104. Sinister Gaze

2024.01.12.

“Watch closely, Lancelot. While we endured the past ten years, there were certainly others like us.”

As Eddie spoke these words, dreaming of a blue future, Lancelot’s gaze, briefly moved, had already turned toward Yuan Pelliese.

She, who had shed the modest and pure appearance she once wore in the black mansion.

She, radiating a decadent charm rivaling Clade’s, yet shining from the opposite end of his spectrum.

She, surrounded not by dazzling lights and colors like Clade, but by the sinister gazes of men dressed in dark clothing.

And the faint change in Clade, barely noticeable upon his brief departure and return—visible only to Lancelot.

He could not bring himself to look away, staring for a long time.

***

Bollonico had repeatedly confirmed through others that Yuan’s complexion was clearly unwell, before reluctantly escorting her back to the Empress’s group.

“W-where have you been? I’ve been looking for you for ages.”

“…….”

“Your face looks terrible—w-we should go to the r-rest room—.”

Yuan forced a smile, pretending to be fine.

Not only her, but Noel’s condition also seemed poor.

Tasha, standing on the opposite side with the Empress between them, refused to even glance this way. Noel had still not conveyed his true feelings.

“I’m fine, don’t worry. But what about Miss Tasha?”

As expected, Noel’s expression darkened sharply.

Noel had been anxiously watching Tasha’s reactions while simultaneously enduring Bollonico’s sharp gaze.

And for good reason—fearing his stutter might worsen if he rashly started a conversation with Tasha, he had no choice but to desperately stay close to Yuan and whisper to her. Yet each time, Bollonico’s piercing eyes turned toward Noel.

In trying to relax and talk with Yuan, Noel only grew more tense.

Then, at the moment Tasha, who had been silently swallowing her anger, decisively approached him.

“H-haah—!”

“Noel!”

Overwhelmed by extreme tension, Noel suffered a hyperventilation attack.

He was immediately carried by palace guards to a corner of the hall, surrounded by royal physicians.

The sudden commotion drew the attention of everyone nearby.

Though palace guards blocked the scene with their large frames, they couldn’t silence the murmurs.

“Isn’t the Second Prince also in poor health?”

“He’s always been calm and composed, but we used to see him frequently at royal events. Has it been nearly a year? Two years?”

“He barely appears and already this happens… What illness could he have?”

“More importantly, the Crown Princess Dowager has turned pale.”

“Now she’s tending to the Second Prince… Could feelings be arising? Heh heh.”

Even Empress Marilyn was startled, rushing down from her high seat to check on her son.

Tasha could only stand dumbfounded, watching the Empress push past the guards and rush toward him.

Tasha remembered how he had ignored her in the garden of the detached palace, and had arrived here already furious.

Had Empress Marilyn not repeatedly comforted her beforehand, saying they’d meet during the investiture ceremony, Tasha would’ve gone back to the detached palace that afternoon.

Only since this morning had Tasha regained her senses, believing Noel must have had some reason.

After all, once the second half began, Noel, assigned as the Empress’s escort, would have no choice but to stay close and talk with her, whether he liked it or not.

But Noel not only desperately avoided meeting Tasha’s eyes, he didn’t communicate at all—except for nodding or shaking his head.

But what shocked Tasha even more was how desperately Noel’s gaze followed only the Crown Princess Dowager.

Each time she returned to the group, he eagerly approached her, warmly greeting her and whispering endlessly.

Noel and Yuan appeared extremely close—so close that the rumors quietly spreading about the Crown Princess Dowager actively helping Noel regain his breath were understandable.

And Tasha recalled that among the many letters of greeting she and Noel had exchanged over time, not a single one mentioned Yuan.

Fortunately, Noel’s hyperventilation gradually subsided.

Yuan’s quick assistance, guiding him to breathe deeply beside him, had greatly helped.

Tasha watched in turn: the Empress letting out a sigh of relief, court physicians placing a paper bag over his face to assist his final breaths, and Yuan standing firmly behind the struggling Noel, continuously whispering into his ear.

There was no place for Tasha here.

Noel, desperately leaning on Yuan, opened the corridor door leading to the men’s lounge and disappeared.

Even though a much more capable palace guard was present, he responded only to Yuan, whispering and nodding.

And the whispers of those left behind began to torment Tasha.

***

“This might turn into an interesting show. Should we go after them?”

“That Crown Princess Dowager plans to topple the royal men one by one.”

A few northern nobles, observing the small commotion, whispered fearlessly.

One man, with a notably deep voice, stared stubbornly at the spot where the Crown Princess Dowager had disappeared behind the corridor door, his eyes already glazed with drunkenness.

