Leaving the food and tea to the attendants, Li returned to the salon.

She informed the maid standing by the wall about the kitchen arrangements and the maid gave a small nod before quietly withdrawing.

“Father, Mother. Shall we take a short break?”

“Nuwaa!”

The shout came from her father.

It seemed her mother had just won the disk-flicking game.

At Li’s voice, both parents looked up.

“Li-chan, this might be the most fun I’ve ever had.”

Culture can only flourish when long stretches of peace allow it to.

In that sense, the Amesverta Kingdom was relatively peaceful compared to its neighboring nations.

But that peace existed only because those who came before had fought monsters and secured safe territories for habitation.

The monsters had not been completely eradicated.

In fact, it was not even certain whether that was possible.

That was precisely why culture struggled to develop.

And as a result, what Li had done was destined to create ripples.

The wooden toys she had poured her heart into crafting possessed a luxurious quality that allowed them to double as interior decor.

It was only natural that the family Trading Company would wish to handle them.

Her father was enthusiastic about the idea.

“We could present them to my elder brother and make them a specialty product of our kingdom.”

By ‘elder brother,’ he meant none other than His Majesty the King.

Incidentally, her father was the kingdom’s head of foreign affairs—essentially the foreign minister.

Portable, refined toys had countless potential applications.

“That’s it! Li-chan, why not create a place where people can go and play with these toys?”

“Huh?”

The unexpected suggestion slipped a cute little sound from Li’s lips.

What her mother was describing was essentially a game center.

At first, Li imagined something like a recreation room.

But when her mother elaborated, it sounded more like an amusement park.

In other words, don’t be stingy with a single room—go big.

It was reminiscent of the ancient king who, when asked by a vassal for permission to style himself a provisional king, replied, “Don’t be so petty—declare yourself king outright.”

As expected of her mother, a true noble lady through and through.

The scale of her thinking was entirely different.

That said, something on the scale of an amusement park would be unrealistic.

There was not enough land in the Royal Capital.

However, the lands of the Karasebed Ducal House were another matter.

There was more than enough space there to construct a grand entertainment facility.

Still, Li could not help but worry whether it would succeed.

“Here is the light meal prepared by Lady Li.”

A maid brought in the katsu sandwiches.

Tea was swiftly set out and they paused for a break.

“Please, help yourselves.”

Perhaps overwhelmed by the aroma, her father took a bold bite of the sandwich at her urging.

His eyes widened at once.

“Delicious! Li, is this Orc meat?”

“It has a lovely sharpness to it. It goes down so easily.”

Her mother and father paired it with alcohol.

The night was already deep.

“Li, the head chef knows this recipe as well, yes?”

“Of course.”

Her father responded with a radiant smile.

“Yes, this is excellent. It feels invigorating. Tomorrow, I shall present it to my elder brother and my sister-in-law.”

“Yes, I think my sister will adore the flavor. Hehe… she might say she wants Li herself again.”

“Even if she is my sister-in-law, that I cannot permit. Even if Li is to be joined with the Crown Prince someday, until then she is our daughter.”

“Well… but didn’t my sister say that boy is a bit foolish? Is that really alright?”

As far as Li was concerned, a broken engagement would be perfectly fine.

She was quietly cheering her mother on in her heart.

Even so, she was fully aware that such matters were not so simple.