Chapter 209 (1/2)

Chapter 209: Chapter 209

A few days later when I was having breakfast after morning training, my father, who was silently eating with a fork, said, “Tia, I’m afraid I have to change the hunting place to the imperial

hunting ground instead of our estate.”

“Pardon? What are you talking about? ”

“Well, the emperor has issued the order. He also told me to open the banquet at the guest house near the palace. ”

“Oh my…” My eyes opened wide.

Use the imperial hunting ground and the guest house? What the heck is he talking about?

“Why did he issue such an order?”

“Well, he said he could not allow a large number of nobles including the captains of the knights to vacate the capital for long in the early days of his rule, I don’t know the exact reason. ”

Like he said, I felt strange about the order.

Of course, the guest house is nearer to the capital because it only takes half a day to get there while it takes a couple of days to get to our estate. But I couldn’t understand why the emperor opened the imperial hunting ground for that simple reason. Besides, the imperial hunting ground has been reserved for the imperial family until now.

I raised my eyebrows in spite of myself. I was afraid the noble faction might find fault with me, citing this matter. No matter how good cause I presented, they, hellbent on nit picking on my back, would not pass over it.

No matter how much I thought about it, I felt I couldn’t accept it. So, after I finished my breakfast, I headed straight to the Imperial Palace. I could see him only late in the afternoon because there were lots of people who requested to see him today.

So, I helplessly walked out of the Central Palace. I could see him much earlier with the power of my family, but I didn’t want it.

When I turned to the knights building after plodding along, I suddenly saw a knight in a familiar uniform walking toward me. As if he was glad to see me, he bowed with a smile.

“Hi, Sir Monique. Good morning.”

“Hi, Sir Freia.”

“Oh, I think I’ve got something to boast about in the morning. It looks like something good will happen to me today.”

“Pardon?”

“Oh, nothing. By the way, I heard a rumor that the emperor would open the imperial hunting ground and the guest house for your coming-of-age ceremony. Is that true?”

I smiled in embarrassment at the man who was looking at me curiously.

Has the rumor already spread to everybody? Maybe it’s too late for me to ask the emperor to cancel it.

I sighed somehow. I didn’t want to hold my coming-of-age ceremony ostentatiously. Of course, opening a hunting contest at my estate itself was extraordinary, but using the imperial guest house for that purpose was a different matter.

Sir Freia asked, watching me sighing, “Well, I know it’s rude for me to ask this, but your breakoff of engagement with the emperor has been withdrawn then?”

“Pardon? What do you mean…”

“Oh, I’m sorry if you were offended. Well, I thought he would not have opened the imperial hunting ground and the guest house unless you had withdrawn the breakoff of the engagement…”

“Oh, I see. That’s fine.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

I thought about it for a moment, watching Sir Freia bowing slightly.

‘Withdrawing the breakoff of my engagement with him?

Come to think of it, I felt many people could think so. By the way, when is he going to announce it officially? The foreign delegations already left.

When I thought I had to double check it sooner or later, one of the servants came over and said,

“Are you Sir Monique?”