Chapter 79
Chapter 79
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Hiding the Dagger with a Smile (4)
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The low, scattering voice was so quiet it barely carried.
"Hm? What did you just say?"
"Nothing at all."
Abel raised one arm and pointed downward.
"You should head down now."
"……Hm."
Carlo hesitated for a moment,
but then nodded after checking his watch.
"Very well."
It was nearly time for the meeting to begin.
Just as he was about to take a step,
thud.
Abel descended first.
"-!"
Carlo stared at Abel's back in surprise.
This made it look as if he were following behind him.
But before he could say anything, Abel was already heading toward the conference hall.
Thud.
The lords, who had been whispering quietly, fell silent.
Thud, thud.
In the silent conference hall, their footsteps echoed alone, drawing everyone's gaze.
Thud.
The lords' eyes fixed on Abel as he crossed the central aisle.
The calm demeanor of the youngest person there, yet one who seemed the most seasoned. A faint smile played on his lips—languid yet sharp.
"That young man……."
"His hair color……."
"The empty seat……."
Whispers spread among the lords. Some had already guessed his identity and stared intently.
There were only two empty seats in the hall. One belonged to the Ardante family, and the other……
"Ovest Territory?"
"Kindriel family?"
The lords turned back to Abel with shocked eyes. They confirmed his resemblance to Diego Kindriel.
Thud, thud.
Even as their stares pierced him like arrows, Abel's steps did not slow.
If anything, he seemed to be enjoying the moment. The smile on his lips had deepened noticeably.
"Hah, really."
Carlo swallowed a secret sigh.
Normally, he would be the one drawing all those eyes as he walked in last.
But things had unfolded differently from his expectations, leaving him trailing behind some young upstart.
'To be ignored like this—it's a first.'
The lords seemed completely oblivious to Carlo walking behind Abel.
They had noticed, but quickly looked away. Their attention was fixed on Abel ahead.
It left a bitter taste, but there was nothing to be done. It was too late to hurry and lose face.
Thud.
Finally, Abel's steps halted.
"-!"
"Good heavens."
"No way."
The lords ahead gasped as they saw where he stopped.
[Ovest Territory—Kindriel Family]
A nameplate bearing those words clearly engraved sat there.
Abel paused, gazing at the seat. His cerulean-purple eyes sparkled with a relieved light, as if saying, *Finally*.
Instead of sitting, he lifted his head.
"……!"
Carlo, who had been about to take his own seat, felt the gaze directed at him.
The Ovest seat was directly across from the Sud Territory seat. Abel stood there, looking steadily at him.
'*Why hasn't he sat yet?'*
For a moment, Carlo wondered if Abel knew about the unspoken power play in this hall.
It was impossible. A first-time attendee wouldn't know.
Yet Abel stood frozen, as if waiting for Carlo to move.
"……."
Truth be told, Carlo had no desire to sit first.
It was a matter of pride and a symbol of power he had upheld all these years. He shot Abel a silent glare of pressure.
*Sit already.*
But Abel pretended not to notice, then murmured softly.
"He's arriving."
Carlo and the other lords wore puzzled expressions.
"What……?"
The mystery resolved quickly.
Bang!
The conference hall door slammed shut.
The Impero Empire's emperor entered through a different entrance than the lords—from the inner chamber leading directly to his seat at the far end.
The door closing meant the emperor had just entered that chamber.
"……Tch."
He could delay no longer.
Carlo gritted his teeth and lowered himself into his chair.
"……."
Abel stared openly at him, then mirrored the action.
Thump.
The sound of both men sitting cut through the deathly silence of the hall.
"Hah……!"
"That thunderbolt baldhead……!"
"What am I seeing?"
The lords gaped, eyes wide.
For years, they had never seen anyone but Carlo sit last. It was the unspoken rule of this hall.
But today,
"Hmm."
It was shattered by Abel Kindriel, who crossed his legs nonchalantly, utterly oblivious to the storm he had summoned.
"Ahem."
Carlo cleared his throat uncomfortably. Only then did the lords control their eyes and mouths.
Amid the tension, two people remained utterly unaffected.
"Heh heh, this is intriguing."
Mikel, stroking his beard with a hearty chuckle,
and
"Interesting."
