Chapter 470: Chapter 467: The Handsome Guy at the Ball
The focus of the small-electoral district reform was on the other states, but its success or failure hinged on the Marlin Kingdom and the Imperial Capital.
The heart of the Empire was suffering from an arrhythmia.
Turmoil and frequent attacks plagued the city, and some bold individuals even attempted to replicate the old events of Valuva. The news lost its luster as the people’s pride and arrogance gave way to doubt and unease. The vendettas among the upper echelons had somewhat subsided, but the mudslinging between politicians began to expose shocking and ugly scandals to the public.
Their stated goal of "upholding fairness and justice" was never the true intention. It was merely an attempt to use righteousness and public outrage to drag political opponents down. It was like a pillow fight where, in the heat of bashing each other, the magnificent silk pillowcases would rip, revealing the filthy stuffing inside.
If one were to pinpoint the root of all these problems, it would be none other than the fact that His Majesty the Emperor’s life was drawing to a close.
If there was anyone in the Imperial Capital who felt a complex sense of gratitude for this situation, besides the Crown Prince, Richard would be another. Because His Majesty the Emperor was unwell, tradition dictated that the nobility could not hold any celebratory events until he recovered or... until the next Emperor began to hold public banquets.
Therefore, a certain matter that had been troubling him could be postponed...
"At the ball tonight will be the youngest daughter of the Duke of Fortenburg, the second daughter of the Margrave of Pfalz... and the only daughter of the Duke of Pomerania. Here are their portraits. Don’t mix up their names." Richard’s father tossed over three golden pendants. Opening them would presumably reveal miniature busts of the girls.
His mother, meanwhile, scrutinized her son’s appearance. "Agnes is your cousin. She likes painting and humanistic philosophy. You should talk with her for a while.
"As for... Pomerania... heavens, that place is full of barbarians. I fear even their court has been tainted by barbaric customs. It’s not the sort of country that produces demure, civilized young ladies. Just be polite to the only daughter of Duke Crook’s Family, Richard."
"But she’s very pretty... alright, what I mean is, let the boy choose for himself." His father’s words infuriated his mother, but at least he showed a limited degree of open-mindedness.
The ball tonight had one important purpose: to find a match for Richard. The female guests were, without exception, all nobles whose status matched his family’s. If not for some brash young lad making a bold move, the dance floor might have even featured Princess Amelia of the Bayern Kingdom.
After Richard returned, his parents quickly realized they had to try and produce the family’s next high-quality generation while their precious son was still at home, despite Richard’s insistence on the view he learned at the academy: that Magic Talent is not reliably inherited.
"Even if our Richard wasn’t a Caster, he still has an excellent enough bloodline!" This praise used to be reserved for Richard’s older brother. However, his brother was nowhere to be seen when he returned home this time, and his parents and the servants were all evasive when he asked about it.
And so, a ball held for the purpose of matchmaking awaited him. As news of the reforms spread throughout the Empire, and with rumors of the imperial succession growing more intense, nobles began to circle the capital under the guise of socializing. This, in turn, made it convenient for Richard’s family to host their own event.
Although they couldn’t hold a wedding immediately, the couple could first get to know each other and cultivate their feelings. And after that, raising a grandchild wasn’t out of the question.
The ornate lamps in the manor’s castle hall were lit. To display their power, all the light sources were magical. Pointy-eared Elves had been hired to play music for the dance floor, and the arriving guests were all either rich or noble.
The guests entered one by one, and Richard, with his mother on his arm, greeted each of them. All who came praised him as a talented young man with a boundless future.
Richard wore his military dress uniform, along with a cape and medals that signified his status as a Mage. The Mage Corps had initially gone to war in this very attire, only to suffer heavy losses from the artillery of the Valois people. At the same time, Richard couldn’t help but think that this manor’s castle had lost all its defensive capabilities. ’Even the enemy’s medium field artillery could blast open the main gate, and sustained fire on the side towers could cause them to collapse...’
’And this hall is filled with high-value targets... No, perhaps their value has severely depreciated. Even more so after the electoral reforms...’
Besides him, many others were also in military uniform, gathered in groups at the edge of the dance floor, drinking and smoking without a care as they addressed each other by rank. In the past, the halls of the Great Nobles would never have seen such uncouth individuals. They were merely insignificant minor nobles, or even just the unfavored younger sons of their families.
However, as the Empire expanded its military might, even the original Dukes and Marquises were willing to swallow their pride and cordially exchange a few words with these men. What had elevated their status was the behemoth known as the Empire Army.
It would be a grave mistake to think of the Empire Army as a simple armed force. It had its own schools, priority rights continuously established through war, and was backed by mega-corporations profiting from armaments. It also included the tens of thousands of small manor lords who had retired from service, as well as its own system of Military Mages.
As for the armed forces of those Dukes, they had been reorganized by the Imperial Capital at the very start of the war on the grounds of ineffectively defending their territory, causing the Southern Empire Army to be completely absorbed into the war machine dominated by the Marlin Kingdom.
Thus, these young officers now had a place in high society. Their dress uniforms and grim, imposing auras could inspire both fear and, in the current climate, the adoration of the Empire’s young ladies. This trend in matchmaking was also thanks to the Empire’s propaganda machine.
Richard, however, knew what his mother was thinking. ’All these other officers are here just to make me look better. Among them, those with higher ranks aren’t as young as me, and those with lower ranks don’t have a future as promising as mine. And...’ Richard could say it without false modesty, ’...everyone here, whether sitting or standing, is not as handsome as I am!’
This was easily proven by the way the ladies wanted to steal glances at him but were too shy to do so.
Finally, the last guests arrived. Duke Crook of Pomerania did not attend himself; it was his wife who entered the ball with their daughter.
As expected, their attire was different from everyone else’s. The mother wore an overly vibrant red dress, while the daughter’s long, color-clashing gown of stacked geometric patterns made her look exceptionally lively, though it lacked dignity. Both mother and daughter were wearing dresses unsuitable for the occasion.
Richard’s mother raised an eyebrow, clearly thinking, ’Such barbaric taste.’
The girl tilted her head up, her large eyes staring straight at Richard. She stood frozen for a moment before speaking. "I didn’t expect your portrait artist to be so honest. He didn’t flatter you too much."
"Libus!" her mother scolded.
Next, Richard went through the motions, inviting the girls to dance one by one in the order his parents had specified. He truly did as his mother had told him, paying special attention to his cousin.
She stammered as she tried to make conversation, but Richard was completely unable to carry his end. Knowing about the most sought-after pastoralist painter currently in the Imperial Capital was truly asking too much of him.
Richard’s reaction left his cousin disheartened, but the Colonel of the Empire Army felt no regret. He mechanically sought out his final mission objective.
"I’m not going! I haven’t finished eating!" Libus said bluntly, a smudge of frosting still on the corner of her mouth.
"Alright." Feeling as if he’d just been granted a pardon, Richard turned to leave.
"Wait a minute!" The girl grew anxious. "According to the novel, you’re supposed to say, ’You refuse me? Woman, you have successfully piqued my interest!’" Her delivery was fluent and full of dramatic cadence, possessing a strangely cringe-inducing power.
This forced Richard to turn back. "What novel did you read that in?"
"A volume of the most popular serialized novel in the Bayern Kingdom, ! And it’s signed by the author, Martin!"
Richard then watched as she publicly pulled the novel out from a place on her person better left unmentioned.
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