Genius Seventh Prince 161 Meeting the Emperor

"Your Majesty..." Braiden bowed politely as he bit his lower lip nervously. He knew that he could not go over his mother's head and talk to his Royal Father or uncle first. So, after the match between Keaton and Greyson was over, he swiftly walked over to her separate housing, the Hellebore Palace. 

"Oh, Braiden, no need for such formalities. What brings you here to visit me?" Although her words were spoken nonchalantly, the coldness and alienation in her eyes and tone were evident. Flinching almost imperceptibly, Braiden coughed to clear his throat a little.

"I have something of great import to report. I thought it would be best to let Imperial Mother know first since it is related to the His Grace, Duke of Mendenhall."

"Father is it... Alright, tell me the situation." Sighing with a hint of impatience, the Empress spread the fan in her hand seemingly trying to hide her deep frown. Hearing her words, Braiden quickly went over the course of events from earlier as well as inputting his own thoughts on how the situation should be handled. When he got to the point where Duke Mendenhall openly showed hostility, the Empress just scoffed. Ignoring her mood, Braiden wrapped up his report. When he stopped speaking, the room descended into an uncomfortable silence. The Empress paused her fanning and abruptly snapped the fan shut. Squeezing the item in her hand, she finally regained her impassive expression.

"Hohoho, my dear younger brother Keaton sure is quite the handful. My father tends to baby the sons in our family. He even lowered himself to glaring... I understand the situation, my son. I will come up with some measures to keep my father calm." Stressing the words in sarcasm, the Empress waved to dismiss Braiden from the room. Not staying a minute longer, Braiden bowed and turned heel to make his way out of the room. Only once the bedroom doors closed behind him did he finally release the breath that he did not realize he had been holding. Although he wished to know more about the specifics of her plan, Braiden was aware he was not close enough to his mother for her to disclose her plans to him. Massaging his head once again, he groaned in frustration.

"If she said that she had the situation under control, I guess I will just have to believe her." Shrugging helplessly, he understood that there was nothing else he could do other than wait and see. "I should probably go inform uncle and father of the situation, as well." He murmured to himself. However, the people he wished to inform were already having discussions of their own. 

At the same time... 

Walking briskly down the hall of the imperial palace, a middle-aged man with the royal family's signature black hair and blue-grey eyes marched directly towards the Emperor's study room. Standing outside were the two guards and a servant who announces the arrival of any guests. Startled by the man's sudden appearance with no prior appointment, the servant quickly began to introduce his name to the Emperor inside.

"Announcing the arrival of His Grace, Duke of Winterbridge! Would Your Imperi-... wait, Your Grace!" Before he could finish his announcement and ask for the Emperor's permission to open the doors, the Duke knocked the guards and servant to the side and pushed them open himself. 

"Your Imperial Majesty, I have an important report." Succinctly bowing with just the right amount of etiquette, the Duke looked towards the man in front of him. The Emperor and the Duke shared an uncanny resemblance towards one another which was to be expected as they are brothers from the same parents. Unexpectedly, the Emperor looked to be brighter and more easy-going than the Duke, who usually wore such a grim and serious expression.

"Oh, younger brother, it must be something special for you to personally come to inform me and in such a rush as well. You are normally such a stickler for manners." While he spoke as such, the Emperor did not look up from his documents and continued signing and reading. The servant saw that the Emperor did not say anything more, so he just signaled for the guards to close the door. Duke Winterbridge did not seem to take any offense towards the clear inattention. Such was the life of a true ruler, neverending amounts of work, and reports to sign off and make decisions on.

"For the selection this year, there has been a shocking dark horse." Winterbridge began.

"Zaire, surely you have not come to bore me with such news. Every other selection has some form of a dark horse."

"I would never bother Your Majesty with such trifles if it were not so different from the rest. It's not as if every other selection has a 15-year-old magister level stage five magician." 

"Yes, that's... wait, 15?!" Now, this got the Emperor's attention as the quill stopped moving and his eyes looked up in shock towards his younger brother. 