“There’s something about her. Who knows? If she weren’t nobility, she’d have become quite a famed courtesan in the back alleys.”

“Shh! Quiet! Heh heh.”

“To bring down royal bloodline men one after another—what remarkable talent. I wonder what kind of affairs unfold in the palace every night?”

Gumnes Yotpa, that man’s name, licked his lips as if the Crown Princess Dowager stood right beside him.

The Crown Princess Dowager was exactly his type.

In the libertine Euphris social circle, both men and women freely took lovers or kept mistresses.

It might become gossip, but it wasn’t considered a serious disgrace.

Moreover, with Emperor Igor’s reckless private life and his son Bollonico’s womanizing setting the trend, the current social circle was practically an animal kingdom.

“Unbelievable.”

“The Emperor does far worse—why shouldn’t the princes? Whether it’s a cousin’s wife or a distant relative’s, as long as it’s from the east, it’s fine. Still, I think I’d handle myself better than Prince Noel. What do you say? Shall I ask the Crown Princess Dowager for a dance tonight?”

Gumnes Yotpa, having come here today to receive the title of Baron from his grandfather, Yotpa Baron, was brimming with sky-high confidence.

He tilted his well-groomed face upward, proudly displaying his self-assurance.

Drunk on wine and the atmosphere, Gumnes Yotpa kept chattering, never putting down his champagne glass, rambling on about appraising the Crown Princess Dowager Yuan Pelliese and her cousin, Regina Pelliese.

He didn’t even realize that his drunken, heated body had swayed too close to Crown Prince Clade Euphris standing nearby.

“Ah, careful!”

“Damn it—what the hell?”

As he cheerfully stepped backward, his body collided with someone’s firm back. Gumnes Yotpa’s face twisted in annoyance, his eyes snapping open. His head sharply turned around.

The wine in his glass spilled like blood down the back of the person he hit.

For a brief moment, Gumnes Yotpa, seeing the dark clothing, thought luckily the incident wouldn’t escalate. He quickly masked his brief panic and boldly looked up.

Up. Up. Higher still……

Gumnes Yotpa, who never heard himself called short anywhere, had to crane his neck painfully upward.

“Hah.”

He gasped sharply in shock.

Unlike him, who had spilled wine when his glass shook from the impact, the man stood utterly still, like a wall.

And now, the man’s lips curled into a slanted smile.

The one whose back was drenched in wine? None other than Clade Euphris.

Today’s ceremony’s guest of honor.

“This is special attire for a glorious occasion. Now it’s stained.”

A low, sweet voice flowed from lips that could be either a merciful smile or a sneer—no one could tell.

But the cold glint in the eyes up close made Gumnes Yotpa’s strong legs instinctively tremble.

He strained to keep his shoulders from cowering, barely supporting his shaking legs with forced politeness.

“I-I deeply apologize, Your Highness!”

“Your Highness?”

Hoping desperately that the upturned corner of the Prince’s mouth meant forgiving kindness, Gumnes Yotpa sensed something was going wrong from the Crown Prince’s heavily mocking tone.

“In the Euphris social circle, do you really address a Crown Prince as ‘Your Highness’ right here in the center of the Imperial Palace?”

Oh no.

Gradually, murmurs began rising from the surroundings.

Though minor compared to the cheerful music and laughter filling the vast Glory Hall,

so many eyes were secretly glancing this way that the attention was unmistakable.

Gumnes Yotpa prayed desperately for this moment to pass quickly.

“I-I-I apologize! I… I… Lord Roxenheart!”

“And how will you compensate me?”

“Y-yes—?”

“The clothing.”

“B-but…!”

“I’m about to appear before His Majesty to receive my title. What do you propose we do about this?”

Certainly, he had spilled wine, but the Crown Prince’s formal attire consisted entirely of black and golden embellishments.

There were red accents here and there, but none on the broad back where the wine landed.

Thus, if the Crown Prince showed even slight leniency, the wine stain would be invisible to onlookers.

One could even cover the back with the Prince’s red cloak, briefly removed, and the matter would be settled.

“I-I’ll take off my coat and give it to you!”

Gumnes Yotpa quickly removed his jacket, holding it with both hands. This time, the Crown Prince’s lips clearly twisted into a sneer.

“Do you know magic or something?”

“Wh-what?”

“You think this shoulder seam, tailored for your narrow frame, won’t just burst open when stretched? Are you going to magically expand it?”

In the heart of the Imperial Palace, right here in the Glory Hall.

Gumnes Yotpa, who had never imagined in his life being cursed by a member of the royal family, began trembling uncontrollably.