Chapter 176
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 176
I wonder which brain-dead monarch established the rule that you must be escorted by your first dance partner.
Thanks to this particular bit of Imperial etiquette, I was stuck with this damn Dave from the moment we entered.
The moment he saw my outfit, his eyes widened, and he quickly broke into a smile even more avaricious than my own.
In short, he was being a total creep.
"The Lady certainly suits such opulent attire. You carry those oversized jewels quite well."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
"I assume all of those will be part of your dowry later?"
Good grief, you lunatic.
"Pardon? Well, I’m not so sure."
"Now, now. What do you mean, 'not so sure'?"
"As Your Highness is aware, my dowry will be decided by my grandfather and father. Besides, that’s a matter for the distant future."
"Ahem..."
When I mentioned my backing with a smile, Dave faltered slightly. But it was only for a moment.
Dave lowered his voice and spoke with an arrogant expression.
"However, it is not good for a woman to be too extravagant. It is said that a woman who devotes herself to her husband and son is far more beautiful than one who merely prinks herself."
"Yes, yes. How very true."
I replied soulfully while thinking to myself.
If you like that kind of woman so much, go marry Aubrey.
The thought crossed my mind, but then I tilted my head.
Wait, wouldn't that actually be a good match? Dave and Aubrey seem like they’d get along perfectly.
When it came to a "woman devoted to her husband and son," Aubrey was second to none.
Of course, if you looked closely, she was the type to toss her husband aside like a worn-out shoe while obsessing over her son...
I felt a fresh wave of regret that Dave was a member of the Imperial family.
No, wait. He’s going to hit rock bottom anyway once Ferdinand ascends the throne.
The two of them together.
Not a bad combination.
Escaping into these idle thoughts allowed me to briefly forget that this jerk had been pawing at my hand the entire time.
When I met his gaze, Dave actually looked startled.
"Why are you staring all of a sudden?"
"Because you’ve been talking to yourself this whole time?"
Just as Dave was about to open his mouth to respond.
A booming voice echoed through the hall.
"Lady Sophia Frezier is entering!"
In an instant, the bustling crowd turned their gaze toward the entrance as one.
When I entered, the attendant hadn't shouted like that.
It was only natural. No matter how much of a lady of the Grand Ducal House I was, I was still just a noble.
But Sophia was the prospective Crown Princess.
This meant she was to be treated with more respect than anyone else at the Crown Prince's victory banquet.
Of course, the Crown Prince had declared the annulment of their engagement, but an official Imperial Decree hadn't been issued yet.
Though, there was a chance she might receive that decree right here...
No, surely not...
If this were purely someone else's business, I could have fully enjoyed this dopamine party. But remembering how the Crown Prince had dragged me away while talking about breaking up with Sophia made me feel strangely uneasy.
While I was busy speculating, the nobles whispered as they watched Sophia.
"Oh my. Was Lady Sophia always that beautiful?"
Escorted by the Commander of the Imperial Knights, Sophia was indeed strikingly lovely.
"That’s the work of the Royal Designers. Look at that golden silk."
"Her Majesty the Empress must have put a lot of thought into this. She truly is a kind soul."
If it weren't for the blue diamond necklace I was wearing today, Sophia would have likely been the lady with the most prominent jewels.
She was draped in high-quality rubies and diamond accessories.
That Empress Carmi.
While pretending to care for the prospective Crown Princess, she was ultimately advertising to everyone that Sophia Frezier—who was nothing more than the "daughter of an adopted vassal"—was Ferdinand's fiancée.
The art of messing with someone while pretending to be kind.
Is this what they call palace intrigue?
In a way, it was quite impressive.
"Your Highness, the Second Prince."
"Lady Sophia Frezier."
After looking around, Sophia approached us and gave Dave a slight bow.
I merely exchanged a polite nod with her without saying much.
"His Majesty the Emperor is entering!"
"Her Majesty the Empress is arriving!"
It was then that the blare of trumpets filled the hall along with the booming voice of the Chief Attendant.
The people who had been chatting quickly turned toward the entrance.
Emperor Alexander and Empress Carmi were entering side by side.
The Emperor and Empress were both dressed entirely in gold.
Under the light of the chandeliers, they shone like the sun itself.
Being the Emperor and Empress, they walked up to the high dais prepared in advance. Behind them stood three thrones in a row—the seats for the Emperor, the Empress, and the Crown Prince.
But why isn't the Crown Prince coming out?
I flicked my eyes toward the entrance. It seemed I wasn't the only one with that question. Others were constantly glancing toward the door as well.
