It was not time for me to adore Sylvia. Suddenly, I was now in a situation where I had to favor Duchess Nerma instead.

'I am sorry, Sylvia...!'

I will try my best to take good care of you, though!

With that thought, I glanced down at Duchess Nerma with a face that was suddenly disturbed.

"Yeah, I see."

As my voice trembled slightly with tension, the Duchess of Nerma smiled a little more. At the same time, her face was as if saying, 'Oh, you should not show your weakness like that.'

...Scary.

At that, I resolutely stretched my shoulders so as not to reveal my weakness. I then felt like words of praise were conveyed through her eyes.

"The etiquette of social gatherings is the same in all countries, so I don't think there will be any major problems."

"Oh, my gosh. That's a reasonable statement. You were a princess when you weren't married yet."

Duchess Nerma covered her mouth with her fan and chuckled after saying that.

On the other hand, I laughed at myself as I spoke. What would be the same thing? This is a crazy country, not my home country...! In my memory, Unro Kingdom was a bit small, and the people had common sense even if they had bad bones in their bodies.

I added quickly, thinking that I might be overly arrogant.

"Though the Actilus Empire has its own customs, so there might be very, very small, very subtle differences from my home country. That part, I'll leave that to you."

I think I said it well so that it does not feel like I am begging her for anything, right?

Even though I wanted to quickly turn my gaze to Cisen to confirm that I was speaking well, I did not, fearing that the act itself might be an act of revealing 'weakness.' Instead, she looked down at only Duchess Nerma, who was still smiling.

It seems my choice was correct.

Duchess Nerma was still sitting at my feet, not even paying attention to the dust on the ends of her dress before opening her mouth.

"I'm glad, Your Majesty. Actually, it's presumptuous, but I was waiting for you to order it. I've been spreading rumors in the social world..."

It was ominous for her to speak with a shy blush on her cheeks like that...

I asked cautiously.

"What did you say...?"

"It'd be better to show your sincerity in advance, because..."

When she straightened her back, I bowed my head unexpectedly. Then, Duchess Nerma whispered in my ear, "At the beginning of next month, they'll be given an opportunity to meet with the Empress up close, although that opportunity won't go to everyone."

It is in the middle of early July... So, at the most, it would be in three weeks.

AD

Before my value, which peaked in hunting, withered and fell, I could see her intention to see the game quickly.

Haha!

Duchess of Nerma, you do your job very well. You are very good! I am about to cry—! I am not ready, mentally or physically, for this yet. Well, I wonder if the hunting grounds were ready...

I swallowed my tears inside and smiled.

"Ha, haha... Thank you."

...Just like that, as soon as the summer solstice festival was over, I was destined to start a new job like crazy again. Even if you pretend to be a high person, you cannot eat anything raw.* There was no place where you could go on and win without lifting your finger.

[ T/N: Eating something raw is an idiom which means, (disparaging) To do or have something without making efforts. ]

"If you study the circumstances inside and outside the palace and make your official debut in the imperial society, from then on, you'll be in charge of the affairs of the Imperial Family in earnest."

Duchess Nerma uttered so with a voice that made me feel dizzy.

I was nervous because I thought my schedule would be too busy. Then, when would I plan to escape...?

If I study, July will pass quickly. And, if I was in charge of the imperial family's affairs, I would be incredibly busy. In addition, the Emperor's appearance is scheduled to take place in December. Then, with common sense, I would be busy again.

...I was mistaken to think that there was a lot of time to escape. I had to move quickly.

"...Whoo."

"I'll help you both physically and mentally, huhu."

While I sighed in frustration at the thought of running away, Duchess Nerma seemed to have interpreted it a little differently.

I looked down at her face sullenly.

...Okay, let's solve the immediate problem first.

ﾟ· : * ✧ * :· ﾟ

I began to earnestly learn social etiquette after that.

The social etiquette of the Actilus Empire was surprisingly normal. I was worried that there might be a culture of throwing forks at each other at tea parties, though unexpectedly, that was not the case.

A delicate tea party in a country that revered force and barbarism, although it caused cognitive dissonance... This country was selectively normal.

Still, there were differences between the Unro Kingdom and here, so I had to learn the differences from the Duchess of Nerma diligently. Furthermore, I had to also learn other things after the social gathering that was a fortnight away. It was something I did not like very much even though I had been learning for a week... It was no joke.

"Come on, Your Majesty. There's a long way to go. I look forward to your kind cooperation today."

Duchess Nerma unfolded her fine leather-bound notebook.

This was a secret weapon that her husband, the Duke of Nerma, wrote and personally referenced and was titled 'All About the Actilus Aristocracy.' The note, about a hundred pages long, had thin pieces of colored paper protruding from every corner.

According to the words of Duchess Nerma, 'Even if you do not know anything else, these are the things you should memorize.'