As Illyriad entered the banquet hall where the coronation ceremony was to be held, a clamor of arguing voices reached her ears. She tilted her head slightly, surveying the atmosphere of the hall.

“Is there a problem?”

“I’ll go check.”

“…No, it’s not necessary.”

Illyriad stopped Lynette, who was beside her, from going. Selina was visible amidst the commotion, apparently caught in a dispute with the attendants.

Illyriad’s gaze met Selina’s from across the room. Despite the distance, she could feel Selina’s green eyes trembling intensely.

“Empress Illyriad!”

It was not a pleasant voice. Anyone could tell that the tone was twisted with deep displeasure, echoing across the banquet hall.

Expecting Selina to be in a good mood, Illyriad was taken aback by the unexpected fury and struggled to hide her own surprise.

“What’s the matter, Miss Selina? Please, explain calmly.”

“How could you do this to me? Wasn’t throwing mud at me yesterday enough?”

Selina clutched her gown, not caring about the wrinkles, her fists trembling as they gripped the white fabric.

“How could you move the crown I was supposed to wear at the coronation?”

As she finished, large tears began to fall from Selina’s eyes. The whispers of the surrounding nobles became more hushed.

“Empress Illyriad? That can’t be. She’s so kind-hearted.”

“No, maybe she hates ‘the shadow’ enough to do something like this. No matter how virtuous the Empress is, everyone has their limits. How irritating must she be to her?”

The whispered speculations behind fans were mere empty observations. No one had the courage to step forward with a solution, merely treating the situation as a piece of intriguing gossip.

Illyriad looked towards the attendants behind Selina, who were visibly tense.

“Calm down, Miss Selina. What exactly happened? Did the crown for the empress vanish?”

“Yes, Empress Illyriad. Everything was fine until this morning. We even had soldiers specially stationed to guard it.”

The attendant’s voice was filled with frustration. For an event as significant as a coronation, everyone was more careful than usual.

“But… when the soldiers were changing shifts, the crown vanished as if it had disappeared into thin air.”

Who would dare commit such a brazen act? Illyriad suppressed a shiver that ran down her arm. The palace security was not lax, and no thief could have stolen the crown right under their noses.

‘Was it really stolen?’

As Illyriad and the attendant spoke, Lynette quietly pondered. During significant events like a coronation, valuable items like crowns or tiaras are under strict surveillance.

The crown’s gold and encrusted jewels alone were worth enough for commoners to live without worry for years. It was a precious artifact used by empresses in their coronations and highly valuable even to nobles.

Considering the tight security, with soldiers escorting and monitoring in pairs, the crown’s disappearance in a fleeting moment seemed logically impossible.

While everyone was at a loss, Selina continued to cry more bitterly, drawing sympathetic glances from the surrounding nobles.

‘She planned this.’
Perhaps Selina had orchestrated the whole drama herself. The poor ‘shadow’ under the Empress’s scrutiny. Becoming the pitiful victim to garner sympathetic looks. And to tarnish Illyriad’s reputation.

“You said I don’t suit the crown of the empress… Did it bother you that much that I am by His Majesty’s side?”

Illyriad approached the semi-hysterical Selina. Dozens of eyes pierced through her skin, watching curiously to see how the virtuous and wise Empress would react.

Regardless of the smeared makeup, Illyriad gently wiped Selina’s tears. Their embrace, like caring sisters, quieted the hall’s sobbing.

“How frightened you must have been. To have the most radiant item vanish on your once-in-a-lifetime coronation. I understand your heartache, Miss Selina.”

Awkwardly, Selina rested her head on Illyriad’s shoulder. The onlookers exclaimed in admiration.

“Such is our Empress. Even in such a situation, she shows no anger…”

“Honestly, it seems forced. Could the Empress really do such a thing?”

People started murmuring about Selina’s impudent behavior. Illyriad’s painstakingly built image was shining through.

Caught in the turned tide, Selina remained helplessly in Illyriad’s embrace.

“And… Miss Selina.”

Illyriad leaned in, whispering coldly in Selina’s ear, a stark contrast to her earlier comforting tone.

“I truly appreciate your presence by His Majesty’s side. Why would that bother me? However…”

Selina, with a tear-streaked face, cautiously met Illyriad’s gaze. Those doll-like eyes, emotionless yet seemingly penetrating every secret.

“Be careful with him.”

A genuine warning from Illyriad. Selina recoiled, stepping back.

“Oh, your makeup has smudged. We must hurry, the ceremony is soon.”

Illyriad kindly fixed Selina’s makeup. Resisting would only worsen her public image. Frustrated, Selina complied.

“His Majesty arrives!”

Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me

One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.

Synopsis:

Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.

But this is still far from enough.

He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.

_____

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