“It’s the Crown Prince.”

“Wow!”

The thunderous cheers echoed frighteningly through the banquet hall.

It was a cheer that made it clear the conservative empire was not ready to accept the Crown Princess yet.

Riz discreetly turned her head to observe Hershis’s reaction. Curious about how he would react to the news that they had a daughter when he had wished for one.

To her surprise, she found him smiling happily.

“Aren’t you disappointed it’s not a daughter?”

“Why would I be disappointed? Just having this precious child with us is enough to be grateful.”

He said with an unassuming expression.

Not because he was broad-minded, but probably because he thought there would be another opportunity!

‘There won’t be a second. There won’t be.’

In the moment Riz firmly vowed not to let him spout nonsense, the noblewomen approached her to offer their congratulations. The male nobles, on the other hand, came to congratulate Hershis. Consequently, Riz and Hershis were momentarily separated.

“Congratulations, Your Majesty.”

The ladies cautiously presented their prepared gifts. Riz opened the gifts on the spot as a gesture of gratitude.

The most abundant were adorable little shirts, followed by a handmade mobile, mittens, and jewelry that promised to ward off bad luck.

There were even people who seemed ready to take their presents back. When Riz inquired, they explained with apologetic faces, “We prepared pink undergarments thinking the baby would be a princess…”

Riz chuckled and extended her hand. “You’ve gone through the trouble to prepare these gifts. I’ll dress the baby beautifully. It doesn’t matter what color.”

“Oh, no, Your Majesty. It’s inappropriate to dress a young master in pink.”

The ladies exclaimed in shock. According to them, a boy should wear blue because he’s a boy.

To that, Riz said, “My cousin insisted on wearing only pink and even braided his hair when he was young, but now he has become a capable general leading troops on the frontier. So, the color of clothing doesn’t matter at all.”

Relieved, the ladies handed over their gifts, and Riz graciously accepted them.

Everyone was enjoying a joyful time. At least until the gatekeeper’s announcement.

“Count Montaner is here.”

⭐⭐⭐

Riz looked at Hershis.

Because he was a head taller than most people, she could easily observe his changing expressions.

As his estranged uncle, who walked gracefully through the divided crowd, came into view, Hershis’s face quickly hardened.

Riz also turned her gaze to Count Montaner.
It was a face she hadn’t seen in almost a season.

The impression was that the height and build seemed even larger than the last time she saw him. As people age, it’s common for them to become shorter and thinner, but this man seemed to be continually growing stronger.

That might not be an unwelcome change for himself or his followers, but for Riz and Hershis, it was not a desirable transformation.

‘Ah…!’

As the Duke approached, Riz realized that he didn’t look entirely good.

His cheeks were slightly sunken, and his complexion was somewhat pale.

‘I heard he was sick. Is that why?’

But only his eyes shone like a red-mixed amethyst, revealing the determination unique to someone who had recovered from a severe illness.

Suddenly, he reached into his pocket.

At the moment Riz felt a strange unease, her sight was blocked.

“What brings my uncle here?”

Hershis stood in front of Riz, blocking her path. His voice was so chilly that it could make the listener uncomfortable.

When the Duke withdrew his hand from his pocket, he presented a gentle smile.

“I brought a gift to congratulate Her Majesty’s assumption of the throne.”

In his hand was a small wine-colored square case. To dispel Hershis’s suspicion, he opened the box.

Riz slightly turned her head to sneak a peek at what was inside.

It was a necklace with a pendant made of amber on a golden chain.

“When a royal offspring conceives a child, it is a tradition in our Lucensia Imperial Family to give a pendant with amber jewelry, representing chasing away misfortune. Unfortunately, as Her Majesty’s parents are not present, wouldn’t it be proper for me, the closest relative by blood, to take care of this?”

Hershis also knew that it was an irrefutable statement. However, even so, he didn’t want to leave it for the Duke to give directly to Riz.

“How considerate. I will gratefully accept it, Uncle.”

Hershis snatched the necklace case as if fishing, and then the Duke said,

“Oh, it seems our Queen loves her wife too much. Even an old man like me can feel the vigilance when she sees me.”

As he laughed heartily without a hint of resentment, the people joined in. No one took the words more seriously than a light-hearted joke, so the reactions were natural.

When the laughter subsided, Baron Bartels, who had been standing on the side, cautiously approached and inquired about the Duke’s health.

“Is your health better now? I heard you were quite ill.”

“I’m fine.”

“How did you get sick? Haven’t you ever been seriously ill, except for minor illnesses?”

Then, the Duke replied.