“It seems the Minister of War has been reading quite a few books lately.”
“Pardon? Do you mean me?”
The Minister of War blinked his eyes slowly, looking rather like a placid cow.
“You certainly have a remarkable talent for weaving stories. How impressive.”
Having his lie laid bare before the Emperor, the Minister of War shrank his broad shoulders.
“Minister of Finance.”
Gray picked his next target.
The neatly trimmed edges of the Minister of Finance’s beard gave a perceptible twitch.
“Y-Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Foundation Day is celebrated every single year, so why has this year’s budget quintupled? Is there some grand spectacle I know nothing about? Or perhaps the Minister of Administrative Affairs would care to explain?”
Color drained from every face in the room.
The Emperor had just struck two men down with a single blow.
When Gray turned a cold, irritated gaze out the meeting room windows, the ministers’ eyes followed involuntarily.
Carriages from various nations were lined up one after another, filing in for the Foundation Day festivities.
So that was what had put the Emperor in such a foul mood.
The Minister of Administrative Affairs caught his breath and braced himself to speak.
“That is because an unusually large number of kingdoms are visiting us this year.”
“Which is precisely what I am asking. Why are there so many visitors this year of all times?”
Though his name had not been called, the Minister of Foreign Affairs slumped his shoulders, reading the room.
The Minister of Administrative Affairs looked around at his colleagues, but everyone carefully averted their eyes.
With the Emperor awaiting an answer and every mouth shut tight, there was no one left to step forward but him.
‘Tsk. Cowards, the lot of them.’
The Minister of Administrative Affairs clicked his tongue inwardly.
“Your Majesty, this year is deemed the most auspicious for your royal wedding—”
“Or do you take me for a breeding stallion who has failed to do his duty?”
In stark contrast to the icy glare in his eyes, the Emperor’s smile bloomed as bright as a flower.
“N-Not at all, Your Majesty! I never meant such a thing—”
“How tiresome. We will conclude today’s meeting here.”
The Emperor rose and swept out of the council chamber. Only then did the ministers let out long, shuddering sighs.
Every time that breathtakingly handsome Emperor smiled, their hearts leapt with enough terror to bring on a heart attack.
“It seems the other kingdoms are thoroughly determined this year. Did you say the budget quintupled? The congratulatory delegations are more than ten times larger than last year’s.”
“Ugh… what a dreadful headache.”
Staring at the Emperor’s empty chair, each minister exhaled a heavy sigh.
As the carriage rattled along its way, Dalia sat rereading a letter with a contented smile, prompting Annie to burst into laughter.
“Reading the exact same thing over and over… Don't you ever get tired of it?”
Dalia widened her eyes in bewilderment, her expression asking how on earth Annie could say such a thing, and proudly held the paper out before her.
Written in wobbly, uneven letters, the words looked more like doodles than script, with a pink flower drawn beside them.
“Rose is an undeniable genius! This pink flower represents the color of my hair, doesn't it? Have you ever seen a child with such sharp observation? Not to mention her exquisite handwriting!”
Annie had heard this exact praise well over a hundred times. Wearing the resigned face of someone entirely accustomed to an aunt’s doting indulgence, she gestured out the window.
“We have entered the imperial capital. Don't you want to take a look?”
“Of course!”
Dalia folded the letter with utmost care, tucked it safely into her pocket, and turned her gaze outside.
Her bright eyes darted busily back and forth, drinking in every sight of the capital.
“Is it really that fascinating, Lia?”
Annie asked, dusting off the hem of her skirt.
Calling Dalia simply by her name still felt somewhat awkward after years of addressing her as ‘Princess Dalia,’ but she was gradually growing used to it over the long journey to the empire.
“It is. I’ve never left the royal palace before. Just seeing so many people filling these broad streets is wonderful to me.”
Annie paused for a moment at that guileless reply, then made a show of bustling about, dusting off her skirts once more.
Her mind understood that Princess Dalia had lived in the Palace of Solitude for her own safety due to an unfamiliar illness, yet hearing such words never failed to leave a bitter taste in her mouth.
Had she been a princess from any other kingdom, she would never have been this awestruck simply gazing upon an imperial capital.
