Chapter 3.6

“Celine Ianster, who gave you permission to call me by that name?”

As the carriage door closed, Adrian leaned in, whispering softly to Celine. Though his voice wasn’t a roar, Celine felt an overwhelming sense of dread.

“Well… I just thought it would be more natural to address each other that way since we’re engaged now.”

His composed expression abruptly turned savage.

“Don’t cross the line, Lady Ianster. I accepted your proposal to shed less blood, not to avoid it entirely.”

As Aurelian leaned closer, growling like a beast, Celine instinctively turned her head to avoid his gaze.

“But… but! Claire still calls His Grace by the name of a slave!”

“That’s only natural, isn’t it?”

Aurelian’s face was back to its usual impassive mask as if nothing had happened.

“What’s natural about that?”

“Only Claire can use that name. You know full well that she is still my master.”

Celine gritted her teeth. Ironically, after he had accepted her proposal, Adrian only revealed his true self to her.

Adrian ignored her as she concealed her anger and forced a smile, turning his gaze to the window.

Three days passed, as promised, and Adrian went to the Emperor’s palace. However, the Emperor did not grant him an audience. He was told by the Imperial butler to return to his ducal residence and wait.

The Emperor was, as expected, exactly as he had anticipated.

Then, on the morning of the Foundation Day festival, a summons was sent for an audience at the Imperial Palace. The news of his engagement to Celine had reached the Emperor who had been avoiding him.

Upon arriving at the palace, Adrian left Celine behind and headed for the Imperial Hall.

“Aurelian. My brother, you’ve come.”

The Emperor stood and welcomed Adrian with open arms. Adrian, in turn, performed a flawlessly perfect bow.

“I greet His Imperial Majesty, the one and only sun of the Quinze-Nouais Empire.”

“Yes, please, sit. I’ve heard the news. You’re holding an engagement ceremony with the eldest daughter of the Ianster family, is that right?”

“…That is correct, Your Majesty.”

“I’ve heard the lady is quite beautiful, is that true?”

“She is.”

“Good. You’ve made an excellent decision. The eldest daughter of the Ianster family…”

Of course, the Emperor knew how dangerous an engagement between the Grand Duke and the Ianster family would be.

Yet, the Emperor had given his permission for the engagement, feeling as if he were handing a real sword to a child.

“Do you truly believe this was a good decision?”

“Of course. That young lady must be strong enough to endure the long winters of the North, wouldn’t you say?”

Adrian slightly tilted his head and smiled. It was a subtle command for him to return to the North.

“Certainly. She is more than capable of handling the harsh and long winters of the North.”

“Good. Aurelian, as you know, Claire Ianster was originally the Crown Prince’s fiancée.”

At the Emperor’s words, Adrian let out a sneer so disrespectful it was almost audacious, but the Emperor, as if he hadn’t seen it, continued.

“It’s a relief that you’ve finally realized that stepping back at this point is for the good of the Empire.”

Shameless to the core, the Emperor, foolishly let his guard down when Adrian expressed his intention to return to the North with Celine.

“Aurelian, I’m so pleased because Celine Ianster is a worthy match for anyone in the Empire.”

“It’s all thanks to Your Imperial Majesty.”

“In that case, I’d like to grant you one request in place of the promise I failed to keep. What would you like?”

The Emperor narrowed his eyes, trying to gauge Adrian’s true intentions.

“…Then, if I ever have a son, I would like you to personally name him.”

Asking the Emperor to name his son was a declaration of his intent to participate in the future succession of the throne.

However, the Emperor accepted.

For the current Emperor, it was a safer situation for the Grand Duke to give up a mere woman and aim for the next throne.

The Emperor’s priority was to extinguish the immediate fire burning right in front of him. He could deal with future issues later.

“I understand, Aurelian. The child would be my nephew, so wouldn’t he be like a son to me?”

“He will be another member of the Imperial family, bearing the name of Quinze-Nouais.”

“…Indeed.”

“Oh, and one more thing. Just as the well-being of the Empire is important, so is the safety of the Imperial family, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Of course.”

“If I were to marry the eldest daughter of the Ianster family and a new member of the Imperial family were born, Her Majesty the Empress would no longer send assassins to the Grand Ducal estate, would she?”

“…Assassins? The Empress?”

“Even if it is Her Majesty the Empress, if she were to attempt to assassinate an heir to the throne, the matter wouldn’t end with her simply stepping down from her position. A cornered dog bites its owner, does it not, Your Majesty?”

“My brother, there is a limit to impudence.”

For the first time, the Emperor cast a sharp glare at Adrian. But he maintained a gentle smile throughout.

“So, I am asking you to stop tormenting my people. I have been patient until now, but I will not be patient any longer.”

