19

The autumn festival season, alongside the New Year season, became a busy season for the royal family.

Diplomatic delegations from inside and outside the country came in great numbers to take part in this autumn festival.

Once the autumn festival ended, the Royal Capital would enter the full-fledged evening party season.

After the popularity vote for the floats at the palace in the royal castle, the autumn festival evening party hosted by the royal family would be held, opening the evening party season for that year.

The popularity vote for the floats was itself a major entertainment.

Incidentally, voting rights were given only to high-ranking nobles.

Whether or not one possessed voting rights for the floats became a major status symbol for nobles.

Under the watch of honored guests from foreign countries, the results of the vote were solemnly announced by the King’s own hand.

The announced results were posted outside the royal palace as an extra edition and made known to the common people as well.

Because the district that produced the winning float would receive a tax reduction, the announcement of the results grew tremendously lively every year.

The Royal Capital’s autumn festival was an exceptionally splendid event that also announced the start of the season’s evening parties for nobles.

Princess Eugenia, who had only just awakened from her long sleep, was also extremely busy every day with diplomacy and socializing as a member of the royal family, to the point where her head spun.

Eugenia’s work today was hosting a garden party with the ambassador from the neighboring country as her guest.

In a soft, light-blue, girlishly cute dress, with her gorgeous golden hair, Eugenia had only just awakened from a long sleep of three full years, so her body was still slender, and from a distance, she gave an exceedingly fragile impression.

However, at the white, charming table where she now faced the ambassador from the neighboring country, Eugenia’s eyes, unsuited to her adorable attire, shone fiercely from their depths like those of a bird of prey.

As for the ambassador, he was terribly frightened before Eugenia and was constantly wiping away greasy sweat.

Eugenia elegantly drank her tea, then pointed with the fan she held gracefully toward the falling sand in the delicately made hourglass placed before the two of them.

“I said your answer was due before this sand finished falling.”

Only a little sand remained before it all fell to the bottom.

“I understand.”

The man answered in a trembling voice.

Then this ambassador, who had only just entered middle age, after agonizing and agonizing over it, plucked a single flower from the vase on the table.

Then, looking as though he could barely breathe, he held it out before Eugenia.

“You are certain, yes?”

“…Yes.”

Eugenia’s maid carefully carried away the marigold that Eugenia had received from the ambassador.

Eugenia said coolly.

“That truly is an auspicious flower, you know. So much so that it can awaken those who sleep.”

The ambassador spoke almost disrespectfully, spitting the words out hatefully.

“Who knows.”

“Your Highness Princess Eugenia, I hope you are in good spirits.”

There, Eloise, the only daughter of a duke, arrived.

Her gorgeous golden hair was tied high, and beautiful yellow and orange marigold flowers adorned that hair.

Then, before the two of them, she displayed a magnificent curtsy.

Eloise was the only daughter of a ducal house that boasted the largest faction in the country.

Her excessive devotion to magic and her work as a researcher at the Magic Institute was a source of headaches for the duke and his wife, but in social settings like this, Eloise, as the only daughter of the ducal house, firmly reigned at the very top of the duke’s faction among the young ladies of society like a young queen.

The daughters belonging to the faction of Eloise’s ducal house followed behind Eloise in a crowd, one after another displaying magnificent curtsies to Eugenia and the ambassador, then disappearing into the circle of the party.

The girls’ hair was all decorated with marigolds.

(How…)

The ambassador could not close his open mouth as he watched the backs of the beautiful girls who had greeted them.

(The prime minister’s eldest daughter, the parliament chairman’s granddaughter, the margrave’s youngest daughter, and that one is the knight commander’s daughter. And then…)

Eloise gave a small, meaningful smile toward the dumbfounded ambassador and said.

“Marigolds are blooming most beautifully this year in the King’s Garden at the royal palace. Marigold designs have become quite fashionable among the young ladies of the Royal Capital this autumn.”

When Eugenia met Eloise’s eyes, she said this to the ambassador.

“Exactly half of today’s float voters are wearing marigolds.”