episode_0016

Could it be the long-unworn necktie’s fault?

Even upon arriving at the royal palace, a sense of suffocation looms already.

“I’m sick of these kinds of gatherings….”

The splendid Eastern Royal Palace unfolding before my eyes.

Nobles ascending the towering stairs.

Even gallant knights standing on either side of the staircase.

Just observing their bustling figures makes one feel overheated involuntarily.

“This birthday party is quite grand.”

How much time has passed?

A rustling sound echoed from behind.

“Sorry… Am I late?”

Mia approaching, gasping for breath.

Seeming uncomfortable in her heels, she slightly stoops, clutching her waist.

In a deep green silk dress.

Clad tightly to reveal her feminine curves.

No matter how fallen, she still seems noble.

Unlike her decadent uniform attire, she appears much more elegant now.

A white silk shawl drapes over her arms.

Thanks to it, the training scars on her arms are adequately concealed.

“It seems steady training kept her mana strong.”

Lost in thought.

Senior Mia tilts her head slightly and asks, “Why, can’t take your eyes off because I’m too beautiful?”

“No, it’s just that I find you stronger than I expected.”

“Strong…?”

Her teardrop trembles.

Mia soon boldly sticks by my side.

“What’s with that comment? Am I wishy-washy?”

Not wishy-washy at all.

Rather, she’s closer to being formidable.

“Hurry up! You’ve become so thin while waiting.”

Seeing my puzzled expression, Mia strides ahead alone.

“Just meant your mana is strong…”

Knights of the Eastern realm lining the stairs.

Their gazes fixated on us.

Perhaps it’s because of them.

As Mia leads the way, she gradually becomes more tense.

“Are you nervous?”

“No, not at all! It’s just regular escort duty, why be nervous!”

“She’s really something.”

Well, it’s understandable.

From the perspective of fallen nobility like Mia, it’s a good opportunity to assert oneself to the higher-ups.

“I’ll show you how to enter, watch and learn.”

After climbing all the stairs, a lone knight guarding the entrance catches our eye.

The Eastern Knights’ Batsu.

A rising star set to become the deputy commander of the Eastern Knights a year later.

“Welcome to the reception. Please state your name, and we will guide you inside.”

He looks like he’s smiling, but could it be due to the helmet he’s wearing?

Shadows cast over his face, making him seem annoyed.

“Unusual.”

Would they usually deploy such firepower as gatekeepers for a party?

This is likely Lydia’s strategy.

Turning 19 this year and soon becoming an adult.

Moreover, with the Emperor aging and his uncertain future, positioning one’s strongest forces at the entrance under such circumstances is a message to the attendees.

That they wield significant power.

An invitation to align with them.

“I am… Mia Greta of the Capital Defense Corps. This is Veil Mikhail Kyeong…”

Her shadow looming large.

Against Batsu’s bear-like stature, Mia shrinks like a frightened cat.

“Capital Defense… Capital Defense.”

The guard pauses at Mia’s words.

Then, as if recalling something, he chuckles.

“Oh, those Capital Defenders?”

Soon, the formal smile fades from Batsu’s face.

He starts using a mocking tone and switches to informal speech.

“Not sure how the Capital Defenders ended up here….”

Pointing inside the reception hall with his thumb, Batsu.

While other guests were personally escorted, we are ignored.

“Just go sit at the guest table.”

“See this?”

Blatant discrimination leaves me stunned.

In response, I, bearing the burden, loudly exclaimed,

“Well, they even gave us seats at the guest table.”

Speaking openly, Batsu’s eyes flicker.

He frowns at my audacious behavior.

“Senior, let’s go in quickly. There’s no one here to guide us separately.”

I pass through smoothly.

As if prompting me to listen, he casually remarked, “The Third Princess’s banquet is nothing special.”

Upon hearing those words, Bach shook his thick neck and stared at me.

“What… did you just say?”

Ignoring his anger, I leisurely entered the banquet hall.

In response, Bach attempted to follow me with heavy military boots clunking along.

“Do you think you’re a noble just because you were invited as a guest?”

Teasing him, I pointed towards the entrance with my finger.

“Oh, would you use the gatekeeper’s seat if it were vacant?”

Soon after, the attendants arrived.

Seeing the enraged Bach, they wore expressions filled with fear.

“Hurry and guide them. Can’t you see they’re waiting?”

“You… I’ll remember your face. Let’s see inside.”

Turning his head with gritted teeth, the Eastern Divine guided the attendants with an effortful smile.

‘Whatever.’

There wouldn’t be a need to fight him in the first place.

Bach would soon become powerless.

He participated in the royal contest only to be defeated by the prince’s knight.

During that process, the nerve in his leg was severed.

“I’m sorry, senior. I made a mistake from the start.”

