Hearing the crown prince’s words, I smiled awkwardly.

What do I need to want for the crown prince to be at an advantage…?

I don’t remember having fought with the crown prince…

Seeing my confused expression, the crown prince stepped back with a regretful look.

“This way.”

So the crown prince guided me to the seat next to him.

Since everyone else had already taken their seats, I had no choice but to stand next to the crown prince.

“Now, everyone sit down.”

The emperor sat down, and we also took our prepared seats one by one.

Father and the emperor conversed for a long time.

From what I could occasionally hear, they seemed to be discussing this business.

As the main meal ended and the maids began to bring dessert, the emperor turned his eyes to us instead of Father.

“Well, since we’re all gathered here, let’s talk with the person in charge of this business.”

Hearing the emperor’s words, Bershua’s shoulders twitched.

He seemed quite nervous and hadn’t been able to eat properly since earlier.

“So, where did you get the inspiration for this business?”

Hearing that, Bershua put down the fork in his hand, wiped his mouth with the napkin placed beside him, and looked at the emperor.

“Thank you for your question, Your Majesty the Emperor.”

The emperor nodded at Bershua as if telling him to speak.

“I… thought it would be good to develop land near the center to create a dam in preparation for drought and develop the surrounding area…”

Hearing Bershua’s words, Father briefly seemed to grimace before adding further explanation to the emperor.

Bershua was trembling, showing how nervous he was.

It seems Father’s pressure had been quite significant.

“Hmm…”

The emperor looked alternately at Father and Bershua, then shifted his gaze to Brother Rubert sitting next to me.

“You there.”

Brother Rubert met the emperor’s eyes upon hearing his words.

“What’s your name?”

“Rubert Masipacius, Your Majesty the Emperor.”

The emperor nodded at those words.

“What do you think about this business plan? I’d like to hear your opinion.”

The emperor had someone pass the document containing the business plan to Brother Rubert.

My brother looked at the document carefully as if seeing it for the first time, then opened his mouth toward the emperor.

“Then, I’ll dare to express my opinion, Your Majesty.”

The emperor nodded again at my brother’s words.

“The business plan itself isn’t bad. The land currently being developed is closely related to the central, northern, and eastern regions. Considering that the Gellions Empire suffers greatly from drought once every few decades, this might be a necessary business.”

As soon as Rubert finished speaking, Father opened his mouth.

“Yes, that’s right, Your Majesty the Emperor. I’d like to start development as soon as possible, so today I’ll pay the money and the land transfer document…”

“However, there is one major flaw in this business plan.”

At those words, everyone’s attention turned to my brother.

Especially Bershua, who was looking at Rubert with an anxious expression.

“As I mentioned earlier, this land is quite close to the central region, but it can be said to be more closely related to the north and east. And the north and east are developing businesses that make protective stones using special materials that only come from that land. As a result, damage to the land occurs frequently.”

The emperor nodded as if he understood.

“The dam is likely to be affected by that business. For that, I think we need a different device.”

“A different device… Do you have anything specific in mind?”

“I’ve heard that the imperial family recently purchased a large amount of iron ore. I’ve also heard that they haven’t been able to dispose of the inventory due to the unilateral refusal of the opposing empire to use the iron ore that was intended for railway construction.”

At that, the emperor frowned briefly before relaxing his expression again.

And he nodded and wiggled his finger as if telling him to continue.

Since this was the first time I was hearing this too, I looked at Rubert in surprise, but his gaze was firm.

Since it was already spilled milk that couldn’t be collected again, I decided to trust Rubert.

“Currently, this proposal states that the boundary between the dam and residential area will be made with special minerals. However, if minerals are used, we’ll inevitably use a relatively small amount for an expensive price. Therefore, I suggest purchasing iron ore from the central region to reinforce the outer wall more solidly.”

The emperor’s eyes sparkled at my brother’s words.

“Iron ore can also withstand high temperatures, so I think it can serve as a good defense if processed well.”

