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Buckingham Palace. One of the representative castles of Europe with the same level of renown as Versailles Palace in Paris, located in England, London. Built as a residence for Duke John Scheffield in 1703, inherited by George the 3rd in 1761, renovated to the structure that it stands today, and named the royal palace along with Queen Victoria’s coronation in 1837, finally continuing on to be resided by subsequent royal family members up till now. As it was used as office and residence by England’s royal family, it was true to its name of being the royal palace of England.

It had a massive garden of 170-meter square including a 20-meter square lake, along with a dance hall, concert hall, art museum, library, and reception hall. It also had 19 suite rooms, 52 guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices, 78 bathrooms, which easily made it one of the top palaces with the most rooms.

There were around 450 employees employed in the palace, and around 40,000 guests visited every year. There were 50 personal servants that directly served the royal family, and other employees of the palace resided in the stable of the royal palace called the ‘Royal Mews’. On top of that, the ceremony where The Queen’s Guard handed over responsibility for protecting Buckingham Palace to the New Guard was one of the most interesting sights to behold¹.

In the circular plaza, a statue of Victoria was erected directly in front of the palace, and beyond that was Saint James Park, as well as Trafalgar Square, a walkway surrounded by Platanus trees to either of its sides. In the middle of the plaza was Wellington Military Barracks built in 1833, which was now used as a museum and temple for the army soldiers.

And that palace in question was completely filled with England citizens and tourists today. Though it was normally quite a popular place, the number of people here today was even more than usual.

“I guess it is a rare sight after all. But I’m sure they can’t even see the ceremony since it’s going to be carried out inside the palace.”
Hearing me mumble to myself, Katalina giggled.

“Heh. Well, it’s still a sight to see even if they’re on the outside for today. You are the 5th in line for the next inheritance of the crown after all.”

5th in line for the crown’s inheritance. The fact was that among Elizabeth’s family members, one of the mistresses was a princess. They said that she had died at an early age together with her husband who was in line to inherit the title of Dukedom. So afterward, Elizabeth was raised up by her grandfather, which made me understand why she had grown up to be so introverted and afraid of the public. It was because her grandfather was always suspicious of everyone and everything.

It wasn’t like I had specifically heard about this from someone, I was able to piece it together through documents, the attitude of the employees towards me as well as the diary that her grandfather left behind.

“From here on you have to walk.”

The driver stopped the car and spoke to me and Katalina.

“Thank you.”

I thanked the driver and then greeted the soldier that opened the car door for me. Although I was cringing real hard, I had to force myself to take his hand and step out of the car as thousands of cameras directed towards me flashed together at once. I couldn’t help but frown at all the blinding flashes that I had to endure, but I did my best to keep a smile on my face as I waved back at them.

“Wooo!”

Though I wasn’t sure if it was a positive or just excited scream, the air was still filled with loud cries of excitement. Being escorted by the soldier, I watched as the Buckingham Palace’s extravagant front gates opened up.

Soon the palace came into view, but the exterior looked so plain and boring in comparison to the Versailles Palace. Apart from the natural and antique look that endured the vicissitudes of time, it didn’t really impart the image of a real palace. I couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed.

While stepping on the red carpet which stretched all the way from the front gates to the inside of the palace, I saw the guards all standing in line on the sides and thought how hard it must be for them. They were wearing long-sleeved tops and bottoms as well as a huge thick black-furred hat. I was sure that they would be standing here like this for the whole duration of the ceremony.

The building layout of the Buckingham Palace was in a square formation. The building that I thought was the main building was instead just an annex. So after moving through the annex building, I was able to see all the surrounding buildings from the middle. It finally felt like a real palace then.

They said that the Royal Standard would be raised whenever the queen was on the premises, and currently, no Union Flag was waving in the wind on the poles. The other thing was that I came to realize once again was just how much England loved the symbolism of lions as I could see numerous lion statues all over².

The royal military band started their performance and achieved beautiful harmony of sound. I learned before that it was a song for marching, and though I wasn’t sure exactly which song it was, it definitely sounded very cheery.

