The moment Diana stepped onto the podium, the crowd fell silent.
Despite her acting like a spoiled brat moments ago, her expression alone would convince him that she was a ruler.
But it also made him suspicious of how easily she could change personalities.
Diana observed the civilians while also giving a subtle glare at the captains and the general.
Yet before long, she composed herself and began her speech.
"As many of you know, today I finally come of age. For that reason, I decided to host a banquet for the entire city to enjoy."
Brushing her hair back, she continued:
"I have heard plenty of rumors as of late. A princess who dares to invite commoners onto the imperial grounds... That's not the perception I want you to have of us."
By us, she clearly meant the imperial family.
"Ranks are foolish," she said. "Their primary goal is to separate people, and I have gathered you all today for a special event."
All of a sudden, Aliyah stepped up. She held a scroll and then opened it, causing the parchment to reach all the way down to the ground.
"All imperials are granted any one wish when they come of age." Diana closed her eyes, then reopened them with determination.
"My wish was for the commoners to have equal voting rights, just like the nobles. They gain the power to choose their rulers, and, if they gather enough support, the commoners may become the rulers instead."
As she finished her words, silence hung in the air. Some cheered right away, while others took a moment to process what she had just said. She was bringing equality to a lawless land, and while that was admirable, Julian knew it was too idealistic.
But the support she gained was definitely unwavering.
"Yeaaah! Princess Diana!"
"We don't need any rulers, we only need you!"
"Princess!"
'This sounds like some idol concert.' Julian sighed, glancing at the captains.
They already had their sabers drawn, while the general's gaze was locked directly onto Julian.
"..."
'Looks like it won't be long before the chaos starts.'
As the cheers eventually died down, Diana cleared her throat and spoke again.
"I'm glad you're all happy. However, as I've previously mentioned... I wish to abolish the ranking system."
She raised a single hand.
"All those in favor of removing the distinction between commoner and noble, raise your hands."
The captains began slowly making their way from the crowd toward the princess. But even then, her words sparked something in the common folk.
Their hands rose like a wave, and within just a few seconds, every single commoner in the crowd had their hands raised, cheering Diana's name over and over again.
Yet the nobles, who were dressed in slightly shabbier clothes than the military, had infuriated looks on their faces. They whispered to their attendants, and the attendants went on to whisper to the nearby captains.
It felt like the tension could be cut with a feather. But for some reason, even while recognizing the danger she was in, Diana's conviction remained unchanged.
It was even worse that Aliyah was fully on board with this. Just what kind of plan could they have when they were completely surrounded?
'Well... Since a battle is inevitable, I might as well make the first move.'
A faint trace of Spiritual Essence escaped his ring as it traveled toward three captains and then wrapped itself around the hilts of their sabers.
Then, without wasting a second, Julian loudly coughed, causing not only Diana and Aliyah to turn toward him with glares, but also for the captains holding their weapons to suddenly drop them.
Their hilts had been broken in two, and as their eyes widened in panic, trying to reach their falling sabers, an invisible force held the three of them in place, forcing them to watch their blades land on the ground.
Three loud clangs reverberated through the built-up tension, drawing the attention of Diana and Aliyah toward the weapons. Not only that, the sudden commotion also attracted the gazes of the civilians.
"Huh? Why did they have their weapons drawn?"
"Protection? No... It's treason to have your weapon drawn while an imperial is talking..."
The civilians turned to the captains, their expressions contorting.
"Are they committing treason?"
As that realization dawned on the civilians, they became more alert. The captains tried to quickly sheathe their weapons, but it was already too late.
"Huh? He has a weapon drawn too!"
"Here as well!"
"Just what is going on!?"
Panic suddenly ensued, giving valid justification for the captains to finally have their weapons drawn. However, unlike before, where it would not be seen as a big deal, it was now a different story.
They had committed treason in front of thousands of civilians.
Civilians who, just a moment ago, were given the opportunity to become equals with the nobles.
An opportunity granted by an imperial.
"G-Get them!" the civilians screamed.
To the surprise of the captains, the civilians began charging at them fiercely. Even if they were stronger, they couldn't make up for the difference in numbers.
So, while Julian and the others stood on the podium, in the very back of the commotion, the civilians were aggressively charging at the captains, knocking them over, and then, by using their own sabers, the civilians impaled the captains.
It all happened so fast that within just a few minutes, tens of captains had been killed. As for the civilians, they began to group up even more and brandish the captains' weapons, prepared to continue their onslaught to eliminate those who dared defy their princess.
Yet that very same princess suddenly raised her hand, a slight smile on her face.
"That's enough."
"...Huh? But princess..."
"They threatened you!"
Diana shook her head. "Threat it may be, as you can see..." she pointed at the few captains beside her and the general. "They are willing to set aside this degree of cruelty, but only if you stop now and go back home."
She smiled. "Don't worry about me. I have the Imperial Mage by my side. Oh, and no matter what anyone says, we will continue the vote I mentioned earlier tomorrow at the same time."
The civilians were reluctant to leave, but seeing the calm and collected expression of the princess, they had no choice. They threw aside their weapons and slowly left.
After nearly five minutes, the outer court was completely empty. Only the corpses of tens of captains and hundreds of civilians remained.
But neither Diana nor anyone else paid attention to them.
As the momentary silence loomed in the air, the general finally unsheathed his saber, as did the captains.
And yet, when Diana saw that, she was unfazed.
"We've known each other for a while, Victor. I'm saddened by your betrayal."
The general, Victor, narrowed his eyes as a frown spread across his face.
"You don't look saddened, Diana."
"My..." Diana covered her mouth. "You know me so well, Victor."