Chapter 86

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 86

Chapter Title: The Kazen Welcome Banquet

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Baldina Royal Palace.

On Sunday evening, Baldina nobles and Kazen envoys streamed into the banquet hall one after another.

It was the night of the official welcome banquet for the Kazen delegation.

From Baldina's standpoint, they desperately needed Kazen's aid supplies.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say the war's victory or defeat hinged on how they entertained these guests.

Despite their dire straits, they had poured every ounce of effort into creating a lavish, magnificent feast.

"Aren't those Violleta flowers that bloom year-round? Procuring them must have been no small feat."

"You're telling me. They smell divine. Whoever came up with it, the hall looks all the brighter for it."

A sweet yet mysterious floral scent wafted through every corner of the banquet hall.

The chandeliers sparkled brighter than ever, and subtle glowing ice crystals alongside golden candelabras revealed the painstaking care lavished on every detail.

It rivaled the extravagance of Medea's recent recovery celebration banquet.

The Kazen envoys scanned the hall interior.

"My, this is what they call a banquet? Back in the empire, this would barely qualify as a tea party. And they went all out for this?"

"Hey, easy now. Baldina's national treasury might be half-empty just for tonight's affair."

They nitpicked everything in sight and sound, comparing it unfavorably to their own empire's standards.

"Ice crystals from who-knows-when? Tch, tch, golden candelabras? And they trot this out for a national affair? Says it all about Baldina's level."

Some even voiced their disdain openly.

"These people never change, no matter how much time passes. How do they always send the most arrogant, insolent lot?"

The Queen Dowager's anger flared, but Marchioness Pinatelli soothed her with a worried look.

"If it weren't for the promise of their aid, I'd have those insolent whelps thrown out of the palace this instant."

"Your Majesty, please compose yourself. It's too soon."

"I know. I won't let it show, so rest easy."

But even the Queen Dowager knew full well the importance of the aid Kazen would provide.

A vein briefly throbbed on the back of her wrinkled hand gripping the armrest.

Meanwhile, as the envoys craned their necks like giraffes to critique Baldina's banquet hall, Jared was occupied for an entirely different reason.

"Baldina's princess has a pretty enough face—no flaws there. Kensington, where's the princess? I want to see her."

"General, tone it down, for heaven's sake...!"

Even accounting for his status as a 10-star knight and imperial hero, Jared's behavior was outrageously rude.

They knew his wastrel tendencies, but no one expected him to act so brazenly at an official event.

The moment he left the imperial palace, with no one to check him, he seemed to have let loose completely.

"Baldina's one and only princess. She's not someone you can toy with carelessly, General."

"This ugly mug of mine must be scaring her off. Kensington, play wingman for me. Just introduce us, and I'll handle the rest."

His sleazy, chuckling voice carried across the hall to the Baldina nobles on the opposite side.

The Baldina folk scowled.

"Even if Her Highness the Princess is the kingdom's unloved outcast, she's still the king's one true sister in name and fact. That scum has no right to call her out like that!"

Among them, Count Montega especially erupted in outrage.

"It's not just the princess they're insulting. They're looking down on all of Baldina like ants beneath their feet. Claudio, we can't just stand by. Our royal kin should lodge a protest first!"

"Ahem, ahem. It's a bit much, but... calm down for now. You don't want to ruin the banquet we just started, do you?"

The Regent Duke's head throbbed.

Have some consideration for my position...

The Kazen delegation was acting far more recklessly than he had anticipated.

This will stir up a huge backlash! They can just go home to Kazen, but I'm stuck here...

The Regent Duke glanced around cautiously and signaled Count Raju to rein in his men.

But Raju wasn't high enough in rank for his words to carry weight with the Kazens, so he merely shook his head helplessly.

At the same time, on the Kazen delegation's side.

Jared wasn't the only one searching the crowd for the princess.

She wouldn't skip the official welcome banquet for the delegation, would she?

Jason scowled.

Since that first day, he had loitered near the Princess Palace and deliberately dragged his feet on envoy meetings.

Yet he hadn't caught a single glimpse of her.

The gifts he'd sent to build rapport had all been returned.

She must have seen me by now.

Jason had no trouble winning over people's hearts—especially women's.

His polished looks, gentle speech, and demeanor melted away any guard a lady might have.

But this was the first time he'd encountered someone so utterly unresponsive, like a block of stone.

"The princess has always preferred holing up in her palace over mingling. Lately, though, she's started venturing out a bit more."

His subordinate chimed in to aid his master in chasing the princess's trail.

Even so, he hadn't expected her to be this elusive.

Jason's fingers twitched, as if grasping at something just out of reach.

Perhaps her elusiveness was fueling an uncharacteristic impatience in him.

The image of her shimmering silver hair, fragile as if it might shatter at a touch, kept nagging at him.

"By the way, Your Highness, did you know? Facade's here in the royal palace too."

"Facade? In Baldina?"

"Yes. Their leader even showed up at the recent royal banquet."

Jason narrowed his eyes.

Why would the continent's powder kegs, who operated strictly in the shadows, be in Baldina?

"Doesn't that mean Facade and the Baldina royals have quite the close ties? Awkward for us in Kazen."

His subordinate looked concerned.

"They might even pressure us if we withhold aid."

But Jason's face brightened.

"The delegation's head is Angelica anyway—what do we have to worry about? Actually, perfect timing. If we can forge ties with Facade here..."

He'd truly have nothing to fear.

With Facade in play, no need to hold back. He could overwhelm the first prince's faction and forcibly absorb them.

"This Baldina is turning into a land of opportunity for me."

He smiled with satisfaction.

"Greetings to Princess Medea."

"Marchioness Aspasia, I trust you've been well?"

Even at a familiar banquet in their own kingdom, the Baldina nobles' faces were far from relaxed.

They were a mix of flushed tension and displeasure.

Then, a faint footfall sounded behind Medea as she greeted the nobles. She turned.

"Sister Medea."

Lady Birna Claudio stood there.

The crowd murmured and parted.

The tale of the Claudio lady fleeing the palace like a thief in the night was now stale gossip not worth repeating.

Under the sidelong, appraising stares, Birna bit the inside of her cheek but kept her smile unwavering.

Her angelically pure white dress complemented her pink tresses perfectly, preserving her endearing charm.

Yet the toll of her harsh convent life showed through—no makeup could hide her pallid complexion.

"Birna."

"I'm back."

Birna's eyes gleamed with malice.

"I'm so glad. I worried about you terribly. How was life at the convent?"

"...It was a pious time. I even prayed to the gods for your safety."

As if oblivious to the raw resentment in her gaze, Medea gently corrected her.

"Oh dear, Birna. You must call me 'Your Highness.' With Kazens present tonight, we can't flout etiquette. Grandmother would be furious if she heard."

"..."

"I'm saying this for your sake, Birna. No one knows better than I how awful it is to earn her displeasure."

The Queen Dowager's fury toward the Claudio Ducal House burned as fiercely as ever.

Just earlier, when the Regent Duke brought her to pay respects, the Queen Dowager had ignored them completely.

Birna's upturned lips trembled as if chewing the flesh inside her cheek.

Her months of grueling convent life had taught her a harsh lesson.

I'll never go back to a hellhole like that again.

So she swallowed her boiling rage at Medea's provoking words.

"...Of course, ...Your Highness."

She barely managed a smile in reply.

At that moment, the hall grew a bit rowdy. The doors had opened, and burly men filed in one after another.

"...Facade's mercenaries..."

Though dressed in similar evening attire, their sharp, predatory aura drew every eye.