Chapter 95
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Chapter 95
"What? That can't be right!"
I startled and waved my hand dismissively.
"We simply entered together as captain and member of the unit, that's all."
"But you two danced together just now, didn't you?"
"Yes. And it was the very first song of the banquet, no less."
"That's...."
It wasn't merely the symbolism that the opening dance carried.
'Don't misunderstand or misinterpret my actions.'
'I don't behave this way toward anyone but Miss Rilprey.'
Claude's words lodged themselves in my mind and refused to fade.
No matter how hard I tried not to dwell on them, my thoughts kept circling back to decipher their meaning.
The implication was surely....
"You said there was nothing between you, Miss Rilprey, but it doesn't seem that way to Marquis Agris."
Miss Rilprey laughed behind her fan and gestured toward a particular direction.
There stood Claude, watching me intently.
Even as he conversed with those surrounding him, whenever a moment presented itself, his gaze drifted toward where I stood.
His eyes held curiosity and tenderness as they rested upon me.
"Look. He keeps staring at you."
"It's not easy to gaze so fixedly without some affection...."
The noblewomen chimed in one after another.
"He's not usually like this...."
"Countless young ladies have shown interest in the Marquis, yet he's never shown the slightest reaction until now."
"This is the first time I've seen the Marquis take interest in a woman."
With even the younger ladies bringing up stories from the past, I truly had nothing left to say.
My doubts only grew—did Claude truly harbor feelings for me?
"Miss Rilprey, let's become close friends from now on. You remember my name, don't you?"
"I'm planning to host a reading circle at my residence next week. Won't you come visit?"
"Do come to our gathering. We have many young ladies around your age."
"You'll soon become the mistress of a great house. Joining our circle wouldn't be a bad idea at all."
The nobles who had offered only light greetings suddenly shifted their demeanor and approached me with gleaming eyes, brimming with eagerness to befriend me by any means.
'Surely they haven't mistaken me for Claude's fiancée or something like that?'
That would be most troublesome.
I desperately signaled Lucian with my eyes, a plea for rescue.
This was precisely the moment when Lucian should cause some sort of commotion to save me.
Yet Lucian's situation was no different from my own.
"Young Master, would you like to come play house at our residence?"
"I'm not particularly fond of playing house."
"Then what about horseback riding?"
"That does sound rather entertaining."
Lucian was equally overwhelmed, besieged by a tide of young nobles vying for his attention.
'Might as well enjoy this while it lasts.'
There was nothing better than Lucian establishing his position in High Society, was there?
My standing was inseparable from his—for the child's future, it was wise to cultivate connections with the nobility.
"If you send an invitation to the Duke's Mansion later, I'll make sure to attend."
"Wonderful. By the way, how much longer do you plan to stay in the Capital?"
"I'm thinking of returning to the Duke's Territory soon."
"Oh my, but High Society is just beginning! Won't you stay a bit longer?"
"Everyone is so kind that I find myself torn."
I was playing along with the nobles' expectations.
"Lucella."
A voice that wasn't entirely unfamiliar called out to me.
The way he addressed me by name rather than my title as Miss Rilprey felt almost intimate.
"...Count Kendel?"
The man who parted the crowd gathered around me was Count Kendel, a vassal of House of Rilprey. He had been one of the nobles my late parents were close to.
"I didn't realize you'd been invited to the banquet, Count."
Rilprey County was a reasonably prominent house, but ultimately a provincial one.
As a vassal of such a family, Count Kendel's own standing must be quite modest.
The Emperor would never have invited such a minor provincial noble to this gathering.
"I managed to persuade an acquaintance with an invitation and came along as their aide."
"You went to such lengths?"
There must be a pressing reason behind such effort.
"My purpose today was to meet you, Miss Lucella."
"Me?"
"Yes."
Count Kendel answered with a resolute expression and stepped closer.
"Miss Lucella."
The grave atmosphere he emanated caused the nobles nearby to retreat.
"Would you consider returning to Rilprey?"
"I beg your pardon?"
I asked in genuine shock.
Return to Rilprey? What on earth was he talking about?
"I would return if I could. But that place... it's not somewhere I can go simply because I wish to, is it?"
As long as my Uncle remained firmly in control, I could never return to Rilprey.
"You are a hero of the Empire, are you not? You've inherited Rilprey's unique abilities and earned His Majesty's favor besides. With your current standing, you could reclaim Rilprey."
"A coup? What do you mean by reclaim?"
What had happened that Count Kendel would go this far?
Count Kendel lowered his voice so others wouldn't hear, then spoke again.
"Since the change in household leadership, Rilprey has been falling into ruin."
"I'm aware of that."
"No, it's far worse than a mess. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say this is the worst year in Rilprey's history."
"My uncle is that incompetent at his duties?"
"It's not a matter of competence or incompetence...."
Count Kendel's words were about to continue.
The doorkeeper suddenly blew a horn trumpet. A new guest had arrived.
