Third Princess

"That woman seemed to have caught the Wilderness Witch's eye. Are you going to save her?"

Shaya shook his head. "What is fixed is not easily changed; Fate is unknowable.

There were no shortage of myths where trying to avoid a prophecy only led to its fulfillment.

There was no need to do anything unnecessary."

"Will there be one more person in the castle later?"

"Who knew? Just let nature take its course."

The night grew ever deeper. There was scarcely a living soul on the streets, yet Shaya, walking through the darkness, fit perfectly with the silence around him.

Although Heilang had been gone for quite some time, Shaya should be able to find him soon through his perception of Fate Power.

After passing through several alleys, he saw the person he had been looking for.

Heilang had already changed into the clothes Shaya had given him. Using the thick fog and darkness, he leapt between the city's buildings like the Grim Reaper of the night.

Shaya clasped his hands behind his back and layered the Aura Concealment Curse over himself. He lightly stepped forward, rose from the ground, and looked in the direction Heilang was moving.

He quickly locked onto a vast villa in the distance. It probably covered several thousand square meters, while the lawns and courtyard outside were even more spacious—large enough for horses to gallop freely.

Some sort of banquet seemed to be underway there. Many luxurious-looking carriages were parked at the entrance, and elegantly dressed women and people in military uniforms stepped down from them.

Interestingly, the carriage that had previously crossed paths with Shaya was also parked beside the estate.

"Come to think of it, I did hear that man mention some banquet that was about to begin." Shaya murmured. "These people should be Britannia's upper class. If so, the noble who destroyed Heilang's family may be among them."

"Did he find something out?" Cassifa asked.

Shaya said nothing. He merely landed near the villa and used magic to disguise himself. The clothes on his body changed into a black formal suit suitable for a banquet.

Then he walked straight toward the villa's entrance.

"Sir, may I see your invitation?" the attendant at the entrance stopped Shaya.

Shaya turned to look at him. "You don't recognize me?"

The attendant froze. He began searching his memories, trying to recall which noble the man before him might be, but then he met Shaya's gaze.

His eyes were deep, and within those pitch-black pupils, a flicker of flame seemed to burn.

The attendant's gaze gradually became unfocused. Then, as if he had suddenly remembered something, realization dawned on him.

"I remember now. You're Viscount Berlik from the south. Please come in."

He raised a hand and warmly gestured for Shaya to enter.

Shaya smiled and walked through the gates at an unhurried pace.

The dignitaries following behind Shaya did not find anything improper about the scene. They simply assumed he was a friend of the banquet's host.

"The makeup of Britannia Empire's upper class really is complicated." Shaya looked around.

White, yellow, and black people—the world's three major skin colors were all represented, along with several minority ethnic groups.

Though the country's name was related to Britain, there were not many people carrying the old London Union Jack.

Shaya did not particularly care about that, however. None of it attracted him as much as the buffet table to one side, where attendants were arranging all kinds of desserts and food.

As though he were completely at home, Shaya picked up a communal cake knife, cut himself a piece of cake, placed it on a plate, and used a knife and fork to bring it to his mouth. He nodded.

"Mm. This trip wasn't wasted after all. As expected of a noble banquet."

"Is it good?" Cassifa asked curiously.

"Not bad. It tastes good. It's a savory cake."

"A savory cake?" Cassifa found the idea novel. "How was it made?"

Curiously, Shaya poked through it with his knife and fork and found some shrimp wrapped in cream.

"It should be a kind of sandwich cake: bread as the layers, fresh shrimp as the filling, and cheese spread all over the top. A savory butter bread cake."

As everyone knew, the highest praise for a dessert was that it was "not too sweet." In Shaya's era, merchants had become increasingly reckless with sweeteners every year, far exceeding humanity's understanding of sweetness.

This kind of cake was practically a breath of fresh air in the dessert world.

"Bring me one too! I want to try it!" Cassifa said excitedly.

"That would be far too undignified," Shaya said.

While Shaya chatted with Cassifa, a conversation between two noblewomen nearby caught his attention.

"Duke Panacea's residence really is impressive."

"Of course. I heard Emperor Soye bestowed it upon the Panacea Family. It's fifteen acres. We only got to attend thanks to the Third Princess."

"Why thanks to the Third Princess? Isn't this Duke Panacea's son's hundred-day celebration?"

"What kind of hundred-day celebration could invite so many nobles? Nobles from both the north and south have come. The real main character is that one."

One of the noblewomen pointed into the distance. Shaya followed her finger and looked over. There stood a Germanic man in military uniform, his posture ramrod straight. His features were typical: blond hair, blue eyes, slightly drooping outer eyelids, deep-set eye sockets, and faintly triangular eyes.

"Who is that? I don't think I've ever seen him in the Imperial Capital."

"That is Ernst, son of Grand Duke Peddy of the West Fran Empire. The West Fran Empire's emperor has no sons, and Grand Duke Peddy is practically the only legal heir. Ernst is also his eldest son, so he'll be the future emperor of the West Fran Empire!"

"And what does that have to do with the Third Princess?"

"Oh, you're so slow. A man and a woman, both unmarried—what kind of relationship do you think it is?"

The noblewoman's eyes widened slightly. "You mean a marriage alliance?"

"Those people in the south have always wanted to reclaim their homeland. The Empire desperately needs the West Fran Empire's help, so this marriage alliance was arranged."

"Goodness, so many important figures came to a single matchmaking banquet."

"Wasn't it also Duke Panacea's son's hundredth day? He had a child late in life, so he took the chance to make it a grand celebration."

"But speaking of which, wasn't the Third Princess a blind woman? How did Prince Ernst come to fancy her?"

"She may be blind, but she's beautiful. I heard the Third Princess is the most beautiful of the three princesses. People in the palace say she is Venus reborn.

"And I heard Prince Ernst met the Third Princess before and fell in love with her at first sight."

"I see."

"Those aunties' ability to gather intelligence is formidable no matter the era or place," Shaya murmured.

Then he heard one of the women say excitedly.

"Look, the Third Princess is here!"