Adrian rose from his seat without the Emperor’s permission. Turning his back without the Emperor’s consent was a great act of disloyalty, but he simply turned and left the room.

***

“Your Royal Highness, why on earth did you come here?”

I sighed, looking at the Crown Prince who had appeared in the garden of the count’s mansion on the first day of the Foundation Day festival, saying he would escort his partner.

Even a child knew that the Crown Prince couldn’t be away from the palace on Foundation Day.

“I just wanted to do it once, like a normal man.”

“But Your Royal Highness, you are not a normal man.”

“All right, Claire. Stop scolding me now and take my hand to get into the carriage.”

I tried not to look sullen as I placed my hand on his.

“You look beautiful today.”

Crown Prince Sebastian took my hand and whispered as we sat in the carriage.

“Yes, yes. Of course I do. So many people from the Imperial Palace came out and dressed me up.”

I fidgeted with the ruffle that fell naturally over one bare shoulder and asked the Crown Prince,

“By the way, is this your taste, Your Royal Highness?”

“For you, it’s a story beyond taste.”

The purple chiffon dress decorated with ivory satin was quite beautiful, even to me.

The Crown Prince, in contrast, was dressed in a shining ivory uniform adorned with purple fabric.

The outfits were impeccable, perfect for a studio photoshoot.

“Still, a couple look is a bit…”

“What? A couple look? I don’t know exactly what that means, but I like the sound of it.”

Then, the Crown Prince picked up a square box from the corner of his seat and handed it to me.

“And this will be the finishing touch on the couple look.”

Inside the box he opened was a beautiful necklace: a delicately crafted strand of black gems with an unostentatious purple diamond in the center.

I had received plenty of jewelry gifts in my original world that were the envy of others, but this was truly a first.

The Crown Prince took the necklace out of the box and looked at me.

“I will make you happy.”

It was truly a romantic proposal.

His attitude was so sincere that I couldn’t even make a lame joke about him giving me back my free will before trying to make me happy. He moved to my seat, holding the necklace.

After a moment of hesitation, I turned away from him and lifted my hair.

He gently put the necklace on my neck. When the cold metal touched my nape, goosebumps rose on my arms.

“As soon as I saw this necklace, I thought of you. It’s as mysterious and beautiful as you are.”

He ran his hand once over my neck where the necklace lay, then gently kissed my bare shoulder. But damn it, at that moment, I thought of Adrian.

I gently touched the necklace, then turned my gaze to look out the window. For now, this was the best I could do for him.

***

While unknowledgeable nobles were simply fascinated by the Grand Duke’s arrival in the capital, the great nobles were paying close attention to his every move.

Who was he, after all? He was the late Emperor’s most beloved youngest son, who had miraculously survived the struggle for the throne to claim the North, and was now called the Empire’s shield and hero.

His heartbreaking past had become a mystical tale, cementing itself as a myth in the hearts of children across the Empire.

The fact that the first woman he officially appeared with was Celine Ianster, the eldest and legitimate daughter of the Count of Ianster, held a deeply symbolic meaning.

Moreover, since I, the future Crown Princess, was the illegitimate child of the Ianster family, it was certain that a huge scandal had erupted in the Imperial Palace.

But this man in front of me didn’t seem to care. He simply reached out to me with a beaming smile.

“You look beautiful today, Claire.”

“You already said that a moment ago.”

“I could say it a hundred times and it wouldn’t be enough.”

I recalled Sebastian, the male lead from the novel.

He was definitely a character who contrasted with Adrian, but I knew very well that the playful demeanor he showed now was not his whole self, as he also possessed the sharp nature of a monarch.

Besides, in the original story, Sebastian eventually leads Adrian to his death.

“Thank you, Your Royal Highness.”

“It’s Sebastian, my name. When will you ever call me by my name?”

“Why are you so obsessed with me calling you by your name, Your Royal Highness? I’ll think about it after the engagement ceremony is over.”

The Crown Prince sighed as if truly disappointed, but he soon smiled again.

“I even like it when you’re stubborn, so how could I ever win against you?”

As we arrived at the entrance, the doors swung open and the sound of trumpets echoed into the ballroom. I took a deep breath and made a silent resolve for the day.

Sebastian, as if he couldn’t hear the trumpets, only looked at my face as we entered.

In front of my eyes unfolded a dizzying display: a hall incomparably larger and more beautiful than any banquet I had ever attended, a chandelier so magnificent it seemed unreal, a throne decorated with jade and gold, and people dressed to the nines.

Led by the Crown Prince, I stood before the Emperor and Empress. It was natural for everyone’s attention to be drawn to our arrival.

“We greet His and Her Majesties, the one and only sun and moon of the great Quinze-Nouais Empire.”

