“Ah, Malek. I have something to tell you.”

Jade spoke up while the scratching of pen nibs on paper filled the room.

“Yes. Please speak.”

Malek, who had replied casually, soon found his eyes widening. The statement was surprising.

“I’ve decided to entrust Rosana with hosting the Ales Kingdom envoy. We didn’t have anyone else anyway, so it worked out well.”

“You mean Lady Rosana?”

“Don’t you believe it?”

When Jade muttered menacingly with a deeply furrowed face, Malek shook his head, saying that wasn’t it.

“I’m just surprised since you made such a statement without any prior mention. Then I’ll stop searching for a suitable candidate.”

Cold sweat trickled down Malek’s back after his true feelings were exposed. Jade watched him intently, seemingly aware of his inner thoughts.

Recently, a letter had arrived from the Ales Kingdom. The Ales Kingdom had taken Jade’s words at face value and decided to visit in person to renegotiate the treaty. Jade spun his quill pen around while lost in thought.

‘The Ales Kingdom. Fearless fools.’

He’d told them to come if they didn’t like the treaty, but he never thought they’d actually come. 

Whether they had something to rely on or thought they were being treated well, their boldness actually made him scoff.

Jade didn’t refuse. If they wanted to come, they could come. He had no intention of avoiding or running away. Even so, he had no intention of accepting any of their demands.

Malek agreed with Jade’s words but worried about the aftermath of the storm. Originally, they had planned to discuss the envoy at the upcoming noble council.

“…Will that be alright? Wasn’t this a matter to be addressed at the upcoming noble council? The nobles won’t stay quiet.”

At Malek’s words, Jade’s eyebrows shot up in displeasure. He let out a small sigh. Jade was well aware. The moment word got out that he’d entrusted it to Rosana, the nobles would obviously rise up in protest. 

Jade laughed, finding it ridiculous.

“They’re sending this kind of reply, so what can you expect? But should I coddle them?”

At Jade’s cynical response, Malek fell silent. The nobles’ reaction was as expected. They were the type who didn’t even want to attend the banquet introducing Rosana. 

He could imagine the aftermath when they learned at the central council that Rosana would be hosting the Ales envoy’s banquet.

However, Jade had already made up his mind. If they hated even looking at her because she was the infamous ‘Rosana,’ he would simply shatter that petty thinking. That’s why he’d entrusted it to her.

“Aren’t they all Your Majesty’s people?”

Jade covered his eyes with his interlaced fingers.

“I’m well aware.”

Among the current central nobles, many were vassals who had distinguished themselves in war alongside Jade. Like him, most were people with direct and rough speech. Even if not, they were people with strong bellicose tendencies.

However, the more he looked at the replies to the flying invitations, the more outrageous he found them. Still, a few had sent letters saying they would attend since it was the emperor’s command. Conversely, many nobles had refused, saying they had no desire to waste their time.

“Do they have a death wish…”

The air in the room grew heavy with the murderous intent directed at the nobles.

“Your Majesty, please calm down. It’s natural for many voices mixed with doubt to return in the replies. Your Majesty…”

“I know without you saying it.”

Jade cut off Malek mid-sentence. ‘They were so hostile, yet now I’m telling them they must attend and treat her with courtesy, so it’s understandable they’d find it strange.’

He was certain it would come up at the noble council. When the Ales Kingdom matter was added to that… it would be quite a sight. Jade smiled crookedly.

“When is the noble council?”

“The day after tomorrow.”

“That’s soon.”

Jade had a reason for entrusting Rosana with the envoy banquet. The generally skeptical responses to the invitations played a part, but if she successfully concluded the envoy banquet, the way people viewed her would naturally change. 

Then he could introduce Rosana.

After hearing of Rosana’s achievements and meeting her in person, they wouldn’t even care about the rumors. No, he intended to make sure they couldn’t even care.

“She’ll do well. Welcoming guests and hosting banquets is the lady of the house’s duty anyway. According to the investigation, she handled all the banquet hosting and guest welcoming at the Arcadi Ducal Family too. She’ll do well this time too. I’ll even be there, so what’s there to worry about?”

Jade was confident. 

However, Malek subtly expressed concern. This wasn’t an ordinary banquet. It was a banquet for a treaty between nations, a banquet welcoming such an envoy. 

When suddenly given such a weighty task, even skilled people tend to make frequent mistakes under the pressure.

“Will she be alright alone?”

“Of course I’ve prepared measures for that too. I can’t guarantee there won’t be difficulties, so I need to place a trustworthy person by her side. The noble council day is approaching too, so I plan to make the request then.”

Malek felt relieved. He’d realized who Jade was talking about.

* * *

A woman with long, bright red hair tied tightly with a cord walked confidently through the corridor. 

She had once belonged to the Raven Knights and currently was a margrave guarding the northern border, having received the surname ‘Kendra’ from Jade. She whistled leisurely while sharply surveying her surroundings.

“The castle is noisy.”

On her way to the capital, Kali had heard quite interesting rumors. The hot gossip was on everyone’s lips. Especially since the subjects were Jade and Rosana. 

Having seen Jade up close, Kali had leaned more toward ‘falsehood,’ but after visiting the imperial palace, she couldn’t be certain.

“Who would have known our lord would assign the Raven Knights as her escort?”

She’d visited the training grounds to see her old comrades after a long time, only to find it empty. 

She’d thought they might have gone to subjugate monsters, but another knight order informed her that the First Imperial Knights were guarding the palace. 

The palace where Rosana Arcadi resided, no less.

“Lady Rosana Arcadi… Should I visit Venice and dig up the truth?”