The song rang out until I arrived at the true front doors of the palace, and while enjoying the song being played exclusively for myself, I stepped up to the door.

“Duchess-to-be Elizabeth Kent is now entering.”

The double doors opened up and I stepped in as the man in extravagant formal dress announced my arrival. Right away, all the people under the beautiful chandelier turned their gazes right at me.

If it wasn’t for the fact that I had somewhat prepared for this by attending the guild meeting of Volcano previously, I would have unconsciously took a step back from all the pressure I suddenly felt.

As all the nobles and political powerhouses of England were gathered in this one place, I could feel a powerful presence emanating from each individual. On top of that, they were all much older than me so my mind was overloaded as I had the natural courtesy embeded in my mind to bow slightly to them as respect to elders.

“Oh my, is that person really the one that’s going to be the duchess? She’s very young.”
“I heard that she doesn’t go out into public much. I thought she would look plainer but instead, she’s a real knockout…”

I heard a number of conversations surrounding me from all sides but I didn’t let it get to me. The butler had instructed me to make sure I ignore all those whisperings after all.

“It is an honor to meet you, Duchess-to-be Elizabeth.”

A young woman approached me, lifting her long dress slightly and bending her knee to give me a curtsy as she greeted me.

“Who?”

Her head was actually slightly lowered at this moment so I couldn’t tell the appearance of her face.

“Fufu. Can you recognize who I am?”

With a playful expression on her face as she smiled, the young woman’s face looked very familiar to me.

“Lady Eva!”

I answered in delight as the puzzle pieces in my mind clicked together. To meet someone that I recognized in this sea of strangers was always a wonderful feeling.

“Hoho, thank you for remembering who I am. My real name is Esther.”
“Goodness, Lady Esther, will you accept my apology?”
“Of course.”

I realized that I’ve made quite a serious mistake and apologized right away, to which Esther smiled as if it wasn’t such a big deal and accepted my apology.
It was because I had forgotten her real name since I kept reading only her ID which was Eva, so it was a serious mistake that I addressed her that way instead of her real name. If I was a man I wouldn’t be able to say anything even if she slapped me on the face for such rudeness.

“The esteemed daughter of the Marquis Wimbledon Katalina is now entering.”

Finally, Katalina had entered the building from where she was waiting outside. Looking around, Katalina found where Lady Esther and I were standing and headed towards us right away.

“It’s been a while, Lady Esther!”
“It’s nice to see you as well, Sister Katalina.”

They talked in a rather casual manner as they had a pretty close personal relationship. They weren’t too casual as they knew the right place and time, but their casual conversation was enough to draw all the people’s attention our way.

But then again, even without their way of talking, the three of us were ladies with such beauty and high position that it would be weird if we didn’t garner attention from others.

Even I admit that Lady Esther was quite the beauty after all. And so while the two were having a conversation about something personal, numerous people came up to greet me.

“Duchess Elizabeth, I’m Earl Karmen’s…”
“Greetings. I’m the CEO of XX company and…”

It was mostly young adult men who greeted me, but the way they were staring at me was so creepy and greasy that I half-ignored what they were saying³. I was sure that if I were to show any sign of interest towards them, they would start pushing their luck, so I kept cutting off their conversation with the excuse that I had to take the greeting of another person.

Whether they felt I was being rude or not, I had a higher position in society than them so they couldn’t really say anything for what I do.

Sometimes a few people would come up raising their past relationship with my family members as a way to get close to me, and I had to constantly make sure I don’t trip up on the past that they talk about. Thankfully Katalina was there to help me out during the conversations a few times, as without her I would have made some serious mistakes.

I felt as if I was drained of all energy even before the actual ceremony had begun.

“Sigh. I’d rather just hunt monsters all day long.”

Hearing my complaint, Katalina and Esther covered their mouths as they giggled.

“Oh my, what are you all talking about that is so humourous?”

A young girl with a very bright voice came up to us and asked.

