Banquet Preparations

The conversation continued with topics far removed from the purpose of recruiting Burnell into the Empire.

“I also heard you acquired Dandolo Trading Company. Is it Hestia Trading Company now?”

“That’s right. How is it in the Empire?”

“It’s in an uproar. Pascal Trading Company and Dandolo—now called Hestia, right? Both of them are leaning toward the Far East.”

It was just as Ferda had heard.

“In Hestia Trading Company’s case, it seems they plan to wind things up and establish their headquarters in the Far East, so there shouldn’t be any major trouble. But Pascal Trading Company will probably be a serious problem. They might even issue an administrative order restricting its dealings with the Far East.”

Stephan had warned him about this in advance and said he could handle it himself.

Ferda casually brought up Stephan’s strategy and asked for her opinion.

“What if Pascal Trading Company were to handle the external sale of magitech goods?”

“Oh my, if you were to make such a move……”

Olivia thought it over with a serious expression.

Her blue eyes were more vibrant than when she smiled.

“Then even the Empire wouldn’t be able to touch it easily. They would have to be mindful of the Far East. Was that President Pascal’s idea?”

“It was the next president’s idea.”

“I see.”

She smiled faintly.

“It’s quite a favorable situation, but you need to be careful, Regent. Have you heard about the recent rumors?”

“You mean the ones about us smuggling refugees away?”

“Yes. They’re utterly despicable.”

Olivia’s lovely face twisted.

“What do they think that makes the Regent who cared for those refugees throughout that long winter?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

“Suppose you send the refugees back. What do you think they’ll do once they return? Naturally, they’ll exploit the people and bleed them dry again! Once their barns are filled to bursting after the autumn harvest, they’ll toss them aside like pets! There’s a limit to how much they can treat people like fools.”

It was a remarkably passionate reaction to something that did not even concern her.

She was just as one would expect of someone trying to rally support among commoners.

“The administrator already told me that I need someone in the Empire who can lend us their influence.”

“In that respect, I’m afraid I can’t offer you any direct help.”

Olivia looked apologetic.

She thought deeply about something before asking Ferda,

“Come to think of it, Hestia still lacks an elite class, doesn’t it?”

The elite class referred not only to nobles, but also to those in high-ranking professions such as scholars, merchants, craftsmen, and priests.

Some people known as craftsmen had come from various regions, but they were little more than miscellaneous laborers, making it difficult to call them an elite class.

“Among the merchants, Stephan is in the process of forming a guild, while Bernard, the president of Escolleia, is linking scholars to the Far East exploration project and receiving recommendations for scholars who might be interested.”

“With scholars and merchants, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that you’ve filled about seventy percent of it.”

“The problem is the priests.”

As someone with the aptitude for black magic, Ferda had never been compatible with priests in the first place.

Moreover, he detested the hypocrisy of Alte, which emphasized philanthropy and mercy while showing no mercy whatsoever toward heretics.

‘Even so, priests are necessary.’

Most of the people in this town were from the Empire, and most of them were followers of Alte.

With the Far East, where monsters poured forth, lying just ahead, they needed someone to serve properly as a spiritual anchor.

“As it happens, I may be able to help. I’ll look into finding people of the Alte faith. Since this is a land where many different people will mingle, I’ll look among the moderates.”

“I would be grateful if you would lend us your help.”

“What are you saying? This is a step toward the common goal we’re pursuing, isn’t it?”

Olivia smiled brightly.

“Since Alte has come up, would you perhaps consider holding a banquet at Valdrova Castle?”

“A banquet……?”

Olivia made a stand with both hands and rested her head on it.

Her smile was radiant.

“The Alte faithful will soon be preparing the Spring Festival. The nobles will be doing the same. This is the time to hold banquets and spread the joy of spring.”

“Is that so?”

“So I think it would be a good idea for you to prepare a Spring Festival for the young people of the Empire. Rather than limiting it to the Empire, it would also be wise to become acquainted with those who will lead the South and the North. Don’t you agree?”

“I think the purpose and potential effects are good, but……”

Ferda asked her about what was bothering him.

“Do you think they’ll actually attend my banquet?”

A banquet was the most important kind of event for nobles.

Because it was so important, everyone tried to hold a Spring Festival.

Being able to host one meant having enough influence to extend one’s reach.

In other words, this was also a struggle for power.

For now, Ferda had nothing but ‘pitiful’ connections.

“Why wouldn’t they?”

Olivia smiled with her eyes.

“I’ll be there.”

She had decided to make herself the bait.

The declaration that the flower of the Empire, outstanding in birth, conduct, and appearance, would attend was more than enough to draw the attention of young people from every region.

When men from the ruling class gathered, women naturally gathered as well. One person would lead to another, and before long, many people would flock there.

‘A banquet…….’

Rather than excitement and anticipation, annoyance came first.

Did she really expect him to mingle with a bunch of fresh-faced youngsters at his age?

