"As I am sure most of you are aware, I have decided to finally reward the Diery family for their contributions to the Empire." the Emperor said. "Does the royal council have any objections?"

"Not at this time, your majesty." the sole duke present replied. The royal council had the ability to go against any of the Emperor's decrees, but only if they did so unanimously.

The Emperor nodded in acknowledgement.

"Lady Althea Diery shall receive the title of Countess Guarding Diery and guard the borders of the Empire." the Emperor said. "So I decree."

"And so the people hear." The crowd, this time including Althea, replied.

"Steward Vern shall lead a squad of my guards and serve as a stand-in guardian in my stead." the Emperor continued. "So I decree."

"And so the people hear."

"The Marquis of Bern will hand over the ancestral weapon of the Diery family that he has been safeguarding in their stead. As the Countess is underage, she will be exempt from the royal council taking place tomorrow. The Countess shall take guardianship of her brother once she reaches the age of maturity." The Emperor said, telling three decrees at once. "So I decree."

"And so the people hear."

"Does any member of the noble court have any objections?" the Emperor asked.

The dukes and duchess looked at each other and then, one by one, indicated that they did not have any objections. The Marquis's fists were clenched, and Althea was pretty sure he was going to object when his turn came.

"The Bern march has three objections, your majesty." the Marquis said.

"The Marquis may state them." the Emperor said as the entire court's attention turned to them. Althea knew that they were already watching her, but there was something distinctly different about their gazes now.

"The ancestral weapon of the Diery family has been in the vault for over seven centuries. The march will require some time to find the weapon." the Marquis said.

A family's ancestral weapon was surrendered to their commanding noble when they joined the Empire. The weapon would only be returned if they became a guarding family.

"The Marquis has until noon to present the weapon to the Countess." The Marquis's face pinched at the Emperor's words.

"The Diery county lacks academies and is unable to satisfy the young count's academic needs." the Marquis said.

"And what does the Countess Diery have to say about this?" the Emperor asked.

"The Diery county has the ability to raise five-year-olds, your majesty." Althea replied, keeping her tone neutral.

"Steward Ven shall assess the credibility of the Countess' words." the Emperor replied. "What is your third objection, Marquis Bern?"

"After the loss of the Diery county, the Bern marquis is unable to support its populace. I ask the Emperor to grant us fertile land, so we may prevent a famine." the Marquis requested. Althea wondered what was up with him. The Emperor was not going to grant him land from the Diery county.

"The Countess has clearly undergone a class change. I ask the Emperor to verify her capability to lead her county." the Marquis said, his meaning clear. The man was suggesting that I had lost the trait!

The Emperor's gaze turned sharp, the presence of the trait was a matter of national security and mentioning it in an open court broke several customs. The Marquis could have simply mentioned this later, but he did it now just to bring her ability into question. After all, she could not reveal her class in front of the court.

"What does the Countess have to say about this?" the Emperor asked, but his gaze remained fixed on the Marquis.

Althea smiled. The old Althea missed out on a lot, practically living in the library and her room, but there were advantages to that.

"I beseech the royal council to help maintain secrecy." she said.

The duke gave an approving nod to her. "The Duchy of Serenor approves the Countess' request and requests the Emperor to test her in private"

The three duchess' gave their affirmation, approving my motion.

"I hear and accept the royal council's request." the Emperor said. "As for Marquis Bern's request, he may approach the Diery county and buy the necessary produce."

The Marquis' face paled.

"Does any other noble of the court have any objections?" the Emperor asked.

Althea tried to focus on the faces of the nobles present, but she was a bit distracted by Neil's whispering.

"Are you satisfied now? Did you really have to hurt the innocent commoners for this?" he whispered. Althea did not know if the orb was catching Neil's whispers, but she did know that she could not respond. The nobles were still watching, and unlike Neil who sat in a barely visible corner, she was right in the center of the court.

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The Marchioness's hand traveled behind the chairs as she tried to gesture her son to stop. Neil wasn't paying attention.

"Oh, you think you're too mighty to answer now? Father was so kind to you, but you, you had to betray him and-"

"Does Lord Neil have a complaint he wishes to share with the court?" the Emperor asked, his voice making Neil stop in surprise.

"No, your majesty." the Marquis replied before Neil could open his mouth. "I would like to ask permission to take leave of the-"

"I asked Lord Neil, not Lord Bern." the Emperor stated. "And Lord Neil will answer the question."

The servants dragged the orb back so that Neil was visible, sitting awkwardly still on his chair.

"Tell me, Lord Neil, do you have anything you wish to share with this court?" the Emperor asked.

"Yes, your majesty." Neil replied, his voice stiff and formal. The Marquis' breath caught as Neil disobeyed him in public.

"Lady Althea is being extremely ungrateful to my father. Father took care of her after her parents died, going so far as to allow her to marry me. Althea has not lacked in food, clothing, or jewelry. Now she has put the march at peril just for her selfishness and greed for titles." Neil said.

