Acella stood in front of Lishe.
The blazing golden eyes seemed to emit fierce magic just from their glare.
Seeing Lishe looking up at her innocently only made Acella’s anger rise even more.
“Hero.”
Acella called her coldly.
“No matter how mysterious you are, chosen by the goddess, you’re still a commoner.”
“Uh, right…”
“In human society, everyone has their own divine destiny. Do you doubt the nobility of the bloodline I possess?”
“…I don’t quite understand what you mean.”
As Lishe bit her lip at the difficult words, Acella yelled at her.
“Mind your manners!”
Startled, Lishe hunched her shoulders.
It was just a situation where they had picked the same product at the clothing store.
Someone could overlook this ordinary scene, but it turned explosive with insults flying.
Anyone watching would think Acella was a wicked woman.
But that was a lot of restraint on Acella’s part.
She was suppressing the urge to slap Lishe’s cheek right then, so her temper was much tamer than before.
Lishe replied timidly.
Still, Acella had once shown her a friendly attitude.
Even though she had earned some dislikes because of her own mistakes, wouldn’t they be able to converse warmly again?
“I’m sorry, I just haven’t learned…”
“You do have some self-awareness, you ignorant one.”
Acella abruptly turned and grabbed a dress.
The maid and the tailor rushed in instantly, readying a mirror and setting things up.
The overall look was indeed fitting. Her eye for detail was spot on.
When she had determined to go for this dress, a bright voice started from behind her.
“Wow, it looks great on you! That dress must have been made for the Royal Princess from the start.”
Frustration surged inside Acella.
Is she teasing me?
Though Acella frowned, Lishe, undeterred, spoke up again.
“Royal Princess, could you choose a dress for me as well? I’m not very good at this…”
Acella found Lishe’s attitude utterly incomprehensible.
With that innocent smile, all she could think was that Lishe was mocking her.
“Are you crazy?”
“Huh? No…”
“Then how could you say something like that?”
“Uh, uh-heh, it’s just… I thought you were good at choosing clothes. I wanted to get to know you better…”
Click, Acella stood before Lishe, scanning her up and down like she was an insect.
“A dress wouldn’t suit someone who hasn’t taken care of themselves. Don’t do things out of your league. You just look ridiculous.”
“…That’s true.”
Finally, Lishe gave up.
After pouring out insults to her heart’s content, Acella left the store.
*
Once she was done getting ready, Lishe exited her room in Moonlight Palace and waited for Acella.
“Your collar is out of place.”
Tanya adjusted her outfit.
“Really? I checked it just earlier.”
Tanya scoffed and returned to her post.
Lishe seemed to have set out to Hwarang Palace first.
A moment later, Acella came down to the first-floor lobby.
“Oh.”
It had been a while since she wore a dress in a yellow tone.
It matched with her hair color, like a huge golden rose floating around.
With the grown-up makeup she wore, she immediately walked towards me with a devilish smile.
“How do I look?”
“You should be careful of the jealousy-laden punishments; after all, you’ve stolen the goddess’s beauty.”
“Haha, come on now. You don’t really think that.”
“I think it about twenty percent.”
“More generous than I expected.”
Acella chuckled and reached for my neck with both hands.
“In contrast, what’s with your appearance? Your collar is all messed up.”
“What? That can’t be…”
Ah.
As I glared disapprovingly at Tanya, it was no surprise that she wore a satisfied expression.
Acella adjusted my outfit and gave my chest a light tap.
“Let’s go; escort me.”
“Are you my betrothed today?”
“Why? You want to stay as the attending physician?”
Standing next to Acella meant I’d have to sit with Heike and George as well.
Hmm, the food should be good.
Since this was additional duty, let’s eat a hearty dinner.
“I will escort you, Royal Princess.”
Acella naturally linked her arm with mine.
*
“Hahaha, Gothberg! I knew you’d fall for me and come over. Come on in!”
As I stepped down from the carriage and crossed the main gate, George’s booming voice reached my ears.
Although Hwarang Palace was smaller than Togin Palace, it was elegantly decorated, so it didn’t look shabby.
Was wine flowing from the fountain?
“What about the gift?”
“Oh, the gift. Of course, I prepared it. Come this way.”
Seemingly eager to show off his newly renovated palace, George led us around the palace.
Not that I cared; I just wished I could get my hands on the wyvern wings quickly.
“Oh my, Acella, Gothberg. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you both out together.”
As we entered the hall, Lau greeted us, champagne glass in hand, with a playful smile.
“How delightful, Royal Princess.”
“I heard the news. The hero returned and immediately called for you. Feeling the pressure, Acella?”
Lau teased, nudging Acella’s shoulder with his elbow.
But Acella didn’t seem to take it as a joke; she furrowed her brow without greeting him.
Seeing her reaction, Lau leaned closer and whispered to me.
“Was that a love call, or was it a real proposal?”
“Hey!”
Unable to hold her frustration, Acella yelled, causing Lau to scamper away.
“Feeling better, Acella. I’m relieved.”
It was Heike. I bowed my head in greeting.
“You’re quite relaxed, Heike.”
“I mean it sincerely. If you’re in good shape, then the state of affairs can flow smoothly. Aren’t we all sharing the duties of the Imperial Palace?”
As Heike stated, recently more and more responsibilities had been falling on Acella’s shoulders.
The same went for Heike and George.
The reason for this was clear. The emperor’s health was declining.