The emperor nodded, apparently liking my brother’s proposal.

Then he looked for Father sitting near him.

“What do you think, Marquis Masipacius?”

Father looked at the emperor with surprised eyes.

And the emperor looked alternately at Bershua and Brother Rubert.

Brother Rubert boldly met the emperor’s eyes, but Bershua seemed anxious, rolling his eyes here and there.

“It seems like there’s someone else who can properly lead this business plan.”

At the blunt words, Father laughed awkwardly as if troubled.

“Still… I will take charge of all the major parts, and Bershua will learn more in the future…”

The emperor nodded as if he understood Father’s words too.

“But, since we’re putting a name as the person in charge… I think it would be better to put the name of the person who is currently planning the business better. Well, this is something that can be changed as the business progresses.”

At those words, Father trembled slightly, pulling up the corners of his mouth as if troubled.

“But… Bershua is also the eldest son of our family… Oh.”

The moment Father spoke those words, the emperor’s face hardened.

The emperor is someone who struggled to reach that position.

It was because he wasn’t the eldest son.

Although everyone evaluated him as more excellent than his older brother, it took a long time for him to ascend to the position of crown prince because he wasn’t the eldest son. Father’s words must have been quite stimulating to the emperor.

Father realized his slip of the tongue and watched the emperor’s reaction for a while, then nodded.

“As Your Majesty the Emperor said, I will put Rubert’s name on the business plan instead of Bershua’s. Please forgive my careless remark.”

As soon as Father finished speaking, the emperor looked at me.

It was a kind of warning that he had done his part, so I should also finish the task I had taken on.

I responded to the emperor by nodding slightly.

And when I turned my head toward Brother Rubert, he calmly picked up the teacup in front of him, took a sip, and put it down.

His slightly trembling hand seemed to show how nervous he was.

When our eyes met, Brother Rubert raised the corner of his mouth in a grin toward me and secretly flashed a V sign.

It was just as I was trying to hold back laughter and enjoy the delicious imperial palace dessert.

“By the way, how old are you, child… Rowenloa?”

“I am 16 years old, Your Majesty the Emperor.”

The emperor raised the corner of his mouth at my words.

“Hmm… 16 years old…”

The emperor looked at me and Brother Rubert with a meaningful expression.

Then he called the aide standing next to him and said something, and soon the aide who had spoken with the emperor hurriedly left the hall.

After the meal ended, the crown prince said he had something to do and hurriedly returned to his room.

The emperor also seemed to have a scheduled appointment afterward, as he anxiously tapped his fingers on the table and fixed his gaze on the door.

Eventually, there was a knock, and the door opened. The aide who had hurriedly left the hall earlier entered with two small envelopes.

“This is… Well, yes. It would have been nice if I could invite everyone, but there are gatherings where the value increases when the number of participants is small.”

Then he muttered something incomprehensible.

“Even though I’m the emperor, the number of people I can give invitations to for this banquet is limited.”

With that, the emperor suddenly stood up from his seat.

We also quickly rose from our chairs and watched the emperor’s actions.

The emperor walked steadily toward me, then held out something like the envelope in his hand to me.

And then he seemed to walk toward Brother Rubert and held out an envelope identical to mine.

“This is an invitation to the crown prince’s coming-of-age ceremony. It also includes an invitation to the banquet that follows.”

Hearing that, I looked at the envelope carefully with a surprised expression.

On the front was engraved the name “Rowenloa Masipacius.”

“There’s not much time left, so it might be a bit rushed to prepare… but I hope both of you will definitely attend. Well, I have an appointment, so I’ll excuse myself here.”

After the emperor left the hall, silence fell among us.

…An invitation to the crown prince’s coming-of-age ceremony and its banquet!

It was always a topic of conversation among nobles who attended this event, which could only be attended with an invitation from the imperial family members…

And now that invitation is in my hand!

Undisguised joy began to spread across my face.