Althea had to give it to him, he was a good speaker. The old Althea wasn't a match for him. Not even close. But she was.

"The ninth young marquis is correct. The Marquis has indeed provided me with food, clothing and every other necessity that I could have wanted. I have not yet inspected the estate finances, but I imagine his lordship has been able in their management.

The jewels are also secure and have been returned to my possession." Althea said, discreetly letting a truth drop. The Diery county, the Empire's food source, was by far the richest county in the Empire.

The previous Counts and Countesses had further expanded on that by investing extravagantly, making it one of the biggest businesses in the Empire. As manager of that, the Marquis had gotten a huge fortune that made what he had spent on her look meager.

The nobles of the court were muttering among each other. Even the ones attending court by orb, the court had lost its previous disciplined state. But the Emperor still hadn't called the court to order, seemingly letting it spiral out of control.

"But that wasn't all I received." she continued, much to the court's surprise. "I have to date one thousand, three hundred and thirty-two means to kill someone from my ex-betrothed. I still remember the first gift I received from him. The Bern rose.

I almost touched it in my happiness, but a maid warned me that it's thorns were poisonous. " The court was silent for a moment before bursting into even more chaos.

As for the marriage, I must say that I do have some complaints in that regard. The ninth young marquis has taken fit to pursue another before we were even married. I do not know how far they have gone, but my heart cannot help but wonder…" Althea finished.

The story was just what the nobles wanted. A scandal. A massive scandal involving higher ranking nobility.

The Emperor cleared his throat, effectively silencing the entire court.

"I find the Countess' explanation satisfactory. " The Emperor said, not taking opinions this time.

"Does Lord Neil have any other complaints?"

"I must say that I am not persuaded by the Countess'-" Neil began. The Marchioness gasped as the Marquis trembled.

"And does your judgment supersede mine now, Lord Neil?" the Emperor mocked. "No? I asked you to name complaints, not offer an opinion. Tell me, did that sound like a complaint to you?"

"I- No, your majesty." Neil replied, his last bits of self-preservation catching on.

"Well then, I suggest you keep your opinions to yourself." the Emperor said.

"If no other members of the court have any issues, I shall dismiss the court. The Countess has to leave by noon."

The court remained silent. The Emperor waved his hand and the orb shut down, ending the meeting. Althea got up, turning away in one fluid motion. But she didn't get far. Neil grabbed her hand as she was walking, his face flushed with anger and embarrassment.

"Just because you convinced the Emperor-" he began, but this time, it was not Althea that answered him.

"Unhand the Countess this instant!" the Marquis screamed, a tiny bit of his power leaking. Althea wasn't its target, yet her knees quaked, and she felt dizzy. Neil simply fainted, not able to handle the attack.

Althea knew from the book that the Marquis was a stage crossing genius half a step into the Adept stage, on the verge of breaking through. If he did so, the Emperor would have to raise him to a duke and give him more land. The Marquis, along with the Bern march's other Adept stage, already made the march more powerful than some weaker forces on the royal council.

The first young marquis was also a genius that would reach the Journeyman stage a few months from now, at the young age of thirty-three. And he wasn't even the most talented of the siblings, that honor belonged to the third young marquis who she knew very little about. Not to mention the protagonist, Emilia Harkins.

Althea frowned, considering the situation. The Marquis was not an enemy she could make at the moment. And that was ignoring the ties between their lands. The Diery county had been a part of the Bern march for over seven centuries, the two lands were connected on a level too deep to ignore.

And finally, the county was protected from the Zun empire only by the Bern fortress that guarded the northern pass connecting the Empires. If the Zun empire attacked, which they did every year, she would have to depend on the Marquis to protect her.

If he decided to someday not reinforce the fortress…the county might end up conquered. The Emperor would be furious if that happened, but still, the Emperor was in the capital and the Marquis was right here. In short, she might have been a bit too hasty in cutting ties. But she wasn't entirely without means to mend the relationship.

“I am unsure of the situation in Diery county, so I cannot promise anything, but send an envoy once I am an adult. I will provide you with as much food as I can. The payment can be discussed later." she said.

Now it was the Marquis’ turn to be surprised. " I am aware of the situation in the county. The stores can provide the food we need. Thank you for this, countess. The Been march shall remember this. "

"I am merely maintaining our centuries of relations. After all, haven't we enjoyed a good relationship for a very long time? " Althea replied, smiling as if the last hour hadn't happened.

"Yes, we have." The Marquis said. "Now, I believe Steward Ven has arrived and is waiting for you."

Althea was surprised at that. How did he know who had arrived? Althea didn't show her surprise on her face, keeping it neutral as if it was within her expectation.

"I will go meet him." she said, heading out as servants carried Neil towards his room. The doctor would heal him of his shock soon enough.

"And Countess." the Marquis said. "Do be careful. The waters of the royal council run deeper than you know."

"I will keep that in mind, your lordship." Althea said.