“Here is Princess Stella’s seat.”

The attendant pointed to an empty chair as he spoke. Stella took her seat and observed the people around her.

In front of the princesses were boxes similar in size to the one Stella had brought.

‘Is the Bloodline Document inside those?’ she wondered.

She attempted a natural smile, but her lips kept twitching.

Better not to smile at all, she thought. Stella stopped forcing a smile and looked around with a neutral expression.

The princesses who had already taken their seats were engaged in an intense reconnaissance of each other. The princess sitting across from her was the one who had first bumped her shoulder.

Although she hadn’t seen her face, she instantly recognized her by the butterfly ornament on top of her head.

The jeweled butterfly captured attention as its wings fluttered with even the slightest movement of the princess’s head. Some had already become friendly and whispered with their heads close together.

Seeing how much she already wanted to return to Verdura, it seemed she was indeed suited to being a hostage.

“His Majesty the Emperor is entering.”

At the voice heard from somewhere, the murmuring ceased all at once. The princesses, who had been whispering face to face, stood up gracefully to welcome the emperor without anyone prompting them.

Seeing their expressions, as if each truly believed she was the main character of this occasion, Stella snapped back to her senses.

Quietly, like someone who wasn’t there, without drawing attention—that’s how I should be, she thought.

Fortunately, Stella’s seat was the farthest from where the emperor sat, so she couldn’t see his face clearly.

Throughout the formal dinner, Stella stayed at the end of the table, as if Verdura was at the end of the road.

With the emperor’s arrival, the princesses’ faces bloomed like roses. Each put on their most charming expressions, fiercely trying to catch the emperor’s eye.

To Stella, all the princesses present were exceptionally beautiful. It wouldn’t have been strange for any of them to become the empress. The princesses stared intently at the emperor’s seat, like wooden dolls with broken necks.

Whenever the emperor spoke, they laughed delicately, “Hohoho,” and when he raised his glass, they lifted theirs, showing off their slender, beautiful hands. Every minute and second felt like torture, but Stella followed the princesses’ actions moderately, trying not to stand out.

“Hohoho, hahaha.” Her awkward laughter amused her, making her laugh even more.

Though meaningless laughter and words were exchanged, Stella didn’t say a word. Thus, Stella’s first official event in the Credion Empire was drawing to a close.

Meanwhile, looking at the women dressed like a single flower from head to toe, Kai felt both a sense of accomplishment and fatigue.

The accomplishment of finally having a hundred countries grovel at his feet, and the fatigue from the noble nerves of women desperately trying to catch his eye.

Of course, all this was self-imposed. But when he thought of the many countries groveling before him, this level of nuisance felt rather sweet.

And Kai secretly enjoyed pushing himself to the extreme.

The kings Kai had subdued would act like tongues in their mouths, hoping their daughters might become empresses, but when treated appropriately, they forgot their situation and crawled up like bugs.

Whenever that happened, he reminded them that their daughters could die unnoticed, and they would flatten themselves again. To Kai, the princesses were merely tools to manipulate the kings of each country without effort.

Initially, he hadn’t planned to take so many hostages. Nor did he intend to fill them only with princesses.

But after experiencing a few assassins disguised as princes, he thought there was no need to bother accepting princes and getting involved in troublesome matters. Of course, the assassins they sent never managed to harm a single hair on Kai’s head.

The princesses who came as hostages initially acted haughtily, but after meeting Kai, they were desperate to catch his eye.

He was not only the enemy who had subdued their countries but also the best groom imaginable. The princesses firmly believed they had the means to turn their formidable enemy into an ally.

Kai, receiving the overt gazes of the feverish princesses, held a half-empty wine glass, twirling it and waiting for time to pass.

Meanwhile, the time came to verify the pedigree certificates and present gifts to the emperor.

“A gift of friendship from Calcutta.”

At the attendant’s call, the princess in the blue dress sitting at the front gracefully walked forward.

Stella’s face hardened as she watched. It felt as if the gift included the princess herself.