Anyone who looked into it even a little could learn they’d gone to a boutique, and likewise that it was Venice’s boutique. As she drew closer to the meeting place, nobles were gathered in clusters. They spoke of rumors.

“Have you heard that rumor?”

“Ah, I know. Count Tester said he saw it.”

“Other nobles who visited that place said they saw it too.”

“It’s certain then.”

“But isn’t she that ‘Rosana Arcadi’?”

However, no noble definitively denied it. Eyewitness accounts from nobles who’d spotted the two were coming from all over.

“Does that mean the invitation was real?”

The nobles were sparing with their words. A banquet for Rosana’s debut was scheduled to be held. When invitations arrived forcing their attendance, the nobles had thrown fits.

The nobles, already irritated that Astrot looked down on Diovaha, didn’t want to be forced to attend her banquet. Above all, the marriage hadn’t proceeded yet, and she hadn’t yet received the title of empress, so she was just a foreign noble lady.

Though it was Jade delaying the marriage, there was reasonable suspicion that the marriage was being postponed due to disruptions caused by Astrot’s unreasonable demands.

“Let’s go in first.”

The nobles all took their seats. After waiting a while and conversing, the knight guarding the door loudly announced Jade’s arrival.

“His Majesty the Emperor has arrived!”

The nobles, who had been engaged in a heated discussion just moments before, fell silent. As one, they rose to their feet in haste. When Jade entered the room, they immediately bowed deeply.

Despite their respectful posture, they couldn’t help but steal glances upward. His attire was unusual, and their eyes lingered on him, scrutinizing his appearance.

His outfit was densely embroidered with gold thread, a blue tie pin shone above his tie, and he even wore gold braiding on his shoulders. 

What was more absurd was that a bright red cloak was fluttering behind him—since when did he care about prestige?

For a moment, they wondered if a different person had entered. He didn’t like cumbersome clothes and preferred attire with minimal decoration.

The nobles looked at Jade in bewilderment.

“Didn’t he dislike cloaks because they get in the way?”

“Is it some special occasion?”

Jade walked confidently and sat at the head seat. When he raised his hand and gestured downward, the rest sat in unison. A smile lingered on his lips, seemingly in a good mood. 

Conversely, the nobles were tense.

“Your Majesty seems to be in good spirits.”

Duke Helpe indirectly asked why the emperor had changed. Duke Helpe was someone who had earned Jade’s trust and had protected him when Jade was a prince. The desired question had come. Jade smiled with satisfaction.

“Mm, does it seem that way? There is a good reason. So, I ask you all. How is it today? I tried wearing what my wife chose as a gift—does it suit me well?”

“W-wife?? Who are you referring to?”

Jade sent cold killing intent to the noble who asked in surprise. The noble clamped his mouth shut.

“Why so surprised? There’s only one person who will be my wife, isn’t there?”

A chill descended on the meeting room.

The nobles exchanged glances. The person he would call his wife, the person who would be called Diovaha’s empress in the future, was only ‘Rosana Arcadi.’ 

He was calling her by the title of wife? When they weren’t even married yet? 

Jade was surveying the assembly with sharp eyes, seemingly suggesting they should choose their words carefully.

Eventually, one noble offered honeyed words.

“Ahahahaha… D-did you have a good time with Lady Arcadi?”

Jade smoothly curled the corners of his mouth into a smile. Everyone else’s eyes widened in response.

When they’d gone out together, Rosana had personally chosen clothes and accessories that would suit him, perhaps bothered that only he had bought things. Jade lightly tapped the table with his finger while recalling that time.

“It was a beneficial time. So much so that I wanted to spend more time…”

Jade chuckled at the nobles whose eyes had widened in disbelief.

“Now then, returning to the main point, shall we begin today’s meeting?”

The nobles were curious about his words indicating closeness with Rosana, but Jade cut it off sharply, saying he had nothing more to say. The meeting began in a somewhat chaotic atmosphere.

They started with simple discussions first. After proposing methods to improve citizens’ quality of life, they discussed recently problematic issues.

“You’ve heard about the Ales Kingdom matter, haven’t you?”

The nobles looked at the documents before them.

The Ales Kingdom was among the fairly large kingdoms. If not for Diovaha, there were even sayings that the nation to receive the title of ‘empire’ after the Astrot Empire would be the Ales Kingdom.

‘When the tiger is away, the fox enjoys the wealth,’ as the saying goes.

The Ales Kingdom even received tribute from small nations on the grounds that it had the highest prestige among kingdoms. Astrot had turned a blind eye to the Ales Kingdom’s actions. 

They were connected to the Ales Kingdom by strong ties.

In the end, the ones who suffered were the surrounding small kingdoms. Diovaha was among them. While struggling with insufficient food and resources, they had no tribute to hand over to Ales.

Eventually, war broke out.

Diovaha fought valiantly. Though the king’s condition was critical at the time, there was not an inch of retreat. Jade went to war as a prince, and the Raven Knights under his command were excellent. The nobles also didn’t forgive enemies invading their territory.

The end was Diovaha’s victory.

When defeated in war, something must be lost. So it was with the Ales Kingdom. 

Diovaha occupied surrounding small nations, gaining fertile land and an advantageous position through victory. 

No matter how much the Ales Kingdom raged in displeasure, the decision-making power belonged to Diovaha. That was the victor’s right.

However, since Jade didn’t want further war, he pursued relatively lenient diplomacy. Other kingdoms agreed, but only the Ales Kingdom couldn’t accept it.

“Even though the Diovaha Empire clearly has the upper hand, there isn’t a single tribute item. Nor do they agree to the treaty.”

“Let’s show them what’s what! Honestly, if circumstances allowed, anytime…!”