“Excuse me, you seem to have no manners.”

As Katalina snapped back at her slightly, the young girl’s face became pale white.

“I-I apologize. I just…”

It seemed like she wasn’t any esteemed daughter from a noble family but from outside of such social circles. Though she must have received some education about manners somewhat, she must have been excited to greet and talk to us since we looked not much older than she was.

Katalina on the other hand seemed to take offense in her way of thinking that she could be friends with us.

“Lady Katalina. It seems like she simply made a mistake that wasn’t intentionally malicious, so please stop there.”
“Okay…”

I talked in a slightly patronizing tone, but Katalina flinched visibly from my reprimand and quietly stopped chastising her. She began to act more carefully around me than usual from this moment on.

“And what would your name be, young lady? I’m Elizabeth Kent.”
“Ahh! So big sister here is actually the famous Duchess Elizabeth? I’m Emilia. Our family isn’t royalty or anything, it’s just my father receiving a knighthood.”
“I see.”

Her starry emerald eyes staring up at me was a huge burden on me mentally. To receive such innocent stares from a young girl who had the appearance of a perfect doll was a unique burden I never experienced.

I tried my best to keep my dignified expression as I spoke to her in a friendly way.

“Um, um! Big sister⁴, can I pretend I know you personally later on?”
“Pfft!”
“Pffft!”

A round of stifled giggles went around upon hearing Emilia’s unexpected request when we were busy talking about other things. It was refreshing to hear such a brazen and unfitting request from a location like this.

“Pfft… Of course.”

I spoke while stifling my giggles, and Emilia’s slightly stiff expression soon became bright once again.

“Yay! Big sis, please give me your number on this!”

My goodness, this was the first time in my life someone had asked me for my number. The people around me watched with humourous interest.

Everyone watched with smiles on their faces as I put my number on her phone.

“M-My apologizes, Duchess Elizabeth.”

In the meantime, a man who looked to be the girl’s father with a tidy appearance and still quite young in age came over and apologized while bowing multiple times.

“It’s fine, I had fun as well.”
“Thank you for your kind words.”

He must have been freaking out due to the actions of his daughter as he wiped the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief while pulling her arm away trying to avoid everyone’s gazes.

“Big sis, I’ll see you next time!”

Even though it was obvious from her father’s expression that he was going to reprimand her later on, she still smiled brightly as if she was happy for some reason. Thanks to her smile, I felt all of the tension I had melt away.

Not long later, the music that rang out in the hall gradually lowered in volume and finally ended completely.

“Her Majesty The Queen is now entering. Everyone, please be quiet.”

The ceremony everyone was waiting for had now finally begun. Everyone stopped their laughter and chatter as the hall became deathly quiet.

Finally, Elizabeth the 2nd⁵ stepped inside of the hall. The air of dignity and grace that surrounded her made her look fitting as the queen despite her old age.

The signs of old age were clearly marked on her eye wrinkles, and her warm smile that seemed to embrace the whole world in her arms gave a wonderful impression on me.

Suddenly, my eyes made contact with the queen’s. It was due to the fact that I didn’t bow down deep enough, to which I lowered my head even more in reaction.

‘There’s no way she would be picky about how I didn’t bow deep enough, right?’

I steadied my worried mind and waited for the queen to sit on her throne.

“Everyone, please raise your head.”

Though it was a woman’s voice, I could feel the power and dignity carried in her tone as everyone raised their head at the same time.

“Thank you for coming to Buckingham Palace in spite of your busy schedules. As you all know, the reason why you are all invited was for the coronation of the Duchess title to Elizabeth of the Kent family. I thank god for the fact that I was able to personally carry out this ceremony again after ten years of delay due to the unfortunate event.”

Thinking about it, the queen was my grandmother. It seemed like losing her daughter left a deep wound in her heart.

I felt that the delicate glances she sent towards me from time to time were also because of this as well.

“Then now, I shall carry out the succession ceremony.”

Snap! Snap!

A number of journalists who were given special permission produced faint sounds of camera snapping as they started filming.

