Chapter 50
The bell rang once more.
“Her Highness, Princess Anna Richover, Third Princess of the Sylvian Empire, has arrived!”
A middle-aged man with a powerful voice that rivaled the bell’s resonance made the announcement.
People near the entrance instinctively moved to the sides, clearing a direct path through the hall.
Erina found their synchronized movements fascinating. It made her even more curious, what kind of person was this princess?
Her eyes darted between the entrance and the announcer in anticipation.
Minutes passed.
Then, a massive carriage rolled to a stop at the entrance.
The one Erina had arrived in had been enormous, but this was incomparable. It was as if someone had taken the grand banquet hall she was in and shrunk it into carriage form, its surface gleaming spectacularly.
Just looking at it was overwhelming, and her curiosity faded.
Instead, she focused on making sure the children didn’t run off into the princess’s path.
The carriage even had side-opening doors, which the coachmen swung open in perfect unison.
Only after they had opened the doors and placed steps for her did Princess Anna finally appear.
Her long brown hair, more orange than true brown, cascaded down, but it was dry and brittle, resembling straw. Her complexion was pale and sickly, and she wavered as if she might collapse at any moment.
“…Oh.”
A quiet sigh of pity escaped from Erina and the others in the banquet hall.
Despite being adorned with extravagant, precious decorations, they weren’t enough to conceal her frailty.
Staggering yet somehow managing not to fall, Princess Anna crossed the hall and ascended the platform.
Everyone watched with bated breath, afraid she might collapse at any moment.
Only when she safely sat down did a collective sigh of relief ripple through the hall.
“She looks like she won’t make it past tomorrow.”
“M-Mitzu! You can’t say things like that!”
“What? Am I wrong?” Mitzu shrugged.
To be fair, he had a point…Princess Anna did look as if she could faint at any moment.
But still, she was a princess.
Worried that someone might have overheard, Erina anxiously glanced around.
Meanwhile, the one who had made such an outrageous remark, Mitzu, was casually poking at the food.
“Hey, human wom—er, Erina. Your cooking is better than this stuff. Humans sure are talented, huh?”
“…Is that a compliment?”
“What, you think it’s an insult?”
“Haa…”
Letting out a deep sigh, Erina turned away.
On stage, Princess Anna had her eyes closed.
Her chest was rising and falling heavily, just walking to the platform had clearly been too much for her.
A pang of sympathy struck Erina.
“Erina! Erina!”
“Hm?”
Resen tugged at the hem of her dress.
“Is the princess sick?”
“Hmm… I’m not sure. This is my first time seeing her too.”
“Oh… It’s just, she looks sick. And being sick isn’t good.”
Resen’s brows knitted together in concern.
Erina felt a surge of pride—he was growing up, learning to empathize with others.
But next to him, Lia and Poi scrunched their noses, whispering to each other as if they thought he was saying something strange.
“By the way, when is Lord Dylan coming? I thought he’d arrive with the princess. He left for the Imperial Palace before us, so I figured he’d come with the royals… Or maybe he’s arriving with the emperor?”
“T-The emperor is coming too?”
“Obviously. Why else do you think we’re having the banquet at this palace? The emperor doesn’t leave the main palace, so we brought the banquet to him.”
“Oh… That makes sense.”
Erina nodded, as if she had just realized something important.
Mitzu clicked his tongue and quickly scanned the hall.
Most people were still focused on Princess Anna, but a few were stealing glances at Mitzu and the triplets.
They had probably recognized the children’s identities.
Erina noticed it too and was contemplating how to handle the situation when…
DONG! DONG! DONG!
Unlike earlier, when only a single bell had announced Princess Aina’s arrival, now three bells rang in succession.
The banquet hall fell into an even deeper silence than before.
“His Majesty, the 21st Emperor of the Sylvian Empire, the Great Harkard Richover, has arrived! Everyone, show your respect!”
The three bell-ringers shouted in perfect unison.
At their thunderous proclamation, the guests moved even faster than before.
This time, Erina didn’t even dare to raise her head.
As a result, she had no idea what kind of carriage the emperor had arrived in, who he was with, or what he looked like.
“Ah, Lord Dylan is with him.”
Mitzu let out a low whistle.
Erina jumped and smacked the back of his head.
Dragon or not, his attitude in front of the emperor was beyond improper, it was outright disrespectful.
Mitzu scowled at the sudden hit, but he didn’t retaliate.
He merely pouted and waited for the emperor to take his seat.
Of course, the moment the emperor sat down, the ever-petty Mitzu smacked Erina’s hand away, hard.
But before Erina could even react, the triplets pounced.
“Don’t bully Erina!”
Thus, a quiet but intense scuffle ensued between Mitzu and the children, right in front of Erina.
Watching the adorable squabble, Erina barely managed to hold back a laugh.
At that moment…
“Proud citizens of the Sylvian Empire!”
The emperor, now seated on his throne, stood and raised a golden goblet high.
Beside the emperor sat Princess Anna and Dylan, each now holding a goblet of wine.
It was only after the emperor spoke that Erina finally got a good look at his face.
His bright orange hair was slicked back, revealing a broad forehead. He was imposing, with a towering frame and a stern expression—so much so that it was hard to believe he was the father of the frail-looking Princess Anna.
“Thanks to the faith and support of our people, the Sylvian Empire has achieved a decisive victory in the war against the Dalvan Kingdom! There were many trials, but this was a time that proved beyond a doubt that nothing, no one, and no situation can stand in the way of the Sylvian Empire’s glory! Now, let us raise our glasses to the eternal honor of the Empire!”
The emperor raised his arm high, so forcefully that wine sloshed over the rim of his goblet.
Stirred by his words, the crowd erupted in cheers, raising their glasses and echoing the toast,
“To the glory of the Sylvian Empire!”
“With this speech, one would think he fought in the war.”
Mitzu grumbled under his breath.
“We were the ones busting our **** out there, us and Lord Dylan. Ugh.”
As far as Mitzu was concerned, the emperor’s speech was all show. He hadn’t even supplied the army with proper resources, let alone participated in the war himself.
And on top of that, not a single word had been spoken about Dylan’s contributions. Mitzu was visibly irritated.
As the crowd’s excitement began to settle, the emperor once again raised his goblet.
“There is another reason for today’s grand banquet! We gather here not only to celebrate our victory but also to proclaim the safe return of the young masters of House Harrison, the eternal guardians and allies of the Sylvian Empire!”
The emperor let out a hearty laugh.
His announcement was met with a roaring ovation, from those who had already been aware and those only just learning the news alike. The cheers were as deafening as they had been for the war victory.
Erina’s eyes widened in surprise as she took in the reaction.
She had heard about House Harrison from Lynn, but she hadn’t realized just how much the imperial citizens revered them.
“Now! Let us welcome the true stars of this banquet, the young masters of House Harrison!”
From the moment they had entered, the emperor had known exactly where the triplets were. His sharp gaze locked onto them with pinpoint accuracy.
Erina shivered.
Every eye in the hall followed his gaze, converging on the children’s spot.
“Bring them forward!”
As Erina hesitated, unsure of what to do, an attendant suddenly appeared out of nowhere and barked at her.
At that exact moment, the triplets erupted in fury.
“Don’t yell at Erina!!”
“Go away!!”
“Mama, should I bite him?!”
Resen and Lia latched onto the attendant’s legs, baring their teeth as if they were about to bite. Meanwhile, Poi had already stuffed the attendant’s fingers into his mouth.
The banquet hall descended into chaos in an instant.