After briefly looking down at us bowing to the Emperor and Empress, the Empress raised her glass and shouted to the crowd.

“Let us raise our glasses for the Crown Prince and the future Crown Princess, who will bring new prosperity to the Quinze-Nouais Empire!”

When the Empress toasted in an archaic language, everyone also raised their glasses and responded in the ancient language of the era before the now-extinct Quinze-Nouais Empire.

This ancient language, now a dead tongue, was said to be used by some ministers and old great nobles to convey confidential information. Of course, I couldn’t understand any of it.

After we finished our bow, the Crown Prince, as expected, went to sit next to the Emperor and Empress.

Since I was not yet the Crown Princess, I couldn’t sit on the same platform as him. Instead, I took a seat on the same platform as the Grand Duke and his partner.

“I’ll be back shortly.”

Once the Crown Prince left, I looked around the banquet hall.

Even though they were sitting a bit far away, I couldn’t help my gaze from unconsciously drifting towards Adrian and Celine. They looked like a beautiful pair to anyone, and people’s gazes, once they settled on them, didn’t seem to want to leave.

A crowd gathered in front of Adrian and Celine. People must have figured there was no harm in getting on his good side, even if they couldn’t be openly friendly with him.

I decided to stop my gaze from constantly going toward Adrian and to not pay any attention to them.

And it wasn’t hard to focus on the food in front of me.

I picked up a dessert that could only be found at an Imperial banquet, took a bite, and as I turned my head, I met eyes with Owen, who was looking at me from not too far away.

When I happily waved at him, his eyes widened in surprise.

It was shocking for the future Crown Princess to acknowledge the Commander of the Grand Duke’s First Knights.

A little later, soft music filled the ballroom, and as the first song came to a close, the Crown Prince appeared in front of me as if on cue, reaching out his hand to pull me up.

Then, he placed a hand on my waist and whispered in my ear.

“Our first dance is about to begin.”

When I flinched at the sudden whisper and tried to push him away, the Crown Prince’s laughter filled the hall.

The music had stopped for a moment as the next song was being prepared, so his happy laughter was loud enough for everyone in the ballroom to hear.

The Crown Prince’s pleasant laughter surely led people to various speculations. When the next music started, he lightly gripped my wrist.

“Let’s go.”

The Crown Prince led me onto the dance floor, twirled me around twice, and then pulled me back into his arms with a steady grip.

He then pulled me into a tight embrace again, as if he found it cute that I was frantically being swept up in his actions.

I struggled to get away from him, but the more I did, the more he simply kept letting out pleasant chuckles into my ear.

When I finally gave up, the Crown Prince released me.

After I was freed, my eyes unconsciously darted toward Adrian.

Thankfully, all I could see was his back.

***

Owen looked at his former master, who was waving at him with a bright smile.

Claire Ianster, who had suddenly changed one day as if she were a completely different person, began to have a positive influence on those around her with her unique brightness.

The Crown Prince that Owen knew was, as all those who have had everything from birth are, excessively indifferent to the sacrifices and emotions of others.

He was simply waging a war against the boredom and tedium of killing time day by day.

And his master, Aurelian Quinze-Nouais, was already so desensitized to the morality and justice that a human being should have.

Then one day, a being appeared, as if by a miracle, shattering everything these two men had.

Every noble here knows that the atmosphere of the banquet hall is unusual.

The master of the North, who had been the subject of countless rumors, had appeared at the Foundation Day banquet in a beauty worthy of a myth, and everyone’s mind must have been fiercely calculating how to survive.

But this woman, Claire Ianster, who was still holding food in her hand and waving at him with a bright face, often acted as if the reality she was in was not her own.

Lady Claire was full of a sense of justice and righteousness for the world, and far from being bored with life, she was overflowing with great energy. She was fundamentally a different person from those men.

She was like a child playing alone amidst a chaotic tangle of emotions, as if she had come from another world.

Just as a rainbow in the sky is simply a rainbow, no matter how bloody the war on the ground…

“Owen, what are you doing?”

Breaking Owen’s deep thoughts, the rainbow came right up to his eyes.

“Huh?”

“I’m thirsty from dancing. I can’t drink this champagne right now, so can you try both of these and describe the taste for me?”

“Huh?”

“I’m asking you to drink it and describe what it tastes like. For your information, I prefer the sweeter one.”

“Lady… are you all right?”

“No, I’m not. I’m thirsty!”

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

“I know what you’re asking, Owen. But don’t do that. You look at me with such a worried expression that it makes me feel genuinely sad. So don’t worry about me.”

Owen’s former lady, who was looking at the champagne with a look of regret, clenched her fists and shouted something inexplicable at him.

“Fighting!”

Somehow, it felt like a command he should follow.