The people inside the party hall murmured as they recognized Dekain, who had entered alongside Kisan dra.

No one was unaware that he was the newly announced prince, to be formally presented today.

Seemingly displeased by this reaction, Retanda, standing beside Crown Prince Shusain, opened his mouth.

“Nothing changes just because one more prince is added. I don’t understand what’s so fascinating that everyone’s making such a fuss.”

Retanda was the younger brother of the current emperor and held the title of Grand Duke. As he expressed his dissatisfaction, the atmosphere in the party hall instantly stiffened.

Everyone fell silent and began watching each other warily—just then.

Pretending ignorance, Kisan dra smiled gently and spoke to Dekain.

“Dekain, no matter how much you are now a member of the imperial family, to me, you’re still my grandson in a small sense. If anyone disrespects you today, I won’t forgive them.”

Though not a direct rebuttal to Retanda’s statement, it was a veiled jab.

Dekain, instantly grasping Kisan dra’s intent, bowed his head and replied.

“Thank you, Grandmother.”

Merely from how they addressed each other, one could discern how close Kisan dra and Dekain were.

Kisan dra held an extremely high rank within the imperial family. Even the emperor and empress dared not treat her carelessly—let alone anyone else.

Moreover, behind Kisan dra stood the Bea na Ducal House. With the status of Empress Dowager and backed by the Bea na Ducal House, few could stand against her.

Swin ter, head of the Bea na Ducal House, stepped forward slightly and reinforced Kisan dra’s words.

“Your words are most just, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager. Merely from the new prince’s appearance, one can see he carries the Lazent imperial bloodline.”

Not all members of the Lazent imperial family shared identical hair and eye colors, but Dekain’s golden hair and vivid crimson eyes closely resembled those of the founding emperor.

By subtly pointing this out, Swin ter had taken Dekain’s side.

With Kisan dra and Swin ter stepping forward, several nobles began to echo their sentiments.

“Now that you mention it, you’re right. Golden hair and striking red eyes represent the Lazent imperial house.”

“Such beautiful features—truly worthy of imperial lineage.”

The previously frozen atmosphere, chilled by Retanda’s earlier remark, now seemed to thaw and turn favorably toward Dekain.

But…..

Retanda glared at Dekain and spoke again.

“No matter how pure his imperial blood, it cannot be denied he was born from a lowly womb.”

Though muttered as if among themselves, everyone in the hall heard his words clearly.

Dante Marquis, virtually the leader of the Emperor’s faction, and David, also voiced agreement.

“Your Grace is correct. After all, he is a bastard.”

Dekain’s expression visibly hardened. He had anticipated such attacks, yet hearing them aloud still made maintaining composure difficult.

Yet it was also an awkward situation for Dekain to personally refute them.

His supporting faction was smaller than others’, and appearing overly reactive to every slight would only make him seem weak.

Therefore, Kisan dra, standing beside him, stepped forward in his stead.

“My son seems unusually eager today to say things that grate on his mother’s nerves.”

At the affectionate term “son,” Retanda’s face twisted in displeasure.

Retanda, like Emperor Petro, was born to former Empress Dabane.

But under Lazent imperial law, children born to other consorts were still legally considered sons of the Empress, Kisan dra.

Of course, neither Kisan dra regarded Retanda as her son, nor did he consider her his mother—but officially, that was their relationship.

By deliberately addressing him as “son,” Kisan dra delivered a sharp warning.

Retanda opened his mouth to retort with visible displeasure, but Emperor Petro chose that moment to intervene, leaving him no chance.

“Everyone has likely heard the rumors—today, I formally announce a new prince.”

Petro, who had observed the situation until now, spoke solemnly to the assembled nobles.

The Crown Prince faction, who resented Dekain’s presence, the Second Prince faction, who had been cautiously observing, and even Kisan dra and Swin ter, all fell silent.

With Petro stepping forward, no one dared interrupt.

Petro gestured toward Dekain, who stood beside Kisan dra, and continued in a low voice.

“Come over here.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Dekain, unusually tense, walked toward where Petro stood.

Once the two stood side by side, Petro pointed to Dekain and addressed the nobles as if introducing him.

