“Yes, spirit! That’s the word. It means a confident attitude. Act like making a natural mistake, maintain a face as if nothing happened! If you do that, do you know what will happen?”

“…?”

“Even if you pick up the fork wrong, it can be an opportunity to use a small fork that fits the children’s mouths. That’s what it means.”

“…!”

The child blinked big eyes, looking at the small fork in their hands after hearing his words.

They might not understand everything, but the child seemed to shake off the dark remnants of misunderstanding.

Watching Nia like that, the Crown Prince, with a smile, gently touched the glossy black hair reminiscent of Lucia, and said.

“So, you don’t have to be nervous. If you maintain a confident attitude, everyone will follow you. That’s what a princess is. However, that’s why you need to be careful with your actions… up to this point.”

Lucia, carefully closing the door without anyone hearing, stepped away.
“Look. Wasn’t I right? The person who currently understands and can guide Nia’s heart is Crown Prince Irene. He’s growing up well.”

“…….,”

Lucia couldn’t refute his changed attitude, which they had doubted just a moment ago.

Always acting on their own, everyone regarded him as a thorn, but Lucia couldn’t deny his expertise in dealing with forced situations from unknown sources.

At this point, Lucia glanced at Button, who was following her.

“So, the people invited today are the guild leaders’ families.”

“Yes, they are all either nobles or commoners. So, even if Your Highness makes a slight mistake, they won’t notice. Don’t worry.”

That’s how it was.

Today’s dinner gathering consisted of local guild leaders, including merchants, mercenaries, and artisans.

Lucia deliberately prioritized merchants over high nobles.

Of course, all advice regarding this matter came from Button’s thoughts, and although she didn’t want to admit it, he was indeed competent.

‘He’s full of eloquent and right words. I can’t beat him.’

Thus, Lucia, now the king of Arkiss, had her first official gathering.

Perhaps the people who were growing with help in their respective positions were not just Nia but also herself.

Arkiss Central Palace, reception room.

In that luxurious reception room, people who couldn’t hide their anxiety about facing the king were waiting.

They were the guild leaders and his children from the Eastern, Western, Southern, and Northern regions.

However, among them, they were divided into two groups despite having the same position.

Those who sat like owners, nobles, and those standing like mice, commoners. In the midst of them, the excited voice of a child resonated softly.

“Grandpa, is this a magnificent place, the palace? Really? Then, do we eat with the princess in a place like this?”

“Ha-ha, our granddaughter. That’s right. Grandpa has only worked in the fields all his life, so this is the first time in such a splendid place. Surely, there will be many precious foods for the children, so we should be very grateful and eat. Understand?”

The fingers caressing the child were stained with unwiped soil.

As the leader of the agricultural guild who had worked for seventy years, he was an artisan. He looked at his excited grandchildren with a wrinkled smile around his eyes.

Although the late Ashford had visited the fields, being directly summoned to the palace like this was an honor in itself, and spending time with his grandchildren made it even more significant.

The other leaders from agricultural areas were in similar conditions, so they all wore warm smiles hidden behind quiet words that concealed the child’s pure excitement.

However, one of the orange-haired brothers, who heard the small whisper, seemed to have heard it and grimaced.

“Mom, do I have to eat with these guys?”

“Ew, really? It smells.”

“Oh dear, this child too. Surely, there’s no way we’ll be dining with commoners. Separate seats will be arranged, just like the number of chairs here.”
In that nonchalant tone, the artisan guild leader grandfather protected his sullen granddaughters, caressing them as if shielding them.

That’s how it was.

Even though they shared the name ‘guild,’ merchants and artisans were very different.

In the artisan guild, there were commoners rather than nobles, while in the merchant guild, there were nouveau riche commoners who bought noble titles with money rather than commoners.

However, even if they were not listed in the nobility register, they were still nobles.

Feeling uncomfortable about such actions was unreasonable, and that was evident to the commoners.

Moreover, being invited here itself was an honor beyond imagination.

‘Grandpa, I’m sorry. My voice was too loud….’

The child apologized in a small voice for being teased, and the grandfather embraced her, comforting her.

However, the dissatisfaction that erupted once didn’t easily subside even with such an apology.

The middle-aged woman in a tightly-stretched dress, who exerted force on her dress, spoke to the pampered wife who had been comforting her sons.