Who Do You Like More, Mom or Dad?

“Did you say you met His Highness Esteban?”

 

Teacher Conrad

hmm

-ed and looked at the table for a while. Then he said adding.

 

“It must’ve not been a very good experience. Since he’s not a person with a good personality.”

 

At the remark that was equivalent to the crime of insulting the Imperial Family, even though Diana knew that there was no one else aside from them both, she still looked around the inside of the room. When she heaved a sigh of relief, Conrad laughed without a sound.

 

“Do you know each other?”

 

“Should I say that I know him…. I have simply given him a class.”

 

Teacher Conrad raised his glasses as he added.

 

“Surely I mean, although he’d never had a proper class because he’s busy.”

 

“Y-You were the Imperial Prince’s teacher?”

 

“No. He came as an auditing student when I gave a lecture at the academy.”

 

“Ah.”

 

It seemed that there were no good feelings.

 

‘Well, since I don’t have any good feelings either… Are we comrades?’

 

Laughing nonsensically inside, Diana asked.

 

“It seems that he’s so busy to the point that he can’t even take a class.”

 

“The reason he came to the academy, as an auditor, was only an excuse, since it was mainly for increasing his power.”

 

“Power?”

 

At Diana’s question, Conrad lifted up a teacup that was put aside because of the book. It was an action that he often did when the conversation was about to become longer.

 

Diana also stealthily pulled a plate of cookies, that was on one side, that had chocolate chips embedded on it.

 

“I had told you that His Majesty the Emperor has two empresses, right.”

 

It was the very first thing that she learned.

 

The First Empress, Tatiana Loffen Heimbarden had three children, except for the First Imperial Prince, who had a different and early fate.

 

There were Robert and the fraternal twins, Estelle and Esteban. Like that, she passed away after having three children.

 

And then, the Emperor brought in the Second Empress, the Current Empress, Margarita Stadt Heimbarden.

 

Empress Margarita gave birth to her first child, a son, Siegfried, and a daughter, Lithuania, as her second.

 

“The children of the two empresses unite with the center being their biological mothers, and are fighting for the Imperial throne. The former Empress’ faction is centered on Imperial Prince Robert, and the current Empress’ faction is centered on Empress Margarita.”

 

It came to her mind once again that Esteban was also a person who had lost his mother when he was young. That fact made her feel very, very little sympathy.

 

Sipping the tea once, Teacher Conrad opened his mouth again.

 

“But the Young Miss doesn’t need to pay attention to it.”

 

“…I can do that?”

 

“Yes. Since not being involved in the succession of the Imperial throne is Ohrid’s strict rule.”

 

“Aha. What a relief.”

 

“Although because he believes in that strict rule, His Highness Esteban is behaving insolently….”

 

“Aha.”

 

It meant that he behaved impolitely because we aren’t going to be on his side nor on another person’s side. He started disliking us more.

 

“Since Young Miss Diana also has nothing that you’ll need to manage for His Highness Esteban, you can do whatever you want.”

 

“You said I have nothing that I’ll manage?”

 

Biting down on the cookie with a rustle, Diana asked back.

 

“One-third of the Heimbarden Imperial Family tax is the tax that Ohrid pays.”

 

Diana paused.

 

“And another one-third is the tax that’s collected from businesses and merchants that are connected with Ohrid either directly and indirectly.”

 

Teacher Conrad kept continuing to talk.

 

“The richest one on the continent is the World Tower, and the next is Ohrid. Since the World Tower is a coalition group of sorcerers centered on the twelve sages, as a single family, Ohrid is the first.”

 

The cookie which Diana was biting in her mouth,

tuk,

fell.

 

“Even becoming a Duke or Marquess Family, there was surely nothing lacking at all.”

 

“But why….”

 

“In Ohrid, there’s one thing that’s impossible, no, rather than impossible, there’s something that they don’t dabble in.”

 

As she tidied the cookie that fell and its crumbs, Diana looked at Teacher Conrad.

 

“It’s soldiers. Ohrid has received restrictions on military power since the moment Heimbarden was founded.”

 

“Are you talking about knights?”

 

“Yes. From the Marquess rank and above, soldier restrictions are loosened. Therefore, for Ohrid, who receives military power sanctions, it is difficult to get a rank above Count. Well, they can just hire mercenaries, but it’s surely lacking compared to knights who are loyal to the family.”

 

“But we have Lord Serafina and Lord Dominic, don’t we?”

 

Other than them, there were other knights as well.

 

“Because it’s just a few. There are a few knights who are directly under Ohrid, but it is hard to form an order of knights.”

 

“I see.”

 

No, it wasn’t a matter that could be passed by just saying, ‘I see’. The second richest in the world, no, to think it’s the richest man? Really?

 

At that moment, Teacher Conrad tilted his head as he asked.

 

“But doesn’t Lady Diana have something to be more concerned about than that?”

 

“Something I’ll be more concerned about?”

