Chapter 56: The Princess and the Disinherited Daughter

The girl gazed at Bai Yu with a hint of resentment, yet she found herself at a loss for words, for no one had ever treated her quite like this; truly, this person was peculiar.

“It’s delicious…”

At last, the girl slowly parted her lips, whispering to Bai Yu.

“See? I told you! Pudding truly is the most delectable food in the entire world!”

Bai Yu nodded, her eyes closed, seemingly quite pleased with the girl’s response.

“So, what’s your name, and what brings you here?”

Bai Yu inquired of the girl, her tone now devoid of its earlier flippancy.

“Ce… Cecilia.”

Cecilia spoke softly, her voice brimming with a profound lack of confidence.

“What was that? Speak up, I can’t hear you!”

Bai Yu leaned closer to the girl, her gaze fixed intently on Cecilia’s eyes.

The girl visibly flinched, almost on the verge of tears once more.

“CECILIA!”

She declared loudly, her voice nearly echoing throughout the entire banquet hall.

“Good, that’s the spirit!”

Bai Yu nodded contentedly, believing that such resolve was precisely what qualified someone to be her friend.

“My name is Bai Yu, and I am this nation’s princess!”

Bai Yu confidently patted her chest.

“A princess?”

Before Cecilia could fully process this revelation, Bai Yu took her hand.

Bai Yu pulled Cecilia to her feet, intending to lead her back into the bustling banquet hall.

“No… please don’t.”

“What’s wrong? Let’s go eat together!”

Bai Yu felt a flicker of confusion, unable to fathom why Cecilia was so resistant.

“They’ll all hate me.”

Cecilia’s voice dwindled once more, clearly lacking the earlier surge of confidence.

“Hate you? Why? You’re so adorable.”

Bai Yu gazed into Cecilia’s eyes, her question tinged with genuine bewilderment.

“What! Adorable… me?”

Cecilia’s face instantly flushed crimson, and she averted her gaze from Bai Yu.

“There’s no need to be shy, so come along with me now!”

Bai Yu gently pulled Cecilia closer, then strode directly towards the dessert cart.

After all, she hadn’t had nearly enough pudding yet!

The moment Bai Yu led Cecilia away, they immediately drew the attention of many onlookers.

This was not merely due to Bai Yu’s status as the Empire’s princess, but also because the two girls possessed an ethereal beauty that seemed to set them apart from their surroundings.

Nevertheless, it wasn’t long before someone recognized Cecilia.

“Ah, it’s her, the child from the Morning Glory Duke’s family.”

A woman observed the two girls with a puzzled expression, for the Morning Glory Duke was known as a loyal guardian of the Imperial family.

Indeed, the personal knights of every princess and queen throughout history hailed from the Morning Glory Duke’s household, distinguished not only by their unwavering loyalty but also by their ancient, inherited Starlight Swordsmanship.

Virtually every Knight Captain had originated from the Morning Glory Duke’s family, achieving renown through this very swordsmanship.

However, it seemed an unfortunate incident had befallen the current generation of the Morning Glory Duke’s family.

****

“How is she with Her Royal Highness? Could it be…”

Two middle-aged women murmured conspiratorially, as such gossip was quite prevalent among some of their noble circles.

Already, several individuals were speculating about the nature of their relationship, for at that age, it was not uncommon for young maidens to develop such sparks between them.

“Don’t be absurd, how could that be possible? That child is about to be disinherited by the Morning Glory Duke’s family…”

The woman quickly lowered her voice, understanding that even though Cecilia was on the verge of being disinherited by the Morning Glory Duke’s family, it was not a matter for a minor noble like herself to openly discuss.

“Disinherited? Did she commit some grave error?”

“No, I heard that child was born without any magic power; she can’t even use magic, let alone the inherited swordsmanship of the Morning Glory family.”

“Without magic power? How can that be?”

She gasped in utter astonishment, for it was widely known that in this world, even a blade of grass possessed magic power, and a living human being could never be entirely devoid of it, at most having a lesser quantity.

“It’s true; the testing instructors performed countless examinations, and the results were always the same.”

The woman’s eyes widened as she leaned in, whispering into her companion’s ear.

“Without magic power, how can she possibly survive? It’s no wonder she’s being disinherited from the Morning Glory family; no one wants such a failure in their lineage.”

The two continued their hushed whispers, their gazes drawn towards the golden-haired girl in the distance.

Bai Yu hadn’t overheard their words, yet she could clearly discern the particular way they looked at Cecilia.

Turning around, Bai Yu discovered Cecilia’s head was bowed low, her eyes avoiding everyone, as tears streamed incessantly down her cheeks.

Without uttering a single word or following Bai Yu, she abruptly pulled her hand away and fled from the hall, dashing off to an unknown destination.

“Cecilia!”

Bai Yu cried out the girl’s name, wanting to bring her back, and was about to pursue her out of the hall.

However, she was suddenly pulled back.

“Bai Yu, what are you doing!”

From behind, her Mother’s stern voice resounded, startling Bai Yu so much that her cowlick stood on end.

“Mo… Mother?”

Bai Yu weakly questioned, slowly turning her head to look behind her.

“What exactly are you doing? As a princess, such impetuous behavior is utterly undignified.”

The Queen frowned, mindful of the other nobles present; it wasn’t appropriate to chastise Bai Yu too severely, yet this situation undeniably filled her with disappointment.

“I was just going to find the friend I just made, the one who ran out.”

“Friend?”

The Queen’s expression shifted to one of confusion, for she had indeed caught sight of a small figure rushing out moments earlier.

“That’s right, her name is Cecilia.”

Bai Yu nodded.

“Cecilia…”

Upon hearing the name, the Queen pondered for a moment before turning to address the Morning Glory Duke, with whom she had been conversing.

“Morning Glory, this is your child, isn’t she? I believe you mentioned her once before.”

It was now the Morning Glory Duke’s turn to feel profoundly embarrassed; she had never wished for her disappointing daughter to be seen by others, and now such a significant commotion had erupted.

A surge of anger instantly welled within her, for this situation caused her to lose face entirely; more and more people were becoming aware that her daughter, the Morning Glory Duke’s child, was a magic-less failure, and now she had caused such a scene.

At this moment, her desire to disinherit Cecilia from the Morning Glory family reached its peak.

She could no longer tolerate having such a useless daughter.

“Your Royal Highness need not concern yourself,” the Morning Glory Duke stated, her voice devoid of warmth. “She is merely a good-for-nothing about to be cast out from the Morning Glory family. Our family has no need for such useless individuals, nor does such a failure possess the right to guard the Imperial family. She may go wherever she pleases to fend for herself.”

The Morning Glory Duke’s tone was icy, revealing a cruelty towards her own daughter that spoke volumes about the family’s rigorous standards.

Upon hearing this, a maelstrom of emotions—guilt, anger, fear, among others—surfaced within Bai Yu.

Guilt gnawed at her, knowing that Cecilia had fled because of her; had it not been for Bai Yu, Cecilia might not have faced expulsion from her family.

Her anger was directed at the Morning Glory Duke’s callousness; after all, not having magic power wasn’t a crime, nor had Cecilia done anything wrong. Bai Yu was deeply displeased with the Duke’s actions.

And fear gripped Bai Yu, a chilling dread that her own Mother might treat her with the same harshness as the Duke.