Chapter 9

Interesting stories about the new crown princess were going around in the Aktoum Grand Banquet Hall.

“Did that woman whip the innocent coachman?”

“She put a horseshoe in his mouth and made him crawl on all fours.”

“Oh my gosh, is that really true?”

“There was a merchant’s testimony that he saw it firsthand.”

“I heard from the gatekeeper!”

Curiosity and interest flashed in the eyes of the nobles. The monarch of a notorious enemy country came as the crown princess.

There was no such thing as a sweet snack in the mouth.

“It’s surprising that that icy woman is getting married. Couldn’t she be satisfied with her harem that’s full of young men…?”

“Fufu, she’s such a wicked wife, the Crown Prince has become pitiful!”

At that moment, Deborah, who had only been listening, smiled slightly and added noble words.

“Well. His Highness the Crown Prince is going to use the Queen of Spinel for a while, isn’t it?”

Interest was doubled in the eyes of the nobles.

Even the nobles, who were not interested in this conversation, listened to what the social butterfly had to say.

“Duchess Deborah, have you heard anything?”

Deborah replied as she gently brushed her face with her peacock feather fan.

“He must be conscious of the formidable Archduke Marquis and is intent on placing a threat of his own. He wants to show that he has such a will for peace.”

Prime Minister Bernard added, stroking his brown beard.

“For a Queen who is not satisfied even with a harem to go through a purposeful marriage. Since there is no love at all, it is certain that they will end up having fun with mistresses. Isn’t that right, Duchess?”

“That’s right. In the end, the Crown Prince will realize that this threat doesn’t work very well, and then there is a high probability that he will divorce and remarry a young lady of another noble family.”

“I think so too.”

“It’s a bit sad to think of the Queen who will be abandoned after all her use.”

Deborah whispered as she folded the fan, as if she was really sorry.

“…Of course, I don’t know if they’ll ever be able to get married in the first place.”

However, they could not hide the twisted corners of their lips, and the nobles began to murmur.

Today’s celebration was, in effect, Queen Spinel’s social debut.

If she didn’t do it right at today’s banquet, she would, in fact, face a ‘death sentence’ in Aktoum’s social circle. After that, it was obvious. Of course, she would not be able to adapt to Aktoum and would run back to Spinel as if she was kicked out.

Knowing this, Deborah prepared harshly for territoriality by leading the nobles today.

Should she say that she’s trying to give a ‘hot taste’ to a woman accustomed to Andions, where it snows all year round?

Unsuitable for the season of spring, the banquet hall was currently hotter than midsummer by mobilizing all heating.

All other nobles were notified in advance and dressed in summer clothes. There was nothing more embarrassing and insulting than not being able to match the dress code alone on your first debut stage.

Of course, it was an added bonus for her body to suffer from the heat.

‘Fufu, I’m very excited to see what kind of expression you will make……?’

Deborah’s eyes lit up and she smiled. It was difficult for even a strong woman to overcome such territoriality.

‘Are you going to run away, squeezing out tears of humiliation? It’s a good sight.’

At that moment, the door of the large banquet hall opened heavily.

“Her Highness the Crown Princess is entering!”

Dozens of nobles turned their heads towards the door at once.

And they stopped breathing.

The first thing they saw was beautiful platinum blonde hair, shining like gold sprinkled on white snow.

Her wavy hair ran down to her chest that was red like blood. Like a dried rose, it went breathlessly well with her bright red dress.

The nobles who had only heard of her ‘notoriety’ had no choice but to panic.

That elegant figure and gait, and the overwhelming atmosphere where one could feel the strong power of the monarch.

‘Berylia Spinel’ was the same as the gossip, but different.

She was a splendid beauty like a poisonous flower in full bloom, and at the same time, she gave off an atmosphere that suggested she wouldn’t even blink even after cutting her opponent’s neck.

“……”

Among them, there were men who exclaimed.

Prime Minister Bernard was bewildered by her beauty, and accidentally spilled tea onto his beard. 

The queen of the enemy country slowly looked around with an intense, recognizable odd-eye.

The nobles who made eye contact averted their gaze because they could not face those cold eyes for some reason.

Only Madam Deborah was looking straight at her.

‘Yes, she will be angry. Will she shout? Or will she tremble at the insult?’

She measured the queen’s actions inside, and in fact, all the nobles in this place had the same expectations.

The moment when keen attention was on Berylia’s actions.

Breaking all expectations, she calmly sat down and started drinking tea.

“!”

* * *

The nobles rose all at once and greeted the monarch of the enemy country with proper manners, but it was just a show.

‘These bastards… If I call these humans that, it’s like insulting dogs.’

I drank the cold tea, grinding my teeth inside.

When I entered the large banquet hall, I was somewhat surprised by the muggy temperature and summer clothes, but I never showed it outwardly.

However, there was nothing I could do about it until the nobles who had created this childish situation became heated inside.

‘Even the food is all cold!’

It was originally considered rude to serve cold food to guests. It was the same not only in Spinel, but also in Aktoum.

