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“The Seleznyov family is Her Majesty the Empress Dowager’s birth family. Even though it is the most distinguished house among the marquisates, it seems strange that their greatest wish is to have one of their own become Empress.”

Ekaterina tilted her head slightly as she spoke, and Aleksei nodded.

“That is a valid point. Normally, Her Majesty the Empress’ family gains significant power as the imperial in-laws. In fact, the imperial family has a history of selecting an Empress not so much for her own qualities, but rather from a family possessing the power needed at that particular time, in order to leverage her family’s influence. However, Her Majesty Empress Dowager Klementina was not chosen with the aim of making the Seleznyov family part of the imperial in-laws. Grandfather once told me that the former Emperor, in his youth, fell in love after hearing Her Majesty’s singing voice. She is a singer who was once even invited to the Garden of the God of Music.”
“Oh my, really!”

Ekaterina’s eyes widened in surprise.

What a shock!
I’ve heard that only those with true talent are invited to the Garden of the God of Music. I never imagined Her Majesty the Empress Dowager was one of them!
A singer… wow. I’d love to hear her voice…
But can an otherworldly event like being invited by the God of Music coexist with being the Empress Dowager, the pinnacle of the human world?

“I’ve heard that those invited by the God of Music are welcomed into the temple. Did Her Majesty the Empress Dowager not enter the temple?”
“Entering the Temple of Music isn’t an obligation. If the person doesn’t wish to, they can continue living as before. That said, now that you mention it, it does feel a bit off. Given Her Majesty the Empress Dowager’s modest character, one would think she’d want to enter the temple and devote her life entirely to music…”

Aleksei furrows his brow.
Is that really what Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is like? I couldn’t help but compare her to Lydia from earlier—I thought she might be the type who’s perfect as an aristocratic lady, but still has something slightly off about her.

“I hear she did enter the Temple once. And she performed a song at the National Foundation Day ceremony, which caught the former Emperor’s eye. It’s a well-known story among our generation.”

It was Novak who said that.

“Back then, young ladies flocked to study vocal music in hopes of emulating her success and finding a good match, and the Temple of Music was overflowing with young men and women. People were absolutely wild about it.”

Ah… Come to think of it, I seem to recall seeing a program looking back on Showa-era culture that mentioned tennis became wildly popular in Japan during the Showa era for similar reasons.”

“As someone raised in the Imperial Capital, Lady Flora, you must have heard of it.”
“Yes, I heard about it when I visited the Music Temple—that such a thing happened long ago.”

As Flora nodded, Novak gave a wry smile.

“It really does feel like a thing of the distant past.”

He remarked with the sentiment typical of a fifty-three-year-old, though he quickly returned to his usual pragmatic expression.

“The House of Seleznyov traces its origins to a horn player for Piotr the Great and has been a distinguished family since the founding of the empire, but until now, it had never produced an empress. The Seleznyov domain has consistently favored its long-serving vassals while maintaining a policy of discriminating against the indigenous people who have lived there since before the empire’s founding. Due to frequent rebellions and internal strife, it seems they never had the capacity to participate in national politics.”

That’s right. Among the nobles granted territories by the Emperor, there are houses that adopt policies favoring their hand-picked retainers while discriminating against the people who originally lived in those territories. Upon learning this, Ekaterina was reminded of the Yamauchi family of the Tosa Domain during the Edo period, who divided their vassals into upper and lower ranks; the Seleznyov family was one such noble house, and indeed the highest-ranking among them.

“However, the young lady who left her family to enter the Temple of Music struck an unexpected stroke of luck. At first, the Seleznyov Marquisate seemed to be overjoyed. They believed that, as the Emperor’s maternal relatives, wielding power and supplanting the Three Great Ducal Houses was not just a dream. But in reality, the former Emperor entrusted the governance of the nation to his brother-in-law, Duke Sergei—the Jurnova Ducal House.”

Ah… that’s true.
I suppose they must have felt frustrated, wondering if the three great ducal houses would ultimately be favored.
…No, wait. How can they favor their long-serving vassals in their territories while aiming for a coup from below themselves?

“During the reign of His Majesty the former Emperor, the Seleznyov family frequently lobbied the Empress at the time, attempting to push through their proposed policies or secure positions such as ministers, but they rarely succeeded. As His Grace mentioned, Her Majesty Klementina is said to be a modest and reserved person. She is also not very adept at behaving like an empress, which is why she allowed her sister-in-law, Her Highness Aleksandra, to wield power within the Imperial Palace. Since Her Majesty is said to be under the protection of the God of Music, even Lady Alexandra refrained from showing disrespect toward her, and in fact, seemed rather pleased to be entrusted with such responsibilities.”
“……Her Majesty the Empress Dowager seems to have a completely different personality from the young lady of the Seleznyov family I met earlier.”

Ekaterina said this without thinking, and Novak nodded.

“Her Imperial Majesty the Empress Dowager was born as the second daughter of three sisters. Apparently, she had sisters known for their beauty both above and below her in the family, so she wasn’t particularly valued. Though she is certainly beautiful herself. Being summoned by the God of Music should have brought honor to her family, but since the Seleznyov family was, at that time, more of a military lineage, she may not have received the recognition she deserved. Some people speculated that she entered the Temple of Music because she wanted to distance herself from her family. But then, having won the favor of His Majesty the former Emperor, she suddenly found herself bearing the fate of the Seleznyov family on her shoulders, and all sorts of expectations were placed upon her. It was only after that that music began to flourish throughout the domain. Well, it’s no wonder she finds it impossible to keep making requests after such a sudden about-face.”

You sure do drop some venom every now and then, eh, Novak sir?
But, yes, you’re absolutely right!

“In fact, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager, just like the former Emperor, looked up to Duke Sergei as an older brother. She did have a biological older brother, but whenever her family put undue pressure on her, it was Duke Sergei who stood up for her. Furthermore, it seems Duke Sergei was the one who brought Her Majesty the former Emperor and the Empress together.”

There it is—Grandfather’s penchant for matchmaking among the elite…

“That is why the Seleznyov family is so determined to produce an Empress who can elevate their family’s standing. Lady Lydia was raised specifically for that purpose. Also, I hear she possesses musical talent just like Her Majesty the Empress Dowager, and she is diligently training to be invited to the Garden of the God of Music. It seems she believes that if she is invited by the God of Music, His divine protection will allow her to catch His Highness Mikhail’s eye.”

Wait, what the heck? The God of Music isn’t the same as the god of matchmaking, is he?
Ah, but if she has the god’s blessing, does that mean she has the worth to become Empress, separate from the power dynamics of her family…? After all, even that old bag of bones refrained from interfering with the Empress Dowager due to that. I see…

“That is precisely why she was likely shocked deep down when His Highness Mikhail spent his summer vacation in the Jurnova domain. Therefore, I believe she came to observe the situation within the bounds of unwritten rules.”

A smug smile played at the corner of Novak’s mouth. Noticing it, Ekaterina tilted her head in puzzlement.
Aleksei took his sister’s hand and squeezed it.

“Regardless of any unwritten rules, I will not tolerate any disrespect toward you. If Lady Lydia does anything to you—no, if you even sense anything amiss, tell me immediately.”
“Yes, Onii-sama. I will do as you say.”

If I even sense anything amiss… That’s the exact opposite of ‘innocent until proven guilty,’ isn’t it?
That’s the Siscon Onii-sama that I know.