—
So while the two continued trying to one-up each other, Gustave quietly wiped Ciri's snot-covered hand on his pants.
He sighed helplessly. Clearly, this girl still didn't understand even the most basic social boundaries. And although in this world she had the leeway to behave like this, in his mind—princess or not—she wasn't exempt from respecting others.
So he decided to let it slide for now and teach her properly as time went on. He knew that while Queen Calanthe did not spoil Ciri, she had raised her to be a future queen—one who expected others to obey her every word and kneel when commanded.
Gustave could tolerate this medieval mindset to a degree, but his patience was not infinite. That was why he intended to subtly nudge her toward a slightly more modern way of thinking.
While waiting for the two to finish, Gustave began observing the imperial hall. Present were, of course, Calanthe and her husband, Eist Tuirseach, along with members of their respective houses: the main branch of the House of Raven and the Tuirseach clan's islanders.
From the House of Raven, only the household members who did not possess the Source were present. The islanders accompanying Eist were those who dabbled somewhat in mainland politics, much like most of the shieldmaidens.
The rest of the Tuirseach warriors were either drinking in taverns or out on their Drakkars, hunting stray sirens that wandered too close to Cintra's shores. Meanwhile, the members of the House of Raven who did possess the Source were all confined to the hidden magical academy district.
Not only were Calanthe and her husband present, but also Crach and his two wives. However, because Crach was still young and his father remained Jarl of Clan an Craite, few islanders from his clan were present.
Only the wives of Crach's close friends attended the banquet; their husbands were at sea or drinking with the others, leaving Crach alone at this dull mainlander gathering.
While Skellige was a significant part of Cintra—hence the presence of the seafaring islanders—the surrounding vassal states were not exempt.
Delegations from Attre, Verden, Brugge, and Strept were all in attendance, currently arguing among themselves about which noble houses should be allowed to marry Ciri once she came of age.
The source of their bickering was the rumor that Windhalm of Attre—who had sought Pavetta's hand five years earlier but withdrew because of Duny—was now expected to have his arranged marriage to Ciri canceled due to various circumstances.
Because of this, the delegations from the vassal states began arguing fiercely among themselves, with Verden being the loudest and most adamant about seeing the cancellation through. They pushed for their own prince, Kistrin, to take Windhalm's place.
And Verden's determination did not stop there.
Not only was Verden's general present—clearly there to intimidate Attre and the other vassal-state envoys with the might of their army—but numerous Verdannian nobles, and even Verden's Chancellor, had also come solely to secure the marriage between their prince and Ciri.
If Ciri had not been present, that hushed argument likely would have already escalated into shouting, given how intense the debate between the vassal states had become.
Or perhaps the only reason it hadn't escalated was because of Odcoodak and his uncanny ability to produce loud, ridiculous animal noises. Whether he had been ordered to distract the hall or was simply doing his usual antics, Gustave couldn't be sure.
One thing he was sure of, however, was that his brother Villem—along with all the nobles from Lyria and Rivia, Caldwell included—were also participating in this absurd spectacle, treating Ciri's hand in marriage like the prize of an auction.
All Gustave could think was that every one of them was dancing to the rhythm of Queen Calanthe's fingers. He knew this open "marriage auction" was simply another layer of smokescreen meant to conceal the transformation taking place in Cintra.
Calanthe had always done things like this, even in the original timeline—arranging marriages only to tear them apart at the last moment. First Windhalm, then Kistrin, and finally Radovid.
It had become so effective that even her husband wore a perpetually gloomy expression, clearly rejecting the idea of Ciri being sent off to marry before she came of age.
This meant that the elaborate smokescreen was understood only by Calanthe and himself. He understood it because he had a broad enough perspective to grasp what was on Calanthe's mind and why she allowed this "auction" to happen in the first place.
Otherwise, he too might have worn a same gloomy expression, seeing a child like Ciri being treated this way by his last living close family member.
Aside from the delegations from the vassal states, there were also Mousesack and his circle of druids. And this time, it seemed Mousesack had brought not only the male druids, the Hierophants, but also the female circle of druids known as the Flaminikas.
From the looks of it—especially with the female druids having traveled all the way from their island—the expansion of the druidic circle was not merely a smokescreen. Mousesack and his companions genuinely intended to extend their influence from Skellige to Cintra.
This meant that, in addition to becoming a magical kingdom, Cintra might also grow into a verdant, forest-rich realm similar to Brokilon.
As for the inevitable future head-butting between these two branches of mysticism, Gustave only smiled to himself in amusement, eager to see how Cintra would handle the conflict—knowing full well that sorcerers and druids were anything but compatible.
Not only that—considering how different the Skellige people were from the Nordlings—Gustave could already imagine the clash of ideals, the endless debates, and the duels between these two forces, sorcerers and druids alike, all of which would surely make Cintra far more lively.
Breaking his focus away from the druids, Gustave then turned his attention to the rest of the notable figures present. There was Drogodar, a personal minstrel of the Cintran royal court; Drig Bon-Dhu, a Skellige bard and close friend of Eist Tuirseach; and a noblewoman who bore a striking resemblance to Ciri—minus the silver hair.
More accurately, she was the adulterous noblewoman rumored to be the mother of two children who would later become known as Ciri's doppelgangers: Angoulême and Becca the False Ciri—though with the latter, he wasn't entirely certain.
But after calculating with his [Knowledge] and processing the information he had gathered about this adulterous noblewoman—feeling that subtle sensation of confirmation—Gustave could confidently guess that she was connected in some way to Becca.
