Chapter Twelve
_ The Day of the Banquet
In my previous life, the war with Heliva lasted for more than ten years, but now it is almost approaching the end of peace talks...
I certainly have a hand in the matter, as knowing the future and also the political dimension I was surrounded by made me conclude a lot. I also sent spies to gather information here and there, whether for war or life. I will not send my knights to their deaths; I sent them to seize victory. Indeed, Firmin, who entered the war only two months before reaching the age of majority, was the second star in the war after the war hero, Prince Eric von Di Roshan...
Regarding Ian's magical power, just as in my previous life, it appeared when he reached four. Of course, its effects were painful for Ian, but the pain was less than in my previous life; in fact, the nature of his magic is different from my previous life. Of course, I asked Viola and Jeremy Elexia, who took over Ian's training along with Daniel Elexia, considering the Marquisate of Elexia the training center for the greatest magicians in Sardia. To facilitate the arrival of Marquis Jeremy Elexia, I asked Gorin to link a magical gate between the Elexia and Altan provinces, and the Marquis's arrival was easy and my going to the province was easy—it was not even considered traveling...
A strict training schedule was set for Ian, and surprisingly, Ian learned quickly, so much so that training days were reduced to once a week under Jeremy, and he trains the rest of the time with Viscount Martin Stanley. Martin, who resigned from his job as an assistant and wanted to manage his own estate, but he completed his duty until the last moment and found me an excellent assistant. I doubt that family business is anything but an excuse; for him, the presence of his child was like a spark that made him seem more like a human than a working machine, and to be honest, I felt happy for him...
Honestly, in Ian's surroundings, I have always chosen reliable people to teach Ian and to stay around him, and it seems that my feelings reached him, so Ian surprises everyone as usual...
When I asked Viola about the nature of Ian's magic and whether it might change, she told me that the magical nature stems from the heart and emotions, and if Ian's psychological state worsens, the nature of his magic may be affected from pure and vital magic to dark and cold magic...
And Ian's current magic is pure and vital, even radiating warmth...
During the five years, I cancelled the plan of isolation from political life, but I apologized for attending social events regardless of what they were...
And it was not a problem, as despite the arrival of invitations, I met them with rejection, and there was no one annoyed and no annoying rumors were spread. Even if they spread, it does not matter. But now, after the end of the war, I must go to the capital as a formal procedure for the families participating in the war, and also for the seventh birthday of the young prince. It is said that he will be announced as the Crown Prince. The matter is no different from my previous life regarding the date of announcing Johann von Di Roshan as Crown Prince on his seventh birthday, but in my previous life, the war had not ended yet, so the victory festival was not held during that period.
This year, the Crown Prince's birthday coincides with the Victory Festival, so the celebration will be held for an entire week. The important parts are the first and last days, because on the first day, children will attend to congratulate the Prince—it is like a banquet for noble children...
As for the last day, it will be the conclusion of the Victory Festival with the distribution of rewards to those who contributed to the victory, and this ceremony will not be attended by children except Ian and Johann, because Johann is considered the Crown Prince and Ian is the current Duke of Altan. Let's see what surprises are hidden in this ceremony...
* * *
"Has the Duchess of Altan arrived in the capital?!"
The question was asked as he placed his hand under his chin with harsh and cold looks, sitting on his golden throne that matched strikingly with his golden eyes and hair. He was a strong and beautiful man; any woman might fall in love with him despite reaching thirty-six. He still possesses an amazing charm...
The soldier swallowed his saliva in fear and tried as much as possible to speak with steadiness and delivered his report..
"She arrived this morning, via Altan's private gates..."
"What an arrogant Duchess, trying to become independent from the Imperial family. Wasn't she the one who contributed to ending the war? 'She might be a thorn if she sides with the Second Prince... I must make sure to win her favor'."
He ended his words with an internal mutter and looked at the soldier:
"She must be the sword that will stab Eric; her strike will be more painful than any other strike.."