"Yes, 15. There was also a situation with Duke Mendenhall." Duke Winterbridge continued to explain the situation afterward.

"Hmph, the Mendenhall family is truly overstepping its bounds lately. To think I even have to worry that they might act against such a powerful asset for the Empire. It really leaves a bad taste in my mouth." Sneering with derision, the Emperor showed clear distaste for Duke Mendenhall.

"Even if you say it like that, the imperial power that Your Majesty holds is not enough to suppress the Mendenhall family. You are clearly aware that they currently hold too much power. Your Majesty will probably have to bring out something valuable and negotiate with them."

"My, my, Zaire, must you say it like that. You are going to hurt your older brother's feelings."

"It is the reality, nothing more."

"Haahh... I understand. I will speak to my Empress about this. We will probably be able to come up with something." Burying his face in his hands for a moment, the Emperor replied begrudgingly. 

"If I remember correctly, we have a healing potion in the vault that could heal that Keaton's wounds right away. As long as he can keep a place in the 10 representatives, they probably would not act out." Duke Winterbridge suggested.

"Hmmm... I will consider this solution." The Emperor nodded before waving his hand to dismiss the Duke. Bowing once again, the Duke turned around to leave.

"Zaire. You know that you can come just to speak to me sometimes, right?"

"Did I not just speak with you now?" The Duke responded without turning around.

"Haha... well, I guess you did, didn't you? Nevermind, then. Go on." Chuckling wryly, the Emperor just shook his head and did not say anything more. He watched as that familiar back continued to walk out until the doors shut behind him. 

...

Greyson spent the next two days after the match to relax. He ate well, took hot baths, and slept a lot. He felt that his animal companions were starting to rub off on him. Only on the third day was a servant sent to call him. Apparently, the 10 representatives were to have an audience with the Emperor. Most likely because they were aware of his situation, the servant also provided appropriate attire for the occasion. It was a white suit with silver linings and a matching blue-grey cape that went over his right shoulder. The embroidered decorations were also in silver thread. He was to meet with the Emperor privately before attending a ball to celebrate. He still had a couple of hours left before he would be led into the palace, so Greyson just sat around feeling jittery. Actually, he had never been taught the proper etiquette for such a situation. He had no idea how to greet the Emperor or others properly. What if he committed a grave faux pas?

Little did he think that the answer to his worries would come knocking on his door on her own.

"Grey Grey, go out and play with me! I want some good food." Leilena barged in on her own.

"Teacher!" As if a light went off in his mind, Greyson's anxious expression dissolved as he smiled joyfully at this unexpected guest.

"Hm? Wow, you are so glad to see me? Did my cute student miss me more than I realized?"

"Teacher, you are part of a noble family here and you said that they taught you proper etiquette, right?"

"Yes..." She quickly grimaced at the thought.

"Can you teach me? I have an audience with the Emperor soon and have to attend a ball afterward. I do not need to know everything, just the most obvious things that could be offensive."

"But that's just the thing, dear student. When it comes to nobles, everything is offensive and distasteful..." Leilena frowned.

"Well, all the more reason we should start reviewing now! Just try to cram as much knowledge as possible into me in the next four hours."

"Ok, if you are sure. Listen carefully."

...

When Leilena finally left, Greyson felt like his head was about to explode with all the new information he was supposed to memorize. Thankfully, he would not have to attend events like this often otherwise he felt like he would suffocate under all these "unspoken" rules. No wonder his teacher wished to run away. Nobility was not all it was made up to be it seemed. 

When he looked at the clock, he knew that he did not have much time left until the servant comes to pick him up. Quickly picking up the suit, he tried to figure out the buttons. Admiring himself in the mirror, he nodded to himself thinking that it suits him quite well. A gentle knock at his door brought him out of his narcissistic reverie.

"Mr. Greyson? I'm here to escort you." It was the same voice as the messenger from earlier.

"Alright, I'm coming out."

When the door opened to reveal Greyson, the servant paused in surprise for a moment. 

