Good morning, everyone. Sorry to keep you waiting." Princess Natalia's voice rang out clearly across the gathered crowd, carrying with practiced confidence. "My name is Natalia Auliffee, the current Princess of the City of Eirs, and I am ready to answer your questions. Please feel free to speak your thoughts and suggestions. And remember, whatever we discuss here will not be the setting stone but an open idea which I will work on in the future, so be mindful and let's have a calm discussion." She bowed gracefully at the end of her introduction.
Light applause rippled through the crowd, but it faded quickly as tension settled back into the air. The first question came swiftly. The asker was none other than 5th Rock Leader Grankell Parmesarson, whose huge body and fat belly filled his seat completely, making the chair look small beneath him. He wore his usual red animal-pattern suit with a white inner shirt, tattoos decorating his palms like badges of power. He looked at her with a menacing smile that didn't reach his eyes and spoke with deliberate slowness, each word calculated.
"Princess, first of all, congratulations on your official entry. I'm sure Queen Mother must be proud seeing her daughter taking the stage." He paused for effect, letting the moment stretch uncomfortably. "But I wonder, what is the plan for this new Princess to bring new growth to us Crowns who have felt stuck for a long time?"
"Yes! Yes! We want more money!"
"We don't want to be laughed at outside!"
"Give us more things!"
"Where is our growth?"
Several people shouted in defense of the question, their voices overlapping in a wave of discontent that washed through the front rows. Princess Natalia's eye twitched slightly, but she maintained her composure with visible effort, her fingers tightening on the podium's edge.
"Ahm, thank you for your wishes, Leader Grankell," she began, keeping her voice steady despite the pressure. "Regarding Crown growth, I think we're pretty clear on that. As soon as we figure out a way to connect our land to other continents, then you guys will be the first to get the chance to expand your houses' sources of income." She spoke with practiced confidence, though her jaw remained tight.
"But how long do we have to wait?" another Crown from the front rows demanded, standing up aggressively with his hands planted on his hips.
"Soon enough. We can't give you a proper date, but we are working on it," Princess Natalia replied with slight discomfort, her fingers gripping the podium harder now.
"Are you telling us to wait until your marriage with the Land of Dreath Crown person who promised to provide good, higher-quality tools to let us pass the ocean regularly?" The question hung in the air as others also nodded wanting to have a clear answer.
"That marriage talk is still on the table," Princess Natalia spoke carefully, measuring each word.
"Isn't it the Highest Crown's duty to serve its people? Why is it still on the table when you're given a full solution right in front of you?" A female Crown spoke up sharply from her seat, her voice cutting through the murmurs.
"It will be decided soon enough on the day of the ceremony, so please wait patiently until then," Natalia responded, trying to keep her frustration from showing in her voice.
"Regarding the ceremony, there's a rumor going around that you can't control the Heart Machine," 5th Leader spoke again, his voice dripping with false concern that made it sound even more threatening. "Will our future remain in the hands of a Princess who can't save our children from overdose, let alone not having any Energy power herself?"
"TSK!" Princess Natalia glared at him sharply, her composure cracking for just a moment as anger flashed across her face. But she forced herself to calm down, taking a deep breath while closing her eyes briefly before responding. When she opened them again, her voice came out stronger. "Whether I can control it or not will be seen by the people at the ceremony. And even if I can't control it and with me having no Energy power, despite all of this...…. I am still this city's Princess and will serve this city one way or another. So you don't have to worry about your lives in the future, because I, as your Princess, am not going to give up on you guys!" Her voice rose with conviction, ringing out across the space and echoing off the walls.
For a moment, there was complete silence. Princess Natalia breathed hard from her passionate declaration, her chest rising and falling as she tried to steady herself. After a few tense seconds, more hands were raised. Princess Natalia scanned the crowd and chose a hand from the middle row, pointing toward a nervous-looking man.
"Umm, Princess, what's your take on the monopoly of certain profitable businesses, like the meat industry and tool making?" The man's voice was nervous as he looked around seeing angry gazes, his words coming out quickly as if he was afraid he'd lose courage halfway through.
