<Episode 77>
“How long do we have to continue arguing about replacing the Crown Prince?”
Count Celt spoke in a sighing tone.
“His Majesty the Emperor has declared so strongly that there will be no replacement of the Crown Prince……No matter how much we ask, there is nothing we can do.”
As Marquis Oppenheimer read a document and muttered slowly, Marquis Hopper slammed the table loudly and shouted in an frustrated tone.
“His Majesty the Emperor is too much! He kept silent about the fact that the Fire Spirit King disappeared with no trace of his whereabouts known and that His Highness 1st Prince Valerian did not receive any blessings. He committed a fraud against us and he truly feel no remorse for it at all?!”
“Marquis Hopper, calm down.”
“I’ve already endured the Emperor dismissal for over 5 years. But now I can’t overcome his arbitrariness! How could he appoint a member of the royal family who hasn’t even received the blessing of a lower-ranking spirit to be the next Emperor? He already has the 2nd prince! If he had crowned him as the Crown Prince from the start, there would have been no need to waste time putting aside state affairs because of such a sluggish debate!”
Many nobles in the room also showed signs of agreement to some extent with the impassioned remarks made by Marquis Hopper.
“……But the reality is that not only His Majesty’s will, but also external perspectives must be taken into consideration. The spirits that blessed His Highness the Second Prince are beings belonging to the circle of darkness.”
Count Eltissia sighed and touched his forehead at the remarks of Count Juppes, who was observing the situation.
“Decades have passed since the disaster ended. How long are we going to have to unconditionally reject and hate dark spiritists, regardless of their own qualities and character?”
Count Frederick said.
“You’re right. Not only is His Highness Ashamed a talent as an Elementalist, but in terms of academics and political sense, the 2nd Prince is superior to Prince Valerian. In contrast to Prince Valerian, who is naturally soft, His Highness Ashamed resembles His Majesty Oswald when he was the Crown Prince… but His Majesty always gives priority to Prince Valerian.”
“Grand Duke Hailien still hasn’t made his intentions clear?”
The audience fell silent at the question posed by Count Celt.
After the Duke of Candel’s family and the Duke of Bastevan’s family were exterminated and disappeared for different reasons.
Archduke Roberick Arne Hailien was the only head of the noble families belonging to the Roshan Empire, and held enormous power to control the will of all nobles.
“…The legitimate heir, Grand Princess Edith Ronen Hailien, is supporting her fiancé, His Royal Highness the 2nd Prince, and the Archduchess’ biological child, Grand Princess Allea Serafina Hailien, is supporting His Royal Highness the current Crown Prince. The two ladies each support a different prince, and His Excellency Grand Duke Hailien must be deeply concerned.”
“But he has to make up his mind now that His Highness the Second Prince recently celebrated his fourteenth birthday. If he wants to replace the Crown Prince, now is the right time.”
The age at which the coming-of-age ceremony takes place is sixteen.
With about two years left until the second prince, Ashamed, came of age, the opinion of all nobles and ministers was that the prince who would become the next Emperor should be chosen.
“It seems that Grand Duchess Hailien is trying to get her husband to support Grand Princess Allea’s wishes, but it seems that her efforts are in vain. Grand Duke Hailien has already been extremely fond of Grand Princess Edith, who has inherited impeccable noble lineage for a long time, so would he support Grand Princess Allea, who is not his biological child? Still she is his formal wife and he does not express a firm opinion because he respects her, but I am sure Grand Duke Hailien also supports His Highness the Second Prince.”
It was a rare case, where the Marquis of Aslan, who had inherited the position of head of the family at a young age, spoke in a tone with a clear hint of arsenic, several nobles cleared their throats, but in fact, no one expressed any disagreement with his remarks.
“Now, everyone, please calm down. Isn’t today His Majesty’s birthday? I have to finish preparing to attend the banquet, so it would be best to disperse now.”
Under the mediation of Count Juppes, the long meeting of the House of Lords came to an end.
“…If Grand Princess Edith were to become the Empress, it would be a great thing since there is a high possibility that Siorn would be reinstated…”
Count Juppes, who remained in the deserted assembly hall as the crowds left, muttered quietly with a lonely look.
“His Majesty the Emperor is so stubborn. How is it okay to keep doing this?”
Only a deep sigh was left where he stayed.
***
“Allea is all ready?”
“She is almost finished. But ma’am, it’s a banquet commemorating His Majesty’s birthday…… ”
“What’s wrong? Please get to the point quickly.”
The head maid of Archduchess Heilian looked at the back of Chastia, who was putting the final touches on her makeup, with eyes full of unspoken words and said carefully.
“How about dressing a little more plainly than Her Majesty the Empress?”
She wore a necklace cast in platinum and crowned with hundreds of pearls, with dozens of diamonds dangling from it, shining brightly.
Likewise, all her accessories were in a bright white color.
To add to that, if she attended the banquet wearing a pure white dress like a bride at a wedding, there was a high possibility of going against the wishes of the Empress, who ruled the Empire as the only wife of His Majesty the Emperor.
It was a given that the main character of the banquet would be the Emperor, and Her Majesty the Empress, as only his wife, should wear a costume reminiscent of a bride.