The small box containing the Bloodline Document was carried by the princess, while two knights on the right carried out a large box containing treasures sent from Calcutta. The box was adorned with a blue dove, the symbol of Calcutta.

The first thing the emperor checked was the Bloodline Document in the small box. After taking out the Bloodline Document and examining it with a disinterested look, the emperor handed it to the man standing beside him.

The man, deeply hooded in a black robe, took the certificate and spread his palm over it. After a moment, a white light seeped between the man’s palm and the scroll.

The princesses watching widened their eyes in surprise. Stella was no exception, as she hadn’t known that the Bloodline Document held such power.

“She is indeed the princess of Calcutta.”

It seemed to be a process to verify the authenticity of the Bloodline Document. Stella, unknowingly tense, gasped for breath.

Next, they examined the gift brought from Calcutta. The large box was so heavy that it required two strong men to open it.

People watched with eager eyes, curious to see what treasures Calcutta had sent.

“It’s Panthiras, the divine beast of Calcutta.”

What emerged from the box was a sculpture of a beast the size of a lion.

The Panthiras sculpture, with the body of a Leopard, the wings of a bird, and the claws of a dragon, was entirely made of jewels. Its most striking feature was its four eyes.

“The eyes of Panthiras are set with the highest grade of magic stones.”

As the explanation continued, exclamations of admiration echoed around the room.

The darker the magic stone, the greater its magical power, and the stones in Panthiras’ eyes were a deeper red than blood, indicating they were of the highest quality.

A faint smile flickered across the emperor’s lips.

The process of verifying the pedigree certificates and gifts continued. Watching this, Stella realized that the value of the gifts directly reflected the worth of the princesses.

Some princesses presented colossal statues of divine beasts made of jewels or jeweled swords once used by the first king. This indicated that they were cherished princesses.

As Stella observed the gifts being opened, she wondered what the King of Amalrune had sent with her. No, she felt worried.

Now, only Stella and one other princess, who appeared particularly pale, remained.

The trembling princess stepped forward and presented the box she had brought. She was so nervous that the box visibly shook even from a distance.

The emperor, still expressionless, took the Bloodline Document from the box and tossed it to the wizard beside him.

The wizard, who received the certificate politely, frowned as soon as he unfurled the scroll.

He looked at the princess standing before him in disbelief, then placed his hand over the open certificate.

However, instead of a white light, a withered yellow glow flickered weakly and then extinguished. The previously cheerful atmosphere instantly froze, and the princess who had stepped forward collapsed to the ground.

“This Bloodline Document is fake. The woman sitting here is not the legitimate princess of Veradun.”

As soon as the wizard finished speaking, the emperor, who had remained expressionless, smiled for the first time.

“King Veradun has sent a very amusing gift. Naturally, I must reciprocate.”

As soon as the emperor finished speaking, two knights entered and roughly pulled the collapsed princess—no, the woman—to her feet. Already pale, she was dragged out, staggering.

“Your Majesty! Please spare me! I only did as the king ordered. Please, spare my life!”

Despite the woman’s desperate pleas, the emperor did not flinch.

“What shall we do with the gift, Your Majesty?”

The chamberlain pointed to the unopened box and asked.

“Burn it.”

Witnessing this scene, the princesses stood frozen, unable to breathe. But the most anxious person was Stella.

Legitimate princess.

She was merely an illegitimate child whom the king regarded as shameful, not a legitimate princess.

“It’s your turn, Princess.”

A chamberlain approached Stella, who was frozen in place with her mind blank, and spoke politely.

“Oh, yes.”

All eyes were now on Stella. She felt dizzy as she slowly walked forward, trying her best not to let her hands tremble as she clutched the box containing the Bloodline Document.

Click, clack.

The sound of her new shoes’ heels matched the beating of her heart. As her breathing grew more labored, Stella consciously tried to breathe slowly.

Finally, standing before the emperor, Stella held her breath to hide her trembling and set down the box.