Even as he thought that, Ferda realized that his physical body was still fresh-faced and young as well.

“I understand.”

“Will you do it?”

Olivia blinked.

Her expression showed that she had not expected it.

“Is there a problem?”

“I thought I would have to prepare myself to persuade you because you would probably think this was something pointless, so perhaps I’m a little disappointed.”

You know me well.

Ferda would have said that if Isabella had not warned him first.

“Since you’ve agreed, I understand. You don’t have a party planner, do you?”

“No.”

“This time, I’ll have one sent from the Empire. You’ll likely be holding banquets often from now on, so it would be best to hire a team in advance.”

“Thank you for the advice.”

Olivia was knowledgeable and capable, as befitted someone who served as the Empire’s hostess.

‘If she had been the Third Prince rather than a princess, she might have surpassed her other brothers.’

She, too, had a cruel fate.

That was what Ferda thought.

“Do you know the dance that’s popular in the Empire?”

Ferda’s body flinched for a moment.

“It’s called the ‘Moonlight Step.’”

“I don’t.”

“That’s a problem. If the host of a banquet falls behind the latest trends, people will make fun of him, you know? They say the Regent of Valdrova has no interest in the world around him.”

“……I just want to quit.”

“Oh my, there are no take-backs.”

Olivia laughed merrily.

“Don’t be like that. Let’s practice just a little. It’s derived from a light waltz, so you’ll learn it quickly once you know the technique. You do know the waltz, don’t you?”

“……”

“Oh my, you don’t know that either? I thought it was something every noble family naturally learned……”

Should I just give up on the banquet?

Olivia pretended to think for a moment, then stood and held out her hand to Ferda.

“Here.”

“……What is it?”

“We have to stand up to dance, don’t we? Come on, get up.”

Ferda knew that he had to practice, but he had not realized she meant to start right away.

“Don’t you want to dance wonderfully with Grand Duke Valdrova?”

Valdrova.

His first banquet with his fiancée.

As he imagined it, Ferda’s lips moved before he could even think it through.

“I do.”

“Right? Then wouldn’t every minute and second be precious? Wouldn’t it be more perfect if someone who knew dance well—and a woman who understood women well at that—were to teach you?”

Ferda found her words strangely persuasive.

But before he could take the bait, he reflexively looked at Luri.

For some reason, she was silent.

Did she mean to turn a blind eye because she had accepted a bribe?

‘No matter how easy she is to tempt with food, she wouldn’t be so lax.’

She clearly had some ulterior motive.

Ferda sighed.

In any case, he could not put it off any longer.

“All right.”

And so he set the conversation aside and agreed to practice dancing.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t seen Her Highness’s polymorphed form…… How large is she? She is a woman, at least, right?”

Her build, huh.

Ferda looked at Olivia.

She was the only suitable measure he had at hand.

“She’s a little shorter than Your Highness.”

“Then there shouldn’t be any problem teaching you.”

Olivia’s hand slipped between Ferda’s fingers.

The distance between them, already close, grew even closer.

“Now, hold hands like this…… Imagine that music is playing. Da-ra-ra-ran, da-ran. Yes, tap your foot lightly here and move to the left……”

Under her guidance, Ferda learned the dance.

He did his best to move his body as she instructed, and when her humming finally ended, she gave her assessment.

“Hmm…… You’re very awkward at dancing.”

She was putting it kindly. He was hopelessly uncoordinated.

Olivia could not hide her bewilderment.

She had always assumed his gravitas concealed an extraordinary talent for dancing as well.

But dancing involved using the body.

Using his body was what Ferda was worst at.

“You’re awfully quiet?”

“……What can I do? I was exiled because of this defective body.”

“Defective? You look so gallant……”

Her voice trailed off with a hint of seductiveness.

“Let’s just get a feel for the light waltz and the Moonlight Step. For now, let’s focus on simply holding the position.”

“Do we have to keep dancing?”

“Of course. I pride myself on being good at teaching others. You’ve wounded my pride, Regent. You don’t know how great the price is for wounding a woman’s pride, do you? You’ll have to dance all day.”

He did not know, nor did he want to know.

She had dragged him into this against his will, and now she was being completely unreasonable.

“I’ll help you master it in one day, so follow me.”

“Does that mean you’ll be staying until tomorrow?”

“Yes. Is that a problem?”

“Before being a princess, you’re an unmarried woman staying at an unrelated man’s house. Won’t rumors spread?”

“An unrelated man? You already belong to someone, Regent.”

“They say you shouldn’t even tie your shoelaces in front of a melon patch.”

“You worry too much. I have more than enough pretext.”

“What is it?”

“Hand Marquis Burnell over to me.”

Olivia came straight out with it.

“No.”

“I see. Then there will be quite a lengthy discussion about this matter, won’t there? This princess will have to sit through marathon meetings. Since I’ll have nothing else to do during that time, why don’t you learn to dance? It’s for Lord Valdrova’s sake.”

