Chapter 111
Chapter 111
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: The Banquet (1)
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My entire body ached as if it had been crushed to pieces.
Yet even in that state, I had a dream.
And that dream was so embarrassingly lewd that I could never tell a soul about it.
It was a dream where the Empire's Second Imperial Princess kissed me, after all.
It felt so incredibly vivid.
My lips were still trembling from it...
But I could confidently say it was just a dream.
Because Irina's expression as she kissed me was nothing like her usual self.
"Haaah... Veil..."
She was normally a pure and kind princess.
But the Irina I saw in the dream...
"You're mine..."
She was so lost in pleasure and greed that it was hard to believe she was the same person.
Her voluptuous thighs wrapped around my collapsed legs as she forced a kiss on me.
The sight was lewd beyond imagination.
"I'll mark every inch of your body..."
Her face was flushed bright red, her eyes sultry like a succubus from myth.
Her wet lips were smeared with a mix of my fluids and hers, stretching in sticky strands.
But the princess didn't care, smacking her lips like a bitch in heat.
"So no one else can ever take you from me..."
For a girl who'd never even been in love, it was far too intense.
That's why I had no choice but to believe it was all a dream.
"..."
Eventually, I regained consciousness.
I'd definitely been injured, but somehow my body felt even more refreshed now.
As if all the impurities had been purged from it.
Thanks to that, the Grand Aura coiling around my body had finally calmed.
Emboldened by the sensation, I opened my eyes.
And in that instant, I came face-to-face with Irina, asleep with her cheek pressed against the hospital bed.
She was holding my hand tight, breathing softly.
Seeing her like that made my lips curl into a smile.
'Of course. How could someone like her ever act that way in real life?'
I carefully squeezed her hand.
The princess slowly stirred.
"Veil...?"
Her eyes were half-lidded with sleepiness.
Strands of silver hair clung to her lips.
"You're awake?"
Even in her vulnerable state, the princess gave a faint smile.
"Yes, thanks to you, I made it through safely."
"I'm so glad..."
Was it because her lewd face from the dream kept flashing in my mind alongside her current one?
For some reason, it was hard to meet her eyes.
"How long was I out?"
"Not too long. Maybe eight hours?"
I glanced toward the window at her words.
Night had passed, and morning had come.
"Just like getting a full night's sleep, then."
"Yeah. But you should skip guard duty today. You're probably still exhausted."
Hearing that, I let out a sigh of relief.
"Is that really okay?"
"Yeah, Father said he'd give you a separate commendation."
I'd tried to wrap things up neatly and push all the credit onto Irina.
But since we'd been trapped together at the scene, I'd ended up getting recognized for it anyway.
"Just attend the party tonight as a guest."
"That's a relief."
I sat up in bed and settled beside her.
"..."
The ticking of the clock filled the room for a long time.
But we didn't exchange a single word.
'Damn, is it because of that stupid dream?'
Being around Irina felt awkward today, unlike usual.
Nothing came to mind to say to her.
"Anyway, I've confirmed you're okay, so I'll head out now. I need to prepare for the party..."
The princess rose cautiously from her seat.
She prepared to leave with an embarrassed look on her face.
I'd been the one dreaming, but somehow she seemed awkward around me too.
"Ah, yeah... You should."
I stared intently at Irina's back as she walked away.
Her hips and waist swayed seductively with each step.
Somehow, her movements felt even more fluid than before.
'Come to think of it, she's been wearing those tights lately.'
Unlike her tastes in my previous life, she'd changed a lot.
"See you at the party later, Veil."
"Take care, Your Highness."
￣￣￣.
The door closed.
Only then did I exhale deeply and lean my head back.
"At least it all ended without any real trouble."
Next time, I need to visit Mago for some special training on spells.
Maintaining your mind after death, without even rigor mortis—I've never seen anything like it.
"..."
I spent the time reflecting on my past mistakes.
Then, I lifted my head at the sound of approaching footsteps.
A light knock.
Dasha entered the hospital room.
"The princess just left."
"I know."
Dasha greeted me politely.
But she still eyed me warily, like a prickly sister-in-law.
"So, what's up?"
At my question, the silver-haired maid's face went cold and expressionless.
She asked me in a serious tone.
"There's something I want to ask."
"Me...?"
The spy maid nodded slowly.
Then, she spoke cautiously.
"Were you... alone with Her Highness in the rubble? Did anything happen?"
"No, nothing in particular."
I shook my head firmly.
