Chapter 87
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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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Chapter 87
I caught my breath and turned around, only to see the vase on the table shattered into pieces.
It wasn't a dream—I had truly cast magic.
Hearing the commotion, the door burst open and the Chief Attendant rushed in.
"Your Majesty, what has happened?"
Orpen, glancing between the broken vase and the Chief Attendant, finally distinguished dream from reality and pressed a hand to his chest.
The shadows beneath his eyes were pronounced.
Ever since seeing Lahedis at the Hunting Festival, the nightmares had plagued me for days.
"...It was merely a restless dream that startled me."
I turned away, hoping to return to sleep, when the Chief Attendant spoke with an awkward expression.
"Forgive me, Your Majesty. Today is the day you intended to personally oversee state affairs...."
"Leave it to the Prime Minister as usual. How bothersome. Tsk."
Just as Orpen, irritated, was about to lie back down, a knock sounded at the door.
I thought the Chief Attendant would leave, but he returned with documents in hand.
"What is it?"
"A report from the Knight Captain has arrived regarding the recent Hunting Festival incident."
At the mention of a report concerning the Hunting Festival, Orpen sat up in bed.
Unusually for someone indifferent to state matters, I had ordered the Knight Captain to submit reports on any progress made regarding the incident.
People would assume I was acting as Emperor and host, seeking to understand the truth of the matter.
But in reality....
'Could they have captured those men?'
It was merely the anxious action of the true culprit.
Orpen unfolded the report with an uneasy expression.
According to the investigation, this incident appears to be the work of a peculiar group that handles demonic beasts rather than demons. We have not yet apprehended this group, but we are conducting a search to resolve the matter as swiftly as possible...
The report concluded with a promise to reveal the mastermind once the peculiar group was captured.
Orpen bit his lip repeatedly.
At this rate, it was only a matter of time before my subordinates who controlled the demonic beasts were caught, and my role as the mastermind behind all of this was exposed.
'But I cannot halt the investigation....'
After a moment's deliberation, Orpen recalled a simple solution to this crisis.
'I must frame an appropriate person as the mastermind.'
Simultaneously, a suitable candidate came to mind.
[I heard that the one who saved my daughter yesterday was that commoner girl brought by the Duke. She used a Dark Spirit to protect several noblewomen and young ladies.]
The face of the true culprit who, with an innocent expression, had completely overturned my plan to tarnish the image of demons.
'She's a woman brought by the Duke, and moreover, they say she's half-demon.'
If I pinned this on Vivian, I could destroy not only the image of demons but also bring down Kaltz, who brought her here, all at once.
With his plan established, Orpen wore a satisfied smile, when another knock suddenly sounded.
The Chief Attendant, who went to the door, returned with a bewildered expression.
"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister requests an audience."
Having noticed the Emperor's displeasure moments before, the Chief Attendant quickly added:
"Shall I ask him to return later?"
However, after a moment of deliberation, Orpen offered an answer that defied expectations.
"Let him in."
It was rare for Igraine to seek me out in my private chambers rather than my study, which meant this had to be a matter of considerable importance.
The Chief Attendant, having received the imperial command, withdrew, and Igraine entered.
"Your Majesty, I have come with joyful news to share, and I beg your pardon for intruding so urgently."
"...Joyful news?"
As I regarded Igraine with a puzzled gaze, a man stepped into view behind her.
He wore the uniform of the Imperial Knights.
"I never granted permission for the Knight Order to―"
The moment I saw the man standing beside Igraine, my pupils began to tremble with violent agitation.
"Surely you cannot be...."
"A disloyal subject humbly presents himself before Your Imperial Majesty."
Dain advanced before me and knelt on one knee with proper deference.
"How is it that you are alive?"
"In the final battle, I miraculously survived by divine grace."
But why?
Dain continued, as though aware of what I was wondering.
"I lost my memory from my wounds and have lived all these years without recalling Your Majesty's command."
Stunned by Dain's unexpected return from the dead, I soon broke into a smile of profound relief.
The hero of the Demon Realm War, whom I had believed fallen, had returned alive.
In the past, his death had kindled the entire Empire's fury toward the Demon Realm and its denizens.
His return would now become the force to bolster victory in the coming war.
I laughed heartily and approached Dain, giving his shoulder a light pat.
"What is such a command compared to this? What matters is that you have returned safely. Your return shall bring joy to the entire Empire."
"I am deeply grateful for Your Majesty's benevolence, yet my heart grows heavy for failing to carry out your command. Therefore, I wish to fulfill the order I could not complete twenty years ago."
"An order from twenty years past...?"
"I shall bring Your Majesty the heart of the Demon King."
He raised his head to meet my gaze, and his eyes gleamed as sharp as a well-honed blade.
* * *
"Like this, Miss?"
"No, no. Your feet should go like this, like this. ...Hmm, no. Was it like this?"
A week had passed since I became the young lady and heir of the Lowswide Marquess Residence.
I was now teaching Lindsey, my assigned personal maid, the steps of a gentleman's dance.
Why?
[You'll make your debutante debut at the imperial ball in a month, Vivian.]
...That is what my aunt had declared like a bombshell days ago.
Since that day, I had been learning not only lessons on being an heir but also the fundamental refinements expected of a noblewoman.
Etiquette, embroidery, and dancing!
Yet the path to becoming a dignified lady proved as long and arduous as becoming a knight—though I had never attempted that either.
Despite practicing every single day, I felt my skills scarcely improving at all.
Dancing was especially difficult—once my teacher had passed away, I couldn't even practice the steps alone.
'Curtis Rohan would be the easiest practice partner, but he's been so busy lately....'
After returning from the Imperial Palace, Curtis Rohan had immediately rejoined the Imperial Knights and was commuting daily.
Moreover, when he returned home after work, nobles would flock to him, trying to gain favor with the returned hero, leaving him utterly overwhelmed.
I felt too guilty asking him to help me practice dancing.
So I'd tried to teach Lindsey the male steps and use her as a practice partner instead.
But I couldn't dance properly myself, and Lindsey was even worse at it than I was....
In the end, I abandoned my plan to train a practice partner.
"Ugh.... I don't know the male steps. Besides, my feet hurt, so I want to rest for a bit."
I hadn't even fully mastered my own steps, so there was no way I'd remember the male ones too.
I kicked off my shoes one by one and flopped onto the bed.
Then Lindsey came over and began massaging my feet.
As she worked the tension out of my aching feet, my body grew languid and heavy.
I murmured while lying face-down on the bed.
"Ah, I don't think I'm suited to be a noblewoman. It's boring and tedious."
"How many people are naturally good at something from the start? Don't be so impatient."
"Well, I was good at cooking from the beginning. Can't I use my cooking talent for something?"
"What would a young lady of your standing need cooking skills for? You'll never have to cook yourself."
"There could be a grand cooking competition or something like that."
"I don't think noblewomen would be interested in such competitions...."
"Tch."
I grumble with my words, but truthfully, I know. That even if it's boring and tedious, I have to do it.
Now my shoulders bear not just my own reputation, but my family's name as well.
'If things continue like this, I might crush all the men's feet at the Imperial Palace banquet.'
To prevent such a situation, I really should practice....
'If Lahedis saw me like this right now, he'd laugh at me mercilessly, wouldn't he?'
As I unconsciously recalled the presence that had seeped into my daily life, I froze.
Since arriving at the Marquis Estate, I felt his absence keenly whenever I had a moment.
When studying alone in the library, when walking through the dark corridors at night to return to my room, even during brief outings.
The emptiness of his absence, he who had always stood beside me, weighed heavily.
Only then did I truly realize how much space he occupied in my daily life.
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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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