“I came here to meet the Lord of Halo personally and to express my gratitude for the magical device you created. It has been incredibly useful,” said Yulis.
“Oh... Is that so...?”
Penelope swallowed nervously. Receiving praise directly from the Emperor for inventing the hairdryer left her feeling utterly out of place.
Yulis continued, “If there’s a gift you’d like, don’t hesitate to tell me.”
Gasp.
Penelope felt momentarily speechless. When she glanced at Elizabeth, the Empress was smiling brightly, clearly enjoying the moment.
‘Stay calm, take a breath,’ Penelope reminded herself, quickly rearranging her expression. Moments like this required humility and tact—something Lady Linda had drilled into her.
Clearing her throat, Penelope spoke, “I have already received everything I could wish for, Your Majesty. Her Majesty the Empress was gracious enough to grant me the rights to manage Halo Territory. I have also heard that a railway will soon be constructed through my domain this summer.”
“Ah, those matters. But they are for the benefit of your territory, not you personally, are they not?”
“What could be more personal than improving my land and ensuring its prosperity?”
Now that was the perfect answer, even by her own standards. Penelope felt a surge of pride in her response.
Yulis hummed thoughtfully and glanced at Elizabeth, who appeared entirely unsurprised by Penelope’s refusal.
Then Yulis spoke again, “I was considering giving you a townhouse in the capital. What do you think of that? It’s hardly appropriate for a noble managing a northern estate to lack a residence in the capital.”
Penelope felt her jaw drop.
‘A townhouse?!’
The Emperor’s generosity was beyond anything she could have imagined.
Clasping her hands together, Penelope promptly replied, “If Your Majesty grants it, I will gratefully accept.”
“I expected you to reconsider first, but your decisiveness is refreshing. I like it,” Yulis said with a faint smile.
“See? I told you she’d be a good fit for this,” Elizabeth interjected, raising an eyebrow playfully.
Yulis chuckled, nodding at the Empress. “I should’ve listened to you earlier.”
“I told you, thinking about what Penelope would like makes these things simple,” Elizabeth said, turning to Penelope.
“Don’t get too excited just yet. I have another gift for you.”
“The gift from His Majesty is more than enough,” Penelope replied, attempting to temper her reaction.
Elizabeth grinned. “For a groundbreaking invention that has amazed the citizens of the Empire, I plan to bestow upon you the title of baroness.”
“...If granted, I will humbly accept,” Penelope said, unable to refuse such an overwhelming offer.
‘This is incredible. So this is how you give a gift,’ Penelope thought to herself, awestruck. She realized that giving something truly desirable left the recipient with no choice but to accept.
And yet, the perfect gift for Ahwin still eluded her.
Elizabeth seamlessly continued the conversation.
“I plan to confer the title on the first Sunday of next month. Coincidentally, there will also be a royal banquet that evening. What do you think?”
“That sounds wonderful,” Penelope replied with a radiant smile, unable to suppress her excitement.
Elizabeth’s grin widened as she said, “I’m so glad you’re pleased with my gifts, Penelope.”
***
The tea party ended much quicker than Penelope had expected. The Emperor and Empress, it seemed, were exceptionally busy.
After receiving an enthusiastic farewell from Elizabeth, Penelope retraced her steps through the palace corridors under the guidance of an attendant, Giselle trailing silently behind her.
“......”
Despite the splendor of the palace, its golden decor unmatched in extravagance, Penelope found herself in a daze. A quick glance confirmed that Giselle seemed to be in a similar state.
In less than thirty minutes, Penelope had been gifted a townhouse in the capital and promised the title of baroness.
‘Unbelievable. Long live power.’
Penelope felt a smug smile creeping up as she tried to suppress a laugh. The middle of the palace wasn’t the best place to burst into unrestrained giggles.
‘Haha, the heroine is so charming. No wonder readers couldn’t help but adore her.’
In a world where digging tirelessly might not yield even a single penny, catching the favor of a heroine could result in noble titles dropping into your lap.
Barely holding back her laughter, Penelope kept walking.
At that moment, the attendant stopped, prompting Penelope and Giselle to halt as well.
The attendant turned to Penelope and asked, “If you wish, there is a sitting area further inside where you may rest while waiting for His Grace, the Grand Duke of Rahinsel. Would you like to wait there?”
‘Ah, this is where Rianel said he’d meet me, isn’t it?’
Penelope realized they’d returned to the corridor where she had previously encountered Rianel. Since he hadn’t arrived yet, he was likely attending to other matters.
‘I almost forgot about my meeting with Rianel, distracted by all the gifts from the Empress.’
Snapping out of her thoughts, Penelope nodded.
“It would be best to wait there. Could you guide me, please?”
“Of course. This way, my lady.”
The attendant respectfully led Penelope further along the path.
As they left the corridor, an arbor came into view along a small garden trail.
“Please, make yourself comfortable here while I go inform His Grace of your arrival.”
“That would be very kind of you. Thank you.”
The attendant bowed and disappeared among the trees. Only then did Penelope feel like she could finally breathe.
The silence was interrupted by a soft plop.
Giselle had collapsed into a chair, her legs giving out beneath her.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m sorry... I don’t think I am. Everything feels dizzy. Would it be alright if I just sat here for a moment?”
“Of course. Stay seated until the dizziness passes. Are you thirsty?”
“Terribly thirsty...” Giselle groaned softly, her voice full of exhaustion. Seeing the Emperor and Empress in such close quarters must have left her nerves completely frayed. Add to that the baroness title and townhouse Penelope had been gifted—no wonder Giselle was overwhelmed.
Penelope glanced around.
“I’ll go ask the attendant to bring some water. Stay here and rest, alright?”
“But...”
“This doesn’t seem like a place where many people pass by. Just sit for a moment.”
Penelope gently checked Giselle’s forehead before turning to retrace her steps.
‘The attendant hasn’t been gone long; I should be able to find him. If not, I’ll grab another attendant wandering the corridor.’
Getting a glass of water didn’t seem like a big deal to Penelope.
But she was about to learn how naive that assumption was.
‘Huh? Isn’t this the way?’
She followed the path the attendant had taken but couldn’t see the corridor.
Penelope glanced around, her confusion growing. All she could see were thick garden trees, no sign of the path she remembered.
‘Am I really lost in the palace?’
She couldn’t believe it. The distance from the corridor to the arbor hadn’t seemed far, and all she had done was walk along the trail. Yet, she was surrounded by increasingly dense foliage.
‘Wait, could this be magic?’
It finally dawned on her that the palace likely had magical wards to prevent intruders.
Important realizations always seemed to come late.
Penelope turned around, deciding to retrace her steps.
‘I can’t shake the feeling I’ll end up going in circles. No, that’s just my imagination.’
Despite her doubts, she kept moving. Standing still felt even more unnerving.
How long had she wandered the gardens? Sweat formed on her forehead, and her toes ached from her heeled shoes.
At last, a small arbor appeared before her.
‘I found it!’
Just as she opened her mouth to call for Giselle, a low voice came from beyond the garden trees.
“It’s been a while, brother. You’ve been so busy it’s nearly impossible to see you these days.”
“Why are you looking for me?”
“I couldn’t ignore the fact that the one who should be managing the estate is instead spending time elsewhere. The other retainers are worried about you.”
“Are you trying to reprimand me?”
Rianel’s voice was cold, his lips curling into a frosty smile. The man addressing him remained unfazed, responding with feigned sincerity.
This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.
“Reprimand? Never. I’m simply concerned.”
“Concerned? About me?”
“If not me, then who else would worry about you? After all, I’m your only remaining family in the Empire.”
“...That’s true. You are my only family left.”