Mercedes felt her heart swell with emotion, not realizing that she might feel a great emptiness if she didn’t have his compliments and fitting words to fill her up.

“I’m glad you say that.”

Mercedes smiled shyly. Her ears and cheeks flushed a little. Seeing that, Carlos stiffened his expression slightly.

He wasn’t so pleased to see her likable face.

“Well then, shall we go and hear the joyful screams of the Deer Horn merchants? They’ve been dying to talk to you since they saw your attire.”

Carlos spoke cheerfully, shaking off his thoughts. Mercedes looked up at him with shining eyes and said,

“Sounds good.”

The two headed towards Nadia.

“Lady Ford!”

Mercedes’ melodious voice rang out. She almost made the mistake of calling her Nadia, as she was used to, but fortunately succeeded in addressing her formally.

When it’s just the two of them, it might be fine, but at a crowded banquet, it would be appropriate to use a form of address that maintains some distance out of consideration for the other person.

Mercedes, well aware of her social position, acted that way not for Nadia’s sake, but for her own. Such behavior would make Nadia take a liking to her.

At the same time, Nadia turned to look at her.

“Lady Mercedes!”

And Nadia, despite meeting Mercedes at an official event, approached her with a very pleased face and even took her hand.

Indeed. It seemed the prediction that the friendship of the Pearl Alliance would deepen today was coming true.

“We can finally have a conversation. You were so popular!”

“It’s good to see you, Lady Ford.”

“Ah. I see the sun of the empire. Your Majesty. You are the star of the day along with the beautiful Lady Mercedes.”

“The merchant’s way with words is improving by the day.”

“It’s the tenacity of a merchant. Thank you.”

Nadia answered brightly. The emperor was laughing heartily.

“No, how did you handle it so well in this fearsome battlefield, dealing with so many people?”

Before getting close to the group Nadia belonged to, Nadia whispered in Mercedes’ ear as if telling a secret.

“What?”

“I was going to help you, but there was no room to intervene, so I backed off. I didn’t think I’d be of any help.”

Nadia… backed off for that reason alone. Mercedes let out a sigh of relief without realizing it.

“Haha. Handle it! No, not at all. What do I know? I think I was just lucky that everyone took a liking to me.”

Nadia seemed to have no interest in the emperor and was only excitedly talking to Mercedes.

“I don’t know. From what I saw, Lady Mercedes was no joke.”

Nadia winked and led Mercedes towards the table full of her friends.

‘Oh my…’

She hadn’t expected this. She just wanted to greet Nadia. Carlos laughed pleasantly and stepped slightly away from Mercedes’ side. As if to create a stage for her solo performance.

“Uh, Your Majesty-”

As Mercedes, not understanding the situation, tried to call out to him, Carlos smiled and nodded.

Nadia began introducing her as if she were a VIP.

It was a very embarrassing and enjoyable moment.

“Lady Mercedes is here, the delightful woman who showed off the best fashion sense today! You know, everyone? You should consider it an honor that she came to greet us?”

Nadia threw out a somewhat rough joke, focusing people’s attention. Among Nadia’s party were those who had reprimanded Mercedes at the Empress Dowager’s banquet.

But their eyes were different today.

“Nice to meet you, Lady Mercedes.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. You look truly beautiful today.”

Mercedes didn’t know, but everyone… had been watching her valiant social battle. Her unearthly beauty.

“How about it, Lady Mercedes? Everyone has shed their dislike for you. Because you’re the star today. Well, the nagging stories from a bold friend like me probably helped too.”

Nadia whispered in a voice full of pride. At that whisper, Mercedes burst out laughing.

Nadia was so lovable.

“There couldn’t be a bolder and more wonderful friend than you.”

Mercedes uttered the compliment with a mix of her acting and real self. Carlos just stood there, gazing only at Mercedes.

* * *

“Countess. Tell me. That wench… no… returned unscathed as the star of your banquet?”

“…I apologize, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager.”

Countess Boyd bowed her head repeatedly. The Empress Dowager’s anger filled the room.

“No, if she was clearly a stupid wench at the first banquet, the problem is that we judged too early. It’s not entirely your fault, so lift your head and take a seat.”

The Empress Dowager commanded in an unpleasant voice, omitting the subject in the phrase ‘I misjudged.’ Countess Boyd was barely able to straighten her back and sit in a chair.

