After receiving the support of Her Majesty the Empress, Eldest Princess Annie hurriedly left the palace, and impatient with the idea of taking a carriage, she rode a warhorse from the royal stables, leading her guard out of the city to Brandelis Manor.
"Your Highness, Eldest Princess, visiting so late at night, I apologize for the lack of proper reception!" exclaimed the old butler, Foster, surprised at Eldest Princess Annie's arrival, as the sky had already darkened outside.
Merely from the sight of the sweaty state of the horse Eldest Princess Annie rode, he could discern she must have galloped all the way here, showing no regard for the horse's stamina.
Unless it was for some extremely urgent matter, a grand imperial princess would not engage in such a risky and reckless act.
Hence, Foster swiftly welcomed Eldest Princess Annie into the manor and asked her, "Miss is currently having dinner, is there something urgent you need?"
"Yes, please prepare something for me too! I left the city in a hurry and haven't had dinner!" Years of military experience made Eldest Princess Annie somewhat indifferent to formalities; as she walked towards the dining room, she instructed Foster, "Same as before, lamb chops and a sunshine egg, and also fetch a bottle of the reserve from old Baron Brandelis's cellar! I've brought Perfikot's title certificate.
Also, take good care of the horse I rode in on! It's been extremely tired today. And don't worry about my guard, just provide them a place to stay within the manor."
"Rest assured, I will definitely tend to your beloved horse!" Serving the Brandlis Clan for three generations, Foster clearly understood the importance of the title certificate for the Brandlis Clan.
This made him even more cautious, promptly activating all the maid dolls in the manor to serve Eldest Princess Annie.
In an instant, more than a dozen dolls emerged from various parts of the manor, bustling about, bringing Brandelis Manor back to its former lively state.
Seeing these maid dolls, Eldest Princess Annie wasn't surprised at all and nodded towards the old butler before following a maid doll's guidance to the dining room.
Although she was not unfamiliar with Brandelis Manor, sometimes aristocratic etiquette could be quite a cumbersome affair.
Meanwhile, old butler Foster hurried to tend to Eldest Princess Annie's horse, as due to Perfikot's dismissal of all the manor's servants three years ago, Brandelis Manor no longer had a stable hand.
Though there were still a few old horses left by Perfikot's grandfather in the stables, Foster had been managing and caring for them daily.
After switching to steam carriages, the manor's horses were only occasionally ridden by Perfikot in good spirits, or by Foster for hunting or patrolling the grounds, without needing extra care.
Luckily, Foster was once the knight attendant of Perfikot's grandfather, handling warhorses was something he'd been familiar with since childhood, and it wasn't complicated for him.
For horses that have traveled long distances, they can't be allowed to rest immediately; they need to walk slowly for a distance first, relaxing their muscles, before being led to the stables.
However, before this, their sweat must be wiped dry with a cloth to prevent them from catching a chill.
Horses are very delicate animals; even a tiny accident or oversight can lead to illness or even death.
Therefore, in the past, knights and their attendants would start their knightly training by learning how to care for their mounts — their closest partners on the battlefield.
Having taken care of Eldest Princess Annie's mount and arranged for her guard to rest within the manor, Foster returned to the residence, knowing it was essential for him to be present to welcome such an important noble guest.
By this time, Eldest Princess Annie was already seated in the dining room, with maid dolls serving her exquisite dishes and the specifically requested cellar wine, while Perfikot was reviewing the handwritten document from Her Majesty the Empress.
"Allowing me to directly inherit the title and prepare the title document, clearly, Her Majesty the Empress has high hopes for me!" Perfikot never anticipated such direct support from the Empress.
Though she was the sole heir of the Brandelis family, under the current imperial title inheritance law, she is indeed eligible to inherit the title, yet the Empire's inheritance law still adheres to male-preference primogeniture.
Therefore, even though Perfikot has reached adulthood, she must undergo a series of lengthy and complex procedures to pass the Noble Council's review to inherit the title passed down by her grandfather and obtain her own title certificate.
But now, Her Majesty the Empress bypassed this step, directly granting her the title certificate, thereby removing the biggest obstacle in Perfikot's title succession.
Notably, the title certificate states "Baronetess" instead of "Baron," adding a distinctive meaning to it.
However, this isn't the main focus, as the world is on the brink of destruction; with or without a title, it's influencing the present but hardly holds any significance for the future, even less so than a ticket to the New Continent.
"Aside from the title, there's the support of all the royal resources under the Royal Family." Eldest Princess Annie continued enjoying the tender lamb chops while explaining to Perfikot, "Mother allows me to deploy all royal resources to support you in executing the so-called 'Polar Exploration' plan; now you have enough resources to realize your idea."
"All the royal resources? That's indeed very beneficial! As for the Royal Langton University and the Royal Shipyard..." Perfikot's eyes shone with excitement, clearly this was the support she was hoping for: "Mobilizing professors from Royal Langton University to join this plan and having the Royal Shipyard build more Flying Airships according to my specifications, can this be done?"
"If needed, I can arrange for approximately... three slipways at the Royal Shipyard for you," Eldest Princess Annie estimated and guaranteed: "These are large slipways capable of constructing cruisers, though I'd wish to provide more, it's impossible for the Royal Shipyard to abandon ships already being built just to clear the slipways and berths for you.
However, regarding Royal Langton University, you can have whoever you need; I'll summon them to join your plan in the name of the Royal Family.
Even if those professors are unaware of the disaster, I believe they'd be quite interested in exploring the Arctic and conducting scientific explorations there."
"First, recruit personnel locally using the Polar Exploration name, and ensure secrecy to prevent unnecessary panic." Finally, Perfikot felt a spark of confidence in confronting the upcoming disaster.