Although all the attendees were young, each was an elite of their respective family’s faction, and the shocking news did not throw them into disarray.
Very soon, someone spoke up first.
“Bishop, this isn’t a matter that can be decided at this banquet. The successor to the Imperial Church should be determined by joint discussion and an election to earn the approval of the faithful.”
With such a voice rising, the hall once again erupted into noise.
Doubts and objections surged like bamboo shoots after a rain, emerging one after another.
“Bishop! As the representative of the Lage Family, I believe this matter is inappropriate and requires a parliamentary vote! Even His Majesty has no right to use the Church’s Saintess status as some kind of reward! This is a responsibility, not a prize!”
“The Tuden Family will not agree to such a rash decision either. To entrust such an important position to this woman—pardon my frankness, I cannot accept it, nor can the vast majority of the faithful!”
No one could discern the emperor’s true intentions.
But the nobles present at the banquet understood that if the noble who recommended Moria were granted such a high status, the Deran Family’s power would swell beyond the reach of all other nobles.
If things reached that point, neither the emperor’s nor the church’s authority would be considered sacred anymore.
In the face of fundamental interests, anyone could be treated as a rival to be disrespected.
And after the Tuden Family representative spoke, the criticism shifted from simply objecting to appointing Flora as the Church’s Saintess, to directly attacking Moria and Flora themselves.
“We only wanted to give the Duke of Deran’s family some face, not make things too ugly, but if such a decision stands, I must question it.”
This Flora Emerald, her origins are deeply suspicious.
“Since when is ‘Emerald’ a real surname? Lord Moria’s recommendation is disloyal to His Majesty—I call for a thorough investigation!”
“Whether as a Lord or a Saintess, since we are asked to witness this, you must give us sufficient reason. Your Highness, Bishop, you both owe us a thorough explanation.”
The chaos of the banquet reached its peak as a noble lady’s attack on Flora rang out.
“A Church Saintess? Since when is a collared whore allowed to take such a position? Lord Deran, perhaps you should first explain the ambiguous relationship between yourself and this Flora.
If you ask me, she’s little different from the Duke of Kelar’s infamous succubus lover!”
A wave of public pressure crashed down, and the one most directly affected was, naturally, Flora—the very center of the storm.
Yet, at this moment, she was even more composed.
Things had gone beyond her expectations, but hadn’t they also escaped the control of those who maneuvered around her?
All she needed to do was stand on stage like a statue, wait for these people to act, and then give the appropriate response—she hardly even needed to think.
Still, it was impossible not to feel uncomfortable about such a sudden coronation.
Under the barrage of accusatory and distrustful stares from below the stage, even the most blameless person would feel restless, let alone Flora, who already disliked appearing before crowds.
Used as a tool for her own faction’s power struggles, she felt increasingly isolated and helpless, longing to find someone she could lean on, even if only to ease her mind a little.
However, in this hall, there was no one who could fill that need.
Not the three of emerald Heart, nor the princess, or…
Linko?
Flor instinctively thought of the maid.
That maid who’d left earlier, who once said she could help Flora—could it be she’d anticipated this scene and chosen to leave early?
She might not be an absolutely reliable pillar, but she was someone Flora could reach out to, someone she could trust.
Yes, what she needed was someone who could calm her soul.
Countless figures flashed before her eyes.
But the one who remained was the purple-haired girl in a maid’s uniform.
Compared to Linko, she seemed to want Aurora to stay more, but whether it was Linko or Aurora, she could not count on either of them now.
“Truly hopeless.”
She let out a self-deprecating, soft laugh.
Pa—
Suddenly, a sharp slap rang out, silencing the chaotic hall for a moment.
The lonely Flora snapped back to herself and looked toward the source of the commotion.
There, in the crowd, stood Moria, calmly wiping her hand with a handkerchief, looking with disdain at the noble lady slumped on the ground, clutching her face.
“Uncle Kelar wanted everyone to meet his lover—what’s wrong with that? You think it’s a scandal, something shameful, but who are you to judge? Just a second daughter of some earl’s family.”
Flora had never seen Moria like this before, the very image of noble coldness and arrogance displayed to the fullest.
She had shed all pretense of gentleness, revealing the unyielding pride of a duke’s daughter.
“If anyone else here shares her opinion, if you want to speak such things, come out now. The ‘interesting anecdotes’ your families’ elders enjoy—if you bring them up here, are you trying to slap someone’s face?”
After Moria spoke, seeing no one dared reply, she continued unhurriedly: “Flora emerald is my teammate, the Empire’s newly-appointed Lord, and the ordained Church Saintess.”
“Leaving aside whether the decision was hasty, what happened to your noble etiquette? If you’re dissatisfied, must you shout like common rabble?I am ashamed to be counted among you.”
“Then give us an explanation!”
The previously silent Miss Laird stepped forward again.
Of those present, apart from the princess, only a legitimate daughter of a ducal family like her could confront Moria directly.
But her earlier momentum had already been suppressed by Flora, and now, facing the host of the banquet, she found it even harder to mount a meaningful challenge.
“Explain? Why should I?”
Moria sneered in reply.
She ignored Laird’s anger and agitation, raising her voice.
