Chapter 99

“Stop the offering ceremony? What on earth are you talking about?!”

“It is His Majesty the Emperor’s command.”

The chapel had been designed to carry sound clearly.

Thanks to that, the argument between the empress and the master of ceremonies rang out all the more distinctly.

As the situation became clear, confusion began to spread among the nobles.

Isabella and Katerina were no exception.

“Oh my, what could be going on? On such an important day…”

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

They stared toward the disturbance with uneasy expressions.

And me…

To be honest, I didn’t really care.

I wasn’t completely lacking in faith like most people, but with the Marchioness of Ferrand right in front of me, nothing else caught my eye.

All I could see was her dignified face.

“I’ll go and ask His Majesty myself, so step aside.”

“I regret to inform you that His Majesty does not wish to see Her Majesty the Empress.”

The master of ceremonies blocked the empress and her ladies in waiting as they looked ready to rush to the Sun Palace at any moment.

The empress, who had been trying to stay composed, finally lost her temper.

“Do you truly not know what day this is? If you’re going to do something like this, shouldn’t I at least be told why?!”

“His Majesty has determined that there is an issue with the procedure of the offering ceremony.”

“We’re proceeding exactly as we do every year. What issue could there possibly be?!”

Instead of answering, the master of ceremonies proudly held out an official document bearing the imperial seal.

The murmuring among the onlookers grew louder.

The Feast of the Holy Mother was as important as the High Festival commemorating the day the prophet Vincent received the first revelation of the Sun God Leto.

Moreover, the offering ceremony itself fell entirely under the empress’s authority, meaning that even the emperor could not interfere lightly.

Faced with such blatant disregard, Empress Mariana’s face filled with shock.

Meanwhile, Katerina, who had been watching everything, stiffened.

“I can only hope that this situation feels familiar merely because of my imagination.”

“Surely not…”

Her words were brief, but her meaning was clear.

That said, in my past life, the emperor never converted. At least, not while I was alive.

If the emperor were to convert, Lombard, with its strong religious influence, would have been devastated first.

Isabella seemed to share Katerina’s concern.

“This is troubling. Not only does it damage Her Majesty’s authority, but the prefects from the Holy City are currently in the Capital as well.”

“…”

“If the offering ceremony ends like this, it could lead to serious consequences.”

Still reeling from the unexpected turn of events, I suddenly snapped back to my senses.

The person I loved, respected, and admired most in the world was expressing grave concern over this situation. And she was a deeply devout believer.

The moment I realized that, the thin thread of reason holding me together snapped cleanly.

“What sort of disturbance is this in front of the statue of the Holy Mother?”

I pushed through the nobles who were murmuring in anxiety and stepped forward.

All eyes in the chapel turned to me. The empress, her attendants, and even the master of ceremonies stopped and looked my way.

Used to attention like this by now, I let out a relaxed scoff.

“The offering ceremony falls entirely under Her Majesty the Empress’s authority. If there truly is a problem with today’s rite, isn’t your sudden intrusion the greater issue?”

“Duchess of Lombard, this is His Majesty’s command!”

“His Majesty is a wise ruler, so I’m sure he has his reasons. But without a proper explanation, neither I nor anyone here will accept it.”

“The Duchess of Lombard is right!”

The ladies in waiting surrounding the empress nodded vigorously.

Several high ranking women known for their piety also openly expressed their displeasure and sided with me.

Among them were the Grand Duchess of Heidelberg, a leading figure in politics, Count Belford, who owned vast lands in the central empire, and the Marchioness of Ferrand, renowned both within and beyond the nation.

It was far too great a weight class for a mere official to handle.

Seeing the mood, I continued.

“So then, will you explain the reason?”

“Yes. Please read it yourself.”

With a smug expression, the master of ceremonies handed over the imperial document, densely packed with writing.

The situation felt oddly familiar.

According to Edwin, the emperor had deliberately never taught Elicia how to read and had publicly humiliated her several times over it.

In other words, telling me to read it myself was a blatant insult.

Before the clueless Katerina could flare up, I had already read the document from start to finish and memorized its contents.

“Now do you understand?”

“Yes. Now I do.”

“Then…”

“There is no reason to halt today’s offering ceremony.”

An imperial command carried authority nearly equal to imperial law.

But that didn’t mean it could override the law at all times.

First, there had to be a corresponding urgent reason.

Second, it required both the emperor’s official seal and his formal stamp.

Third, the date of enforcement had to be clearly specified.

These were the minimum principles safeguarding the empire’s legal system. Without all three, even an imperial command held no force.

“The document you brought only bears His Majesty’s seal. There was no stamp from the beginning, and both the author and enforcement date are blank.”

“T-That’s because it was such an urgent matter…!”

“That’s enough.”

At that moment, the empress, who had remained silent until now, finally stepped forward.

Mariana took the document from my hand and carefully reviewed it from top to bottom.

“I was too startled earlier to notice, but as my dear niece says, this document lacks every required procedure.”

The sudden shift to calling me her dear niece was notable, but I wisely stayed quiet.

“I trust that His Majesty is a man who keeps faith.”

“Your Majesty, however…”

“What, then, is the real issue here? The offering ceremony, or you, a man who barged into the chapel?”

Now armed with justification, Mariana’s voice turned icy.

This was another reason the noblewomen found the master of ceremonies offensive.

On the Feast of the Holy Mother, only women and children were permitted inside the chapel. Even male priests were expected to remain quietly in the prayer rooms.

He had disrupted the ceremony and still failed to provide a proper reason.

The moral high ground clearly belonged to Empress Mariana.

Cornered at last, the master of ceremonies muttered,

“If His Majesty learns of this, he will be deeply disappointed in Your Majesty.”

“His Majesty is not a man swayed by personal feelings. Do not tarnish his honor with your own private remarks.”

It was a flawless victory for Mariana by any measure.

Defeated in the battle of justification, the master of ceremonies and the knights had no choice but to withdraw from the chapel.

With everyone watching, the empress calmly restored order without a hint of agitation, then began speaking with the bishop who would preside over the offering ceremony.

All present admired her dignity, grace, and composure.

Soon after, people’s attention shifted toward me as I tried to return to my rightful seat beside Isabella La Ferrand.

“That was incredible, Duchess of Lombard!”

“For a man to barge in with knights on the Feast of the Holy Mother. My hands were shaking with anger earlier, but when I thought of stepping in myself, I was too scared to move.”

“How did you find the courage?”

Because my idol was worried about this situation.

That was what I thought, but eager to return to Isabella’s side, I replied with whatever came to mind.

“It wasn’t hard. I just did what I usually do.”

“Ah…”

The noblewomen froze as they recalled what doing things as Elicia usually did actually meant.

They were probably reliving Elicia’s long and colorful history of disgrace.

After a brief, awkward silence, one of the women spoke cautiously.

“Maybe enduring everything in silence isn’t always the right answer.”

“Honestly, I feel the same. Dying from bottled up anger sounds worse than living honestly and saying what needs to be said…”

For some reason, the conclusion was heading in a very strange direction.