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Chapter 29
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Alton. I’m Hera Allerman Deckerdil.”
The princess, who had her gorgeous red hair tied up cutely, rubbed her blue eyes as she spoke.
The princess was a child who looked remarkably similar to the late Emperor Gririca, whom I had seen in portraits. It seemed that the late Emperor’s blood had been strongly passed down to his granddaughter through his son.
“It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness. My name is Bellady Alton.”
“Please excuse me for being in His Majesty’s arms. I couldn’t take my afternoon nap today because of preparations for the banquet.”
Despite her clear and lively way of speaking, Princess Hera’s voice was filled with drowsiness.
The Emperor seemed to find his daughter adorable, as he repeatedly stroked the child’s head.
“You’ve already shown your face to the nobles, so you may go and sleep now, Princess.”
“No, Your Majesty. I want to hear what you and Lady Alton are talking about.”
Even as she answered, Princess Hera let out a huge yawn.
Unable to watch her any longer, the Empress quietly spoke.
“Hera. His Majesty summoned Lady Alton because there is something important he needs to discuss with her. It’s already very late, so let’s go to your room together.”
“Hmm… But…”
The princess glanced at me.
There was unmistakable curiosity in her eyes.
‘I didn’t expect the princess to be interested in me.’
What was going on today?
First Kasper, and now the princess.
People with absolutely no connection to me kept trying to approach me.
Pretending not to notice the princess’s gaze, I lowered my eyes.
The Empress opened both arms toward Princess Hera. Faced with such an obvious invitation, the princess let out a disappointed sigh.
“Okay.”
The Emperor kissed his daughter on the forehead before handing her over to the Empress.
The Empress skillfully took the child into her arms and rose from the seat of honor. The nanny standing nearby fidgeted anxiously and offered to carry the princess herself, but the Empress refused and gently patted Hera’s back.
It was such a tender sight.
As I watched the Empress’s back gradually disappear into the distance, my eyes met those of the princess, who had her face resting against her mother’s shoulder.
Princess Hera smiled sweetly and waved her tiny hand at me.
In response to her innocent greeting, I bowed my head.
A deep, dignified voice came from beside me.
“My daughter, but she really is an adorable child.”
It was the Emperor, smiling fondly.
“Yes, she certainly is.”
“She’s remarkably clever and mature for her age as well. Whenever she’s in a formal setting like this, she insists on calling me ‘Your Majesty.’ And she’s only seven.”
The Emperor laughed warmly.
I smiled back and played along.
“Having such an impressive princess is certainly a blessing for the empire.”
“It’s a shame. If only our Hera were a little older, or you, Bellady, were a little younger, the two of you could have become good friends.”
“That might have been possible.”
Although I answered that way, there was no particular need for us to be close in age.
After all, in a few years, Princess Hera would gain a close friend named Nesia.
‘In the original story, the two of them are the same age and become inseparable friends.’
Come to think of it, this was the first time the Emperor had summoned me to speak with him privately.
The Summer Hunting Competition had been an unusual exception. Normally, he only spoke with the heads of each family and never bothered to exchange words with their children.
‘He couldn’t have summoned me merely to introduce me to the princess.’
Of course, if I were going to build connections, the princess was a better choice than the Crown Prince. According to the original story, the princess was an outstanding person in both character and ability.
But considering how unfamiliar people had been approaching me one after another today…
‘The Emperor seems to have something up his sleeve, too.’
At that moment, a part of the original story suddenly flashed through my mind.
Hera, who was taking a walk through the garden of the Alton Ducal Estate with Nesia, let out a sigh.
Seeing this, Nesia asked her with a worried expression,
“Is it because of what you told me about before?”
“Yeah… I think my brothers and His Majesty are gradually growing apart because of me.”
“But His Highness Killian is on your side, isn’t he?”
“Yes. He said he would support my wishes. But I don’t know. His Majesty wants to grant me a title, while my eldest brother is firmly opposed to it…”
“Isn’t it because His Majesty thinks so highly of your abilities? Honestly, I think it would be a waste for you to simply marry as a princess! You’re more than qualified to receive a noble title!”
At Nesia’s words, Hera smiled sadly.
“Thank you for saying that… His Majesty seems to regret things a lot these days. He keeps saying that he should have established a stronger foundation of support for me.”
Hera’s face had been filled with sorrow as she said those words.
That was the last scene I had read in the original story.
After that, I had gotten into an accident, and when I regained consciousness, I had been reincarnated—or rather, possessed into this world.
‘According to Princess Hera’s words, the Emperor had been looking for supporters for the princess for quite some time…’
Could it be that I’m his target now?
As if to reinforce my suspicion, the Emperor spoke.
“The families of the North were a strong foundation that supported the late Empress when she was still a princess.”
“Our family has always been loyal to the Imperial Family, Your Majesty.”
“I’m referring to when that loyalty was directed toward one particular member of the Imperial Family.”
I remained silent for a moment.
Even without an answer from me, the Emperor continued speaking.
