The emperor, who was about to affirm without much thought, began planning another scheme. He realized he could benefit quite a bit from the girl. She did not possess any excellent abilities—unlike his son who was an excellent swordsman and, therefore, a threat—but she nevertheless carried value. The emperor decided his daughter could be married off for a profitable relationship across the border—such as an alliance. He had been racking his brains on what to do for a smooth relationship with Lagon anyway. It wouldn't be too bad to welcome the newly throned king as his son-in-law.

Having solved the troublesome issue, the emperor laughed heartily. "Indeed, the coronation ceremony is soon! Is there about a week left until then?"

"Nine days to be exact," Max corrected, and the emperor nodded in agreement.

"Yes. As it is a big celebration, I would like to invite those outside the kingdom as well. The more the merrier, isn't it?" he rambled on, then called, "Grand Chamberlain."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Have you sent an invitation to Lagon?"

"Yes, invitations were sent to all the neighboring countries, including Lagon."

Pleased at his aide's answer, the emperor responded, "We will need to treat their envoys with the utmost respect since we are forming a new relationship with them."

"I will keep that in mind and relay the message to the servants, Your Majesty."

Knowing his face was exposed from not wearing his helmet, Max struggled to control his expression—barely managing to suppress a snicker. It was as he had expected. Sooner or later, the emperor would discuss the matter of Beatrice's marriage with the empress and mention the idea of marrying the princess off to Lagon's king. In such a case, it was evident that the empress would protest. After all, she had been attempting to raise her grandson to sit on the throne—everything would become meaningless if Beatrice was deprived of the succession right.

In this empire, a woman was allowed to pass on the right to succession to her children—as long as she was an immediate member of the royal family. However, if she were to be married off to a ruler of a foreign country, she would be deprived of the privilege.

This meant that the empress and the emperor would be busy arguing with each other for a while and leave Jubelian alone. It didn't matter to Max whether they attacked the duke. But if Jubelian were to be involved, he was not going to let either of them live.

* * *

Time seemed to pass more slowly than usual; perhaps it was because I had woken up so early. I couldn't believe it was still only two in the afternoon.

'How could a day be so long?' I was lamenting over such a matter when my father spoke. We were in the middle of having tea.

"The coronation ceremony is soon."

The royal princess' coming-of-age ceremony—a major event that I had tried so hard to avoid after regaining my memories of my previous life—was approaching.

Nevertheless, my mind was at peace. Even though I had made enemies with the marquis' family, it was a good thing for the princess since I wouldn't stand in her way as an obstacle. I had saved up enough money as well. I glanced at my father without an answer.

Meeting my eyes, he asked, "Have you ordered a dress?"

"Yes, I have."

I had learned my lesson from the victory banquet that it was best to stay quiet and unnoticed in the palace. The place was like a jungle full of beasts. For that reason, I had picked an unremarkable color for my dress again. To not repeat the same mistake as last time, I had asked the seamstress to refrain from shiny decorations. The preparations were finished, and they were perfect in my eyes.

Resting my chin against my hand, I gazed at my father. Then I realized I would be entering the banquet with him this time as well. Our relationship had undergone many changes over time. Before, I could never have imagined entering a hall hand-in-hand with my father.

I took a sip of the tea. For some reason, it was more fragrant today with a sweeter finish.

As expected, flavored tea was the best.

As I was relishing the beverage, my father suddenly asked, "What are your thoughts on the crown prince?"