The bald, burly man heard Elina’s voice and the emotion in it. Tears welled in his eyes, and he broke free of the two enforcement knights’ chokehold with grim determination, starting the chant up again.

“We pledge our loyalty to Her Highness Elina!!!”

“We pledge our loyalty to Her Highness Elina!!!”

Shouts rose and fell throughout the Frank Imperial City. Every citizen’s cry was so firm, so heartfelt. They were truly cheering for Princess Elina of the Sacred Rite Clan, because her character was worthy of such loyalty.

Though the sight had startled Elina so badly that she’d bristled just moments ago, her resolve had only grown stronger. The reason she could say those words was that she’d once been an ordinary person herself. All she’d wanted was a warm home, enough food and clothes. That would’ve been happiness enough; she hadn’t asked for more.

After all, ordinary people were simple and down-to-earth. And of course, she wasn’t playing with their feelings by giving them the kind of speech she’d used in her previous life. She’d made a genuine promise to them: as long as she was alive, she’d make life more peaceful and harmonious for the people of the Frank Empire. Maybe the peace that hadn’t been achieved in thousands of years in her previous life could finally come about in her hands, meow~

It wouldn’t be easy, though.

But I’ll do my best!

Elina clenched her little fists and made up her mind. But she knew now wasn’t the time. She still needed to grow stronger—at least to Ninth Rank, powerful enough to destroy a nation if no one stopped her. Only then would she have a voice on the continent. No matter how lofty her dreams were, a Ninth Rank could still beat her so badly she wouldn’t know which way was up. How could she talk about conquering the world then?

Right. I need to hurry!

“Well, everyone, thank you so much for liking and supporting me. But you should all go back to what you were doing now. I won’t keep you any longer. You don’t need to prepare any gifts, either. Just give me your best wishes.” Elina gave a slight bow and smiled sweetly.

The people below looked at one another. Three seconds later, they shouted in unison, “Happy birthday, Your Highness Elina!!!”

“Mm, thank you, everyone! I’ve heard all your wishes, and I’ll repay you with my actions. Let’s build the greatest empire on the Phil Continent together! We can do it!” Elina pressed both hands down to calm the surging crowd, then pumped her fist and shouted excitedly.

“We can do it!!!” the people roared, their hearts ablaze once more.

At that moment, they believed that the Frank Empire would surely reach the pinnacle of the Phil Continent and stand there forever, giving their descendants boundless happiness and support.

Seeing that her encouragement had worked, Elina nodded in satisfaction. Being liked by people felt pretty great—far better than the shut-in life she’d led before, it seemed...

She might be starting to like being a princess~

“All right, I’m getting a little hungry~ Time for breakfast. Bye, everyone! And I hope you’ll all have happy lives from now on~ Meow~” Elina tilted her head, blinked her big eyes, and mischievously held her little paws beside her ears as she struck a cute pose. Then she hopped back to her room.

A chorus of “I’m dying!” rose from below. For a moment, the bustling Frank Imperial City had become a mass grave of people who’d died from cuteness.

Though they’d spent only a few minutes with Princess Elina, the people of the Frank Empire all believed she would lead them to the pinnacle of the Phil Continent.

......

Back in her room, Elina felt all the tension drain from her body. She flopped onto the bed, rolled around a few times, and groaned, “Awoo~ That was so nerve-racking~”

Now she understood just how much pressure those big shots in high places were under. They couldn’t live selfishly for themselves like ordinary people. Along with all the perks of being a big shot came responsibility. This was no joke, meow~

Of course, she didn’t regret saying those things...

Caro leaned over and pinched Elina’s cheek, sighing. “Wow~ I never thought silly little Elina would turn out to be such a girl with dreams and ambition. I can’t compare to you~”

“Aww, no, I just said all that off the cuff. Don’t take it seriously. And I wasn’t nearly as calm as you think—I was so nervous my legs almost gave out at first. Also, I’m not silly, and stop pinching my cheeks! Don’t you know how annoying that is, meow~” Elina said with a look of disgust.

“Mm... It makes me so sad that Elina hates me. But never mind. It’s Elina’s birthday today, so I won’t bully her. Happy birthday~ I’ve got all your presents ready. They’re over in the corner. See that fun little thing?” Caro pointed toward the corner with a mischievous little smile.

“Mm, thanks. But I’d be even happier if you didn’t bully me in the future, either. And that thing...” Elina nodded absentmindedly and looked where Caro was pointing.

That thing was something no cat could resist...

It was a cat teaser wand.

A wave of terror rose in Elina’s heart. She turned and stared at Caro’s wicked grin in horror...

.......