### Chapter 45: The Meeting (Part One)
Huh?
What…
I tilted my head, frowned, and wiped off the cake crumbs sticking to the corner of my mouth.
“Who… broke a leg?”
Is he blaming me for something?
My brain quickly recalled events, but I couldn’t remember if I’d ever broken anyone’s leg. The old knight’s words left me confused and just a tad bit annoyed.
The culprit?
I don’t even know who his grandson is!
“I didn’t break anyone’s leg.”
After saying that, I thought for a moment, worried he wouldn’t believe me, and added, “I only broke a nose.”
The old knight paused, and then burst into laughter.
“Little girl, you’ve got spunk!”
He reached out with his calloused hand, as if wanting to pat my head… why does everyone want to touch my head!?
I impatiently tilted my head away, dodging him. The old knight wasn’t embarrassed at all, laughing, “You truly are the daughter of Duke Skarlick from Shanter Castle! Hahaha, breaking noses! Look, doesn’t this remind you of the Winter City?”
“A fierce father doesn’t have a useless daughter!”
“Hahaha—”
Everyone burst into laughter. I was so annoyed that I took a big bite out of my cake.
My plate was empty, but there was still some delicious cream clinging to the edge.
…Can’t waste cream.
I hesitated for a moment, then quickly glanced at the old knight, finding him still lost in laughter. I stretched out my little tongue and swiftly licked the cream clean before handing the empty plate to Rect behind me.
Just one plate left, might as well take my time.
“Girl, do you remember a kid named Peter?” After his laughter, the old knight spoke again, “He caused some trouble for you at the academy. He’s quite the sturdy one and knows a bit of Fire Order.”
Peter…
Oh.
Now that he mentioned it, I finally remembered.
He’s the Fire Boy from the opening ceremony, right? I think Sophia mentioned before that he got into a fight with Alex…
“I have some recollection.”
So is this old knight here to mess with me?
Sure, it’s a bit unfortunate that that Peter got his leg broken, but what does that have to do with me…
“Haha! Look at that dazed expression! If I hadn’t mentioned this, you wouldn’t have remembered, would you? It’s a shame that Peter took a beating for nothing; the girl he likes is probably not coming back now… He’s still lying in bed. Hmph, useless kid! No skills to speak of, but starting trouble better than anyone, serves him right!”
The old knight’s mood changed quicker than a flick of a switch, going from cheerful to furious as he cursed his own grandson, then turned back to a smile.
“Well… Haha! Actually, Peter’s not a bad kid aside from being a bit immature. He understands how to be gentle… Men do mature eventually! You’re sixteen this year, right? Did you ever think about it?”
Cough cough—
I choked a bit on the cream and shot him a glare.
What nonsense is this old man talking about!
Respect your elders… If it weren’t for your age, I’d have knocked you out by now!
“Marquis Rekemond.”
Victoria spoke coldly, her expression a mix of sarcasm and frost.
“Are you deliberately trying to amuse Miss Silvya? That joke isn’t funny. You don’t need to pretend you don’t know her identity as a Pope Knight, calling her ‘little girl’ all the time.”
I don’t know why, but it felt like the tone of her voice… was colder than usual.
Is she angry?
“Let’s sit down and talk.”
Upon hearing this, the old knight’s eyes darted around, and he slapped his forehead.
“Ha! Look at my memory! I’m getting old.”
He bowed slightly to Victoria, gesturing for her to sit. “Your Majesty, don’t blame me. I’m actually here to see the little princess Peilo of Shanter Castle.”
Huh?
What does he mean by that…
I followed Victoria, carrying my dessert, and took a seat beside her. The old knight sat down on the other side, and soon everyone began to take their seats.
Then Victoria officially introduced me to everyone.
“Marquis Rekemond, the former commander of the Order Royal City’s defense forces, currently the head of the Rekemond family. Known as the Lion of the Royal City, he’s an impressive combat strategist.”
“Haha! I’m just getting old. The defense forces are now in my son’s hands, and he’s doing much better than I ever did.” The old knight was quite humble.
Victoria ignored his comment and pointed at another slightly plump middle-aged man.
“Ethanbel, the Northern Region Lord, one of the greatest contributors to the Rose War, Count Bacchus.”
“Hello, beautiful Miss Peilo.”
“Hello…”
“Please send my regards to your father.”
“Sure…”
“Count Kaplas, the lord of Chrisrodney City.”
“I really love the snowy scenery of Winter City. May the moonlight forever shine on Shanter Castle.”
“Thank you…”
“Lady Balma…”
She went around introducing everyone sitting at the round table, and I smiled, responding to each one.
‘Neither too intimate nor too distant, maintaining just the right amount of distance between people.’ Mom taught me these noble social rules, and I could definitely pull it off with flying colors.
However…
My eyes kept darting to the little cake on the table, the one I had only bitten into twice.
After a moment, I reluctantly looked away.
After a while, I sneaked another glance.
I was practically drooling.
Would it be too inappropriate to eat just one bite now…
So when would be the right time to eat…
These thoughts filled my head.
In the end, aside from knowing that they were all powerful nobles from Ethanbel, I didn’t remember much else.
“As for Miss Peilo, you all know her identity. The daughter of Duke Skarlick of the Valen Empire and the youngest Pope Knight in history, a hero who saved the citizens of the Royal City during the Disaster…”
At this point, Victoria suddenly paused.
Then I watched as she casually picked up the plate from the table and set it aside.
Ah…
It seemed like she had merely made a casual little motion, not even looking at me, as though nothing had happened, and continued speaking to everyone.
“Tonight, everyone sitting here are friends, and friends should support each other. Shanter Castle has long been a collaborator with the Order Royal City and is our close ally. I would like to take this opportunity during the banquet to advance our relationship between the Royal City and Shanter Castle one step further.”
The room fell silent.
Everyone around the round table wore varying smiles, though their eyes began to flicker, discreetly examining those around them, eagerly anticipating what Her Majesty might propose.
“Currently…”
Victoria mused, her long fingers rhythmically tapping on the table, speaking slowly.
“Whether it be us or Shanter Castle far off in the Empire, we may both face unpredictable serious situations. I hope we can weather the storm together. What Shanter Castle needs now is people, is an army, is a mountain that can crush our enemies. The Shanter Army’s hunters are certainly fierce, perhaps on the battlefield they can take on ten, but facing a city guard that outnumbers them tenfold, even if they win, it would be very difficult to hold the city. Once the tug-of-war begins, it can easily lead to a very passive situation.”
She turned to look at me. “Peilo, I hope you can consider the Royal City as a form of insurance. Tell your father that if, in the upcoming war, Shanter Castle finds itself at a disadvantage due to a lack of manpower, the Royal City will undoubtedly offer its assistance.”
