Liam was understandably pale after hearing about the banquet. Despite his dismay, preparations proceeded smoothly. The invitations had already been sent, so there was no turning back.
None of us would have blamed Liam if he somehow ruined the banquet, but we knew he just wanted to do his job well, so we didn't offer any more comfort. We just decided to praise him after the banquet was over. Perhaps that would be more helpful to Liam.
"But is it really okay to hold a banquet? The atmosphere isn't great..."
"It's fine. It's meant to welcome the Divine Beast, so it's actually a bit late. Besides, it will prove our bond with His Highness is strong, which will benefit us. It also signifies that the Divine Beast protects the Artes Empire, which will strengthen us diplomatically. Even the conservative nobles won't object."
Well, in a world where gods are real, the presence of a Divine Beast is bound to be significant, which I was realizing as time went on.
"Will the First Prince say anything?"
"I can't say for sure, but even if he does cause trouble, it won't be effective, so he'll probably stay quiet. So don't worry too much."
"I hope so..."
I still didn't like people, but I still wanted to do anything that would help Theo, so I couldn't help but worry. There's nothing more frustrating than doing something with good intentions and having it backfire...
"What should I do there?"
"Shuian, just be yourself."
"All I do is stick to Theo..."
Theo chuckled and brushed my messy hair behind my ear.
"That's enough. You're already doing enough by attending with me, even though you hate crowds. But if you're still worried, you can just show everyone how good our relationship is."
"Well, that's easy since it's true... But if strange rumors spread and it becomes harder for Theo to find a partner later..."
I was voicing my concerns when Orca suddenly clapped, making me stop.
"Ah- That... Actually, there's something I forgot to mention earlier! I almost forgot!"
Why did you suddenly interrupt? Liam, who had been watching silently, nodded and muttered to himself.
"Ah, so that's how it is..."
Orca is one thing, but why do you sound like you just realized something?
"Um... It's customary to give gifts to the guest of honor at birthday banquets or debutante balls as a sign of celebration. It's not mandatory, but everyone will probably bring a lot this time."
"Because I'm the Divine Beast?"
"Yes, you can accept them all, or return the ones you don't like."
My attention was drawn to the gifts, and my eyes sparkled as I asked. Wow, gifts! It's like a second birthday!
"Wow, so everything I receive is mine?"
"Of course."
"And I can refuse them?"
"It's rare to refuse gifts unless they have political or marriage proposal purposes, but it doesn't matter for Shuian."
It's probably because of the uniqueness of my existence. In fact, from their perspective, they'd probably accept whatever I do. Even the librarian I met at the Imperial Library was so touched when I awkwardly smiled at him.
On the other hand, the word "gifts" made me look forward to the banquet, despite my worries. Even if it's not something precious, a surprise gift is always exciting, isn't it? At least, that's how a Divine Beast feels.
What will everyone give me? I heard it's trendy to exchange Cravats these days, so maybe there will be Cravats? Cufflinks and buttons are also common, so someone must have prepared them. Still, I hope there are many similar to the ones Theo has!
I vaguely thought I would receive popular and small gifts, but I didn't realize how wrong I was until the day of the banquet.
***
Since the banquet started, I had been sticking to Theo's side as always. Everyone pretended to enjoy the banquet while watching me, and from the middle, some people started to come to give gifts, so others started lining up, and it quickly turned into a gift-giving ceremony. It was no exaggeration to say that everyone except the children was in line.
Up to that point, I was just excited, but the problem was what followed. The gifts people had prepared were much more expensive than I had expected.
The first gift I encountered was an eagle sculpture carved from crystal. The neat facets sparkled under the lights, and even I, who knew nothing about jewelry, could tell it wasn't cheap rhinestones. When I made a horrified face at its flamboyant appearance, Teo immediately waved the gift away with a displeased look.
The gifts that followed were all jewelry, and there were even rare gems and artifacts that would easily fetch millions of gold at auction. Moreover, the rumor had already spread that Theo and I both liked the painting of me from the recent charity auction, so items carved with me from all sorts of rare gems were lined up.
I briefly considered taking them all and adding them to Theo's finances, but Theo's wallet wasn't in such dire straits that he needed to receive such things, and I didn't want to easily accept things that were clearly given in exchange for something.
If I accepted them, Theo would eventually have to return the favor politically. Feeling burdened, I slowly hid behind Theo, and Theo said to the crowd with a stiff face.
"Shuian doesn't like such expensive jewels, so don't bother my bird and take them back."
Then, half of the nobles who had brought expensive gifts were greatly disappointed and left the line, but half of them remained, hoping for a chance, and eventually got rejected by me.
As I mechanically repeated the rejection, I focused on the murmuring conversations of the nobles. I was waiting for the content I wanted to hear, but it seemed that people were not easily talking about the prince's affairs.
"But... the Second Prince seems to be comfortable talking to the Divine Beast and easily calls him by his name."
"I heard that His Highness gave the Divine Beast his name."
"Oh, is that true?"
Found it. Finally, the conversation I had been waiting for came out. I controlled the corners of my mouth from rising. If I accidentally smiled, the person in front of me might try to shove their gift into my arms.
"Besides, the Divine Beast doesn't say anything even when he refers to his as 'my bird'."
"Seeing that he allows so much, it seems that he is very fond of him, as rumored."
"...Now those who spread outrageous rumors will disappear."
In fact, it was expressed mildly as outrageous, but the rumors surrounding Theo were extremely low-grade.
They were just talking about him being cursed or unlucky because of his appearance. After I appeared, it seemed to have subsided a lot, but it was clear that it would soon be completely terminated after today.
There is no way that a Divine Beast would keep a wicked being close. So my existence was proof of Theo's existence.
It may not be the answer to not having the imoerial color, but at least it can cover up the fact that he was born with a color that is considered unlucky.
Feeling proud, I got closer to Theo. Theo, who was more sensitive than me, probably heard the conversations and realized why I was proud, and smiled as if I was cute.
The gift-giving ceremony continued tediously after that. Just as I was feeling dejected that I was going back empty-handed, someone prepared two of the same design of accessories.
It seemed to mean that Theo and I should wear them together. Also, it didn't seem that expensive compared to what I had seen so far. When I smiled brightly and received the gift, Theo was also satisfied. Liam quickly wrote down the name of the noble.
There were often people who brought accessories that Theo and I could wear together at a reasonable price, and I gladly accepted all of those gifts. I was so glad that I didn't have to go back empty-handed. Now I feel like I'm getting gifts!
After that, children occasionally brought bouquets or flower crowns and said greetings such as welcoming me to the Empire or thanking me for coming.
I didn't have any prepared gifts, and I didn't know how to give blessings like other priests, so I roughly put divine power on my palm and stroked the children's heads.
The children were just happy that I was being kind to them, but the parents were even more excited. They seemed to be mistaken that I had given them a blessing.
I whispered to Theo with a troubled expression.
"I didn't give them a blessing, what if they misunderstand...?"
"Sometimes lies are sweeter. Don't take away their happiness."
If Theo says so... I nodded vaguely. Sorry, kids. If I learn how to give blessings next time, I'll definitely do it for real.
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