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The Duke of Jursein’s mansion, which I was visiting for the first time, was a white stately home that exuded elegance while evoking a subtle sense of exotic charm.

The Jurnova family’s carriage passed through the magnificent gate, adorned with gold trim on black iron railings, —which had been thrown open in a gesture of welcome. As they drew nearer, the mansion, which had initially struck her as white, revealed delicate decorations of blue tiles. This reminded Ekaterina of Mediterranean architecture from her past life, as well as India’s Taj Mahal, and she let out a soft sigh.

“What a lovely mansion. Even though it’s right here in the imperial capital, it feels as if it has a touch of a foreign land,”

When she said this to Aleksei beside her, her brother smiled sweetly.

“If you like it, perhaps we should rebuild our family home in this style as well.”
“Oh, Onii-sama…”

Chuckling softly, Ekaterina was secretly breaking out in a cold sweat. When someone says something like this, nine hundred and ninety-nine out of a thousand people—no, perhaps even a whole order of magnitude more—are just joking. But this brother of hers was definitely serious.

You mustn’t, Onii-sama. Rebuilding our family estate…the cost might amount to hundreds of billions of yen when converted to the currency of my past life. I’ve read that the construction cost of the Akasaka State Guest House was 100 billion yen when converted to modern currency. Please don’t just casually shell out such a terrifying sum for your little sister’s sake.
A siscon brother who’d just casually shell out hundreds of billions of yen… You really are something else, Onii-sama.

“No matter how lovely this mansion may be, our own home is the best for me. It would be heartbreaking if that room where you first held my hand were to disappear.”
“I see… I’m glad you cherish that memory. For me, too, it’s a precious memory that shines as brightly as the sun.”

Ekaterina smiled at Aleksei’s words.
The carriage came to a stop.

.

As they stepped out of the carriage, a man who appeared to be the Jursein family’s butler came out to meet them at the carriage steps and bowed respectfully to the siblings.

“Welcome, Your Grace the Duke of Jurnova and Lady Ekaterina.”

Ekaterina returned the smile to the beaming butler.
Unlike Graham, the butler of the Jurnova family who possessed the dignified, refined appearance one would expect of a butler from a distinguished family—this man was not particularly tall and was somewhat plump. He had jet-black hair, a broad forehead, thick eyebrows, and a prominent aquiline nose. However, he possessed a captivating smile that seemed capable of instantly putting visitors at ease.
As the butler serving the House of Jursein, he must undoubtedly be a man of great ability.

Escorted by Aleksei and guided by the butler, they made their way through the mansion.
Many of the artifacts displayed in the hallway appeared to be from foreign lands. There was even a lifesize, realistic sculpture of a camel, which made Ekaterina’s eyes widen. While the sculpture was lifelike, it was inlaid with agate and crystal, giving it a decorative quality befitting the Duke’s household.

“That’s a camel, Ekaterina,”

Aleksei explained. Since this was an animal Ekaterina, as a young lady in this lifetime, had likely never seen before, it was only natural for her to wonder what it was.

“Thank you very much, Onii-sama. It is the creature described in the books as the ‘Ship of the Desert,’ isn’t it? So the caravans beyond the Summit of Gods travel with dozens of these large animals in tow, do they?”
“You are very knowledgeable, your ladyship.”

The butler said, narrowing his eyes.

“This was purchased by His Grace, the late Duke, back when Her Majesty Empress Magdalena was still the young lady of this household. When she was still a child, she said she wanted to travel through the desert and keep a camel… I fondly recall the late Duke trying to reason with her, explaining that the Imperial Capital was too cold for a camel and that it would be a pity to bring a real one here.”
“My, what a heartwarming memento.”

However, the fact that when a child says, “I want to keep a camel!” the family responds not with a stuffed animal or a small doll, but with a life-size sculpture—that’s truly befitting of the Duke’s family.

.

Once we were shown into the luxurious reception room, we hardly had to wait at all before the man appeared.

“Hello, Aleksei. And Lady Ekaterina. Welcome to the Jursein household.”

Speaking cheerfully, he strode into the reception room with long strides. Tall, with blue-green hair. A middle-aged man with handsome features, to which his stylish, thin mustache suited him well.

His tan was more pronounced than I’d expected—a sign that he wasn’t the type to stay cooped up in a duke’s mansion. Perhaps even now, he still sails on a large three-masted schooner, traveling the high seas. His blue-green eyes, shining against his tanned skin, were like an oasis in the desert.

His Grace, Duke of Jursein, Dmitr.
He’s quite the old dandy!

“It’s been a while. I’m glad to see you’re doing well.”
“Let’s skip the formalities. We’re both members of the Jur clan, aren’t we?”

Although both men held the same rank of duke, Aleksei showed respect to the elder Dmitr. Dmitr responded casually and cast a gentle glance at Ekaterina.

“Would you introduce me to your treasure, Aleksei?”
“Of course. Ekaterina, this is Duke Dmitr. He currently serves as Minister of Foreign Affairs, but as you can see, he’s a very down-to-earth man.”

The Empire currently has no chancellor. Emperor Konstantin does not entrust political affairs to a chancellor but rules directly himself. Under this system, the Minister of Foreign Affairs is one of the most important posts—a pillar supporting the Empire.
Prompted by Aleksei, Ekaterina curtsied.

“It is a pleasure to meet you for the first time. I am Ekaterina Jurnova.”
“I’m delighted to meet the princess I’ve heard so much about. I hope we can become close friends. Please feel free to call me Uncle Dmitr.”

Ekaterina giggled at Dmitr’s playful remark as he narrowed his eyes.

“I really will call you Uncle Dmitr, won’t I?”
“That makes me happy. You have a beautiful voice, too—though your appearance is even more beautiful.”

As expected of His Grace the Duke. His skill with the flowery rhetoric of an aristocratic gentleman is spot-on.

The butler, accompanied by a maid, returned and poured tea. The tea snacks were bite-sized pies with a slightly unusual flavor; Ekaterina savored the sensation of the generous amount of butter oozing out, while Dmitr watched her with a cheerful smile.
After going through the usual polite conversation, they took a breather, and Ekaterina straightened her posture.

“Uncle, thank you very much for placing an order with our workshop this time.”
“Oh, would you show it to me?”

Ekaterina handed a blue-green box to Dmitr, who was leaning forward.

“Please, take a look.”