The Imperial family of the Simone Empire certainly lived up to its name. Even though the Baron and Baroness of Greze had arrived without a private retinue, imperial attendants were immediately assigned to serve them.
There were two attendants, one male and one female, both of whom hailed from low-ranking noble families. Their elegance and level of education were on an entirely different plane compared to the servants residing in a typical lord’s castle. Zester, predictably, grew tense again.
“This is Cleo Castle, the annex where distinguished guests will be staying during the national holiday period. On the same floor, Count Axios, Count Antoine and his wife, and Count Kamil and his wife will be in residence. We will send attendants to assist you with your grooming and attire in time for Her Highness the Princess’s birthday celebration this afternoon. They are scheduled to visit at five o’clock, but you may call them earlier if necessary.”
“Very well, understood.”
“Lunch will be served at noon. You may come down to the annex dining hall, Arje Pavilion, to dine, or if you prefer, we can prepare it and bring it to your room. If you require anything else, lease let us know using the bell cord prepared on the side table over there.”
The male attendant, dressed in the crisp black-and-white uniform of the Imperial staff, treated the Greze couple exactly according to the standard manual used for nobles visiting the palace. Zester, intimidated by the flawless service, nodded while trying his best to look dignified.
Once the attendants showed them their room in Cleo Castle and withdrew, Zester let out the breath he had been holding.
“Hoo…!”
“Hahahaha, ah, I thought I was going to die laughing.”
“W-what do you mean?!”
“Your face. It was completely stiff.”
“How could I not be tense? H-honestly, I didn’t even expect them to give us a room like this.”
Swallowing once, Zester looked around the room he had been shown.
A bed wide enough for five grown men to lie down with their arms spread, and a room packed with all manner of expensive furniture. He had never seen such an extravagant place in his life. By Zester’s standards, the most splendid place he had ever seen was Ruberno Castle, which he had visited before.
Ruberno Castle had been impressive, but the imperial palace was at least ten times more luxurious. Inside the display cabinets holding fine liquor were numerous gold- and silver-crafted ornaments, and the candles, high-end armchairs, and tapestries all gleamed brilliantly. It could not be compared at all to the guest rooms of ordinary lords’ castles.
“Whoa…”
Zester wandered around exclaiming in awe, looking quite pleased. Cassia felt the same way. After all, who would dislike lavish treatment?
As Cassia strolled lightly about the room, she pointed to the glass display case and smiled brightly.
“There’s a lot of really expensive-looking alcohol. Shall we have a drink before bed later?”
“Ah.”
Just imagining enjoying the mood in such a refined palace made him excited already. Letting out a dazed exclamation, Zester nodded vigorously and quickly pulled Cassia into his arms.
“I’d like that.”
Smooch, smooch, smooch.
He truly seemed to be in a good mood. As Zester hugged her with a grin that reached his ears and showered her with kisses, Cassia grumbled that it tickled.
“But…the nobles staying on this same floor must all be very important people, right?”
Zester loosened his hold on Cassia slightly and muttered with a stiff expression.
Haah. At his never-ending worries, Cassia let out a sigh as if exasperated and firmly cupped his cheek.
“You didn’t forget what I told you again and again before we came, did you?”
“Mmm…”
“You’re a noble, and regardless of your title, you are someone who was invited to an imperial event. It’s true that Count Axios pulled some strings, but that can also be a testament to your capability. Other nobles will be watching you precisely because Count Axios personally made sure you could attend an imperial event.”
“…”
“If you act like a fool, others will treat you like one. I don’t need to remind you again by going over what happened in the Viscount Viche’s territory twice, do I?”
“No, I know.”
“We are going to make the name of Greze known to high society during this event before we go back.”
“Yes, I will.”
As always, his answers came quickly, but his expression didn’t inspire much confidence.
Cassia let out a long sigh and was just about to pat the shoulders of the still-cowed Zester once more when…
Knock, knock.
With a small sound, the voice of the attendant who had just left carried through the door.
“Count Axios has arrived for a visit.”
“Huh?! What?”
Zester froze stiff in surprise.
“What’s there to be so surprised about? The Count was also scheduled to enter the palace today. At least you’re close to him so it’s comfortable. Just do as I told you, okay?”
Cassia gave Zester’s backside a couple of light taps. Zester flushed at the touch, which felt like she was soothing a panicked child.
Upon being granted permission to enter, the attendant opened the door, and Bertol appeared, still familiar, as it had not been long since he had visited Greze. Cassia and Zester greeted him with a brief bow.
“It’s only been a short while, but it’s good to see you again. Lady Baroness, you’ve grown even more beautiful in the meantime.”
Cassia gave a polite, practiced smile to the overly family Bertol and placed her hand on his outstretched one. Bertol left a brief kiss on the back of her hand and gave a small chuckle.
As always, he was impeccably dressed. His sharp dark-green coat and black cravat suited his handsome face and nonchalant expression perfectly. Perhaps because they were meeting in the imperial palace, he looked even more imposing.
“I figured you’d enter the palace early. I was waiting, and as soon as I heard you had arrived, I came straight over. I have a meeting this morning with His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness the Second Prince. I figured we might go together.”
“What?!”
“Oh my gosh, you surprised me!”
At Zester’s thunderous exclamation, Cassia clutched her chest and flinched.
“What are you so startled about? I personally arranged for your entry into the palace, Baron, so of course everyone would be curious about you. It’s a gathering that includes several capital nobles favored by His Highness the Crown Prince as well, so let’s move without delay.”