The hero of this victory banquet was undeniably the Crown Prince, yet he was nowhere to be seen.
Standing at the highest point, Emperor Alexander must have read the glances and confusion of the nobles, but he didn't show even a hint of agitation.
Instead, with an almost leisurely attitude, he gave a short congratulatory speech, his eyes gleaming meaningfully.
"I am very pleased to present to you two special guests today."
"Two guests?"
"Who could he be talking about?"
"Who knows?"
"Maybe the Crown Prince kidnapped two beauties from the battlefield?"
The last comment was laced with mockery. A few people stifled giggles.
What good would it do to kidnap a beauty?
Ferdinand was nothing more than a boy who wouldn't grow.
The closer a family was to Empress Carmi, the more they tended to look down on Ferdinand like this.
I shot them a sidelong glare.
Once those idiots see the grown Ferdinand, they'll realize what a mistake it was not to side with him sooner and regret it.
Ugh, seriously.
Even putting that aside, is it that fun to mock him?
They act all high and mighty about noble dignity, but their behavior is utterly vulgar.
Regardless, the soft melody playing throughout the hall managed to decently mask their mockery and snickering.
"First, Prince... no, Crown Prince? Please come forward."
"Crown Prince?"
"Did he say Crown Prince?"
Instantly, the crowd began to murmur.
I also pricked up my ears at this news I was hearing for the first time and looked forward.
But only for a moment.
Soon, my eyes widened in shock.
Huh?
That appearance, as if the Sun God himself had descended.
A man so incredibly handsome that one's jaw would drop just by looking at him!
It's Benjamin!
But why is he a special guest?
Besides Benjamin, many other foreign royals were in attendance.
I couldn't understand why he was the only one being treated as a special guest up there.
Is he a special guest because he's too beautiful?
Emperor Alexander cleared his throat and spoke in a relaxed voice.
"This is Prince Benjamin Fluers of the Sorsen Kingdom. We have received the joyous news that just a few days ago, he was appointed as the Crown Prince."
"Oh my!"
"If it's Benjamin, which one is he...?"
"As far as I know, he's the youngest prince!"
"But he was appointed as the Crown Prince?!"
The room became an instant uproar.
I was just as shocked.
Why is he already the Crown Prince?
I had played The Milk Bread thousands, no, tens of thousands of times, but I had never seen a route where Benjamin was appointed Crown Prince this early.
Why?
Is it because I raised his favorability?
But is the favorability between us really that high?
It would be so much better if I could see the favorability as a number.
Since I can only guess through colors and actions right now...
It’s confusing.
I stared up at Benjamin on the dais.
Crown Prince.
Benjamin harbored an immense desire for revenge against his father and brothers who had abused him.
Even so, he wasn't always appointed as the Crown Prince.
Since Benjamin secretly ran a massive merchant guild, there were many cases where his ending was as the secret guild master.
However, in the route where he ends up with Corico, he is always appointed Crown Prince and eventually becomes the King of Sorsen to take her as his Queen.
The Sorsen Kingdom was the most powerful nation on the Spring Continent after the Brillant Empire.
In particular, their technology for developing art and jewelry was so advanced that there was a saying: "If you want to see all the beautiful things in the world, go to Sorsen."
In other words, it was an extremely wealthy country, and becoming the Queen of such a nation was synonymous with becoming the mistress of the wealthiest of the wealthy.
And he’s incredibly handsome, too.
He’s a statue, a literal statue.
The reason everyone is so quiet must be because they’re enchanted by Benjamin’s beauty.
Only Dave was clicking his tongue in annoyance, and I felt a pang of regret that I couldn't just smack him.
"Will the other guest also come up?"
At the Emperor's words, everyone finally seemed to snap out of the spell.
And I...
Whoa, holy crap.
I let out a silent scream.
However, not everyone was able to swallow their screams like I did. Low gasps and sighs erupted simultaneously from all over the hall.
If there was a pattern, the reaction from the ladies and noblewomen was overwhelming.
I get it, I totally get it.
"I assume this is the first time for most of you. This prince is..."
"Your Majesty Brillant."
"Hmm?"
The young man, who cut the Emperor off with a peculiar title, asked abruptly.
"May I introduce myself?"
"Ah. Is that the custom of the Summer Continent? That works too."
"Thank you."
The young man—no, Klaus—who had given a slight bow, stepped forward.
He quickly scanned the crowd staring up at him in a daze, and upon making eye contact with one person, he broke into a mischievous, boyish grin.
Wait, that look... that’s the look Klaus gets right before he causes trouble.
The person he made eye contact with?
It was me, of course.