The Emperor's Secret Luna

Chapter 5: Birthday Present

Grand Princess Cecilia turned towards Alvira with her face that was showing she didn’t care about the people’s opinion after reprimanding the two princes.

“Congratulations on your birthday, Lady Alvira Chantrea."

Alvira bowed her head slightly and curtsied to the Grand Princess. “Thank you, Your Highness!”

The Grand Princess looked at the 2nd prince with her signature cool and dry eyes. “As one of the elders of the imperial family, it would be proper that I should present a gift that would represent us. Your imperial aunt won’t shame the imperial family."

“Of course, Imperial aunt. I’m certain that imperial aunt’s gift is unique and the most extraordinary of all.”

Prince Allen shrugged and called the servant who was passing by, then he threw the jewel into the tray. It was the necklace that he was going to present to Alvira. He then calmly stepped back and said goodbye to Alvira.

“I hope that Lady Alvira will dance with me the next time.”

After saying his piece, he turned away without hesitation. It was not the proper time to fight with the 1st prince, especially in front of the Grand Princess.

Alvira just nodded her head and didn’t respond. When Prince Allen disappeared completely, Grand Princess Cecilia’s gaze turned to Prince Isaac.

“1st prince, the dance has been over.”

Prince Isaac looked confusedly at what his imperial meant.

“It’s good to see you getting along with Lady Alvira. After all, Princess Octavia had done something terrible. But, since the dance is over, and the apology has been made, isn’t it time for the other nobles to dance with the celebrant? Besides, it is your royal duty to entertain the other nobles as well.”

When she said this, Prince Isaac slipped his hand away from Alvira. There was nothing wrong with the Grand Princess’s words.

“Imperial aunt is right. I shouldn’t take the chance of the other nobles to dance with the main character of the banquet.” As he left, Alvira thanked the Grand Princess with a bit of a relaxed face.

“Thank you for your help, Your Highness.”

Then the Grand Princess spoke, “It’s nothing. Someone must keep those two princes in check… I heard that Lady Alvira had invited my youngest nephew to your banquet.”

Grand Princess Cecilia glanced around once and returned to Alvira. “I see. He did not come.”

Alvira smiled slightly and nodded. “I wasn’t expecting His Highness to come as well. It was a proper courtesy to invite him without expecting anything. He is an imperial prince after all.”

As the Grand Princess looked into Alvira’s eyes, there was no hidden meaning in her words. There’s no fake courtesy, scheme, or even disgust. It was her first time seeing a young lady of noble lineage who didn’t look down on the 4th prince.

Although the Grand Princess had known the situation of Prince Xavier, she pretended not to know and did not do anything to protect him. Even if she was the eldest sister of the emperor, she was only a princess. She did not have the right to interfere in his affairs, especially in his inner courtyard.

“I have something for Lady Alvira. If you think it could be useful, I hope you’ll listen to this old woman’s request.”

Alvira was quite surprised by the words of the Grand Princess.

'It was the first time she had seen the Grand Princess and yet they were already having such a kind of conversation. I don’t think a person like her would request something, especially from a young lady like her?’

“Tell me, Your Highness. If it’s within my abilities, I would gladly do it.”

“I bought a village recently but it has long been abandoned. It was very dear to me, but I don't have the ability to keep it for myself. It is my gift to celebrate your birthday.”

“Village? What?”

“It will be governed by you in the future. I hope you will accept it.”

Alvira lost her words at the least unexpected request. She couldn’t even jokingly ask how big that village was. Just the thought of her buying a village and giving it to someone as a birthday present, it was certain that it was a huge piece of land. But that was not the end of what the Grand Princess said.

“I heard you have some interest in business management. I heard that Lady Alvira had been helping the Grand Duke with managing the family business so this village will be in good hands.”

Before Alvira could respond, the Grand Princess added in a trivial way.

“I hope you will be able to make the village prosper again. It would certainly make a certain person happy, even if it's just a little bit.”

Alvira looked at her puzzled, “A certain person?”

Grand Princess Cecilia just smiled and did not answer. At this point, she was kind of tired. “I hoped you would visit the village soon. I’m looking forward to it.”

“It’s a meaningful gift, Your Highness. Thank you.”

The Grand Princess nodded. “Don’t forget to invite me once it has already started operating.”

Alvira was confused by this unexpected present but soon she came to her senses. ‘It looks like the Grand Princess’s return would lead to something big.’

“Being neutral can make everyone think that you are against them.”