Just then, their guard knight Cole brought his horse alongside the carriage window.
With his wavy dark brown hair, warm amber eyes, and an imposing frame nearly one hundred and ninety centimeters tall, Cole was accompanying the delegation incognito under the guise of an ordinary guard.
“Princess—I mean, Lia.”
Wilting under Annie’s sharp glare, Cole hastily corrected the title.
“What is it?”
“They say we’ll reach the imperial palace soon. You can see it from here.”
“Thank you for telling me.”
Once Cole returned to his post, Dalia rested her chin on the carriage window sill, waiting for the imperial palace to come into view.
Before long, an immense palace appeared—so vast the eye could hardly take it all in at once.
Its white walls caught the sunlight and gleamed with a golden luster, and atop the blue roofs fluttered white banners bearing the red bird, the crest of the empire.
“It looks twenty times larger than our palace.”
“It truly is enormous.”
Annie nodded in agreement after glancing out.
Dalia took in the sight of the imperial palace with sparkling eyes.
She had finally arrived. Now only one step remained… meeting the Emperor.
Dalia entered her assigned quarters alongside Annie.
It was a tidy room furnished with two beds.
Beyond the window, lush green leaves filtered the sunlight into soft, dappled rays, lending the space a refreshing air.
Because the number of guests for this year’s Foundation Day had exceeded expectations many times over, the lodgings for the minor Kingdom of Wyvern had been relegated to the farthest corner from the main palace.
Knock, knock.
At the sound at the door, Annie opened it to find Cole standing outside with a genial smile.
“Prin—”
“Cole!”
Annie cut him off sharply, and Cole offered an embarrassed grin before soldiering on:
“Th-The air here is truly refreshing. Hahaha.”
“Cole, we are in the empire. There are eyes and ears everywhere. Be careful… extremely careful!”
Wincing at Annie’s icy warning, Cole drew his broad shoulders inward and offered a meek excuse:
“…Yes, I know. But no matter how hard I try, I keep slipping on the title. So I decided that whenever I address Lia, I’ll always start by mentioning how nice the air is. Please bear with me.”
“And what does that have to do with—”
Annie arched her brows, ready to resume her scolding, but Dalia swiftly stepped between them before Cole could suffer any further.
“Cole, isn't that a lovely idea? Besides, the air in the empire really is wonderful.”
“Thank you.”
Cole offered an innocent smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling softly.
“Did you need something?”
“I found a lovely walking path nearby. Th-The air is refreshing, and Lia loves to take walks.”
“Thank you, Cole.”
“Lia, I’m going to go inspect the kitchen for a bit to make sure there's no mold. Please rest.”
Annie poked Cole in the ribs with her fingers, nudging him out the door.
Once the two of them left, quiet settled over the room, and Dalia collapsed limply onto the bed.
She had thought her stamina had improved, but the long journey by carriage had truly worn her out.
Just then—
Tap. Tap.
Hearing a gentle knocking at the window, Dalia raised her head slightly.
A tiny bird, smaller than the palm of a hand, with a yellow body and red wings, was pecking against the glass pane with its beak.
“Aren't you a sweet thing?”
Dragging her heavy body upright, Dalia opened the window, and the bird fluttered lightly inside.
The plump, round little bird settled onto the bed, looked up at her with its ruby-red eyes, and began shedding tears, drop by drop.
‘…A bird crying? Can birds even cry?’
Her eyes widening in astonishment, Dalia gently scooped the bird into the palm of her hand.
“Little bird, why are you crying?”
The bird narrowed its eyes into sharp little triangles, glaring at her with utter disapproval, as if to say, ‘You don't know?’
“Cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep.”
It spread its wings wide and chattered indignantly, seemingly scolding her. The sight of it looked remarkably like Annie mid-lecture.
Dalia gave an awkward smile and asked the little creature the very question she was so used to asking Annie:
“Did… did I do something wrong?”
“Cheep, cheep.”
The bird nodded its head, as though it understood her words completely.
“Wait, but this is the first time we’ve ever met. Did I really wrong you?”
“Cheep, cheep.”
It nodded once more, firm and resolute.
“This really is our first meeting, isn't it?”
“Cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep!”
The bird shook its head furiously in denial.
