Princess, Please Fall in Love with Me-Chapter 26 : Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Stalemate, People Sitting in High Positions
“Ugh, that was a really comfortable sleep. As expected, the big bed in the palace is the best.”
Loka Alva lazily stretched, gazing at the gradually brightening sky outside the window, casually patting the groggy figure beside her.
The other’s eyes fluttered open slightly, then grabbed my hand and drifted back to sleep.
“Hey, hey, Your Highness Sixth Princess, the sun’s about to burn your butt.”
“Don’t move, let me sleep a bit more…”
Last night, under that moonlight, we confirmed our pact, and just when the mood was perfect, the bell for the Ball rang again.
Unable to leave behind a glass slipper, I, Loka, had no choice but to follow Yiwen Kelake back to her palace.
Go back to the Duke’s Mansion?
The furious Duke Victor probably wanted to eat me alive, but given his refined, composed image, he likely wouldn’t dare lash out in front of others.
Lina, my maid, had already been arranged with bodyguards for protection.
If anyone dared to use Lina to threaten me… hmph, they wouldn’t live to see the next day’s sun, I guarantee.
No way around it, the big bed in Yiwen's room was just too soft, and since it could fit two, leaving an empty spot to sleep alone seemed too pitiful.
After much coaxing and insistence, I finally dragged Yiwen up.
I, imitating Lina’s techniques, carefully studied her cascade of golden hair, holding a comb but unsure where to start.
How did Lina do my hair before?
But my hair isn’t that long, is it?
Should I just try randomly?
“Give me the comb, I’ll do it myself.”
Five minutes later, seeing her hair in a tangled mess, Yiwen finally couldn’t stand it and snatched the comb from me, fixing it with a dark expression in front of the mirror.
I stood obediently to the side, not daring to make a sound.
We changed into comfortable casual clothes.
Looking at the radiant Yiwen, I felt something was missing until she suddenly tapped my head, and we slowly pushed open the room’s door.
“Kafu sir, the heat needs to be adjusted based on the ladies’ preferences. Miss Loka actually likes a soft texture with a bit of crispiness…”
“Hey, little girl, slow down, this old man’s memory isn’t great.”
A young maid was earnestly instructing a flustered old servant, as pancakes sizzling on the pan wobbled precariously under Kafu’s nervous hands, nearly flying out.
“Lina! Why are you here?”
The maid Lina, who worked at the Duke Mansion, was now in the Princess's palace kitchen, diligently teaching others like a master.
Hearing my voice, Lina turned with a smile, slowly handing breakfast to us, chattering to me about yesterday’s events.
It turned out the Duke had long planned to target Lina.
The day I left the mansion, a group of Masked Figures sneaked in.
The servants, in a panic over my escape, were ready to flee with their belongings.
The Masked Figures easily entered the deserted mansion and ran into Lina, who was returning from shopping.
Not finding their target, the Assassins turned their Blood-Stained Daggers on her.
Luckily, they were unfamiliar with the mansion, and Lina outwitted them by leading them in circles.
“They cornered me in a room, about to break in, when I remembered the Delicate Little Whistle you gave me. I blew it, and—swoosh—all the people outside collapsed!”
Seeing Lina’s excited expression, I nodded.
The training I arranged with Lycan wasn’t wasted; at least it didn’t turn into a bloody mess.
“Then, just as I was about to seek help, I ran into Kafu sir. He said you were with Her Highness the sixth princess, so I came with him.”
Kafu scratched his head helplessly, his eyes occasionally glancing at Yiwen, who was focused on eating breakfast.
I quietly leaned in and nibbled Yiwen’s ear.
Ignoring my teasing, Yiwen kept eating, but the slight reddening of her ear tips betrayed her embarrassment.
“Your Highness, today is the day they come here. Are you sure you don’t…”
“Kafu, don’t mention them.”
Yiwen rarely showed displeasure toward her old servant, and Kafu quietly stood aside.
I sensed their tension and pulled Lina away.
“They… who are they? Today… oh, I see.”
Today was the day of the Three Empires’ Conference.
In the palace hall, all the ministers stood respectfully on both sides.
Miles Kelake, the Emperor of Austin, stared anxiously at the closed doors, even Victor Alva, the Duke, looking tense.
The Three Empires referred to the two other great powers standing alongside the Austin Empire Saitos from the eastern continent and Eryus from the western continent.
Saito’s was once a chaotic eastern territory, synonymous with a dark zone, until the first emperor unified the fractured forces with sheer strength.
Thus, the principle of strength above all persisted in Saitos, with the strongest armies and most elite generals.
Fortunately, this generation’s Saito's emperor was milder, choosing balanced talks in peaceful times.
In contrast to the martial Saito’s, Eryus was a civilized empire built on historical legacy, boasting the continent’s richest libraries and oldest records, a venerable empire.
The Three Empires once clashed constantly, but as people grew weary of war, the empires softened, and the Three Empires’ Conference, proposed by the peace-loving Eryus, began.
Though meant for peaceful coexistence and balanced order, each meeting inevitably sparked mishaps and troubles.
After all, such a grand conference, every move affected national policies, and serious missteps could lead to conflicts between nations.
A smooth resolution was the best outcome.
“, the representatives of both nations have arrived at the palace. The Grand Scholar of Eryus and the Grand Duke of Saito’s have been waiting.”
Before the finished, the closed doors were flung open, and two figures, surrounded by entourages, slowly entered the hall.
The crowd lowered their heads, barely daring to breathe.
“During the conference, ministers perform ceremonial bows.
It seems the Austin Empire still adheres to traditional noble etiquette.
But let’s have them step aside for the meeting,” said a refined, squinting young man, casually scanning the sweating ministers.
Despite his gentle smile, no one took it as kindness.
Seeing no one echoed his smile, the young man turned to the silent, gray-haired elder beside him, whose heroic and commanding aura showed no sign of age.
“What, does your nation practice such customs too, Grand Duke of Saito’s?”
“Saito’s doesn’t need groveling lackeys, only generals on the battlefield.”
The elder’s single sentence dismissed everyone’s dignity, but no one dared retort or challenge him, not even the Emperor of Austin or Duke, who could only play peacemakers with forced smiles.
No one dared defy this man, who could single-handedly thrash everyone from the palace to the nearest street.
Bearing a title named after his nation, the “Undefeated Soul” of Saitos.
The second-in-command of the Saito's Empire, the Grand Duke of Saito’s, Ado's Caesar!