Episode 40
Time flew by, and autumn arrived, ushering in the day of Elonia’s birthday.
Elonia was now a full-fledged five-year-old.
To be honest, the four previous birthdays she had experienced since her reincarnation hadn’t held much significance for her.
‘Back then, it didn’t feel like my birthday.’
Besides, even though there had been a victory celebration five years ago, the Empire had been shrouded in grief over the Empress’s death.
But this time was different.
Not only the villages near the Imperial Palace but the entire capital was abuzz with festive cheer.
Even the Imperial Princess’s Palace was unusually lively.
“Your Highness, which dress do you like?”
“Choose a tiara as well.”
“What’s your favorite color, Your Highness?”
The maids asked after carefully bathing Elonia.
Her room was overflowing with gifts that Artius had sent one after another since the festival began.
Naturally, these included dresses and accessories for her to wear at the celebration.
‘Ugh, I don’t want to choose.’
Elonia had never imagined that preparing for a proper celebration would be so bothersome.
She stared at the clothes and accessories displayed on the dress forms, feeling overwhelmed.
They were all beautiful and expensive, making it difficult to choose. But none of them appealed to her, simply because they were all from Artius.
She would have preferred to wear the dress Sarah always gifted her on her birthday, but this birthday was different.
‘But I have to choose something. The Heilan delegation will be attending the celebration.’
No matter how prestigious the Fortrun family was, the clothes Sarah gifted her couldn’t compare to the luxurious garments Artius had provided.
Ravanta, having conquered the continent, held a position of immense power. They needed to demonstrate their wealth and military might to Heilan and the other nations.
This applied not only to the current state of Ravanta, but also to the scale and grandeur of the celebration, the attire of the nobles and the commoners, the Emperor’s own appearance, and even the gifts presented to Elonia.
“I’ll go with this one.”
Elonia finally settled on a lavender silk dress embroidered with gold thread.
Purple was the color of the Ravanta imperial family.
And only the imperial family was allowed to wear lavender silk embroidered with gold.
“You can choose the rest.”
Elonia’s maids were all daughters of prominent noble families.
They had a better eye for fashion than Elonia, who had spent most of her life on the battlefield, so she left the rest of the choices to them.
The maids nodded eagerly.
“Leave it to us!”
“You’re the star of the show tonight, Your Highness!”
“We’ll make sure everyone sees how adorable you are!”
‘Well, that’s a bit much.’
She was used to attracting attention on the battlefield, but it felt different at a celebration.
Before Elonia could protest, the maids began dressing her.
She felt like a cow being led to the slaughterhouse.
‘I wish they would take forever…’
Once they were done, Artius would come to escort her to the celebration.
This was an unexpected development.
Just a few days ago, she hadn’t even been thinking about the celebration.
But this was Elonia’s first official public appearance.
‘If it was just Heilan, I wouldn’t even hesitate.’
Unfortunately, Heilan wasn’t her only enemy.
The Ravanta nobles wouldn’t bother with the now-subjugated Heilan. Their attention would be focused on Elonia.
She was already aware of the rumors circulating among the nobles, whispering about her being the neglected princess.
Artius, wanting to dispel those rumors, had requested to escort her to the celebration through Aaron.
Elonia couldn’t refuse.
There were only two members of the Ravanta imperial family, and if they appeared disunited, it would only make them look weak in the eyes of the foreign nations and their own nobles.
Sarah, sensing Elonia’s anxiety, gently brushed her hair, massaging her scalp.
“Our lovely princess, what’s troubling you so much?”
“Sarah, that hurts.”
“Don’t lie to me.”
Elonia tried to deflect the question, but Sarah saw right through her.
As Sarah had pointed out, it wasn’t pain she was feeling. She was so relaxed that she felt like melting into a puddle.
“Are you nervous?”
“…Yes.”
“You don’t have to attend if you don’t want to, Your Highness. His Majesty has wronged you, he’ll understand.”
Sarah chuckled mischievously, despite her slightly disrespectful words.
Elonia, enjoying her godmother’s gentle touch, sat up straight.
“If I’m a princess, I have to face this.”
“My, how brave you are.”
Sarah praised her, rubbing Elonia’s cheeks affectionately.
Elonia squirmed, ticklish.
She didn’t mind.
She had always been fond of Sarah, who had been by her side since she was a baby. But after opening up to her, their bond had deepened, and she found herself acting more spoiled around her.
“Your Highness, we’ve finally chosen the accessories after a long debate!”
“It was a fierce battle. What do you think? Don’t they match the dress perfectly?”
The maids who had gone to choose the accessories returned, their faces flushed with excitement.
Two of them, who seemed to have lost the debate, were wiping away tears of frustration.
It must have been a 2-on-2 battle.
Elonia, seeing her maids so enthusiastic on her behalf, couldn’t help but smile.
The maids, surprised by her rare smile, blushed and squealed with delight.
“…She smiled!”
“She likes them!”
“Yes, I like them. Thank you, Lisa, Vivi, Cecil, Kara.”
Elonia smiled softly, addressing each maid by name.
It was her birthday, after all. Everything would be fine.
Maybe today would be the best day of her life.
***
The preparations for the Imperial Princess’s birthday celebration were proceeding smoothly.
