The Abandoned Empress

Chapter 22

"Yes, please."

"As for Verita, please don't offer your heart to him. "

"Pardon? What do you mean? "

I opened my eyes wide at his unexpected remarks. Looking at me silently, Sir League said with a sigh, "At first, you seemed to be a bit wary, but these days it seems like you have a screw loose."

"But the Verita family is..."

"You mean they are on our side, right? That's true, but Verita is a man. If something goes wrong, you can be easily misunderstood."

"... "

"Besides, his intention to learn fencing from your father looks rather... Hmmm, I don't want to blame him, I want you to remember one thing. He is basically from a civil official's family.

Even though his family and yours are in the same boat, they are supposed to differ from yours in many respects. Political machinations are more harsh than you think. No matter how close his family is to yours, keep in mind they can break away at any time if they can't no longer be on the same page with yours anymore."

I just nodded, trying to say something. Although I felt a bit bad when he was trying to teach me as if I was a child who knew nothing, I agreed with his explanation of the fluctuating political interests of the two families. I also agreed with his comment that I didn't need to be talked about in the social circles.

Back at my mansion, I washed my sweaty body and changed into simple casual clothes.

When I entered the parlor, Allendis, who arrived ahead of me, welcomed me with a smile. Shortly afterwards, the maid who came along put down a kettle with hot water and teacups.

The nobles enjoyed a wide variety of tea and mostly brewed the leaves and stems of plants that were fragrant or medicinal. This kind of tea culture had been around even before the empire was founded. There are more than a hundred different types of tea and the prices vary widely.

Thus, having good tea leaves and tea sets often showed the power of the family.

When I brewed lemon balm tea for Allendis who enjoyed reading books, he said, taking a sip of tea, "Oh, the tea you brew is the best."

"Huh? Thanks for the compliment. "

"What do you think? How about playing chess?"

Emperors and nobles have enjoyed playing chess. The game was created by the great magician Aland, who was the teacher of the crown prince during the third emperor's reign. It was mainly used to train talents who would lead the country or teach the crown prince the tactics to win the war or rule the empire. It was regarded as the basic culture of the aristocracy.

"Sure, I will beat you today. "

Black and white horses were placed on the chessboard. I've been moving the horses with a focus for a while. As soon as I caught the white knight with a black rook, I moved the white bishop three diagonal lines to catch the black knight. I checked the position of the rest of the horses and clicked my tongue in my heart. Gosh, I should have moved the queen, not the rook. I let out a sigh because I was losing the game as time went by. While looking at the thoughtful Allendis, shining with emerald eyes, I asked a question that had been hovering in my head.

"Alendis."

"Huh?"

"What do you want to do in the future? Do you want to join the government? "

"Well, I haven't decided yet, but maybe."

"I see."

As expected, he wanted to be a civil official later. Like Sir League said, he was from a civilian family. I already guessed it, but I felt sorry when I confirmed it. I knew that while he and I were young like this we wouldn't draw people's attention. When we got older and made our debut in social circles, I knew we would get more and more estranged because of others' attention.