Although she only became Blue Dawn’s empress recently, and had also been a part of the rebellion that took down the previous government, most people still considered Emilia to be someone separate from the ‘normal people’.
This view stemmed from both Emilia’s outstanding background as well as her gorgeous appearance, as most people simply couldn’t imagine someone like her living right next to them as a normal person.
Of course, given everything she’d done in both the rebellion and after she took charge, most people only alienated her in their hearts as an inviolable fairy who could only be adored and cherished from a distance, and not as someone they would detest or hate.
“I-Is the princess going to be okay?”
Since the little girl in her arms wasn’t exactly small, and Emilia’s own frame was quite slender as well, more than a few people in the crowd looked a little concerned for their empress as she made her way up the stage.
“Whose child is that? I mean, s-she’s cute, b-but mine is smaller. I-If the princess needs one to hold on the stage, u-uhm—”
“Hey! How could you even suggest handing over a drooling toddler to our princess?!”
“A-At least he would be easier to carry, w-what if her arms start to hurt later?”
Fortunately, the crimson-haired girl was more than strong enough to carry even Crystal, who definitely weighed much more than any eight-year-old possibly could, and her unperturbed appearance soon relieved most of the crowd’s worry.
As for Mary, the girl was far too delighted at her unexpected intimacy with the princess whom even her parents adored to be able to comprehend anything else.
Once she reached her designated spot on the stage, Emilia faced the crowd with a smile. “I’m glad to see that everyone has been doing so well. To be honest, I’m both surprised and proud, since I was expecting at least a few minor hiccups here and there.”
She grinned. “I definitely have to thank all my friends who put their hearts and soul into making sure everything goes well in our empire, but they also wouldn’t have been able to do so much without everyone’s love and support. So… thank you.”
Amidst the screams and squeals of excitement from the people below, the crimson-haired beauty turned her gaze to the little girl in her arms. “What do you think, Mary, has everyone in our empire been happy recently?”
Of course, Mary was too busy staring at the gem-like eyes barely an inch away from her face to be able to understand what was being said to her, though she still nodded fervently upon receiving Emilia’s questioning gaze.
The crimson-haired girl couldn’t help but giggle. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
The worried parents who had been fretting over whether their rebellious tiger of a daughter would end up making the princess cry had obviously long since grown numb to the situation.
Who was that obedient little lamb in princess Emilia’s hands? There’s no way that their daughter swapped places with someone who looked exactly like her, right?
But while they were dumbfounded, the worry on their faces had long since faded away.
Not knowing that the girl’s parents never expected her to punish them, and were only worried that she would be troubled by their daughter, Emilia felt proud after observing their expressions, confident at having ‘made them understand’ her better so quickly.
Of course, while Crystal felt amused in her heart, she didn’t feel the need to embarrass her girlfriend by letting her know the truth now that she was already so content.
Although she was undoubtedly gorgeous while blushing in embarrassment, the blonde girl found her girlfriend the most beautiful when smug and confident. Not only did the look suit her somewhat naturally cold eyes, Crystal felt that it was only right for someone like Emilia to be proud and self-assured.
Of course, while smug and arrogant Emilia was breathtaking, Crystal felt that the gentle, generous, and kind side of her was also equally attractive.
The people of Blue Dawn may be able to tell from the various positive effects that trickled down to them, but no one understood better than Crystal just how much Emilia cared about them.
Not all of it was out of kindness, however, and the blonde girl could sometimes feel that her gorgeous girlfriend’s favor was not completely unconditional, though it did appear boundless at first glance.
Crystal had no way to be sure, but both from her ability and instinct, she felt like Emilia was also testing the people of Blue Dawn.
How long would they stay grateful and happy if she kept on giving, how much would they take, and if she didn’t intentionally keep them in line, what would they do?
Even Crystal had no way to scour through the masses as a whole and discover the answer to many of these questions, but she still felt that Emilia was underestimating their obsession by having such thoughts.
The blonde girl couldn’t help but chuckle in amusement. ‘Then again, I can’t blame them. The way she’s changed this place is really too shocking, and I would love her too even if I had been a local who had never seen her before. Her appearance on top of that… it’s just way overkill.’
Even having a child in her embrace and wearing a somewhat casual beige off-shoulder dress, the blonde girl felt that Emilia was still far more charming than a meticulously prepared supermodel on the runway, and this was without her love filter applied.
While Crystal was lost in her own thoughts, the crimson-haired girl had already moved on to the core part of her speech.
“—and so, while we might be able to look forward to a bright future, not everyone around the world has that privilege.”
Emilia smiled. “While we may not have the resources needed to change the whole world into a perfect paradise, there are still some things that our Blue Dawn can do… to give hope to millions of people across the globe!”
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