Chapter 43

Dawn Scarlett



I am still quite astounded by the fact that Trajan still has this surprised and proud look plastered on his face. It is like what a father would have every time his child does something commendable and is worth celebrating - well, it was really easy to guess anyways. So there is nothing hard about reading between the lines especially if he is already basically giving off the idea already.



"Wow, Dawn, you have predicted it correctly! The Elysian Kingdom's Imperial Family is truly indebted to my brother because he has saved their asses a few times already," he exclaimed ecstatically, making me roll my eyes subconsciously. Seriously? Because of the words he chose to pronounce and the fact that there is no such thing as free in my former world, and even in this world, there is no such thing as free - everything has a price, and it simply depends on what that price will be. It may be money, fame, a favor in exchange, or even a few lives on the line.



It doesn't matter because debt is still a debt, and neither the debtor nor the debtee will be able to get rid of it. In other cases, powerful relationships are formed as a result of these debts, such as when Trajan declared that Aurelius' close buddy was the Emperor of the Elysian country. Of course, the former emperor instructed his son to stay as near to Aurelius as possible at first to ensure that he could not harm them. In a nutshell, it was all for their safety and advantage, but as time went on, it became clear that it was more than just a contractual connection - it became a true friendship.



It could also be identified as major character development. How would I know if my assumption is correct? Of course, knowing Aurelius Shen, he wouldn't actually consider that person his close friend if everything was just for the sake of the debt or something like that - he obviously hates fakeness. Most probably if their relationship continued to be contractual in a sense, Aurelius Shen would have probably ordered Trajan to do something in order to make sure that the Imperial Family of the Elysian Kingdom will be removed from their position and that a new family will rise from the ashes to replace them - or conquering that kingdom is also possible for the Xinan. There are a lot of things that could happen and that is also the reason why I am so careful not to get busted that everything about me in this world is fake - that I have been lying the moment that we met.



But of course, I am going to make sure that I will die first before he actually finds out that I have been lying to him ever since. I'd rather die because of old age than through execution.



"But so far we no longer mention their debts because of the close relationship my brother has with their emperor. However, not mentioning it does not mean that we totally forgot about it. If there will be a time that shits happen then more or less, my brother will have no choice but to use all those debts in order to keep the Elysian Kingdom in check" Trajan said while his right hand is touching his chin. Well, it is actually quite obvious that Aurelius Shen would do that, any wise ruler would. "Anyways, we should not dwell much on the debt of the Elysian Imperial family to us, we could actually talk about it some other time but for now we should focus on you knowing the basics of being a noble lady" he added to what he just said and I just nod my head in agreement because indeed he said a while back that he is about to give a lecture on the things that I need to know in being a noble lady but instead of directly proceeding to that stuff he kind of gave emphasis first on the Elysian kingdom and the reason why they easily helped me in gaining a title there and also basically, the Imperial family having my back - protecting me from people who will try to find out who I am.



"As a noble lady you are expected to emanate grace and glow with compassion, but I am not going to deny the fact that there are noble lady's who are the complete opposite of that expectation. Ladies who are swallowed by their pride and greed want to own everything to the point that they are willing to deceive anyone by wearing masks - acting like they are indeed the nicest of all but the truth is they are not. And those kinds of women are what my brother doesn't like - well, I also do not like such women." Trajan said and I honestly cannot help but agree with what he just said.



Indeed, there are a lot of women in this city for example who has the title of being the princess of their household but their attitude and personalities are trash. I have already met a few of such noble ladies - noble ladies who don't like commoners, they despise commoners and they treat them like trash. There are also noble ladies who are spoiled brats - they want to instantly get what they desire and if they don't they'll resort to other means just to get it; evil means to be exact just for example using their family name or giving off money.



But I guess such a thing is really natural even if I am to be transmigrated to another world. The rich will always get what they want and the poor will have to suffer in their stead. The rich are so privileged enough to do whatever they want and they can even escape any crime they did just by flaunting their family names or giving off money as a bride while the poor - even if they did not commit any crime they will still end up in prison and they will not be even given a chance to explain anything.



