At the End of Ruin, There You Are (56 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 128

Today was a day when nobles were especially busy moving about. In the morning there was the engagement ceremony, and in the evening, the reception banquet.

Ladies were fervently competing to showcase different jewels and dresses at the engagement and wedding ceremonies. The gentlemen were even more eccentric.

They scoured for boots or shoes that made them look taller and desperately hunted for outfits that maximized the appearance of broad shoulders. Quite a few dandies had even abruptly summoned tailors to somehow improve upon their already custom-fitted formal attire.

After all, the Grand Duke and Duchess of Lusenford sitting in the Imperial family’s exclusive seating—limited even at the engagement ceremony—stood out remarkably.

The dazzling diamond tiara the Grand Duchess wore, shaped like a headband yet stacked so high, had already prompted journalists to whimsically dub it the “Angel’s Halo.”

Everyone was gossiping about which engagement-ceremony jewel was the largest—the carat weight of the central diamond, where it was made, who gifted it, and so forth.

The prevailing speculation was that the Grand Duchess had received it as a gift from the Grand Duke during one of their outings along the Ener River.

Perhaps due to being newlyweds—or maybe not—the Grand Duke, famously infatuated with his wife, chose blue instead of his usual black, a shade that matched the knightly order’s mantle, making him appear far more distinguished.

“I heard the Duchess specially commissioned it herself. She’s always had a good sense of fashion, hasn’t she?”

“The Grand Duke always seemed rather dark and intimidating before. But today? He looked absolutely dashing.”

While everyone else was frantically ransacking their family vaults to find the largest tiaras, badges, cufflinks, and rings, Beatrice didn’t even have time to change clothes. Once again, she was summoned urgently to Solei Palace.

“I suppose I don’t have many people left whom I can trust.”

The Emperor murmured, gazing at the bed beside him where the Empress lay. After holding a meeting following the engagement ceremony, he had collapsed into bed, utterly exhausted.

Consequently, he was expected to miss both the pre-wedding vigil and the reception banquet. Kerujan would surely take great offense.

“Beatrice.”

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