 

Pausing, Teacher Conrad put down the teacup that he had lifted. It was a face that was looking forward to something fun. Diana squinted her eyes.

 

“Oh my, have you not read today’s newspaper?”

 

“Yes. Because I was busy doing my homework in the morning.”

 

“As expected, it turns out there’s a reason why you were calm.”

 

Yesterday El-Corte was just the beginning.  There was something bad that happened, but that wasn’t enough for her to quit visiting the Imperial Capital and return back.

 

She walked on the streets of Ropelita Hill, climbed to the top of the clock tower, and also watched the sunset. She also visited Teislo. It was her second visit, but as expected, the dexterity was incredible.

 

After going around all day and coming home, she terrifyingly couldn’t even wash up and conked out. She barely woke up and hurriedly finished her homework in the morning.

 

“Lady Diana is quite the rare and faithful student.”

 

Conrad smiled satisfactorily.

 

Many noble children didn’t want to do their homework and shirked, or they just made their servant or maid do it instead, and then brought it, saying that they did it themselves. He could tell just by looking at the handwriting, but they either played innocent until the end, or they got angry at the servants, saying that the reason they got caught was because of the servants.

 

After teaching such people, to see that there’s a student who tries her best to learn like this– As a teacher, he was bound to be proud.

 

Conrad rang the bell and called a servant.

 

“If there is today’s Figarosa Newspaper here, bring it.”

 

The servant soon brought the newspaper. Conrad handed Diana the newspaper.

 

“It’s not only in the Figarosa, but the Treim and the Betasa Newspaper also have similar content.”

  

[What is the identity of the girl who got escorted by Ohrid’s heir? The reason why that girl bought the trampled gloves.]

  

It was a picture of her which she didn’t know when it was taken. Although her face wasn’t revealed because she was wearing a mask…

  

[Ohrid’s heir returns to the Imperial Capital after a long overseas trip. The very first thing he did was escort a masked girl.

 

While gathering news materials about Ohrid’s heir and the girl, exclusive information came in.

 

There was a noble lady who had tried to remove her mask, and when she was stopped, she slapped an employee’s cheek, trampled on a product, and left.

 

With the trampled product is Miester Gautier’s fall collection that’ll come, the price is…

 

The employee was in the position to compensate, but the girl paid all the prices, saying that she was going to buy the gloves…]

  

“What is this?”

 

The article was very detailed.

 

“Who took a picture of me?”

 

She completely had no idea. Just when did they start following her?

 

“Anyhow it turned out, you got a good image. Congratulations.”

 

Is this something to be congratulated on? Diana had a strange look.

 

“When Lady Diana makes your debut later, it’ll become helpful.”

 

“…Is that so?”

 

Conrad nodded.

 

Although this article might be deliberately spilled from Ohrid, Diana didn’t need to know.

 

And those who heard this article had another curiosity. Just who in the world did such a wicked act?

 

The identity of the noble was revealed as if they’d waited for everyone to wonder. The Bordeaux Baroness and Lady.

 

People were worked up. Since they weren’t even a family that had such high power to the extent that they possibly couldn’t be insulted. People didn’t hesitate to ridicule and insult them like a fish in water.

 

If this incident had broken out and the mother and daughter had shown signs of self-consciousness, it could’ve subsided shortly.

 

However, Atticia Bordeaux didn’t do that. It would’ve been right to say that she had never done that.

 

Atticia ordered a servant to assault a maid who was caught talking behind her back. And that matter was revealed once more through the newspaper.

 

Cases of the actual behavior of noble women, who are well-known for their noble character, do to their servant or maid being the opposite of those rumors, were very common.

 

In other words, it meant that such matters were not new among nobles.

 

However, it was different when the facts that were known to each other while turning a blind eye to each other were laid bare through the newspaper.

 

It was a very humiliating matter as a noble to be condemned for being vicious while becoming a gossip topic.

 

The Baron Bordeaux Family’s honor fell to the ground, and those who had exchanges with them distanced themselves, afraid that even their names would be brought up in vain.

 

And Diana couldn’t know all of these facts. Because it was a matter that wasn’t worthy of her to know.

  

***

  

–Two years later.

 

Ohrid’s backyard, which blocked people’s approaches, felt remote among all the Ohrid’s other gardens.

 

The garden, which was intertwined with trees that grew as if they were competing and bushes that gushed out as it liked without pruning, gave off a deep forest-like feeling. Among the large trees was an elegant gazebo.

 

Originally, it was a garden whose size wasn’t much different from other mansions.

 

However, Count Ohrid ordered to overturn the fine back garden. Marbles were set up and a gazebo that was decorated with large jade was made.

 

This was a gift for her only beloved granddaughter. It also reflected the taste of her granddaughter who had said that playing in the garden is fun, and that she liked the forest.

 

Although, Diana didn’t actually know the reason why the garden suddenly changed.

 

“Young Miss. Young Miss.”

 

Diana buried her head in between the warm and fluffy fur. However, the warm pillow suddenly moved and slipped out.

 

“Aack!”

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