"Now I am going to narrate to you the characteristics that you need to possess as a noblewoman. I know this may sound out of this world but that is the reason why my brother liked you in the first place - because you are not like the rest of the population, you are unique and you possess qualities that my brother wasn't able to see with anybody else" he said once again, and I do not know but for some reason, I cannot help but swallow my own saliva because of it. I guess I am a little bit nervous because his and Aurelius Shen's expectation of me is actually quite high and I am worried about the fact that what if I wasn't able to live up to that expectation? Will I actually lose my head? or are they going to be merciful and will give me a second chance to prove my worth.



"One, you need to be wise. A noblewoman is one who generally speaks with wisdom on their tongue. That is why you are undergoing these lectures for you to be able to familiarize yourself with a lot of things especially because of the fact that you have long lost your memories. Also, this essentially means that she can speak the hard truth without holding anything back. It isn’t being tactless but instead being thoughtful. A lot of people may not want to hear it, but she’s coming from a place of genuine empathy and this will make you good at giving advice to people but you do not worry if you are not going to be able to literally solve their problems because that is their job already not yours.



In short, all you have to do is to speak what is on your mind. Do not be afraid because you are entitled to have your own opinion and no one will be able to disregard that opinion of yours because you are the fiance of the Emperor of the most powerful city Aurelius Shen and you are going to be the future Empress as well" that is what he first said and once again, I cannot help but to actually swallow my saliva because I am already having doubts if I could do it.



Well, actually I can speak out what is on my mind and I am not afraid to speak out what is on my mind but the thing is, I only do that when I have perceived that my opinion is really needed in the conversation - most of the times I'd rather keep my mouth shut and just proceed to do what is needed to be done because I believe that actions speak louder than words. And also, a lot of people find it offensive when another individual is voicing out their opinions about something especially if they are not being asked. But I guess in this world, as a noble lady who is part of the social circle, such a thing is okay - that it is okay to have your opinion about something and voice it out even if the other people are not asking for it anyways.



I guess it is really different in this world huh? And I think I am not going to get used to it anytime soon.



"The second one does not only apply to you being a noble lady but also as a future empress and that is the fact that you need to be gentle" Trajan continued "Although it is a fact that you need to be confident because you hold a position as the daughter of the Duke and soon to be Empress, you need to keep in mind that you are not required to rule with an iron fist. But you also need to recognize that there are certain times that you surely need to do so it is for the reason that no one will be able to dare to challenge your position and make unnecessary remarks about you. But when that does happen, I am pretty sure that my brother will instantly do something about it - he will definitely not let it pass"



It is only the second characteristic that he said that I should possess it is already getting a little bit complicated -- I know, I know it does sound simple but it is hard especially if you are trying to portray a very high and respectable image. I am just a commoner and how exactly would I act as their ideal empress and noble lady? Can I actually be in character in one week's time?



"The most important thing about this characteristic is you simply need to understand the value of good communication, especially in situations where you are to deal with someone or something that is being entirely difficult. Always remember to keep a calm and collected demeanor, you also need to make sure that the arguments that you are going to speak are logical. You need to control your voice as well, in arguing with someone of the same status make sure that you'll not raise your voice to bring the best outcome.



That is what you need to remember always since starting from your engagement, surely everything will be tough for you. A lot of ladies will surely try to bring you down - argue with you or try to find fault with your existence so the best advice that I could give to you is to argue with them with a smile plastered on your face and be as sarcastic as possible. Do you understand? " he said and even if I do not know if I could do it perfectly after a week and that I am going to be able to live up to their expectations, I have no choice but to actually nod my head because I already promised myself that I am going to do my best in order to fulfill my part of the deal for my safety and not to mention that being the Emperor's fiance and the soon to be empress is also beneficial to me in many ways.



"Well, that is good, and don't worry Dawn Scarlett - I have known you for months now and I can attest that you will surely ace these ideals of being a noble lady. To be honest, I think everything will be quite easy for you because you already possess it, you have what it takes to become an Empress. Actually, I do have a feeling that you really came from a Ducal Household because of your presence, your personality - technically everything about you can be compared to that of a lady who came from the ducal household" Trajan said and I cannot help but look at him, confused because I did not expect that he will actually think highly of me and it is actually weird --- quite weird to be honest.



*To be continued*