Hearing this question, several front-row people frowned deeply. Some glanced back and glared daggers at the man who dared to ask it, their expressions threatening enough to make him shrink slightly in his seat.
Seeing their reaction, Princess Natalia carefully chose her words, speaking slowly. "Monopoly only happens because they were better at their work. Their products were good. I'm sure everyone got an equal chance at the business when it started. We can't stop people from earning profit. If you want equal footing, either create a remarkable product or wait for a new opportunity." She paused, letting her words sink in and watching the reactions ripple through the crowd. "I understand the frustration of not being able to earn as much as others, but there will always be discrepancies. So I hope you don't think too much about it and focus on improving in other areas."
After she spoke, many front-row people visibly eased down, leaning back in their seats with satisfied expressions spreading across their faces. The person who asked the question, though not completely satisfied, sat down quietly with a defeated slump to his shoulders, his head lowering.
"Next question."
"Princess, hearing some losers whining, I thought, why not let those small shops come under us big houses' banners? That way, their efficiency can be improved, and overall this city will earn more money!" An old woman from the front seats spoke up with a sharp smile that showed too many teeth.
Hearing this, many front-row Crowns smiled and nodded in agreement, murmuring their approval. Those behind glared in anger, their faces flushing with indignation as their hands clenched into fists.
Princess Natalia thought for a bit, her brow furrowing in concentration as she considered the proposal. "Hmm, the idea isn't bad. Higher Crown houses can help technically and improve their skills, and in return they'll get a portion of the share. I'd say this is a win for both sides. Any thoughts on this?"
"Princess, this is unacceptable! We'll be squeezed to death!"
"No, Princess, this is not fair! What about our own houses' names?"
"Hey, just be grateful that you'll earn a little more! Why are you crying?"
The voices rose in chaos, overlapping and competing for attention as anger built on both sides. Princess Natalia listened to the back-and-forth for a moment, her eyes moving between the arguing parties before speaking decisively. "I think before your own house, the city comes first. I am the Princess of this City. I have a duty to make this city prosperous, and I can't let some failed and slow businesses take up space in this city."
"Why not let those houses fall completely under us? That way, whole houses can evolve! Hehe!" One of the men from the front row suggested with a greedy grin spreading across his face, his eyes gleaming with opportunity.
"No, that is way too much. I can't allow that," Princess Natalia directly shut down the idea, her voice commanding enough to make the man's smile falter. Relief washed over the faces of people at the back, their shoulders relaxing slightly.
"Next question."
Several arms shot up into the air, waving for attention. Even a woman in one of the front rows raised her hand tentatively, her movement hesitant. The man sitting beside her, her husband, saw this, and his face immediately darkened like a storm cloud. He swiftly grabbed her arm and forcefully brought it down, his fingers digging into her flesh.
"Oye, you woman, what are you doing?" he hissed under his breath, his voice filled with anger. "Do you want to ask some stupid question or what? Don't embarrass me in front of others!" His fingers dug deeper into her flesh, making her wince. "But tell me, what were you going to ask?"
Husband tightened his grip on her arm, making the blood flow stop. Her skin turned white under his fingers, the painful pressure made her frown in nervousness.
"AGH! I... I just wanted to ask if I can do... you know, I love to read. I want to study agai—"
"HAHAHA!" Husband laughed hard, his voice booming very loud, enough to make nearby people turn and look. "You stupid woman! Sure enough, you want to embarrass me! Studying? Hahaha! You're already the mother of two children who are going to school. You want to go there too? Hahaha!" His laughter was full of mocking, his sharp voice cutting through the air. "Just stay at house and take care of our home!!! Don't jump around creating problems!"
He released her hand while glaring at her threateningly, his eyes promising consequences later. She meekly shrank down as other people on the sides joined in the laughter, their cruel amusement filling the air around her, making her cheeks burn with shame.
