“Eileen Merchant Guild sincerely congratulates Lady Adelia and Your Highness on your imperial marriage.”

“It’s nice to receive congratulations from a friend.”

Adelia slightly tilted her head and winked with one eye.

Receiving the signal, Conrad drew a curve on his face and pulled out a large box from his embrace. Given its immense value, Adelia had lent him this space.

Wrapped in pink cloth, the box, adorned with dangling jewels, was enough to drop jaws at first sight.

The box was passed through a servant’s hands to the Emperor.

“This is a small gift prepared by the guild. We hope for a lasting trust with the imperial family. The Master personally made it.”

Conrad said, politely joining his hands together.

The Emperor took out a necklace from inside the box.

Underneath the chandelier lighting and brilliance of the banquet hall, the necklace showcased its true value.

The pink gemstone at its center absorbed light and emitted it in its own color.

“Oh my…. It’s so beautiful.”

“Ruby and red diamond…”

“What’s the gem in the middle? The pink hue is quite mysterious… It catches the eye.”

The nobles praised the necklace as they looked at it.

Seeing people’s positive reactions, Conrad’s face, which had been artificially smiling, found sincerity.

Until now, he had been doing service for his superior’s comfortable life; now was the time to increase his personal wealth.

— I’ll cut you in on some of the profits from selling artifacts.

Even as an acting head, he was ultimately an employee working under Adelia for a salary.

Thinking about the money he would soon receive, Conrad’s eyes gleamed cunningly.

‘He’s thinking about money again.’

Adelia inwardly clicked her tongue at his noticeably changed attitude.

She looked down at Conrad with mixed feelings.

It was clear that he served not her but the money she earned.

‘It’s all my money anyway.’

Considering that the money Conrad would brag about earning here would end up in her pocket anyway, she decided to play along willingly.

“The necklace is quite elegant.”

Adelia clasped her hands together and sent sparkling glances towards the necklace.

He couldn’t take his eyes off it as if he was smitten at first sight.

“Ha-ha, you indeed have an eye for beauty! It’s adorned with rubies and red diamonds all around. All are premium quality, crafted by the top artisans of our guild.”

“Especially the gem in the middle, glowing softly in pink, catches the eye. Is this an artifact?”

Adelia pointed out the necklace’s charm with playful expertise.

Conrad, taking over the conversation, introduced the most crucial part.

“That is indeed the core of this necklace. If it were just an ordinary gem, we wouldn’t present it like this. The gem embedded in the center is the artifact we are about to unveil from our guild. It was made by a white mage and boasts top-notch defense.”

The banquet hall buzzed in an instant.

The murmurs up till now seemed like child’s play, as voices of astonishment mixed in the hall.

“An artifact made by a white mage!”

“So, the Master is a white mage! The rumors about a white magic stone appearing at the auction were true!”

As the banquet hall grew noisy, the Emperor stomped his foot in annoyance.

The thud echoed through the hall, silencing the nobles with fear, but their gazes towards the necklace remained loud.

‘She’s indeed the person I chose.’

Adelia, having created the situation she intended, closed her eyes in satisfaction.

Conrad, who moved according to her plan and seemed to be plotting a grand scam against the nobles, felt very pleased.

‘It will be thrilling when the Master’s identity is revealed.’

Someday, when all truths come to light, the nobles will ruminate over today’s events.

They might want to accuse them of making fools out of them, but there wasn’t a single lie in today’s conversation.

It was just that people didn’t consider Adelia as the Master, and she didn’t explicitly mention being the Master.

Whenever Adelia spoke a word, Conrad responded with eloquent words, enchanting the nobles.

“Ah, was the earring you sent me also an artifact? Thanks to it, I haven’t suffered from paper cuts lately. It’s both beautiful and useful.”

“The essence of white magic is defense, isn’t it? It wouldn’t even let a book cause a scratch. It can block needles or swords.”

“Is that so? It would be handy when stitching. Ah, it might be good to embed in a sword. It could prevent injuries during sparring.”

Adelia responded with enthusiasm, and Conrad smirked, nodding his head.

“Of course, it’s possible. Anything that can be infused with magic is possible. The most effective are hearts of processed magical beasts, but precious gems or metals can also be made into artifacts.”

