“We welcome Reed’s delegation to Escliffe for the second time. I heard that the Crown Prince is accompanying you this time.”
Ivan leisurely welcomed the delegation. Then, the delegation led by Reed, who had been called the main characters of the celebration, stood up.
“I am so grateful for your hospitality.”
A man with the most neat attire and an elegant demeanor greeted Ivan smoothly. He seemed to be the Crown Prince Ivan had mentioned.
“His Royal Highness, Carter, I convey the greetings that His Majesty the Emperor has requested of me as a member of the Imperial Family.”
Ivan smiled brightly at Crown Prince Carter's greeting.
“I am always safe. I wish you would convey my greetings to the Emperor of Reed on my behalf.”
Carter obediently agreed to Ivan's words. Amelia doesn't know anything about Ivan and Carter, but she can guess that they met more than once or twice.
“I have prepared many special things for you.”
Ivan was not a very easygoing person by nature. So, even though he must have known Ivan's temperamental nature, Carter did not feel uncomfortable with him at all. Moreover, Ivan even asked about the well-being of the Emperor of Reed without any hesitation.
“I invited the Priestess here because I wanted to clear up the misunderstanding that I was ignoring the God of Escliffe and his representative.”
At Ivan's words, the delegation's gaze turned to Amelia. Black hair and black eyes. Her appearance was already widely known, and she was the only woman in the room, excluding the servants, so it wouldn't be difficult to notice her presence.
"Yes."
Carter answered with a faint smile on his face. As if they had never really doubted the existence of Priestesses, denied the existence of Gods, or looked down on Escliffe in the past.
“I hope that we can take this opportunity to clearly resolve the misunderstandings that have existed between our two countries.”
But the cold temperature in his eyes staring at Amelia clearly conveyed his thoughts. Carter was not at all friendly to Amelia. Just as Ivan had denied the existence of Gods and Priestesses.
“Yes, since we have time while we are staying. Since the Priestess is staying in the palace, we will have time to spend together.”
Ivan added. This time, it was more like advice for Reed to overcome the situation that had made him almost a traitor within Escliffe. Carter smiled quietly, saying that he would do so.
However, it didn't seem like he would actually approach Amelia, greet her, or have a conversation with her.
“...”
It wasn't hard to figure out that they had already agreed on what was going to happen here.
“Thank you for your thoughtfulness, and I would like to return the favor.”
Carter nodded behind him. His servants handed him a small box and a neatly rolled-up piece of paper. Carter handed it over to Rodan, Ivan's secretary.
“I heard you recently discovered a gold mine.”
Ivan opened the box and checked the contents, smiling brightly. It was a gold medal with the emblem of the Escliff Imperial Family engraved on it.
“And the ones written on the paper are gifts that will arrive later. Unfortunately, I couldn’t bring them with me because I was in a hurry...”
Carter quickly revealed his second gift. It contained a variety of Reed's specialties, including wheat, which Escliffe had recently begun to search for.
“I hope you will consider this as a token of friendship personally delivered by His Majesty the Emperor.”
It wasn't hard to recognize that Amelia was speaking to the people who were standing in the way of a better relationship with Reed. Her smiling face and sharp eyes scanned the room.
Ivan leisurely welcomed the delegation. Then, the delegation led by Reed, who had been called the main characters of the celebration, stood up.
“I am so grateful for your hospitality.”
A man with the most neat attire and an elegant demeanor greeted Ivan smoothly. He seemed to be the Crown Prince Ivan had mentioned.
“His Royal Highness, Carter, I convey the greetings that His Majesty the Emperor has requested of me as a member of the Imperial Family.”
Ivan smiled brightly at Crown Prince Carter's greeting.
“I am always safe. I wish you would convey my greetings to the Emperor of Reed on my behalf.”
Carter obediently agreed to Ivan's words. Amelia doesn't know anything about Ivan and Carter, but she can guess that they met more than once or twice.
“I have prepared many special things for you.”
Ivan was not a very easygoing person by nature. So, even though he must have known Ivan's temperamental nature, Carter did not feel uncomfortable with him at all. Moreover, Ivan even asked about the well-being of the Emperor of Reed without any hesitation.
“I invited the Priestess here because I wanted to clear up the misunderstanding that I was ignoring the God of Escliffe and his representative.”
At Ivan's words, the delegation's gaze turned to Amelia. Black hair and black eyes. Her appearance was already widely known, and she was the only woman in the room, excluding the servants, so it wouldn't be difficult to notice her presence.
"Yes."
Carter answered with a faint smile on his face. As if they had never really doubted the existence of Priestesses, denied the existence of Gods, or looked down on Escliffe in the past.
“I hope that we can take this opportunity to clearly resolve the misunderstandings that have existed between our two countries.”
But the cold temperature in his eyes staring at Amelia clearly conveyed his thoughts. Carter was not at all friendly to Amelia. Just as Ivan had denied the existence of Gods and Priestesses.
“Yes, since we have time while we are staying. Since the Priestess is staying in the palace, we will have time to spend together.”
Ivan added. This time, it was more like advice for Reed to overcome the situation that had made him almost a traitor within Escliffe. Carter smiled quietly, saying that he would do so.
However, it didn't seem like he would actually approach Amelia, greet her, or have a conversation with her.
“...”