“………She hasn’t commented on my outfit in the past few years. Do you think I need to worry now?”
Chastia answered softly, adjusting her heavy earrings with a pensive look on her face.
The head maid closed her eyes in embarrassment at those innocent words.
“But now……….”
In order to respect the prestige of His Excellency the Hailien Archduke, the Empress just endured before.
But at this precarious time when the power structure was gradually dividing between the two Princes, the Grand Duchess’ choice to still live immersed in the past seemed very foolish.
“If I show my dignity as Grand Duchess of Hailien, it will also be helpful to Allea. No matter how much Edith Ronen Hailien is loved by Roberick, Allea is the child of the rightful wife.”
“…..Madam.”
She was truly foolish and stubborn.1No, she has a brain damage and it’s getting impossible for me to endure her fitsಠ_ʖಠ
So what if she was the child of the legitimate wife?
In the end, she was nothing more than a stepdaughter who had not inherited a single drop of His Excellency the Grand Duke’s blood.
Moreover, it was no extravagantion to say that her maternal side influence was non-existent, so if one were to think about the rest of their life after the Archduke step down, it would be wiser to bow to the next successor, Grand Princess Edith, rather than to establish a dignity that did not exist.
“Let’s go, Roberick must be waiting.”
The head maid bid the Grand Duchess farewell, looking at her with pity as her future fallen situation could not be pictured more clearly than this.
***
“Oh, wait a minute! Grand Princess, let me check on you one last time.”
“…Can you please stop? It’s enough.”
“Now that the Grand Princess is twelve years old, we should show everyone the beauty of slowly opening flower bud rather than looking like a child like before.”
I am tired…….
I stared blankly into space, sticking my tongue out at the crazy maids who were busy dressing me up for almost three hours.
I had already lived as the Grand Princess Hailien for five years, and turned twelve this year.
The maids, who had not been this enthusiastic about taking care of my appearance until last year, tricked me, and as soon as I turned twelve, they began to put a lot of effort into making me a beauty that I did not even want to be.
‘I brought a pack containing medicinal herbs that make the skin clear and transparent. Grand Princess, please close your eyes for a moment.’
‘From now on, I will apply oil to the Grand Princess’s hair once a day to make it more shiny and soft. It is even more effective if you also do a scalp massage.’
‘It’s juice made from the fruit of Chakla, a plant called Rananda that grows only in Gracia Forest, where forest spirits reside. If you take it consistently, it will give you a light and slim body like a fairy.’
They didn’t only make my everyday life more annoying, but when I have to attend a banquet, they become several times more anxious than usual.
“Okay, it’s over now! Send an attendant to His Highness the 2nd Prince to escort the Princess”
Melissa looked at my reflection in the mirror with happy eyes and left.
I looked at myself in the mirror, wearing a white frilled dress that went down to my calves, and a coat with golden embroidery on a black base, matching it with a ciméd2I don’t know what a ciméd is, if someone knows please tell me😅.. I raise my hand and glance at the black ribbon with the golden chain that adorns my hair. I distracted myself from the boring wait by touching it.
“Grand Princess Edith, His Highness the Second Prince is waiting for you.”
“Okay.”
It was finally time to head to the banquet hall.
I turned away from the mirror and went out the door.
***
“His Excellency Grand Duke Hailien, Grand Princess Hailien, and Grand Princess Allea are entering!”
The eyes of the numerous people who filled the banquet hall were all focused on the Hailien Archduke family.
Among them, there were also the eyes of the Emperor and Empress, and sure enough, they were different.
The Empress’s expression hardened slightly as she looked at the Grand Duchess’s clothes.
“Welcome, Archduke Hailien. Thank you for coming with the Grand Duchess and the Grand Princess.”
“May you shine with an everlasting flame, Your Majesties the Emperor and the Empress of the Roshan Empire.”
The nobles, who were staring at the sight of the Archduke’s family exchanging brief greetings with the Emperor and his wife, made conversations among themselves by raising the subject of another member of the Archduke Hailien family who would soon appear, Grand Princess Edith Ronen Hailien.
“His Royal Highness Second Prince Ashamed Haas Ruairi and Grand Princess Edith Ronen Hailien are entering!”
Not long after, the Prince and his fiancé, who were currently receiving the most attention in the Roshan Empire, appeared, and the atmosphere in the banquet hall became even more heightened.
“They have finally come.”
“I heard that His Highness the 2nd Prince is so beautiful…..Didn’t they also say that Grand Princess Edith, even at a young age, had a beautiful appearance that was expected to bloom even more in the future?”
“There is a rumor going around that the next most handsome man of the Roshan Empire, succeeding His Excellency Grand Duke Hailien, will probably be His Highness the Second Prince.”
Amid the numerous voices, the 2nd Prince and Grand Duchess Edith finally appeared.
***
TL:
Hello dear readers,
It has been a while since I updated because of the finals. Now I am happy to tell you that from now on, I will return to the previous schedule with 4 chapters a week. I hope you are as happy as me.└( ＾ω＾)」
Thank your for the chapter!
Ty for reading 💖