Memoirs of Your Local Small-time Villainess

Evelyne watched on as the huge sight of the Dawnlight Palace drew closer and closer. Their carriage was slowly traveling across the Dawnset Bridge towards the palace, a long line of other noble carriages trailing behind them. The gleaming bronze-red walls that surrounded the palace reflected the midday sun, with large banners bearing the imperial crest hanging at even intervals over the stone.

It had been years since she last had an opportunity to attend an event here. Not since her father had still been alive. She was both a bit nervous and expectant.

Her head turned to the opposite end of the carriage cabin, where her older sister was looking out the window with a serious expression.

They hadn't talked much since Scarlett left for her trip two days earlier. Evelyne had heard that she returned the night before at least. Unharmed, thankfully. After that most of this morning had gone into preparing for the Proclamation.

Evelyne herself wore a white undershirt with a deep green jacket over it, gilded with silver buttons and studs. It was one of her more expensive pieces of clothing, but not one that was likely to stick out much amongst the noble cliques of the capital.

Scarlett, in comparison, wore a lustrous dark red dress that left her shoulders mostly uncovered and flowed into a captivating v-neck. It was a tight fit, focusing more on gracefulness than comfort, but it wouldn't surprise Evelyne if that was what was in fashion right now.

And while the dress did look relatively simple outwardly, Evelyne knew how expensive it actually was. It was made of blossom satin, after all. She remembered how livid she had gotten when she originally saw the order for it.

In addition to the dress, Scarlett also wore those same amber earrings that Evelyne had seen before. It surprised her that Scarlett chose to wear them even to this event. Usually, her older sister switched accessories and jewellery as often as she did clothes. But lately, she'd seen Scarlett not only wear those earrings more than once, but also wear the same necklace most of the time, along with a black ring on her right hand. She wasn't wearing the necklace right now at least, but the ring was still there. Along with another ring Evelyne had never seen before, that looked to be made out of gold-colored wood for some reason.

Judging from recent events, it was entirely possible that all of those items were artifacts. Or enchanted in some way.

What Evelyne didn't fully understand was why she wore them so much these days. The only reason she could think of was whatever threat it was that Scarlett was under, but she had so little knowledge of what was going on that it left her anxious.

Not that her sister seemed to care any about that.

She turned her attention back outside. Eventually their carriage passed through the large gates of the palace and into an extensive square bounded by royal oleander trees, the gold-red leaves hanging off them kept ever in bloom through magic even during the colder times of the year.

The carriages ahead of them in the line continued on to where a large set of stairs began, leading up to the entrance of the palace itself. The carriage at the front stopped at a point where rows upon rows of servants in bronze-gold uniforms stood lined up, ready to receive every single one of today's auspicious visitors.

As their carriage neared the front, Evelyne looked on as the large black carriage ahead of them—bearing the crest of a green stag on it, belonging to the Tyndall family—stopped, and the two servants at the head of the row of servants walked up. They bowed, and one of them opened the carriage door to let out a group of five people.

After that group's carriage had left and they started climbing the stairs, guided by the two servants, Evelyne's and Scarlett's turn was up next. Two more servants approached their carriage. Scarlett was the first to exit the vehicle as the door was opened, with Evelyne following close behind.

"His Imperial Majesty, the gilded sun of the Empire and the light who shines upon us all, bids you welcome Baroness Hartford," one of the servants said, a middle-aged man with slicked-back black hair. He bowed to Scarlett, then gave Evelyne a short bow too. "Lady Evelyne."

Evelyne froze at his address. He appeared to notice her reaction as well because his eyes turned a bit nervous. She turned to Scarlett, readying for the outburst—

Scarlett wasn't showing any reaction to it at all. In fact, she was giving both of them a strange look like she didn't understand why they had both paused. She seemed to look at the man for a moment, the other female servant beside Scarlett trying to remain completely quiet, then her forehead furrowed in a frown. As if she only now had realized his words.

Scarlett clicked her tongue and signaled for the stairs. "Are we continuing onward or not?"

