Althea froze her smile in place, trying to act like this wasn't the desperate pull it was. The deal with the Duke was a tiny bit more hasty than she had predicted. Of course, the mission wasn't as dangerous as it seemed on the get go.

At the end of the day, they would be diplomats. In this world, nobles were practically royals of their own territory. And the county was not the same as it was a few months ago.

Eight Adept stage mages put it at a power equal to a mid-ranked kingdom. A mid-ranked kingdom that was a part of the third most powerful Empire on the continent, and the only Empire in the top three to not be involved in the war.

Even at it's peak, the Merlan kingdom would have to defer to the county. The Steward alone could wipe out their entire defense. The Confederacy, being an 'Empire' class nation, was considerably more settled. But it was unlikely that they would try anything. The Solerian Empire was still more powerful. And there was the tele- wait. Did she mention that? No, she didn't.

"There is also this." Althea continued, a purple crystal appearing in her hand from her storage bracelet." A teleportation crystal. This will teleport you back to the Diery palace as long as you are in the Empire. But it can only do so for two people."

The students looked remarkably more calm looking at the life-saving item.

"I will do it." A voice said, shaking as she spoke, but still somewhat firm. A girl that Althea did not even remember.

"Oh? How excellent." Althea smiled.

"I hope you will take care of me, your grace." the girl said, bowing.

"Of course, after all, if you succeed, you shall be a Viscountess of Diery." Althea replied, looking at the other college students. A few looked disappointed, but none of them tried to compete for it.

"Now, for the next title." Althea looked at the students, trying to see which students were interested. Isa, Vanessa nand Nathan looked almost bored, Nathan being the only one still paying attention. Isa was spinning her dagger, and Vanessa...was meditating? Had that girl always been so focused? Or was this a new thing that she hadn't noticed?

Terren was looking eager, like a tiger that was ready to pounce. What had this guy calculated now? Was he waiting for this offer?

"The next is a Barony in the Gilmia Kingdom." Athea began. "This kingdom is not currently participating in the war, but-"

"I shall take it, your grace." Terren said, sounding far too eager.

Althea continued, ignoring the interruption.

"But most of its granaries were burnt mysteriously, and the harvest was below par. If it does not secure a source of food, then there will be a famine." Althea said. "The task is simple. The representative must serve as ambassador of Diery to the court of Gilmia and secure a food trade with them. The title granted for this will be that of Baron of Gilmia, a landless title of the Gilmia kingdom."

"Now," Althea emphasized. "Is there anyone that wishes to take up this task?"

Seven hands went up quickly.

"Please submit your petitions and plans by the end of tomorrow. I will assess them and make my decision." Althea replied, waving the hands down.

"The third, and final title is that of Baronet of Sarlene, a northern territory in the Gerlan kingdom. This title comes with a fief, albeit a very small one, and involves negotiating trade routes through the kingdom. A food trade would be welcome too, of course, but I doubt the kingdom is very interested in it. The Gerlan plains are quite fertile." Althea asked.

As before, several hands went up. This time, even Nori participated.

"I shall take applications for this one too then. A person can fill an application for only one of these titles, so choose carefully." Althea said, walking out. The person going to Merlen would leave at once, but the others would have time and training.

The envoy to Gilmia would have to go in a month though, Gerlan could take a year to prepare. That was the least time-sensitive of the three.

Now...she had to go to a party. An old friend was turning eighteen.

sc

Getting ready didn't take long, she'd gotten good at it, and Mira wasn't around to obsess over how she looked. The party was already underway when she entered.

An aurora-like lighting lit the dark wood dance floor. A dance floor was rare for a birthday party, but Mira had requested, and she was glad to give it in. After all, a birthday was about the birthday girl. The music was still the same, painfully slow, as if it wanted her to sleep. But Mira liked it. And that was what mattered today.

Althea could look at recruiting more singers, and seeking faster songs later. The music stilled as she stepped in, the dancers stopped dancing, the entire ball fell silent.

"Please, continue, there is no need to greet me. This is an informal party." A sad smile emerged on her face. This happened every time she went somewhere.

Stolen novel; please report.

Conversations stopped as she walked. The maids bowed to her. The guards stood straighter. Even among so many people, she was alone. A Countess could be their leader, their guardian, the one they looked to in times of need. But never their friend. Did she even have friends?

Athea walked to her seat, the seat that she sat in every ball, one on a pedestal away from the people frolicking. Mira could be considered a friend, perhaps. But was she truly? Could an assistant even be called a friend? Natan? Vanessa? Isa? Was she a friend to them or a liege? Had she ever done anything one did with friends since she came to this world?

A feeling of sadness came over her as she watched the ball. Mira was laughing in the center, surrounded by her friends. Althea recognized them, they were maids in the palace. A few of them had even helped her get dressed a few minutes ago. Now here they were, changed and ready in a few minutes. Even the 'fast' change of clothes took fifteen minutes.

There was hair to be redone, a new dress to change into, jewelry to switch. As time went by and she grew older, there would be makeup too. Having to be at her peak every day, every hour suddenly felt like a burden.