“Let me tell you, Miss Laird: raising a question is good, but if you can’t produce evidence, you’re just a fool waiting to be ridiculed.”
She glanced around—no one dared meet her eyes.
“We are nobles, not gossipy reporters. Even if you find something questionable, don’t bore us with wild conjecture. Miss Laird, you call it a collar, but I’ll tell you—it’s a device for stabilizing her magic. If you don’t believe me, have Miss Flora remove it and show you all.”
At this point, Moria’s tone sharpened, her gaze turning piercing.
Laird, startled by her sudden glare, instinctively stepped back.
“If you suspect an improper relationship between me and Flora, then answer me this: why is the only connection you see with a collar? Or perhaps, Miss Laird, you know more about such things than you let on? In that case, I have a question for you—why are you so intimate with the attendant you brought?”
Laird froze, seeing everyone’s suspicious eyes shift to her.
Her lips went pale.
“When have I ever…”
When had she ever behaved intimately with her attendant?
“Who knows if you have or haven’t—who cares? Everyone, let me tell you something.”
Moria rolled her eyes disdainfully, growing more convinced that her peers were all fools.
She cast a mocking, contemptuous gaze at those around her.
“I’ve never been afraid to repay insult with insult, nor to take an eye for an eye against anyone with improper thoughts toward me.And that includes her…”
She reached out, pointing to the girl on stage.
Flora instinctively clenched the hem of her dress.
She felt miserable.
Needing a mental anchor more than ever, what she received instead was Moria’s intervention.
Deep down, she knew that Moria was absolutely not acting out of any pure consideration for her; this was all an extension of her own plans.
Yet in such an isolated situation, only Moria had stepped forward to help her.
That was an undeniable fact.
A reality she could do nothing about.
No matter how she wished to resist the trap this woman so carefully constructed—pushing her toward Stockholm Syndrome—she was powerless.
“I can say openly, I see Flora as family, not whatever kind of lover you all imply… Flora, tell them, what do you call me?”
Seeing the hall fall silent, Moria, satisfied with her success in intimidating the crowd, smiled at Flora.
It sounded almost as if, after stepping up for Flora, she was asking for some sort of reward.
Perhaps others did not sense it.
But Flora certainly did.
Moria’s twisted affection truly affected her.
Flora parted her lips.
Not compelled by anyone, but willingly, she spoke.
“Moria-sister.”
The once-arrogant lady in the crowd gave her a dazzling smile, then faced the others again with cold indifference.
“Emerald—as in Emerald Heart—that’s the surname I gave her. She’s the symbol and core of our Emerald Heart Squad. Anyone who dares call her origins dubious is picking a fight with me.
Since she calls me sister…heh, as long as she does, I will treat her just like my own sister, Emia. If you still insist on wild speculation, what then? Are you trying to say I…”
Before she could finish, someone dropped to their knees with a thud.
“That’s enough, Yaar.”
The situation did not spiral further; Lisette interjected to halt Moria’s attack.
She walked straight to Flora’s side and proactively took her hand.
The subtle shift in Flora’s mood was apparent; seeing Moria’s dissatisfied look, Flora lowered her head.
“Since you all object so strongly to Flora, whom I recognize, then the fault must be with me, this princess. I understand—I will go home and beg my father for forgiveness.”
“Your Highness, we meant no such thing!”
Seeing even Lisette step up to support Flora, the guests grew even more uneasy.
They had all thought the royal family and the Deran Duke were openly and secretly at odds, but now, at least regarding Flora, the two sides seemed to be cooperating.
Combined with the recent news of demon unrest, this felt like a powerful political signal, acutely perceived by the guests—all political creatures themselves.
Lisette’s stance was uncompromising; she clung tightly to Flora’s arm.
Flora felt that this princess had sensed her own anxiety and confusion.
“Whatever you all mean, I just wanted to find myself a teacher, and now you’re objecting like this. Lovers? Is that really your argument? Do you all think I’m an easy target? Or do you think my brothers would make better crown princes?”
When a princess began to throw a tantrum, it no longer mattered what the original issue was.
Flora had never imagined she would receive such treatment.
Nor did she expect things to develop to this point.
Finally, not sure what was going through her mind, the princess uttered words that made every guest too terrified to speak further.
“I want to ask everyone here: this beautiful sister of mine proposed to me not long ago, and now you call her something base and vile, yet claim you hold no resentment toward me. Father said: a crown prince who cannot win the approval of the nobles is unfit. In that case…”
Everyone present, including Moria, dropped to one knee, begging the princess for forgiveness.
No one could best the Empire’s supreme ruler at playing the blame game.
Even the parents of these young nobles could not bear the charge of ‘disloyalty to the crown prince.’
Thus, the turmoil ended—at least for the remainder of the banquet, no one would dare mention Flora’s Lord or Saintess status again.
Everyone began planning how to discuss this with their families after returning home, giving up any thought of leaving early.
Without displaying utter sincerity and making amends with the princess and the Deran heiress during the latter half of the banquet, things would become quite troublesome after tonight.
But neither Lisette nor Moria intended to brush them off.
Perhaps as a response to how Flora had tried to leverage royal authority to force Moria’s hand earlier, both of them spoke in unison: “Lord Flora, dance with me.”
“Flora, it’s time for us to dance.”