And answered honestly.
"I passed out from exhaustion back then. I barely remember anything."
"I see..."
Dasha fell silent at my words.
"Did something happen to Irina?"
The maid stared at me blankly.
She hesitated, as if unsure whether to tell me.
"Well..."
Dasha finally let out a deep sigh.
And confessed honestly to me, the person involved, in search of answers.
"Ever since then, she keeps spacing out."
Spacing out.
I furrowed my brow at the word.
"Spacing out?"
"Yes. She keeps rubbing her lips with her fingers. And when she lies in bed, she just stares into space."
The maid spoke with a worried expression.
"Like she's remembering something."
"Probably just the shock of being buried in the rubble."
I brushed it off lightly.
But Dasha remained grave.
"She's the type who wouldn't flinch at most assassination attempts..."
"Getting caught in an explosion hits different."
She nodded as if understanding.
"Got it. I was probably just overthinking it."
She placed a paper bag she'd been holding on the table.
"By the way, you've gotten close to the other princesses lately."
"Me?"
I pointed at my face.
Dasha replied in a cold voice.
"Yes, last night, Lady Lea and Lady Lydia visited one after the other."
"They're so busy with party prep—why would they...?"
Just hearing their names made my breath catch.
But Dasha's next words tightened it even more.
"Who knows. You'd know best."
Dasha looked at me with icy eyes.
Then, she pointed at the bag.
"A knight from the Water Defense Division asked me to pass this on my way here."
"Water Defense knight...?"
I repeated, but the maid gave no answer.
She simply closed the door quietly and left.
As if telling me to check for myself who sent it.
"..."
With a bewildered expression, I approached the table.
I opened the bag and found a letter and some cranberry jelly.
Fruit jelly, good for recovery from fatigue.
I chewed on it as I read the note.
「Trying to hog all the glory? No wonder you got hurt!」
「Next time, escort with me.」
「Your great senior, Miya Greta.」
The fluffy handwriting was just like a senior should have.
Reading the letter, a chuckle escaped me.
"Tasty."
I gazed out the window while munching the jelly.
Morning sunlight poured over the hills.
Atop them stood the massive Central Palace.
And tonight, all the Empire's imperial family would gather there.
「￣￣￣￣￣￣￣.」
I checked out of the hospital during the day.
Afterward, I headed to the banquet hall not as a guard knight, but as an attendee.
A grand red carpet stretched out long.
Nobles and foreign royals entered along it.
'What a sight. Lydia's birthday party was like a picnic compared to this.'
Thinking that, I stood at the railing on the second floor of the venue.
From there, I could overlook the entire massive banquet hall.
I watched the emperor's opening ceremony from above.
Leonhardt rose from the throne at the far end of the palace.
Unlike his doting-father mode, he bellowed in a stern voice.
"I thank everyone who has joined us for tonight's banquet."
As he spoke, everyone in the palace bowed their heads.
"Tonight's banquet serves two purposes: to announce to the world my victory over the plague, and to commend all those who worked for the Empire in my absence."
The attendees listened intently to the conquering king's words.
"Enjoy yourselves tonight, and continue serving the Empire faithfully alongside me henceforth."
The emperor thrust out his massive hand and shouted.
Cheers from thousands echoed through the palace.
「￣￣￣￣￣￣￣.」
The roar was so loud it made the chandeliers sway faintly.
"Before we begin the banquet, I wish to commend those who have achieved great merits."
Everyone stopped clapping at the emperor's words.
They waited for the first glorious figure to receive his praise.
"Lord Mosian, step forward."
From the crowd, the imperial prime minister emerged to the center.
He approached the emperor slowly and knelt.
"Even in my absence, you managed the national treasury with integrity and resolved numerous crises stably."
The emperor drew his sword from his waist.
"For your merits, I bestow upon you the empire's national treasure, the Sage's Staff."
He lightly tapped the prime minister's shoulder with the blade.
Applause poured from all around.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!!"
The prime minister bowed in gratitude, then rose.
He received the golden staff embedded with a cross from an imperial attendant.
"Next, last night, there was a wicked group that sought to sabotage my resurrection."
The emperor spoke broadly to the entire venue, hands clasped behind his back.
"I wish to commend the two who eradicated that group."
Everyone focused on Leonhardt's words.
'Two people—Allen and Irina, obviously. I already said I'd commend me separately anyway.'
"Irina Andalusia and Allen Mitrov, step forward."
