Situated inside their reception room, Duke and Duchess Reviarra exchanged gazes while they allowed Sol to examine the invitation. Her eyes trailed the decorated letters until they concluded on the Queen’s signature. Although her frailty restrained her personality, the true core of Sol was a cunning little girl. How could she not detect the hint of conspiracy behind the invitation?

“Father, this invitation is quite heavy.”

After his eyes drifted between the letter in Sol’s hands and the King’s letter opened on the table in front of him, Duke Reviarra leaked a wry smile.

“Sol, you’ve attracted too much attention. Despite your intentions, the reality is that you’ve already entered the eyes of the King and Queen. King Blonsall himself issued a direct order for me to not interfere in this…”

Duke Reviarra’s gaze flickered as if recalling his session with the King today. He was called into a personal advisory meeting and complemented heavily for raising such a talented daughter. Though the Duke fell behind his daughter’s business talent, he remained a talented minister with excellent foresight into the political environment.

All exchanges between himself and the King during that session hinted heavily of his intentions. He was trying to fold Sol into the Royal family despite her age and health. What a situation he found himself in. Duke Reviarra rejected all the double speak he could and refused any direct invitations in Sol’s place, however he was only a minister in the end.

Having exchanged double speak with Duke Reviarral all day and seeing his trusted minister act ignorant, the exhausted Duke and King eventually dropped all pretenses. Duke Reviarra was directly ordered to deliver the King’s invitation to Sol and allow her to enter the palace on her own accord. Such a direct order was something he, a minister, could not refuse.

“An, what do you think? The Queen’s invitation includes Prince Elric while the King’s invitation includes the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Prince as special invites.”

An started laughing the moment he heard her question. Having been beside her for a while now, An understood the girl’s personality. Her innocent exterior had long become a shell and disguise to hide the mischievous and cunning girl within. The mere fact she asked for his opinion before her parents suggests she already knew the influence he had over them and wanted to leverage that strength later.

While An wasn’t happy at being used like a tool, there was a budding joy in the depths of his heart. He had all but confirmed that his observation target was likely the woman they were looking for. If he could maintain a positive impression with her, his future would be boundless. Acting as if he just managed to conclude his thoughts, An unhurriedly responded.

“They’re trying to pull you into the Royal family, isn’t it obvious? Congratulations Sol!”

Beads of sweat lined her head after hearing the unexpected reply. Was he doing it on purpose? Her gaze drifted to that arrogant smile. He was definitely doing it on purpose. Petty feelings of revenge budded in her heart against the man who just pushed her into the fire.

“It says in the invitation I may bring a maid along with me. Isn’t that great, An? This Lady is certain you’ll look great in womens clothing.”

Her bright smile and disguised innocence froze An’s laughter in place. He coughed twice to clear his throat before continuing with a struggle. He knew he stepped into land mind by ignoring her indirect call for assistance. What could he do but own up to it?

“Well… That is… of course… Placing your entourage aside for the moment, this is clearly a conspiracy. Receiving an invitation from the King or Queen for a banquet by itself isn’t that worrisome under normal circumstances however…”

His gaze drifted to the two letters of different origin and contents.

“It’d appear either the Queen has overstepped her position in the battle for the throne, or the other concubine mothers tempted the King to invite the other Princes as well… Duke Reviarra, has the King mentioned who else would be invited?”

“No. This Duke was forced in the end to accept the invitation after my attempts to reject went afoul. That being said, a banquet hosted by the Royal family can only be considered one if there’s large participation. Without an attendance of at least 50 families, the Queen who’s considered the host would be embarrassed. If we include a surplus of invites to account for families unable to attend, then there should be around 60 invitations sent out. Each family has to be of certain rank as well, so we can assume most of the upper aristocracy will be there.”

After her husband finished, Duchess Reviarra concluded.

“Queen Blonsall has likely invited all the top tier ministers… I may not have attended as many ceremonies recently, however rumors about her schemes to remain dominant in the harem are still active. She was known for using public venues to accomplish personal objectives.”

Her concerned gaze fell on her daughter who was in deep thought. Unlike those invitations sent to the other aristocratic families, the two invitations delivered to Sol were direct invitations. Outside of a medical emergency, it wasn’t likely for her to escape attending. It couldn’t have been more obvious who the King and Queen were targeting.

Her daughter was only 9 years old and yet she was being dragged into the conspirator quagmire of Royal power struggles. Honestly, Duchess Reviarra was conflicted over how to feel. Should she be proud of this daughter that everyone looked highly upon? Pity instead for her short life despite her accomplishments? Fear from the creature protecting her? There were too many options but in the end, it was her daughter and she just wanted her to remain safe.

Sol could feel her mother’s burning gaze. It took only a glimpse for her to understand the mire of emotions flashing across through her. Feeling helpless, Sol repositioned herself onto her mother’s lap. Her smile extended wide and her bright eyes attempted to reassure.

“Mother, do not fret. Schemes are only as useful as those implementing them. I don’t know about the 1st and 4th Prince, but the 2nd and 3rd Prince are too weak to attempt anything extreme. King and Queen Blonsall are having an internal struggle, so they will attempt to keep each other in check. That means the little tricks Queen Blonsall would normally use will be restricted. The 1st and 4th Prince will have to act directly if they want to do anything to me.”

Her gaze drifted to An, pulling her mother’s attention along with it.

“I don’t know who An is entirely, but I doubt my maid will allow anything to happen to me as well. Isn’t that right, Ms. Ann?”

An choked for a moment at the address. He thought the jab earlier was more in jest, however it appeared the young girl had already set her sights on seeing him in womens clothing. His gaze dispersed and became hollow for a moment as he tried to salvage what male pride he could.

Luckily, it was only the two parents and this girl in the room. Otherwise, An wasn’t sure how he could remain so lofty before them in the future. He felt the cunning girl before him figured something out. Had he slipped his intentions? Why else would she be so confident? His faded expression gradually creeped into a warped smile.

“Of course. I’ll be sure to keep you safe… In the background.”

“Oh no. My maid shouldn’t leave my side. No worries though, Ms. Ann. This Lady has the perfect outfit for you.”

Satisfied with her small prank, Sol’s smile faded as she resumed the discussion with her parents. There were few things one could do more appropriate in life than maintain a proper degree of preparation when being schemed upon.

With preparation and discussion consuming time, 2 months slipped past Sol until the day of the banquet arrived.

Guided by her father’s hand, Sol climbed into the Reviarra carriage embedded with her family crest. Following behind her, a foul faced maid with long black hair climbed inside and settled with a dark expression in the corner of the carriage. Sol couldn’t help but chuckle lightly at An’s actions.

Duchess Reviarra grasped her daughter’s hand and took a close look at Sol's face as if to embed her image in her mind. Her hand caressed Sol’s face and she finally revealed a gentle smile before releasing her hand.

“Sol, my baby… Remain cautious. Trust no one be it servants or aristocracy. Treat this banquet as a sightseeing tour. Try not to leave the main ballroom or surrounding atriums. If something goes wrong, feel free to leave early and head back. Your father and I will handle any fallout from your absence…“

“Mother…“

Slight tears brimmed Sol’s eyes, however her confidence remained at an all time high. She felt confident in handling any schemes the Queen might have as long as An was with her. Although she didn’t understand who An truly was, nor his real goal, it was clear her safety was a priority in his eyes. That was enough to calm her down and fill her weak points for now.