•?••? ? ?••?•

“Iva, how about trying on this earring?”

“No. Our daughter looks best in red earrings, my dear.”

“Really? Everything looks pretty on her to me.”

“Well, of course. Our girl is the most beautiful in the world.”

“That’s quite the statement. My beautiful girl, which one do you prefer?”

“…I like them all.”

The Blanche mansion was thrown into turmoil by the Emperor’s letter.

Merely working with Claude was an honor for the family, but the Emperor himself giving a reward? It was an event that would go down in the annals of the Blanche history.

While her parents were over the moon and busy dressing up Iva, she herself wasn’t excited at all.

She felt like she was enduring a punishment of having to hold a mouthful of sand.

It took several days just to prepare for the trip to the imperial palace. She had to shop for dresses with her mother at various boutiques, and under her father’s insistence, take special tutoring lessons in court etiquette.

She wished the day would never come, but time ruthlessly marched on, and the day to meet the Emperor arrived.

Lately, Iva felt so queasy she hadn’t been eating properly and looked a bit frail.

“Iva, my dear, be careful out there. Make sure you tell us all about it when you return.”

“Honey, don’t put too much pressure on her. Just do what you want and come back, dear.”

In that case, I’d rather run off to the countryside, find several lovers, and just live freely.

She wanted to drop that bombshell and flee straight to the countryside.

“…Yes. I’ll do my best.”

She had to force a smile and nod in agreement. If she ran now, it could really spell disaster.

With a strained smile, she boarded the carriage and set off for the imperial palace.

* * *

“Lady Blanche, it’s a pleasure to meet you like this.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Iva Blanche.”

“I am Flah, the aide to His Majesty, the Emperor.”

She had secretly hoped that maybe Chase would come to greet her, but it was too much to expect. Instead, it was the Emperor’s aide, Flah, who was waiting for her.

Just facing Flah made Iva’s shoulders tense up.

“Please follow me.”

“Yes.”

Following Flah, Iva chided herself internally.

I should’ve followed Bridget. Then I wouldn’t have had to meet the Emperor. I never thought I’d regret something so quickly.

Should I just bolt now? As these and other thoughts swirled in her head, making it a jumbled mess.

“His Majesty is inside. Please enter.”

Before she knew it, Iva had arrived at the Emperor’s reception room. Tense and rigid, she turned to Flah with a hesitant voice.

“D-Do I go in alone?”

“Yes.”

“You’re not coming in with me?”

“I have other matters to attend to.”

It felt like she was about to attend a high-pressure, one-on-one job interview. She hadn’t even applied, but it seemed she got a free pass. This wasn’t exciting at all.

As Iva hesitated, not moving an inch,

Knock, knock.

“Your Majesty. Lady Blanche has arrived.”

Without waiting for Iva, Flah knocked on the door. Before she could even process her shock,

“Let her in.”

The voice of Adhvan sounded.

“Please enter.”

Flah, ever so courteously, opened the door wider, leaving Iva with no choice but to march straight in.

“I, I present my, my respects to the, the Sun of the Bergen Empire His Majesty the Emperor.”

She stuttered three times in that brief sentence, nearly biting her tongue.

Upon facing Adhvan, she froze solid due to the overwhelming tension.

“Sit.”

“Y-Yes.”

She moved awkwardly, like a puppet, towards the sofa. Once Adhvan took his seat, Iva followed suit.

She felt like a mere private standing before a three-star general.

“Don’t be so stiff.”

“Yes, interviewer… I mean, Your Majesty.”

Internally, she tried to ease her nerves by thinking, ‘This is just an interview, and that guy is probably bald underneath,’ but the wrong words slipped out.

The tension mounted after her verbal misstep, and she clenched her fists tightly.

“I called you here to thank you for the successful execution of the recent party. Thanks to the good impression you made, the Fenet Empire approached us with a trade proposal.”

“Thank you. It wasn’t just me; His Highness Claude and the preparatory team were a great help too!”

Her tone rose at the end, almost like she was answering an interview question.

“The Fenet delegation’s leader sent a letter brimming with praises for you.”

Bridget! Why did you do something so unnecessarily nice?

“It’s clearly your accomplishment.”

“Thank you.”

“I wish to reward you. Is there something you desire?”

I just want to leave right now!

She almost blurted out her true feelings due to her immense nervousness.

“I desire nothing. Just knowing that I’ve been of help to the palace is honor enough for me.”

“Humble, aren’t you?”

“Not really. Anyone would feel the same. Initiating a trade with Fenet will be a big reward for me as well.”

She forced a smile, but she could feel her trembling lips giving her away.

“Lady Blanche.”

“Yes!”

“If we were to trade with Fenet, what do you think we should exchange to benefit the most?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Iva scrambled mentally for the best answer. However, her anxiety-clenched mind wouldn’t cooperate.

•?••? ? ?••?•