There wasn't even time to cultivate anymore, the entire day was spent just working, working, working. The appeals, requests, and lies just kept piling on. Replenishing faster than she could deal with them. A pain to deal with even with help.

Perhaps it was how busy she had been lately, but she felt like she understood Disney princesses a bit more. But this was no place to think about all that. This was a party. And she had to...smile and look ladylike. The people were looking. And the Countess Guarding Diery could not falter.

sc

Nathan looked towards the pedestal, watching as the Countess smiled. The same smile, just enough to not seem fake, but not so much that it reached her eyes. The Countess would maintain it on her face for the next few hours, just as she did every time. This was her usual routine.

Watching over them as they forlicked, as if she derived pleasure from it. Perhaps it was because he had realized that he might have feelings for her, or because he was just seeing things, but today seemed different.

The Countess was still beautiful, but her eyes seemed to droop. There weren't any wrinkles or dark spots under her eyes, yet to him, she seemed to be tired. The stiffness in her shoulders belied a tension that should not have been there in a party. Even her smile looked fake.

When was the last time she'd taken a break?

The Countess had rushed back from her trip right into the harvest, and had been cooped up in her study for days now. Nathan wasn't sure she even went to her bedroom anymore, at least, not while he was awake. The entourage that followed her around was far too distracting to his senses.

Perhaps he was just thinking too much. The Countess was a noble, she could take a break whenever she wanted to, no one would stop her. There was no need to worry.

"Stop staring, you dolt." A palm hit his head, making him turn towards his friend.

"I wasn't staring. Just thinking." he protested, massaging his head. "And stop hitting me, it hurts, you know."

"Well it should, I have been trying to get your attention for ten minutes now. But you just keep staring at the Countess as if you're in love." Vanessa replied, shaking her head.

"Tha-I was just thinking!!" Nathan quickly protested. “The Countess just happened to be there!"

"Ok, sure." Vanessa said, rolling her eyes, “Come on starry boy, we should get going. The cake will be cut soon, and if we want our choice of cakes, we got to get in there early."

Now it was his turn to narrow his eyes. "Isn't there more than enoug cake usually?"

"Yes, but I want one of the top pieces. The ones with the decoration and frosting." Vanessa said, staring at cake as she walked. There were others walking towards the cake too, and a group of people that seemed to have been standing beside the cake since it came into the ball.

What was this? A competition for who got what part of the cake?

"Look," Vanessa said. "The cooks made a candle palace. Eighteen of them. I hear they are delicious. I need to get one."

Nathan observed that there were, indeed, intricate palaces made from frosting or something that had a small actual candle at their top. The candles were going to be a pain to blow.

Mira walked towards the cake, and Vanessa gravitated towards her. The group hovering around the cake cleared the way for Mira, but hovered around as if they wanted to snatch the cake away from the birthday girl. Nathan suppressed the urge to giggle as Mira nudged a person out of the way as she stood there, not sure what to do.

"Come, let us sing." the Countess said from behind them. The crowd immediately parted for her, allowing her to step close to Mira. Even the cake hunters did not dare interfere with her.

"Happy birthday to you." the Countess began, and the people around her followed awkwardly, trying to match the tune. Nathan had not heard those words before, he understood the language, but he had not thought of singing such a thing.

"Happy birthday to you, dear Mira." the Countess continued, unphased by the unfamiliar atmosphere as Mira started blowing the candles. The crowd slowly began to follow along the simple lyrics as Mira circled the cake, blowing the candles away one by one.

The scene was quite comical as she bent down, trying to blow it away while the crowd sang the silly song. A few minutes later, Mira finished blowing off the candles, and with it, it was time to eat the cake.

The cake hunters looked towards the Countess, nervous to act in front of her as the maids cut the cake. Vanessa took the chance to nudge herself closer to the cake. Nathan didn't quite understand why people were so nervous. The Countess was aloof, not monstrous. What did they think she would do if they made a mistake?

"Mira, you have cared for me since my mother's death, protecting me when I was at my weakest. Had you not done so, I would not have survived to this day.” the Countess began. “Even now, you work tirelessly to help me run the county, going beyond what is expected of you simply to aid me."

The cake hunters paused. The entire room did. This scene was too recognizable for them to not know what was going to happen. The Countess was going to give a reward. A gift. And knowing the Countess' generosity, it was sure to be something special.

"I hereby name you my Chief of Staff, manager of maids and Ministers alike." the Countess announced. Nathan did not quite understand what the position entailed, but it seemed important. Managing Ministers was a power that even Isa and Vanessa did not have. And they were the only nobles beside the Countess in the county.

"I thought hard about what I should give you for your birthday." the Countess continued. The entire audience turned to her so fast that he was sure some of the members strained their necks. This wasn't over yet? The Countess was still giving more? The thought seemed to be shared among the crowd as they wondered what was going on. The reward was incredibly lavish.

"But I fear I do not know what to give you. Tell me, friend of mine, what do you wish." Countess said as the crowd collectively took a deep breath.

If that meant what he thought he did, Mira could ask whatever she wished for, and the Countess would grant it. Even a noble title was probably within what she would grant.

Or this could be a test. A test to see how greedy Mira was.