“The late Empress always had great affection for the Alton Ducal Family, the representative family of the North. I feel the same way.”
“…”
“And so does Princess Hera.”
I raised my lowered head and looked directly at the Emperor.
It was technically against proper etiquette, but the Emperor didn’t get angry.
No, if anything, he was smiling.
“The princess says she admires the spirit of the North—the way it refuses to yield even in the face of bitter cold. The late Empress Gririca used to say the same thing while she was alive. It’s rather amusing, isn’t it?”
‘A spirit that refuses to yield even in the face of bitter cold…’
The reason we remained in the North even after the war ended was because there were countless iron mines there that brought in enormous profits.
Otherwise, why would anyone choose to remain in such a harsh and inhospitable place?
Perhaps a young Princess Hera could genuinely believe that.
But the Emperor surely wasn’t ignorant of such worldly circumstances.
Although he wore a benevolent smile, the Emperor’s eyes were keenly watching my reaction.
He was pressuring me to become close to the princess.
And he clearly meant something more than simply being friends.
‘Is he telling me to support Princess Hera, just as the Alton Family once supported the late Empress Gririca?’
This was the sort of political matter he should have discussed with my father. Why was he bringing it up with me?
I sighed inwardly.
As befitted someone who ruled a vast empire, the Emperor’s pressure was heavier than I had expected.
‘But when it comes to a battle of wills, I’m no pushover either.’
After taking a shallow breath, I maintained my composed smile without difficulty.
“My father would be delighted to hear that. It is a great honor for our family.”
I deliberately put on a worried expression.
“But… I’m concerned that Her Highness the Princess’s affection might inadvertently lead to misunderstandings.”
A flicker of interest appeared in the Emperor’s eyes.
“Misunderstandings?”
“I’m worried that if Her Highness shows such affection for the North, nobles from other regions might interpret it as favoritism…”
After finishing my words, I casually turned around.
The seat of honor overlooked the entire banquet hall.
I could feel the Emperor following my gaze and looking toward the banquet hall as well.
‘Let’s see.’
There were people everywhere.
Would I be able to find them?
Contrary to my concern, I found Mostin and Sion almost immediately.
As luck would have it, Sion happened to be looking this way.
“So, why not have conversations with the children of other ducal families representing different regions besides me?”
As I said this, I gave a small nod in their direction.
Sion understood my signal immediately and brought Mostin, who was standing beside him, rushing over.
When Sion and Mostin reached the stairs connected to the seat of honor in an instant, the attendant waiting there looked toward the Emperor.
The Emperor allowed them to approach without saying a word.
Sion and Mostin climbed the stairs with elegant yet noticeably hurried movements before bowing deeply.
“It is an honor to meet His Exalted Majesty, the Emperor. I am Sion Agla, son of House Agla.”
“It is an honor to meet Your Majesty. I am Mostin Fredo of the House of Fredo.”
“Yes…”
The Emperor accepted their greetings before turning his gaze toward me.
“You want me to speak with these boys?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Both young masters possess truly excellent character. I’m sure you’ll like them very much once you speak with them. It will also make it easier for you to introduce their charms to Her Highness the Princess.”
“Hahahahaha!”
The Emperor burst into loud laughter at my words.
He laughed so heartily that even the Crown Prince and his wife, who had been talking some distance away, openly turned their attention toward us.
The Emperor looked at me with an amused smile.
“Well, this is something. I was planning to personally introduce you to the princess, but instead, you’ve introduced your friends to me.”
The Emperor had summarized the entire conversation in a single sentence so neatly that Sion and Mostin seemed to finally understand what was going on.
The two of them bowed their heads to the Emperor with the most innocent and earnest smiles they could manage.
“As Lady Alton said, I’m quite an interesting fellow, Your Majesty!”
“I hope I can make Your Majesty’s day a little more enjoyable.”
I quietly stepped beside the two of them and bowed my head as well.
“Would Your Majesty kindly allow the three of us to keep you company?”
Seeing us like this, the Emperor smiled.
It was a slightly more relaxed smile than the one he had shown earlier.
“I know that the three of you are quite close. Very well. I look forward to seeing just how much entertainment you can provide me.”
The moment the Emperor gave his permission, the attendants quickly gathered and arranged chairs beside the Emperor’s seat.
Several attendants also set up a small table, glasses filled with drinks, and various snacks such as canapés.
“I’m curious to hear what the young sprouts of the empire have been thinking about these days. This banquet is turning out to be much fresher than I expected.”
‘Fresher’ was certainly one way to put it.
We remained with the Emperor until the banquet ended.
The Emperor never stopped smiling.
That was largely thanks to the master of flattering elders we had among us.
Neither Sion nor I were particularly bad at conversation, but compared to Mostin, we were nothing more than fireflies before a full moon.
“Would Your Majesty permit me to sing a song for you?!”
“Hahaha! Of course! Go ahead!”
Mostin truly excelled at playing the role of an entire one-man army.
Once again, I found myself thinking that if that guy had been born in the modern world, he would have climbed all the way to an executive position through flattery alone.