“He was born from a single night’s mistake, but since magical artifacts confirmed he carries my bloodline, I cannot deny him.”

“……!”

Dekain’s expression hardened completely.

The implication—that he was acknowledged as prince only out of unavoidable obligation—was unmistakable.

Kisan dra and Swin ter frowned as well, but since Petro’s words were not false, they could not refute them.

In truth, Petro had not willingly acknowledged Dekain as prince. It was true that Kisan dra’s influence had heavily shaped this occasion.

But Dekain was, after all, Petro’s son—and yet Petro had just publicly dismissed his very existence.

In an official setting, Petro’s words carried immense weight.

Murmurs.

Nobles began glancing sidelong at Dekain and whispering behind his back.

For Dekain, it was a moment of utter humiliation, his body trembling—but he could not storm out, for this was also the ceremony where he was formally recognized as prince.

Seeing Dekain endure the nobles’ harsh scrutiny and shame, Retanda burst into loud, satisfied laughter.

“Hahaha!”

This was even more effective than his earlier intervention. With Petro’s statement, Dekain now risked becoming a prince in name only.

Even Second Prince Seiji, who had quietly observed the situation, showed a trace of relief on his face.

No one welcomed another competitor for the throne.

Petro, seemingly satisfied with the situation he had engineered, smiled faintly despite his evident illness.

Standing right beside him, Dekain clenched his molars and whispered in a voice too low for the nobles to hear.

“Your Majesty… I am still your child, too.”

Dekain was the emperor’s son, yet had lived his entire life as a commoner. No one knew how hard he had fought to reclaim his true identity.

The suffering he endured to stand here today was beyond words.

He hadn’t even expected an apology from Petro for abandoning him—but he hadn’t expected such public dismissal of his very existence.

Even Dekain, hardened as he was, could not help but feel wounded.

But Petro was cold. He stared at Dekain with emotionless eyes and smiled thinly.

“It was never my wish. Not your birth, nor this moment.”

That was not the gaze of a father toward his son.

Dekain realized, with his entire being, that Petro felt nothing for him.

Petro had acknowledged Dekain as prince only out of political necessity—he did not consider him a son.

Dekain clenched his jaw so tightly the muscles visibly hardened.

Petro paid no heed. With an indifferent expression, he faced the nobles and recited dryly, as if reading from a document.

“From today, Dekain is formally recognized as Prince of the Lazent Empire. Henceforth, his name shall be Dekain Seed Lazent.”

Though Dekain was officially proclaimed prince, no one cheered.

The party hall was silence itself.

The chamberlain, reading the room, displayed the updated imperial genealogy including Dekain, and announced the procedural formality of a new prince’s arrival—but no one paid attention.

Dekain stood frozen, as if drenched in ice water.

Having completed his duty, Petro took Empress Laila by the arm and spoke in a flat tone.

“Now that a new prince has been proclaimed, by custom, anyone wishing to offer congratulations may step forward.”

Normally, nobles would have offered polite well-wishes as a formality—but now, everyone hesitated, watching each other nervously.

To shift the atmosphere, Kisan dra stepped forward.

“My grandson, you’ve officially become a prince. Ask for anything you desire—I shall grant it.”

Swin ter, head of the Bea na Ducal House, quickly added.

“Your Highness, we pray you become a new pillar of the Lazent Empire.”

Though phrased as “new pillar,” no one missed the implication—that he might one day become emperor.

Yet the nobles still hesitated, exchanging wary glances.

Petro had openly declared he acknowledged Dekain only out of obligation. Offering congratulations now felt almost absurd.

At that moment—

Clack, clack. Accompanied by the sound of heels, a woman whose face was entirely concealed by a mask approached Dekain.

It was Tanashia.

“I sincerely congratulate you on becoming Prince. I am here as representative, attending in place of Lady Tanashia of the Arwen Empire.”

The unexpected name stirred murmurs among the nobles.

No one on the continent was unfamiliar with Tanashia, the greatest arms merchant.

Dekain collected himself and smiled as if unaffected. He could conceal his true feelings and smile when necessary.

“Ah, so you’re the representative sent by Tanashia.”

Dekain knew the masked woman was Tanashia herself, but pretended ignorance—for her safety, her true identity remained secret.

