Kerina gave herself a quick self-care session, suppressed the tingling sensation to a large extent, and then fixed her hair and her dress before exiting the bathroom and joining Florence and Willa.

"Hah? What the heck is taking you so long?" Flor was curious and her eyebrows were raised as she asked the question.

"Nothing, I was just touching up a little bit of my makeup," she replied.

"Hmph! So why don't I seem to notice any changes? Your cheeks are flushing a little bit, just like a monkey!" Flor let out a snicker.

"Yo-"

"Alright, alright, stop fighting, there are dukes and princes here, think about your image," the other person said. Willa, being the responsible and mature person that she is, stepped in before the two could bring shame upon themselves.

"In addition, Kei, you couldn't have arrived at a better time; the Marques daughter will be here any minute now."

"Right you are! Have you ever taken a look at the daughter of the Marques? I've seen her before, and based on that experience, I can confidently say that she is more attractive than Kei." Flor rang the bell.

"Hmm? I have also seen her before, and despite the fact that she is stunning, I am confident in stating that she cannot compare in attractiveness to our Kei. If you disagree with this assessment, please explain." Willa questioned.

Flor snorted and said, "Tsk tsk, Kei is already an old woman, in just a few more years, her face will be full of wrinkles, how can she be on par with the girl who is in her prime right now?" Kei retorted, "Tsk tsk, Kei is already an old woman, in just a few more years, her face will be full

When Kerina heard that, she couldn't help but twitch her lips.

Willa quickly shifted the conversation's focus after observing this, "Oh, and another thing I've picked up is that Candice, the daughter of the Marques, is regarded as one of the most brilliant students at the Royal Academy. It is said that she is currently one of the most talented individuals in the empire, and that she has an extremely promising future ahead of her.

Not only that, but the Empress herself inquired about the possibility of her son, the first prince, marrying her daughter. Despite the fact that the Marques turned down the proposal, stating that she alone would choose her future husband."

"What? Who was the very first prince? How could anyone choose to ignore him? Just take a look at him, he has such a dashing countenance! What does he lack if he does not have money, power, and face? He is a model of human excellence." Flor cast a giddy glance toward the prince, who made her eyes sparkle.

Even though Kerina would have agreed with her in the past, whenever she looks at the prince's face, she is now reminded of another face that is significantly more appealing than his, and she shakes her head and smiles as a result of this association.

After that, she cast a glance in Flor's direction and wrinkled her brows.

"I have no choice but to keep this hottie away from him," she said. If I don't give in, she'll come up with all kinds of creative ways to harass me into giving him a try.

Candice Waters, the most anticipated guest of the evening, arrived just a few minutes later. And despite her resistance, Kei could not deny that she possessed a stunning appearance.

She had blonde hair just like her father, fair, delicate skin, and beautiful blue irises. She wore a sky blue colored gown with a dark blue design, and she carried herself with elegance and a smile on her cherry-like lips. Her father had blonde hair. Fair, delicate skin. Beautiful blue irises.

A stunning woman who is also very talented and who has a promising future ahead of her.

Kerina was unaware that she was making the comparison, but when she did, she couldn't help but shake her head.

Flor is absolutely correct; despite the fact that she was beautiful, in a few more years, she would begin to develop wrinkles on her face. If she had started cultivating when she was younger, it would have been possible to avoid the problem; however, she, like many other lower-level nobles, believed that making more contacts is much more important than cultivating, so she ignored the advice.

It was already too late by the time she reached maturity and understood the gravity of the situation.

This was also her greatest life regret, and it was the reason why she insisted that her son enroll at the Royal Academy despite the fact that he shared her view that he didn't want to go there in the first place.

Sigh…

Kerina expelled a long sigh followed by a head shake in an effort to clear her mind of these pointless thoughts.

While she was smiling, a face materialized in her mind.

"I have no doubt that he is thinking about me right this moment. I can't help but wonder if he's crying as he huddles in the corner with his head resting on his knees, Fufufu.

She couldn't wait to get back to her family.

...

The party continued, and many boys, including the princes, tried to impress Candice. However, she turned them all down with a smile on her face, much like an unspoiled flower.

On the other side, the political war that would ultimately be fought between the three princes had already begun.

Right now, three princes each have a Duke supporting them, but the fourth Duke, who should have been the breaking point and deciding factor of this game, has decided to remain neutral because the one he supports is the second princess, and for some reason, the second princess does not wish to take part in this conflict.

Even though it is extremely unusual for a queen to be a woman, the fact that there have been female monarchs in the past does not mean that it has never happened. In addition to this, it was observed that whenever a woman ascended to the throne, the kingdom attained a level of glory that had never been seen before.

However, after learning that the Second princess has no interest in competing for the throne, he decided to take a stand of neutrality and refrain from participating in the conflict.

Because of this, the other princes shifted their attention to other nobles, such as marquesses and earls, and began working to win the support of these nobles. At the same time, viscounts and barons eagerly attempted to "support" any prince so that they could advance in ranking.

This game lasted all the way until dinner.

Kerina, on the other hand, was already beginning to feel uncomfortable and impatient due to the fact that the tingling sensation that had been repressed within her younger sister had begun to manifest itself.

Flor and Willa both noticed her strange demeanor and voiced their concern to her. However, her response was simply to shake her head and say that she was not feeling well while she continued to eat dinner.

The meal came to an end, but many of the nobles remained to continue conversing about a wide range of topics. The primary topic of conversation was which prince to back or how to win Candice Waters' heart because she could become the next pillar of the kingdom.

This time, Kerina did not wait any longer, and as soon as the dinner was over, she hurried back to her mansion in the countryside.

When Florence saw her walking figure, she couldn't help but mutter under her breath.

"It would appear that she is in fact sick..."