the garden trees. But at this rate, it looks like it'll pile up again. I'll have to go out once more in the afternoon."
"My, my."
Stuart replied with a wry smile. Even though he was still active, the cold bit deep into his aged body. The enthusiasm of the gardener, who was young enough to be his grandson, served as a reminder of his own old age.
"Even in the royal capital, snow this heavy is quite rare. It seems the streets are being shoveled, though."
"The guards must be having a hard time with this."
The gardener nodded in agreement with the butler, who had changed the subject. As if remembering, he took off his hat, which was covered in snow. Even though they were indoors, the hallway was chillingly cold.
"Some of the garden trees have had branches break. I'll have to tend to them once it stops."
"Let us pray the snow stops before the sun sets. If it falls all through the night again, it will be more than just a minor fuss today."
Although the intensity of the snow was gradually weakening, if it grew cold again and the intensity increased, there was no telling what would happen to the garden trees. That said, all a human could do was pray and strive to minimize the damage; there was no means to do anything about the snow itself.
After shaking their heads with a sigh, the two nodded to each other and parted in the hallway.
Felix went toward the kitchen, where water was said to be boiling.
Stuart went toward the drawing room, where a messenger from a certain viscount who had a scheduled visit was waiting.
Even on a day with snow rare for the royal capital, the servants of the royal capital estate were working busily.
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"How is the situation in the city?"
In a lounge in the royal palace. Crown Prince Eirik had summoned the Minister of Internal Affairs and was receiving a report on the situation in the royal capital. This was because the Minister held the position of overseeing the guards of the royal capital within the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
"Yes, we have mobilized the guards to perform snow removal on the main streets. However, reaching every single street is quite difficult..."
It was indeed an impossible task to cover everything down to the small alleys. Therefore, in such cases, it was customary to clear the main streets so that carriages could pass through those areas without hindrance.
"Is the army not necessary?"
"Yes. For the time being, I believe there is no problem. The accumulated snow should melt in a few days."
"I see. Then that is fine. If anything happens, ensure a report is sent up from the guard units."
"As you wish, Your Highness,"
The Minister of Internal Affairs replied, never losing his gentle smile.
"Tell the lords that unless they have urgent business, they need not come to the castle today. With this snow, it is difficult to do anything."
"I am truly impressed by Your Highness's consideration."
As he spoke, the Minister of Internal Affairs bowed deeply. The Crown Prince's judgment could indeed be called appropriate.
Whether it was for regularly held meetings or various matters brought in from each ministry, the very act of gathering to deliberate was a struggle in this state. It was doubtful whether even the Government Administration was functioning properly. While scribes and administrative officers were staying overnight in the departments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs responsible for the security of the royal capital, other ministries were essentially closed for business, and there were likely scribes and administrative officers commuting from the suburbs who could not reach the Government Administration.
In such a state, one could hardly expect proper work to be done.
The Crown Prince waved his hand, signaling that he could leave, and the Minister of Internal Affairs bowed once more and exited.
Left alone, the Crown Prince thought in silence for a while before standing up. He walked down the long corridor toward his private chambers and stopped one of the chamberlains he happened to meet.
"Yes, Your Highness, how may I help you?"
"Tell those attending to His Majesty's room. It is especially cold today. Tell them to take care so that the room does not grow cold."
"Understood," the chamberlain said with a bow. After confirming this, the Crown Prince returned to his private chambers.
In the drawing room of his suite, which was luxuriously furnished as befitted his status, the Crown Prince sank deep into a chair and gazed at the snow falling in the garden. He had dismissed the chamberlain. He had also told the maid who had brewed tea for him to wait outside until called.
The lords would not come. The regular meeting would not be held today. The scheduled audiences had all been canceled. Every bit of the schedule that would normally be packed every minute had been covered by the falling snow and had vanished.
For the Crown Prince, it was a moment of idleness he had not had in a long time.
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"...As scheduled?"
Lady Nord, Claudia Foscar, asked back to the maid who had brought the news.
"Yes, my lady, they certainly said as scheduled."
At the maid's reply, Claudia nodded while letting out a soft sigh.
"I understand. Then, tell the messenger that I will visit as scheduled. Also, give that person something warm."
"Yes, I served tea while I was bringing the news to you, my lady."
"I see, thank you."
Seeing off the maid who left the room after a polite bow, she spoke to the other maid.
"It's as you heard. I'm going out this afternoon. I can't believe it, in this weather."
"Once preparations are made, it must be difficult to bring oneself to cancel it."
The older maid spoke in a soothing tone.
Even for a small tea party, the preparations to hold it were no small matter. Arranging the tea and cakes, preparing the food to be served, preparing the flowers to decorate the table, and even coordinating the schedules of the servants—it took a lot to reach the point of holding it. To decide to cancel or postpone it just because it snowed required more than a fair amount of resolve.
Of course, this was not a logic Claudia failed to understand. However, when the reality of having to go out into the snow became apparent, she felt like voicing a complaint or two.
"If I've been invited, it would be awkward to refuse."
"That is true."
"Tell the attendants and the coachman to dress warmly too. And then there's my coat. Could you help me choose one?"
"To match with the accessories, I assume?"
"Yes, to match with the accessories."
"Understood," the maid said with a bow.
—Father will probably worry again.
Thinking that, Claudia stopped the maid who was about to leave.
"One more thing, if I may?"
"Yes, my lady."
"Tell Mother that I will be going out to the tea party this afternoon as scheduled."
"And for His Lordship?"
"It's fine not to tell Father yet. I think Mother will tell him for me."
"Understood, my lady."
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"In this weather? Are Claudia and the other party serious?"
Ludovico Foscar, Count Nord, who had been told of his daughter's outing schedule by his wife, grimaced.
"I also think she might be pushing herself a little, dear."
Beatrice, the Countess of Nord, who had brought up the subject, was smiling softly.
"If she responds to the effort, the connection will surely grow stronger, won't it?"
"Well... that is certainly true, but..."
Ludovico's honest feeling was that he understood the logic, but still.
"It's this cold. What if she catches a cold?"
"She said she would dress warmly."
"I'm sure she will, but in this weather?"
"Yes. Dear, that's why she said she would wear the stole you gave her."
Ludovico's throat made a strange sound.
He had indeed given them stoles. To his daughter and his wife. Saying they should use them for outings on cold days.
"It is for times like this, isn't it?"
"Well... I suppose... so..."
It was exactly as she said, but as expected, his worry remained unchanged.
It seemed it would take a little more time before Ludovico would finally nod his head in approval.
[Author's Note]
This is the first story of the SS commemorating the release of the second volume.
I expanded on a small idea I tweeted on a snowy day: "I wonder what the characters are doing on a snowy day like this."
There are three stories in total. The first and second stories are prequels (chronologically around after the extra chapter of the first volume of the book version, before the start of the main story of the web version), and the third story is an epilogue (around before the final chapter of the second volume of the book version, or around before the final chapter of the web version).
○ Notice of New Work
The new work "The Diary of the Foreign Lady Eulalia" is currently being serialized.
It is a work with a somewhat different flavor from this work "Ariarein," but please do take a look if you like.
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n4463lg/