#13. On a Night Like This, When the Stars Twinkle (5)

Sharp, pennoned lances rose high into the sky.

Held in the hands of Imperial Guards clad in gleaming armor without a speck of dust, the lances seemed ill-suited for use as weapons, thanks to the flags hanging from their tips, embroidered with the Imperial lily.

The sight of rows of long ceremonial lances lining both sides of the avenue all the way to the mansion’s entrance was quite magnificent.

Watching the enormous, splendid carriage pass between them, Eleonore drew a deep breath.

Before long, the carriage reached the large fountain in front of the mansion and slowly began to come to a halt.

Stamped in gold—the color symbolizing the Galatea Imperial Family, and the Empire itself—the carriage was lavishly decorated, with the pure white of lilies, symbols of a maiden’s chastity, as an accent.

At last, as the carriage came to a stop, a brown-haired knight stepped down.

He was remarkably slender for a man. His face, the brown hair swaying at the nape of his neck, even the lines of his lean figure…

The handsome man, who looked as though he’d made any number of women weep, carefully raised his beautiful hand to escort the carriage’s owner.

Perhaps it was because of the knight’s appearance...