"Ah, but wait," Husband said suddenly, his tone shifting to something darker. "I think you'll look cute in those school dresses. Why not let's have fun tonight wearing a school dress? Hehe, your dream will also come true, and I haven't loved you for some time now, right, my beautiful wife?" He smiled wickedly as he grabbed her waist and pulled her toward him roughly, his other hand moving to touch her crotch above her dress with deliberate pressure.
"AH!" Wife gasped, looking sideways as some men laughed lustfully, their eyes roaming over her body in ways that made her skin crawl. "Please, husband, I will listen to you. Sorry I asked. Please don't embarrass me in front of others." Her eyes filled with tears that threatened to spill over, her voice trembling with humiliation.
Husband smiled with satisfaction, clearly enjoying her distress. He whispered close to her ear, his breath hot with a threatening tone that made her skin crawl in fear. "Good woman. Keep this attitude up. If not..... then I have lots of ways to keep you in line. Act like a proper woman, and next time don't you dare humiliate me in public!"
He glared at her and pushed his hand harder on top of the fabric at her crotch, making the cloth wrinkle there visibly. Then he released her and sat back quietly, completely unbothered by what he'd just done. Wife quickly fixed her attire with shaking hands and sat properly, but a few tears fell down onto the wrinkled cloth at her crotch area. She kept her head down, ignoring the lustful gazes from the sides, her shoulders trembling slightly as shame washed over her in waves.
"Princess, what's your take on people who, with their power, ruin the lives of people working under them?" Suddenly, Mother Isafold spoke up clearly, her voice cutting through the murmur of the crowd like a blade.
Many maids' ears perked up immediately, their eyes shimmering with hope as they leaned forward slightly, desperate to hear the answer.
Before Princess Natalia could respond, 5th Leader interjected smoothly, his voice casual. "I think there's a clear procedure when they enter a household. There are all valid documents present, and it's the house's right to do whatever they see fit. Of course, some people do some evil deeds out of frustration, but it's the people's fault for choosing that house, since there are no hidden things here and everyone knows the condition of all the houses." He smiled in a relaxed manner, as if the matter were already settled and not worth further discussion.
"Yeah, right! It's their fault for choosing blindly! Come to me. I treat everyone with respect!" One Crown spoke laughingly, his tone dripping with false generosity that made it clear he was anything but respectful.
"Me too!" Another female Crown laughed, the sound of it make her seem all high and mighty.
"Me too! Me too!"
Several figures shouted in agreement, their voices overlapping in a chorus of self-congratulation that rang hollow. The maids' eyes dimmed back again, hope fading from their expressions as they stood quietly at the back, their brief moment of optimism crushed.
"I am aware of certain happenings that affect many working people," Princess Natalia finally spoke, her voice measured. "We will try to bring a law that can safeguard those people. But since the houses are paying for your work, they are mostly responsible for you. I hope you guys can choose properly after giving it much thought."
Her answer made both parties quiet, each side finding something to hold onto in her carefully balanced words. The silence stretched for a moment before hands rose again.
"Next question."
Princess Natalia finally chose a hand from the very back of the gathering, pointing toward a woman who looked nervous.
A lady stood up and bowed respectfully, her movements stiff with anxiety. "Umm, Princess, the prices of food and other necessities here in the 5th rock are way higher than in other places. We have to travel a lot to other locations to get a good range, and it takes a lot of time. Can't you fix the prices to be more reasonable?" The lady bowed again, her voice soft but desperate, almost sound like pleading.
But as soon as she stood back up, she heard laughter rippling through the front rows.
"Hahaha! A poor Crown begging for prices to go down!"
"That's why I said to absorb these houses!"
Many voices mocked her openly, their laughter full of cruelty, making her face burn. Her fingers clenched tightly at her sides, her face turning red with shame.
"Miss, the prices reflect the quality of the product," Princess Natalia explained patiently, though her voice carried an edge of finality. "And truthfully, these prices do help the City of Eirs bring in more support overall. So I hope you understand our situation. We could open small shops somewhere, but that's the most I can allow here in the 5th rock."