Alvira clearly understood what the Grand Princess was talking about. If they remained neutral, sooner or later, they would be destroyed by both sides. As the Grand Princess said, everyone would think that they are against them.

Alvira spoke with a bright, clear smile that didn’t match the situation they were talking about. It was to hide from the crowd that they were talking about a serious matter and just some simple nonsense stuff.

“Your Highness is indeed right. Showing neutrality is an act of cowardice, but taking sides without proper precautions can lead to demise.”

‘I can’t believe the 18-year-old Lady Alvira made me so impressed.’

Grand Princess Cecilia, a perfectionist, rarely has a conversation with anyone as she considers everyone pathetic and talks so carelessly. But it was different this time. She realized that she was enjoying the conversation with Alvira, who knew the ins and outs of politics.

Seems like Grand Duke Chantrea taught her very well. A smile was drawn around her mouth and she spoke. “When there are no great tigers in the deep mountains, even a monkey can become king… I’m afraid I’ve taken too much of your time. You still have other guests to greet.”

“Not at all, Your Highness. I enjoyed all the stories you told me,” Alvira wittingly replied.

Grand Princess Cecilia slightly nodded her head with a light smile and left. ‘Once he comes back, this empire will soon become bustling.’

The banquet soon came to an end. It was a wonderful and splendid birthday banquet, worthy of the reputation of the heiress of the Grand Duchy of Chantrea. Everyone congratulated the birthday celebrant with bright faces.

It was truly a magnificent night. All the guests danced, ate, and drank. It went smoothly without anything being ruined. Even if the Grand Princess had left, the two princes didn’t cause any ruckus anymore till the end of the banquet.

By the time Alvira left the banquet with fatigue, she was exhausted.

The maids prepared bath water and clothes for her to change into. In the meantime, Alvira tried to rethink the conversation she had with the Grand Princess.

She was certain that Grand Princess Cecilia was talking about the 1st and 2nd princes as they were the strongest forces that had the highest chance of getting the throne. And by the looks of it, she has no desire to support either of them.

‘The monkey she was referring to… who would that be?’

Esther pulled the door open and called, “Lady Alvira.”

“Hmm? Is the bath ready?”

“Yes. Everything had already been prepared… Oh, Butler Murray is here.”

“Let him in.”

Despite the uncomfortable she felt because of her heavy clothing, she waited inside the room for Butler Murray’s purpose. It must have been coming from her father.

Butler Murray came in. He politely bowed his head and greeted her lightly, then said, “Lady Alvira, His Grace wanted your presence in his study.”

“I see”

During the banquet, her father and she did have the opportunity to talk to him as they were busy receiving the guests. Grand Duke Chantrea must have wanted to talk about the conversation she had with the Grand Princess.

***

“You’ve done a great job, my dear. Everyone praised you for your splendid performance at the banquet. You’ve handled the situation pretty well. I’m certain that your mother would be so proud of you.” Grand Duke Chantrea looked over at Alvira with pride.

“It’s all thanks to father’s guidance,” Alvira replied.

“You must have already felt how hostile the 2 princes are towards each other. This is not yet the end. They won’t stop until they get what they wanted the most. When Prince Allen presented that necklace, I almost got petrified. Accepting it would be disrespectful to Her Majesty, but rejecting it would be impolite to the 2nd prince. I was glad that Grand Princess Cecilia was able to mediate the situation. But the sudden attendance of the Grand Princess is a little strange…”

All these years, Grand Princess Cecilia would only be seen in public during the Emperor’s birthday. Even on the Empress’s birthday, she would never attend such a celebration. However, this year, most especially on Alvira’s birthday, Her Highness made an exception and came to celebrate with them, which made Grand Duke Chantrea a little worried.

“Father, did you know anything about Berxley Village?”

Alvira knew where it was located but she didn’t have any in-depth knowledge about the place. As Grand Princess Cecilia had told her during the banquet, the village was abandoned a long time ago. It is safe to say that it has been forgotten by many.

“Berxley Village… It was a piece of land owned by the imperial family. Before it was abandoned, it was used for planting a variety of plants. The people living there were using the resources they had to study how to create new variations of plant species.”

“If it was used like that, why was it abandoned?”

“Because of the late empress,” Grand Duke Chantrea sighed.

Alvira’s eyes narrowed. The late empress was the first wife of the emperor before Empress Victoria. However, there’s not much story about her as her days of being the empress were only short because she died a few years after she was crowned.

