The banquet was in full swing.
Colorful fireworks exploded one after another, beautifully decorating the night sky.
The dazzling fireworks visible through the large windows, along with the violin music from the orchestra, heightened the guests’ excitement.
Clang!
Everyone in the banquet hall laughed and clinked their wine glasses together.
“Just as rumored, isn’t she truly a remarkable beauty? If the Crown Prince hadn’t declared her his mistress, men might have fought over her.”
A middle-aged man with a flushed face clicked his tongue in regret. Beside him, a young man twirled his wine glass and replied.
“Who knows? Since Duke Gredrick took her away, who can say what will happen next?”
“True. Judging by how long they’ve been gone without returning, Duke Gredrick must be quite taken with her.”
“You’d better lower your voice. The Crown Prince doesn’t seem to be in a good mood.”
While the crowd buzzed with chatter, Jeremy alone sat lazily on the golden throne at the podium, emanating a gloomy aura unlike the host of the celebration.
A few nobles approached to offer their congratulations, but Jeremy barely listened to their words.
“Your Highness, I sincerely congratulate you on your birthday. We all look forward to the day you ascend the throne.”
“…….”
“With Your Highness on the throne, the Empire will surely find stability.”
Instead of acknowledging the flattering noble, Jeremy continued pouring strong wine down his throat.
His gaze remained fixed on the entrance of the banquet hall, clearly waiting for Celia—a sight that prompted whispers among the guests.
“The Crown Prince seems quite anxious, doesn’t he?”
“It’s been well over two hours since they left.”
“Still, shouldn’t the Crown Prince pay more attention to the guests present? After all, he’s soon to become Emperor…”
The noble daughters who had hoped to become the Crown Princess returned to their seats with deflated expressions, while Balt, leaning casually against a pillar, yawned widely, clearly bored by the party.
Jeremy felt as if his insides were twisting. He had been told it would only take a moment, yet two hours had passed with no sign of her return.
Gabriel wasn’t feeling any better. Just when she thought it was fortunate that Celia had been reduced to the Crown Prince’s plaything under the title of mistress, she had slipped out of the banquet with Ileon.
“Could it be because she’s from the streets? Still has the habit of flaunting herself around men.”
When Gabriel muttered vulgarly, Hariel nodded vigorously in agreement.
“No self-control at all. Didn’t we find out she’s already met with men multiple times?”
“She might really be as Mother said. Perhaps her purity was already compromised even before joining our family.”
For an unmarried woman, losing her purity was a grave flaw in noble society. Gabriel whispered and sneered at Celia alongside Hariel, tearing her down as easily as breathing.
“With no way out but to become the Crown Prince’s mistress, if her lack of purity is exposed, she could be cast out tonight without delay.”
Gabriel had already decided that if such a thing happened, she would deny knowing anything.
‘I’ve entered the palace, but is there any way to somehow make contact with Dietrich?’
Dietrich, whom she longed to see so desperately, remained unseen—no trace of even a single strand of hair—while only unremarkable noble youths occasionally showed interest in her, subtly asking questions about Celia.
Meanwhile, Jeremy, who had been drinking strong wine continuously, began to feel his vision blur. He had drunk far more than usual due to his inner distress.
“One more glass.”
Jeremy’s aide, unable to watch any longer, tried to intervene.
“Your Highness, this is already your second bottle. Perhaps you should exercise some restraint…”
“Didn’t you hear me? I said, one more glass.”
At Jeremy’s sharp tone, the aide reluctantly poured more wine. As soon as the glass was filled halfway with red wine, Jeremy downed it in one gulp.
“Your Highness, if you’re not feeling well, perhaps you should rest for now…”
Before the aide could finish speaking, Jeremy hurled his wine glass against the wall.
Crash!
With a sharp sound, the glass shattered into countless pieces scattered across the floor.
The violin music from the orchestra came to an abrupt halt, and the lively banquet hall fell into a deathly silence.
The guests looked around in shock, nervously gauging each other’s reactions.
“How dare you question me? As you can see, I’m perfectly fine.”
Jeremy’s irritated voice echoed loudly through the hall.
A heavy silence followed. Then, suddenly, Jeremy rose from his seat.
No sooner had he stood than he staggered. The aide quickly stepped forward to support him.
“Let go! I can walk by myself.”
Jeremy shrugged off the aide’s arm and staggered out of the banquet hall.
Balt, watching this unfold, shook his head slowly in disapproval.
He hadn’t acted like this during their previous official encounters.
The guests in the banquet hall collectively murmured at Jeremy’s strange behavior.
[This is the timeline separator]Celia Brillion carefully examined the vial she had received from Ileon Gredrick. The transparent liquid inside looked no different from water, no matter how closely she looked.
“Is this… poison?”
In response to Celia’s question, Ileon replied in a cheerful tone.
“More precisely, it’s a poison that ruins the victim’s face. Even a small dose causes one’s face to melt away horrifically.”
“…….”
Celia’s delicate brow furrowed instantly.
“I can’t use something like this. I’ll return it to you.”
Celia handed the vial back to Ileon. Looking at the poison now back in his hands, Ileon tilted his head in confusion.
“Why not? Lady Celia. There might come a time when this is exactly what you need.”
“Even if such a moment comes, I don’t want to resort to such a cowardly method.”
She would rather solve things with her own abilities. She had no desire to harm others by resorting to poison like this.
It went against the beliefs of a princess.
“I sincerely hope you won’t use this poison on anyone else.”
At Celia’s words, Ileon let out a quiet laugh and lifted one corner of his lips.