"Next question."
A woman from the middle row stood up, her face flushed with anger. "Princess, there have been many cases where higher Crown houses' kids bully our kids, and even cases where some boys and girls harassed our kids at such a young age. Please, we need a proper punishment system for these things!" Her voice shook with a mother's desperation as she glared at some Crown people.
"Hey! Hey! Why are you blaming our kids? Yours only did something to escalate things!"
"Yeah! Your teaching is bad! They couldn't respect Higher Crown!"
"What are you saying? My girl didn't do anything wrong and got beat up by some higher house girls!"
"No one listens to us if we complain! This is unacceptable!"
The back-and-forth erupted into chaos, voices rising in anger and frustration on both sides. People started standing up, pointing fingers at each other across the rows.
"Please, calm down, everyone!" Princess Natalia raised her voice firmly, her command cutting through the noise. "First of all, even though this is an important topic, this is not the place for it. This is not a parent-teacher meeting or an educational meeting. This is for the City of Eirs' future growth. For now, I will write a letter to the principal about this and tell them to investigate properly and give proper justice to everyone involved."
The crowd settled down slowly, though tension still crackled in the air.
"Next."
"Next."
"Next."
Much time passed as the questions and discussions continued. Princess Natalia professionally countered them with all her effort, her voice growing slightly hoarse from speaking for so long. Her face showed signs of exhaustion, dark circles beginning to form under her eyes. After an hour, she finally called for a break, bowing tiredly then making her way down from the platform with sluggish steps, her movements lacking their earlier grace.
Little Man came forward immediately and offered his hand with a warm smile. "AH! Thank you!" Princess Natalia smiled tiredly as she grabbed his hand, relief washing over her face. But in her exhausted trance, her foot suddenly slipped on the edge of the platform, her balance completely gone.
THUMP!
She fell forward, but Little Man caught her firmly, his reflexes quick. Princess Natalia's chest pressed against his torso as he grabbed her lower back tightly, holding her steady against him. "Are you okay, Natalia?" he asked with concern, his voice low and warm near her ear, his breath tickling her skin.
"AH! Sorry, I'm fine! Just slipped a little." Princess Natalia felt embarrassment flood her face, heat rising to her cheeks. She placed her hand on his broad chest and pushed herself back gently, her face turning red as she stammered, "Sorry about that."
"Hehe, it's okay. And don't think too much. You've done well," Little Man reassured her gently, his voice soothing. He guided her forward with one hand holding hers while the other remained protectively on her lower back, his warm touch made her exhaustion vanish a little.
Princess Natalia allowed him to lead her, looking up at his face with uncertain eyes. "I don't think I did well. I felt lacking."
"Hmm, you can't impress everyone. What you did is more than enough," he said warmly, his thumb rubbing her lower back in a comforting rhythm. "You didn't anger the higher Crowns and kept faith with the lower houses. I'd say this is perfect. I'm proud of you. Seeing your hard work paying off made me truly happy." He smiled sweetly down at her, his eyes soft with genuine admiration that made her heart skip.
"AH, thank you! Hearing you say that made me feel good." Princess Natalia laughed softly, some of her tension melting away like ice under sun. "Since when did my friend become such a smooth talker?"
"I was always like this. You're just realizing it because I've become your potential husband! Haha!" Little Man teased playfully as they reached her previous spot where her other friends sat waiting, their faces lighting up when they saw her approach.
"GEEZ! Don't joke about it like that! It's making me feel awkward!" Princess Natalia smiled embarrassedly, her cheeks still flushed with warmth.
Little Man gently helped her sit in the lavish chair and then touched her shoulder, leaning closer. His face was near hers as he whispered, his voice intimate, "Princess Natalia, congratulations on your dream coming true."