The man just looked confused now, briefly giving Evelyne an odd look, before lowering his head at Scarlett. "Of course, Baroness. Follow me."

He turned around and started guiding them up the stairs. Scarlett and the other servant immediately followed, but Evelyne remained still for a second, unsure how to interpret the situation.

Usually Scarlett would go mad at anyone that referred to Evelyne as 'lady'. But now she let it go without a word?

Was it just to save face? Did she really not notice? Or was there something more to it? Could she interpret it as Scarlett actually recognizing her position?

Evelyne shook her head. No, that wasn't likely.

As their carriage started leaving behind her and the next carriage began driving forward, Evelyne pushed the matter out of her head for now and hurried to catch up, only briefly glancing at the large gold-plated statues that lined the stairs.

When they entered the large entrance hall of the palace, Evelyne noticed that Scarlett was staring at the giant statue of Galrath the Great that overlooked most of the hall. Scarlett had always had an odd fascination for the empire's founder, beyond just what was normal.

Reaching the center of the hall, the two servants turned to them. The man spoke. "Baroness. I will lead you to the Inaugural Chamber where you may finish your preparations. Please, follow me."

Scarlett diverted her attention from the statue to him, giving a slight nod. "Very well," she said, following the man as he began walking towards a flight of stairs at the side of the hall.

The other servant then walked up to Evelyne. "My Lady. I will lead you to the Chamber of Elysia," she said in a low voice.

Evelyne watched for a moment as Scarlett left, then looked at the servant. "Please do," she said, then proceeded to follow the woman.

Dawnlight Palace was a massive structure, not only on the outside. As they walked over to the golden stairs at the center of the room, they soon exited the entrance hall and continued through several gilded halls. They passed dozens of guards in polished steel armor, emblazoned with gold along the edges and wearing crimson capes. Imposing swords hung at their sides, and not an inch could be seen of their faces through their helmets.

Despite barely ever seeing any real combat, the Palace Guards were famed for their discipline, with only a few hundred members allowed within its ranks. They stood lined up on both sides of the corridors she passed through, ready to take action at any second if necessary.

She imagined that a day like this—when they were showcased in front of many of the Empire's aristocrats—was among the most important days of the year for them.

She recalled wanting to be one herself, when she was little. It was after the first time father had brought her and mother along for the Proclamation, when she had seen them and dreamt of being a knight. Of proving herself and joining the Palace Guard, and maybe even the Imperial Solar Knights someday.

Of course, that was then. Now she had no interest in things like that. She hadn't even touched a sword in years. Her goal was only as a mage now. To eventually reach the same level as her father, and even further, like the forefathers of the Hartford family.

After a while they reached a corridor with a set of open doors at the end, through which Evelyne could see other people. The servant guiding her stopped not far from the door and turned to look at her, gesturing with one arm to the opening. "Please enter through there, my Lady," she said as she curtsied. "You can find a spot to wait in until the ceremony begins."

"Thank you," Evelyne responded as she walked past the servant. Passing through the open doors, she entered a truly massive hall of resplendency. Even though this wasn't her first time here, the sight of the Chamber of Elysia still left her breathless.

The vaulted ceiling appeared to be entirely made out of gold. Yet at the same time it was somehow transparent, giving a rich, hued view of the clear sky above and letting in sunlight that reflected off the hall's exquisitely polished floor. The walls were of clear white marble with dozens of large, beautiful tapestry pieces swinging gently from them. Each one probably the result of years—maybe decades—of work.

The hall was rectangular in shape, and Evelyne had entered through a smaller entrance in the middle of the chamber. To the left of her, at one end of the room, was a much larger entrance. There stood a tall set of bronze-red metal doors, clearly showing age, but still as lustrous as much of the rest of the room. Traveling from the doors was a gilded red carpet that stretched all the way to the other side of the hall, where a short set of stairs led up to a platform upon which stood an ornate golden throne beneath a decorated red baldachin. Another set of stairs then curved from the back of that platform and continued up to a smaller set of doors that overlooked the chamber.