Could that really work?

Though he was doubtful, Olivia did not give him time to deliberate and immediately took action.

In the end, he practiced dancing at her pace.

Regardless of everything else, Ferda also wanted to dance well.

To do that, he needed help from someone who knew both the latest trends and dancing.

Olivia’s gaze was fixed on Ferda.

She smiled the entire time she taught him to dance.

As if she were enjoying every moment of it.

Olivia reflected on her life.

When had she begun this tiresome charade?

It seemed to have started when she learned that even her wet nurse, whom she had thought was her only ally, was a dog of the Emperor.

From that moment on, she practiced smiling in front of a mirror for several hours every day.

While others practiced to make their smiles brighter, Olivia practiced to give her smile meaning.

She had also wanted to manipulate men, but there was another, more fundamental reason.

It was to prevent people from attaching pointless meaning to it.

She knew objectively how beautiful she was.

There had been countless people who mistook a casually given glance or smile for proof that she loved them, then showered her with one-sided affection.

That was why she could not smile as she pleased.

In that sense, meeting Ferda was truly comfortable.

Unlike other men, he did not mistake her smile for a sign of affection.

And even if she smiled for that purpose, he did not waver.

His heart already belonged elsewhere.

That was why she could make a request like this.

“Regent. How about trying to smile a little?”

“Smiling may be difficult.”

“You have to practice smiling, too. When making small talk, try imagining something pleasant.”

Even after she said that, smiling seemed difficult for him. His lips merely twitched before returning to normal.

Olivia was quite satisfied even with that.

That smile was undoubtedly reserved for his fiancée.

‘How noble.’

Nobility of spirit was not simply a matter of how strongly one believed in a god.

It meant constantly questioning and agonizing over oneself for the sake of one’s convictions, yet still carrying that burden and moving forward.

That nobility inspired Olivia.

Her Circle, which even Alte had been unable to touch, began moving gently.

It became a wheel carrying her toward her dream of becoming a saint.

Just a little more.

I want to stay like this a little longer.

Knock, knock—.

The sound of a knock shattered the pleasant atmosphere.

At the sound, Ferda let go of Olivia’s hand.

Olivia put her mask back on.

Ferda watched her for a moment, then ordered Luri,

“Let him in.”

The knight commander entered, gave a brief greeting, and spoke.

“Princess. It’s time for you to depart.”

He had expected it, but the interruption was clearly meant to ruin the mood completely.

“It seems I won’t be able to return today. We’re discussing the engineer, so—”

“It is His Majesty the Emperor’s order. I have been instructed to tell you to return immediately.”

“Do we really need to depart as the day is getting dark? At least let us return in the morning.”

“You have no need to worry about that. An Imperial mage has already been dispatched. Preparations have been made for you to return by teleportation.”

“……”

Ah.

The wonderful mood scattered like a midsummer night’s dream.

She wanted to stay here a little longer……

Just when she felt that she could no longer resist,

“We’re in the middle of a conversation.”

Ferda cut in.

“You came here as the Empire’s representative to have a serious discussion, and you intend to interrupt it?”

“The Princess visited this place to establish relations with the Grand Duchy. It has nothing to do with the recruitment matter.”

“So you’re saying we should pretend the conversation we’ve had until now never happened? Do you want to discard a formal negotiation as if it were worthless?”

“That is not what I mean.”

Ferda replied irritably, pressing the point.

Olivia stared blankly as Ferda pressed the matter.

For someone who had spent her life as nothing more than another person’s trophy, this was the first time anyone had treated her like a human being.

Why was he acting like that?

Olivia knew the reason.

Ferda assumed there must be a reason she was so reluctant to return, and he was helping her.

He was helping her as an ally who shared the goal of bringing down the Empire.

But,

Even knowing that,

If he looked at her like that and shielded her,

‘I might really get the wrong idea.’

Olivia stood up.

“I suppose I really can’t stay any longer. Regent, I’ll be on my way.”

“Won’t you discuss this any further?”

“What can I do? If a grown woman stays at an unrelated man’s house, strange rumors will spread. Wouldn’t it be better for me to leave?”

Olivia threw Ferda’s own words back at him.

Ferda did not stop her after that.

“Have a safe journey home.”

“Yes. And since you’re holding the Spring Festival, I’m really looking forward to it. I’ll be sure to attend.”

Leaving those words behind, Olivia walked out the door.

She continued waving at Ferda until the very moment the door closed.

* * *

Valdrova’s lair.

-You mean there’s a banquet in a month?

Valdrova, having heard all the details from Luri, asked her.

A pure light glittered within Valdrova’s fierce eyes.

“Yes. They say they’ll hold the Spring Festival in a month.”

-I see.

For Valdrova, who had longed for human banquets and wanted to attend one, it was an irresistibly appealing prospect.

It was one of the events Valdrova was determined to attend at least once.