But he wasn't the one I was waiting for.
“Your Highness, the Princess.”
The man who opened the door and came in bowed to me. It was Count Osbord who presided over the competition as His Majesty the Emperor's representative.
I could hardly hide my disappointment.
“The examiners are waiting at the main office.”
“...”
“Now, you must go.”
“Just a little bit more time, just a little bit more time. He said he would arrive this morning at the latest...”
"Your Highness."
The Count continued speaking stiffly and businesslike.
“The rules of competition must be strictly observed. There are no exceptions, not even for Your Highness, the Princess.”
“...”
“Or, would you like to abstain?”
I could not resist those words. Refusing to go to the main hall here was like declaring my intention to abstain.
If that happens, the competition will end immediately, and Princess Veronica will become the final winner.
There was only one answer. I stood up.
“Lisa, take the sapphire.”
Lisa nodded at my words without being flustered.
It was all thanks to the prior arrangement that if 'he' couldn't arrive on time, any sapphire would be submitted.
Then, Duke of Ashkabad, Marquis of Batistan, Count of Modre, and Count of Tulear. At least these four will be able to receive the votes.
My status in the palace would diminish, and I would become an object of ridicule. I took a few steps and stopped at the doorway.
“Count, just a moment...”
The Count raised his head as if he were puzzled. I waited a little longer in that state.
The sound of the clock's hands moving was clearly audible.
Hope died and bloomed again every second. And finally, all the remaining time passed.
I ordered with my mouth parched.
“That's it, show me.”
“Your Highness, the Princess.”
The man who opened the door and came in bowed to me. It was Count Osbord who presided over the competition as His Majesty the Emperor's representative.
I could hardly hide my disappointment.
“The examiners are waiting at the main office.”
“...”
“Now, you must go.”
“Just a little bit more time, just a little bit more time. He said he would arrive this morning at the latest...”
"Your Highness."
The Count continued speaking stiffly and businesslike.
“The rules of competition must be strictly observed. There are no exceptions, not even for Your Highness, the Princess.”
“...”
“Or, would you like to abstain?”
I could not resist those words. Refusing to go to the main hall here was like declaring my intention to abstain.
If that happens, the competition will end immediately, and Princess Veronica will become the final winner.
There was only one answer. I stood up.
“Lisa, take the sapphire.”
Lisa nodded at my words without being flustered.
It was all thanks to the prior arrangement that if 'he' couldn't arrive on time, any sapphire would be submitted.
Then, Duke of Ashkabad, Marquis of Batistan, Count of Modre, and Count of Tulear. At least these four will be able to receive the votes.
My status in the palace would diminish, and I would become an object of ridicule. I took a few steps and stopped at the doorway.
“Count, just a moment...”
The Count raised his head as if he were puzzled. I waited a little longer in that state.
The sound of the clock's hands moving was clearly audible.
Hope died and bloomed again every second. And finally, all the remaining time passed.
I ordered with my mouth parched.
“That's it, show me.”
***
The main building was one of the oldest buildings in the palace. It was said to be the same age as the history of the empire, so it may have been even older than the main palace where the Emperor resided.
The grand arched corridor, a symbol of the parliament building, boasted an overwhelming scale. It was said to be the will of the first Emperor to be humble when entering this place, regardless of one's social status.
I walked down the corridor with an upright posture, without a single error.
My lips were dry, and my hands were shaking... but the more confident I was, the less the enemy would know that I was cornered.
As I took a deep breath and stood in front of the old wooden door, the attendant bowed deeply and spoke in a loud voice inside.
“Her Royal Highness Princess Anastasia Roxanne Alekseevna Sol Igrantia.”
The voice of the attendant echoed majestically through the high glass dome. Inside the parliament building, which was modeled after an ancient amphitheater, the nobles who had arrived earlier were seated.
I faced the Duke of Kairak's snake-like gaze with a straight face. If he thought I would be intimidated by the absence of Laskan, I wanted to let him know that he was mistaken.
“Your Highness, to the center.”
Count Osbord whispered to me as I stood still.
Princess Veronica was the first to stand on the central podium. As I climbed the stairs, the Princess bowed to me and paid her respects.
"Your Highness."
“Lady Veronica. Sorry to have kept you waiting so long.”
“I thought you were late.”
“You weren’t expecting me to abstain, were you?”
“Well, what do you think?”
She smiled slightly, moving her lips. I wanted to smile back, but I couldn't, as if I had swallowed a nail.
My complexion seemed too pale. Veronica furrowed her brow slightly and was about to say something to me when the servant shouted.
“Your Majesty, the Emperor.”
The nobles all bowed their knees in unison. As the Emperor took his seat in the center, the tumultuous noise soon died down. Soon, Count Osbord slammed his gavel on the floor.
“First week of summer, third day. I am announcing the conclusion of the second competition. The theme of this competition was ‘The Blue Jewel of Belcruz’.”
The rumbling grew louder. Only after Count Osbord rapped his gavel twice on the floor did the court become quiet again.
“Now, the two of you, please present the results of your fair competition to Heavenly Temer and His Majesty the Emperor. First, Princess Kairak.”
