episode_0062

After a period of silence.

Elaine asked cautiously.

“Will you be attending the banquet tonight?”

“I just don’t feel like going.”

Tonight.

A banquet celebrating Service’s victory is being held at the Imperial Palace.

It was organized by the Empress.

By the way, there was no separate banquet held for my expulsion of the Elven and Ferum armies.

The Empress, who oversees the affairs of the palace, deliberately did not hold one, making various excuses.

Of course, I didn’t particularly want it either.

“But Your Majesty specifically instructed you to attend….”

That’s right.

The Emperor clearly ordered me to attend, saying that we should celebrate our shared victory, but well, I didn’t really feel like going.

Those attending the banquet are all nobles anyway.

Most of those who have sided with the Empress are individuals who struggle with flexible thinking.

No matter how much I achieved, since I wasn’t directly rescued from danger like Count Eisen, they didn’t appreciate me even a bit.

In fact, my contributions were overshadowed by Service’s belated establishment of merit while patrolling the borders.

And from the start.

The nobles deeply indoctrinated by Duke Shleine and the Empress’s high-class gaslighting had no intention of believing that I had accomplished anything.

“Go and have fun even if you go alone.”

“Yes….”

Regrettably, Elaine also asked Astia.

“Astia, would you like to come with me?”

“I’m not going. I can’t stand mingling with those pretentious people.”

Elaine’s face showed the look of someone whose trust had been betrayed.

“Yes….”

***

Elaine felt extremely upset.

It was because she was disappointed.

In fact, she had recently tailored a new dress.

Initially feeling a bit overwhelmed by the lace decorations, she thought that wearing it along with expensive jewelry as a set would exude a noble atmosphere that wouldn’t pale in comparison to the Crown Princess.

Of course, since she was only engaged for now, she hesitated to introduce herself as the Crown Princess.

But since they were already living in the same building and would soon be married, there wouldn’t be much of an issue introducing herself as such.

“I wanted to stand beside Eos looking elegant….”

For Elaine, today’s banquet was akin to a debutante ball, revealing herself to others for the first time.

Yet, contemplating going there alone without a partner made her feel somewhat queasy inside.

“Will I do well?”

Perhaps.

She even harbored a faint fear of becoming a woman unloved by the Crown Prince.

However, she didn’t want to force Eos to accompany her uncomfortably just to improve her own mood.

Before she knew it, night had fallen.

Elaine, dressed in a glamorous gown, stood at the banquet hall with her parents.

Laughter and cheerful greetings filled the air. The place buzzed with activity as numerous nobles who had arrived in the capital since yesterday gathered joyfully to celebrate the Crown Prince’s victory.

And Elaine was no exception to this situation.

“This is my wife, and this child is my daughter. They are engaged to the Crown Prince.”

“Oh…Yes. You truly have a beautiful w-wife and d-daughter. Haha.”

Viscount Bart was busy introducing his wife and daughter to the people he met.

However, both the Viscount, his wife, and even Elaine could easily detect the disdain melting into the faces of those they greeted.

No interaction left a pleasant feeling.

Both Elaine and her mother found this gathering incredibly uncomfortable.

“Endure even if it’s tough. It will be good for everyone.”

To the Viscount who whispered this, various emotions still arose within Elaine.

From liking to disliking. From resentment to gratitude.

Elaine was well aware of it all.

Anyway, at this moment, I had to obediently follow my father’s words.

By doing so, I could slightly improve the downgraded image of Eos.

Therefore, even though I didn’t feel like it, I made an effort to smile brightly and leave a good impression whenever the Marquis introduced me.

Then, Count Guintar arrived with his family.

“Who is this? Asterus! It’s been such a long time! You’ve found your family, and you seem to have become more handsome in the meantime.”

“Morbene. It has indeed been a long time. If you’ve become more handsome, then you must be no different.”

The two embraced and shook hands as if they were old friends.

“Pleased to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too.”

The two wives also exchanged warm greetings with smiles.

“Become more handsome? What nonsense. It’s just that the burden of war has lightened somewhat recently. My daughter resigned from her position at the Tower of Frostbite this time. Oh, you must be meeting her for the first time. Let me introduce you. She’s my daughter.”

A beautiful woman with snow-white hair like the Marquis lowered her posture slightly, holding both sides of her black dress as she greeted.

“Greetings. I am Prunna Guintar.”

Even in Elaine’s eyes, she was truly a beautiful and elegant woman.

