I could swear I had never been so flustered in my life. Glancing to the side, I noticed Celine standing with her mouth hanging wide open, and I signaled her to compose her expression. Realizing herself that it was somewhat unseemly, Celine promptly shut her mouth.
Among the nobles lining both sides, there were those I knew quite well, seated high upon the dais at the end of the long carpet I stepped onto. And standing beside them was my mother, with my Ministry of Foreign Affairs colleagues gathered on the opposite side. Determined not to let my agitation make me forget court etiquette, I watched my posture and walked forward.
“Khalid Prodiad, to the noble sovereign of Winchester—”
“Scarlett Dirnant, to the noble sovereign of Winchester—”
Khalid and I offered our formal greetings and sank into a bow, paying our respects to His Majesty the King. It was an exceedingly concise greeting, but His Majesty soon spoke.
“Rise.”
“It is an honor, Your Majesty.”
I raised my head to look upon His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen seated beside him. Just as in my childhood, I still held immense reverence for the royal couple. As I gazed at His Majesty, whose golden eyes matched my mother’s, I felt an unintentional flutter of confusion when a smile suddenly spread across his lips.
“Sir Knight, you have defended Winchester with utmost brilliance. I offer my highest praise to you and the countless soldiers of Winchester, and to reward your arduous efforts, I shall bestow upon you an honorary title and a commensurate estate.”
“May the glory of Winchester ever remain with Your Majesty.”
“And, Lady Scarlett Dirnant.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“You have always defied my expectations. Dispatching you to Sorel did not come without backlash from the nobility.”
I was well aware. There had been no shortage of grumbling about sending a green, inexperienced child, especially from my mother's political rivals.
“Yet not only did you handle your share splendidly enough to silence all that dissent in an instant, you achieved even greater results. This is the glory of Winchester.”
“I am unworthy of such praise, Your Majesty.”
“Therefore, I bestow upon you the Privilege of Pardon.”
Murmurs began to ripple through the chamber at the unexpected words. Yet the nobles around me remained entirely serene. It had likely been decided through the consent of the Privy Council. The Privilege of Pardon—astonished by such an unforeseen honor, my expression turned dazed.
The Privilege of Pardon was an extraordinary right granted only to meritorious subjects, exempting them from accountability for all crimes save for high treason. Having expected nothing more than modest praise, I was completely caught off guard. Gathering my skirts, I curtsied deep in gratitude.
“May the glory of Winchester ever remain with Your Majesty.”
Soon after, His Majesty bestowed numerous rewards on the rest of the negotiation team and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in recognition of their hard work. Honestly, I was so dazed by the privilege I had received that my mind wandered for a moment, and only after His Majesty withdrew alongside Her Majesty the Queen did I finally come to my senses and look around.
“Scarlett.”
My mother seemed to have withdrawn with His Majesty, for she was nowhere to be seen. Instinctively looking for her, I turned around at the sound of someone calling my name. A familiar figure stood before me.
“Senior Matilla!”
At my exclamation, Matilla Clark—Senior Matilla—smiled brightly. She stood just as I always remembered her, with her striking silver hair swept back, dressed in a sleek suit and wine-colored heels. Crossing her arms, she stepped toward me as I stood frozen, then leaned in slightly.
“Your face looks worn.”
“You must have had a rough time, hmm?”
“Well done.”
Seeing her face smile gently at me as always, and hearing that low, kind voice, a surge of sorrow welled up inside me unbidden. Since the Lord of Sorel had been sent to the capital first, she had surely heard news of me.
She would know what choices I made, and what price I had paid for them. As the events of the past few weeks played before my eyes like a panorama, tears welled in my eyes without my realizing it as I looked at her.
It was over.
Funnily enough, the moment I saw her, that was the only thought in my head. Her acknowledgment proved that my negotiations had concluded safely; she hadn't scolded me, and she had recognized my efforts. With that wash of relief, all the tension drained out of me at once.
Reading my mood, several senior colleagues standing behind Senior Matilla smiled. Having been in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs far longer than I had, they were people I still found somewhat intimidating. Frankly, compared to the tongue-lashings I took from them when I first entered the Ministry, my harshness toward Celine amounted to mere pouting.
Yet it was all thanks to them. These negotiations were the fruit of them taking my hand and teaching me step by step.
Focus only on the result.
Do not care about the means.
Make full use of diplomatic discretion.
Exploit every crisis.
Zero in on their weaknesses.
The other side has no intention of losing.
Keep your mind solely on your objective.
Attack with grace, defend with a sharp edge.
Every single phrase they had drummed into me.
The moment Senior Matilla gently took my hand and said, “Let's go,” the overwhelming sense of relief that finally caught up to me caused my tears to burst forth.
Utter embarrassment at my tears aside, Senior Matilla seemed to find my crying quite endearing. Putting it that way felt a bit strange, but once we stepped out of the Audience Chamber and the tears I had barely held back spilled over, she and my colleagues from the Ministry looked at me with faces full of smiles. Here I was, sobbing my eyes out! What wicked people!
As my sniffling began to draw odd looks from passersby, I managed to pull myself together, and Senior Matilla patted my back.
“You did well, Scarlett. You brought it to a truly magnificent close.”
“It was such a burden.”
“I know. It was for me too.”
I couldn't quite believe her words. Senior Matilla always appeared so utterly composed no matter the time or place. Her negotiation skills and eloquence were beyond anything an ordinary person could ever hope to match. Why else would even Grand Duke Closer, who loathed having a woman sit at the negotiating table, treat her with such caution?
