At the same time, Penelope was writing a letter to someone. Bridget was selecting jewels to auction off at a charity banquet.
"I'm going to auction these off."
Bridget added, handing Millea two necklaces and a bracelet.
"And at the same time as the charity banquet, please prepare to open free meal centers throughout the capital and distribute them."
I took out all of Isaac's share of the profits from his trade investments in Cartania.
Yesterday, I had Isaac change the proceeds paid in promissory notes above into gold coins.
"Are you going to use all of this?"
"Yes. All of them. Make sure that no one goes hungry in the capital that day."
Millea could not see what any of this had to do with weakening the power of the Duke of Linchester.
But she decided to follow me.
It was a loss anyway.
It was better to have some hope than to cower in silence until the day Julian died, expecting no change.
Anyway, I was making a difference.
'It's a relief that His Majesty is sitting in the office.'
The rumor that the King was throwing a grand banquet for the government spread steadily..
It was the first banquet after Julian ascended the throne.
The attention of the nobles was focused.
At that time, the prophet Nostram, who was not in my expectations, suddenly joined Limana and Seraphina and gave a prophecy.
"The sun will expand and reveal the sins of the shadows!"
As I had hoped, the three prophets spoke with one voice.
***
The Duke of Linchester, though outside the palace, received news of the palace's progress faster than anyone else.
'It's not normal.'
A change was detected.
When Julian first said he was going to bring in the government, he didn't really care.
What's so great about bringing in a woman to comfort you before you die?
However, the identity of that government was Interesting.
A girl who now goes by her surname.
Winston, but was formerly called Bridget Florence.
The Duke of Linchester knew Bridget, for it was he who had sent her money at Josephine's request.
It was funny.
'I guess it's time for Julian to die.'
So wouldn't it be that he misses the woman from his past who betrayed him and came back to her?
In the face of death, humans tend to be more emotional than rational.
So when he heard that Julian was sitting in his office directing the royal relief force, pretending to help the people, he thought so too.
Some people suddenly do good deeds before they die, in an attempt to atone for the sins they committed in the past.
Now it really seemed as though Julian didn't have much time left.
So even when rumors spread among the nobles that he would not die, they were not shaken.
The Duke had seen two other royals die from the curse before Julian.
'No one has ever lived past thirty with the Shadow Curse, Julian will soon be one of them.'
Julian did not spare his strength.
He wasted his life as if he wasn't afraid of dying right away, so the end must be near.
'The throne will return to my hands anyway.'
The plan was to raise an army and attack him as soon as he lost his power.
The enemy who killed his sister.
He couldn't wait patiently until his life was over.
'I will kill you more miserably and painfully than anyone else.'
The Duke of Linchester sharpened his sword of vengeance.
Then the prophets appeared.
The Duke of Linchester was concerned that his associates were concerned that the prophet's prophecies might have something to do with Julian's rumors.
He was particularly uncomfortable when he heard that Seraphina seemed to be making prophecies for Julian.
He was known for being a fortune teller, a seer of ghosts, and a superstitious person.
Of course, he didn't think they were scammers.
The cries of the two prophets stirred the Duke of Linchester.
But when another prophet appeared, the anxiety became unbearable.
Two is an individual, but three and above is a group.
The group of prophets had moved, and we couldn't just sit back and watch, wondering what would happen.
He said to his aide.
"Tell Julia and Charlotte to go to the banquet at the palace."
When Julian was at the height of his purges, he even had the heads of officials who had come to the palace be headed on the spot.
So, neither the Duke of Linchester nor anyone else in his entourage was allowed to enter the palace.
The Duke judged that something might happen at this banquet as well.
So, he decided to send my second and third daughters, excluding his sons and his first daughter.
Both daughters were pregnant.
You can't touch pregnant women.
***
It rained several times during the banquet preparations.
Spring is a season with very unpredictable weather.
It was safer to hold banquets and events indoors.
"Are you really going to set up a stage outdoors?"
Millea asked worriedly.
"It might rain like today. It's still chilly."
"It'll be okay."
Bridget wanted to set up the auction stage outdoors.
When the nobles arrived at the banquet hall, ate, drank, and chatted, and when the mood became somewhat relaxed, the auction would begin.
The main stage will be outdoors.
"It's warm enough around noon."
Millea couldn't understand.
It was not only unreasonable to hold the spring banquet outdoors, but also unreasonable to hold it during the day.
Usually, banquets are held at night. Those held during the day are more like tea parties.
Millea was worried, thinking that it was because Brigitte had never hosted such a banquet before.
So she asked her several times, but Bridget pushed on stubbornly.
Millea looked worriedly at the rainy garden.
The banquet is just around the corner.
The interior of the banquet hall was completely decorated, but the yard was not decorated at all because of the spring rain.
"It shouldn't rain that day..."
Anyway, the banquet preparations were progressing steadily.
Every day, carriages came and went from the palace.
Flowers, decorations, ingredients, and snacks for the banquet arrived one after another.
As a result, the people also noticed that a banquet was being held in the palace.
There were not always protests in the square calling for Bridget's ouster.
Like-minded people gathered in the square, and when someone stepped forward, a protest broke out.
It was the same on the day of the banquet.
That day, the square was much more crowded than usual.
Angry people gathered at the rumor that the King was holding a grand banquet for the government while many people were starving to death.
"What if a riot breaks out?"
Count Nicholas stamped his feet and asked Julian.
"I feel uneasy. I can see a strange crowd of people gathered at the main gate. Shouldn't we call off the banquet?"
The Count was afraid that the crowd would become a mob and storm the palace.
It was an uneasy banquet in many ways.
Julian asked calmly.
"What did Bridget say?"
"But she still wants to hold a banquet."
It was a very frustrating situation for Count Nicholas.
So, he was secretly asking Julian to stop Bridget.
But Julian was adamant.
"If Bridget wants to do it, then by her own will. It's only been a few years since we've had a banquet, so it's ridiculous to stop it just to worry about what the people think."
It wasn't a serious matter of life or death, it was just a banquet.
If they pay attention to the public's feelings about even such trivial matters, they will have more voices in more matters in the future.
Julian absentmindedly considered the future without realizing that he was thinking about it.
'More than anything, I don't even want to show my face to Bridget.'
He wanted to show that he could handle this kind of thing boldly.
Julian's face lit up as he imagined Bridget being grateful.
If Count Nicholas had known Julian's true intentions, he might have pulled his hair out.
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