“The Crown Princess’s dance and Viscount Balgis’s solo performance were certainly impressive, but this was truly a unique talent.”

At his words, which seemed to have already determined the winner of the talent show, a sudden silence fell over the audience.

Jasmine’s cheeks, sitting next to Nigel, trembled slightly.

For her, it must have been a performance she had put her heart and soul into, even setting aside her pride, only to have the situation reversed by Kasha’s simple song. It was understandable if she felt frustrated.

Kasha quickly shook her head.

“No, you’re too kind.”

However, Kasha’s modesty only made the Crown Prince smile more brightly.

“No, it was really impressive. Is that a folk song from the northern region?”

“Yes.”

“I see. I’m always grateful that Count Lyuschino is steadfastly guarding the northern border of the empire.”

At the sudden mention of her adoptive father Count Lyuschino, Kasha remained silent for a moment before responding stiffly.

“It is… merely an honor for our family.”

It was a formal response by anyone’s standards, but Nigel burst into laughter as if he had just heard something truly amusing.

“Haha. Lady Lyuschino, you’re more interesting the more I see you. So, I hear you create magical tools yourself?”

“…Yes.”

Magical tools. This was another topic she hadn’t expected to come up at this moment. Kasha tensed up again instantly.

“Yes. It’s a remarkable talent. Impressive.”

“……”

At Nigel’s voice, which sounded almost like he was talking to himself, Kasha unconsciously raised her head.

But something was strange. The moment her eyes met Nigel’s, she felt a chill run down her spine, as if creepy insects were crawling all over her body.

Kasha quickly lowered her gaze and hardened her expression.

She couldn’t be certain because of the blue mana stone’s light, but she thought she saw Nigel’s eyes looking reddish just now.

And his gaze. For a very brief moment, she felt as if she had seen some blatant desire flash in his eyes.

At that moment, Leon, who as always quickly noticed Kasha’s unease, looked at her face. His gaze, which had been fixed on Kasha all along, slowly moved towards Nigel.

However, Nigel was no longer looking at Kasha. This time, he unexpectedly addressed Daril.

“Young Count Lyuschino, you must be working very hard too. With the Count busy guarding the border all year round, you must have your hands full with duties in the capital and taking care of your younger sister.”

Daril seemed taken aback but responded relatively calmly.

“It’s only natural as a servant of Your Majesty.”

“No, no. The loyalty of the Lyuschino family is known to all, so it’s only right that I pay more attention to you. Don’t you think?”

“There’s really no need for you to…”

It was then, as Daril and Kasha were about to speak in unison to decline, that Nigel interrupted.

“Ah, yes. We were supposed to give a reward to the one who received the biggest applause among the representatives of the three tables. That’s right. How can a Crown Prince go back on his word?”

Kasha suddenly felt uneasy.

This wasn’t a place she had come to seeking any kind of reward in the first place. However, judging by Nigel’s demeanor, it didn’t seem like he would easily back down even if Kasha declined.

No, rather, he seemed to be quite pleased with this situation. His tone was extremely cheerful, as if he had been waiting for this.

“So, how about this? Actually, I’ve been in the process of selecting a supervisor to oversee a research project I’m sponsoring at the Magic Tower. I was thinking of offering that position to Lady Lyuschino.”

As soon as Nigel finished speaking, the nobles around them began to murmur.

“Such an important position… to be entrusted to a lady who’s barely twenty?”

“It seems the Crown Prince has taken quite a liking to Lady Lyuschino.”

Nigel’s proposal sounded quite plausible at first glance. After all, becoming the head of an officially sponsored project by the imperial family was undoubtedly a great honor.

Moreover, everyone assumed that as a magical tool maker, she would have no reason to refuse an opportunity to interact with the Magic Tower, which was an extremely closed-off group.

But as soon as Kasha heard Nigel’s words, her face turned pale.

If Nigel was indeed the villain as Kasha suspected, he was now trying to officially bind Kasha to the imperial family. Since the scheme through Simon didn’t work, he was now attempting to exploit her talents using imperial power.

But before Kasha could even begin to voice her refusal, a sharp voice next to Nigel raised an objection.

“The research being conducted at the Magic Tower is a project jointly sponsored with the Kingdom of Kazim. Shouldn’t you discuss such important matters with me first, Your Highness?”

Nigel slowly turned to look at Jasmine’s pouting face as she spoke. His voice, which somehow seemed to have dropped by one degree, flowed out.

“…Those words just now, they sound as if you are speaking on behalf of the Kingdom of Kazim. Surely, you haven’t forgotten that you are no longer the princess of Kazim, but the Crown Princess of the Empire?”

“What? No, Your Highness. That’s not what I…”

“…And even if you disagree with my opinion, what is your intention in bringing it up here? Are you suggesting that I should retract what I just said in front of all these people?”

Caught off guard by Nigel’s unexpectedly sharp response, Jasmine’s face flushed with embarrassment.

