"Amelia, this is no time to be stubborn and indulge in wishful thinking!" the Prince blurted out.

"No, this isn’t being stubborn. Just as my willingness to accept Mage Bart’s affection and return it with my own true heart was not some passing whim, neither is this." She had the same sky-blue eyes as Elizabeth Ouyeni and stared directly at the Prince.

"You all used to say that if Bart were to marry me, he should first be adopted by another noble family. But are prestigious surnames and Honorific Titles really so important now?

"After the Marlin Kingdom unified the entire Empire, countless Mages and people with no inheritance rights earned palm-sized fiefs through military service. Countless people swore allegiance to His Majesty the Emperor.

"It is these very transformations that have made the Marlin Kingdom stronger than ever before.

"Since our Bayern Kingdom already has friction with the north, and since Father and you are unwilling to become mere vassals of the Emperor, why do we still cling to old conventions, seeing only pitiful titles and meaningless names?

"Marriage alliances with those decrepit noble families are of no benefit to the Kingdom anymore. Do you really think we can fend off the pressure from the Imperial Capital by simply marrying our cousins and their ilk, making our family ties even closer?

"Why look down on Bart? Even when he’s backed by one of the most influential merchant guilds in the alliance, even when he himself is a Mage with the ability and ambition to change the status quo?"

Otto was so stunned by his sister that he sat bolt upright. "Amelia, how did you know... about all that...?"

Amelia’s resolute voice continued, uninterrupted. "Our Bayern... on this rich and beautiful land, the Royal Family is dithering and wasting time, failing to consolidate the forces that should be ours.

You’ve always wavered and been permissive with the Guilds that defy our rule. I don’t understand—do we have so many options? We either sincerely cooperate with them and share in the prosperity, or we conquer them completely. Since you and Father value the honor of the Wittelsbach Clan so much, you should be as decisive as our ancestors.

And now, because of your weakness and indecision, you want to cancel a wedding that has been planned for ages over a single failed assassination attempt? You want to shatter everyone’s investment, to shatter the love between Mr. Bart and me? To shatter the opportunity to unite the forces of Bayern?

As members of the Royal Family, shouldn’t we be prepared to face danger at all times? We should be making every possible preparation, not locking ourselves away and trembling in fear of our enemies!"

Amelia didn’t spare her fiancé, either. "And I have a question for you, Mr. Bart. Is your sole purpose in life to marry into the Wittelsbach Family? If so, then let’s cancel this engagement right now."

Bart choked up. "No, of course not, Milly, I..."

Otto also stammered, "We’re just concerned about your future safety..."

’This... this little lady has such a fiery side!’ Rorschach, who had been silent the whole time, was stunned. ’It seems Bart’s taste in women hasn’t changed, it’s just shifted from their looks to their personality.’ With her auburn hair, Amelia was like a hale little Red Dragon, proudly and confidently commanding the room.

The veiled Elizabeth Ouyeni couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh. "Princess, your father, brother, and fiancé are all genuinely thinking of you. The situation within the Kingdom and the Empire is not as simple as you imagine. However, your speech has truly moved me."

Amelia’s fire died down a little. She said, somewhat uncertainly, "Aunt Elizabeth?"

The representative from the Tower of Secret Techniques finally lifted her veil and removed her wide-brimmed hat, revealing her true face. Her eyes, brows, and hair were remarkably similar to Amelia’s, though their temperaments had both similarities and differences. Bart was stunned for a moment. ’Will Milly grow up to be as beautiful as her someday?’

"Your Highness the Prince, please inform the King that if my brother agrees, I will accept an appointment as a Court Mage for Bayern, with the primary duty of protecting Princess Amelia."

...

A request for support from Elizabeth Mage alone wasn’t enough to mobilize the entire Tower of Secret Techniques. But the head of the Tower, Master Feuerbach, received a letter. The signatory was none other than His Majesty the King of Bayern himself.

"He’s just a short walk away and still sends a letter..." he muttered, opening it. After a quick scan, he asked his assistant, "Have the ’accidents’ involving falls been frequent lately?"

"There have been eight so far this month..."