It wasn't hard to figure out that they had already agreed on what was going to happen here.
“Thank you for your thoughtfulness, and I would like to return the favor.”
Carter nodded behind him. His servants handed him a small box and a neatly rolled-up piece of paper. Carter handed it over to Rodan, Ivan's secretary.
“I heard you recently discovered a gold mine.”
Ivan opened the box and checked the contents, smiling brightly. It was a gold medal with the emblem of the Escliff Imperial Family engraved on it.
“And the ones written on the paper are gifts that will arrive later. Unfortunately, I couldn’t bring them with me because I was in a hurry...”
Carter quickly revealed his second gift. It contained a variety of Reed's specialties, including wheat, which Escliffe had recently begun to search for.
“I hope you will consider this as a token of friendship personally delivered by His Majesty the Emperor.”
It wasn't hard to recognize that Amelia was speaking to the people who were standing in the way of a better relationship with Reed. Her smiling face and sharp eyes scanned the room.
And the representative among them seemed to be the Duke of Russell. The fact that Carter's gaze lingered on him for a long time served as evidence of his suspicion.
“If this is the case, I should prepare a grand reward as well.”
Ivan smiled and handed the paper to Rodan. Rodan took the box and the paper and whispered something in Ivan's ear.
“I’ll make sure to pack that for you when you leave. First, let’s watch the performance that’s been prepared. It’s a performance by dancers sponsored by the Escliff Royal Family.”
At Ivan's words, Carter meekly stepped aside. As Carter returned to his seat, the dancers gathered where he had been just before.
As the music began, they began to dance like graceful swans. Their slender hands stretched out into the air, and their feet touched the ground, showing a contradictory coexistence of slenderness and strength. It was something Amelia longed for.
However, not everyone was paying attention to the stage like Amelia. While pretending to watch the performance, many people's eyes were secretly focused on Amelia.
“Why did Your Majesty invite a Priestess?”
Anyone who has questions about Amelia's presence in this place.
“I heard she's been staying at the palace recently. You might really be thinking of improving your relationship with the temple.”
A person who positively predicts improvement in relationships.
“You may have other thoughts. Or maybe you want to show that your relationship with Reed isn’t all bad...”
Who guessed that Ivan wants to tell the Priestess that the oracle is wrong?
“...”
And Ivan, whose gaze is clearly conveyed to the Duke of Russell, whose thoughts are unreadable.
Even though he couldn't read the look in Duke Russell's eyes, Ivan's intention was clear. He meant for him to keep his promise to help.
“Whatever it is, those hair colors and eye colors are definitely mysterious. They’re also fascinating.”
The music was coming to an end. The dancers’ movements became smaller and their movements became more and more quiet. Amelia quietly closed her hands on her thighs, feeling the pressure that was pressing down on her. The soft cloth she had wrapped helplessly crumpled slightly in her palm.
Soon, the music completely ended. Amelia naturally gave praise to the dancers amidst the applause.
“Now that the congratulatory performance is over, can I come out now?”
And then, standing up, she naturally drew everyone's attention to her. Ivan, who would normally find this kind of presence unpleasant, nodded calmly. Almost at the same time, the Duke of Russell, who knew this fact, frowned.
“I can be here with you because Your Majesty, the Emperor, has allowed me to do so. I would like to express my gratitude to him for that.”
Amelia bowed her head to Ivan and greeted him. Ivan nodded his head in greeting.
“Today, I too am very happy that, more than anything else, our two countries have resumed friendly relations.”
Then Amelia smiled and looked around at those sitting in their seats. Perhaps because it was unexpected, everyone was looking at Amelia with bewildered and puzzled expressions. This was because they remembered that the Priestess had recently expressed negative opinions about improving her relationship with Reed.
“So last night, I prayed to God.”
“...”
“I told you that I was asking for your help in deciding how Escliffe should proceed and what would become of us.”
Inciting them was the most difficult thing for Amelia to do, but at the same time, the easiest. She had learned it thoroughly from the moment she became conscious. She had learned it while being trampled by Aaron.
“Fortunately, you were able to convey your voice to me, a weak person.”
Amelia folded her hands together in front of her chest.
“Please tell me...”
And she opened her mouth to those who were looking at her. The crowd became quiet.
However, it was not simply a matter of concentration that silenced the sound, but rather an excessive amount of attention and tension.
“Nothing can break my will to care for this land, so I sent a second agent down to the world.”
“...”
“Make that child the Crown Prince, and make him a bridge between the imperial family and the temple.”
Crunch. A strong force was heard bouncing off a solid object. Amelia, who was staring at Carter, who couldn't hide his confusion, turned halfway and looked in the direction of the sound. Ivan was still in his noble Emperor's position, but he was glaring at her with a cold, hard face.
“That is God's will.”
But she was not afraid of his anger. Amelia could no longer trust Ivan to protect Ian. Moreover, she had no good intentions toward Ivan, who would not even treat his own child as an illegitimate child, but would make him a servant to another child who would grow up to be more noble than anyone else.
“I’ll do it. Whatever it is...”
Amelia met his gaze without avoiding it. And she remembered only the oath she had made while holding Ian and crying and laughing, and the small sound of the child crying along with her as if he sensed her sadness.
Now all Ian had left was her.
Amelia had to protect her poor child from the storms without any protection. It was her duty as a mother.
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