The assistant looked at the Emperor with calm eyes and then spoke with steadiness..
"Preparations have been made, Your Majesty..."
"The mother who loves her child more than anything else, how will she feel when she is painfully stabbed..."
* * *
After Elite put her child to sleep, she changed her clothes to something comfortable and simple and wore a black travel cloak. Before returning to Ian's room, she went down with steady and elegant steps to the office...
She entered the office and after sitting on the chair, she rang the bell. Gabriel came to her and bowed with genuine respect...
"Stand up, Robin."
Gabriel smiled at her and said in a relaxed voice:
"I didn't miss my old name much, for I now belong to the Lady.."
"That's how you are, Gabriel... What is the news in the capital these days?!"
"The appearance of both Your Graces at the Imperial banquet. The lady who monopolizes the greatest geniuses under her hand: Viola Neva, Firmin Neva, Gorin Neva, Rocan Sophia, Lohan Nelson, and....."
"And Robin Silane, did you forget that?!"
Gabriel smiled with a sincere face and said:
"The Duchess saved my life, so I want to forget my previous name. Robin Silane is a man who died because he was merely a traitor to the Imperial family. As for the one before Your Grace, he is Gabriel Louise, the head butler of the Duchy of Altan..."
Elite smiled with a sense of sadness for Gabriel and with a playful smile she spoke:
"Then I want my loyal servant Gabriel to help me in bringing exciting news..."
"Serving the Duchess has always been a great honor I cherish. The exciting news is that the Prince will attend the banquet, and it is said that he is planning an interesting gift for the Crown Prince, but there is more interesting news which is ...."
Exactly as Elite expected with some changes she added, everything became clear to her..
'My interference in matters will make the future change and unexpected things will happen. I must be more careful, but there must be change..'
"Gabriel! Can you secure me today for only two hours?"
She looked at him with a pleading look and turned to a large picture of Ian hanging in the office. Gabriel smiled kindly and said:
"Certainly, I hope you return before the Young Duke wakes up.."
"Alright, I'm leaving now, I'll try to return quickly..."
Elite held a magic stone the size of a palm, and after she sent coordinates to the stone telepathically, a white light came out of the stone and wrapped around Elite. She waved in a kind way to Gabriel and disappeared afterwards..
Gabriel laughed in a relaxed manner, then left the office with a sense of peace and comfort..
* * *
The large man wearing the black cloak was walking in the crowded market with wide strides, with a specific destination from the crowded market to the dark alley reaching a place where there are not many people. He headed to a certain shop and entered it...
The seller who saw the man, despite covering his entire body, knew that he was one of his regular customers:
"Is the thing you told me would arrive today ready?!"
"I apologize, sir, it was sold the moment it arrived, I apologize..."
"There was no contract between us anyway, don't apologize... But you told me two of them arrived"
"Of course, but the person who came purchased both... Only an hour has passed since they were bought"
"Is he an eccentric?! Or a collector of strange things to buy two.."
"I don't know who it is, but I know it is a woman... She has a beautiful and harsh voice.."
The man laughed and a personality that might resemble that crossed his mind. The man sighed and said to the seller in resignation...
"Do you have another special item then?! "
* * *
The child who slept for more than three hours was tossing and turning as evidence of his awakening. She had returned from her secret and quick tour..
She had taken off her robe and changed her clothes before going to him, and she approached his bed and looked at the sleepy child with warm looks, then sat on the bed and approached her child and with a smile kissed his eyes and said:
"It seems my child is in a great hurry to wander here and there..."
Ian, who opened his eyes lazily, smiled brightly and hugged his mother's hand and said with a kind face:
"I love to do everything with my mother..."
"My sweet child!"
Elite carried her child who relaxed a little in his mother's arms and placed his small head on her shoulder. Elite smelled the beautiful scent of her child and passed her hand over his hair...