“Who do you think I’d use it on?”
“……I can’t know that.”
Celia felt uneasy around Ileon.
Though he had helped her realize Dietrich possessed abilities, she couldn’t shake a strange, unsettling feeling.
Was it because he hid his true intentions behind a mask of endless gentleness? Or was it the thought that he might truly be the one who destroyed her kingdom?
-If you let your guard down, you’ll be devoured completely, not even a scrap left.
‘Why is this man trying to drive a wedge between me and Dietrich?’
Celia couldn’t confidently determine whether the person before her was friend or foe based on just one day of observation.
If Dietrich was like a wild beast that refused to be tamed, Ileon was like a snake that lured people in.
Either way, there would be other chances to find out, sooner or later. So Celia decided to suggest leaving.
“It’s getting late. We should probably return to the banquet hall now.”
“Lady Celia.”
Ileon called out to Celia with a bright smile.
“Before we go, let me ask you just one thing. Will you sacrifice the pawn, or will you sacrifice the queen?”
Celia tilted her head, puzzled by the cryptic words.
“Are you… talking about chess right now?”
“Yes. Just answer this one question. Will you sacrifice the pawn, or will you sacrifice the queen?”
Since the pawn was the lowest-ranked piece on the chessboard and the queen second only to the king in importance, wasn’t it obvious that the pawn should be sacrificed? Celia found the question truly strange.
“If it were me, I would sacrifice the pawn.”
At her answer, Ileon blinked a few times, then smiled with crescent-shaped eyes.
“Good answer. Shall we go back now?”
Ileon extended his hand. Celia hesitated briefly before taking it.
Ileon’s hand, once again, was cold.
The two quickly left the garden. The palace hosting the banquet was brightly lit, indicating the party was still in full swing.
Just before entering the banquet hall, Celia met someone whose appearance had now become familiar.
Faint moonlight settled upon jet-black hair as dark as ebony.
Within his sharply defined features, crimson eyes held an indifferent emptiness, as if nothing in this world interested him.
His sharp nose, broad shoulders, and the firm body concealed beneath his perfectly tailored black uniform.
It was Dietrich Calypso.
Dietrich silently looked down at the hands of Ileon and Celia clasped together.
Ileon smiled casually and spoke first.
“Your Excellency—no, I should call you Duke Calypso now. Do you have something to say to me?”
“……Duke Gredrick.”
Dietrich slowly opened and closed his eyes once before facing Ileon.
“There’s no need for me to enter the banquet hall. The Crown Prince has already retired to his chambers, drunk on wine.”
“Oh, thank you for telling me. However…”
Ileon added, placing his free hand—the one not holding Celia’s—on Dietrich’s shoulder.
“It’s been a while. You’ve gotten noticeably shorter.”
Celia found Ileon’s behavior very strange. Why did he use honorifics with her, someone of much lower status, yet speak so casually, even rudely, to Dietrich?
“……I think I’d like to rest now.”
At Celia’s words, Dietrich immediately extended his arm, as if he had been waiting.
“From here on, I’ll escort you. Celia.”
Celia changed her mind. Ileon was strange, yes—but today, Dietrich was just as oddly peculiar.
Normally, he always used casual speech, yet now, in front of Ileon, he was using formal language.
When Celia gave him a look as if to say, “What on earth are you doing?”, Dietrich averted his gaze and gently took her other hand, saying,
“You’re not planning to go to the Crown Prince’s private chambers, are you.”
The Male lead Always Seduces Her with His Beauty (Matriarchy)
Xin Jiao Zhou is the leader of the world’s premier sect. She has just experienced betrayal from all sides, was poisoned in an assassination attempt, and faced death squad attacks while the poison was taking effect. After finally clearing out the scum from her sect, she was drugged again while trying to detoxify.
After waking up from a night of unconsciousness, she gained a “beautiful and kind-hearted” husband.
Xin Jiao Zhou: “???”
He fell ill.
She came to see him, bringing breakfast.
As she put down the breakfast and was about to leave, his hand slipped while holding the spoon. “Clank!”
She turned around upon hearing the noise.
He looked up at her, his eyebrows drooping: “My hand… has no strength.”
“Shall I… feed you?” she asked tentatively.
He opened his mouth cheerfully: “Ah—”
Thinking she was drowning, he jumped in without hesitation to save her, but nearly drowned himself. In the end, it was she who swam over to rescue him, giving him air underwater.
After emerging from the water, his ear tips turned red. He lightly brushed his cheek, tucking his sideburns behind his ear, revealing delicate, pink-tinged ear tips. He lowered his gaze, too embarrassed to look at her.
Xin Jiao Zhou: He’s truly beautiful, kind-hearted, and adorable.
A certain someone when disciplining subordinates behind the scenes: “If they don’t obey, just kill them.”
What’s that? She might already have someone she cares about in her heart? A certain someone: Find out who it is, kill them, and then there won’t be anyone.
What? She met a man by the riverside? What? That man even hurt her? A certain someone: Whichever hand hurt her, chop off his entire arm.
Love at first sight without realizing it, gradually falling in love, slowly getting closer…
Family and national grudges, schemes and desires, good and evil, crime and punishment, she and he face the future together, seeking justice with passion!
A naturally dark female lead who could accidentally destroy the world but is actually an honest person VS a weak, pitiful, and helpless but skilled fighter, beautiful white-cut black male lead
My heart is not of stone, how steadfast is your love? — Tao Yuanming “Imitating the Ancients (No. 3)”
— Reading Guide —
Cold female lead & dramatic black lotus with hidden yandere traits male lead
