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Chapter 197: His Majesty Alfred Guillaume
🕑 Added 2025-01-13 03:33:57 +0000 UTCCharlot did not bother asking about the magical rapier. Since it was a gift he got for free, he was not picky.
Before Charlot transmigrated to this world, he had once heard a certain actress say, "If there’s food, eat it now; don’t cry when there’s none left."
No matter how you looked at it, the weapon had to be worth a few gold écus at the very least. What was there to be picky about?
If it proved useless, selling it could still bring in a decent income.
Aurora and Charlot spent the afternoon eating and chatting idly, passing the time pleasantly. When evening came and Count Soumet had yet to return, Aurora arranged another dinner for Charlot. This time, the meal was in the style of the Black Phoenix Dynasty, focusing on refinement. Most of the dishes were mildly sweet, with an abundance of desserts.
In Strasbourg, Charlot had never experienced such exquisite cuisine. Unable to help himself, he sighed softly. Aurora asked curiously, "Do you not like the dishes of the Black Phoenix Dynasty?"
Charlot replied calmly, "Not at all! I just remembered a girl who often ate with me at simple restaurants."
Annie had never been picky, nor had she ever complained about the restaurants Charlot chose. Charlot had always thought his choices were decent, but today, he realized the stark difference between noble dining and ordinary restaurants. Noble meals were of far superior quality and sophistication.
This subtle difference underscored the remarkable poise of Miss Annie Bretagne.
Annie, a count’s daughter like Aurora, surely enjoyed a lifestyle equal to or surpassing Aurora’s. Charlot had known Aurora for only two days yet had already seen the essence of aristocratic life. In contrast, he had spent half a year with Annie but never felt anything out of the ordinary. It took great delicacy and patience to maintain such an unassuming demeanor that left no trace of superiority.
For the first time since Charlot’s diplomatic mission to the Ingrima Empire, he felt homesick for Strasbourg.
Aurora, of course, had no idea which girl Charlot had been involved with in Fars. But she found it odd—normally, no man would mention another girl in front of a lady, especially one who might be subtly expressing interest in him.
Any typical man would seize such an opportunity to show off, yet Charlot seemed to lack such intentions entirely.
Out of curiosity, Aurora asked, "What kind of girl is she?"
Charlot smiled faintly. "A somewhat reckless girl with a strong sense of justice."
Charlot had no intention of revealing too much. This wasn’t Earth, after all, where assassins and hitmen weren’t a constant threat. He didn’t want to bring trouble to Annie, even though he knew a Bretagne girl feared no assassins.
Aurora didn’t press further but suddenly asked, "Among those three girls, which one do you like most?"
Charlot chuckled and answered, "Your cousin Dolores became a God Pact Holder. Anastasia is the illegitimate daughter of Baron Feller from Silver Dove Castle. Belisa is the Duchess of Joseph’s lady-in-waiting. Each has her own reasons for leading a busy life."
Aurora grew even more intrigued by Charlot’s explanation. "What do you think is the biggest difference between girls from Fars and those from Ingrima?"
Charlot was about to sidestep the question with a "Tai Chi" maneuver, dodging and redirecting the topic, when a voice interrupted.
"Apologies, Mr. Mecklenburg. You won’t have time to savor the differences between girls from the two empires. His Majesty has summoned you."
Charlot was startled. Never had he imagined that he would be summoned by the Emperor of the Ingrima Empire. He quickly rose and asked, "Count Soumet, you’ve returned so soon?"
It was a lie spoken with open eyes—Count Soumet’s return was anything but quick, as Charlot had already eaten two meals by then.
Count Soumet smiled. "Come with me."
He turned to Aurora. "You’re coming too."
The count escorted Charlot and Aurora onto a carriage, leaving the Foreign Minister’s Residence in haste, heading straight to the royal palace.
Charlot had never been to the royal palace of Fars. Although he had received commendations from both the Emperor and Empress, this didn’t mean he had ever appeared before them. After all, how exalted were Their Imperial Majesties? Awards were typically issued by the imperial staff. Not every hero from the front lines had the fortune to meet the imperial couple.
He never expected that in the Ingrima Empire, he would have the chance to enter the palace.
On Earth, it would have been easy—just buy a ticket to visit the Forbidden City.
The only downside was that it was crowded with tourists, requiring reservations.
Still, Charlot couldn’t help but think of the irony. The former owner of the Forbidden City would now need a ticket to return home. Even with the lines and high ticket prices, Charlot thought it was worth it.
The Ingrima Empire had a total of fifteen palaces, but the one where the Emperor handled daily affairs was the Red Dragon Palace.
The founding Emperor of Ingrima had once been a Grand Duke of Fars, known as the Red Dragon Duke. The title remained with the imperial family of Ingrima, and so the empire’s seat of power was named Red Dragon Palace.
The Red Dragon Palace was majestic. From the sky, it formed a massive cross shape with over two thousand rooms and countless gardens. Surrounding it were the estates of Ingrima’s high-ranking officials.
This area, known as the Dragon District, stood about thirty meters higher than the surrounding areas. Originally a hill, it had been flattened by successive generations of Ingrima emperors to construct their numerous buildings.
From the Red Dragon Palace, one could overlook much of Britain, emphasizing the imperial family and nobility’s elevated status and transcendent positions.
Seated in Count Soumet’s carriage, Charlot admired the sights of the Dragon District through the window, marveling at the nobles’ extravagance. When he finally saw the Red Dragon Palace, he couldn’t help but exclaim, "What a magnificent palace—a miracle built with gold écus!"
Count Soumet smiled faintly. "Indeed. Without gold écus, there would be no Red Dragon Palace. But money alone isn’t enough."
Charlot nodded, musing to himself, Without privilege, it’s just a seventy-year lease.
These musings about Earth’s quirks, rooted in different contexts, would be lost on anyone from the Old Continent.
Even Count Soumet underwent a strict search before entering. Charlot’s Blood Rose and Withered Rose were confiscated, and he had no choice but to hand them over. Thankfully, he hadn’t brought the Magical Rapier, which he had left at the Fars embassy.
After passing through numerous checkpoints and enduring thorough searches by palace eunuchs, Charlot was finally brought before the fifteenth Emperor of the Ingrima Empire, His Majesty Alfred Guillaume.
The Emperor was strikingly young—no older than twenty, perhaps not even eighteen—with a hint of youthfulness still on his face. As he looked Charlot over, he suddenly smiled and said, "I know a lot about your past."
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