I looked at her apologetically.

However, the senior’s response was unexpectedly different.

“No, you did well-.”

Instead, she looked at me intently and smiled.

“Even though we look like peers, you really lack backbone.”

Dressed elegantly, she uttered harsh words.

Yes, she was the senior.

For a moment, I almost forgot her image of smoking with a worn-out expression.

—

Entering the banquet hall, one table in particular caught my eye.

The guest seat with our name tags prominently displayed.

Moreover, it was right in the middle of the banquet hall.

As I sat at the coveted guest seat, all eyes were on me.

Royal officials, foreign ministers, and so on, all influential figures in the empire.

“Who are they?”

“I don’t know, judging by the banners, they seem like high-ranking officials from Subangsa.”

They still don’t recognize me as the top graduate. It’s probably for the best.

Casually, I picked up the peanuts placed on the table.

And gazed at them with a disappointed expression.

‘No watermelon seeds… Looks like I won’t find any.’

“Indeed, the gaze is fierce as expected from a soldier.”

“Yes, truly a guardian of the nation. Even examining the banquet food meticulously.”

The guests watching from afar marveled.

Their eyes were full of reverence.

‘Why are their gazes like that?’

Avoiding the uncomfortable stares, I lowered my head.

Then, I noticed the second-floor royal seats.

They overlooked the entire party venue.

And there…

Lea sat on a platinum chair, holding a teacup.

Unlike during the contest, she wore a dress accentuating her slim figure.

When our eyes met, she gave me a light smile.

I felt caught off guard by her intense gaze.

“Sigh!”

“Why the sigh? Are you too nervous?”

Mia asked me with a bright expression.

As if relieved that not only she was anxious.

“Don’t worry too much. We’re just guests today.”

Yes, we were just guests today.

A mere junior knight, now treated as a dignitary.

An ironic situation.

While the youngest knights sat at the guest seat, the seniors stood tall behind the princesses.

Their intimidating expressions as they looked down on us were quite hostile.

Among them were members of Lea’s Brightness Knights.

There were also Lydia’s Eastern Knights.

But…

‘Who is he?’

Black uniform.

Golden insignia.

I remember.

It’s the uniform I wore back when I was part of Irina’s escort.

However, the face wearing that uniform was unfamiliar.

‘Is he a new recruit?’

By far the most interesting encounter amidst the boredom.

With my chin resting on my hand, I gazed steadily at the blond man.

‘Looks like a senior in his first year.’

Bangs divided neatly into a 5:5 ratio.

Subtle golden hair with crimson eyes.

Whether gold or jade, his upbringing was evident.

Furthermore, a strong mana emanated from him.

The color was a perfect shade of blue, incredibly calming.

“Talent isn’t bad,” I stared intently at the man who was my subordinate.

Then, Miya whispered softly to me.

“Hey, junior. Why are you staring at the princesses’ side like that?”

“I was looking at Lady Irina’s knights.”

“2nd Princess’s knights…?”

Miya seemed intrigued as she followed my gaze towards the royal seats.

As if realizing who they were, she blinked back tears.

“Oh, that’s my classmate.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, one is a baron’s wastrel. His name was Alan Mietrop, I think.”

A combination of the weakest princess and a wastrel. It’s already the worst…

“Alan was originally Lady Leia’s knight, but he got into a fight with a senior as soon as he joined and got dismissed.”

Miya said, munching on nuts from the plate.

Just hearing about it made my head spin.

Could Irina handle someone who was arrogant even under Leia’s command?

It felt like she believed she was the strongest here with that arrogant look in her eyes.

Just seeing that arrogant gaze makes me sigh involuntarily.

“But his skills are solid. He was quite impressive during the appointment ceremony.”

“Impressive?”

“Yes, his main weapon is a pair of swords.”

At the mention of dual swords, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of arrogance.

“Truly romantic, isn’t it?”

“Is that so?”

Miya spat out a peanut in approval.

I looked at her condescendingly.

The term “romantic” was just a euphemism.

Dual swords…

Rather than protecting someone, it’s usually the person who gets hit by arrows first and dies.

With a heavy heart, I watched over the second floor.

And then, Irina appeared.

She entered the seat slowly, dressed in a white gown.

Unlike when she was disguised, she had returned to her silver hair and green eyes.

Her dress was still modest, unlike other nobles, she didn’t adorn herself with jewels.

However, her dignity as a princess was still evident on her face.

A composed expression to not be underestimated in front of others.

Even sharp-eyed.

In the formal setting, she was more of an iron-willed empress than anyone else.

That’s what I thought.

But…

“Oh, Veil…!”

The moment our eyes met.

Irina’s appearance as a princess vanished, and she smiled warmly at me.

As friendly as any childhood friend would.