“She was originally the Crown Prince’s fiancée…”

Exceptional beauty and dignity flowing from head to toe.

It was somehow intimidating.

“Pleased to meet you. Let me introduce my daughter as well.”

Elaine followed the Marquis’s lead as gracefully as she had practiced. However, it seemed that she was nervous again, as the posture that had been fine during practice wavered slightly.

“Uh, I’m Elaine Bart.”

Her face turned red in an instant.

Seeing this, Count Guintar teased her.

“Haha, such innocence. It’s been a long time indeed. Hmm. Did you say Elaine?”

After clearing his throat, Count Guintar assumed a serious expression, as if he wanted to reprimand her for her improper posture.

“Yes…”

Elaine, quite nervous, bowed her head and tightly gripped the hem of her dress with both hands.

Sweat was seeping through her gloves.

“If only I had received etiquette training since I was young, I could have been as proficient as the Crown Princess…”

She felt embarrassed for some reason.

Just this alone seemed to weigh heavily on her conscience, as if she had caused a great inconvenience to Eos.

However, what came out of the Marquis’s mouth was not a scolding.

Rather, it was more like praise.

“Treasure that innocence. Enjoy the moments of mistakes. Without them, there would be no joy or laughter. As you age, even if you want to, you won’t be able to do that. Haha.”

His tone suddenly became playful.

Before she knew it, the Marquis was laughing.

“Pleased to meet you. You really resemble Asterus. Keep growing like this in the future.”

As if he had something important to discuss, the Marquis patted the Count on the shoulder.

“You have such a lovely daughter. It’s definitely you. But more importantly, I’ve come up with a fantastic business idea…”

As the Marquis and the Count moved away, their wives followed, laughing and chatting.

“…”

“…”

Prunna and Elaine remained silent, facing each other for a while.

“Haha! You’re really cute!”

Suddenly bursting into laughter, Prunna shed her dignity effortlessly and expressed friendliness in a much lighter tone.

“How old are you? You seem similar to me?”

“Um, I’m eighteen…”

Elaine felt somewhat overwhelmed by the confidence that seemed to have been steadily accumulated since childhood.

“Oh? Then am I your older sister? I’m nineteen.”

“Oh, I see…”

Prunna picked up two glasses of champagne from a passing tray, bubbles fizzing inside. Downing one glass as if she was thirsty, she handed one to Elaine and took another for herself.

“Do you drink alcohol?”

“I haven’t really drunk much, so I don’t know.”

“Can I drink this?”

Cheers!

Pruna clinked her glass without hesitation.

“Since our fathers get along well, why don’t we get along too in the future?”

Elaine, taken aback by Pruna’s bright smile and wink, found herself nodding involuntarily.

After Pruna took a shot first and hinted, “Not drinking?” Elaine had no choice but to take a shot as well.

It had a fragrant, sweet, and tangy taste.

The refreshing sensation was quite enjoyable.

“You’re already itching to dance after just a sip? I’ll dance one song first, so enjoy yourself. Then let’s have a serious talk about our mission to Eos. Don’t worry, the night is long.”

After Pruna left, Elaine felt dazed.

She was a strange woman.

Although they had almost become princess and queen in the past before the engagement was called off, becoming friends with her seemed oddly peculiar.

They had never been acquainted in the first place.

It wasn’t easy to define their relationship based on a single past fact, uncomfortable yet not entirely comfortable.

Yet, she suddenly wanted to be friends.

She seemed like quite an amusing person.

Phew-

Recalling the cruel love triangle tales she heard as a maid, Elaine felt foolish for being nervous for no reason.

With a wry smile, she finally relaxed and looked around.

“Wow-”

The banquet hall of the palace was incredibly spacious, to the point of extravagance.

The wooden floor echoed softly with each step, while dynamic ice sculptures of dragons, heroes, demons, and fairies were placed between tables laden with drinks and snacks.

Each sculpture was so beautifully crafted that one would want to touch them secretly.

The most beautiful was undoubtedly the statue of the saint.

For some reason, she felt it resembled her own face.

Above it, even though there were lamps powered by magic stones, the golden chandeliers lit with candles looked exceptionally beautiful.

The ceiling appeared high, making everything seem smaller, likely much larger if brought down.

Amidst the air at a perfect temperature, flowing gently, was a beautiful melody, as if painting an invisible landscape.

About twenty musicians moved as if connected by an unseen thread, handling their instruments with fervor, akin to seaweeds swaying in deep waters—soft yet powerful movements.