Evelyne's eyes passed over the people gathered. Lining the walls were people wearing bright white capes and black armor heavily ornated with gold. The Solar Knights were traditionally the only knight order involved in this ceremony, assuming the Palace Guard's mission of protecting this part of the palace for the day. Although unlike the Palace Guards, the Solar Knights weren't wearing their helmets.

Evelyne recognized a few of the faces amongst them. None she knew especially well personally, but people she had heard of or greeted on some occasion or other.

She looked around some more. That was odd. She couldn't see the captain anywhere. Wouldn't he usually be the one in command?

Instead she saw Leon Delmon, the vice-captain of the order, as well as her sister's fiancé, standing to the side of the stairs that led up to the throne. He looked ahead with a neutral stare, both hands on the pommel of his sword which leaned against the floor.

Other than the knights there were only about thirty or so people in this room right now, most of them standing in groups not far from Evelyne, staying away from the center of the hall where the carpet was. Among them were most of the members of the Tyndall family that she'd seen before, along with people from other powerful families.

There was no one here yet that was from anything less than a count's household, except for her. As only the sister of a baroness, she hadn't had many dealings with these people. Her father had done some business with the Tyndalls so she had interacted a bit with the current heir and his brother—both were twins with dark, neck-length hair in elegant green outfits—but she doubted any of them remembered her. She'd only been a child back then.

But all of this was part of the reason she had wanted to attend the Proclamation this time. The majority of her associates were merchants and commoners. She had far too few contacts amongst the nobility. It had also never helped that she seldom had the time or the opportunity to attend events where any nobles outside of Freybrook gathered. While right now wasn't the time for socializing, during the ball after the ceremony she was planning on talking to as many people as she could.

While her older sister often made it hard for Evelyne to strike deals with people—in more ways than one—Scarlett's recent achievements and acquisitions had created plenty of chances for Evelyne to forge new relationships.

For now, she walked up to the gathering of people and situated herself at the edge of the different groups. The only noise that could be heard throughout the hall was the occasional shuffling. Even though there were a few younger family members among the nobles present here, no one spoke a single word. And as the minutes passed more and more people would join from the entrance Evelyne had come through, joining the groups already waiting.

Seeing a couple of kids near her who were clearly getting tired of standing around without anything happening, Evelyne felt a pang of sympathy. Scarlett had never had an issue with it when they were younger—Evelyne recalled how her older sister would often distance herself from her and her mother and pretend like they didn't exist during the wait—but Evelyne herself had been very active at that age. She remembered how she'd almost scared her mother to death after she had been close to crying the first time she was here when she was eight.

It got easier as you got older, but this ceremony was still hard to endure at times.

After a long time of waiting, the number of people in the room now reaching several hundred, there was finally some activity. A tall man in black and red dress, the royal herald, had walked up to the main doors with a thick metal staff in hand. He then slammed the staff into the floor, the sound reverberating throughout the whole chamber.

"His Majesty, Gartelnas Articius Verddun Teronia!" he announced as everybody turned to the throne. "Kneel before Ittar's chosen light!"

Waves of rustling noises spread around the room as everyone except the Solar Knights got down on one knee. Soon, the doors behind the throne opened and two members of the Royal Guard entered, wearing elegant white armor with gold inlays and helmets that bore miniature figures of brilliant dragons perched atop them. Each of them walked down one side of the stairs and stopped on either side of the throne.

Next came the emperor himself, walking out through the door in an intricate set of gold and red robes that trailed on the floor behind him. He had a trimmed beard and wavy blond hair that reached to the bottoms of his ears, and was beginning to lose its color at the edges. On his head, he wore a heavy golden crown that went down over his forehead and had a set of three large gems affixed to its front.

Immediately following him were the crown prince and the two imperial princesses, along with the imperial advisor—who hadn't aged a day since Evelyne last saw her—who followed a step after them.

They all walked behind the emperor as he descended the stairs and sat down upon the throne, situating themselves to the sides behind it. Then three more members of the Royal Guard entered—one of which was as large as a mountain—and closed the doors, placing themselves on guard in front of them at the top of the stairs.

