“Duke Jade Gray, come forward.”
At that moment, the Emperor publicly called out Duke Gray.
Whether there was some prior communication or not, Jade Gray approached the Emperor without showing any signs of confusion, as smoothly as flowing water.
“I hear your grandson possesses remarkable talent.”
“That’s too much praise.”
“Excellent talent is a blessing to the empire and my joy.”
The Emperor laughed with great delight at Jade Gray’s humility.
After patting the shoulder of the Crown Prince sitting beside him, he looked back at Jade Gray and spoke.
“Considering the connection we should maintain with our Crown Prince in the future, we should establish a good understanding beforehand.”
Upon the Emperor’s words, the nobles buzzed, exchanging glances with each other.
The acknowledgment in front of everyone implied that Enoch’s talent was deemed worthy of becoming the Emperor’s sword in the future.
For Jade Gray, it felt like a piece had silently fallen into place.
“Thank you, Your Majesty. I will do my best to live up to those expectations for this child.”
“Haha. I look forward to watching with pleasure.”
The Emperor called Enoch forward, allowing time for the Crown Prince and Jade Gray to exchange greetings.
The eyes of the nobles watching captured the moment when the Crown Prince and Enoch shook hands.
“Hmmm.”
My dad was the same way.
While my mom looked at the scene with a pleased expression, my dad stiffened his face and tapped his fingers.
It was a habit of Dad’s that emerged when he pondered something deeply.
“Why, dad?”
Although his face was smiling, I couldn’t be fooled. My dad was quite displeased with the situation.
Catching onto it sharply and asking, my dad squeezed his tapping fingers, offering a somewhat awkward smile.
“It seems like His Majesty owes something to Duke Gray.”
“Huh?”
“Someone as crafty as a fox wouldn’t act so straightforwardly in a place with Emblem in front of him.”
“Don’t look for Gray in front of the Emblem; is that because of that?”
“Hehe, it’s not such a simple matter.”
My dad patted my head and then looked straight at me again.
Unbeknownst to us, Jade Gray and Enoch, having finished their greetings with the Emperor, were approaching.
“Huh? Why are they coming this way?”
Jade Gray, who had been treating us like invisible beings throughout the party, now headed straight towards us, and everyone’s gaze followed suit.
Even next to Enoch Gray, the Crown Prince was blushing and shyly following him, holding his hand.
“I greet to His Royal Higness.”
My mom took the initiative to step forward and greet the Crown Prince.
Should I also greet them? Feeling confused, my dad gently pushed me back and spoke.
“It’s been a while, Your Highness. And Duke Gray.”
Before the Crown Prince could respond to my dad’s greeting, Jade Gray, with an arrogant expression, looked at my mom and asked.
“Where is your father?”
At the blatant disregard towards my dad, my mom’s face subtly hardened.
My face mirrored the sentiment. Indeed, as my grandpa said, Jade Gray lacked manners.
If Jade Gray had heard the Emperor praising Enoch and carrying the Crown Prince on his back, my grandpa would surely have been furious.
Nevertheless, my dad reassuredly smiled at my mom, who sighed in response.
“He has gone to fulfill His Majesty’s command.”
“Hmm.”
Jade Gray paused as if contemplating something after my mom’s response.
“Is that all you have to do?”
“That can’t be possible.”
Pushing Enoch forward gently, holding the Crown Prince’s hand, Jade Gray spoke.
“Our Enoch was invited to the Crown Prince’s palace not long ago. While it’s not their first meeting, your daughter might never have had the chance to meet the Crown Prince. Normally, your father should have introduced her, but since he’s absent, I took the liberty of bringing her over.”
“…… I’m really thankful for that.”
My mom expressed gratitude with a reluctant tone.
Jade Gray seemed to come to boast about Enoch being friends with the Crown Prince, and telling that I’m complete stranger to the Crown Prince.
Enoch even went to the Crown Prince’s palace on an ‘invitation,’ and Jade Gray bragged about it as if it were common knowledge, without asking if I had ever met the Crown Prince.
It was an attitude that wanted to keep this fact pinned in front of everyone.
‘I really wish my grandpa were here.’
If my grandpa were here, things wouldn’t have turned out this way!
I wondered if Enoch inherited his impudence from someone, but it turned out to be from his grandpa. I shouldn’t say this to an adult, but I really hated him at this moment.
I wanted to say something, but at the age of only seven, I couldn’t just barge into the conversation among adults.
Frustrated, I fidgeted, but my dad put his hand on my shoulder, stepped forward, and spoke up.
“As Duke Gray mentioned, this is our Cherrya first meeting with the Crown Prince.”
“Oh, yes! It is indeed the first time.”
The Crown Prince, who had been standing there nervously, blushed at my dad’s words and responded.
My dad knelt down on one knee to align with the Crown Prince’s eye level, gesturing for me to stand in front of him, then spoke.
“Cherry, this is the Crown Prince, the second light of the Lutinas Empire. Greet him.”
I could sense that my dad was ready to counterattack from the slight smirk on his face.
I smiled knowingly at my dad and greeted the Crown Prince.
“Hello, I’m Cherrya Emblem.”
“Nice to meet you, Lady Emblem. I am Aurelian Leopardo Lutinas, and although I am lacking, I am carrying out the title of crown prince of this empire.”
I admired the Crown Prince’s greeting inwardly. Despite his fragile appearance, his voice was clearer and more transparent than I had expected, and it had a commanding presence.
‘Is this why people say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover?’
The Crown Prince’s golden eyes sparkled with a bright light. Though small, the brilliance in his eyes was enough to make a lasting impression.
“How are you feeling these days? I heard that Your Highness dedicated to recovery since your childhood cause you experienced an illness.”
My dad, now standing upright, inquired about the Crown Prince’s well-being. The Crown Prince responded warmly.
“Thanks to that, I’m much better now. The books you gave me at that time were a great comfort.”
“Is that so? I’m glad the Crown Prince enjoyed them.”
It seemed the Crown Prince had a great liking for my dad.
The Crown Prince, whose pale face had regained vitality, approached my dad a bit more and raised his voice.
“Of course! I received precious items that are hard to find in the palace. Among the Lutinas Empire’s founding mythology sequels, I especially love the ‘Sword of the Emperor’ chapter.”
The mention of the ‘Sword of the Emperor’ made my eyes widen. It was a book I knew well.
It was a fairy tale-like book that my dad used to read to me when I was little. It compiled the heroic feats of Emblem, the founding hero of the Lutinas Empire.
“Ah, to have ‘The Sword of the Emperor’ as your favorite, I am truly honored as a member of Emblem.”
My dad and the Crown Prince began conversing as if they were the only two people in the room.
The Crown Prince seemed to forget about Duke Gray and me, getting excited and engaged in the conversation.
“There’s an anecdote in ‘The Sword of the Emperor’ where the invited emperor threw Emblem’s sword to test it, and the invited duke deflected it, causing it to impale the wall. Is it true that the sword is still stuck in the duke’s residence in Emblem Territory?”
“Yes, it is true. I visited the duke’s residence in Emblem Territory and witnessed it with the duke’s permission.”
“Truly, I envy you so much! I hope to visit and see it someday.”
Who would say the Crown Prince looks frail now?
His fervent desire to visit Emblem Territory and witness the sword impaled in the duke’s residence bordered on enthusiasm, if not outright zeal.
At this moment, everyone in the party probably shared my thoughts.
‘The Crown Prince… is a Emblem enthusiast?’
Only now did I understand what kind of counterattack my dad had prepared.
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