The Princess of Liberin Kingdom
The royal knights of the Liberin Kingdom slightly frowned at those words. If King Royus hadn't ordered them in advance not to intervene and to only quietly escort, they would have found it hard to tolerate, even though he was a guest invited by the king and had notified in advance about the heir's visit and his masked appearance. However, since King Royus had been notified in advance and permitted it, ordering them not to interfere, they only sent displeased glances and didn't move further.
"Since it's already been permitted in advance, there's no need to go back on it."
"Yes, thank you for understanding nonetheless."
Arian Liberin, looking at the heir of Yucheon Group expressing gratitude, felt a strange atmosphere.
'That person is the heir of Yucheon Group…'
Moreover, as the heir, he was participating as a representative of Yucheon Group at the invitation of the Liberin royal family. It meant he held considerable influence within Yucheon Group. Yet, for some reason, she felt like he was paying attention to her.
'She's pretty, really pretty.'
I sincerely thought so as I looked at Arian Liberin, who was dressed in a manner befitting a princess, except for the quite revealing side openings. Although it was still three years before the main story, Arian Liberin's appearance felt completely different from the illustrations I had seen. Her long, dazzling golden hair cascaded down below her waist, shimmering, and her pink eyes held a soft expression. Her refined facial features, elegant and graceful demeanor, and pure, delicate beautiful appearance were exactly what people imagined a princess to be. At the same time, the side slit in her skirt revealing her fair thigh skin was very stimulating, but that was the traditional attire style of the Liberin Kingdom with 500 years of history.
'She looks good in it.'
Not just any woman, but a beautiful princess who would rank at the top in beauty even in this world, wearing such an outfit gave a unique feeling. No wonder she enjoyed popularity beyond that of an idol in this world as well.
'On top of that, she's a Mana Awakener.'
As expected of the original heroine, she was naturally a Mana Awakener. And contrary to her pure and delicate appearance, as one of the main heroines and a princess of a nation, she was an outstanding powerhouse. In her current appearance standing in a white dress for the official event, she didn't look strong at all, but after going through various trials, she would grow into a world-class expert.
"Calling you the heir of Yucheon Group all the time is cumbersome. What should I call you?"
To the king's question, I revealed only my name without disclosing my surname.
"For now, you can call me Cheon. That is my name."
"Cheon? Then you're Korean?"
Since Yucheon Group had significant presence in both Korea and the Liberin Kingdom, hearing my name made him immediately think of Korea.
"Yes, I am."
Since it was true, I answered without denying it. This place was prepared solely to plant even a small seed that would later cause Arian Liberin to part ways with Seo Moon-hyun.
"A Korean, huh. That's a shame."
For the king, it was understandable to feel that way. He probably thought it would be better if I were a citizen of his country. However, regardless of my nationality as the heir of Yucheon Group, maintaining a good relationship would remain unchanged. The economic impact Yucheon Group showed within the Liberin Kingdom was substantial.
'Yucheon Group plays a big role in Liberin Kingdom's society as well, so if they become hostile, there would be much to lose for them.'
There were factories Yucheon Group had built in the Liberin Kingdom, and they created numerous jobs as well. They also paid taxes without delay. Moreover, Liberin Kingdom citizens enjoyed benefits when joining the Yucheon Guild, and Yucheon Group would continue to grow in the future. Not only Yucheon Group's own profits, but also the enormous profits earned through stock investments as instructed by me via Mamon, and stories about Yucheon Group's major shareholder would have been heard sufficiently by the Liberin royal family.
"It seems it's about time for lunch. Let's save the complicated stories for later and have a meal together first, shall we?"
"It would be an honor. However, Your Majesty, during the meal, I will have to remove my mask… As I mentioned earlier, I would appreciate it if as few people as possible knew about it."
"Haha~ Why repeat something we already know? Wasn't it permitted in advance?"
"I apologize. And thank you for understanding."
The royal knights' expressions weren't good, but since the king said so, there was no choice. Even for the king's safety, they wanted to stay by his side, but they couldn't question what the king had permitted. And Arian Liberin was looking at me with a face that seemed curious about the face behind my mask.
