"You have keen eyes, Your Imperial Highness. But I fear I have gathered quite the attention onto myself, where it should be placed on our guests. Do you have any words to add, Your Imperial Majesty?", Chancellor Osborne responded, being quick to change perspectives once again. Father is definitely a sly one.
"Haha. True. It was I who requested you all to gather here tonight. We will have our fair share of fun later. It is good to see everything to your liking, Prince Naoto. I know you've had a long day of travelling, I hope tonight's event isn't hard on you.", Emperor Eugent said with a hint of worry in his eyes.
"Nonsense, Your Imperial Majesty. On the contrary. Thank you for such a splendid dinner. It is quite satisfactory.", I happily replied. What they have here is equivalent to a five-star restaurant in my previous life. Seriously, the perks of being a Noble. Let alone part of the ruling class in a nation. I don't have to worry about much about convenience or money~
"Mmm. It is good you enjoyed it.", Emperor Eugent said, before a grin appeared on his face. He looked at his daughter, who was still in a happy mood while seated next to me. "To say the least, it is quite clear Alfin has become quite attached to you over these last couple years. I was informed of what took place during her short time abroad in Grancel City. I did not think it would be to this extent."
"So it really did go quite far during your little escapade back then...", Musse teased. "And you went all the way to another country to get close with His Royal Highness, and didn't bother inviting your closest friends? How terrible~"
As Musse continued to tease Princess Alfin, she had a colorful, blue drink in her hand. She was still young, it wasn't alcohol. A fruity drink, but one that was quite refreshing. She swirled it around for a moment before taking a sip, mimicking Chancellor Osborne.
I did go into a little as to who all was present here, but I should at least talk about placement, right?
At the head of the table was obviously Emperor Eugent III. To his left was Empress Priscilla, his wife, and to his left was Prince Olivert, his firstborn son, even though Prince Olivert's Mother wasn't Empress Priscilla. She had passed away by the time Prince Olivert was taken to Valflame Palace for the first time. Still Prince Olivert is one of few who I have gotten a Blessing from. We're as close as brothers.
Because of that, it should be obvious that I'm seated next to him, to his right. Chancellor Osborne is across from me, next to Empress Priscilla. From there, you have Emma, Fie, and Mueller on that side. Then it's Princess Alfin, Musse, Elise, and Claire on our side. Quite a full table if you ask me. It was likely Father's doing, but I wasn't against it. Oh right, Prince Cedric is here too, further from the rest of us. He requested it, and was just interested in observing my placement in all of this. Unlike Prince Olivert, I haven't seen Prince Cedric in ages. He seems to be doing well too. He's Prince Olivert's spitting image, just younger. Hopefully this time around, he won't become an arrogant Noble, which would eventually drive him to join Ouroboros thanks to his actions.
I don't think I need to talk much more about Prince Cedric's position in all of this. I'm just quite curious to see how he will turn out with me taking his spot in the Rivalries. I'm eight levels away from being able to challenge the Vermillion Trials. I can already see it happening on the horizon!
That's still a little while off. I have something else to look forward to right now. A dance to enjoy with my friends around me. As much as I wanted to be seated beside Emma and the rest, it looks like Father had other plans in mind. Because of that, I was placed beside Prince Olivert and Princess Alfin. I didn't want to go into this placement further. Instead, I saw Musse's teasing attitude continue. As she enjoyed her drink, Elise spoke next.
"You were pretty secretive about it too, Your Highness. I was curious as to why you decided to go abroad during one of our breaks, but I had no idea such a thing happened.", Elise added in.
"Do we really have to go into detail about it? It was just a small visit, really. Honestly, I wish it could have been longer!", Princess Alfin replied.
"Ufufu, but was it really just a small visit, though~?", Empress Priscilla asked, smiling at her daughter. "Why don't you enlighten us on the finer details, Olivert?"
"Alas I would, my dear Mother. Mueller kept me in check during the time I spent in the Erebonian Embassy with the Ambassador. As such, I turned to my friend here, Prince Naoto, for him to escort my dearest sister around the city. You should have seen the piles of paperwork I had to take care of! Oh woe is me. Even now, my heart is still recovering from such a long period of writing...", Prince Olivert said, playing along, and sighed.
"Heh.", I chuckled, hearing that. "You aren't trying to pin this on me now, are you, Olivert?", I asked.
"Ah ah ah, am I not just stating the facts, Naoto my boy? We cannot deny the fact that my dearest sister has grown rather fond of you as of late. Why don't we all plan a family trip somewhere, given the times of our schedules?", Prince Olivert suddenly suggested. Chancellor Osborne was the one to chuckle at this next, while enjoying a second sip of his wine.
"Hahaha. As much as I would love for that to happen to deepen your bonds and all that, I am sadly afraid we've just not the possibility right now. Especially for you, Your Imperial Highness. We have been quite busy as of late. It was enough just to schedule a single ball tonight, as hectic as it is right now.", Chancellor Osborne replied.
"That is very true, Chancellor. I know how busy a man you currently are. You had to spare some time for us. I do apologize for that, and you have my gratitude for attending tonight's events.", Emperor Eugent said, nodding in agreement.
"Oh, it is of no issue. Your Imperial Majesty. These types of events help alleviate the stress placed on one's mind. I welcome it wholeheartedly. Though, to be honest, since we are on this matter, the event thus spoken so far has reached my ears as well. I did not think it would result in this.", Chancellor Osborne said, before looking at me.
"Oh? Are you suggesting something here, Chancellor?", Emperor Eugent decided to ask.
"Perhaps. This matter may even fall in line with the Non-Aggression Pact I have drafted to present to Her Majesty the Queen in the coming year or two. No, in fact, the timing for this could not be any more perfect.", Chancellor Osborne responded. His playful demeanor vanished, and we could see he was being serious here. All eyes were now focused on him. Even Empress Priscilla's gaze flashed with a glint of light, trying to figure out what he was going on about.
"...You aren't suggesting what I think you are, are you, Chancellor?", Empress Priscilla asked.
"I indeed am, Your Imperial Majesty. A union to go against even what the Goddess Herself has preordained!", Chancellor Osborne declared. "But of course, the final hearsay will be dependent on Her Imperial Highness. I propose an engagement between our neighbor, Liberl, and ourselves. It has not been long since that tragedy befell our nations, and with the eventual signing of the Non-Aggression Pact, doing this will help bolster the strained relationship we currently share."
It took a good moment to register what Father had just said, but before long, surprise and shock streaked across the entire dining table. Even Emperor Eugent turned serious, while Prince Olivert raised his eyebrows. Above all, Princess Alfin's mind just turned muddy, waiting a good moment or two before it finally clicked inside her head.
"EHHHHHH!?", Princess Alfin exclaimed as her cheeks turned red. Her yell spread across the entire room. If birds were around, they'd scatter out of fright. "A-A-An engagement!?"
And for once, even Musse's eyes turned wide as saucers. As playful and serious Musse tends to be most of the time, this was the first time she had shown genuine shock after hearing such a declaration from Chancellor Osborne...