Opting not to use Vermillion Eyes, the conversation continued in a way that eventually made it around a circle and back to me. I stayed mostly quiet while the adults spoke. They are all high-end military officers of the Imperial Army, and the Crown Prince was present. It's not like I could have interrupted them. So I either stayed quiet, or whispered with Olivert. He was one of the most enjoyable characters in the Sky games in my opinion, and later on in Cold Steel. Able to meet him this early on was fantastic. I even unlocked Favorability with him and Mueller.
It was nice to meet Aurelia like this too, but she was quite different compared to how she is in the games. She loved flaunting her strength around, as she toppled every single clubhouse during her cold reign. Seeing how I'm acting like a genius in front of her, Aurelia likely felt threatened by me. Or to be more precise, her image. But then she realized how young I was, and her gaze became indifferent. She was over a decade older than me, so by the time I start showing my real strength later on, she'd leave me in the dust. That's what I'm imagining she's thinking, anyways.
To say Aurelia is a monster is an understatement. She's extremely powerful, and you get to learn that strength as you play through the Cold Steel games, III and IV. That isn't the first time you get to see Aurelia, but that is when her role in the games is defined. You'll even get to fight her during certain "super-boss" like scenarios, fights that you aren't even supposed to win. She even claims number one as a swordswoman on top of that. Truly someone to be feared, and seeing her like this, I need to choose my words carefully whenever we converse. I'm sure there will be opportunities to do so, considering all of us were invited by Crown Prince Eugent to stay inside Valflame Palace over the next two days.
As I mulled over whether or not I would encounter Aurelia during our stay, I heard Governor Carl speak out, continuing the conversation.
"You know this isn't a leisure trip, General Osborne. We've taken measures to ensure the safety of His Highness. It's not like this is going unwarranted. You've made arrangements prior to holding an audience with His Imperial Majesty?", Governor Carl questioned while pushing the frames of his glasses upward. So even he's curious, huh? I mean, it's not like just anyone could meet with the reigning Emperor of one of the largest countries in all of Zemuria. Especially so as he's on his deathbed.
"We do. You can rest assured His Highness took the appropriate steps to grant this audience with His Imperial Majesty. The exact timeframe wasn't given, but it shouldn't take too long. I will make sure the two of us remain respectful when it happens. It shouldn't affect any of the proceedings that are already in place for that matter either. A minor situation.", Giliath answered, nodding his head in acknowledgement.
A minor situation you say, Father? This is my livelihood we're talking about here. I know little to nothing about Mother! But in the grand scope of things, in the eyes of His Imperial Majesty, this could just be passing words to him. Crowning the next Emperor is definitely way more important to him than some little talk I'll have with the current Emperor. For Father to say that, he isn't wrong. I'm just surprised he's so blunt about it.
Still, I saw Crown Prince Eugent nod his head.
"No matter big or small, it is still an honor to receive a personal invitation from Lord Father himself, especially since he is not greeting any guests at the moment.", Crown Prince Eugent responded. This time, Aurelia raised her eyebrows.
"No kidding? This brat was seriously granted a chance for an audience with His Imperial Majesty? It doesn't matter if he's the son of General Osborne. Just how important must this be? Then again, your mannerisms have been polite since stepping into this car.", Aurelia mused, giving me a nod of approval to my surprise.
"Uhh...Thank you?", I retorted, tilting my head a bit. Unsure, it was then I felt a powerful gaze strike my body. It wasn't Aurelia's, nor the Crown Prince's. It came from someone who remained silent during our entire conversation. I saw Matteus Vander looking straight at me quite seriously. Or to be specific, he was observing the jeweled rapier I held at my waist. It's more of a prop than anything right now, considering Father has yet to instruct me in the way of the sword. I know the training is going to come soon, likely within this next year, but he's currently having me train my muscles for that.
I wound up bringing it with me. It was entrusted by my late Mother, Aurora von Auslese. Does that mean Matteus knows something about her? Or perhaps it's more apt to name her Aurora Phoenix, courtesy of a revelation from the Crimson Roselia. Maybe Matteus knows Mother as part of House Phoenix, over her true identity. I don't think many know that she is a part of the Auslese blood. Apart from Olivert now that is, haha!
This gaze didn't go unnoticed either. Victor saw that Matteus was currently looking my way, gaining interest.
"Is something the matter, Matteus?", Victor questioned, pausing the ongoing conversation. That drew Aurelia's eyes to him too, and saw Matteus's curious gaze.
"Master?", Aurelia also asked, wondering what was going on. Hearing that, I paused.
That was right, wasn't it? Aurelia should be Matteus's student right about now. Did her training finish already, or was she still learning from him? I'm not sure. On top of that, I recall that she's also Victor's student, learning from both of them at the same time. In a way to how the Hundred-Form Military combat was established, Aurelia finds her own unique style by learning the Vander and Arseid school of swordsmanship, to the point of being called "The Golden Rakshasa".
Still, I saw Matteus look my way, observing me again. He spoke out in both a stern yet unexpected warm voice.
"You definitely have her eyes, young one. May I see that blade of yours?", Matteus asked, catching us off guard.
"His blade...?", Aurelia questioned, only to land her eyes on me again. It took a moment, but she managed to spot my sheathed rapier. She didn't expect such a young child to have one at their waist, so she didn't initially see it when I stepped into the car. "Oh?", Aurelia continued, finally seeing the blade I had.
I disregarded Aurelia's bemused look, and nodded my head. "Of course.", I said. Lifting it with ease to my surprise, I presented the rapier. It was sheathed, still held in its scabbard. Matteus had to lean forward to grab it. He reached out, keeping steady. He didn't swipe it away frantically, nor was he too slow. Once the scabbard became close enough into his view, he spotted the mark of the phoenix on it. From there, Matteus sighed, and reached his hand toward the hilt. In one go, he pulled it out. Shinggg!
A dull sound of metal echoed inside the orbal car as everyone saw a powerful-looking rapier now in view. He held it with care, making sure not to damage the blade, nor hit anyone. It was quite crowded, so one wrong move could easily cause some implications. But with how easily he moved the blade around, one could tell Matteus was an expert. He didn't need to worry about causing any injury to us at all.
"I have not seen this blade in quite some time. So it found a new owner after all...", Matteus said, marveling at the rapier in his hands. The thin was thin, no bigger than a couple inches at most. Rapiers are very thin weapons to begin with. They focus on precision and piercing through dense objects. One strike from a rapier can render someone's armor entirely useless, and pierce right into the heart, ensuring a swift and painless death.
And an elegant weapon, might I add. Very befitting to be used by a noble. It was one of their primary weapons to learn from. If Olivert next to me didn't excel at using an orbal gun, it's possible he would have learned the rapier too.
I paused again, seeing Matteus hold Mother's blade in his hands.
"...Does it have a name?", I questioned with an expectant gazed. Sure enough, it does look like Matteus does have a history with this rapier. That meant he knew Mother at one point. Perhaps Mother trained under him, just like what Aurelia is currently doing now?
"It does. The last person to wield this Rapier called it Glistening Moonlight. It is known for striking with both elegance and its silence, ripping through its enemies who never see the blade coming. I am glad to see that this blade wasn't lost.", Matteus said. I could see a hint of nostalgia appear in his eyes. I'm pretty sure he knew Mother at some point. Maybe it'll be brought up with my talk with His Imperial Majesty.