Chapter 47

"... We could invite royalty and nobility from wealthy countries to the autumn festival. "

Whoever said that clearly meant gaining more connections using marriage, or more specifically, the royal princess's marriage. Amourora couldn't see the expression of their faces, but the sudden silence made some tension.

" if you are referring to the royal princess, then it is not possible. It will bring unstablity to the country as she is the center of admiration for the people. " the deep voice from before remarked quite boldly. She guessed he was a general due to his concern for military affairs." Excuse my rudeness, but if the royal princess must marry into another country, may I suggest her marrying into a kingdom with a powerful military prowess. As you know, soldiers have been fighting off external forces at the borders for some time now, and with the reduced military expenses, our defense is weakening."

Amourora didn't like how they talked about her aunt as if she was a pawn for gaining relationships with other countries. But deep inside she knew it was the fate of most, if not all, noble ladies to marry for political or business purposes, such as gaining connections or building the economy. Still, she wanted to hear her father's response. It could be her in the place of her aunt in a few years!

"I won't force Angelina into a marriage if she refused." the emperor stated. That doesn't mean much. The royal princess would do anything to help her people, even if she refused to sacrifice her lifetime happiness for the greater good of the country, all it needed were a few words to convince her. Angelina wouldn't get married anyway, last time she died mysteriously soon after her engagement.

"invite foreign princesses, too." the first voice said. From his speech, and concern for economic growth, she deducted he was an aristocratic merchant. From his choice of words, Amourora pictured him as a fair-skinned scholar who never saw the bloody battlefield, or he wouldn't be nonchalant about people dying.

"if you mean prince Andrew, then don't be too hopeful for his cooperation." the general stated his opinion bluntly. Unlike the scholar-merchant, his way of speech didn't hide any underlying meaning, he was straightforward and blunt, even if many would interpret it as impolite.

A moment of silent thinking followed.

" grand Duke Rhysander, you have been silent for long, mind sharing your thoughts?" The emperor asked for his opinion. "it must be important if the grand Duke is thinking about it deeply?"

"it is important indeed." the grand Duke replied in a somber manner. "didn't you hear..."

"what is it?" The emperor straightened up. Is there any more problems he should know of? If the grand Duke is concerned, then it must be so.

"my stomach has been grumbling for a while now, you seriously didn't hear it!"

"pfft! " some of the officials tried to stifle their laughter, but the emperor's face didn't have the slightest hint of a smile, instead, his expression darkened and he felt silly for taking the affable grand Duke seriously.

"we are being serious."

"so am I!" the grand Duke retorted in full seriousness. "it's getting late and we're all starving! I can't imagine how hard it must be for the soldiers and poor people in the east and south. Oh, wait! There aren't any people affected by the flooding of the Lantuso River because it did not happen yet. And the lands in the south have less harvest than usual, but enough to get by the winter and still have some left. Unless they are like Nestor, then, whew! They need immediate supply! Ha ha ha!"

The emperor didn't laugh with the others," we are trying to be on the safe side, there's possibility for the speculations to be true. I am only concerned for the future. "

" I do, too. I think I need an early dinner, or the future would be messy. " the others could hardly contain their laughter, only by fear of the emperor's punishment.

" I am talking about state affairs. " the emperor's voice became sharp.

" you are right... I apologize. " the grand Duke replaced his humorous smile with an apologetic look and a serious expression.

"you do?" The emperor was still suspicious.

"yes. I do."

"oh, and do you have a solution for the problems?"

"yes."

"what is it?"

"tea?"

"Ha ha ha!" the officials erupted in laughter, but the emperor kept a stern expression, dissatisfied with the facetious joke.

"ha ha, don't be so serious all the time, it makes you look older than me. Ha ha ha ha" the laughter got louder. "ahm. Your majesty, it was irresponsible of me to crack a joke in a serious meeting. What I meant is, as your aid, we would assist you in any way. It is our duty and obligation. Your majesty should rest more and allow us to handle things.

" We will all donate to cover up the cost for the crops in the south, without exhausting the treasury, and Valerie could cover the rest. Right Valerie? As for the east, Valen's men are capable of evacuating the residents of any nearby areas to a safer place. It's only a temporary solution, but we can't make hasty decisions and spend more money if we don't evaluate the situation properly, and the best way is to inspect it by person. Isn't it true your majesty?

"Archer and I will start our inspections for this year from the east and meet with Veritas in the south, then, we would send a detailed report and think of a proper solution. What do you think, your majesty? "

"... that's possible. "

"well, if all is well and forgiven, I say we stay for tea, what does everyone think? "The grand Duke shamelessly invited not only himself, but about five other people for tea with the emperor, leaving the true head of the table speechless." no objections? Good. How does macrons sound? "

The Grand Duke stayed silent at the beginning of the meeting, and listened until he grasped the full situation, then he was polite enough to wait for his turn to speak, and only presented his opinion when asked. After that, he quickly solved the situation with understanding and flexibility, the emperor didn't even realize his work had been done for him.

Archer, Valerie, Valen, and Varita had all been trapped to complete different tasks without realizing until too late, left with no place for discussion, or their loyalty and devotion in serving their country and emperor would be questioned.

This showed his intelligence and experience in his line of work. Both impressive and remarkable. Amourora wondered if she would have turned like him if her path as the queen of the Cloud kingdom remained unchanged.

Enough dwelling on the past, she should think about her future instead. Whether for the next moments, escaping the narrow space, or the next few months, as she's thinking of hiring someone as intelligent and experienced to manage her secret work.

It should be someone with the ability to enter the palace and leave it easily, accessible to information and is knowledgeable enough to know how to use or transfer them, but at the same time, no one would suspect them. If she chooses the correct person, then her work would be much easier.

Whoever, a person with such qualities is almost nonexistent. Anyone with such capabilities would stand out in a crowd, and be the center of attention, even if not intentional, so finding someone who would stay low-key would be the hardest part.

*****

" your highness! How...we-when... What? "

" are you going to just stand there? "

"no...no,your highness." Luan, who almost cried when she stayed away from the princess for a long time and worried something happened to her, was shocked when she saw the princess taking a bath, acting like nothing happened. Maybe nothing did.

"your highness, when did you come back?" Luan asked flabbergasted.

"huh?" Amourora acted confused. "what do you mean? I have been here for ages! Did you fall asleep or something?"

Luan retraced her memories from the morning. Did she fall asleep, but she just couldn't remember?

"why are you standing there like a statue? Make yourself useful and get me a towel for my hair."

"eh?...right away, your highness!" Luan rushed out still wondering if her memory is getting worse or it's because of lack of sleep. Either way, she can't let her condition effect her work efficiency.

Amourora almost laughed out loud seeing the look on Luan's face. That girl is just too cute. It's somewhat fun to prank people and make them rethink their actions or things they didn't do.

What actually happened when she finally escaped away from that hole, Amourora brushed the leaves off her hair and pat her clothes from dirt. She had to hold her breath and stay in a stiff position until everyone emptied the room. She was still thankful she got away without any complications. By the time she reached her room, she quickly jumped into the bubble bath with her clothes on, and all that's left to do is pretend she stayed in her room the whole time and use an unsuspecting naive little girl as alibi.

It's no use waiting for Luan to come back. She probably left to tell her sisters to stop searching, so Amourora had plenty of time to finish her bath. She started putting on her clothes and brushing her hair, when something in the mirror stopped her.

'that's...' she shook her head and dismissed the thought. 'I think my eyes are playing tricks on me.'