“According to Article 87 of the Empire Law, it is a capital punishment to possess a weapon and exert power in front of the royal family!”

“A weapon… Did the princess possess a weapon?”

“She summoned a spirit in front of me. If it’s not a weapon, what is it? A sword is a weapon to a knight, a wand is a weapon to a magician, and a spirit is a weapon to a spirituser!”

Ludwig squinted his eyes as if he truly disliked listening to the roaring voice.

The words he soon spit out flowed without interruption, as if they were prepared answers.

“First, a weapon is based on the concept of a tool, but a spirit is a life and thus can’t be a ‘tool’. Second, according to the Empire Law commentary, ‘possession’ refers to carrying something on one’s body with the intent to harm from the start, but the princess only summoned the spirit and didn’t carry it on her body. Third, power means a force that can suppress one’s will, but the princess just created a water barrier, and did not exert a physical force that could suppress will.”

In a verbal dispute, Edwin could never be above Ludwig. Absolutely not.

While Edwin was protected inside a comfortable fence, Ludwig learned, absorbed, and endured everything with his bare body in order to survive.

“One more thing.”

A clear voice intervened in the dispute between the two brothers.

“If our father finds out that your Highness tried to touch me without my consent…”

There was no need to continue the sentence.

Evelia tilted her head slightly with an expression asking ‘can you guess what will happen?’.

In the fairy tales told by the maids, there were stories where the delicate female protagonist overcomes a crisis with the help of a prince on a white horse, and stories where she struggles through all on her own, hiding her massive background.

‘Both are equally foolish.’

Evelia thought both were foolish.

She should base it on overcoming on her own, accept the help of allies when she can, and use her background when she can.

Why let those precious things rot?

Based on this usual mindset, Evelia demonstrated her power sufficiently, didn’t reject Ludwig’s supporting fire, and finally used the power of her family to seal the prince’s mouth.

The prince’s face turned red and he tried to say something, but…

“Enough. Prince, apologize to the princess.”

The empress who had been watching all along stepped in and ended the dispute.

The stakes of life in the royal palace. She was the one who survived in the center of it.

The empress’s expression remained calmly kind.

From the outside, it looked like she was gently reprimanding her son for his excessive prank.

“……”

“Prince, go ahead. If the prince apologizes, the princess will not make this an issue anymore.”

An implicit request not to publicize it if she accepts the apology.

“…I am sorry. I couldn’t control myself as I met a friend of my age after a long time.”

Under the pressure of the empress, Edwin’s apology, which didn’t sound like an apology, threw his words and his eyes sparkled with deeper greed than when they first met.

“…I have an appointment to see the palace earlier, so it would be difficult to accompany you. Empress, Prince, I’ll see you at a better occasion later.”

Evelia didn’t end up accepting the apology, as she didn’t like the look in his eyes.

Even if she responded calmly, a child is still a child.

Her reason was still insufficient to fully suppress her feelings.

As Evelia, who was trembling with discomfort, tried to control it, she grabbed the hem of her dress, greeted, and turned around.

Looking at her friend who walked the long palace corridor without shaking, Ludwig took a step towards Edwin and whispered softly.

It was a whisper so soft that Evelia wouldn’t hear.

“Do not covet her, little brother.”

She’s not a girl worthy of your attention.

Ludwig’s black eyes chasing Evelia intertwined with the red eyes.

Edwin’s eyes, which couldn’t possess the blessings of the royal family, sunk into the abyss like Ludwig’s red eyes.

Empress Venaka looked at Evelia’s retreating figure with a troubled expression.

‘I thought it would be easy to manipulate her.’

She had underestimated her, thinking that as a young princess of this empire, with the status of a crown princess, a few benefits, gifts, and sweet words, it would be easy to sway her to her side.

She had thought so even when she failed to hide her reaction to the request to build a closer relationship with the crown prince.

She was still a child who hadn’t learned to hide her feelings properly, she thought it would be easy to manipulate her.

After all, she was only six years old.

However, rather than hiding behind the appeared crown prince, the princess showed her strength without overdoing it.

Moreover, she knew how to use the protection of the crown prince appropriately, and was well aware of the position the Artina family held in this empire.

“I thought she was a chick….”

Quite clever. She outsmarted the Duchess.

If she couldn’t make her an ally, it would be very bothersome in the future.