Chapter 67 …

The people who had been paying attention to me were startled.

“The East?”

“Why of all places….”

Someone started to say something, then abruptly shut their mouth. I could guess what they had been about to say.

Why would I want to develop the land of traitors?

Now that the war was over, people’s image of the northeastern region was at its worst.

Duke Aschenbach, who had broken his promise to the founding emperor, and the northeastern nobles who had blindly supported only Aschenbach instead of integrating into the Empire.

Even though the Empire had won, the anger toward them wouldn’t fade easily.

You could see that clearly just by looking around this ballroom.

At today’s party, nobles from the northeast who had not sided with Aschenbach were, of course, also present.

Every one of them wore a dark expression. Some even kept their heads lowered as if they were guilty and avoided talking with others.

They could feel the hostility surging among the nobles.

In a situation like this, it was only natural that people would be shocked when I suddenly brought up the topic of developing the East. At a celebration for victory, I had raised a sensitive issue out of nowhere.

But I had expected this reaction.

“Oh my, why are you all reacting like that?”

I raised my voice as if puzzled.

“Everyone knows the northeast is an underdeveloped region, don’t they? It needed development, but the one who blocked it was Duke Aschenbach.”

A few people stared at me with blank expressions.

“Was… that so?”

“You didn’t know, Aslan? Aschenbach spent money generously only on areas adjacent to his own territory. At the same time, he used the ‘special nature’ of the northeast as an excuse to refuse any outside investment or help.”

However, a few sharp ones immediately understood what I was trying to say.

The old man who scolded the younger man—who seemed to be his son—turned to look at me. I could read faint interest in his pale gray eyes.

“How does a princess who has lived only in the imperial palace know so much about the East?”

I smiled sweetly at him, though inside I felt a little tense.

Someone far more important than I had expected had appeared.

He definitely hadn’t been here right after the dance ended. Had he been drawn over by the talk about the East?

Despite his graying hair, he was a tall man with an imposing presence that matched his stature.

He was Ivar Cassander, the husband of Marquess Cassander.

As soon as he married into the Cassander family as a son-in-law, the marquess died. But instead of returning to his hometown, he revived the marquisate, which had been on the verge of collapse.

It was such a famous story that even now he was still called “the Marquess’s husband” in high society, even though his son had long since inherited the title.

What mattered right now, however, was his background before marriage.

Ivar’s original surname was Rohl. He came from one of the most underdeveloped areas in the East.

It was probably because his hometown had come up that he was interested in what I was saying.

The moment I saw him, I realized something.

The success or failure of tonight depended on whether I could persuade Ivar Cassander.

“The East is also imperial land that should receive the imperial family’s care. I’ve been paying attention to its potential for quite some time.”

When Tristan and I had first danced, the people who crowded around us were mostly gossip lovers or those trying to flatter Tristan.

But when I deliberately raised my voice and started talking about the East, more people began paying attention.

Smarter people. More practical people.

“But its isolation has always been an obstacle. Isn’t Aschenbach truly a wicked leader?”

Conscious of new people gathering around, I spoke in a dramatic tone.

“He exploited the East using his power, and to maintain that situation he isolated the northeast even further. It’s a terrible vicious cycle.”

Because of the promise between the founding emperor and Aschenbach, the northeast had a certain degree of autonomy.

But while it sounded nice to call it autonomy, in reality it was practically the same as giving Aschenbach free rein.

And he used that authority exactly as he pleased.

He opened transportation routes that prioritized territories connected to him, and strictly limited mining output in other regions to maintain mineral prices.

At the same time, internally he constantly emphasized the era before the Empire, when the northeast had been a single kingdom, strengthening their unity.

It was true that people in the northeast were exclusive. But that exclusivity had also been deliberately nurtured by Aschenbach in order to maintain his power.

“Those who have visited know that the rural areas in the East are so poor they don’t even have proper medical facilities. They are still subjects of the Empire, yet they’ve been exploited by Duke Aschenbach all this time. As a member of the imperial family, I simply couldn’t stand by.”

Of course, many nobles didn’t know these inner details. Their hostility toward Aschenbach and the northeast had only grown because of the war.

In this situation, if all the blame for the war was placed solely on Aschenbach…

“I thought he was merely a criminal who dared rebel against the Empire, but it turns out he’s a truly despicable coward!”

“I had no idea things were like that. The people of the East must have suffered for a long time.”

Naturally, everyone except Aschenbach became victims.

