"Oh my, what is that!"
"How could they think of entering the palace dressed like that?"
"Is that person in the front a woman?"
As five people in shabby clothes appeared in the banquet hall, the nobles became noisy.
The smallest of them walked up to the emperor and knelt down on one knee. Everyone stretched their necks to get a closer look.
"May the utmost glory be upon the imperial family. Asha Amir del Pervaz, the lord of Pervaz, greets you."
Everyone was shocked at his words.
"Pe, Pervaz?"
"Surely not, the extraterritorial Pervaz? The one in the far north?"
But no one could have been as surprised as the emperor.
Asha Amir del Pervaz? 'Amir'?"
"Yes. Amir Rowansson Sarah del Pervaz is my father."
Because of the imperial custom of putting the father's name after the child's name, the emperor could immediately tell who Amir's daughter was.
At the same time, a memory that he had completely forgotten about was quickly becoming clear in his head.
[Amir! Amir!]
[He's a hero!]
[We're alive thanks to Amir! Thank you, Libato!]
Amir, the brave knight who was hailed as a hero for saving the imperial army in the first war he fought in.
Amir, the country bumpkin who didn't know how to bow, didn't know how to flatter, and didn't have any tact.
Amir del Pervaz, the loyal subject who had been banished to the remote Pervaz by the crown prince out of jealousy, but who had still left obediently.
"If you are the Lord now… then Amir must be dead."
"He died five years ago. We informed the palace of his death the following year for the sake of the succession."
"Oh, is that so?"
The emperor felt a strange sense of relief at the news that Amir had died five years ago. After all, another human who made him feel inferior was gone.
"Were you the only child?"
"No, I had three older brothers, but they all died in battle. I am the only survivor and inherited the title of the Count of Pervaz."
"His sons are all dead too? Oh my, that's terrible! Belatedly, I pray for the repose of your father and brothers' souls."
The emperor's voice as he prayed for the dead was infinitely light and even mocking.
Before Asha and her party could be angry, the surrounding nobles started to chatter.
"What is that on her head?"
As someone exclaimed in surprise at the sight of Asha's hairstyle, which was half-braided in multiple strands, the nobles began to talk loudly about Asha's attire.
"A woman going around dressed like that, my goodness, even if she came from the boondocks, that's just…!"
"They say in Pervaz she lives mixed with the savages. It looks like Pervaz has completely become a savage land."
"Then is that young lady the savage princess?"
"Hahaha! Savage princess! That's it!"
The nickname someone coined quickly spread and became a derogatory term for Asha, who was being pointed at. However, Asha's expression remained unchanged.
As Asha remained motionless in her kneeling position, the emperor narrowed his eyes and looked down at her, asking,
"Do you have anything else to say?"
Asha realized that what was coming had come, and she took out the 'Order of Expedition' that was nearly 30 years old from her bosom.
"28 years ago, His Majesty the Late Emperor gave my father the order to annihilate the Lure Tribe , and last month, Asha Pervaz, daughter of Amir Pervaz, reports that the order has been completed."
"Oh! That news is worthy of a victory banquet!"
The Lure Tribe , one of the enemies that plagued the empire, was quite notorious. In fact, Pervaz was more or less a land given to them to appease the Lure Tribe .
At the news that the Lure Tribe had been defeated, even the nobles who had been mocking Asha as the 'savage princess' exclaimed in admiration.
"This is wonderful news. You have worked hard. It is a pity that the victory banquet ends tomorrow, but you can still enjoy it for these two days."
However, even with the Emperor's gentle congratulatory words, Asha did not relax her posture and handed out the mobilization order.
"I appreciate Your Majesty's consideration. In addition, we are requesting the victory compensation that His Majesty the Late Emperor promised."
Everyone's eyes turned to the yellow envelope in Asha's hand.
The Emperor felt that something was going wrong and ordered the Chamberlain to check the mobilization order.
The senior Chamberlain, who received the Emperor's order, took the envelope handed over by Asha and read the document inside aloud.
"... I have no doubt that the blessing of Aguilas, the god of war, will be with you. Go forth and blow the trumpet of victory by destroying the Lure Tribe that harbors black ambitions in the imperial territory. If you win, I, in the name of Felix Doornan Richard Alon Bondel Evaristo, will give you a reward befitting your hard work and sacrifice!"
As the Chamberlain's voice stopped, the once silent hall became noisy with murmurs.
It was a promise made in the name of the Late Emperor, but that was why it had to be kept, and the best reward had to be given as it was made in the name of the Emperor.
"W, wait a minute! How are you going to prove that you really won?"
At the Emperor's urgent question, Asha gestured to Decker to bring a leather bag. Inside was a necklace made of magic stones extracted from the bodies of demons.
"I understand that the Imperial Court also has records of the Lure Tribe . If you look them up, you will be able to confirm that this is an object that symbolizes the Lure Tribe 's chief."
Even without looking it up, it was a fairly famous artifact known as the 'Necklace of the Dead'.
It was not beautiful because it was a crude necklace made of magic stones extracted from the bodies of demons, but it was valuable because it was an object that had been passed down in a tribe for nearly 700 years.
This was something that even nobles who had studied a little about international politics knew, so it was not something that the Emperor could dismiss as something he had never heard of.
'Damn it!'
The Emperor, who had never thought that Amir, or his direct line, would actually drive the Lure Tribe out of Pervaz completely, rolled his eyes in dismay.
'I'll have to give them all the war reparations that came in from Albania!'
Even though the stingy emperor had amassed such a fortune, he was loath to give even a single gold coin to Amir's family.
However, the nobles around her were already expecting the emperor to make a grand show of generosity. There was even a hint of mockery in their eyes.
'They're just like people watching a fire from across the river.'
Just as he was about to start disliking even the sight of the nobles' sneering faces, a brilliant idea suddenly came to him.
It was a clever plan that would allow him to keep his wealth intact, humiliate Asha, and even slap those arrogant nobles in the face at the same time.
"Hoho, I see. I never thought I would see the necklace of the Lure Tribe leader in my lifetime. I will have that item displayed in the imperial museum. It will be a long-lasting way to commemorate the brave Countess of Pervaz."
"Your Majesty is wise and benevolent."
Up until that point, Asha had thought that it would not be difficult to obtain the war reparations and return home.
However, the emperor, who had been stalling by sending his chamberlains to collect the 'Necklace of the Dead' and have the fact recorded, suddenly spoke out of the blue.
"I would like to hear more about the person who has accomplished such a great feat. How old are you?"
"I am Asha Pervaz, twenty-two years old this year."
"If you are twenty-two, have you made your debut yet?"
Asha almost burst out laughing in disbelief. Was she supposed to have the luxury of preparing for a debut when Pervaz had been suffering through war for 28 years?
The emperor roared as if he was about to explode.
"Do you intend to let the Pervaz County family, which has wiped out the Lure Tribe , end with you?"
Asha, who knew that being granted the title of Pervaz Count would be a punishment, wanted to answer 'yes'.
However, she was still the penniless lord of a poor territory, and the person sitting on the gilded chair in front of her was the emperor of this empire.
There was no way she could interrupt the emperor there.
"Hmm.... Ah, well then! I will grant you the 'right to choose your marriage partner' as a reward for your victory!"
"Yes…?"
Asha forgot all about etiquette and raised her head to ask back.