“The 4th prince’s mother?”

Grand Duke Chantrea nodded slowly. “When His Majesty was still the crown prince, he met the late empress in a rose field accidentally when he was out on a trip. Empress Carolyn was the daughter of the late Great General Carson. I can still remember that Empress Carolyn was the most beautiful person in the whole empire. She was the epitome of a perfect noble lady despite not having a mother who could teach her while she grew up. When His Majesty proposed to make her his wife, he gifted her a village filled with roses because she loved roses. And that village was named Berxley Village… But since her death, it has been abandoned and now it almost looks like a ghost village.”

Empress Carolyn’s sudden death came as a surprise to the whole empire. It was no secret how much the emperor adored the empress. Folks from all forms of life knew how the two fell in love with one another and how the Emperor pampered the late empress.

When the news of her death spread, everyone mourned. They got worried about the emperor as he would be grieving the most. It was fortunate that the late empress left a son for His Majesty who is the 4th prince.

Everyone thought that His Majesty would make the 4th prince the heir but, an unexpected thing happened after her death. The Emperor promoted his noble consort as the Empress and deserted the 4th prince. Until now, it was still a mystery why the emperor’s mind changed so abruptly to the point of neglecting the child his beloved had left for him.

Rumors say that the 4th prince was not the son of His Majesty and that Empress Carolyn had an affair with another man. Others say that His Majesty was deeply hurt by her death and didn’t want to see anything that would remind him of her. But, all of these were mere speculations and no one had ever proven anything.

“Father, does the 4th prince have a chance of gaining the throne?” Alvira asked curiously.

“Among all the princes of the empire, it was the 4th prince who had the highest nobility among them. After all, he was the son of the late empress and his maternal family was the Carson Family. The Carson Family were once a member of the imperial family, yet they chose to separate themselves from politics and serve in the military. And so, the 4th prince had both the imperial blood running in him. However, in the situation he was in, it would be impossible for him to gain the throne as no one was supporting him. It would be best for you not to be curious about him. Stay as far away as possible from him.” Grand Duke Chantrea warned her.

“Don’t worry father, I have no intentions of getting along with any of the princes. I was just confused as to what was the real intention of Her Highness in giving me Berxley Village as a present.” She had long thought of this but her mind couldn’t come up with the right answer.

“Grand Princess Cecilia gave you Berxley Village?… Did she tell you why?”

Alvira shook her head, “She said she wanted to see that village prosper in my hands. Is Her Highness trying to show support to the 4th prince? Did Her Highness want the Grand Duchy of Chantrea to support the 4th prince as well?”

After hearing that it was previously owned by the 4th prince’s mother, Grand Princess Cecilia must have wanted to support the 4th prince in gaining the throne. But, why would she give that piece of land to her?

“I doubt so,” Grand Duke Chantrea confidently answered, “Grand Princess Cecilia had never been interested in supporting any of the princes. Aside from that, you might not have known this, but there’s bad blood between Her Highness and the late empress Carolyn. So, given their history, it would be impossible for her to show support to the descendant of the person she had a feud with.”

‘Then why would she suddenly ask her to make that place prosper once again?’ Alvira was deep in her thoughts.

***

“Your Highness, Grand Princess Cecilia attended Grand Duke Chantrea’s banquet. She also gave a huge present to Lady Alvira.” Sir Louie walked inside the dark study room and said.

“What present?”

Sir Louie was somewhat hesitant to answer as he was worried that it might affect the mood of his young prince. After all, it was related to his dead mother.

“Speak.” his voice was chilly, cold, that was like a winter night.

“Grand Princess Cecilia gifted Berxley Village to Lady Alvira Chantrea.” Despite his hesitation, he gave away. After all, Prince Xavier would soon find out about it.

“Berxley Village...” Prince Xavier leaned against his chair as he looked at the invitation letter on his desk in amusement. He was clearly an imperial prince, but unexpectedly, he had a sharp vision like the bloodshed during battle and that monotonous tone had a cold chill in it. After all, all his life, it was like a battlefield.

“What does His Highness want this servant to do about the village?” Sir Louie carefully questioned.

Supposedly, that village must be inherited by Prince Xavier after Empress Carolyn’s death. But, it was taken away by the emperor. Who would have thought that Grand Princess Cecilia would give it to a noble young lady as a birthday present?

“That land is of no use. Let her have it.” Prince Xavier commanded after a few moments of silence.

“I want to see what my imperial aunt is planning to do.”