Chapter 354 – Crowd
Alicia, the imperial princess, is having a busy day these days.
The reason was very clear.
“Heungheung~”
This is because of the preparation for the engagement ceremony, which can be said to be a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Although it is said that it must be promoted as quickly as possible because it is tied to political purposes, that does not mean that preparations can be neglected.
It is her engagement ceremony with none other than Wolfgang. This is not something that can be skipped over with the excuse that the deadline is tight.
Above all, it was something Alicia herself could never tolerate.
An engagement ceremony for the royal family usually requires about half a year of preparation time.
If Alicia mobilized all of her personal connections and wealth, as well as all of her other elements, it would not be entirely impossible to meet the quality and duration of her event at the same time.
It all started with a single word that just came out in passing.
“Chief maid.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“If the most important moment in your life comes, how should you spend it?”
“Hmm… “I think we should do our best and spend it without regrets.”
At first glance, the conversation sounded like a light, everyday conversation.
Maid Jean Leona felt like she would never forget the expression Alicia made that day.
“Yes?”
“But, Your Highness. Why did you suddenly say that… “
Why did I feel ominous in his usual smiling expression?
What was contained in those icy blue eyes was something beyond simple passion.
“If ever there was a time to burn it all down, it’s now.”
“… “Didn’t you hear me clearly?”
“We need to prepare the best engagement party. As soon as possible.”
Although she was Leona, who had served Alicia for over 20 years and had been through a lot.
—Gurgling… !
The force was enough to make even her feel cold sweat running down her spine.
The answer to be given was decided from the beginning.
“Yes.”
Right after Alicia’s order was given.
The Palace of Light literally turned into a battlefield.
—Roaring… !
“Majesty. “A positive response has been received regarding the application for exclusive use of the Plaza of the Sun that was requested from the Ministry of the Interior.”
“Princess! It is said that Madame Pompadour’s clothing room is putting all its effort into making the dresses and formal wear you ordered. Estimated time required is approximately one week. However, for the sake of the quality of the clothes, they asked us to refrain from pushing for a longer period.”
Normally, it was a palace of light with a relaxed and calm atmosphere, befitting the owner’s taste.
“For this event, the best chefs, pastry chefs, and sommeliers in the empire are competing. The finals are currently underway, and the winners of each category will have the honor of contributing to the royal family’s good fortune.”
“The magic arts association ‘Atelier Raisaline’, of which the princess is sponsoring, and the ‘Telephone Workshop’, of which Lord Wolfgang is the largest shareholder, are also actively expressing their intention to cooperate in the preparation of this event.”
“There are a total of 1,369 noble families throughout the empire who have expressed their willingness to visit and celebrate in person. If you include the families that inevitably sent congratulatory messages due to busy schedules, there are a total of 3,774 families… “
Alicia’s vassals are busy running around here and there.
And, as talented people from all walks of life who had been invited to prepare for the engagement ceremony continued to come and go, a mess was taking place, reminiscent of the central stock exchange of an empire.
It didn’t end there.
Alicia, who was wondering how to get the job done as quickly and efficiently as possible, even mobilized her unique magic, the Zenith System.
—Ugh… !
“A star in the sky. “I do not know the depth of the water, but I know the vastness of the ocean.”
Alicia sits sedentary in her bedroom with her eyes closed and continuously chants a spell.
The royal family’s unique golden mana rippling behind their backs is reminiscent of the transcendental figure of the old East who was said to have a thousand hands.
However, for some reason, the golden orbs shaped like celestial bodies that always orbited around Alicia like satellites were nowhere to be seen.
“Is it so? That’s a good thing. Then you won’t have to worry about that anymore.”
“It can be completed in just one week. Indeed, Madame Pompadour. “After the schedule is over, consider paying additional compensation depending on the quality of the clothes.”
“What a contest. That’s an interesting idea. “It’s admirable that you came up with such an idea under such a tight schedule, but will you be able to complete it on time?”
“For something of that scale, it’s as expected. However, if that happens, the secretaries may collapse from overwork, so please take measures to assign emergency additional personnel to the human resources and administrative departments. Please discuss further details with the head maid.”
