Elisha's sky-blue eyes flashed toward the young man with red hair and brown eyes.
"Marquis Blemir, are you feeling sick somewhere?"
The wrinkle on Blemir's forehead grew even deeper at the question that came straight through.
Instead of answering, Blemir glanced over Elisha's shoulder and inside the Silver Hall.
He confirmed that the 1st Empress did not attend. The proud fox and no one from her faction was inside.
Furthermore, the appearance of the Archmage William with whom the 2nd Empress had been in contact was not noticeable.
So, like this, the banquet of the 3rd Prince, which was not much to look at to begin with, looked almost empty and shabby…
Blemir expected that the inside would be filled with small people who were not even aware of what kind of situation they were in.
It wasn't.
He wondered if the energy he felt before he arrived at the Silver Hall was all but an illusion, but inside, there were quite a number of clever talents and owners of considerable influential families.
Although it was unexpected that Blemir's prediction was wrong, this was not the biggest surprise.
What surprised him most was that he was familiar with most faces of the guests who were the close aides of Crown Prince Asensio!
The power of the Crown Prince, whose foundation had not yet been laid, should not be exposed like this, nor should it be used in vain.
Isn't this the same as letting the whole world know that the 2nd Empress is completely in control of the Crown Prince?
Even though Asensio couldn't possibly be unaware of it, the only weakness that might make the wise Crown Prince lose his balance and get swayed is here again.
"Somehow, the Crown Prince was busy doing something secretly for the past week. This must have been plotted by her."
Blemir, who had been muttering while looking into the distance, focused and faced Elisha with clear eyes.
"Did you seriously ask if I'm feeling sick?"
"…"
"Is this what you were aiming for, Your Majesty? Did you want to sit in the position of the Crown Prince's guardianship? So you did the dirty work you normally wouldn't do, serving formal banquet, and greeting guests with a dignified look? Judging from your current appearance, it would not be an exaggeration to say that you're a noblewoman who has been adored by the Imperial Palace all her life. Ha ha!"
"Last time, Your Majesty the 2nd Empress said that you have nothing to offer even if you take the side of the Crown Prince, but this time, you even dared to use this marquis and the Crown Prince as bait," he added, "This is all your doing, isn't it?"
Blemir's brown eyes were like dried firewood.
It had a strange heat that seemed to burn in an instant even if a very small flame fell.
At that moment, blue eyes cold enough to put out the unlit fire blocked the gap between Blemir and Elisha.
"Marquis, stop it. This is not the intention of the 2nd Empress. Can't I do this to celebrate my only brother's birthday? Don't you think it's harsh if I don't deserve even the luxury of living with everything else?"
The coldness within the blue eyes subsided gently and the eyebrows curved pitifully.
Just as the Crown Prince was weak against the pair of mother and son of the 2nd Palace, so was Blemir against the prince.
Although he looked exactly like the blue-eyed and black-haired emperor, Blemir was oftentimes dazzled by Asensio's expression that resembled that of his sister.
Eventually, as Blemir took a step back with his lips clenched, Elisha let out a sigh as the tense atmosphere loosened.
There were three children in front of her.
And the eldest of them was the strongest, but also the most disobedient troublemaker.
If it was like before, she wouldn't have been interested in maintaining this relationship, and would have cut it off as soon as she thought it was out of sync.
Elisha stared at the pair of blue eyes that were looking up at her worriedly, perhaps because they heard her sigh.
She didn't want to disappoint these kids.
"Marquis Blemir, don't get angry easily. Even if you're angry, you have to keep it inside, else people will think they can do things that angers you, as you will let it go once they calm you down somehow. In the end, it won't be Marquis who gets hurt by maintaining this attitude."
Elisha's hand gently stroked the Crown Prince's head before she stopped speaking.
Blemir was biting his lower lip when he noticed the blue bruise on the upper wrist of her see-through white lace glove.
"Are you treating me like an idiot because I quickly let go of my anger?"
"Not the latter, but the former, yes. Remember what I said before? Always leave room for anything. This time, it's this banquet. This banquet has just begun, so why does Marquis already assume the end? It would not be too late to criticize the case after the banquet ends."
Elisha's sky-blue eyes were always still.
Even most prosecutors bow their heads in front of him, looking like they would break upon being touched. How can a delicate woman be so calm?
Blemir thought that the best armor the 2nd Empress had was not her beautiful appearance or dress, but her blue eyes.
Perhaps Blemir was wrong.
The 2nd Empress didn't need any more time to endure.
Elisha leaned her upper body slightly and naturally approached Blemir.
"Please enjoy the banquet celebrating Leon for now. The long-awaited guests will arrive soon, and then Marquis, too, will have to choose. As for me, I have already made my decision."
The faint whisper faded away again.
***
The guests who had come first glanced at Marquis Blemir over and over again.
One cannot help but notice that almost all of them followed the Crown Prince's advice without Marquis Blemir's knowledge.
There are those who are commanded to pay allegiance to the Crown Prince, but about half of them protested against Marquis Blemir's influence on the Crown Prince so much that they would have joined forces to spread the rift between the two.
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Knowing that Marquis Blemir was the source of the power that brought them together, it was the nobles' habit to sharpen their blades in order to somehow gain an edge.
It was the Crown Prince who melted the atmosphere of the banquet hall that was likely to freeze.