Nigel had always shown her nothing but kindness, at least in public settings. Faced with his unfamiliar response, Jasmine seemed shocked and immediately fell silent. The nobles surrounding the table also began to discreetly gauge the situation.

It was then that a particularly weighty voice flew into their midst.

“If that’s what you should do, then shouldn’t you do it, Your Highness?”

Turning around with an expression that seemed to say, “What now?”, Nigel discovered Leon’s composed face and slightly curled the corners of his mouth.

“Lord Leon? What did you just,”

“I’m saying that if a judgment proves to be unwise upon closer inspection, withdrawing it in a timely manner is also a quality of a wise ruler.”

Nigel’s eyebrow twitched.

“An unwise judgment…? What do you mean by that?”

As the Crown Prince seemed too taken aback to continue, Leon calmly continued speaking.

“Lady Lyuschino is already involved in collaborative projects with several houses using the magical tools she has developed. She is also working with the temple to develop magical tools using holy power, and has already achieved some results.”

“……”

“While Your Highness’s proposal is certainly an honor, wouldn’t it be a wiser decision to help Lady Lyuschino smoothly carry out the projects she is already engaged in?”

As he listened to Leon’s words flowing without the slightest gap, Nigel’s face slowly twisted into a sneer. As the face that always wore a pleasant, bright smile took on a quite different atmosphere, the air around them grew even colder.

“A wise decision, you say. You really do have a talent for spewing out uninteresting nonsense that I don’t want to hear anymore, Leon.”

Gasp.

People held their breath, surprised by the harsh expression that came from the Crown Prince’s mouth. However, Leon received his words without so much as batting an eye.

“As Your Highness’s servant, my job is not to entertain you, but to guide you on the right path.”

Two pairs of eyes, clearly possessing similar shades of purple yet conveying entirely different atmospheres, clashed intensely.

For a moment, tension hung in the air, with no one daring to even breathe comfortably.

In that moment, when only the sound of insects could be heard, the sound of horse hooves rushing chaotically along the riverbank suddenly broke the silence.

Given that this was a picnic hosted by the Crown Prince, there were surely guard forces stationed closely around. It was unlikely that anyone would cause a disturbance. Everyone’s faces showed bewilderment.

At that moment, a cavalry soldier who had reached the banquet hall at tremendous speed dismounted as if rolling off his horse and prostrated himself before Nigel.

“Your Highness, Crown Prince!”

“What’s the matter?”

Nigel addressed the soldier with a dignified attitude, unlike when he was facing Leon.

Everyone held their breath. The soldier, panting, reported in a loud voice.

“His Majesty the Emperor, upon receiving an urgent message from Count Lyuschino, has ordered you to return to the palace immediately!”

At the mention of Count Lyuschino, Daril and Kasha both stood up from their seats simultaneously.

“An urgent message? Tell me calmly what exactly has happened.”

The Crown Prince was asking seriously, but Kasha somehow thought his voice sounded inappropriately relaxed for the situation.

As if he had anticipated all of this.

The story that the soldier stammered out was as follows:

A magical beast rampage had occurred near Count Lyuschino’s territory.

The damage was severe, and Count Lyuschino had mobilized all available forces to contain it, but urgent support was needed. Even at this moment, the number of magical beasts was increasing, making the situation extremely urgent.

Kasha unconsciously clenched her fist.

A magical beast rampage.

A magical beast rampage occurring near Count Lyuschino’s territory. This event would later develop into a continent-wide disaster known as the Holy Magic War. It was also in this war that Leon lost one of his arms.

Of course, she knew it would happen someday.

‘But, this timing is several months earlier than before the regression.’

Kasha’s heart began to beat hard. How should she face this fate that had come crashing down without giving her time to prepare?

“Magical beasts. How dreadful.”

Nigel tilted his head and stroked his chin. At a glance, he appeared to be the perfect Crown Prince, concerned about the safety of the continent.

Suddenly raising his head, Nigel’s gaze fixed precisely on Leon. Strangely, he seemed to be in a much better mood than before.

“Leon. I well know your loyalty in trying to guide me on the right path. Yes, it seems an opportunity has finally arisen for you to properly demonstrate that loyalty.”

Leon silently faced Nigel.

From the moment he heard the news of the magical beast rampage, his mind must have become very complicated, but his expression remained as calm and composed as ever.

Nigel, looking at that calm expression as if mocking it, ordered in a loud voice.

“Leon Miloyonif Aranias. Go to the Holy Knight Order immediately, organize a support unit to be dispatched to the northern territory, and prepare for departure.”

“…I receive the Crown Prince’s order.”

Leon’s voice was firm and clear. As if even a bolt from the blue like a war dispatch order couldn’t shake his composure in the slightest.

However, Nigel’s next words shattered that composure.

“As for what reward to give to Lady Kasha Lyuschino, let’s discuss that again after this matter is settled.”