As for whether this woman was Angoulême's mother, he was 100% certain that this was indeed the case. Unlike Becca's history, which was practically nonexistent, Angoulême's background was clear enough for him to reach a definitive conclusion.
Moreover, from the way this adulterous noblewoman dismissed any mention of her recently disowned daughter, it was more than enough confirmation that she was, in fact, Angoulême's mother.
"And who is this little kid, Ciri? Care to introduce him? Oh? Why? Did a will-o'-wisp steal your voice? Come now, Ciri—introduce him to your grandmother. Or is it that you don't know his name?"
"Hmph! Of course I know his name! His name is Gustave! He is a prince of… of…"
In a whisper, Cerys helped, "Prince of Lyria and Rivia…"
"Prince of Lyria and Rivia! And he is my little brother! Hmph! So from now on, Grandmama, don't you dare ridicule Gustave when I'm around! No—when I'm not around, it's the same!"
Chuckling in amusement at her adorable granddaughter, Calanthe decided it was time to stop teasing her and focus on the boy who was already wise beyond his years.
Seeing Calanthe's attention settle fully on him, Gustave immediately knelt.
Thump!
Knowing this was the perfect moment to earn some brownie points—while also lowering suspicion by speaking like a rambling child whom adults wouldn't take too seriously—Gustave began to carry out his act.
An act designed to divert the world's attention onto Cintra, turning the kingdom into a meatshield of distractions so he would have enough time to grow safely—both for himself and for his kingdom.
"Your Majesty, Ard Rhena of Cintra, Lioness of the House of Raven, Champion of Hochebuz—Gustave beseeches you to help Gustave's parents against the rebellion that is hindering the progress of Lyria and Rivia!"
"In exchange, Gustave will give big sister Ciri a fleet of flying ships when Gustave grows up! A fleet of flying ships that can—umm—be like dragons! Able to spit fire from high up in the air!"
Every sound in the hall—Odcoodak's chicken-like clucking, Drogodar's lute melody, the Skelligans' boisterous laughter, the vassal states' hushed arguments, and even Mousesack's intellectual discussions with his fellow druids—came to an abrupt halt.
Even the distant howl of the night wind seemed to pause, stunned by his request and bold declaration.
But the silence didn't last long. Moments later, booming laughter erupted from Eist, Crach, and many of the Skelligans present—laughter not of mockery, but of excitement and good-natured amusement.
"Hahahahaha! Kid, I like your enthusiasm! So it'll be like the Skidbladnir that Grymmdjarr built, huh?!"
"When Grymmdjarr laid keel to sea-timber, even the waves held their breath!
And when he set Skidbladnir to water, the winds themselves lifted her to the sky!"
"Ha! Ciri's got herself a mighty clever cub! If the boy pulls that off, I'll carve his name on Kaer Trolde's gates myself!"
But the reaction from the Lyria and Rivia camp was completely different.
Every single one of them immediately stood up, speaking over one another with frantic urgency—some crying out variations of, "Your Majesty, please forgive young Gustave and his inappropriate words!" while others insisted, "Your Majesty, don't pay any mind to the rambling nonsense of a toddler!"
The first type of apology came from Reynard and the soldiers, while the second—full of panic and embarrassment—came from Caldwell and the useless nobles.
As for the rest of the audience, their reactions were mixed: some with contempt, some with indifference, some with amusement—but none took him seriously, which was exactly what he wanted.
The only ones Gustave cared about taking him seriously were Calanthe, Mousesack, the House of Raven sorcerers, and the Circle of Druids. These were the only people who could help him achieve his dream of strengthening Cintra. Without their support and willingness to act as a smokescreen for him, he would never grow up safely.
He would constantly live on the edge, hunted or manipulated by the Chapter, simply because his ideals involved spreading the technology and knowledge of mysticism to the people.
That was why he didn't take the audience's reaction seriously; instead, he focused on Calanthe's facial expression.
And there, he found it. Even in that split second, he knew she was taking him seriously. She was probably already thinking about how to "groom" him into a true prodigy, considering his high intelligence—a talent that would, in turn, benefit Ciri in the process.
But all was fair in this game, since he, too, was using Calanthe as a smokescreen. Moreover, he knew that strengthening Ciri was the same as strengthening himself. Since he and Ciri would both be players in the game of Destiny, their goals were aligned, leaving no conflict between them in the first place.
But he also knew that Calanthe would never reveal her true intentions. Because of that, he already knew what was coming: a teasing, long-winded, and pleonastic exchange between him and the Queen of Cintra, much like the ones she gave Ciri.
"Champion of Hochebuz, huh? It has been such a long time since I've been called that. Did little Gustave read that title in some book?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. Gustave read it in the book Battle of Hochebuz and Its Impact upon the Nazair Economy, written by Voivode Bronibor."
"Oh my… It seems little Gustave likes to read books, huh? What a smart little child… Tell me, if I help my cousin—your mother, Meve—what then? Is your promise enough to guarantee that my soldiers will not die for nothing?"
"Ehm, ehm… Gustave takes back Gustave's words! Gustave doesn't want Cintra's soldiers to die!"
Thump!
"Your Majesty, Ard Rhena of Cintra, Lioness of the House of Raven, Champion of Hochebuz—Gustave beseeches you to help Gustave's parents by sending them supplies and money against the rebellion that is hindering the progress of Lyria and Rivia!"
"Grandmama! You are ridiculing the little guy! Stop it!"
"Oh really? Did I really ridicule little Gustave here? It seems to me Gustave is the one asking for my help. So it doesn't count as ridicule, right? Because your grandmama is serious right now…"
"Serious?! Really?! But Grandmama is smiling like the villain Nana told me about!"
"No… I didn't…"
—