When the Crown Prince came forward, consciously or not, a smile appeared on everyone's face.
In addition, despite the low amount of the dishes being served, and even with the fact that they were not of the highest quality, food made with fresh ingredients and exquisite recipes tailored to the noble taste was always good…
The alcohol prepared was also moderate in quality, but it was the best and most suitable for them, thus, many people were impressed.
All of this was Elisha's work.
The heightened sight and diverse knowledge accumulated from her experiences when sitting in high position for a long time in the past have been effective.
However, since there were more people invited by the Crown Prince than expected, it seemed that preparations might not be enough.
"Will we be short on food?"
Elisha took a rough guess and then shook her head.
Probably not.
"Your Highness, please come this way!"
Marquis Blemir hurriedly called the Crown Prince, who had been wrapped around the nobles while holding one hand with Leon, to somewhere.
Seeing this, Elisha straightened her back and headed towards the entrance.
Shortly thereafter, a black shadow appeared at the entrance, marking the appearance of a new guest.
"It's been a while."
"Yes, Master."
Elisha bowed her head slightly to William, who had turned the hood he had been wearing to cover his face.
William, aged with the handsome face of his youth, glanced up and down his pupil.
An indifferent look, an expression that makes one not know what he is thinking.
"Even though you became an empress, nothing has changed. Oh, that's not true, right? You've learned to decorate quite a bit. In fact, that way, you, who lost your magic, will be able to receive the emperor's gaze once more. Isn't that right?"
William scolded Elisha, even though he had lowered his voice, it was still enough to be heard.
How useless.
"Do you really think so?"
"…"
"If you really think that way, you wouldn't have come all the way here, Master."
Doing it in this way too, showing up late just to annoy people.
With a wrinkle around his eyes, William glared at Elisha.
Even without him saying a word, her stomach was turned upside down.
"Give me the proof first. Let's hear what you want to exchange it for."
"No matter how busy you are, when you come to a banquet, you have to say hello to the others. The Crown Prince is there too."
Elisha pointed inward, and another group appeared behind the elders and disciples of the tower who had accompanied William.
The entrance quickly got crowded.
Judging from the fact that the elders and disciples in the tower were obediently stepping out of the way and giving way to them, their status is not unusual.
"The 1st Empress and the 2nd Prince are here."
Elisha greeted those who appeared.
A typical beautiful woman with bright blonde hair and green eyes and an arrogant-looking boy approached her.
"Isn't it the 3rd Prince's 6th birthday? Naturally I have to take part in it, right?"
Elisha nodded as Isabelle said, twisting her red-painted lips.
"Of course."
At the cryptic reply, Isabelle's eyes widened and then sunk.
Elisha didn't really care.
A large number of the Crown Prince faction and key figures from the Western Tower rushed through the portal to attend this banquet.
No matter what she does, she'll be as vicious as she can.
But for now, there was nothing wrong with her line that did not give any criticism.
Because now was not the right time for them.
Of course, even more so for Elisha.
Elisha led the two groups of approaching guests to the center of the hall.
She didn't forget to pass what she had prepared to William.
The musical instruments that were played deep in the Silver Hall died down, and all those who had come first were watching the new people.
Elisha looked around.
This place, which had been empty when she had tried so hard to fill it in the past, was rather full now that she was trying to empty it.
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It's a pity that not everyone came to celebrate Leon's birthday.
But one day, only those people will fill the Golden Hall.
And maybe they could go to the Platinum Hall to celebrate the coronation of her second child.
[By second child here she meant the Crown Prince, ya.]
So, let's get started now.
Everyone will lose their appetite, so there will never be a shortage of food.
"Thank you to everyone who came here today. I am especially grateful to Master who made it to the portal and arrived before the banquet was over despite the fact that there was a big problem."
At Elisha's words, everyone's eyes focused on William, who couldn't take his eyes off the paper in his hand.
William was stunned, and his response was slow.
By the time he started to gasp, Elisha had already captured the public's attention.
"My master is still a little nervous because he has left his work in order to come here. Please understand. Still, he is the kind of person who loves my child so much that he insists that he cannot miss out on becoming a 'godfather' for the first time. I'm truly happy."
Those who filled the Silver Hall did not immediately understand the meaning of what they were hearing.
Elisha added it so casually, so they thought it was just a greeting that didn't matter.
Those who were simply nodding, saying yes, stopped their movements abruptly and opened their mouths.
Godfather!
It was also declared on the day of the prince's 6th birthday!
The meaning was even clearer since this is the 3rd Prince who has no maternal family.
The elders of the Western Tower hurriedly confirm to their Tower Lord.
"Is this true?"
As they approached, William, who was putting what he had been looking at in his arms to his pocket, heard their question and widened his eyes.
William's eyes were trembling, while Elisha smirked at him.
She knew William certainly had seen it.
'8th-Class Master.'
The magic formula he just read was great, but did she even find a clue that might lead William to the 8th-Class, his lifelong dream?
The immediate desire was so great that any doubts were ignored.
After checking the content of the paper, William did not deny Elisha's remarks, thinking that even if it was false, she would eventually pay the price.
This was the moment when the 3rd Prince, Leon, who had been pushed out of power, became closely related to the head of the Western aristocratic faction and was given the background of one of the most influential figures, Archmage William of the Western Tower.