Chapter 20
A noble family’s party was never just a simple social gathering. Even if it was meant for the younger generation, the scale was larger, and though there was a touch of innocence, it was still a miniature version of the high society.
Depending on their age, some children were still pure and innocent, but others had already learned from their parents how to sharply observe their surroundings.
In that sense, the Marquisate of Tristan was like a land flowing with milk and honey.
“You must get close with them.”
This was likely the phrase that the children attending the party had heard endlessly from their parents.
Unless you were openly part of the Emperor’s faction like the Duke of Ivia, this was a house you had to build ties with. And what better opportunity to grow close to the next successor, Lianus?
The Marquis of Tristan wanted to invite only those with good character or those who could be of benefit, given that this was Lianus’s birthday.
Still, the world wasn’t all warm and welcoming, and the Marquis wanted his son to experience that early on.
Among the roughly twenty invited guests, there were Tristan’s friends and foes alike.
And soon, someone they didn’t know how to deal with would be arriving as well.
“Are you that excited?”
The Marquis barely suppressed a sigh as he watched his son brimming with anticipation.
After seeing how many times Lianus had fiddled with the invitation, he had reluctantly allowed him to deliver it to the Imperial Princess. But he hadn’t expected her to actually accept, and even less that the Emperor would grant permission.
The Emperor had said he heard the two had promised to marry.
Could he really be allowing them to be engaged already?
“Yes! They said this would be Kartia’s first official appearance as a princess! I’m thankful it’s my birthday party, but also nervous… What if she doesn’t like it?”
With his cheeks turning red as he spoke, Lianus was the picture of a lovestruck boy.
The Marquis couldn’t help but wonder: Just what kind of person is the princess, to make his son act like this?
Everything he’d heard hinted she wasn’t ordinary.
“First, go welcome the guests. The Princess will arrive last.”
“Yes, Father!”
Even though the Marquis and his wife were present, Lianus was the real star today.
Only the escorts and nannies would accompany the visiting noble children, with just a few adults—those who were close with the Marquis couple—planning to attend.
A party for the children wouldn’t look good if too many adults crowded in.
The Marquis took up a spot at the corner of the garden where the party would be held, adopting the stance of a bystander to let the children mingle freely.
From the corner of his eye, he saw his wife chatting with two close noblewomen, keeping an eye on the children.
Just then, the butler approached.
“Good. There seem to be more escorts and nannies than expected. Set up more seating and treat them properly.”
“Yes, my lord. But… I think you should come with me for a moment.”
“Is something wrong?”
Rising from his seat with a puzzled look, the butler leaned in and whispered:
“Her Highness the Princess has arrived.”
“Already?!”
Imperial custom dictated that the royal family always arrived last at any party or gathering.
It was a mark of honor towards the hosts, giving them time to properly entertain their guests before the royals stole all the attention.
“Yes, my lord. She says she wishes to speak with you and is waiting in the reception room.”
“Huh…”
So much for being unpredictable… she was already breaking expectations.
For someone supposedly only seven years old, this was beyond belief.
“I’ll go immediately.”
Checking his appearance, the Marquis hurried toward the reception room.
“Welcome. Please, make yourself comfortable.”
As he entered the reception room, the Marquis momentarily wondered if this was still his house or the Imperial Princess’s palace.
That’s how shocking her first words were, and how natural she looked, seated at the head of the room like it was her personal chamber.
“Ahem. It’s an honor to meet you, Your Highness. I am Reton Tristan of the Marquisate of Tristan.”
As he sat down, the Marquis instinctively studied Kartia.
Not only was she sitting comfortably, she was slouching a bit, swinging her little feet, resting her chin on her hand placed on the sofa’s armrest, and giving him a small smile with eyes that seemed to be analyzing him.
When their eyes met, the Marquis realized how rude he had been and quickly held his breath.
After seeing those eyes, who would believe she was only seven?
Yet, he quickly regained his composure and opened his mouth to speak.
Or at least, he tried to.
“You’re a bit too obvious with your surprise, aren’t you?”
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
“You just got startled when we made eye contact.”
“I was worried I might have been disrespectful to Your Highness.”
“Isn’t it because I resemble my father?”
“It’s natural that Your Highness and His Majesty resemble each other.”
“But it’s not just the looks, right? You were startled by my eyes, weren’t you?”
The Marquis hesitated for a moment.