'Whatever the future holds, I will protect you and love you dearly this time'
Ian, who despite his body relaxing in his mother's arms, had woken up, so he muttered in a clear voice and a somewhat frowning face:
"Mama, will we visit the capital to see its streets?! I haven't seen anything because the magic gate is connected to the palace directly.."
She smiled at her child who was clear in his desires and enthusiasm, so she patted his back and said in a kind and cheerful voice:
"And who said we won't visit the capital?!"
"You mean?!"
"That today we will wander in this palace and get to know its inhabitants, and tomorrow we will go to wander in the capital, then there is a royal banquet after a week and we haven't prepared our clothes yet..."
Ian's eyes opened wide and he said:
"Didn't you say that you prepared the banquet clothes before we came to the capital?!"
Elite was amused; her child had always been smart, considerate, and loved to remind her of what she forgot. She smiled broadly first and then said:
"The truth is, I prepared for the first day, and forgot the clothes for the last day.."
And she looked at him with shy looks. In fact, she had prepared everything, but there was no harm in a tour with her child. Ian looked at her with reproachful looks and nodded to her to put him down. He went to the drawer near his bed and took out a paper and a pen and placed them on the table and pulled his mother in a kind way to sit on the chair opposite his chair and sat in his place...
"First, let's write what we want to do in the capital so we don't forget anything..."
Ian wrote in simple handwriting and simple words the things he wanted and passed the paper to his mother. Elite smiled broadly at her child's wishes:
[ First, going and wandering to watch the festival with Mama
Second, eating delicious food with Mama in a new place
Third, going to the Imperial banquet with Mama
Fourth, buying beautiful clothes for Ian and for Mama ]
Elite felt warmth in her heart. She thought she had gotten used to her child's kind actions, but she was wrong; she felt a tickle in her heart for everything he did...
"Alright, Mother will do all the fun things with sweet Ian.. Let's change your clothes to have lunch and then for a tour around the palace..."
"Alright, let's go.."
Ian raised his hand enthusiastically and Elite put him down and they headed to the bathroom to wash his face and hands, and after that she helped him change his clothes. Elite was not like other noble mothers who rely on servants and nannies blindly; she loved spending the most time with Ian despite her busy schedule as the head of the household before handing it over to her child..
She had thought about appointing teachers for her child to start taking succession lessons, but she was hesitant, desiring to make her child live a good and peaceful life and at the same time she did not want her child to be weak. She also feared being harsh on him. After finishing wearing the clothes...
"Ian my little one, what do you think about starting succession lessons?! You will turn seven in the middle of summer and we are now in spring.."
"Really! I will start studying..."
It was an enthusiastic reaction for a child that did not match the suggestion of studying. Elite knew that her child was more mature than his peers, but she knew that he was still a child in the end...
"Do you want to become the official Duke of Altan?!"
"Certainly, I want to be strong to protect my mother and help her, and when I become a strong Duke I will be able to do that"
Elite smiled and hugged her child deeply and said while hugging him:
"For the sake of the strong Duke Ian, after the tour ends you will receive a beautiful gift..."
Ian's eyes sparkled at his mother's words. After finishing finally, they left the room with her holding his hand and she began to introduce him to the palace's parts and corners. The servants were amazed at the lady's relationship with her child; seeing it and hearing rumors were different...
Ian was looking at all parts of the palace with sparkling eyes and he was not an ordinary child, for he was asking about everything except one thing:
« "Why is there no picture of his father?! " »
If it were another child, he would have asked about that, but he was very convinced by his mother and did not care for the title 'his father' except that thanks to him he was born and will become a Duke. The pictures hanging in this palace were either old pictures of the previous Dukes of Altan excluding his father, or pictures of him or with his mother, just like the main palace in Altan.
'The previous Duke hurt my mother deeply; even if he were alive, I would kill him myself..'
They were thoughts that did not match a kind child, but Ian was a smart child and had high awareness and quick perception of what was around him, as he heard everyone's whispers about the previous Duke despite pretending otherwise...
* * *
The week passed quickly and the day of the much-anticipated Crown Prince's birthday banquet had come...