The emperor's gaze moved across the people assembled on one side of the room, then he gestured with his hand. "Bring them forth," he said, his voice carrying across the chamber clearly.

Everyone stood up as the royal herald slammed his staff into the ground once more. "First amongst His Majesty's loyal servants, Duke Ingomar Valentino of Bridgespell has arrived to reaffirm his family's oaths to his liege and the Empire!"

The large metal doors opened up and a large man wearing trimmed black clothes and tall white boots entered the hall, a short blade with a gold handle hanging at his side. He had neck-length dark hair that had started greying at the sides, along with a thin mustache.

Evelyne looked at him with slight surprise. She almost didn't recognize him as Duke Valentino. He'd grown a lot bigger in the stomach area since she last saw him, and overall didn't look to be in as good health as she remembered.

The duke started walking across the carpet at the center of the room towards the throne, a slight limp on his left leg. Reaching the bottom of the stairs before the throne, he knelt down—with some difficulty—on both knees and touched his head against the floor once before looking up at the emperor.

"Let this grateful servant of the Empire greet your Majesty, on this day of oaths and testimonies," his raspy voice sounded out. He pulled out the blade at his side and held it up towards the emperor with both hands. "I offer you my blade once more, ever to be in your service and protect your lands in your name and the name of Ittar. Justly and earnestly have I carried out your will, and so I shall until the end of my days. I beg of your Majesty to accept my pledge."

From his throne, the emperor observed the duke for a moment, before showing a small smile. "Duke Valentino. Your family has always served the empire faithfully. Naturally, I accept your pledge."

The duke bowed his head. "Thank you, my liege," he said and resheathed the blade. He then placed it at the bottom of the stairs before standing up and walking over to stand at the side of the room opposite where Evelyne and everyone else was.

The sound of a staff slamming into the floor resounded again. Evelyne turned to the entrance where another person stood in wait.

"Second amongst His Majesty's loyal servants, Marchioness Sahra Thackeray of Wildscar has arrived to reaffirm her family's oaths to her liege and the Empire!"

The marchioness crossed the hall, repeating the same process as the duke. Her pledge was also accepted by the emperor as she placed her blade at the bottom of the stairs.

She was then followed by several others, until eventually, it was almost time.

"Ninth amongst His Majesty's loyal servants, Duke Santos Tyndall of Windgrove has arrived to reaffirm his family's oaths to his liege and the Empire!"

Evelyne's eyes turned to the door behind Duke Tyndall who started crossing the room. There, she saw Scarlett approaching. Her sister was climbing up a set of stairs and stopped just before the doors, looking completely in her element as she stared ahead at the duke with a confident look. A blade hung by her side from a red belt as well.

Evelyne had many choice words to describe her sister, but she couldn't deny that Scarlett always seemed to belong in situations like this.

Even though they were a mere barony, the Hartford family had always held a more respectful position in the empire than many other baronies. And part of that was because they held such a privileged position when it came to their slot in the Elysian Proclamation. Despite historically being limited in their hierarchical advancement due to other reasons, it could never be disputed that their family had been one of the first families to swear fealty to the first emperor.

And Scarlett personified that pride in their family.

Soon, the staff slammed into the floor again.

"Tenth amongst His Majesty's loyal servants, Baroness Scarlett Hartford of Stagmond has arrived to reaffirm her family's oaths to her liege and the Empire!"

Scarlett began moving, her gait calm as she crossed the hall. When she reached the stairs, she bent down on both knees.

For some reason, a foreboding sensation traveled up Evelyne's spine.

Scarlett touched her head against the floor once, then looked up.

Evelyne felt her blood run cold.

"Let this grateful servant of the Empire greet your Majesty, on this day of oaths and testimonies," Scarlett's voice rang out. She pulled out the blade and held it up to the emperor. "I offer you my blade once more, ever to be in your service and protect your lands in your name and the name of Ittar. Justly and earnestly have I carried out your will, and so I shall until the end of my days. I beg of your Majesty to accept my pledge."

Evelyne heard the gasps from the people around her, but she could barely tear her eyes away from her sister.

What had she just done?!