“Then, when I visit the guild later, could you make another one for me? I’d like to make a bracelet for self-defense. If it’s white magic’s defensive spell, wouldn’t it be good to prepare against dangers?”

“Of course. We will also enchant it with purification magic as a gift.”

“Oh my, you mean to engrave two types of magic at once?”

“Why stop at two? Three or four are also possible. Just let me know.”

The two conversed naturally. Thanks to Conrad, a skilled merchant, and Adelia encouraging him from the side, people were mesmerized by the necklace in the Emperor’s hand.

‘I hear it! The sound of money coming in!’

Seeing the nobles’ eager responses made Conrad’s smile reach his ears.

For wealthy nobles who valued their lives highly, an artifact capable of both defense and purification was a dream item.

“The Master decided to sell artifacts in limited quantities, fearing that white magic might be used for evil purposes. The Eileen Guild always moves for the empire.”

“As it should.”

Lucian glanced at Conrad with a look that seemed to say betrayal would mean death.

The chill ran down Conrad’s spine.

“Ha-ha, and the Master wishes to offer this artifact to the princess.”

When he mentioned offering it to the princess, the three men’s gazes softened slightly.

Their actions crossed lines as if they had two lives but were top-notch in sensing situations.

Moreover, since they brought only premium items that perfectly suited their tastes, no matter how annoying they were, it was hard to take action against them. This necklace also seemed to be made with the princess in mind from the start; just imagining it on Ariana suited her very well.

“Yes. A fine gift indeed.”

The Emperor put away the necklace with brief praise.

Considering his personality, it was quite a generous compliment.

He didn’t like that the banquet became noisy but thinking of Ariana being happy with this gift softened his annoyance.

“It will suit the princess well. She will love it very much.”

“The princess suits everything well. We are grateful just for her to wear something from our guild.”

Conrad and Adelia earnestly praised the princess, completely dissipating any annoyance.

“My daughter is indeed lovely and cute.”

The Emperor’s brief doting was proof of that.

Seeing the men with red eyes quietly beside him confirmed it was successful flattery.

Adelia gestured for them to bring out the next item quickly.

“And for our eternal friendship with Lady Adelia and long-standing trust with the imperial family, we have prepared a national marriage gift.”

“Oh my, what a thing to do. I mentioned it earlier, hoping it wouldn’t be a burden as a friend.”

“It’s just a small congratulatory gift. Please accept it.”

When Conrad reached into his pocket, numerous gazes followed.

What came out this time was a document. The document bearing the guild’s seal was handed over to the Emperor.

“We plan to sell white magic stones along with artifacts. Our guild offers the trade rights of white magic stones as a national marriage gift.”

Conrad bowed deeply as he spoke.

The document contained a contract that was completed after discussions between Adelia and Lucian.

The Emperor chuckled amusingly after checking its contents, and he handed it over to his chamberlain.

It was quite audacious to use a document already approved by him in such a way.

No one else but her would dare play such tricks on the imperial family; thus, no further comments were made.

Watching this, Adelia supported one elbow with one hand and covered her cheek with the other.

She opened her sleepy eyes, seemingly worried.

“This seems like too generous of a gift….”

“Not at all. It’s a national celebration. Besides, since it involves Lady Adelia, we had to prepare accordingly.”

Conrad calmly lowered his eagerly rising lips and continued speaking.

“The white magic stones will be graded and sold according to size and purity. Lower-quality stones that don’t meet product value will be donated for the empire as per the Master’s wishes.”

“Such touching loyalty.”

Lucian frowned slightly in displeasure.

Watching their scripted dialogue wasn’t entirely pleasant.

— We intended to announce artifacts and white magic stones at this banquet.

He had received a hint about this situation beforehand, so he couldn’t complain much.

It was beneficial for the empire, so he couldn’t overturn the situation either.

“It feels like I’m being played in their trickery.”

Lucian’s murmur was met with nods of agreement from both the Emperor and prince.

* * *

After revealing the artifact, the people’s interests was divided.

Conrad, representing the guild, and Adelia, who has gained tremendous power.

At the beginning of the banquet, she was merely the Crown Prince’s fiancée, but now she has become the beloved future Crown Princess of the imperial family and a close friend of the Master of the guild.

Holding the imperial family in one hand and the guild in the other, Adelia was a golden chain studded with jewels.

“Son! You must dance. Make a connection by any means necessary!”