Benifer, toying with her long nails while smiling slyly.
The other lords clenched their jaws, itching to speak but holding back. One wrong word here could draw Carlo's wrath.
Thankfully, the moment passed quickly.
"His Majesty the Emperor arrives!"
The chamberlains' cry rang out. Everyone hurriedly straightened their attire and rose.
The knights flanking the inner chamber door opened it.
Creak!
From between them emerged a man of imposing stature with black hair.
Theodore Magiore de Impero.
The absolute ruler of this empire, known as the Black Lion of the battlefield.
❖ ❖ ❖
"We see the great sun of the empire."
Everyone in the hall bowed at the waist.
I bowed as well, but
*He's finally here.*
I smiled faintly to myself.
"Be seated, all of you."
The emperor's voice came from right ahead. My seat was close to his.
But the sound would carry clearly to the back of the hall and even the second-floor gallery.
The hall was designed to reflect and distribute sound evenly.
The lords sat carefully, avoiding the scrape of chairs.
"It's good to see you all after so long."
Emperor Theodore smiled kindly.
His voice carried nobility and dignity, laced with a charisma that drew people in.
"The long journey here—was it not too taxing?"
"Your grace humbles us, Your Majesty."
"Such words are unworthy, sire."
He smiled brightly and took his prepared seat.
His jet-black hair, tied back to one side, swayed lightly, and his vivid blood-red eyes gleamed vibrantly.
His masculine features exuded chiseled perfection.
Indeed, the face that once made every unwed noble lady in the empire swoon.
*Good grief.*
Instead of admiring, I smirked inwardly.
*How does he look like he's in his fifties?*
Emperor Theodore's skin was taut without a single wrinkle, his cheeks flushed and smooth.
His face looked impossibly youthful for his age.
*He barely seems past thirty.*
Of course, some people age gracefully—part genetics, part meticulous care.
But there was a fundamental difference between him and them.
*Looking young is one thing. Actually being young is another.*
In the emperor's case, it was the latter.
His physical abilities, metabolism, bones, muscles—all matched a man in his thirties.
No elixir or procedure could achieve such perfect youth.
In this world, only one thing made it possible: the power of Serenade.
*He's periodically receiving Serenade's power to halt his aging.*
He must have wanted to reclaim his twenties, but restrained himself. Too much would arouse suspicion.
I wasn't the only one impressed by Emperor Theodore's shocking(?) youthfulness.
"Your Majesty's visage never fails to astonish."
One lord offered flattery.
"How do you maintain such youth? Might you share the secret with us?"
"Haha, thank you."
Emperor Theodore laughed heartily, his red eyes twinkling mischievously.
"What else but eating well and resting well?"
"Haha, indeed. So obvious, I have nothing to say. Even so, I've grown old."
Another lord nearby chimed in.
"As expected of His Majesty. Youth is inborn, after all!"
I snorted inwardly at their banter.
*Inborn, my ass.*
*You could do it too. If you had Serenade.*
Irritated as I was, I kept my mouth shut. Today wasn't about exposing the emperor's flaws.
Emperor Theodore surveyed the entire hall with a smile.
"Now, let me see…… Yes, no empty seats."
His eyes scanned each seated figure.
"All present?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
His ever-present aide, shadowing him like a ghost, answered.
Adjusting his monocle, the aide glanced at the attendee list.
"All 53 lords are present without exception."
"Very good."
Emperor Theodore began scanning slowly from the far end. I followed his gaze and chuckled softly.
*What blatant seating.*
The more territories owned, and the larger their area, the closer to the center—and the emperor.
In short, the greater the lord's power, the nearer to the emperor.
Proving it, Benifer Est Contadina of the vast eastern Est Territory sat closest.
*With all those endless plains under her seat.*
Benifer had been beaming since the emperor entered.
I saw her aqua eyes flicker with intense desire before fading.
*Even as a widow, she keeps up appearances.*
Harboring forbidden ambition, her fate was obvious.
Next closest was the southern Sud Territory, Carlo Sud Ardante's seat.
His lands were smaller than Benifer's in area, but far more numerous.
Above all, his southern coastal specialties generated immense wealth.
*Matching her income from a much smaller patch. No wonder.*
I smirked inwardly.
That bastard Cain really has all the luck.