Curtis's gaze shifted toward Astra, who remained quietly sipping her juice, her expression unreadable.
She looks different than before… he thought, frowning. What has happened to her? Why do I suddenly feel such a heavy, oppressive presence from her?
He knew Astra had once been a desperate child craving her mother's love—he had watched from afar as she waited time and again outside the Empress's chambers, unnoticed and ignored.
So why does she seem so different now? Why does her presence feel even more overwhelming than the Empress herself?
He shook his head slightly. I must be imagining things.
Soon after, the hall bustled with movement as one noble family after another stepped forward to present their gifts to the Second Princess.
Rosalia sat beside the Empress, her posture elegant but her eyes wide with amazement as one beautifully wrapped box after another was laid before her.
Jewels. Silks. Enchanted toys. Miniature magical beasts in glass orbs. The floor glittered like a treasury come alive.
Then, the Empress herself rose, holding a small velvet box in one hand.
"And as a mother's gift…" she said smilingly, voice smooth and commanding. "…I bestow the Crystal Palace upon my beloved daughter, Rosalia."
The hall gasped.
A wave of murmurs followed almost immediately, thick with shock and speculation.
"The Crystal Palace?"
"That's only meant for the Crown Princess, isn't it?"
"She's declaring Princess Rosalia as the heir… right?"
And slowly, almost instinctively, more than a few guests turned their heads to look at Astra.
But Astra had already finished the last sip of her juice. Calmly, almost languidly, she placed the empty glass on a nearby table.
Then, before anyone could fully register it, she stepped forward.
Not hurriedly, not flustered, she walked with regal poise, her dress swayed with each step like rippling moonlight, her crystal heels soft against the polished floor.
The nobles parted in silence as she passed.
Astra approached the royal dais, where the Empress, Emperor Consort, and Rosalia sat.
She stopped a proper distance away, curtsied deeply with flawless grace, and spoke in a clear, composed voice that carried through the hall:
"I, Evelyn de P. La Cristiane, greet Your Majesties—the radiant pillars upon whom this empire stands. May the guardian spirits' blessings always shine upon you both."
A breathless hush followed.
Empress Florina's gaze lingered on her eldest daughter, measuring every movement, every nuance, before she finally said, coolly, "At ease."
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Astra replied, straightening, expression composed, eyes steady.
Rosalia blinked up at her, surprised. This older girl… so calm, so elegant—was she her...
She said curiously, "Cristiane? You're… the First Princess? My elder sister??"
Astra looked at this little sister of her.
And smiled slightly.
"Yes," she said simply. "I am indeed the First Princess of Cristiane."
Her eyes then slowly shifted toward the Empress, calm and unreadable, like a storm contained beneath still waters.
"Your Majesty," she said, voice measured. "I have a slight doubt. May I ask for clarification?"
Florina's eyes narrowed imperceptibly, suspicion flickering beneath her carefully composed smile.
"What is it?" she asked, maintaining her regal composure.
Astra's gaze remained unwavering, calm yet carrying the weight of centuries unseen.
"The Cristiane Empire has stood for a thousand years," she said, her voice neither raised nor softened, but firm in its quiet authority. "With such a long history, can we truly discard traditions and replace them at will?"
The words were polite. The implication was not.
A brief pause followed, just long enough for her words to settle. Her eyes seemed to look past the present, into the echoes of history itself.
"Of course, times change, and people may form their own ideas," Astra continued, her tone turning contemplative. "But i wonder, can tradition be altered simply because someone desires it?"
The Empress's lips tightened. The question was too pointed to be innocent.
"Of course not," the Empress replied, her voice smooth, controlled to perfection. "Not even the Emperor or Empress has the right to alter tradition as they please. Our traditions were established by our founder and have been upheld ever since."
Her fingers tightened around the armrest of the throne, just slightly.
"No one," she added, meeting Astra's eyes directly now, "has ever dared to change them."
The words were meant to assert power.
But to Astra, they sounded more like a warning.
She, however, chose to ignore the underlying tension, as innocently as one might overlook a shadow on the floor.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile tugged at her lips.
"I see," Astra said softly, tilting her head ever so slightly, her tone disarmingly calm.
"Then," she continued, her voice smooth as silk as she inclined her head in a formal bow, the gesture precise yet laden with quiet audacity, "I must respectfully raise an objection regarding the gift Your Majesty presented to the Second Princess."
Her tone was polite. Gentle. Completely unthreatening.
And yet, every syllable carried the weight of a question that could not easily be dismissed.
The hall froze.
A sharp intake of breath echoed here and there. Noble eyes widened.
Is the princess… trying to challenge the Empress's authority… right now?
For the briefest moment, Empress Florina's composure cracked. Her eyes darkened, sharp and predatory.
Was this child playing word games with her in front of everyone?
"And why would you object?" Florina asked, her voice smooth but laced with ice.
Astra met her mother's gaze calmly, expression serene yet deliberate.
"If Your Majesty intended to revise tradition," she said softly, "I would have said nothing. However, since we are bound by the will of our founding empress, I, as a subject of Cristiane, must respectfully object to this decision."
The Emperor Consort, Curtis, interjected—his voice steady, though curiosity and unease crept into his expression.
"What are you implying, Princess Evelyn?"
Astra did not flinch. Her gaze met his evenly.
"According to one of Cristiane's founding traditions," she said, measured and deliberate, "the rightful resident of the Crystal Palace must be an adult."
"If Your Majesty wishes to bestow it upon the Second Princess," she said, her gaze steady and unflinching, "then she must first wait until her coming-of-age ceremony."
"Otherwise…" Her voice held, firm and unwavering. "…this act would go against the very foundation of our empire's tradition."
Silence fell.
A thick, suffocating silence.
The entire hall froze.
The air seemed to shiver with tension.
Guests held their breath, every noble, every servant, even the musicians dared not play another note.
Because what the Princess said was true.
There was indeed such a tradition.
The Crystal Palace was no ordinary residence. It symbolized the next ruler– the chosen heir to the throne. The founder of the empire, Empress Elencia de S. La Cristiane had personally decreed the tradition: The heir must be of age.
Even if there was only one child, they could not be declared heir, or receive the Crystal Palace, until they reached adulthood. This tradition had never once been broken in a thousand years.
Every Sovereign before Empress Florina had upheld it without question.
And now... the First Princess had just reminded the empress of it… in front of the entire nobility.
Empress Florina stared at the daughter standing before her, composed, poised, and far too sharp for a child her age.
She had always known this daughter of her would be trouble.
Dangerous trouble.
Florina's eyes narrowed, flickers of irritation passing across her features but she quickly masked them behind a serene, flawless smile.
Her voice remained calm, graceful, yet sharpened by a hidden edge.
"It seems you've taken great care to memorize the history of Cristiane," she said.
Astra returned the smile with one of her own smile—polite, innocent, perfectly composed.
"Not really," she said softly, tilting her head. "I just happened to read it once, and it suddenly came to mind, so I said it."
A flicker of something unreadable crossed Florina's eyes, but she let it pass, forcing her attention elsewhere.
"I see," the Empress said smoothly. "Since you are here today, I wonder… did you bring a gift for your sister?"
Astra's lips curved subtly.
"Of course, Your Majesty," she replied. "How could I attend a celebration without a present?"
With that, she made a small wave of her hand.
From the side, Gerald stepped forward, holding a beautifully wrapped gift box.