Under Shutaner's introductions, everyone met many of the officials from the International Voyage Permits Office who had traveled all this way, several generals, and the star of the evening.
General Mike, the highest-ranking commander of the reinforcements, stood with one hand on his hip. He wore frog-eyed sunglasses and a uniform, and had a gigantic corncob pipe between his teeth.
At sixty-five, he was in his prime: sharp, capable, and brimming with confidence.
The people standing beside him were all major figures at the banquet. Among them was Princess Oito.
After Shutaner had introduced Gelman and the others one by one, General Mike took the pipe from his mouth and struck up a hearty conversation with Chairman Netero. He also offered Gelman and the others a few words of encouragement.
Then he gestured to Princess Oito beside him and said with a smile, "We're doing our best to reassure the princess. She's understandably worried, but I've told her that with our fleet here, her legitimate status will be protected."
"I have no doubt about that." Princess Oito had gone to the trouble of dressing up, doing her best to uphold the dignity of a Kakin Empire princess. She smiled with her lips pressed together.
Of the Kakin Empire's king, queens, and princes who had arrived on the New Continent, she was the only one left alive. That much was beyond dispute.
Far from diminishing her standing, this had earned her even greater respect. General Mike, in particular, had extended her the utmost consideration.
Besides Princess Oito's strong character and the respect she commanded, General Mike also had to consider the Kakin Empire's interests.
Though the Kakin Empire was in turmoil, it had not completely collapsed. Princess Oito's trust was still worth winning. She might even become one of the pieces