“N-no, Count, I…”
If this wasn’t a bolt from the blue, what was? He was already so nervous about meeting a single noble that his heart felt like it would shrivel up and vanish and now he was being asked to meet the Crown Prince and the Second Prince at the same time?
Furthermore, the Second Prince, Eagle Simone—
‘I came prepared to see his face sooner or later, but this soon?!’
Zester’s head began to spin.
He had shown his face to Eagle while rescuing the missing people. At the time, he had been too flustered to even state his identity before parting ways.
Unlike the panicking Zester, Cassia thought this was an opportunity that had to be seized. Zester, who had yet to truly adapt to noble society, needed to be thrown among them, even forcibly, to grow accustomed to it.
“This will be a good opportunity to meet such distinguished people, honey. Don’t worry too much and go.”
Cassia spoke while gripping Zester’s arm tightly, signaling him not to foolishly reject Bertol’s offer.
“Ah, I’d like the Baroness to come along as well.”
“Pardon?”
“Well, it may go without saying, but what the nobles are curious about isn’t the baron so much as you, my lady. I heard you arrived in the capital just a few days ago. Within a week, rumors spread everywhere about a beautiful noblewoman coming to see the capital, and quite a few nobles have been eager to see you. Besides, I’ve praised you a bit myself.”
Looking at the faint smile on Bertol’s face, Cassia inwardly swallowed a sigh. She had only hoped that Zester would grow familiar with royalty and high nobles and learn to manage on his own, but the thought of having to move together with him was thoroughly unappealing.
As Cassia considered politely declining, her eyes fell on Zester’s face. The desperate plea pouring from his eyes was obvious: Please come with me.
She really shouldn’t do this. If only for Zester, who would have to live on alone after she died ten years later.
And yet, in the end, Cassia nodded, unable to refuse Zester, who was silently begging as he subtly clutched the edge of her dress sleeve.
* * *
“Count Antoine and Count Kamil are high nobles of the capital. They are also the closest confidants of His Highness, the Crown Prince. They are people you must maintain a close relationship with if you want to set foot in high society.”
Bertol explained kindly as he guided Cassia and Zester along. To be precise, he seemed to enjoy explaining things to Cassia more than to Zester.
By the time they gathered various bits of information from Bertol through their conversation, they reached the outdoor garden of the Imperial Palace. The weather was warm enough to be mistaken for a spring day, so seats had been arranged outside.
There were four people already seated around the luxurious white table.
Crown Prince Lucian Simone, Second Prince Eagle Simone, Count Antoine, and Count Kamil.
Among the various teacups and tea sets which numbered more than the people present, a deck of lavishly decorated cards was scattered about. Card games were something that never failed to appear in the leisure time of high nobles. It seemed they had been enjoying a game and chatting idly in the open air.
“Count Antoine is on the left, and Count Kamil is on the right.”
As they drew closer, Bertol lowered his head and whispered into Cassia’s ear. She flinched, grabbed her ear, and frowned.
‘Why tell me that?’
Cassia immediately poked Zester in the side and passed it on.
“The one on the left is Count Antoine, and the one on the right is Count Kamil.”
“Uh-huh.”
Zester answered tensely. Whether it was Count Antoine or Count Kamil did not matter to him. His mind was filled only with the worry of having to face Second Prince Eagle again.
Spotting the approaching group, Crown Prince Lucian clapped his hands sharply and rose from his seat.
His neatly cropped blue hair and blue eyes were hallmarks of the Imperial family line. Crown Prince Lucian Simone was a young man brimming with the unmistakable air of a true royal.
“Oh ho, is this not the Shield of our Empire? The Black Lion himself!”
“It has been a while, Your Highness.”
Bertol smiled and bowed. Then he gestured to Cassia and Zester, who bowed along with him, and he introduced them.
“This is Baron Greze and Baroness Greze. They have been a great source of strength to me in the north.”
“I am Zester Greze.”
“Oh, a pleasure. I have heard much about you from my dear Count Axios. To be honest, rather than the baron himself, I have been a bit more curious about the beauty of the Baroness, whom I hear is very stunning…”
While extending his hand toward Zester for a handshake, Lucian widened his eyes and blinked as he gazed at Cassia.
“I am Cassia Greze.”
“Well now, this is surprising. There have been so many rumors in the capital about how famous you were in the South. They said you were like the incarnation of the goddess Lilith from the Orobas scriptures. I must apologize but when I first heard those rumors, I was too busy laughing to myself. But, well….”
“…”
“You are indeed a striking beauty. My, my… there isn’t a man who wouldn’t be enchanted by you, Baroness.”
Though he was not the one being praised, Bertol somehow looked proud and let out a small laugh as he looked down at Cassia.
Lucian had been staring at Cassia absentmindedly then he suddenly seemed to come to his senses. With an awkward smile, he looked back at Zester, whose hand he was still holding.
For some reason, Zester’s gaze was directed over Lucian’s shoulder. When Lucian subtly turned his head to follow that gaze, he saw Eagle.
Seeing the expression on Eagle’s face as he rose awkwardly to his feet, Lucian was startled. Eagle, who rarely showed any expression at all, somehow looked thoroughly confused.
- Honey, I’m Going on Strike – Chapter 89 - August 1, 2026
- Honey, I’m Going on Strike – Chapter 88 - August 1, 2026
- Honey, I’m Going on Strike – Chapter 87 - July 18, 2026
Thank you Miss Ruby. Love your transitions.