Chapter 69

The area around Princess Via suddenly became bustling.

Noble ministers, including Lord Rofman, who were part of the Round Table Conference, had been secretly informed by Lord Gluek Morgan about Princess Via's ascension to the position of Empress. However, for the other nobles, this news came as a complete surprise. They knew that Princess Via had returned from her retreat, but they had assumed that she would only serve as a temporary Empress until the real one arrived, and thus did not even bother to pay their respects.

Suddenly, the unbelievable news of Princess Via's ascension to Empress reached them. The nobles who heard this news were uniformly taken aback, their faces turning red or blue as they recalled their past actions. Realizing that this was a serious situation, they all began to move at once.

There was no question of feeling ashamed of their past misdeeds and being cautious in their words and actions. If the tide had turned, it was crucial to quickly ride the wave. All of them rushed to the Crystal Palace where Princess Via resided, one after another, in a refreshingly swift change of attitude.

Princess Via, well aware of the nobles' thick-skinned nature, did not show any displeasure at all as they flocked around her like moths to a flame, and she received their words of blessing with a smile.

"Do you not find it annoying to be fawned over so obviously?" Sais asked one day, to which Princess Via replied with a smile, "A smile is free."

The Crystal Palace was receiving a mountain of gifts from those who wished to get closer to the future Empress, and just making a list of them was a significant task. The preparations for the ascension were already so busy that even a cat's paw was needed, and the time spent dealing with such nobles only added to the workload. Lady Renal, the head maid, maintained a gentle smile while her forehead was visibly tense.

Currently, there were only four senior maids serving Princess Via, and this was far from enough to manage the workload. In fact, many were vying for the position of maid to the Empress, but since they would be serving close to Princess Via, the selection process was being handled with great caution.

Lady Renal, the head maid, was consulting with the Chief Attendant of the Imperial Palace, Raphiel, to carefully select candidates, considering factors such as factional balance, family background, and character. However, these were only candidates, and it was clear that Princess Via's decision would be the final one.

Many noblewomen and young ladies directly petitioned Princess Via for the position, including those who had resigned from their posts when she was out of favor. They appealed to her emotions, tearfully begging for another chance to serve, but Princess Via did not grant it.

"I understand their family situations and do not blame them. However, if I were to accept them now, it would be unfair to those who supported me during difficult times."

Princess Via was a magnanimous and generous person, but she drew a clear line when it came to such matters.

She openly showed her trust in those who had shared her difficult times, and it was explicitly stated that the positions of Lady Renal and Lady Rinto, the second-in-command maid, would not be taken away. Those who wished to serve as the Empress's maid would have to serve under these two, whose family backgrounds were not particularly high. Those who could not accept this were not qualified to be maids.

In the end, Princess Via selected her maids from those recommended by Lady Renal, and the four newly selected maids accepted these conditions. They were all intelligent and gentle noblewomen, two of whom were already married. Sais, as the head guard knight, also met these four, and it was clear that they were chosen based on their character.

However, the selection of people was not just a matter for others. Sais, who was to become the head guard knight of the Empress, also had to select his own subordinates. After announcing a public call for candidates in the three major knight orders, an unbelievable number of knights volunteered, and Sais was struggling to decide how to narrow them down.

With the wedding ceremony approaching, the Crystal Palace was in a whirlwind of activity. The eight maids, led by Lady Renal, were bustling about, full of energy and vitality.

"By the way, do you know if Lord Camille has heard about Sisilia's engagement?"

One day, while meeting Lady Rinto in the corridor, Sais was asked this question.

"Yes, I heard from her recently."

Sisilia Zeon, who had served Princess Via since her difficult times, was a slightly plain-looking but honest and kind woman.

About half a month after Princess Via's ascension, a sudden marriage proposal came from a noble of higher rank living in a border region. Lady Renal, a distant relative of Sisilia, had investigated the noble's background. The noble, about ten years older than Sisilia, sought a connection with the central government through her. There were no significant issues with him, and after a meeting, they found that they were compatible, so the engagement was finalized.

"Princess Via thought Sisilia might want to spend time with her parents before the wedding, so she considered giving her leave to return to her territory. However, she also wanted to give Sisilia the prestige of having served as the Empress's maid, so she decided to have her serve a bit longer."

