100. The Man Who Didn’t Even Spare a Glance

2024.01.08.

The figure of a man, backlit by cascading light, filled the视野.

His original beauty, without even half a mask, radiated in all directions despite his entirely dark attire.

His golden hair, usually loosely scattered at the black mansion, was now neatly swept up, revealing a cool forehead.

The mature aura of a man emanated from his face—more beautiful than most women—thanks to his straight forehead, slightly prominent brow ridge, sharp eyebrows, and deeply set eye sockets.

Every time his gleaming eyes beneath languid eyelids looked downward, a low murmur rose from within the guests, breaking out here and there across Glory Hall as if his gaze carried a tangible sensation.

The one most shocked was Bollonico.

Bollonico had assumed that the unharmed face of Clade Euphris he briefly saw at the debutante ball was only a temporary improvement.

“What on earth is this? Did His Grace’s wife know about this?”

He was desperate to demand answers from someone about why Clade Euphris wasn’t a monster, but there were too many people around.

Besides, even in his own mind, he couldn’t imagine any wife fleeing from a husband with such stunning beauty, so instead of accusing the innocent Yuan, he chose to remain silent and grit his teeth.

After glaring fixedly at Clade and those who admired him, he soon vanished into the distance, cloak flaring, upon hearing Companni’s announcement that the Emperor was arriving.

The bell signaling the entrance of supporting figures who would inherit titles from their families rang out several times.

Yet the eyes of the small groups gathered on the first floor of Glory Hall were entirely focused on the real-life presence of Crown Prince Clade Euphris, the main guest of the second half of the event.

Yuan, too, could do nothing but helplessly look up at him, unnoticed by anyone.

Only the sound of her rapidly beating heart kept tapping at her ears, trying to bring her back to her senses.

As the entrance of the supporting figures was nearing its end,

the long-awaited, yet simultaneously dreaded, languid gaze turned precisely toward Yuan.

Yuan froze, holding her breath as if struck by lightning.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that, in this fragrant and dazzling Glory Hall, only Clade and herself remained.

Eventually,

that brief glance directed at Yuan scattered in the opposite direction.

Yet Yuan still couldn’t tear her eyes away from him.

The man who didn’t even spare her a glance shone more brilliantly than anyone else present today.

Was this how an artist felt after spending a lifetime carving a masterpiece?

Yuan had to struggle hard to conceal the overwhelming emotions in her chest.

“Why… why are you crying?”

Thanks to Noel’s whispered inquiry as he finally regained composure and looked at her,

Yuan only then realized she had been crying.

***

The moment Clade Euphris appeared in Glory Hall, the atmosphere inside completely changed.

Groups of whispering guests fell silent, stunned by the sight of the Crown Prince’s beautiful growth.

“So the rumors are true. The Crown Prince really has been freed from the curse.”

“No. Isn’t it the rumor about some potion sold by Marquis Rev’s trading guild that works on human faces?”

“Didn’t I say so? I clearly saw his face beneath the mask at the debutante ball. If his appearance matched the rumors, would he be walking like this again?”

“But now there’s another rumor going around. That he’s been releasing all the pent-up desires he accumulated over the years—”

“Shh! The Emperor has arrived. Watch your words.”

Regina stood in a corner of the hall, observing people’s reactions.

She had come to this title-granting ceremony accompanied by Dreykub Treloni.

For her, it was far more advantageous to move freely around the hall with someone by her side rather than standing alone with her family.

Her father, after Yuan entered the palace, had inexplicably taken to his bed again, falling ill once more.

Seeing him in such a pitiful state, like a defeated soldier who had lost all will, Regina was utterly disgusted.

She couldn’t understand why her father, whatever he hoped to gain from Yuan, would abandon her engagement like this.

Worse, just a few days ago, he had even asked her whether she was still maintaining ties with Bollonico.

When had he ever advised her to keep her distance from Bollonico, only to now try to use Regina to probe into Bollonico and Yuan’s relationship? She found the sight utterly repulsive.

Though her father was already bedridden, Regina feared he might suddenly tell Dreykub on the spot, “Marry my daughter immediately,” so she had just come from serving him a glass of brandy laced with a strong laxative.

Why would she bring her father to meet Dreykub—or even Yuan?

Frederic’s room, transformed into Yuan’s quarters, was a taboo subject for Priscilla and Regina.

Even mentioning that room could send Priscilla into a fit.

Thinking back, Regina smiled with satisfaction, convinced she had done the right thing by preventing her father from entering the palace.

Seeing Regina in good spirits, Dreykub’s mood lifted as well, and he grinned, revealing bright red gums.

“Today, not only the Emperor but also His Imperial Highness the First Prince seems to be in high spirits. Don’t you agree, Lady Regina?”

“Indeed. It can’t be a pleasant thing for the First Prince that the Crown Prince, a remnant of the late Emperor, is now freely moving about in public.”

“But the Emperor holds His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince in great affection, does He not? I also understand that His Highness Prince Bollonico has always looked up to His cousin the Crown Prince since childhood.”

Regina looked at Dreykub with utter disdain.

To belong to the Emperor’s inner circle and yet fail to sense the subtle atmosphere that allowed the nobles to quickly assess the situation—how pitiful.

Yes, someone so oblivious would naturally brush off the rumors of an affair between Bollonico and Regina as mere gossip, and remain unaware of Regina’s humiliating downfall at the debutante ball.