Suddenly feeling uneasy, she turned her head and met the eyes of the empress, startled, she quickly averted her gaze.

Still feeling unsettled, she eventually hid behind the ice statue of the saint.

Someone approached her.

A man with golden hair strikingly similar to the emperor and amethyst eyes reminiscent of the empress.

“It seems you don’t have a partner. Would you care to dance with me?”

It was unmistakably the prince she saw at the Teneffel Plains summit.

She shuddered.

Every time she looked at him, she felt as if she were seeing a male version of the empress.

Perhaps even a more sinister human being.

Feeling a chilling sensation, she lied, “Oh, I… I twisted my ankle getting off the carriage… Dancing right now might be difficult. I apologize.”

It was a little white lie.

But she didn’t feel the slightest discomfort.

Her inner sanctity seemed to cheer, even causing a momentary flutter.

“Oh, I see. Then, would you like to have a chat with me for a while-”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I need to go see someone right now.”

Elaine politely declined and went out to the balcony.

“Sigh-”

There was no one outside.

Though nights had been quite warm recently, a cool breeze was blowing today.

“…It’s not easy.”

The corset was tight around her chest, the beautiful dress felt heavy, and the jewelry seemed overly ostentatious.

There was no one here who she wanted to show her meticulously prepared appearance to.

Of course, she had shown it to Eos when leaving the Royal Palace, but now that he was absent, it held no meaning.

“Eos….”

She felt quite disappointed, to be honest.

“You liked me… Have you already grown tired of me…? Is that why you’re leaving me alone? Should I have danced with the Crown Prince?”

Perhaps due to intensified emotions from drinking, tears welled up in her eyes.

Thud!

Suddenly, she heard the balcony door closing.

“It was definitely closed… Could it be…?”

“Eos?”

Elaine turned around, unable to contain her joy.

“Who is this?”

However, standing before her was a completely unfamiliar man for the first time in her life.

Alone in an empty space, she found herself facing a man with a repulsive smile.

Instinctively, she took a step back.

“…”

The greed reflected in his eyes was as repugnant as his expression.

“So, you’re the famous concubine of the fallen prince. Indeed, quite pretty. Perfect for some fun.”

Even the words that came out of his mouth were clearly derogatory and insulting.

For a moment, Elaine felt an overwhelming sense of fear, as if her breath had been taken away.

“B-be careful with your words…”

It was a kind of inertia that had been ingrained in her since ancient times.

The constant torment from her low status, along with the other servants like Katia. It was because she had been thoroughly educated in such matters.

“A sharp tongue looks attractive. But listen. If you’re a servant, you should act like one. Why are you being so insolent?”

With a sneer, the man approached.

“Oh, don’t come any closer! I-I’ll scream!”

“Go ahead, scream. Who would suffer if people found out? Would it be the lowly woman who flirted with the eldest son of a viscount while being engaged to the Crown Prince? Or maybe… am I just Marlo Luteon, who made a mistake by being tempted by a lowly woman suddenly accosting him on the balcony?”

The man reached out towards Elaine as if to grab her by the hair.

In a moment that seemed to freeze time, she felt a surge of sacred power within her once again.

The fear that had filled her body had vanished.

She already knew what to do.

Sacred power could enhance physical strength.

It could even rapidly heal fatigue and wounds.

So, a man slightly larger than her would be no match if she used her sacred power.

But if her sacred power was revealed, things could get complicated.

Therefore, to avoid detection, Elaine delivered a punch to the man’s face using only a fraction of her power.

Thwack!

As expected, the sacred power was formidable.

The man was hit by Elaine’s fist without even seeing it properly, flying backward and hitting the door before slumping to the ground.

Phew- Elaine breathed a sigh of relief.

It was truly chilling.

She removed the gloves that had touched his face and placed them on the floor.

“But what do I do now?”

It was a dilemma.

“W-wait! Did I just hit a noble? Isn’t this a crime…? Oh, no….”

Elaine wrung her hands, on the verge of tears.

If this incident were to be exposed, she would undoubtedly become someone else entirely, especially now that Eos was slowly regaining his reputation.

She would be branded as a violent fiancée fitting for that fallen prince, and dreadful rumors would spread throughout the empire.

Click-

Suddenly, the door opened, and a man entered.

Silver hair, jade eyes.

A familiar face.

“Eos!”

The long-awaited Eos closed the door and entered.

Elaine rushed into Daeban’s arms.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. It seems like I caused that accident.”