The Master gazed down from the top of the Tower at the spiraling corridors below. "Our teaching should always be for the benefit of our Apprentices. We must prevent the perversion of the learning process." He made his decision. "Notify the entire Tower. All instructors and students are to take a holiday. We’re going to Wertzburg to join a festival!"

"But sir... don’t you oppose the Royal Family? Why attend a royal wedding?"

Feuerbach shook his head. "Right now, the Empire and the Emperor are our primary opposition. Therefore, uniting with the Bayern Royal Family, an enemy of the imperial heartland, is our strategy for this historical moment. Besides, the nature of this wedding is rather unique."

He organized his thoughts before imparting them to his student-cum-secretary. "This isn’t a consanguineous union between Nobility. If all goes well, it will be a marriage alliance between the old and new powers within the Bayern Kingdom."

...

The festive atmosphere in Wertzburg was not dampened by the collapse of the Town Mage Tower. The ruins remained cordoned off, and the Magic Guild officially announced that an unexpected alchemy accident had caused the collapse.

The more worldly citizens immediately accepted this explanation. After all, when Magic was involved, nothing was truly surprising.

To Bart and Rorschach’s surprise and gratitude, after the successful promotion of the Bordeaux Liquid (now called Wertz Liquid), the Brewing Guild, led by Nanny Abigail, started a fund to help Mage Bart rebuild his Mage Tower. Bart, however, politely declined.

If anything was different, it was the heightened security. Identification was now required to enter or leave the city, and checkpoints had been established at the intersections surrounding Wertz Palace.

It wasn’t just the Security Team and the King’s Guard maintaining order. Mages in uniform black robes also patrolled in teams of three. Any troublemakers would be playing a lottery of sorts—the patrol teams’ "prize pool" of members ranged from Apprentices all the way up to Tier Six Mages.

A steady stream of magnificent carriages, each bearing different emblems, arrived in the city. The route for the Princess’s planned procession was closed to traffic, its sides packed with citizens and tourists craning their necks in anticipation.

They stood ready to doff their hats in respect, their other hands often clutching bottles of purple soda, the glass shaped perfectly for a firm grip.

「Meanwhile, in a factory warehouse in Lanshite Town」 A huge, stitched-together white cloth was stretched taut. The final batch of products had been shipped to Wertz and Munich, and a sweat-drenched Mr. Pierre was busy calibrating a machine made primarily of crystal.

Pierre carefully twisted a knob, bringing the image from a blur into sharp focus.

"It’s a Mapping Crystal Ball from the Tower of Secret Techniques! Rorschach Mage says..." Hasse unfolded the dispatch. "There are ten Magic Arrays across the city we can switch between. We need to replenish the Blue Crystals once an hour."

The factory crew had been working around the clock for over ten days. Now, finally getting a break, they sat on the warehouse floor, sipping the drinks they had produced, and watched in amazement as a scene from Wertz appeared on the massive cloth screen.

"Good heavens, I can brag about this to the drunks at the tavern for the rest of my life!" The chatter of the crowd drowned out the roar of the Steam Engine. In the basement, a Transmutation Dust Collector churned out a steady supply of power for the projection crystal.

...

"Rorschach, make sure every step goes exactly as we planned! We’ve rehearsed so few times, I’m still worried..."

"Trust me. It’s just like every test we’ve ever taken!" Rorschach straightened his formal attire and patted the groom on the shoulder.

...

"Your Highness, your waist is not that of a proper lady. You shouldn’t ride horses so often," her personal nanny chided as she pulled Amelia’s corset tight.

"No, it hurts and I can’t breathe! Loosen it. This is fine."

"It’s not nearly tight enough, Your Highness! Men adore a slender waist..." The nanny tried to pull it tighter, but Amelia dodged away. She had the other maids finish tying it, then draped the wedding veil over her head and lifted her own skirts.

"I’m quite sure Bart loves *me*, not a stomach and back covered in corset marks." She made a face, climbed into the carriage, and took the hand of her father, whose expression was a mixture of emotions.

Ceremonial music swelled as the processional carriage began to move. The wedding celebration of Bayern’s "Red Dragon" Princess had begun.