With a quiet sigh, Regina turned her head toward the direction that had been irritating her all along.

‘Yuan Pelliese. That fox-like wench.’

Her dark green eyes scanned Yuan, who was drawing attention nearly as much as the Crown Prince.

Others might think Yuan Pelliese, the crow-blooded girl, was born a dazzling and enchanting beauty, but Regina saw differently.

Having been close to Bollonico these past few months, Regina immediately recognized the noticeable change in Yuan’s style as the mark of Bollonico’s influence.

Yuan was shamelessly accepting Bollonico’s escort and greeting people.

The guests here seemed to notice only the Emperor, the Crown Prince, and Yuan, as if no one else existed in the hall.

They would pay their respects to the Emperor, then approach the Crown Prince to express admiration and congratulations, then pretend to greet Bollonico while stealing glances at Yuan.

Dreykub was no exception.

Though he was now completely infatuated with Regina, his curiosity about Yuan—the woman he had initially intended to propose to—still occasionally resurfaced, and whenever Yuan entered his sight, he couldn’t easily look away.

“I heard the Crown Prince’s consort is in poor health. I wonder if she’ll be all right. Since they’re cousins, shall we go pay our respects? His Highness Prince Bollonico is with her, so perhaps they’ll acknowledge us if we approach?”

Regina, watching the seemingly affectionate interaction between Yuan and Bollonico, bit her lower lip and whispered, her voice suddenly trembling.

“Yuan Pelliese is in poor health? That girl wouldn’t die no matter what happened to her!”

“What?”

Over the shoulder of the dim-witted Dreykub, Regina spotted a group of noble ladies from the Celentina house.

The young ladies, giggling at her, quickly sensed Regina’s gaze and half-hid their faces behind their fans, whispering among themselves.

They had previously spread rumors about the Crown Prince, so they had planned to stay quiet today, but suddenly, a chill ran through their heads under her stare.

Dreykub, who had been anxiously watching Regina’s expression, quickly changed the subject.

“T-then, until the dance music begins, let me introduce you to my friends.”

“No. I’ve changed my mind.”

Unless she planned to completely turn her back on high society, she couldn’t afford to ignore the Celentina ladies’ approval.

And if achieving that required pretending to be close to Yuan Pelliese—that traitor—then Regina was willing to play along.

“Let’s go pay our respects. To my cold cousin, who won’t even spare a glance for a cousin he spent his entire childhood with.”

Outwardly, that is.

Yuan, shrugging her shoulders with a light cough, brushed away a helping hand.

Regina’s steps quickened as she caught sight of the vividly bright blue fabric of a dress gliding through the crowd toward the ladies’ lounge.

***

The emotions swelling within her due to Clade finally plummeted when the Emperor arrived and stood beside Bollonico.

Today’s Emperor looked completely different from the one Yuan had known before—like a 180-degree turn.

He wasn’t accompanied by women with half-bared chests, and he was dressed with such dignity befitting a true ruler of a nation, wearing a calm, ordinary smile.

When Yuan stood with Empress Marilyn and her sons to greet the Emperor, she instinctively stiffened with tension, but the Emperor even encouraged her, saying he had heard she hadn’t been well and told her to rest as much as she wanted.

For a moment, his appearance felt so unfamiliar that she wondered if someone else’s soul had taken over his body.

“Bollonico, well done. This is one of the important events you’ll host in the future, so watch carefully and learn.”

The preparations had been made by Empress Marilyn, yet Bollonico was the one receiving praise.

The Empress’s eyes widened—praising her son was so rare—while Bollonico’s cheeks, usually as stiff as carved dolls, flushed deeply red.

Fearing someone might have missed the Emperor’s compliment, Bollonico went around loudly proclaiming through Marquis Companni, “His Majesty said so Himself—.”

Naturally, Yuan and Noel followed closely behind, pretending to be a family wholeheartedly agreeing with the Emperor’s opinion.

Noel silently nodded with a smile, Yuan echoed Marquis Companni’s words, and Bollonico feigned modesty, saying it was “out of the question,” all lies.

And naturally, people began to take interest in Yuan.

They looked at her anew, as if seeing for the first time a woman standing proudly alongside them, a member of the royal family, revealing intense curiosity, and some even openly cast sticky gazes at her without hiding them.

The Cielo social circle, already lenient to the extreme about private lives due to the Emperor’s debauchery and Bollonico’s repeated scandals, was undoubtedly becoming even more licentious, fueled by secret rumors about the Crown Prince.

“My, my. All the young widows of Cielo are flocking to the Crown Prince.”

“Widows only? Noblewomen are lining up to become his concubines.”

“There are rumors he’s already tasted all the Roxenhardt women. Now that he’s had such a grand title-granting ceremony, he’ll probably openly travel the country, behaving like a rake.”

The grumbling voices of men frequently reached Yuan’s ears.

At first, she thought they were just jealous rumors made up by envious men, but as she heard whispers alternating between her and Clade, the comments began to grate on her more and more.

Even though she told herself it had nothing to do with her, for a brief moment, Yuan felt as if her heart had dropped.

“You seem properly hurt, beautiful cousin of Bollonico.”

“……”

“I thought he was a stone with no interest in women. But now that his wife has run away, perhaps he’s craving female company?”