Chapter 72: Invitation
The next few months flew by almost unnoticed. Life went on as usual, the days fell into their familiar routine, and worries and tasks smoothly replaced one another. Walks in the garden, meetings with nobles, discussions of economic issues, lessons with Ruby — all of this merged into a calm, almost monotonous rhythm.
But even in such a measured routine, there was always room for events that could not be ignored. And one of them, without a doubt, shook the entire empire.
Not long ago, loud, almost deafening news swept through the country of Eidelman: the war with the hostile empire of Hyperion had finally ended, and it ended not with defeat, but with a resounding victory for our empire.
This news spread through cities and villages, causing a real explosion of emotions. Newspapers were full of headlines, city streets were filled with flags bearing the empire’s coat of arms, and people gathered in groups in squares and taverns, staging impromptu celebrations.
After months of anxiety, exhausting anticipation, and constant uncertainty, the very thought that they could finally breathe easy was a real relief to the people.
The name of Roger Dickens was particularly prominent in this story. The young heir to the duke showed himself to be extremely courageous. Despite his age, which many still considered "too young" for serious military service, he was not afraid to take on responsibility.
At the decisive moment, Roger took a risky step, leading a detachment in one of the most dangerous operations. And it was this decision that brought Eidelman’s army the final victory.
Now, Roger’s name was known not only as the duke’s only son, but also as a hero of the empire, who was now praised by everyone around him.
Well, since I already knew that this was bound to happen, I wasn’t particularly surprised when I received the news. Nor was I surprised when I received an invitation to a ball at the imperial palace, which was organized in honor of this event.
"Madam, this invitation arrived from the palace today," the butler said, handing me the letter.
I glanced at the gilded envelope with the imperial family’s coat of arms and frowned slightly. Inside was an elegant letter written in calligraphic handwriting, inviting me to a banquet in honor of the victory.
It was predictable. Such an event could not go unnoticed and, of course, had to be accompanied by a lavish celebration.
The emperor sought not only to mark the end of the bloody conflict, but also to demonstrate the strength and unity of the country. What’s more, I even received an invitation in my own name to this celebration.
I smiled slightly. I couldn’t help but remember the days when, in order to attend such an event, I had to accompany Duke Dickens and hide behind the status of his companion. Now I could come on my own, and the palace doors would open to me without any intermediaries.
Of course, the reason for all this was my position as a "secret agent." The emperor still believed that I was devoted to our cause and tirelessly searching for his missing daughter.
During three years of searching, I had become a master of eloquence and skillful lying: each of our audiences required my convincing explanations to appease the emperor and weaken his vigilance. I learned to string words together beautifully, hiding the truth and presenting lies in the most exquisite form.
Well, since I received this invitation anyway, I suppose I have no choice but to go there...?
Although I didn’t really want to meet the emperor at this event, there was nothing I could do about it. After all, if I simply ignored this invitation without a valid reason, it could be seen as a sign of disrespect to the imperial family and to the event as a whole.
The Eidelman Empire was strict about such matters: loyalty and attendance at official receptions were considered not just etiquette, but a duty. One wrong move and I could lose the trust that had been placed in me.
So yes, I would have to go there anyway.
The banquet organized in honor of the empire’s victory was to take place in a week. In other words, I still had enough time to prepare for it.
"All right, I’ll go," I said aloud, putting the envelope aside. "Make sure my schedule is free that day."
"Yes, ma’am," nodded the butler. After a short pause, he asked cautiously, "And the young lady?"
"Hmm?"
"Are you going to take her with you?"
I thought for a moment. He was, of course, referring to Ruby.
The idea of taking the girl to the banquet did not fill me with enthusiasm. Such events were boring and formal, usually filled with endless talk about politics — it could be a difficult ordeal even for an adult like me, let alone a child.
Besides, it seemed to me that Ruby hadn’t really enjoyed being at the palace last time, so I didn’t want to force her to come with me.
It would be better for her to stay at home. Besides, I wasn’t planning on staying at the event for long anyway. I planned to just show up, exchange pleasantries, and leave early, using fatigue as an excuse.
"Ruby doesn’t have to come with me. I’ll go alone," I finally replied, looking at Edison.
"Yes, ma’am," the butler bowed again, his face as impassive as ever.
"Oh, by the way... Ruby and Madame Glover are in class right now, aren’t they?"
"Yes, it should be over in about an hour," Edison confirmed.
"All right," I sighed, feeling slightly tired from all these plans. "Then I’ll let her know when the lesson is over."
Teresa Glover was the name of the woman who had been working at our estate for the past few months.
She appeared here after I was faced with the need to find a replacement for Christian Lockwood, Ruby’s previous tutor. His sudden dismissal came as a real shock to me, and I thought long and hard about how to break the news to Ruby.
The girl had grown accustomed to him, and I thought she might be upset by the news. But life went on, and I had to make a decision.
In the end, after Christian Lockwood’s sudden dismissal, I had no choice but to hire someone else for the position.
Fortunately, my efforts were quickly rewarded, and I was able to find a governess who was fully capable of replacing Christian in this position. She turned out to be a middle-aged woman who first attracted my attention with her professional skills and good attitude toward children.
It was a real relief for me that I was able to find a suitable candidate so quickly. After the incident with Christian, I was worried that Ruby would be sad, but Teresa was able to fill the void.
It seemed to me that Ruby and Madame Glover were able to find common ground quite quickly, and they had been working together for several months now. The estate became calmer, and I was able to focus on my duties, knowing that Ruby was in good hands.
Nevertheless, the question of why Christian decided to quit so suddenly really bothered me at the time. Not only was he Ruby’s mentor, but he had also asked me out on a date to build our future relationship.
However, on the day our first date was supposed to take place, he simply canceled everything.
What’s more, he cut off all contact with me and didn’t even give me any specific explanations to my questions. He just said that he wasn’t good enough for me and that from now on it would be better if we didn’t see each other...
Well, at that moment, this situation really stumped me.
I even thought that I might have been wrong about Christian’s true nature. Maybe he wasn’t as perfect as he seemed?
Perhaps this man was simply afraid to take responsibility for a woman with a child, and therefore shirked his responsibility at the last moment? In the end, I really couldn’t think of any other explanation besides this one.
Oh well. I sighed heavily, pushing these thoughts away.
In any case, since this man was now only in my past, there was no need to think about him now. First of all, I should focus on my current tasks and the future. Raising Ruby, estate matters, and now this ball.
Yes, there were more than enough things filling my head.
After Edison left the office, having told me the news and given me the invitation, I was left alone. I looked again at the beautiful gilded invitation, lost in my own thoughts.
The envelope was quite heavy, with gold embossing, and I ran my finger over the coat of arms — the symbol of imperial power.
Besides meeting the emperor, this also meant that I would see Roger again after almost six months. For some reason, I had a bad feeling about it.