"Is there someone else who hasn't arrived yet?"
Lady Stanley, standing a few steps back, asked in a bewildered voice.
The banquet was in full swing. I had assumed no one else would come, as most people had already arrived long ago.
"Duke Dehardt Bellomen and Prince Edwin Bellomen are now entering!"
At the announcement that followed, I couldn't hide my astonished expression.
It wasn't that I had failed to anticipate the Duke's appearance.
"Edwin Bellomen?"
"Could it be... the Duke's illegitimate son?"
It was because the person accompanying the Duke was Edwin.
Edwin, dressed in a navy tailcoat with a black bow tie, held the Duke's hand firmly.
As if their attire had been coordinated, the Duke wore the same navy tailcoat as Edwin.
"How could an illegitimate child be brought to an Imperial banquet...."
The hall erupted into commotion at the appearance of this unexpected figure.
It was only natural. There was no world that welcomed illegitimate children.
Moreover, I had heard that the current Emperor had suffered considerably because of a child the previous Emperor had fathered outside the palace.
This was also the reason illegitimate children were even more scorned in the Empire, and the reason I hadn't brought Edwin to the banquet.
I couldn't ask the Emperor—who despised illegitimate children more than anyone—for permission to have Edwin attend.
'Yet he's brought Edwin after all.'
This was a kind of declaration of war.
It was an action laden with political meaning: acknowledging Edwin, though illegitimate, as an official child of House Bellomen, and supporting him as his successor.
A statement that he would make Edwin his heir, even if it meant falling out of the Emperor's favor.
"...."
As the two figures walked in with steady steps, the banquet hall fell silent as if cold water had been poured over it.
The nobles, who had grown weary from political struggles, could not possibly miss the meaning behind the Duke of Bellomen's actions.
"Father...."
Tension was evident on Edwin's face as he held the Duke's hand.
"It's alright. There's no need to be nervous."
The Duke soothed the frightened Edwin.
Edwin took the Duke's hand as his support and stepped forward, one pace at a time.
"I never knew the Duke of Bellomen had such a tender side."
The nobles covered their mouths with their hands at the sight of the affectionate Duke they had never seen before.
Their gazes naturally shifted to Lucian.
To Lucian, who had entered holding not his father's hand, but his aunt's.
"...."
Lucian's lips, which had been moving busily and chattering all this while, remained sealed in this moment.
Anyone with any sense would have noticed it.
The way people looked at me had changed.
Even if I hadn't picked up on that, there was no way I could miss that the Duke's affection was directed toward Edwin.
'That bastard.'
I glared at the Duke and clenched my fists.
He had never once entered a banquet with Lucian, always claiming to be too busy to attend—yet here he was, arriving at the Banquet Hall dressed in matching clothes with Edwin, looking affectionate.
What was Lucian's position supposed to be in all this?
'A pitiful child robbed of his father's attention by a bastard.'
That was exactly how people would see Lucian.
And this banquet was none other than one held to honor Lucian's achievements.
If he bolstered Edwin's position like this, Lucian would....
"...Lucian, come here."
I called Lucian over to my side, as his eyes remained fixed on the Duke and Edwin.
I could see the tension in Lucian's hand as he gripped my skirt.
Feeling the shock and hurt Lucian must have experienced, my heart ached.
"Duke Teblon, so you were here."
The Duke ignored our gazes—no, the gazes of everyone in the Banquet Hall—and turned toward his acquaintance. The other man was Duke Teblon, second only to the Emperor in rank at the banquet.
"Ah, Duke Bellomen. It's been a while."
Duke Teblon greeted the Duke of Bellomen with a bewildered expression.
Not only that, but the faces of everyone nearby were tinged with confusion, yet the Duke of Bellomen paid no mind.
"This is my son, Edwin. Greet him, Edwin."
"Ah, hello. I'm Edwin Bellomen."
"Hmm, yes."
The nobles' response to Edwin's greeting was lukewarm.
A bastard was one thing, but he had also spoiled the mood of the banquet, so their displeasure was natural.
One wrong move could even earn the Emperor's disfavor.
The Emperor not only disliked bastards but also favored Lucian.
Yet they couldn't openly ignore Edwin either.
Whoever received the Duke of Bellomen's support had a high probability of becoming the next head of House Bellomen.
"Heh heh...."
The nobles had no choice but to force awkward smiles, looking uncomfortable.
Of course, Edwin didn't seem to want this either.
Edwin actually wanted to come over to Lucian and me.
Even while conversing with others, he kept gazing at us and waving. After all, the reason he wanted to come to the banquet in the first place was because of us.
But I was no saint.
The arm bends inward, and unfortunately, my magnanimity was not so vast.
I was not prepared to welcome Edwin warmly at this moment.
"So, Count Kendel, what were you saying?"
In the end, I had no choice but to turn my head away, pretending not to see Edwin.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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