He smiled, his eyes close to hers, she could feel his intense gaze filled with an emotion she couldn't quite name. Their faces were so close now that she could feel his breath on her skin, could see the flecks of color in his eyes. She heard his words and kept looking into his eyes for a long second, completely frozen, her heart pounding in her chest. Then suddenly, she moved her neck to face forward, her ears turning bright red. "Thank you, Little Man," she just nodded in appreciation, her voice barely above a whisper, still feeling the warmth of his closeness.
The other friends laughed seeing the exchange, their amusement clear in each giggle. Little Man smiled contentedly and sat beside her, joining the conversation with ease. He and the others praised Princess Natalia at every chance they got, listing all the ways she handled the difficult questions well, pointing out moments where her answers were clever or diplomatic.
Hearing all the appreciation made her feel genuine joy from the bottom of her heart, a warmth spreading through her chest. She happily talked more, her exhaustion temporarily forgotten as she basked in their support and admiration, feeling lighter than she had all day.
.
"So tell me, what did you guys think of her first-ever meeting?" Oliver asked, standing at the back with Big Guy, Alfie, the youngest maid, and the three expert guards, his arms crossed over his chest.
"Hmm, I felt it was okay, but something was missing," Alfie spoke while thinking hard, his brow furrowed in concentration as he tried to pinpoint what bothered him.
"The soul was missing," Big Guy spoke casually, as if stating the most obvious thing in the world, his tone matter-of-fact.
"Huh? What the fuck does that mean?" Oliver roared in confusion, throwing his hands up in exasperation, his voice louder than intended.
"Umm, young master, I felt like she wasn't fair to the lower house people," the youngest maid spoke in a low voice, her eyes downcast as if afraid her opinion might offend.
"Sigh. That's how the world works," Oliver said heavily, rubbing his temples in frustration. "Even if she wants to give them a favorable answer, she can't, because the higher houses control much more money and resources, which can impact everyone's lives. It's not easy to achieve balance. I think she did a good job balancing it all, but I also feel that it's not enough!" He spoke while looking at Princess Natalia and then toward Maid Emmy, who worked hard to serve Princess and her friends, moving between them with speedy efficiency.
"What about you guys? What do you think?" Oliver turned and asked the trio of experts expectantly, hoping for some insight.
The three women glanced at him briefly, their expressions blank. Then, without saying anything, they moved their heads back to look straight ahead, maintaining their usual stoic silence.
TWITCH! TWITCH!
Oliver's eye twitched violently in frustration, the movement almost comical. "Hey! Talk a little!" he roared in annoyance, his patience completely exhausted.
"Not enough," one of them spoke simply.
"That's what I said!" Oliver jumped around triumphantly, pointing at her with vindication written all over his face.
Alfie, Big Guy, and the youngest maid burst out laughing at Oliver's over-the-top reaction, their amusement echoing through the back of the gathering space, drawing a few curious glances from nearby people.
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END OF CHAPTER
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Author Blabbering
Everyone knows that rich people control much of the world—but only a few of us actually stop to think about it.
When I think about them, I sometimes feel overwhelmed by their power and the scale of what they do. But then I realize something important: their lives aren't fundamentally different from ours. They just have more external layers—more money, more responsibility, more complexity—that make their world seem bigger and scarier from the outside.
It's a lot like school.
Back in primary school, when we were in 3rd standard, seniors from 6th or 7th would say, "It's really tough here—you won't survive." Then we reached that stage and realized, yeah, it's a little harder—but it's still manageable.
Then came 10th standard. Seniors warned us, "This is the real exam. This will make you cry." And when we got there, it was tough—but the main difference was that the stakes were higher, not that life suddenly became impossible.
After that, people talked about 12th like it was the end of the world. "You won't survive. Your life will be ruined if you mess this up." And yet, when we reached that stage, it was difficult—sure—but nothing we couldn't handle.
That's how I see people living in what feels like "another world." From far away, their lives look overwhelming, confusing, and almost unreal. But once you step into that world and live it, you realize it's not some impossible realm—just a higher-level version of the same struggles.
Different scale. Bigger consequences.
But still… just higher-level SHIT than what we're used to.