In the palace square, the leaders of the noble families and their relatives had arrived and were seated in their respective places.
The barons sat at the bottom, while the higher nobles sat above them.
Of course, the four Duke families sat at the very top.
"Hahaha! Today has finally arrived. I can’t wait to see the candidates for the throne. It’s been a long time since I last saw them," the Duke of Ashvale said with a small laugh.
Standing beside him was Allen, the first son of the Ashvale family, and on the other side stood an exceptionally beautiful young woman.
She was quite tall, with long gray hair tied in a braided crown.
The hairstyle suited her perfectly, giving her the appearance of an elegant yet domineering queen.
She had a slim figure, with a fairly voluptuous chest and buttocks.
Her expression was calm and indifferent, as if she had no emotions at all.
However, only Allen knew that behind that demeanor was a cruel and cunning woman who was incredibly annoying.
That woman was Margaretta Ashvale—the illegitimate daughter of Duke Ashvale.
Why is this woman here too? Damn... how infuriating! Allen gritted his teeth in anger.
The person he hated the most was his sister.
She had appeared out of nowhere a few years ago and easily won his father’s heart.
Although Allen still held the status of heir, he knew it was just an empty title that meant nothing.
In reality, his father had never given him any important tasks related to the Ashvale family.
He even suspected that his father had brought Margaretta here on purpose to introduce her to the other dukes and His Majesty the Emperor.
The Southern Duke, Jason Malvain, glanced at the Duke of Ashvale and asked, "Duke of Ashvale, I heard you’ve declared your support for Prince Cedric. Is that true?"
The other two dukes, Valcrest and Austin, also looked on with curiosity.
Rafine and Anastasia, standing beside Duke Austin, turned their heads as well.
A duke family’s declaration of support for one of the princes was crucial.
It could change the course of the ongoing struggle for the throne. It wasn’t impossible for it to bring chaos later on.
After all, the four duke families wielded enormous power.
Most importantly, they had their own conflicts—especially the Duke of Austin and the Duke of Malvain.
Only because the Emperor stood between them did the two families remain at peace.
However, if the Emperor were gone, the two families would likely go to war immediately.
"Oh? So the news has already spread, huh?" The Duke of Ashvale let out a small chuckle. He leaned back in his seat and said, "Yes, I have indeed declared my support for Prince Cedric."
Everyone’s expressions immediately turned serious, including Rafine and Anastasia.
"Of course..." Duke Ashvale smiled faintly as he continued, "It wasn’t my decision, but my daughter’s."
He pointed at Margaretta beside him. In an instant, all eyes turned to her.
Facing those gazes, Margaretta remained calm and composed, as if completely unaffected.
She bowed her head slightly before straightening up again.
Margaretta Ashvale, huh? So she’s the illegitimate daughter of the Ashvale family, Alvaron muttered, narrowing his eyes.
He had heard about Margaretta several years ago, though most of it was just rumors.
Even so, the intelligence network of a duke’s family was not to be underestimated.
Back then, he had obtained information about Margaretta in a remarkably short time.
It was clear that Margaretta was indeed intelligent and talented. She had assisted Duke Ashvale in handling challenges in the northern region.
It was no exaggeration to compare her to his own daughter, Rafine.
The Duke of Malvain and the Duke of Valcrest shared Alvaron’s thoughts.
They, too, had gathered information on Margaretta and acknowledged her exceptional talent.
Damn... Allen gritted his teeth with hatred. It should have been me, not her, who received that attention!
Unfortunately, no matter how angry or frustrated he felt, there was no way to show it in front of everyone.
"Oh, right," the Duke of Ashvale said, glancing at the Duke of Austin. "I hear you’ve also declared your support, Duke Austin. And the one you support is Princess Elina, isn’t it?"
Immediately, everyone’s gaze shifted to Alvaron and his family.
"Yeah." Alvaron didn’t deny it. He sipped his tea and said, "I have declared my support for Princess Elina."
The atmosphere immediately grew tense, especially for Duke Malvain, whose face darkened.
Although it wasn’t an official statement, everyone realized that Elina was the dark horse who had managed to surpass the princes—including his nephew, Aldric.
Frankly, this was completely unexpected. After all, everyone knew that Elina lacked strong support from her mother’s side.
"Tsk! You dared to bet on her because of the Singularity of Chaos, didn’t you?" the Duke of Ashvale teased.
"Yes and no," Alvaron replied casually. "Indeed, the Singularity of Chaos is behind Princess Elina, but that figure does not directly support her. He only provides protection, nothing more."
"What I see is her quality. Among the candidates for the throne, she is the most like His Majesty. So, I chose to bet on her."
In fact, there was something he hadn’t revealed to them: it was Nolan’s presence at Elina’s side that ultimately convinced him to support her.
The lazy and useless prince had hidden his abilities remarkably well.
Rafine had also told him more about Nolan, which only strengthened his conviction to choose Elina.
On top of that, Nolan had connections with the Blue Moon Trading House’s top officials.
Unlike Red Obsidian, the Blue House had no plans to take over the eastern region.
Instead, they only traded and helped boost the eastern region’s economy.
As the ruler of the eastern region, Alvaron was clearly thrilled and delighted.
Furthermore, he had secured a large loan at extremely low interest—something no other trading house would have ever offered.
"Similar to His Majesty the Emperor? Your words are exaggerated, Duke Austin," Jason mocked coldly.
Alvaron glanced at him but ignored the remark. Although he despised Jason because of the conflict between their families, he didn’t want to make a fuss over a mere taunt.
With the eastern region now more prosperous thanks to the arrival of the Blue Moon Trading House and the collapse of the Red Obsidian Trading House, his mind felt far more at ease.
Jason bristled at being ignored, but he could do nothing about it and eventually turned his face forward, hiding his embarrassment.
Meanwhile, Margaretta, who had remained silent all along, lowered her head slightly.
Her eyes flashed coldly as she whispered, Elina, huh? I want to meet her.
A thin smile curved on her lips.