Sensing the shift in the atmosphere, I felt satisfied.

Not everyone would think this way, but at least it might help ease the hostility that filled high society.

While thinking that, my eyes suddenly met Ivar Cassander’s.

His face was strict enough that not even a needle seemed able to slip through.

But I didn’t miss the extremely faint smile forming on it.

“All imperial citizens are primarily the responsibility of their local lords, but ultimately they are also the responsibility of His Majesty the Emperor, who oversees the entire Empire.”

Ivar spoke. Even without raising his voice, the moment he opened his mouth he drew attention—just like a true giant of high society.

“So the Seventeenth Princess intends to care for the East on behalf of His Majesty.”

My goodness.

I was genuinely impressed by his choice of words.

Not only had he said exactly what I had intended to say first, he had even dressed it up with elegant phrasing. I almost wanted to applaud him.

The Seventeenth Princess, who had lived quietly without any presence until now, suddenly declaring she would develop the East.

And instead of emphasizing the money she could earn, she spoke of the Empire’s benefit and the duties of the imperial family.

The perceptive ones must have realized it already, but most people probably just now remembered.

That even I—who had lived as quietly as a mouse—was one of the imperial descendants eligible to participate in the Sollea succession struggle.

And right now, I was also the first dance partner of Tristan, the hero of the war.

After dancing with the new master of Aschenbach, announcing the development of the East would appear like a very deliberate gesture.

In truth, I hadn’t planned it that far ahead.

But since it looked good, I might as well pretend it was intentional.

I returned a meaningful smile to Ivar.

It felt promising. If the development of the East succeeded, nobles from the northeast—including Ivar—would become a strong support base for me.

“But how exactly do you plan to develop the East?”

Someone asked in a tone clearly meant to challenge me.

I turned to see who had spoken.

A middle-aged man—probably from the First Princess’s faction—faced me with a confrontational attitude.

“Business is meant to make money, but I’m not sure development in the East has that much advantage. If Your Highness intends to do charity work, then that is certainly a noble endeavor, but…”

If I had money overflowing to the point of rotting away, charity might have been nice.

But I had even borrowed my initial investment from Theodora. That level of generosity was impossible.

“It’s not charity. I invested in developing the East because I believe it will bring returns equal to the investment.”

“Then what exactly—”

“If you’re curious about the details.”

I looked around at the people as I spoke.

“Make a separate appointment with me. If you’re interested in investing, there’s no reason I can’t tell you.”

Who would be foolish enough to reveal their business idea in advance?

I had wanted to reveal even the keyword “Eastern development” as late as possible.

But judging by the atmosphere of the party, easing hostility toward the northeast seemed more important, so I brought it up.

Thanks to that, I had drawn Ivar Cassander’s attention. In the end, it was beneficial. Given the scale of the project, I would need more investors anyway.

Besides, everyone would now know.

“I’ve just turned fifteen this year. From now on, I’d like to attend social gatherings more often, so if there are good events, please be sure to invite me.”

That the Seventeenth Princess had changed.

And that she would continue to change even more.

Just then, an unfamiliar voice suddenly cut into the conversation.

“Really? If Your Highness comes, I’ll have to throw a party as soon as tomorrow.”

It was a beautiful voice.

Sweet like honey and seductive like musk.

For a moment, the eyes of those who heard it became slightly dazed.

A captivating voice that instantly stole the attention that had been focused on me.

What was this? Had a siren come to charm people?

Startled, I turned my head.

It was a man dressed in flashy Western-style clothing. His brown curly hair fell softly over his forehead, and his large black puppy-like eyes drooped slightly, stirring a protective instinct.

“It’s been a while, Your Highness.”

He smiled gently, his eyes curving.

It was the kind of addictive smile you could stare at all day without getting tired of.

But wait—did he just say it had been a while since we last met?

“It seems… this isn’t our first meeting?”

I activated my memory at full speed, trying to find this man in the photo album of faces in my mind.

He certainly wasn’t unfamiliar. I was sure I had seen him somewhere before.

But the answer refused to come.

After all, the only social event I had attended before this was the birthday celebration three years ago when Rudolf dragged me along. And how many people had I met that day?

“I apologize for not remembering someone so handsome. May I ask your name?”

Eventually I gave up trying to recall and asked him directly.

“You don’t remember me?”

Smiling, he took my hand. Before I could react, he gently kissed the back of it.

“I’m Chris.”