The victory banquet for the West and East retaliation territories was held rather lavishly.
This is also to give all those who participated in the war appreciation and recognition for their efforts and sacrifices.
And so this also became a venue for the sons and daughters of the noble families who had been long suppressed by the Vesala's faction to stand out and socialize with other families.
A great change in the aristocratic forces was expected to form especially now that a major player in politics was now eliminated.
The target for the new faction that was forming was actually the Third Prince, who, ironically, now had the strongest qualification to become the Crown Prince.
The nobles were now scrambling to get on his good side however, even after a month of persuasion, Third Prince Leon still hasn't shown interest in fighting for the throne.
Thus, the nobles who were disappointed by the lack of movement from the Third Prince now convened and thought of a way to entice the Third Prince into entering the political competition - that is through marriage.
Thus, it could not be more obvious that the aristocrats bringing their daughters to the victory banquet was for the Third Prince to become interested in one of them.
"When His Majesty Emperor and Their Highness marched later, remember to try your best in getting the attention of His Highness Third Prince." A count from a noble family repeatedly warned her daughter before they got off the carriage.
"But Father… I heard that the Third Prince was actually pursuing the great inventor…" His lovely daughter, dressed like an innocent princess shining with the rarest jewels they could find, replied in reluctance.
"You do not need to worry about that. Although the great inventor has the support of the GrandMasters and their family, the Emperor might have to think twice about letting his precious son marry the lady." The count looked around and told his daughter with a hushed tone.
"Why so father?" Curious as to why the most talented lady in the Empire might not cut it to the Imperial Family, the daughter listened with interest.
"At the end of the day, the Great Inventor, Lady Eli was still of commoner blood. Even if she was now officially taken by the Forgeworns in their genealogy and declared as a god daughter of the Faraulds, her origins still have to be questioned." The count crossed his arms as he told the tale with confidence.
"To add to that, knowing that the Third Prince himself was also of questionable origin with the Second Queen's status, the purity of the royal blood might become much weaker. The Emperor would have to think twice because of that." The count continued with a satisfied smirk on his face.
"So you mean… even if the prince wanted the lady, the first to object to their relationship was His Majesty Emperor himself?" The daughter of the count opened her intricate fan to hide the excited smile on her lips as she slowly understood her father's words.
"That's right! So my beautiful daughter, as soon as you step into the ballroom, it will be a war amongst the other ladies of the nobility. The genius inventor was not even a threat to you. Make sure that you will stand out in the crowd."
This kind of conversation was not only present in the count's family. All other nobles who were eyeing the potential of the Third Prince's power were having such intentions.
Magical, grandiose, and lively.
That was what everyone who entered the grand ballroom felt as soon as they stepped inside.
The music from the orchestra made everyone in the mood to socialize and the wide array of food and refreshments as made it very conducive for the attendees to enjoy the banquet's entirety.
But among them was the silent war for the young ladies of the Empire.
Dressed on the most colorful and latest trend for imperial ball gowns. Some even had their hair dyed black and went as far as to order the entire array of black hair fashion in order to catch the prince's attention.
The ladies stood gracefully dressed in glamor as they threw each other praises with hidden knives under their words.
The men watching them on the side could not help but shake their heads helplessly as they lamented how women were fickle when it comes to love and fame.
Once they enjoyed gossiping about how barbaric and monstrous the Third Prince was and how they abhor having such a prince in the Empire. But now, they were fighting like cats and dogs in order to assert who among them had the highest chance of getting the prince's attention.
"Hahaha… how fickle…" A bachelor holding his glass of champagne watched the silent battle like he was watching an opera.
"I know right? If only they knew that the Prince would most likely abhor ladies like them and was much more interested in intelligent and brilliant women like Lady Eli." Another one commented.
"Well… if I were the Prince, I would also prefer that kind of woman. At least I won't have to worry about the matters of my estate with a capable woman like her managing my household. How lucky would I be to have someone like her by my side, while I toil to make my future fief develop." An heir to a county also commented.
"Yes, now that you pointed that out. It seems like the lady is indeed a good catch. She had a beautiful countenance and a brilliant mind. Oh, speaking of the Lady, didn't Young Master Anderson also become caught in the rumors with the lady?" This time a bachelor pulled the silent Anderson into the conversation.
Everyone looked at the young heir of the Cross Family.
As one of the known allies of the Vesala family, Cross Family was now in an awkward position because of the matter. Fortunately, the current Count, Anderson's father, was an upright man and has not tried to involve his family in any shady dealings with the Vesalas - except for the attempt to curry the favor of the Empress for Alicia's sake.
But all in all, the Cross Family, was one of the few allied families who survived the purge.
Anderson calmly sipped his wine as he maintained a sharp expression. He then looked at the man who threw the question and replied straightforwardly,
"The rumors are baseless. The reason why I escorted her in the first place was because of the fact that the lady was a close friend of my elder sister. There's nothing more to it."
"I see then… Now that you have mentioned it, the Great Inventor was really close to Lady Alicia. Is it because they were from the same institute?" The others shrugged and felt the flash on Anderson's eyes that was warning them not to make any more rumors between him and Eli.
"Well, that seemed to be the case. My elder sister has quite a strong personality, and it made me surprised to find out that she actually managed to have a friend." Anderson replied seeing that the guys were sensible, his demeanor also calmed down.
Just as the conversation continued, the music suddenly changed from a typical symphony into a majestic one, signaling the entrance of the most important people in the hall.
"Announcing the presence of His Majesty Emperor and the Imperial Family!" Chamberlain's voice rang in the hall the moment the music and the bustle stopped.
Instantly all eyes were on the center at the far end of the hall where the Imperial Family was supposed to show up and descend.
The first one to enter was of course Emperor Valentin, following closely behind him were First Queen Lucia and the Second Queen Tehila.
Then they were followed by the entrance of Kazimir with Arielle beside him as they walked slowly with their hands interlocked with each other. It was as if they were a newly wedded couple as they entered the banquet hall, with their shy expressions yet full of affection.
After their entrance, it was time for Antoine and Evelyn's turn. With matching clothes that sang the same song, they looked like a couple happily in love with each other as if they had not yet gotten over their honeymoon.
Seeing the two princes show their love to their respective wives in different ways. The noble ladies started to imagine themselves walking beside the Third Prince Leon, gracefully walking hand in hand with him with all eyes looking at them with envy and amazement.
However, when Leon's entrance was announced, their hearts were instantly disappointed.
The noblemen who placed their hopes upon their daughters felt like their wines became bitter in an instant.
For the Third Prince entered the hall with a graceful and beautiful woman beside him.
Walking hand in hand, with the Third Prince's cold and distant expression and the Lady's elegant and striking countenance, they looked like a power couple - made for each other!
The onlookers almost felt their hearts stop as the couple descended like supreme deities in the mortal land.
Leon and Eli walked side by side, without feeling any nervousness as if it was natural for them to appear together at this moment!
