As usual, after checking on Acella in the morning and preparing to leave the Moonlight Palace, thump thump thump, a loud drumbeat resonated, so I went out to the main gate.
“Ha ha ha! Of course, Gothberg. Did you instinctively feel the presence of a noble? Yes, that’s the kind of man I recognize.”
George was leading a marching band while riding an extravagant golden-decorated elephant he somehow acquired.
Isn’t that animal abuse?
“You look well, Your Majesty.”
“Well, of course. I have regained the wealth and honor of my prime with my new business. Hmm. To be honest, I haven’t yet restored my honor and vassals. I still haven’t found my secretary, head maid, or attending physician. Ah, have you opened the gift?”
“The penne pasta you gave me back then? I cooked it deliciously. Our Royal Princess liked it too.”
George laughed heartily, looking very pleased with himself.
“Ha ha ha. Isn’t it a brilliant idea? By simply cutting the dough, I enhanced the texture and fun of the dish. Wheat is something all the citizens of the Empire consume, right? This is how one earns big bucks.”
Somehow, George set up a pasta factory and hit the jackpot. He certainly has talent.
“Why would I hide anything? The inspiration came from your constraint factory.”
“Really?”
“Cheap raw materials, and items that everyone has to consume. If it weren’t for Dr. Faust, I might not have saved my life, and I wouldn’t be pondering over you again. This is the power of destiny, Gothberg!”
Hmm.
Everything’s great, but it seems he came back after watching some opera performance outside and got a bit too carried away. His lines are overly dramatic.
I think he might need a brain MRI.
“I bring this up because Togin Palace has disappeared.”
“It crumbled.”
“Reconstruction is too time-consuming and costly, so I decided to move to Hwarang Palace. There’s an occasion too. The Hero has returned with great achievements.”
“Indeed.”
“To celebrate his achievements and to introduce Hwarang Palace, I thought I would host a formal dinner. It’s not a big party. It’s just meant for the heirs to chat with the Hero.”
“Is it tonight?”
“Heike is already coming. I would like you and Acella to attend.”
George winked with a mischievous smirk.
Great, just what I needed—a longer list of errands.
Well, I can deal with Lishe, but if I accompany Acella, I’ll be delayed in getting off work.
“Hm. Nowadays, our Royal Princess has been quite busy, so I wonder if she’ll be able to accept.”
“Oh ho, don’t be so resistant. I have plenty of gifts prepared. I really want you to come.”
Everyone should have a clear idea here.
Even if Togin Palace got destroyed, with this guy George, I’m sure he has hidden personal funds or assets stashed around the Imperial Palace.
Now that he’s back, isn’t this confident attitude because he reclaimed it all?
I open my status window to check [Alchemy].
―――――――――――
· Elixir = ??? + ??? + Branch of the World Tree
[Rank Insufficient]
―――――――――――
To create the elixir, I need to keep raising my alchemy rank anyway. Rare materials get better the more you handle them.
‘Right now, potions that will give a lot of experience points are.’
―――――――――――
· Flight Potion = Wyvern Wing + Vitality Potion
―――――――――――
This potion increases the duration of flight.
I think Tanya or Valen could make use of this at the Martial Arts Conference.
Wyverns are a significant rarity among dragon subspecies, making it hard to acquire their corpses.
George probably has some.
“Do you happen to collect loot from monsters?”
“Monsters? I didn’t expect you to be interested in that. Loot from strong monsters is always a symbol of a great knight order and wealth. In my day, I used to frequent the auction houses. What gift will make you come to the formal dinner?”
“I had encountered a dragon while adventuring in the North.”
“A dragon? You mean a real divine beast dragon, not a subspecies like a wyvern?”
“Yes.”
“Whoa.”
It seems he didn’t expect to hear a name of a divine beast monster, and George looked slightly shocked.
He patted the elephant he was riding.
“Would this suffice instead?”
“No, the mammoth that lived over there was five times larger than this one.”
“Ha ha ha, indeed, Gothberg. You’re not an easy man.”
George snapped his fingers as if he was quite pleased.
“While I don’t have dragon scales, I do have some wyvern items. What do you think?”
“Hm… you mean a wyvern.”
“Of course, it’s not as good as the dragon you saw, but it’s something. Yes? What do you think?”
I pretended to ponder for a while before casually glancing sideways to ask him.
“Do you have wings as well?”
“Oh, yes, I do.”
I nodded as if that was enough to convince me.
“I’ll tell the Royal Princess. I can’t say what she will decide.”
“Ha ha! If you’re coming, Acella will naturally come along. Then, I’ll be waiting!”
As George signaled, the marching band started playing a lively tune again.
After watching him parade around the Imperial Palace, I turned my steps to report back to Acella.
*
“Tonight already. George is as rude as ever.”
Acella complained while instructing the head maid to adjust the schedule and prepared for the formal dinner.
There was still time, but it was a gathering with all the heirs and the Hero.