She was deliberately treating me badly.

‘Isn’t this all led by you, Madam Deborah?’

Duchess Deborah Douglas. I read about this impressive lady in the original.

With elegant blonde hair and olive eyes, the incarnation of desire was a very great woman. In a very bad way.

She had pushed Rixus into the abyss of death several times, but pretended not to know.

Even in the social circles, she pretended to be concerned about Rixus and made heinously pretentious comments.

It was clear that this wicked genius was intent on expelling me from Aktoum’s social circles.

“Did Prime Minister Bernard drink tea with his chin? What happened all of a sudden?”

“Huh, hmmm. Unknowingly, I spilled my tea…”

My gaze turned to the man Deborah was questioning.

The man with a good appearance had soaked his brown beard.

‘That man is Prime Minister Bernard Chancellor…’

I thought my memory of the original was blurred because of repeated regressions, but when I looked at his face, my memory was surprisingly clear.

Bernard Hortmayrn.

A human that was like a horsefly that sucked the blood of Aktoum. As soon as the emperor fell ill, he secured the position of prime minister faster than anyone else and began greedily exploiting Aktoum’s budget.

If we become a unified empire, you would be the number one purge.

By the way… My back was already starting to sweat. The dress I was wearing wasn’t for summer, and the indoor temperature was desert-like, making me dizzy.

‘But let’s endure it.’

‘You don’t need to be infamous from day one, Berylia.’

If I were to persevere and behave calmly until the end, I would be able to make a serious impression without causing any major problems.

It was during the time when I was increasing my patience while chanting such a spell.

“Excuse me, this… this… was sent by Duchess Deborah. She said you should not only drink tea, but to try this as well.”

A servant brought me a plate while trembling. People usually found it difficult to make eye contact with me, so his reaction was understandable.

But… 

‘Who eats turkey with ice?!’

This was beyond rudeness and territoriality!

Seeing my expression turning cold, the frightened servant began to hiccup.

When I gazed at the turkey that seemed dry and tasteless, I felt like something inside me was breaking.

I smiled gracefully and spoke to the terrified servant.

“Tell Duchess Deborah thank you. And…”

Immediately, my index and middle fingers sharply combed the air.

Pak!

At that moment, mana exploded from my body, and the ‘power of the snow’ spread in an instant to every corner of the banquet hall.

The mana, which was white like a snowy field and shone transparently like a crystal, rushed like waves and engulfed the large banquet hall in an instant.

“!”

Ddu– taktaktak.

The floor began to freeze at a frightening speed. Even the windows froze and shattered.

“Ah! Prime Minister Bernard!”

Icicles were forming on the beard of Prime Minister Bernard. Deborah’s eyes widened.

I looked back at the nobles and spit coldly.

“Looking at the food being served cold, it seems that the nobles of Aktoum like cold things…”

“!”

“This is my favor, so please enjoy it.”

After a while, the banquet hall became quiet without a sound. Even the music stopped.

The nobles of Aktoum were half in awe and half terrified.

They must have heard that one had to be an archmage to wield this power, and it was so rare by nature.

Everyone froze and some uttered, “Huh…” When I saw the white exhalation coming out of their mouths, I wanted to laugh because it was pleasing.

In particular, Deborah’s reaction, which seemed to be very bewildered, was very good.

‘Well, how will you get out?’

I deliberately said ‘favor’, so if someone stepped out here, that person would be ignoring the favor from the crown princess.

The cold food was served first, so there was nothing to say.

Usually in the social world, the first to make a mistake and was found to be rude loses.

I ordered hot tea from the servant, saying,”Can you bring me a cup of hot tea?” And drank it. 

Then, I leisurely observed the situation.

At this meal before the full-fledged ball, the original nobles should introduce themselves one by one to me. However, they could not move hastily because they had just seen my great power.

Meanwhile, Deborah was the first to move. Wearing a white, cool dress with her peacock feather fan fluttering in the air, she came up to me and greeted me lightly.

It was an elegant gesture like a socialite butterfly. To the extent that she could hardly be considered a person who insulted me by planning an evil act of territoriality and sending a cold turkey to me, she spoke with a bright and kind voice.

“Your Highness the Crown Princess! My name is Deborah, the Duchess of Douglas. Please forgive me if I have offended you.”

“……”

“All the nobles of Aktoum sincerely welcome Your Highness the Crown Princess…?”

The attention of the entire banquet hall was focused on us. It seemed like they were wondering how I would deal with the best in the social world.

I slowly put down the teacup and asked without hesitation,

“Why am I called the Crown Princess?”

Then I looked straight at Deborah with my right eye that shone strangely like a diamond and my blood-red left eye, and uttered,

“Call me ‘Majesty’.”

“!”

(TL/N: It will kind of be explained in the next chapter, but I’ll say it here too, for more clarity. ‘Majesty’ is ranked higher than ‘Highness’. ‘Majesty’ is a title given to kings, emperors, queens, and empresses, while ‘Highness’ is a title for princes, princesses, and other members of the royal family.)