"Hm? What is it?" Greyson looked at him with confusion. He was a bit worried that he might have put the suit incorrectly. Realizing he had been staring for too long, the servant panicked before shaking his head and claiming it was nothing. As a man himself, it was a bit embarrassing to be surprised by the good looks of Greyson.

Greyson followed the servant down and saw two beautiful Niflelem. They were similar in shape to horses; however, they were magic beasts that specialized in the ice element. Their endurance, intelligence, and fighting capabilities all made them superior to regular horses. Plus, normal animals like horses found it difficult to survive in Snow Country's environmental conditions. Stroking his hand over the hair on their body, Greyson admired these tall, sturdy beasts. The heads of both of the Niflelem turned to look over at the newcomer. Their blue eyes showed amusement as the rubbed their head in Greyson's hands. Finding them cute despite their stature, Greyson chuckled to himself before hopping on one of them. The housing that Greyson was staying in was technically part of the palace grounds, however, it was still a bit far from the main palace where the Emperor resides and holds the parties and balls.

The saddle was more comfortable than he expected. The bumpiness of the roads caused his body to bounce a little, but not enough to make him feel any real discomfort. He peeked around at the gardens and different buildings within the palace that he did not get around to looking at before. When he reached the front door, the servant spoke to the guards after dismounting to confirm his and Greyson's identities. Greyson greeted them politely while getting escorted into the main palace. Unlike his imagination, the decorations were not very lavish and gaudy. Instead, the palace contained a similar gloomy interior like the rest of the capital. But Greyson also recognized that the silver decorations on the wall were all made from Elyrium, a rare and expensive magic metal. As a blacksmith, Greyson was fully aware of just how difficult it was to procure, however, this palace was filled to the brim with such metal decorations. It was a great conduit for mana and boosted the effects of magic barriers and protective spells. 

"The imperial family is the imperial family after all. Even their decorations are of such a standard..." He almost whispered to himself.

"Oh, I am surprised you noticed! Most people are rather underwhelmed by the palace as they usually cannot tell." Although Greyson spoke softly, the servant still managed to pick up on the words. He looked at Greyson with more warm approval after hearing his words. Speechless, Greyson wondered if he was such a country bumpkin in the eyes of those here that even the servants look down on him. Soon, they reached the end of their journey at the doors to the throne room. Other than him, he saw nine other people waiting. It seemed he was the last one to arrive. As he was not familiar with the others, he gravitated towards Eris and smiled in greeting towards her. She greeted back with a smile and moved a little to invite him to stand next to her.

"It seems I am late?" He asked a bit surprised.

"Not so much late, as just uninformed. Nobles are peculiar when it comes to arrival time. You don't want to be first as that looks overeager and could also be rude as you do not give the host enough time to prepare. But if you are last, you seem like you are not taking the host seriously. All very complicated. You do not have to worry too much about it." Eris just shrugged. "Honestly, I only arrived before you by a little."

"Oh? But you are obviously aware of such practices." Greyson raised a brow at her.

"Familiar does not mean agreement. It's too tiring to try to play this game with the others. I will just come when I want as long as I come on time."

"Oh, by the way, it seems as if the imperial family thinks very highly of you."

"That's random. What makes you say so?"

"Well, take a look right over there. Do you not see a familiar face?" She pointed to their right. Following her finger, he spotted Keaton Mendenhall.

"Him? So? He seems like he was powerful enough to keep his spot even if I beat him." Not too surprised to see him back in the ten representatives, Greyson was not seeing the point.

"Really... are you normally not aware of how much damage you do onto your opponents? With the injuries you gave him and the normal resources of the Mendenhall family, it should have still taken Keaton at least a month to heal. Yet, here he is looking the picture of good health. Also, to have gotten his spot back, he would have had to recover by the next day. Do you now see the discrepancy?"

"Were his injuries that serious?" Scratched the side of his face feeling awkward.

"Yes. Now, where do you think he got such an amazing healing potion?" 

"Well, it must have been the imperial family since that is what you hinted at in the beginning."