“If you’re feeling relieved, you can hand over the diplomatic duties with other nations to Moonlight Palace, Heike.”
While managing the empire is important, the succession battle was ongoing.
Acella had no intention of showing signs of weakness.
However, Heike’s reaction was somewhat different from what Acella had intended.
“Pause the rivalry for now, Acella. This is not the time for that.”
“Are you implying that I can’t even read the current situation?”
“How long do you plan to stick just to competition? You know this will not end quickly, right?”
“Was it some months ago we fought over our claim to succession?”
Heike sighed.
From what I could see, Acella seemed quite down today. Heike likely meant no harm, but it was best not to provoke her.
“I’ll trust that you will manage the important duties of Moonlight Palace responsibly. After all, you’re in charge of that hero, right?”
At the mention of the hero, Acella’s eyebrows twitched.
“Where is the hero?”
When Heike asked, Acella turned her head.
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know? Isn’t that your responsibility?”
Just as Heike was about to scold Acella, a loud voice rang out.
“Everyone, pay attention! The main character of today is entering now!”
George clapped his hands twice loudly.
The large doors opened, and knights marched out elegantly in formation.
“A beacon of hope to save the continent, the envoy sent by the goddess—why delay any longer? Here she is, the Hero!”
Clank, clank. The sound of metal echoed through the hall.
Lishe appeared among the knights, dressed in stylish and sleek armor, with the Holy Sword secured to her back.
Looking slightly upward and walking proudly, she exuded an aura of confidence, devoid of fear.
“Oh, armor? Isn’t it magnificent?”
Heike exclaimed in admiration as she eyed Lishe.
“Haha, indeed. Truly suits a hero. I feel like you could take down a demon race in one swing!”
George also praised Lishe without holding back.
While wearing armor might not be suitable for the formal dinner, Lishe’s unique status as a hero only made her stand out even more.
“Eh, thanks! The truth is, I didn’t have anything to wear, so I just put on what I’m used to. Sorry for being so rude…”
“How cute! Hero, it’s our first time talking, right? Should I introduce you to the party later?”
“P-party?”
Lau had somehow linked arms with Lishe.
“Royal Princess?”
I casually glanced at Acella.
She looked at Lishe with dissatisfaction, gripping tightly the hem of her yellow dress, which seemed to have lost its luster.
*
The formal dinner proceeded in a jovial atmosphere.
“What were your impressions of the visit to Hwarang Palace, Sister Heike?”
“I enjoyed it. I didn’t think you’d recover this quickly, George.”
“Recover? You’re underestimating me. I have greater ambitions than before. Starting now, I’ll prove it.”
So he also calls Heike “Sister.”
Of course, it was correct to see the surface as jovial.
Even though George and Lau were upbeat, the conversations revealed a complicated political web.
Particularly, there had been subtle tensions regarding the powers recently distributed by the emperor to each palace, as the scope of each palace’s activities greatly depends on their assigned fields.
“At the martial arts conference, it was decided that Mokhwi Palace would take charge.”
Heike brought up the topic of the martial arts conference.
“I intend to take charge of the entire knights’ participating rights, as discussed before.”
“That hasn’t concluded with me yet.”
Acella immediately objected.
“You’re in charge of the hero, aren’t you? You’d probably be too busy with that. Didn’t you say you would create a few spots?”
While Heike calmly chewed on the starter, she said.
“Isn’t Moonlight Palace not a subsidiary of Mokhwi Palace? I can’t accept that arrangement.”
Acella strongly asserted her opinion.
“Then switch to the healer section instead. I heard Gothberg’s Inner Palace is still being deliberated.”
“That’s correct.”
“But can a healer alone leave a strong impression on the public at the martial arts conference? A knight can just display their skills, but it’s not a well-rounded picture.”
George raised a question.
I nodded in agreement.
“I have some performances planned.”
“With you around, it should be quite promising. I’ve heard rewards will be given to excellent participants across each field.”
“Is that so? For instance…”
“In the kingdom, adventurers would gather rare treasures, I hear there’s even a ‘cliff flower’.”
“Oh.”
The cliff flower, undoubtedly a superior breed of the golden rose.
In the future, the kingdom will collapse, leaving no way to obtain it, but if I could extract its seeds, maybe I could upgrade the candy.
Clap, clap. George clapped his hands.
“It seems everyone has enjoyed the starters enough; let’s move on to the main course. I’ve prepared a particularly rare dish!”
The attendants came in, simultaneously replacing the plates.
On the plates, delicious fish crafted with the artisan’s care was set.
“…Huh.”
Acella let out a short sigh and picked up her fork and knife. It seemed she was quite stressed in this setting.
Hmm?
A slight bad feeling washed over me.
I activated my skill on the fish.
Analyzing the composition to determine the chemical formula.
Tap, I grabbed Acella’s wrist as she was just about to take a bite.
With her round eyes, she gazed at me.
“Everyone, don’t eat the fish.”
“What did you say?”
George, about to put the food in his mouth, was startled and pulled his tongue back.
“You said it was a rare ingredient, right? This fish doesn’t come from the Empire, and the preparation method went wrong. It’s poisonous.”
Simply put, the fish was pufferfish.
It seemed the egg sacs burst during cooking.
“What? What! Chef!”
George reacted violently and jumped up from his seat.
Heike and Lau shrugged, as if they knew something like this would happen.
I addressed Heike.
“Our performance at the martial arts conference will surely surpass this!”
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