It’s finally time for Athanasia to debut herself. Our princess has done nothing but fret and worry over her big day, so it has to go well, right? Meanwhile, Duke What’s-his-face gives Jennette the impression that she’ll finally be able to connect with both her father and her sister at the ball. But it’s not her father nor her sister. I’m all for bashing Claude whenever he’s being a deadbeat, but I also gotta be fair when the time calls for it. And while I’ve been clamoring for Athanasia to make a female friend her age, this isn’t the right time for it. Most of all, this whole scheme feels ill-conceived right from the get-go. If Duke What’s-his-face really wanted to exert his influence over the emperor, why do it now during Athanasia’s debut? If you’re telling me I have a long lost sister, I wouldn’t want to meet her at a fancy-ass ball in front of a bunch of strangers. I’d want to meet her privately. Yeah, I know the same thing happened in the previous timeline, and it happened successfully. But the circumstances then were different. Claude didn’t adore that Athanasia. He adores this one. It seems kinda stupid to try and rob the spotlight from the person the emperor loves and cherishes the most. To put it in simpler terms, read the damn room.