"See, now you are getting it. Yes, it was bestowed to them by the Empress. But she would probably not be able to take something so valuable from the imperial vault without the permission of the Emperor. Thus, explaining my claim that the imperial family thinks highly of you. They made this move in order to protect you."

"Protect me from the Mendenhall family's revenge?"

"Seems you are not too dumb." Eris winked playfully.

Greyson just rolled his eyes in response, but inside he thought a bit more about the situation that seemed to solve itself in such a subtle fashion. Maybe this was the way the balances of power worked in an empire. He wanted to continue the conversation, but his words were interrupted by the servant who came out of the throne room announcing that the Emperor would see them now. 

His back stiffening a little, Greyson began to recite the rules of etiquette that Leilena taught him in his head. The ten representatives lined up shoulder-to-shoulder as the doors slowly swung open. Keeping their heads slightly bowed down, they continued forward until they were around 5 feet from the last step. Reaching this point, the men got on one knee and held their sword tip down in the scabbard on their right sides. The females went into a deep curtsy.

"Rise." A deep voice commanded.

At this moment, everyone straightened up and finally looked up. At the top of the short flight of steps were two thrones. In one sat a man with a gentle atmosphere while the woman smiled gracefully. The man had the Yce family's black hair and blue-grey eyes that sparkled playfully. This man was Emperor Claude Vespasian Yce. The woman was not much of a beauty, but her eyes contained the wisdom and imposing aura befitting the Mother of the Country. This woman was Empress Amadea Saskia Yce. Greyson could almost instinctually feel the great magic power of the two people in front of him. It was this oppressive air that made him feel like a helpless child at their mercy. Even though both of them smiled harmlessly, their majestic presence did not decrease.

"So, these will be our 10 representatives, then?" The man remarked.

"Yes, Your Majesty." A servant confirmed at the side.

"Well, alright, Penley. It was a rhetorical question." The Emperor sent a withering look towards his aide. "No need to feel too nervous, young heroes. You are the ones who will bring glory to our great empire and the Snow Country! I have great expectations for this year's participants." 

"Hohoho, I am also greatly anticipating the results this time." Empress Amadea added in while glancing towards her son, daughter, younger brother, and lastly at Greyson. 

"The news of one particularly talented lad has reached even my ears. Greyson was the name, was it not?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." That servant Penley once again confirmed.

Emperor Claude gave an exasperated sigh looking at his dull aide before looking directly at Greyson.

"15-years-old, huh? It really puts this old man to shame." He chuckled.

"You overpraise, Your Majesty."

"Well, I think all of us here understand that this is truly praise you deserve. I expect great things from you, young man. You are exactly the kind of talent that our Snow Country requires." 

"I am honored by your words." Greyson bowed a little stiffly. 

"Braiden and Aphina, as my children I also have high expectations for your results." The Emperor quickly turned his attention to the Prince and Princess.

"Your father is right, children. Do not grow complacent. You two will be the leaders of the group."

"Understood." The two bowed in response.

"Alright, one reason we called you was just to take a look at you all in person. Another reason was to announce that there will be a special team training this time around. I would not dare to have you promise results in the individual selections, however, I believe, with enough work with coordination, you all can bring back results in the team competition. You will be trained by my personal knight squad along with the Duke of Winterbridge. It will be tough training for around a month, but you must persevere. There will also be separate rewards and resources included in this training to help boost your strength."

"We thank Your Majesty for your generosity." As if rehearsed, all of the representatives knelt down.

"Hm... All of you look impressive. I will pray for your success. Good luck with the training. You may now head to the festivities. We will also join shortly." He waved his hand to dismiss them.

Everyone once again got up and bowed or curtsied before being led out by a servant. Once the door closed, a bunch of them released a sigh of relief. It was too nerve-wracking in the presence of the Emperor. Even Greyson wiped some cold sweat. He wondered why he never felt this nervous in front of his grandparents when they were even more powerful than the Emperor. Maybe because they specifically held back their presence?

Chapter end