The Empire was in a festive mood, and the nobles were excited about attending the first imperial celebration in years.
But Artius was the only one who couldn’t relax.
“Your Majesty, haven’t you chosen a gift yet?”
He still hadn’t decided on a gift for Elonia.
The Imperial Princess’s Palace was already overflowing with gifts he had sent.
But he couldn’t decide on the one gift he would personally present to her at the celebration.
Aaron, seeing his distress, spoke up.
“You’ve already prepared everything. Why are you still agonizing over this? It’s time to go. You’ve already prepared the tiara and all those heirloom treasures.”
“Those are not enough to appease Elonia.”
Artius dismissed Aaron’s suggestion, as if it were a ridiculous notion.
It was his fault for upsetting Elonia, not Aaron’s.
Aaron, unfairly scolded once again, felt resentful, but as always, rank had its privileges.
He offered another piece of advice, choosing his words carefully.
“Don’t be hasty, Your Majesty. Remember what happened last time. This celebration is meant to show the nobles Her Highness’s authority.”
“…”
“The moment you present her with all those gifts, the nobles will never dare to call her the neglected princess again.”
Neglected princess.
Those words made Artius cringe, his head pounding with regret.
Then, he suddenly remembered something.
“Please be a good father to the child.”
His friend’s dying wish, her voice weak and fading, echoed in his mind.
He thought of the heirloom stored deep within his desk drawer, the symbol of Ravanta’s victory.
‘Elonia seemed interested in swords.’
Artius received regular reports about Elonia from Ethan and Ricardo.
And recently, Ethan had reported,
“Her Highness shows great aptitude for swordsmanship… However, she seems dissatisfied with wielding a wooden sword.”
Even though Chelon was his friend, the world had labeled her as the War Demon.
Artius had been agonizing over whether he should give her heirloom to his daughter.
And even now, he still hadn’t made a decision.
“Your Majesty, Her Highness is ready.”
“…Alright.”
He hadn’t seen Elonia since that day.
But the clever girl, understanding the significance of this celebration, had agreed to let him escort her.
Artius longed to see her.
But he was also terrified of how she would react to him.
He couldn’t avoid her any longer.
He had vowed never to make the same mistakes again.
“Your Majesty.”
“Let’s go.”
Urged on by Aaron, Artius finally tucked Chelon’s heirloom into his robes and headed towards the Imperial Princess’s Palace.
***
The Imperial Princess’s birthday celebration was held in the Main Hall of the Main Palace.
The nobles, adorned in their finest attire and jewels, arrived in their luxurious carriages, entering the grand hall with graceful steps.
They began exchanging greetings with prominent figures in society.
The Asta family, as always, was the center of attention.
“Duchess Asta, may I have this dance?”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Young Master Alberich. I’m Tatiana from the Langerus family.”
Alberich, unlike his first foray into society, was calm and composed, his manners impeccable.
While Alberich was never a cause for concern, Llewellyn was a different story.
“Greetings, Young Master Llewellyn. Do you remember me? We met at the academy—”
“No.”
Llewellyn, bluntly dismissing the young lady, hid behind Duchess Asta and turned away.
Duchess Asta groaned inwardly.
“Llewellyn! I apologize for his rudeness, my lady.”
While Duchess Asta struggled to manage her troublesome son in one corner of the hall, a group of influential nobles were engaged in their own conversation.
“I heard His Majesty was neglecting the Imperial Princess, but this grand celebration suggests otherwise.”
“Nonsense, he’s just separating public and private matters.”
“Indeed. If he truly loved the Imperial Princess as much as he loved the late Empress, why would he wait so long to hold a celebration like this?”
“This extravagant party is probably more for show, to intimidate Heilan and the other nations. I heard they’re attending as well.”
One noble spoke confidently, earning chuckles of agreement from the others.
“But will His Majesty truly never take a new Empress?”
“All the potential candidates were executed four years ago. Are you still clinging to that hope?”
“That was right after the war. My husband said His Majesty has softened considerably.”
“Ah… Then there’s hope after all. There are many eligible ladies who are—”
“I heard Viscount Bishop’s daughter is quite charming.”
“Or perhaps it will be Duke Fortrun’s daughter. After all, Lady Sardiana was the most sought-after lady in her time.”
They even dared to mention Sarah’s name.
“Oh, right. She’s the Imperial Princess’s godmother now, isn’t she? She must have had plenty of opportunities to catch His Majesty’s eye.”
“As they say, a leopard can’t change its spots. She’s still the same scheming woman behind that innocent facade.”
“Well, thanks to his clever daughter, Duke Fortrun will reap all the benefits.”
“And if a new Empress gives birth to an heir, the current Imperial Princess will be back to being a neglected afterthought.”
One noble sneered, and the others chuckled, agreeing that they had to choose their sides carefully.
They might have been whispering, but unfortunately for them, their words reached the ears of the Asta family.
Just as Duchess Asta was about to confront them,
“Announcing His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Artius Antair Ravanta!”
“Announcing Her Imperial Highness, Princess Elonia Ainar Ravanta!”
The heralds announced the arrival of the imperial family in booming voices.
The nobles parted, bowing their heads respectfully, creating a path towards the throne.
The heavy doors swung open, and Artius appeared.
Holding Elonia in his arms.