NOVEL WEB Chapter 330: Empress Dowager
Zach looked at the princess in silence for a minute before asking,
"Your Grandmother?"
"On my Father's side," the princess clarified.
"Ah…" Zach inhaled in realization. The princess' grandmother was the Emperor's mother. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her the sky above the sky. Zach also understood why the princess said they might have to talk to her. If there was someone in the Empire with power over the Emperor, who could it be if not his mother?
Although she was far from as famous or infamous as the principal, the Empress Dowager was also a summoner, and a powerful one at that.
"Uh…Should I schedule an audience or something?" Zach asked. Meeting the Empress Dowager was different from visiting the Imperial Library. Even if he asked for an audience, the Empress Dowager could just say no if she didn't want to meet him.
There weren't many in the Empire who could disregard the Evandiel name unless it was attached to one of the Dukes. The Empress Dowager was one of them.
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The princess narrowed her eyes as she looked at Zach and his familiars.
"No…" She began doubtfully. Zach frowned.
"I don't think that's necessary," she continued. Zach's eyebrows rose.
"I think she might want to meet you, actually, considering your talent as a summoner. If you want, we could visit her right now. She usually doesn't do much at this time of day," the princess proposed hesitantly. Springing a meeting with the Empress Dowager onto Zach might be a little much.
"Let's go."
Contrary to the princess' expectations, however, Zach was already on his feet and ready to go.
Meeting one of the most powerful and influential people in the Empire was certainly daunting, but how could Zach be worried or filled with trepidation? The Empress Dowager was a summoner who, as far as he could tell, was on a similar footing to the principal, at least in terms of status.
The principal should be stronger and older since the Empress Dowager was from the generation before Zach's parents while the principal seemed to have existed since the dawn of time or something. There weren't any detailed records about the principal in the Academy.
But he was the Academy's first and only principal, and the Academy had been operational for a few centuries by now. There were also records elsewhere about the principal's activities in the early days of the Empire and even a few whispers of the principal's reign of terror before the Empire was even founded.
That meant the principal was at least nine hundred years old, most likely a little older.
The Empress Dowager most likely wasn't as strong as him, but she had to be considerably powerful to be considered among the same handful of people at the top of the official Empire.
Then, there were probably people like Sio hiding in the shadows. If the Systine Duchy had one, possibly more, guy like that, the other duchies and the Imperial Family would also have them.
But since the Empress Dowager was just a grandmother and not a great-grandmother or anything, she wasn't too old to actively influence the Empire with her presence just yet. But considering the lack of information about her recent activities, she was most likely already starting to withdraw from the public's consciousness.
Zach had to seize this opportunity to meet her, regardless of his other purpose in coming to the Imperial Palace. Powerful summoners, the principal excluded, were just too intriguing. Zach wanted to learn more about summoning and familiars. What better source than someone who had reached the top of the Empire relying only on her family background and talent for summoning?
The princess wanted to say something to Zach about how he needed to think about his etiquette and be careful. But when looking at his excited expression and the energy and his steps, the princess couldn't find it in herself to curb his enthusiasm. She also remembered how he had greeted her and refrained from physically assaulting the guard who barred his entry.
There was no need to say anything. Even if she did, Zach wouldn't take it to heart.
The princess just hoped her grandmother would be merciful.
After a walk during which the princess took the opportunity to introduce the buildings, maids, butlers, and flowers around them, the two noble youngsters and Zach's servants found themselves in front of clean, white palace that, while not as big as the main palace, was undoubtedly luxurious.
It was the most beautiful palace Zach had seen, even from outside the line of trees separating it from the rest of the imperial grounds.
The princess let Zach admire it from a distance before leading him along the path of smooth gravel through the trees and garden. One of the servants at the palace recognized the princess and gestured for them to go around back.
The Empress Dowager was tending to her flowers in a greenhouse big enough to house enough plants to keep her occupied well into her retirement.
"Grandma?" The princess gently called out from outside the greenhouse.
After a second of silence, a beautiful woman with striking golden hair just a few shades brighter than the princess' was in front of them, already wrapping her arms around the princess.
"Rienne, baby!" The Empress Dowager said cheerfully as she hugged her granddaughter. Right before picking up Rienne, however, she froze and let go. She patted Rienne on her shoulders before taking a step back and clearing her throat as an air of untouchability and supreme nobility wrapped itself around the Empress Dowager.
"Mm, I see you have brought a friend," the Empress Dowager said while giving Zach a pointed look, silently telling him to erase what he had just seen from the depths of his mind.
It was an unnecessary worry. Zach didn't care about the Empress Dowager's graceless display unbefitting of her stature. He only cared about how she had suddenly appeared right in front of them without the door to greenhouse even opening.
That was why he was staring at her. It had nothing to do with the beauty of a mature woman who should be old but showed no signs of aging out of her prime.