The emperor, with a pleased expression, faced the Second Princess in her dress.
"...!"
Irina arrived in a bold off-shoulder dress that revealed her cleavage.
Everyone was stunned by her stunning, uncharacteristic outfit.
￣￣￣.
Not just the men, but the women too admired the princess's transformed image.
Her beauty was already famous enough to reach neighboring countries.
But her plain attire had always been her one flaw.
Now, in dazzling clothes and with skin like white jade, everyone was in awe.
"Last night, a group dared to plant explosives underground in our lands. You captured them through thorough patrols."
The emperor sheathed his sword for his daughter.
Instead, he called out with a gentle touch.
"For this feat..."
Everyone listened silently, as if in agreement.
"From this day, the Verdant Knight Order is officially recognized as the Empire's Seventh Knight Order. I command you to protect Princess Irina for life!"
"We shall obey."
"We obey!"
Irina elegantly lifted the hem of her dress and bowed.
Allen knelt solidly, nothing like his thug days.
"Conduct yourselves worthy of an official Imperial Knight Order!"
The two received the imperial decree with moved expressions.
'Nice.'
I grinned as I looked down at the scene.
In my previous life, she'd crumbled helplessly.
But in this one, she'd been recognized as one of the Empire's power players.
'The awards should be wrapping up soon.'
Thinking that, I turned my head.
But...
"Now, I shall commend the one who eliminated the remnants of the subversive forces."
'What...?'
Besides the ones I and the Verdant Knights killed, there were more remnants?
"The one who rescued Irina from the collapsed cathedral and judged the pursuing remnants..."
Finding it odd, I looked back down at the ceremony.
"Vice Captain Camilla of the Imperial Knight Order and Crown Prince Leon, who led them, step forward."
Two unexpected names were called.
My relaxed brows furrowed.
'Crown Prince Leon...? He was clearly the mastermind behind this incident, though?'
The crown prince and Camilla stepped forward.
They received the emperor's commendation.
"To Leon, I grant one of my treasured swords, Cassis. To Camilla, an Elixir."
"Thank you, Father!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Dressed in black jack uniforms with luxurious cloaks, they accepted humbly.
The Imperial Elixir could elevate a high-level user to a master swordsman.
Cassis was one of the legendary swords said to cut anything.
"Continue to shine for the Empire at my side!"
"We obey!"
I looked down at the two shouting in unison with displeasure.
They basked in the crowd's cheers.
"..."
The surrounding praise grated on my nerves.
I turned away to escape the noise.
And in that moment.
"Strange, right? It sure seemed like that guy's doing."
A familiar, cool voice came from beneath the golden lion mask.
"Your Highness...?"
An hourglass figure wrapped in a seductive silk dress.
I'd come face-to-face with the First Princess, Lea, who approached without a sound.
"Yes, it's odd. He even admitted the ringleader acted on the crown prince's orders."
We spoke quietly on the second-floor imperial balcony.
"Yeah, of course he did."
Lea stood beside me.
A sweet fig scent wafted from her.
"Because it was all staged."
The princess gazed down with sultry eyes.
"With the emperor awake now, Leon secretly gathered forces preparing for Father's death."
"Yes, I know."
She lightly covered her lips with her fan.
"Father probably knew about his movements long ago."
With a monarch's charismatic gaze, she said.
"In this situation, what's the best way for Leon to regain Father's trust?"
"Quickly rack up merits to prove he's on the same side."
Lea reached out carefully.
She straightened the collar of my hastily changed formal suit.
"Smart, Veil Mikhail."
"Not on an official occasion."
When I spoke firmly, the princess tapped her own mask.
"It's fine. I'm wearing a mask."
Hearing that, I chuckled.
A mask that barely covered her eyes couldn't hide the princess's figure.
"You don't need that worried look."
The princess clasped her hands behind her back lightly.
She looked down at the crown prince with me and said.
"Showing that side means he'll be groveling to Father for a while."
'That wasn't what worried me.'
I was more concerned about my eyes drifting to her body.
Any man would be helpless against it.
"Enjoy the party comfortably tonight."
Lea gazed at me with queenly dignity.
Then, as she turned.
"It's a rare grand banquet, after all."
I nodded silently at her words.
Then, I sensed something off.
"But how did you know I was here?"
The princess smiled anew at my question.
She glanced back and replied.
"I told you."
Her blue eyes sparkled from within the lion mask.
The princess said with those eyes.
"I can sense your presence perfectly now."