I had finished wearing my clothes. The maids were excited and looking at me with sparkling eyes...
I looked at my appearance for the last time. The water-blue dress, which was not very common, looked good on me. It was a large silk dress with a low collar and long, puffed, slightly wide sleeves, decorated with small white and blue gemstones and with a light silver ribbon at the waist decorated in blue and red. I was wearing light gray lace gloves and high-heeled silver shoes, and I put up my long chestnut-brown hair with a silver hair clip decorated with a water-blue emerald flower while keeping rebellious strands. The clothes that contrasted with the amber-red eye color were extremely amazing; even I admired my appearance for a moment. I turned in the mirror to check my appearance and then praised the maids..
"You have done a wonderful job, thank you..."
The maids were excited so I smiled at them then decided to go to accompany Ian, but one of them stopped me..
"Your Grace, the little one asks that you do not leave the room..."
"Why?!"
I tilted my head in confusion; why would Ian ask not to go to him? But before I could think more, Rose entered while holding Ian's hand. Ian's cute clothes were very beautiful; he wore a sky-blue shirt with silver buttons and red diamonds, black shorts, and a black vest. He was wearing black shoes and white socks. His hair was carefully styled and he deliberately placed the silver brooch decorated with red rubies that I gifted him this year on his black vest, which added an appearance of elegance and cuteness...
Before I could speak, Ian extended his hand with a kind smile and said in a noble tone:
"Will you accompany me to the banquet, my beautiful lady?! ..."
I almost fainted from the cuteness of the moment. I suppressed my desire to laugh and placed my hand on his hand and said while lowering myself a bit to his level:
"It would be an honor to accompany you, my little lord.."
Ian's face brightened with happiness and he kissed my hand in a noble way. After this kind performance, he looked at me in his kind way...
"How was I, Mama?! "
There was anticipation in his eyes, so I smiled at him and said:
"You were the best, my little one.."
His smile widened more and after that we left the room to the palace gate. We bid everyone farewell and boarded the carriage with the help of Firmin, who whispered some words in my ear before my departure...
The road to the Imperial Palace was smooth. I looked at Ian and said with a smile:
"I want you to make friends there, but if you feel distressed, do not hesitate to tell me..."
"Alright Mama,... Mama, can Prince Johann be my friend?!.."
I thought for a bit. In my previous life, the relationship between these two was very strange; they were like opposite poles of a magnet—unlike each other but always attracted to one another. They understood each other well even at the Prince's birthday party in my previous life. Ian was lonely and an outcast, but he agreed strangely with Johann, and perhaps this agreement is good. If they hadn't understood each other, I wouldn't have received the last message from Ian. Perhaps I would have remained stuck in that house swallowing sorrow, and wouldn't have been born again to correct my mistakes. I felt pain in my heart for a moment, but...
"Mama!!!! "
"..."
I returned to reality at the sound of Ian's voice, so I looked at him and smiled at him warmly. I nodded in response to him, and he said:
"We have arrived, Mama "
I smiled while trying to regain my composure again. Ian got out before me, which aroused my confusion, but when I found him outside the carriage, he was standing in a noble way while extending his hand to me. Life returned to my heart; I descended slightly from the carriage and then held Ian's hand to continue my progress. When we ascended the stairs leading to the main gate and just before entering the hall completely...
"Greetings to Your Excellencies, Duchess Elite di Altan and Little Duke Ian di Altan. It is a great honor for me to meet the little master..."
The cheerful, unfamiliar voice sounded very familiar. it was inappropriate behavior to obstruct someone before they entered the celebration hall, but Ian and I turned to the owner of the cheerful and elegantly reckless greeting:
"Duchess Elite di Altan greets His Highness the Second Prince, Eric von Di Roshan.."
Sara / And finally the naughty hero has appeared 😁
... To be continued ...
Note: For those who would like to see pictures of the characters, you can find them on my Wattpad account or Telegram channel.
@sara_luffy11