This was the reception room of Marchioness Morris, who had close ties with the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager wanted to hold the meeting outside, saying that there would obviously be the Emperor’s ears in the palace unconditionally.

That’s how the high-ranking noble ladies and titled women who had been active in high society for a long time gathered in a thoroughly secured reception room.

“Hmm. But from what I saw that day, she didn’t seem smart, but rather just had thick nerves. If she were smart, she would never have left His Majesty’s side. She would have known she was in a position to be attacked.”

“That’s not wrong either.”

“Moreover, she jokingly talked about the underground dungeon and laughed it off in a pleasant way during the various quarrels that broke out that day. So people realized she was impossible to reason with, got fed up and ran away.”

Countess Boyd exaggerated what she saw as much as possible, feeling guilty that Mercedes had become the star at her banquet.

In fact, Mercedes’ attitude was closer to ‘everyone ran away because of her pleasant and formidable temperament’ rather than ‘making people fed up and impossible to reason with.’

The Empress Dowager frowned and tapped the table.

“Then, the Emperor may have deliberately left her alone to fight, trusting that wench’s nerves.”

“Indeed, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager. You are absolutely right.”

“I’m telling you. As long as I live with my eyes open, I can never see the Emperor keeping company with a murderer. For the sake of justice.”

“There is no question about it.”

“It’s alright. All plans should be carried out slowly anyway. But… I think it’s about time to demand a nobility council meeting.”

“I understand.”

“Yes. The Emperor is so blinded by a wench that he not only creates a flaw himself but also boasts about it, so it’s an opportunity we can’t miss.”

The Empress Dowager, still with an uncomfortable face, leaned back deeply in the most luxurious and comfortable chair in the room.

* * *

The nobility council was an annual event. Once a year, even low-ranking rural nobles would all attend to discuss agendas, domestic affairs with the Emperor.

Unfortunately, for the past two years, Carlos had been too busy with the conquest war to attend the nobility council.

Although the council was held even with the Emperor’s seat empty, the gathered nobles were engrossed in sending support to Carlos, who sent victory reports every time, in a race to curry favor.

An emperor who expanded the territory was stronger than anything else, so it was natural to try to look good. Therefore, the two nobility councils held after Carlos’ accession were closer to a competition for war material support and donations rather than a council.

Now they could hold a nobility council with the Emperor back on the throne in the capital.

However, as an annual event, there were still several months left until the council.

There were cases where an emergency nobility council could be convened…

It was when petitions and votes of approval from high-ranking officials and the Senate gathered more than half of the capital’s nobles.

Thus, petitions from high-ranking nobles influenced by the Empress Dowager poured in, and it was decided that a very sudden emergency nobility council would be held.

Emergency councils usually did not involve rural lords from far away. It was a council attended only by the nobles of the capital.

If an important agenda item came up, it was delivered to the distant provincial lords by letter to receive votes of approval or disapproval, or opinions.

If it was an important agenda to seek the Emperor’s opinion or related to the imperial family, it often ended with the nobles within the capital.

The nobility council that was held this time was the latter.

It was an agenda item on ‘the Emperor’s spouse and heir’.

Moreover, an opinion letter with the Empress Dowager’s seal reached the department in charge of the nobility council, so there was no way the council would not be held.

“Tsk.”

At the news that an emergency nobility council had been scheduled, Carlos clicked his tongue involuntarily.

“My mother must be very excited.”

Carlos only referred to the Empress Dowager, who was his mother only in terms of status, as ‘mother’ when he was very displeased.

It wasn’t unexpected, as Mercedes had appeared and the Empress Dowager had suddenly cleared out her villa and come up.

Until now, the Emperor who had no interest in women had brought a woman. Then most would think now is the chance. Thinking that the Emperor had finally opened his eyes to the matter of finding a spouse, they would naturally bring up the subject of marriage.

After convening the nobility council like that… they would tell him to take in that young girl who acted arrogantly as if she were already the Empress, dominating high society – what was her name, Julia? – as the Empress.

“How old is Julia Bennett?”

“She turns eighteen this year.”

“She’s of marriageable age, so they’ll insist it’s just right. I understand arranged marriages are all like this, but I don’t get it. Do they have no qualms about pairing me with a chick seven years younger?”

“Since the other party is of marriageable age, they will naturally feel no qualms. Your Majesty may be the only one in the capital to point that out.”

There were many assembled adjutants. Among them, Abigail, who had even been to Sheim together, answered calmly.

Carlos gave her a wry smile.