"Why is this person hiding his face like this?"
Reading her mind, it seemed she was curious why I was covering my face with a mask. I didn't plan to reveal everything at today's gathering, but I intended to tell her to some extent. Only then would it serve as a seed to drive a wedge between her and Seo Moon-hyun in the future.
'Arian Liberin. Like Min-hye, I'll make you mine as well. Honestly, that would be salvation for you too.'
Since being expelled from the Seo family at age 5, and starting full-scale execution from age 15, the goal included the main heroines of the original work who, despite being central figures, ended up as defeated heroines. Arian Liberin the princess was naturally included in that. If I could change the various 'bad stories' including the 'abandonment ending' they would face, wouldn't it be a good thing for them?
"Let's move to another room."
The room we moved to with King Royus and Princess Arian was the reception room. This place, prepared for dining with important guests of the royal family, was originally a venue where state guests or equivalent figures and royal family members held banquets. This lavishly decorated yet neat-looking place made one understand the significance of dining together here. However, unless it was a visit by a foreign king, King Royus's seat was always fixed. Right at the head seat.
"Please wait a moment. While the food is being served, the attendants have to do their work, so it can't be helped."
King Royus, seated at the head, said to me who hadn't removed the mask yet.
"I understand, Your Majesty."
Leviathan and I also took our seats, and Princess Arian sat as well, her seat directly facing me. This arrangement was probably intentional. For Princess Arian, she was curious about my face as the heir of Yucheon Group, and the king, though not considering marriage, calculated that if she and the princess built a friendship with me, the heir of Yucheon Group, it would be beneficial in many ways politically and business-wise.
'And he probably thinks that seeing my face could be useful later on.'
Revealing to them faces that are hidden from others. Moreover, unlike King Royus who was in his 40s, he had a youthful appearance looking like in his 30s, indicating he was a Mana Awakener of considerable skill. The bloodlines of the Liberin Kingdom's royal family were born with strong talents from generation to generation, and with focused learning of royal secrets, their growth environment was good.
'On top of that, direct royal family members obtain and consume elixirs, so their growth is fast.'
Combined innate talent and continuous support, the strength of the Liberin Kingdom's royalty was only natural. And among them, Arian Liberin's talent was said to be among the top even in the royal family. It seemed like a setting attached due to heroine correction, though.
"The food will be served now."
And the attendants were seen pulling carts loaded with numerous banquet dishes. Even these carts were artifacts that preserved the temperature of the food loaded on them. Even though it took a short time to transport, it had the effect of preventing even the slightest change during that moment. Similarly, this dining table was also an artifact with the same effect.
'In other words, the food won't get cold.'
Even for things like ice cream or cold drinks, it prevented them from melting or becoming lukewarm, allowing us to enjoy the food slowly and leisurely.
'They showed quite some skill.'
Dishes made with all sorts of expensive ingredients were being placed. Expensive ingredients that were specialties of the Liberin Kingdom were completed through the hands of skilled chefs. At the same time, some Korean dishes were mixed in here and there, seeming prepared in consideration of the possibility that I might be Korean.
"Now then, everyone, leave."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The attendants politely answered King Royus's words and pulled the carts out all at once.
Thud—
As the door to the reception room closed, only King Royus, Princess Arian, me, and Leviathan remained in this room.
"Now, there are no other people. You said Cheon, right. Now you can take off that stuffy hood and mask, can't you?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. I believe you will keep it a secret as promised."
Declaring that I was removing it because I trusted they would keep the promise, I first lowered the hood. Then my black hair was revealed, and soon I removed the mask.
"He's handsome? He looks much more handsome than movie actors, so why was he hiding that face?"
Arian the princess's inner voice was heard. She wasn't openly showing a surprised expression, but she had a look of surprise upon seeing my revealed appearance.
'Well, of course.'
My face, befitting the original protagonist's older brother, was extremely handsome, even with the characteristic black hair that had a bad reputation among Mana Awakeners because I wasn't a Mana Awakener or was an insignificant or peculiar type of awakener. It was only natural to wonder why someone with such a face would go around hiding it.