I couldn’t predict what political statements would be exchanged, so attendance was a must.
Especially now it was vital to prevent Heike and George from forming an alliance.
“Men probably think they can get out for dinner in five minutes.”
Acella kept grumbling.
I rapidly checked my response scenarios related to topics likely to come up at dinner.
A ruler’s dignified rhetoric is completed with thorough preparation.
I hadn’t reached a conclusive agreement with Heike during the talks. It was about the leadership of the Martial Arts Conference.
And one more thing.
‘The management of the Hero should be transferred to another palace.’
Acella seemed filled with thoughts of separating Lishe from Lars long ago.
It needed to be established as a deal favorable to us. I couldn’t let them discover I considered the Hero a thorn in my side.
Heike, the likely next emperor, was off the table, so dealing with the relatively weakened George was more beneficial.
To seize profits, one couldn’t foolishly walk into enemy territory empty-handed.
From head to toe, show off the intended presentation to dominate the opponent from the very first impression. That was Acella’s way.
The promised noble meeting was postponed, and while hurriedly crafting a strategy, Acella clicked her tongue as she chose what to wear for the formal dinner.
“The dress code doesn’t match. It’s already early summer. Why do I only have heavy clothes?”
The head maid fumbled explaining the situation.
Due to Acella’s noticeably growing body, she could no longer wear last year’s clothes, and they had already been discarded.
The new dress had been ordered in time for the next party season, but this year summer came early.
“If I wear something like this in this weather, I’ll look clumsy. I’ll definitely be laughed at.”
Above all, Lars would also be there.
If Lars were the only one, that’d be one thing.
But Lishe would be present too.
In front of the Hero, Acella didn’t want to show even the slightest opening.
“Get me a carriage immediately.”
Immediately, Acella boarded a carriage headed for the luxury street of the Central Square shopping district.
There was a dress shop mostly favored by the Imperial Family.
Surely in there, I could find at least one satisfactory dress to wear today.
“Greetings.”
After hearing the shopkeeper’s greeting, Acella pretended not to notice and immediately began browsing for clothes.
As she touched the fabrics while looking around, Acella quickly fell into contemplation.
‘…There aren’t many choices.’
To create charisma might not fit her size, and compromising for a little tailoring was revealed in a way that would be too revealing even for Lau.
It was all due to her chest growing too much recently.
Thinking it’s a hassle, Acella decided to start with the color.
The current Emperor’s symbol is red.
In contrast, the Moonlight Palace is black.
Acella preferred red for her attire to express her intention to carry on the Emperor’s will.
‘…No.’
Today is gathering of the heirs. This is not attire meant to show to the Emperor.
She needs to assert her independence to them.
Suddenly, like instinct, her thoughts drifted.
‘The color that Lars likes.’
She had never asked, but assumed it would certainly be this color as Acella moved.
The fully bloomed yellow rose garden where they had first met.
She picked a dress in the same color as her hair, imagining Lars holding a single golden rose.
The material was light. Up close, it wasn’t overly revealing but still exuded elegance.
Just as she felt she had made the perfect choice.
“Ah.”
A hand was tugging on the opposite side of the dress!
What’s this?
Acella sharply turned her head.
In an instant, her expression hardened.
The one who had picked the same dress was none other than the Hero, Lishe.
“Ha.”
Acella scoffed in disbelief and turned her head away as if faced with something disgusting.
“Shopkeeper.”
Her icy voice echoed.
“Did you call, Your Royal Highness?”
“How did this happen? I’m sure I reserved this store!”
“Uh, um…”
The bewildered tailor was flustered.
Lishe stood before him.
“Oh, Your Royal Highness. I’m not sure what happened, but the Second Prince said he had an appointment with you for dinner, so he sent me here to this store. The shopkeeper isn’t at fault.”
Double booking!
Both were of royal command, so as a master craftsman, the tailor couldn’t refuse either.
Acella understood the situation but couldn’t do anything about the irritation boiling up to her head.
“Whew.”
Okay, I’ll just endure this once.
If I send this woman to George, I won’t have to see her for a while.
I can also manage it thoroughly so Lars won’t meet her after today.
Thinking that, Acella disregarded Lishe and reached for the dress again.
“Ah, Your Royal Highness.”
Is there something still left to say?
Acella glared harshly at Lishe.
Ordinary folks would usually feel intimidated by her overwhelming presence, but Lishe smiled innocently as she continued speaking.
“Ehee, um… if it’s okay with you, can I also check that dress? I really like it…”
Acella suddenly halted in her movements.
With a cold voice, she asked her.
“Why do you like it?”
“Huh? Oh, it’s not for any particular reason. My sister told me I would like it… Ah, no. That was a silly thing to say. I’m sorry; please forget it.”
Looking at Lishe, who wore a silly expression while smiling bashfully, Acella was certain.
If I leave things as they are, Lars will surely leave the Imperial Palace because of this woman.
Tap, tap, she stood in front of Lishe.
“Hey.”
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