Word had it that after negotiating with Senior Matilla once, Grand Duke Closer had even insisted on altering the chair she sat in. For a man whose shamelessness and cunning were second to none to shudder to that extent showed just how formidable she truly was.
On the other hand, Senior Matilla was both my idol and my mentor. In fact, to most in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the name Matilla Clark was practically an absolute icon. She had thrown open the doors of a ministry once packed with rigid, elderly conservatives, shattered the stale tradition of blind obedience to royal decrees, and elevated Winchester’s crumbling Ministry of Foreign Affairs to its current stature in the span of just ten years.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had originally been the exclusive playground of high nobility. Yet Senior Matilla completely upended that by introducing radical talent recruitment and personnel management, opening the ministry's doors so talented commoners and quasi-nobles could set foot inside as well.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had once obeyed the royal family’s will unconditionally. To an office entirely devoid of flexibility and leeway, Senior Matilla brought diplomatic discretion.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had once been an intensely unpopular department. Now, it had become the number one department that Academy students aspired to join upon graduation.
Dare I say it, she was extraordinary. More than anyone else. She was the one who deserved to leave her name etched in Winchester’s history, not me. Had it been her, she would have secured the treaty without an assassination attempt and on terms where no one had to get hurt. I had no doubt Senior Matilla possessed that caliber of ability.
Reaching that thought, another sigh caught in my chest. How did she view me? Did she think putting my life on the line was utterly foolish? Although I had declared my resolve so boldly before Khalid, in truth, I was desperately curious—and terrified—about how Senior Matilla judged me. Of course, even if placed in the exact same situation again, I would make the same choice. It had been the best I could do, after all.
Senior Matilla sat me down on a sofa and brewed two cups of hot tea. As warm steam curled upward, she sat opposite me and crossed her legs.
“Drink up. It's Queen Anne.”
A chuckle slipped out before I could stop it. The Queen Anne monopoly trade clause. It was one of the terms included in the treaty with Sierra.
Queen Anne was a rare variety of tea cultivated solely in the eastern regions of Sierra. Sierra had maintained an exclusive hold over that resource for all their trade. Now that the monopoly trade rights had passed to us, Queen Anne tea would likely become far more widespread throughout Winchester.
Senior Matilla spoke.
“Scarlett, it was a fine choice. Capitalizing on the assassination incident, that is.”
I nearly choked on my tea. Going straight to the heart of the matter like that out of nowhere was bound to throw me off balance!
“Still, cough—still, honestly, I was uncertain too. To be frank, I had my doubts about whether I could have secured the treaty on such favorable terms if that assassination incident hadn't happened…”
“You're wonderful in every way, but why must you lack confidence only at times like this?”
“It isn't a lack of confidence, it's knowing myself well. Senior, if I were even half as capable as you, I wouldn't be like this.”
Senior Matilla burst out laughing. Her dazzling beauty was radiant no matter how many times I saw it, the corners of her eyes curving into soft crescents. Caught in a daze while looking at her, I placed my teacup down on the table.
“Aren't you already doing far better than just half of what I do?”
“Even so, notice how you don't say I do as well as you.”
When I made the teasing remark, Senior Matilla broke into laughter again. ‘I never tell lies,’ her expression seemed to say, brimming with unshakeable confidence. Yes, that was what I loved about Senior Matilla. That self-assurance, that pride. She was an exceptional judge of character. Seeing her uncanny talent for coaxing geniuses and prodigies into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she could easily have become the greatest swindler in Winchester had she set her mind to wickedness. After all, the line between a diplomat and a con artist was paper-thin.
“You have a strong sense of responsibility. In holding onto your goal, you possess qualities that surpass mine.”
“Thank you.”
“And you know how to charge straight toward what you want. That daring spirit, that passion—I find it truly delightful.”
Senior Matilla took a sip of her tea. Her compliments made me self-conscious, and I fiddled with my fingers without realizing it. Watching me, she offered a gentle smile.
“The truth is, even if I had gone myself, the outcome would have been the same. I have that much confidence in my abilities. Yet the reason I recommended you regardless…”
“Why did you seat Celine in the Fifth Seat?”
She asked, her dark eyes resting steadily on me with a hint of amusement. I opened my mouth once more.
“Well, because Celine is capable of it.”
“There must have been plenty of people more accomplished than that girl, though.”
“Because she's young. I wanted to give her a seat at such a major negotiating table. After all, no matter how many hundreds of times I trail after her telling her to do this or that, it could never match the experience of sitting at the table even once.”
Seeming pleased with my answer, Senior Matilla nodded.
“I always knew I was talented. But even my talent has its limits. And like any other human, my life has its end.”
“Scarlett, I won't ask how it felt to sit in the First Seat. I only hope this opportunity gave you great enlightenment and experience.”
“Your every action comes with responsibility. Whatever means you employ to achieve your ends, you must bear the consequences entirely. Whether you emerge a victor or a loser depends entirely upon your choices. That is why I will not pass judgment on your methods. Nor do I have the right to.”
“Senior.”
“Congratulations, Scarlett. All this glory is the fruit of your labor and that of the negotiation team you led. History will recognize what you have done, and future generations will judge it. I hope you continue to grow into an even finer diplomat.”
“Thank you, Senior.”
Hearing Senior Matilla's words, another wave of emotion choked my throat. Her words were gentle and warm, yet cut deep with sharp guidance. Every single word was steeped in genuine care and affirmation for me, leaving me both overjoyed and deeply overwhelmed.
More than ever before.