“By Lady Tanashia’s command, I hereby declare full support for all endeavors undertaken by Your Highness, effective immediately.”

Until now, Tanashia had never casually lent weapons. Acquiring magical engineering arms from her involved extremely strict procedures.

This was common knowledge across the continent—yet now, Tanashia had publicly announced sponsorship of someone for the first time.

Stunned, nobles stared wide-eyed at the masked Tanashia.

It wasn’t only the nobles. Emperor Petro, Empress Laila, and even Retanda—who had seemed fearless until now—were equally shocked.

But this was not the end.

Today’s highlight, after all, was revealing what Tanashia had prepared.

“To celebrate Your Highness, I shall now unveil the gift sent by Lady Tanashia. Note that all items have received prior approval.”

Clap, clap. As Tanashia clapped her hands, attendants who had been waiting at the rear appeared.

Though palace staff, the weapons they carried had been distributed earlier by Zen.

The weapon was the K40, a long rifle recently developed for the journey to the Calua Empire.

Since Tanashia’s last officially revealed weapon was the K39, displaying the K40 publicly like this was unprecedented.

As nobles curiously examined the K40—

Retanda, who had been silently observing, suddenly shouted incredulously.

“How dare you bring magical engineering weapons into a party hall where His Imperial Majesty is present! Who on earth authorized this?!”

No one was permitted to carry weapons where the emperor resided—it was a basic rule to prevent potential assassinations.

Tanashia calmly extended her hand as if to soothe him and spoke evenly.

“Your Grace seems to have misunderstood. Of course, weapons cannot be brought into such a setting.”

“Then what nonsense are you spouting? If not weapons, what are those things you’re holding?!”

“It’s true Lady Tanashia’s gift is a powerful weapon—but what you see now is not meant to harm anyone.”

“What do you—?!”

Before Retanda could retort, Tanashia cut him off, no longer listening.

“I’ll demonstrate directly.”

Clap, clap. Tanashia clapped once more, and on cue, the attendants fired their K40s into the air.

Bang! Boom!

With consecutive shots, an enormous shower of flower petals burst from the barrels.

“Wooaah—!”

Instantly, countless petals fluttered beautifully throughout the party hall.

The noble ladies and young misses, as if by mutual agreement, gazed at the petals with rapturous expressions.

Though staged as a romantic scene, had the K40s been loaded with flames instead of petals, the hall would have become an inferno.

Those who realized this fact stiffened in alarm.

In truth, Tanashia had prepared an unforgettable spectacle while simultaneously demonstrating the terrifying lethality of her weapons.

Behind her mask, Tanashia’s lips curled slightly upward.

‘I wonder if everyone caught my warning.’

Tension now clouded the faces of Emperor’s faction supporting Crown Prince Shusain and nobles backing Second Prince Seiji.

Tanashia’s presence today had been overwhelmingly dominant.

And she wasn’t finished. Soon after, Ascan, also masked, entered the hall, unveiling dozens of dummy bombs alongside explanatory manuals.

Though inert and incapable of detonation, anyone reading the manuals would instantly grasp their devastating power.

Tanashia spoke in a bright, cheerful voice.

“Lady Tanashia has unveiled, alongside celebratory fireworks, several magical engineering weapons many have been curious about. Since these weapons have never been publicly displayed before, please enjoy examining them alongside the manuals provided. Once again, I sincerely congratulate Your Highness on formally becoming a member of the imperial family.”

Typically, artists celebrated such occasions by displaying paintings, finely crafted jewels, or rare flowers and plants.

But Tanashia had chosen to unveil magical engineering weapons.

As she noted, since these weapons had never been revealed before, nobles found them far more intriguing than the usual, predictable gifts.

Tanashia’s unexpected appearance—unforeseen by anyone—instantly overturned the atmosphere even Kisan dra and Swin ter had failed to shift.

Before long, countless nobles lined up to congratulate Dekain on becoming prince.

He was now a prince backed by the continent’s greatest arms merchant. Many calculated that cultivating a relationship with him might prove beneficial in the future.

Dekain’s standing, utterly crushed by Petro moments earlier, had been resurrected.

All of it was thanks to Tanashia.