It was obvious that he had been startled, but now all traces of his earlier rudeness were gone, and he calmly looked at Kartia.
“You don’t resemble him.”
“Eh? Really?”
Now it was Kartia’s turn to be surprised.
Kartia knew what the maids whispered when they thought she wasn’t listening.
Her cold gaze, unchildlike behavior… some called her creepy, others said she was unsettling.
She had worried if she was acting too mature, but usually brushed it off with a “Who cares?”
After all, she didn’t have the energy to worry about others’ opinions when she could die at any time.
“Yes, you don’t resemble him.”
Hearing the Marquis flatly deny it right to her face left her flustered.
“I’ve known His Majesty since he was your age.”
“You met my father when he was seven?”
“Yes. His Majesty took his first life at seven. I was there to witness it.”
Kartia’s mouth dropped open.
No wonder Duke Zerban and the Duke of Ivia hadn’t been surprised by her attitude… Their loyalty wasn’t just to the royal family, but to the Emperor himself.
Compared to the Emperor’s childhood, she probably seemed quite ordinary.
“I shouldn’t be telling this to Your Highness…”
“No, I want to hear it. Keep going.”
“Hmm… It was an assassin. My father recommended me to be His Majesty’s companion, and on the day we first met, an assassin attacked. It seems they waited for the guards to lower their vigilance because of me.”
“And then?”
“His Majesty… anticipated even that. He killed the assassin instantly with a dagger he was carrying.”
The Marquis couldn’t bring himself to describe the full details of that day.
Even though the Emperor had expected the possibility of an assassination, he hadn’t been an adult at the time—just a slightly larger-than-average boy.
Still, he had reacted with brutal efficiency.
Using the young Marquis as a human shield, fending off the initial strike, wrestling with the assassin, and then slashing his throat in one swift motion.
The Marquis had barely survived the poison and hidden weapons used that day, but more shocking than that had been the Emperor’s gaze.
A cold, detached look as he glanced down at the dead assassin and the bleeding Marquis struggling to breathe.
“Ah… Compared to that, I guess I really am just a child.”
Kartia nodded, looking satisfied.
If the Emperor had been like that, she figured she could continue behaving as she was.
To those who knew the Emperor’s childhood, her demeanor would only seem like a faint echo of his greatness—not something strange.
Maybe she could act even more mature… After all, she had lived more than one life, and pretending to be a naïve child was tiring.
She decided she would only reveal her true self to those who wouldn’t carelessly gossip.
The Marquis of Tristan would now be one of those people.
“Still, I do resemble Father. No normal seven-year-old would be like me, right?”
The Marquis didn’t bother denying that one. He just smiled bitterly.
“Anyway, may I ask why Your Highness requested to see me?”
“Hmm… Now I’m reluctant to say.”
Kartia laughed awkwardly.
She had come to threaten him, but after hearing him openly deny that she resembled the Emperor, it felt harder to go through with it.
But she had to.
Regardless of being Lianus’s father, he was still the head of the Tristan family—standing at odds with the Emperor’s faction.
“I don’t want to make an enemy of you. You’re Lianus’s father, after all. And, for the same reason my father kept you alive, I also hope you live a long life.”
The Marquis’s eyes flickered slightly at that.
“The reason His Majesty has kept me alive…?”
“Yes. Do you know why?”
“From what I can guess… Because it’s easier and less troublesome that way. If I died, the nobles would lose their rallying point, causing them to act more recklessly and defy His Majesty’s will.”
The Emperor was a cold and calculating man.
Aside from being labeled mad, he was also extremely intelligent.
After killing all his siblings to seize the throne, he had continued to rule with both terror and brilliance.
Feared by the nobles, loved by the commoners.
His reign and policies had not only been flawless but had elevated the Empire to a new level.
With public opinion on the Emperor’s side, the nobles couldn’t even voice their complaints.
“That’s true… but it’s not the only reason.”
“Then… what is it?”
“Because you never looked at my mother with disrespectful eyes, you treated her with proper decorum, and you’re one of the few willing to devote yourself to the Empire.”
The six noble houses that had been destroyed…
They had been so rotten that they used a child princess to assassinate the Empress.
Even in his madness after losing the Empress, the Emperor had only killed those truly deserving.
“So I came to warn you. I’ll overlook your daring to invite me to this party… but this will be the first and last time.”
Kartia smiled brightly, and the Marquis found himself unable to say a word.
