Chapter 151
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 151
“That… boy.”
Atop the dais in the Grand Banquet Hall.
Empress Carmi, seated in the highest chair of all, tightened her grip, her elegant hands trembling with force.
Fortunately, the hall was as loud as a stirred hornet's nest, so her mutterings didn't reach anyone’s ears.
Aware of the nobles surrounding her, Empress Carmi quickly regained control of her expression. However, she couldn't stop her fingernails from digging deeper into her palms.
And for good reason—she hadn't received a single report today.
Not a word about Ferdinand, that cursed Crown Prince, returning to the Imperial Palace, let alone his attendance at this debutante ball!
Why?
Why didn't the Emperor inform me of such a significant fact?
‘Could it be?’
Had he hidden it from her on purpose?
If so, why? Why would he keep it a secret?
Anxiety surged through Empress Carmi in an instant.
Her younger sister had become a proper Duchess, and she herself had given birth to a prince of the Emperor’s bloodline.
Despite that, Empress Carmi’s position was never truly ‘secure.’
As long as Emperor Alexander’s affection didn't support her, the crown she wore was nothing more than a fleeting mirage.
The only ‘True Empress’ who could stand tall on her own was Olivia—that woman who was already dead.
Olivia remained a shackle that still held Empress Carmi’s ankles to this day.
Whenever Emperor Alexander seemed to show interest in her ladies-in-waiting, or whenever he treated her coldly, Carmi felt as if a fire were raging inside her.
At the same time, her heart felt chilled, as if she had swallowed ice.
She knew.
Even if Emperor Alexander’s heart changed and he betrayed her, she could never be like Empress Olivia, who had cast the Emperor aside and died with her dignity intact.
Empress Carmi would never be free from her inferiority complex toward Empress Olivia.
It was only natural that this hatred flowed toward the Crown Prince, Olivia’s flesh and blood.
Until now, Emperor Alexander had also looked upon Ferdinand with displeasure. So why did he allow him to attend the palace ball today without giving her any notice?
Tangled in a web of anxieties, Empress Carmi dropped her usual benevolent smile and stared intensely at the back of Ferdinand’s head.
“Chief Attendant.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Sensing that her master’s mood had plummeted to a terrible low the moment Ferdinand entered, the Chief Attendant approached with extreme caution.
“Since the Crown Prince has returned after such a long time, we must hold a family formal banquet this evening. Prepare it without lack, and since I am concerned for his health after his long journey, find out if there are any unusual symptoms.”
“I understand, Your Majesty.”
Her tone was soft on the surface, but the reality was different.
The Crown Prince, who hadn't returned from the battlefield in over a year, should have been half-crippled by now—at least according to the letters he had written himself.
She had wanted to dispatch her own people, but Ferdinand’s camp moved every week.
The battles were so fierce and frequent that even Empress Carmi found it difficult to plant her spies.
‘That little fox.’
He had described his condition so pathetically in his letters to Emperor Alexander, but it was all a lie.
‘Was all the poison I sent discovered and disposed of midway? That shouldn't be possible.’
Empress Carmi didn't know that Ferdinand had barely survived while being slowly poisoned.
She looked down at him, still possessing the appearance of a young boy. A flash of contempt crossed the Empress’s eyes.
‘Since he’s a monster born devouring divine power, perhaps he’s a venomous insect that survived by eating all that poison.’
Empress Carmi’s eyes turned toward Tulia.
She had to give Tulia Frezier—that golden statue—to her son as soon as possible.
* * *
Meanwhile, the Second Imperial Prince, Dave, was harboring thoughts similar to his mother, the Empress.
Setting aside how that bastard, who hadn't given a word of notice, managed to attend this debutante ball...
‘Mother clearly said he was half-crippled and not to worry about him!’
Ferdinand looked perfectly fine.
Well, he was still trapped in the form of a boy, consumed by that divine power.
But damn it.
Even in that state, he looked so holy that he seemed like a young angel descending from the heavens.
Was it because his mother was of such noble blood?
Is that why every single thing about him looked so different?
‘Disgusting brat.’
Dave’s stomach churned with envy.
He wanted to pluck out the eyes of all the ladies who were staring at that annoying guy as if they were possessed, but he barely managed to restrain himself.
‘The only way to surpass that bastard and succeed the throne is, after all...’
There was only the shining treasure chest standing before him: Tulia Frezier.
Dave had absolutely no intention of letting her go.
“Lady Tulia Frezier. Shall we head to the floor? It would be perfect to have our debutante dance first, and then go greet Brother Ferdinand together. We can greet Mother as well while we’re at it.”
* * *
‘Listen to this bastard talk.’
I glared inwardly.
If you only listened to Dave, you’d think we were already newlyweds. He made it sound like we were going to dance and then go pay our respects to our high-ranking relatives.
‘What a delusional fool.’
Seeing how he was still so full of confidence despite being rejected so many times, I could guess how Empress Carmi had raised her son.
However, I didn't make any excuses and simply nodded.
Because...
‘You won't be walking out of here after the dance anyway.’
Greetings, my foot. I’ll make sure you’re carried out by a servant while glaring at me with murderous eyes.
It was at that moment, as I was laughing wickedly to myself.
Have you ever felt like a pillar of ice was marching toward you?
A man—no, a boy—who seemed capable of lowering the surrounding temperature by ten degrees just by standing there.
One of the male leads, who looked like a boy on the outside but was clearly a young man on the inside, drew closer and closer to me, until...
“Fe-Ferdinand, brother?”
He stopped right in front of me.
“B-Brother. How is it that you’ve come here without a word?”
Dave, who was beside me, looked even more flustered as he spoke.
“Did I need your permission to return to the palace?”
“Ha... Haha. How could that be? I only say so because your appearance was so sudden that it startled me.”
As expected.
Seeing him after a long time, Ferdinand was still cynical and arrogant. Emperor Alexander was probably the only one who wouldn't be intimidated by those cold eyes.
‘And Grandfather, Dad, and the other male leads.’
Even the Tulia in The Milk Bread used to walk on eggshells around Ferdinand.
Dave, who didn't rank among the male leads, seemed to wipe away cold sweat before quickly forcing a friendly smile.
“You’ve come at a good time, Brother. This is your first time meeting Lady Tulia Frezier, isn't it? She has agreed to have her debutante dance with me today. I’ll have to dance even more splendidly since you’re watching! Hahaha!”
Ferdinand’s gaze naturally shifted toward me. His face was so devoid of emotion that I almost wondered if we were actually meeting for the first time.
“Tulia Frezier, you say.”
“Yes. She is also a close relative of your fiancée, Lady Sophia Frezier.”
I let out a silent sneer at Dave’s words. It was a sneer born of sheer absurdity.
‘He really has a massive inferiority complex toward the Crown Prince, doesn't he?’
How could I not know that the reason the Second Prince brought up Sophia was to insult the Crown Prince?
To think that my very existence was being used as a reason for someone to reflect on their humiliating past.
The strange feeling was brief.
Belatedly realizing that Ferdinand was staring at me, I hurried to grab my dress with both hands and curtsied.
“I greet His Highness the Crown Prince. I am Tulia of the Grand Ducal House of Frezier.”
Ferdinand said nothing. However, I could vividly feel his gaze scanning me from head to toe.