"That does sound like a good idea."

If Sisilia were to marry someone of a different rank, this experience would protect her in various ways.

Thinking about this, Sais wondered about another unmarried maid, Eimi Laranada, who was close to Sisilia. He had heard from her that the Laranada family was of low rank and not financially well-off.

"Actually, Eimi has received several marriage proposals," Lady Renal continued, as if reading Sais's mind.

"However, none of them were recommended. Some looked down on her low family background, others had poor financial situations... I even heard that one of them had a mistress and children."

"That's terrible."

Sais frowned, and Lady Renal added, "Lady Renal was very angry and said she couldn't entrust Eimi to such men."

Sais could easily imagine the scene and couldn't help but smile.

"Well, there's no need to rush with marriage proposals. Eimi is a good person, and most importantly, she has the Empress's trust. I'm sure a good proposal will come along eventually."

During this time, Prince Celdis, Princess Via's younger brother, visited the Crystal Palace. He had an idea and chose a time when his sister was absent, discussing the ceremony, to come.

Incidentally, all the maids, including Sais, were called to the meeting. Sais tilted his head, wondering what the prince wanted, but Prince Celdis looked around the nine faces and suddenly said something incomprehensible.

"How about we create a fan club for the Empress as a game?"

"A fan club...?"

Being Princess Via's brother, Prince Celdis's thought process was sometimes incomprehensible to Sais.

"You know, those who have served my sister all have matching accessories with acacia flowers. How about we create a secret club to praise my sister, and as a symbol, we all wear something with acacia flowers?"

"That's a wonderful idea!"

The first to enthusiastically agree was Eimi, the maid.

"I've always thought it would be nice to have a place to talk about the Empress's greatness."

"I would also like to join such a club. I will be very sad to leave her side... If I can join such a club, I would be overjoyed."

Sisilia's eyes sparkled as she continued, and Lady Rinto also nodded, saying, "The secret aspect of it is also appealing."

Sais, hearing this, thought for a moment. A secret gathering of those who revered the Empress... It did sound exciting.

The new maids also became enthusiastic and started planning to wear something related to acacia.

Lady Renal, observing this, suggested, "How about we name it 'The Empress Admiration Club'?"

"Let's start with the ten of us here as the initial members."

"Ten is a nice round number," Prince Celdis agreed, and thus the creation of the Empress Admiration Club was decided in no time. The founding day was set for the day of Princess Via's ascension.

The first member was Prince Celdis, followed by Lady Renal as the second, the remaining seven maids as the third to ninth, and Sais as the tenth. Initially, there were ten members, but Lady Renal proposed adding the Chief Attendant of the Imperial Palace, Raphiel, as the eleventh member, and it was agreed that he would write a self-recommendation letter if he wished to join.

Incidentally, when Raphiel learned about the club, he was delighted and immediately ordered a high-quality lapel pin with an acacia flower design.

Later, the servants of the Purple Jade Palace, upon hearing about the club, also wished to join, and the maids recommended their partners and families, causing the number of members to grow rapidly. However, that is another story.

Princess Via was finally crowned as the Empress of Ansheize.

Two consecutive banquets for the domestic nobility were held, and from the day after the ceremony, royal families and princes from various countries began to arrive in Ansheize for the grand reception.

The city of Midas was in a festive mood, with young men and women in costumes dancing and singing in the streets. The grand finale of the celebration was a fireworks display of 15,000 shots over the Volbese River.

The Empress's popularity, known for her beauty and intelligence, continued to grow, and the following year, she brought a long-awaited male heir to Ansheize, solidifying her position.

Sais Camille is now a highly sought-after bachelor. As the head guard knight, he is skilled and has the Empress's absolute trust.

His face exudes honesty, his character is gentle, and he holds a hereditary noble title. Although he does not have a territory yet, it is almost certain that he will be granted one by the royal family when he retires, in recognition of his service.

Therefore, marriage proposals have been pouring in from all directions.

However, Sais's current mindset is that he wants to focus on his job. Serving the Empress is his greatest joy, and he wants to savor this happiness. His sincere wish is for everyone to leave him alone for now.

Thank you for reading to the end. I am grateful for all the comments, corrections, bookmarks, and ratings, and to everyone who read the novel.