Having grown up in a small town, Mia naturally possessed a simple and kind nature, which made it easy for her to mingle with ordinary people.
And for a kingdom's princess, approachability is a valuable talent.
Although the girl's carefree personality led to many amusing incidents during her activities: for example, letting farmers' chickens and ducks run loose on a farm, or insisting on climbing trees to pick fruit in an orchard.
Nevertheless, the girl's unpretentious demeanor and sincere smile still earned her much goodwill among the populace.
People also seemed to gradually accept the 'real' and 'adorable' side of this future princess of the kingdom.
How 'bad' could a princess be if she was willing to go to the grassroots, help farmers raise pigs and feed chickens, and even help fruit growers pick fruit?
Thus, as time reached late September, Mia, having already passed the public's test, now needed to continue passing the 'test' of other royal family members at the royal family banquet.
Only then could she rightfully become Genovia's official heir, the Princess of the Kingdom.
"Don't be nervous, Mia. You've already done very well. For the upcoming family banquet, you just need to perform normally..." Backstage at the banquet, Queen Renaldi, dressed in a grand gown and wearing a crown, noticed her granddaughter's nervousness and smiled, comforting her: "Let me tell you a secret, everyone attending this banquet is 'family'."
Because this banquet was of great importance, the guests seated at Mia's table were all people who were friendly to Queen Renaldi's faction.
Mia, who had not yet fully adapted to 'noble' life, was most afraid of interacting with other nobles; it made her very uncomfortable.
But having received a heads-up from her grandmother, she indeed looked much more relaxed.
As it neared noon, Queen Renaldi, as the 'protagonist' of the banquet, gave her granddaughter a few more instructions before entering the banquet hall first.
The lavishly decorated banquet hall was now filled with elegantly dressed and noble guests.
Most of them were members of the royal family, and a small portion were ministers of the kingdom.
Queen Renaldi, having taken her place at the head table, first greeted the arriving guests, thanking them for their contributions to the kingdom throughout the year.
Then, with an unspoken understanding, she introduced her granddaughter Mia to everyone.
"Please welcome, Princess Mia—!"
Following Mr. Joe's announcement, all eyes in the hall turned to the entrance of the back hall.
The main doors opened wide, and Mia, in a white princess gown, entered the banquet hall accompanied by her mother.
With her hair pulled back, revealing her slender neck, she wore a charming smile on her face.
At this moment, Mia was like a white swan, elegant and noble.
A chorus of praise resounded in the banquet hall at the opportune moment, and many guests were surprised by the girl's appearance.
It should be known that after the girl returned to the country, she did not deliberately seek out royal nobles. Therefore, many people present were seeing Mia for the first time now.
Under everyone's gaze, Mia and her mother made their way to the seat below Queen Renaldi's table and sat down.
"Alright, the banquet begins," Queen Renaldi nodded at her granddaughter, then gestured for everyone to raise their glasses and dine.
Immediately, the atmosphere in the banquet hall became lively.
Exquisite tableware, abundant delicacies, and well-behaved guests made the scene orderly and well-organized.
"Finally, I can eat—" Seeing that everyone's attention was no longer on her, Mia breathed a sigh of relief, while gently tapping the wine glass in front of her.
This was a signal for the attendant to pour her a drink.
Because she had to wear a beautiful princess gown today, Mia's diet had been controlled since the morning.
So, she was truly hungry now.
"Mia, pay attention to your dining etiquette." Seeing her daughter's movements gradually becoming more unrestrained, Helen quickly reminded her in a low voice.
The main purpose of this royal family banquet was not actually for people to eat.
Helen, who had more experience than Mia, knew that many royal nobles and ministers were surely secretly observing her daughter's every move right now.
"I understand..." Mia, having received her mother's hint, slowed down her dining movements.
The girl's primary training for the past three months had been dining etiquette, all for the sake of performing well on this occasion.
Mia had just been a little distracted, and since her familiar mother and grandmother were sitting next to her, she accidentally exposed her 'true nature'.
And after her mother's reminder, the girl, who had realized her mistake, was willing to cooperate with her grandmother's arrangements and act 'ladylike'.
Queen Renaldi, at the head table, noticed her granddaughter 'behaving' out of the corner of her eye, and a smile unconsciously appeared on her lips.
A formal royal banquet has its own set of procedures. From toasts to dining times, everything is clearly regulated.
Over an hour later, as the dining time ended, Queen Renaldi tapped her wine glass, drew everyone's attention, and then stood up to announce: "I think everyone should know what is happening today. Genovia will welcome our own Princess..."
"Come here, Mia—"
At the same time, an attendant brought a smaller laurel wreath.
"From this day forward, my granddaughter Mia will become the Princess of the Kingdom."
Queen Renaldi seemed to have arranged everything in advance; as she placed the laurel wreath, symbolizing the Princess of the Kingdom, on Mia's head, a series of sounds immediately echoed through the hall.
And Mia, wearing the princess's laurel wreath, now felt an inexplicable sense of belonging and connection in her heart.
"Queen Renaldi!!!" While everyone was still immersed in the warm atmosphere, an old noble with a short beard and gloomy eyes stood up.
Immediately, the eyes of the guests present wavered between this middle-aged man and Queen Renaldi.
Was he going to cause trouble for the Queen on this important occasion?
Some guests, realizing the old noble's inappropriate behavior, showed anger and displeasure, others were surprised and uncertain, while a small portion, detached, seemed to be waiting to watch the show.
In short, due to that noble's abrupt behavior, the atmosphere in the hall became tense.
"Is something wrong, Prince Mabrey?" Queen Renaldi maintained her elegant demeanor, showing no emotion on her face.
However, Princess Mia, who was closest to her, noticed a fleeting look of displeasure in her grandmother's eyes.
"Forgive my presumption," Prince Mabrey bowed slightly, his expression very humble: "I just wanted to remind Your Majesty the Queen that the royal ball should begin after the banquet ends."
Although this Prince was speaking to Her Majesty the Queen, his eyes were looking at all the guests present.
It was somewhat like he was trying to use the power of the crowd to pressure the Queen.
"Thank you for the reminder, Prince Mabrey..." Queen Renaldi stared at Mabrey, her tone calm: "Then, let us meet the young people of the Kingdom."
Genovia's royal ball was more like a platform for communication between the royal youth and ordinary young people within the kingdom.
Yes, this was a social ball for young people, where excellent young people within the kingdom could invite single royal youths to dance on this day.
Next, a large open space was cleared in the center of the banquet hall to serve as the dance floor.
The ceiling above the room then lit up with colorful halos.
"What should I do next?" Mia, sensing the Prince's malice, cautiously asked her grandmother.
The girl's feeling was not wrong; Prince Mabrey was indeed the representative of the radical faction within the kingdom.
His main advocacy was to vigorously develop Genovia's mining business at all costs.
Moreover, to embarrass Queen Renaldi this time, he had specifically instructed the young men in the kingdom in advance not to invite Princess Mia to dance at the ball.
Just imagine, a girl who had just become a princess, unable to find a dance partner at the ball—that scene would surely be very amusing.
"You don't need to do anything; there might be a surprise waiting for you soon." Queen Renaldi seemed unconcerned by Prince Mabrey's small actions; at this moment, she seemed to be very confident.
"A surprise?" Mia clearly did not understand her grandmother's implication.
And at this moment, the already arranged ball hall, under the colorful lights and soothing music, had its outer main doors open.
A group of carefully selected commoner youths entered the ball venue, led by guards.