The attendant came up to the platform, carrying a red silk cushion. When Veronica placed the jewel box on the platform, the attendant opened it and held it up high so that all could see its contents.
It was a sapphire stone, roughly the size of a fist. The blue light from the gem shattered and reflected in the sunlight that had just poured down.
“This sapphire.”
Veronica opened her mouth calmly.
“It was mined from a mine in the eastern Belkruge region.”
At those words, exclamations came out sporadically here and there.
The attendant presented the sapphire on the cushion to the Emperor. The Emperor absently touched the surface of the sapphire and nodded.
“Explain it.”
Veronica bent down, then straightened up again.
“The sapphire mines in the eastern Belcruz region are of exceptional quality, but mining has long been suspended due to conflicts over interests.”
Veronica stopped talking at the appropriate point and took a breath.
“When I learned that the theme of the competition was ‘The Blue Jewel of Belcruz’, I thought to myself, how can we, the Empire, enjoy this wonderful jewel once again?”
...The packaging is really well done. To be honest, it was all put on later.
Although I was complaining on the inside, I was actually on the verge of being captivated by her speaking skills. It seemed like I wasn't the only one who thought that way, as everyone's eyes were turned towards Veronica.
It was such a quiet silence that even the sound of breathing could be heard.
“First, I purchased the mining rights and operating rights from Baron Lotte, and the distribution rights from Baron Gisborne and the eastern merchants.”
She pulled out several rolled-up sheets of parchment and unfolded them so that everyone could see them.
“Now, all rights regarding the ownership, mining, and distribution of the mine belong to Kairak.”
She slowly absorbed all the gazes and let them drift away again when she wanted, as if she had been accustomed to such things since birth.
“Today, the mines of Belcruze are staffed by the most skilled laborers and craftsmen in the Empire. The gemstone presented to Your Majesty is the first sapphire mined from the Belcruze mines that have been reopened. And this is just the beginning.”
She took a heavy silk pouch out of her bosom. It was filled with large, good-quality sapphires.
“I promise to sell the sapphires mined in this place for half the market price during the first year.”
There was a faint applause and a murmur of exclamation. If the people of George had heard the same thing, they would have shouted at the top of their lungs like thunder. Even in this midst, the nobles were very noble.
But Veronica smiled brightly, as if she had gotten what she wanted just from that reaction.
“Moreover, I hereby declare that in one year, the Belcruz mines will be offered to His Majesty the Emperor, the master of the Empire.”
“This clearly shows that the purchase of this mine was not a decision by Kairak to monopolize the rare gems, but rather will go down in history as an event that commemorates His Majesty’s glorious reign.”
This time, the applause was a little louder. Everyone was looking at Veronica with favorable eyes. Even the famously picky Count of Tulear. But then she was pinched in the side by her granddaughter, Irina.
Anyway, Veronica was a great woman in many ways.
I just burst into laughter. Half in frustration, the other half in pure admiration.
How can I turn this around? It was so obvious that I would lose by such an overwhelming margin that I didn't even feel wronged anymore.
Yeah, it was my fault for rushing back without waiting for it to be finished in the first place...
“Now it is Her Royal Highness’s turn to submit.”
This time, the attendant was in front of me. I took the pouch of fabric from Lisa.
The thing inside was a sapphire from my jewelry box. Since it was supplied to the imperial family, its quality was guaranteed, but it was not from Belcruz.
At first, I was going to just blindly push through after submitting this... but after I gave up, I saw another way.
“I will not submit anything.”
My voice was very clear. I didn't really want to become the Emperor anyway, and even if Veronica got the nod here, I could still make it to the third round, which was my goal.
What can I do? It's already ruined. Veronica might be more suspicious of me, and maybe even watch me...
Well, that doesn't mean you can't run away. Wouldn't it be better to run away more desperately?
As my mind became at ease, I could see everyone's faces one by one.
Curiosity, contempt, pity, jealousy... it was like looking at a picture painted in a mess with all of those things mixed together.
“Your Highness, what is that...”
Count Osbord, in particular, was so startled that he dropped the gavel, which was as tall as his own. The only one who remained calm amidst the buzzing noise was the Emperor.
As soon as he raised his hand, silence fell upon everyone.
“I will ask the Princess.”
“....”
“Are you really not going to submit it?”
Despite his stern voice, the Emperor's lips were trembling slightly.
I looked up at him blankly. The Emperor's eyes now seemed to be looking at his own granddaughter. That made me hesitate to answer.
“Your Highness, please think carefully and answer.”
I bit my lip hard. It wasn't like I didn't feel sorry.
Even, yes, I admit that at some point I was so absorbed in the competition that I forgot that I was a created Princess, or that I was just a doll to kill time.
Especially when I saw the egg crafts I received from Laskan, or after Veronica got upset... I was really anxious, as if I were Anastasia.
But now it was time to wake up from the dream. I bit my lips hard.
The moment I raised my head, my eyes met with Duke Kairak's. I did not miss the proud expression in his black, snake-like eyes.
After seeing that, my lips would not part even if I died.
"I am..."
I was just about to open my mouth to answer.
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