“Of course, it’s a great idea! Our Tia is a perfect princess!”
Marisol quickly retorted, crossing her arms.
“I hope Tia becomes the empress. Sure, Osvaldo and Vellarenza are great too, but Tia is the most graceful, fair, and wise among them.”
“You’re so simple! Do you really think it’s that easy for the youngest princess, who has no power like Osvaldo, to be chosen as the heir to the throne? Plus…”
Oriana glanced at the door, lowering her voice.
“Osvaldo and Vellarenza meet every day. Tia’s the only one who’s following the ‘recommendation’ to write the proposal by herself.”
“What? That’s so unfair! I’ll tell the empress right away! Your Majesty!”
Marisol clenched her fists and ran toward the door, but Oriana grabbed her by the back of the neck.
“Shh. Don’t make a fuss.”
“I can’t forgive this! In the name of the great Empress and Princess Ortensia!”
“Even if you tell her, what can we do? It was just a recommendation, not a command.”
Oriana said, glancing at Tia.
Just a few days ago, when Oriana suggested to Tia, “Why don’t you consult with the scholars before writing your proposal?” she had been very careful, too.
“…Oriana’s right. Knowing how to work the system is a skill, I guess.”
Tia spoke up, and Marisol puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.
“Ugh, what kind of skill is that? If that’s a skill, then I’ll start saying I’m a master at stealing Oriana’s hair ties and sticky notes!”
“You little… I noticed my sticky notes disappearing!”
A loud clink echoed as a glass ink bottle hit the walnut desk, making everyone stop.
Marisol and Oriana blinked, staring at Tia.
Tia slowly stood up from her chair, straightened her posture, and said,
“Let’s go see Her Majesty.”
The proposal they had worked on for half a month was finally done.
Today was the final day to decide who would inherit the great Empress’s position.
“Wait! Let me pick out the prettiest dress for you, Tia!”
Marisol ran out, excited to find a new dress.
As soon as she left, the room became quiet.
“…Sorry for the nonsense, Princess.”
Oriana apologized, her shoulders slumped.
Tia nodded quietly.
What Oriana said was true, and it wasn’t harmful to her.
Tia didn’t expect to win and become the heir to Osvaldo, and she was content in her current position.
Still, she wanted to perform well in the competition.
She wanted to make the Empress proud.
She wanted to be recognized for her sincerity as a princess who cares for the empire and its people.
“Look, Princess! How about this emerald-colored dress that looks like a sunny summer garden?”
Marisol returned with a new dress, and both maids quickly started dressing Tia.
Once the ink on the parchment dried, Marisol proudly showed her the mirror.
“Do you like it? No other princess could look more elegant. Any dress looks great on you, Tia!”
Tia quietly nodded again.
She stared at herself in the mirror for a moment.
Her curly black hair and blue eyes looked perfect to her.
Staring at them made her heart flutter with an inexplicable feeling…
It was a secret she couldn’t tell anyone.
“…Shall we go?”
She lifted her face with a calm expression, hiding her emotions.
The afternoon sun shone brightly on the golden path at her feet.
It felt like a good day.
“We’re ready, Princess.”
Oriana gently tied up Tia’s proposal with a silk string and held it carefully. Marisol cheerfully opened the door, leading the way.
“Shall we go now? The next Empress, ho ho ho!”
Laughter echoed inside the audience room.
It was Vellarenza’s voice, and Osvaldo’s soft voice could be heard too.
Tia left the maids at the door and stepped into the room.
“The youngest princess, Ortensia, comes to greet the Heavenly Emperor of Albreon.”
Empress Leona sat on her throne, raised on a platform, gently fiddling with a sprig of pine as she watched her youngest daughter.
She stared at her for a long time in silence. With her brilliant golden hair and eyes, Leona looked like the sun that had descended to Earth, sitting on the throne.
“Welcome, Tia.”
Osvaldo greeted her warmly first.
Vellarenza, standing next to him, also peeked out and smiled.
“Well, the youngest one’s last to arrive?”
Her gaze was sharp, but she still had a cheerful smile on her face.
“Really hard to understand. Didn’t you want to show your proposal to make Her Majesty happy as soon as possible? But instead, you’re late, taking more time than necessary…”
“Tia is very cautious and meticulous, Vellarenza.”
Osvaldo gently chided, smiling kindly at Tia.
“Plus, Tia is younger than us, so it must’ve been hard to write such an important proposal. You did well, Tia. I’m proud of you.”
He smiled at her, but she didn’t return the smile. She just listened to him quietly, maintaining her composure, then turned her gaze back to her mother.
“May I submit my proposal, Your Majesty?”
Vellarenza’s voice grumbled about Tia being rude to her older siblings, but Tia ignored it.
She didn’t want to correct her sister’s rudeness during a conversation with their mother, as it would be improper.
The chancellor took Tia’s proposal and handed it to the Empress.
Leona slowly read the parchment with deep, focused eyes. Her gaze moved slowly, pausing and scanning the page, stopping at times.
Tia’s heart raced.
“I wonder if you can see it, Tia?”
Vellarenza, bored, quietly spoke.
“Osvaldo planned to build a temple city called ‘Leona Aureum.'”
A temple city?
“Isn’t that amazing? People from all over the empire flock to the temples to worship the Empress. Why hasn’t anyone thought of building a temple city until now?”
“…It’s wonderful.”
Ah, so Osvaldo chose a religious theme for his proposal…
Tia glanced at the documents on the desk next to the chancellor.
The bundles of creamy-colored parchment looked thick.
Osvaldo preferred parchment over paper made from fiber. Even a few years ago, when the quality of fiber paper was much worse, he wrote letters to his retainers on parchment.
“Wonderful? Is that all? This is about creating heaven, Tia! Leona Aureum will be the literal heaven for our people who worship the Ascalberk family. Worshippers and foreigners will spend huge amounts of money buying portraits of Her Majesty or commemorative coins. The chancellor also said the plan is very feasible.”
But it wasn’t the right paper for presenting to the Empress…
Tia drifted into thought as Vellarenza’s words grew faster.
“Did you not hear how Her Majesty praised Osvaldo for his idea? Of course, she also praised my exhibition plan. She even said, ‘What prize should I give you?’ You should’ve heard it too.”
