Although it meant that he had a difficult time in the past because of her, the Crown Prince pretended not to hear and continued the conversation nonchalantly.

“Isn’t the Duke giving you a hard time?”

“No. He treats me comfortably.”

“…Do you like that?”

The Crown Prince’s face stiffened a little as Amy’s face looked genuinely comfortable when answering.

“Pardon? That he treats me comfortably? Of course. For someone in a serving position, an easy-going person is much better than a difficult one.”

Rita, Mary, and Cecil, standing behind Amy, nodded simultaneously at her words. The Duke was indeed easy to serve because his likes and dislikes were clear and his reasons were apparent, so one only needed to be mindful of those things.

Noah wore a subtly proud expression as he brought the teacup to his lips. The Crown Prince, glaring at his half-brother with distaste, spoke to Amy in an affectionate tone.

“Amy, you know, I’m a very easy-going man too.”

“Pffft!”

Noah spat out his tea. The Crown Prince frowned in disgust as he drank his tea, while Noah was at a loss for what to do. Amy calmly pulled out a handkerchief from her waist and wiped his mouth, saying casually:

“You’re so easy-going that you caused romantic scandals wherever you went. How is Lady Emeline doing, Your Highness?”

“Pffft!”

This time, it was the Crown Prince who spat out his tea. As he was flustered with his face soaked, the middle-aged head maid newly assigned by the Empress quickly approached and vigorously wiped his face as if washing a child. The Crown Prince irritably swatted her hand away and said to Amy:

“H-How did you… know about that…?”

Amy put on a cold smile.

“There are ways to know everything.”

Lady Emeline was the person who had a secret meeting with the Crown Prince during the Spring Banquet, which was the reason why Esmaine had kidnapped Amy in her previous life. In other words, Amy had been wrongfully captured in her place.

After returning to the past, Amy carefully observed the Crown Prince’s surroundings during the Spring Banquet and discovered that she was his hidden romantic partner.

“Bring new tea for His Highness the Crown Prince.”

Noah said politely with a serves-him-right expression. Amy just stood there indifferently, regardless of whether the Crown Prince was coughing or not. The flustered Crown Prince even stammered:

“How did you… No, that’s not the important thing right now…”

Amy said kindly:

“I hope you’ll exercise restraint while you’re here, Your Highness.”

“Amy, that’s not what I…”

“So Captain Martin and the knights too… What will the people below learn from seeing this, tsk.”

Tsk? Rita’s mouth fell open. To click her tongue in front of the Crown Prince, Madam Head Maid, you really… The maids’ eyes sparkled brightly.

The Crown Prince shouted with an utterly wronged expression:

“No, Amy. When someone’s talking, please listen!”

Amy then let out a small sigh and said seriously:

“Your Highness is right. I know better than anyone how easy-going you are. That’s why I chose His Highness the Duke over His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“!”

The Crown Prince was shocked as if stabbed by a knife. He stared at Amy and Noah alternately with a pale face. The servants who had been laughing behind them all froze. In the atmosphere that had suddenly become heavy, only Amy calmly continued speaking:

“Nothing can be achieved by just staying complacent and stagnant in reality. Moreover, Your Highness is in an exalted position.”

“…”

“Thousands, tens of thousands of lives depend on Your Highness. I’ve repeatedly told you to always remember that weight…”

Amy sighed lightly and added calmly:

“Well, it’s no longer my concern now.”

“…”

The Crown Prince’s complexion was similar to that of a dead person, and his eyes wavered, unable to find focus. Amy no longer gave him her attention. She checked outside the window once and then said politely to Noah:

“It’s time for you to leave, Your Grace.”

“…”

Noah slowly stood up and passed by the Crown Prince. As the guard standing at the door opened it, Noah left the room first, and Amy followed behind him but suddenly stopped. She turned around and spoke quietly to the Crown Prince, who was looking at the floor with clenched fists:

“I’ll take my leave first, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

“…”

After the maids came out as well, the door closed. Watching the neat backs of the Duke and Amy, Rita whispered with a shudder:

“Is this what they call humiliation?”

Mary and Cecil nodded their heads vigorously in agreement.

The banquet started successfully. The nobles who had long settled in the North, whatever their true feelings might be, watched Noah’s coronation ceremony with outwardly respectful appearances.

Noah stepped forward with a calm and dignified demeanor and placed the crown offered by the Chief Minister on his head. The Crown Prince, befitting an envoy from the Empire, presented him with gifts and treasures.

Noah and the Crown Prince praised each other with extremely courteous attitudes, and those who witnessed this unexpected scene quietly buzzed with chatter.

“…”

Vernon’s eyes, standing guard in a corner of the hall, met Amy’s, who was standing right below the high seat. Vernon nodded slightly. It meant there were no particularly suspicious signs.