“The person in charge of the interior of the ceremony hall is…”
“The weather wizards who will fix the outdoor climate to an optimal state… “
“As for hospitality… “
“Security issues… “
Instead.
In the 12 throne rooms created by remodeling empty rooms in the Palace of Light, 12 Alicia appeared at the same time and interacted with visitors.
-Hoot!
Also, in the sky 1,440 meters away from the spire of the Palace of Light, her familiar, Snow, is actively flapping her wings and receiving the sun’s mana.
Right now at this moment.
Alicia split her consciousness into 12 parts and created a kind of alter ego.
A truly incredible feat.
Naturally, performing magic on this scale cannot be easy.
High-level wizards can easily confuse their enemies through illusions or clones of themselves.
Not only does it consume a huge amount of mana, but it is also like overloading her own mental power, so she often ends up doing such things as a mere display of her skills.
However, Alicia was different.
“Hey, it’s hard, but you can do it!”
—Beetle…
Her face was red and she couldn’t even control her body properly.
The extremely inefficient alter ego magic is somehow maintained by as many as 12 individuals in a state where each can share their consciousness.
Twelve golden spheres modeled after constellations in the sky.
Alicia’s unique magic system, the Zenith System, allows you to use a variety of applied magic by combining the different qualities of mana and symbols contained in the sphere.
Based on the fact that each of the 12 spheres can serve as a medium.
The lack of mana is resolved by Snow flying into the sky acting as a relay absorbing and supplying natural mana.
The load on her brain is somehow endured by the power of her love for Wolfgang.
“Until the master returns… Be sure to prepare for the engagement ceremony… “
It was nothing short of a miracle created by passion and obsession that bordered on madness.
No matter what, is the burden on the body unavoidable?
—Toduk…
“Huh?”
With the sound of water drops, the white blanket becomes stained with stains.
When I open my eyes to the wet feeling on my thighs, bright red blood stains are clearly reflected in my dark blue eyes.
“Oh my.”
Only then did Alicia realize that she had caused her nose to bleed, and she smiled bitterly.
Even at first glance, it is a considerable amount.
How long has it been since she shed this much blood?
After casting a contraceptive spell on her womb, Alicia was able to ignore even the spell that came once a month without any problem.
That’s why I felt like I came to my senses a little from the shock of her blood.
“Yes… Well then, shall we take a break… Like this, she would rather fall and suffer a setback… “
A signal no different from a scream from the body.
At that time, the important work she had to personally manage was just about finished.
It was Alicia who was contemplating whether to close her eyes, even if only for a moment.
-Smart
“Majesty? Sorry while you are busy. Because it’s such an urgent business… Wow?!”
I opened the bedroom door and heard Leona screaming.
She almost fainted, but Alicia, who had been sleeping, had no choice but to suddenly wake up.
“Uhuhu… I’m fine. Rather, what’s going on?”
“It’s okay! Oh my gosh, her face has been cut in half! And what is this blood… “
Leona, making a fuss, made Alicia sit in front of her mirror and quickly adjusted her appearance.
Indeed, for the first time in a while, Alicia looked in the mirror and realized how gaunt she looked.
The sunken eyes and the pale face were so pale that they were pure white.
Even though she was a seriously ill patient, she seemed believable.
Alicia was a little embarrassed, wondering if she had overdone it, but she didn’t bother to show it.
If she shows that she is having a hard time, her maid in front of her, Jang, will be the first to stop her.
Instead, Alicia pretended like nothing had happened and calmly changed the topic.
“I asked what was going on.”
“Ha, it’s not something you need to worry about right now. “Let’s get some rest first.”
Then Leona took a deep breath and gently touched Alicia’s shoulder.
Alicia insisted, trying to dissuade Leona’s hand from trying to help her and lead her to her bed.
“Yes… “Let’s hear it first and then decide.”
Since it was urgent business, I felt a bit uneasy.
She thought that if she left work behind and went to sleep, her rest would be less effective.
Leona, who was looking at Alicia with worried eyes, hesitated and spoke as if she had no intention of doing so.
“… Ramiel, a captive criminal, asked to see the princess.”
