Because of Takeru's words, they allowed Mirellia to pass. After entering, she rode a carriage, slowly heading towards the palace.
Along the way, she looked at the curious people around her and the changes in the royal capital.
She noticed many special buildings and shops in the royal capital. Most of these newly added shops were unfamiliar to her.
Besides that, she also keenly noticed more smiles on the people's faces. These were genuine smiles from the heart, which she rarely saw during her reign, or were basically only seen on the faces of some nobles.
For commoners, it was very rare.
Along the way, curious about the royal capital's changes, she had the shadow guard drive slowly, even stopping from time to time.
Soon, she was attracted by a very fragrant smell. She sent a maid to check it out.
"Freshly baked buns. Would you like to try some?" Seeing someone approach, the bakery shopkeeper asked with a smile.
"Yes, buy some." Hearing the shopkeeper's words, the maid hesitated, then nodded.
"Okay. We have small buns, soup buns, custard buns, and shiitake pork buns. Which would you like?" Hearing the maid say she wanted to buy, the shopkeeper continued asking.
"There are that many? Then get two of each." Hearing this, the maid spoke directly.
Being a maid to the queen, she naturally wouldn't lack the money to buy a few buns.
Soon, after paying, the shopkeeper packed them for her to take back. Of course, as she left, he also reminded her that the soup buns contained a lot of juice and to be careful when eating.
Then, when the maid returned to the carriage with the packed buns, Mirellia looked curiously at the fragrant buns.
"So soft. How were these made? Truly amazing." Picking up a bun, Mirellia said with emotion.
Then, she didn't think further. She directly picked up a shiitake pork bun and took a bite. The thin outer skin, the perfectly savory and sweet filling, combined with the shiitake's savory aroma, made the queen close her eyes, carefully savoring the flavor.
"Your Majesty, is it not good?" Watching the silent Mirellia, the maid asked nervously.
"No, it's very good. It can completely rival the palace's high-grade desserts." Hearing the maid's words, Mirellia said with a complex expression.
Such cuisine could be bought for just one copper coin. It was not expensive at all. Even ordinary people could completely afford it.
"Alright, you all try some too." Then, the queen didn't eat them all herself. She shared them with the maid and the shadow guard. After tasting them, they also expressed their amazement.
...
On the other side, after Takeru returned to the palace, not long after, Melty excitedly ran into the parliamentary hall.
"Takeru, is my mother back?" Looking at Takeru, Melty asked excitedly.
"Yes, but it might take a little time for her to get here." Hearing her words, Takeru nodded calmly.
"Then I'll go find her!" Hearing Takeru say this, Melty quickly said.
The reason she was so eager to see Mirellia was, one, she missed her mother, and two, she wanted to tell her mother that under no circumstances should she oppose Takeru.
"You don't need to be in such a hurry. If you go out now, you might actually miss your mother. Just wait a moment." Hearing her words, Takeru shook his head gently.
"Ah!" Hearing Takeru say this, Melty hesitated, then sat in the palace and waited patiently.
Raphtalia, who had come along, looked at the excited Melty, then at the calm Takeru, silently hoping that Takeru wouldn't become hostile with Melty's mother.
Not long after, Mirellia entered the palace with her three companions.
"Mother!" Seeing Mirellia enter the palace, Melty showed an excited expression and walked over.
"Melty, it seems you have grown a lot." Looking at Melty, Mirellia showed a gentle smile, speaking with a double meaning.
"Yes." Hearing her mother's praise, Melty showed a happy smile.
"I, Mirellia Q. Melromarc, pay respects to His Majesty Takeru." At this moment, Mirellia knelt on one knee and spoke respectfully to Takeru.
"Your Majesty the Queen!"
"Mother!"
Watching Mirellia's actions, both the maids and Melty showed surprised expressions. Only Takeru narrowed his eyes, inwardly sighing, 'She truly was a sensible person. She had so simply and clearly stated her position.'
"Rise, Mirellia. If you have any questions I can answer, I will help clarify them for you." Then, Takeru spoke directly.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Hearing this, Mirellia stood up and spoke softly.
"Just call me Takeru directly." Hearing her words, Takeru spoke again.
"Then I won't stand on ceremony. Takeru-sama, first, thank you very much for taking care of Melty." Hearing this, Mirellia spoke directly.
"Melty is also a good friend of Filo's, and she has no ill intentions towards me. Naturally, I wouldn't target her." Hearing her words, Takeru said casually.
"Even so, I am still very grateful. And another thing, may I ask what has happened to my husband and eldest daughter?" Then, after hesitating for a moment, Mirellia asked nervously.
Regardless, the two were ultimately her family. Mirellia didn't want to see them die.
"They are currently in the empire's prison. Don't expect them to be released anytime soon." Looking at the nervous Mirellia, Takeru said calmly.
"Is that so? I see. Thank you very much. For the things they did, may I see them?" Then, Mirellia asked again.
"Of course. But are you sure you want to watch them now? I don't have that much time to wait for you right now." Hearing her words, Takeru spoke directly.
"That's true. So, Takeru-sama, what do you plan to do with us? And those knights?" Hearing Takeru's words, Mirellia realized and directly asked.
"I don't plan to do anything to you. If you are willing, you can stay and serve in the palace. You are, after all, a capable person. As for those knights, it depends on the situation."
"If they can pass the test, they can naturally become knights again, or even be promoted. But if they cannot pass, they will have to find other ways to make a living." Hearing Mirellia's question, Takeru didn't hide his intentions.
"Is that so? I see. But Takeru-sama, aren't you afraid that I might try to harm you by letting me stay in the palace?" Hearing this, Mirellia breathed a sigh of relief, then asked curiously.
"Let's not talk about whether you would do that. Besides, do you think you have the ability to harm me?" Hearing her words, Takeru said proudly.
"Alright, I see. The kingdom is in the best hands under your rule. I can completely rest assured. Also, when I arrived, I saw many shops and some special departments. Those must be your work, right? Could you tell me about them?" Hearing Takeru's words, Mirellia was stunned, then showed a smile.
"If you want to know about those, you'd better ask Emilia directly. I only gave the general direction. She was responsible for the specific details and implementation." Hearing her words, Takeru shrugged.
"Emilia?" Hearing this, Mirellia looked curiously at the crowd in the hall. She naturally wouldn't know Emilia.
"I am Emilia, minister of the Dawn Empire, responsible for the empire's reforms. If you have any questions about the policy changes, Mirellia-sama, you can ask me." Hearing Takeru directly bring her up, Emilia, although helpless that Takeru was passing the buck again, still stepped forward with a smile.
Since Takeru found it troublesome, she was willing to take care of all his troubles.
"I see. I'll trouble you then, Minister Emilia. I won't disturb His Majesty Takeru then." Noticing Emilia's youth, Mirellia showed a surprised expression, but she didn't underestimate her.
"Is that so? Then I'll leave it to you, Emilia." Hearing her words, Takeru turned to Emilia.
"Yes, leave it to me." Hearing Takeru's words, Emilia showed a sweet smile and nodded.