Nevertheless, Amy did not relax her vigilance and looked around the banquet hall. As if Lady Weaver had put in a word in advance, Joseph and several sturdy servants could be seen keeping an eye on Baron Pierson.

‘Soon, you won’t be able to look at yourself straight…’

Amy recalled the words Baron Pierson was said to have spoken. It seemed to imply a promotion in rank.

‘His attitude of not bowing flat to the Crown Prince, and also…’

Even now, he was approaching the Crown Prince and babbling something excitedly. The Crown Prince, upset about something, was not responding with his lips tightly shut.

Her heart raced, feeling like something was about to happen. This kind of premonition tended to be accurate, making her anxious. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be anything bad.

Amy turned her head to look at the high seat. There, Noah was receiving greetings from the lords of the northern region. Wearing a crown on his head and wrapped in a fur cloak, he sat looking down with dignity, exuding majesty.

Despite his young age, how composed and relaxed he was… The attitude of the lords who had been skeptical of him, wondering how well he would do, seemed to have changed.

Amy smiled unconsciously, feeling pleased. Noah, who understood ten when taught one, truly seemed born with the qualities of a leader.

“…Huh?”

At that moment, Amy’s eyes caught a strange sight. The Crown Prince was staring intently at Noah. Beside him was Baron Pierson, who whispered something to the Crown Prince, handed him two glasses he was holding, and stepped back.

Looking towards Noah, the greetings from his vassals were almost over. It was almost time for him to announce the start of the banquet.

“…”

As the last lord withdrew, Noah stood up from his seat. The noisy hall quickly fell silent. This too was an encouraging sign of the Duke’s great influence. Amy, secretly tense, clasped her hands tightly together. Her fingertips were cold.

Noah looked around the audience once. Then, after a very brief hesitation, he opened his mouth.

“As everyone knows, I still don’t know much about the North yet.”

“!”

Joseph visibly flinched. Amy was also surprised, but only for a moment. Noah was now giving an impromptu speech rather than following the script Joseph had prepared.

“But being young, I have plenty of time. This means I have great potential to deeply understand and develop the North. I stand here to promise you that I will show you this potential of mine.”

“…”

People’s expressions changed. Noah’s words, boldly stating his aspirations, conveyed sincerity rather than elaborate rhetoric. And it struck directly at the heartstrings of the northern people, tempered under the harsh northern weather.

“If someone in the distant future asks when was the first day the North gloriously transformed, we will surely recall today. I want you to be my witnesses and companions, to cultivate and enjoy the prosperity of the North that will begin from today.”

Noah paused briefly and looked at each of his vassals’ faces. When they met his upright and passionate gaze, they felt as if they had become young again.

‘Has there ever been a Duke who treated the North with such sincerity?’

Moreover, the young Duke had performed the miracle of changing the weather as soon as he arrived. It was only natural for them to expect a brilliant future.

Noah read in their eyes a determination that would not easily yield. His mouth spread in satisfaction. With the face of a monarch, Noah extended his hand towards his vassals and said arrogantly:

“Well then, will you join me on this journey?”

“!”

The seasoned nobles felt their blood boiling. One quick-tempered lord raised his hand and shouted:

“I will follow the Duke!”

Other lords followed, raising their voices:

“For the prosperity of the North!”

“For the glory of the North!”

“Long live His Grace the Duke!”

Noah had turned the banquet hall into a cauldron of excitement in an instant. Those who had dismissed the young Duke as unreliable now looked up at him with gazes full of admiration and awe.

Amidst the seemingly endless applause and cheers, Amy smiled contentedly and asked Joseph, who was standing next to her:

“Are you disappointed?”

“Pardon? Oh, no. Listening to His Grace’s speech… I thought I had written a masterpiece, but now I see it was just mediocre writing.”

He puffed out his chest, overwhelmed. Then, looking at Noah with admiring eyes, he muttered:

“Indeed, sincerity seems to resonate.”

He seemed to have gone beyond respect to almost worshipping Noah. It was quite different from when they first met in the capital’s market, where he had whined about becoming the object of the Duke’s dislike for forcibly taking his skewer.

Anyway, it didn’t seem bad, so she shrugged and was about to turn her head back to the high seat when a maid hurriedly approached and whispered in Amy’s ear.

“There’s a message for you, Head Maid.”

“A message? For me?”

“The mercenary captain is waiting outside.”

Why is he here? Amy was puzzled but quickly followed the maid out of the hall. According to the contract, the mercenaries were supposed to stay in the Duke’s territory for half a year, and Noah had assigned them the task of scouting the territories of the northern vassals.

‘Is there a problem with one of the lords who came today?’

Her heart sank. When she hurriedly arrived at the corridor, the mercenary captain emerged from behind a pillar and greeted her.

“What’s the matter?”

To her urgent inquiry about the business, the mercenary captain said with an ambiguous expression:

“News has come that there’s a group looking for the Head Maid in the imperial capital.”