Although everyone knew that the real reason for not allowing vehicles to get close was for security, the people from Phoenix still liked to pretend that it wasn’t so.
Throughout the way, the ‘guides’ assigned to each of the guests seemed to take great pride in introducing the surrounding ‘heritage’ and the history behind it.
Of course, compared to those who were unfortunate enough to be listening to their tirade for the thirtieth time, Emilia at least still found it quite interesting.
”Although it is called the Phoenix Palace now, when it was first built for the third and dearest daughter of the last phoenix empress three hundred years ago, its name was supposed to be ‘Sunflower Palace’. Meant as a gift for her coming of age, which was fourteen at the time—”
Although she had already seen quite a few castles and palaces so far, Emilia had to admit that this ‘Sunflower Palace’ was definitely one of the most beautiful she had ever laid eyes upon.
From the smooth and shiny white marble that was intricately carved into both the main building and the various decorative structures around it, to the seemingly crystalline windows and doors, everything seemed so delicate and pretty that Emilia could tell just from the care that went into the design that the empress must have really cherished this daughter of hers.
Of course, not everyone had a happy ending.
The lady went on to explain how ‘ill timed’ the completion of the palace was, being just at the cusp of the revolution that abolished monarchy, and what a tragedy it was.
Emilia nodded along with a smile. ‘I wonder if this is what they say to all the guests, or if they are changing the tone a little because I’m an empress?’
The lady coughed. “A-As you can imagine, mobs aren’t very open to reason, and they aren’t known for their patience either. There is no consensus among the historians on what exactly happened to them that day, except that the royal family was never heard from again.”
Emilia hummed thoughtfully. “What an interesting story… You missed the most important part, though?”
”E-Eh, w-what did I miss?”
The crimson-haired girl grinned. “Of course, it’s the reason why the people felt the need to rebel! Was it some natural disaster that was mishandled, some conspiracy, or were the royals too tyrannical and unreasonable?”
Regardless of who it was that was ruling a particular territory and how they got there, their strength in their own territory would usually be at the peak. As such, getting rid of their control and making them lose that position was far from easy, and Emilia didn’t believe it could happen without reason.
The lady who had been enthusiastically explaining things previously looked a little awkward as her eyes flickered from side to side.
It is widely believed that the main reason for the rebellion was because many other countries had already gone democratic, and the people felt like they were being left behind.
People of phoenix hate that. They want to be the best of the best. But could she really tell that to a monarch?
She coughed awkwardly. “T-This… well, i-it’s a complex topic, and I’m afraid it would take too long to explain. I-If the empress is interested, why not reach out to me once the event is over? I’ll be more than happy to explain everything!”
Dixie politely accepted the personal card offered by her on Emilia’s behalf, and the crimson-haired girl just nodded perfunctorily.
Fortunately, although the gardens around the Phoenix Palace were quite vast, it only took them a few minutes to walk over from where their car had been stopped to reach the venue.
With everyone having their own escorts and a team of well-prepared guards at the gate, there was naturally no need for anyone to present an invite or ID of any sort. The moment they had stepped foot here, everything that should have been known about them had already been verified.
As it was somewhat of a matter of pride, most people usually kept their personalized invitations to later show off to others. But since it was Emilia’s first time coming here and she didn’t want any mishaps, she naturally had Dixie bring along both her and Sam’s invitations.
After all, if something went wrong, it would either affect their own reputation, or that of the Phoenix country, and neither of those outcomes would be in Emilia’s favor.
Fortunately, it seemed like there was nothing to worry about as the staff accepted the cards and the ‘guides’ bade their farewell.
As they were led through the grand and ornate crystalline doors, Emilia could already hear someone announcing the names of everyone who entered one by one.
”Please welcome, Kris Bright, leader of the Central Chocolate Conglomerate, and founder of the Disabled Children Protection Association—”
”Please welcome, Hunter Dale, president of the country of Roana—”
As they stepped out of the gallery and into the magnificently decorated hall, Emilia smiled gently as she heard her name being announced as well.
”Please welcome, Emilia White, the Empress of Blue Dawn, and the youngest daughter of the White Deer Corporation’s leaders.”
”Please welcome, Samantha White, the Executive Chairman of the White Deer Corporation, and sister of the Empress of Blue Dawn.”
Of course, the honor of this ‘introduction’ was not extended to the guests, which Emilia thought was quite reasonable.
The people who were invited naturally had nothing to worry about, but if someone got introduced with nothing ‘noteworthy’ attached to their names, wouldn’t it be the same as humiliating their guests?
Emilia had already heard the small commotion in the guests each time someone new entered, but she could tell that it was much more intense when it was her turn.
”Phoenix is really giving her a lot of face… not only putting that title first for her, but even introducing Samantha as ‘her sister’…”
The crimson-haired girl eyed the man who spoke casually, and couldn’t help but sneer in her heart. ‘With such a sarcastic smile on his face, why not just say what you’re really thinking?’
Of course, the people here were all quite clever and well-versed in politics, though sometimes their ego did get the best of them. They would never make such amateurish mistakes that would get them caught badmouthing someone outright, even if it was someone they didn’t like or had a poor relationship with.
Emilia could tell that with over a hundred people already in the hall, most of the guests must have already arrived at this point, and only a few select VIPs must be left.
She also knew that, as per tradition, the prime minister of Phoenix would only show up an hour after the party started, and only then would the main event begin. Until then, the guests were free to mingle and talk.
What surprised her more was the fact that she couldn’t spot any of the people she was really hoping to keep an eye on, such as Amos and Alexander.
Of course, given that she wasn’t exactly late, Emilia didn’t let it bother her too much, and focused on organizing her thoughts instead.
With the party having already started, the prime minister should arrive in less than an hour, officially kicking the event off. And since her parents were regular attendees, Emilia already knew that every year the Golden Crown would go through the same three phases.
First, the prime minister would personally congratulate and honor certain individuals who had exemplary achievements recently. Generally, this was based on the benefits they brought to mankind, but other things could be included if the list was short in a particular event.
Only three people would be honored like this each time, and it was considered an excellent opportunity both in terms of exposure to investors, as well as earning repute in public.
Moreover, they would also be allowed to present a speech to the most influential and powerful people in the world, which was priceless.
The second part was a charity auction, in which everyone who was attending submitted an item, and their auctioned value would go to various charities all over the world. And finally, there would be a dinner party towards the end of the event.
Since they had to wait for a while anyway, Emilia didn’t want her friends to be too nervous or uncomfortable, and nudged her big sister while pointing in the direction she saw Mr. and Mrs. White. “Big sister, let’s go meet mom and dad first, okay?”
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