“Duchess-to-be Elizabeth Kent, please step onto the platform.”

The queen changed her tone of voice to a much more serious one unlike her usual way of talking. It felt like her words were pulling me towards her magnetically as I stepped up to the platform.

I then lowered my left knee onto the ground, put my right hand to the left side of my chest, and laid my left fist on the ground.

Though the dress was certainly made from elastic materials, it was a slim-fitting dress so it was uncomfortable. This was why I felt that it would have been a bit better if the formal clothing was more like the male’s with their pants and so on…
I was worried that my skirt in the back could have rolled up slightly, but since there was no whispers coming from people behind me, that didn’t seem to be the case.

Clang!

The queen took the ceremonial sword given by the royal guard and pulled out the sword from its sheathe. Of course, its blade didn’t look sharp at all, but it was still a very antique looking sword.

I could feel the cold sensation of steel through my clothes.

“Do you swear to uphold the honor and the Lord as a duchess of England?”
“I do.”
“Do you swear to protect the weak, never surrender to the strong and keep to your belief?”
“I do.”
“Do you swear to never let injustice pass, and protect the royal family?”
“I do.”
“Do you swear to uphold this mission until your last breath?”
“I do.”
“With this, I hereby appoint Elizabeth the Duchess of England!”
“It is my honor.”

After the ceremonial speech was over⁶, I stood up from my position and took the sword that the queen handed to me. Then a royal guard came up and handed me the sheathe.

“Everyone, England now has a new Duchess, please applause.”
“Hooray!!”

Clap clap clap!

With the queen’s words, loud claps and cheering noises from the crowd erupted.

“Now then, Duchess. If you have anything to say, please do so.”

The queen spoke to me as she pulled my hand and led me to the podium. For a vassal like me to be able to stand at the same place as the queen was a massive honor. Though some whisperings were being exchanged by some people in the corner, who could say anything when it’s the orders of the queen?

I bowed my head in appreciation for the honor she gave me. I actually was looking forward to this moment immensely this whole time. Though things may turn out differently than I thought, god was on my side this time.

“I am the newly appointed duchess, Elizabeth. I give endless thanks to the queen for the chance for me to stand here, and would like to thank sincerely to all the honored guests that came to this event.”

I stopped my words here for a moment. It was because another round of applause broke out. I waited for a second for the applause to die down before I continued speaking.

“I have one thing I need to confess. Though it wasn’t my intention, I had been deceiving the population.”

Murmur murmur.

The hall that was filled with sounds of applause was now filled with worried whisperings instead. On the other hand, the journalists started to move their cameras busily as they thought they now have an exclusive scoop.

“Recently I’ve seen someone act in a way that goes against the god’s will and persecute the weak. Originally I thought to not reveal this fact. I thought to continue on without telling anyone. However, after hearing the queen’s words and having the title succession ceremony carried out, my thoughts changed. I will not let injustice go to pass. And so, I am announcing a declaration of war against Shining and Chaos guilds in the Blue Sky online game which many people of England enjoy, and which the same people that those guilds have deceived.”

Everyone looked at me with a stunned look, not understanding what I was saying.

I gave a refreshing smile at them in return. And then…

“I am Blue Sky’s Artoria.”⁷

1. Robinxen: That ceremony is a huge tourist attraction. But it’s important to remember that the Queen’s Guard are genuine military, they will use force if you pester them. Their job is to seriously guard the Palace.
2. Robinxen: To be honest the only people who care about the lions these days in modern England are the football fans… Nobody else really uses them anymore. Also that’s real football, not padded rugby for your pathetic Americans.
3. Robinxen: This wouldn’t actually happen at a formal event anymore for various reasons…
4. Robinxen: Auuuuuuuuuuuthoooooooor. If you’re going to set your novel in the UK please put some effort into how we address people!
5. Robinxen: Eh what seriously? That dinosaur is STILL around in this novel?
6. Robinxen: Most of this stuff has been done away with.
7. Robinxen: INCEPTION HORN