Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: The New Legitimacy
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“Empress.”
The Emperor's voice was low and calm, but it held a clear warning.
“We have gathered today to celebrate your birth. Do not tarnish the essence of this banquet by raising matters unsuited for the occasion.”
At that, the Empress finally feigned a troubled expression, covering her mouth with her hand.
“Oh dear…, it seems I've made a mistake.”
She continued, her face a mask of genuine ignorance.
“Grand Duke, I am truly sorry. It seems I got carried away when you, who so rarely grace banquets, appeared with the children. I thought, ‘At last, he has found a child to inherit the Descartes’ legitimacy.’ I misspoke.”
The Empress offered a polite apology.
Yet, even within that apology lay another hidden barb, jabbing at Serdian's legitimacy.
A brief silence fell. Elbadin let out a low breath before replying in a cold voice.
“The reason I brought the children chosen by the Elite Corps to this banquet is that it coincided with the Grand Duchy's practical training period. Furthermore, His Majesty the Emperor expressed a desire to see the children being educated in the Grand Duchy.”
The Emperor nodded at that.
“Indeed, I did.”
“I was merely fulfilling that promise. Of course, I did not expect Her Majesty the Empress to misunderstand so. And…”
Elbadin paused for a moment.
At his silence, everyone in the banquet hall held their breath.
Elbadin stood perfectly still, facing the Empress, but a faint aura emanating from him washed over the hall like a wave, making the air even heavier.
“Your Majesty the Empress, …seems to misunderstand the legitimacy of Descartes.”
Elbadin said, his voice low and serene.
As the Empress watched him with narrowed eyes, he responded slowly, his voice dropping even lower.
“The legitimacy of Descartes is not passed down through bloodline alone.”
“…”
“It is proven through the strength and quality required to protect the harsh North.”
Elbadin gently pulled Serdian, who was standing behind him, to his side.
“And here is the heir to the Grand Duchy of Descartes, my son.”
“...!”
When the word “son” left Elbadin's lips, Lucillea's eyes widened in surprise.
But the one most shocked of all seemed to be Serdian.
Serdian's shoulders flinched ever so slightly.
She could feel him struggling to compose his expression, trying not to reveal his astonishment.
With a hand on Serdian's shoulder, Elbadin continued.
“Serdian Descartes is a child who has proven his qualifications himself. No one may question his legitimacy. To do so would be to deny both the history of Descartes and my decision as its head.”
It was a show of spirit only the Grand Duchy of Descartes could display—a declaration that he would not let it slide, even if it came from the Empress.
In response, the Empress gripped the armrest of her chair and said.
“Grand Duke, I—”
“Your Majesty the Emperor. Your Majesty the Empress.”
“…”
Cutting off the Empress, Elbadin slightly lifted his chin. He then continued, his gaze fixed on her.
“This child's very existence is the new legitimacy of the current Descartes.”
It was a declaration that hammered the final nail in the coffin.
With those words, Elbadin completely overturned the Empress's definition of “legitimacy.”
He had redefined the innate condition of bloodline with the acquired proof of ability and quality.
He was proclaiming, in the very heart of the Imperial Palace, who his heir was and why.
The gentle smile that had graced the Empress's face was long gone.
Elbadin finally gave a slight bow.
“I hope this has cleared up Her Majesty the Empress's misunderstanding.”
“…”
The Empress could not offer any reply.
She could only barely maintain a smile on her stiffened lips.
‘Wow, isn't this what you'd call completely shutting someone down?’
The attention that had been showered on Lucillea due to the Empress's reckless remarks shifted to Serdian in a single moment.
And it was in a very positive direction.
A boy of unknown origin, whom no one had acknowledged as the heir to the Grand Duchy of Descartes.
That had been Serdian's position until now.
But now.
Serdian had been publicly declared the heir, acknowledged by none other than the Grand Duke himself.
This was the picture Lucillea had so desperately wanted to see.
Not just an heir in name, but an heir who wielded actual power!
Elbadin had just placed the hilt of that power into Serdian's hands.
‘So this is the Grand Duchy…’
To be able to say everything one needs to say before the Emperor and Empress.
This is the power of the Grand Duchy of Descartes…!
Lucillea looked up at Elbadin's back, which felt like a great mountain.
Today, that back seemed even more reliable than usual.
***
After all the greetings from the nobles were finished, the Emperor and Empress left the banquet hall.
The Emperor called Elbadin aside to apologize for the Empress's misunderstanding and mistake.
It was something he could have ignored, but the fact that he made a point to apologize again meant that the Emperor respected the Grand Duchy of Descartes.
Now, the banquet belonged solely to the nobles.
“Now I can finally eat in peace!”
Lucillea said, returning with a plate piled high with food.
Irnel laughed in disbelief at Lucillea's words.
‘You didn't seem to have any trouble with your first plate, though?’
Lucillea gestured to Irnel with her eyes and whispered.
“Hey, let's go eat out on that balcony.”
Irnel's gaze followed to where Lucillea was pointing.
She could see the entrance to a balcony at the far end of the hall.
As if she had already sent Cookie to check, a yellow parrot was constantly waving one wing at the balcony entrance.
It was as if it were signaling that the spot was empty.
Irnel, who had been quietly watching Cookie, shook her head.
“I'm just going to stay here.”
“Huh? Why? Do you like chaotic places like this?”
Lucillea asked, and Irnel's gaze swept across the banquet hall.
Irnel's eyes sharpened.
“I need to commit it to memory.”
This banquet was a microcosm of noble society.
Which families were close to which, which were falling, and which were on the rise.
The exchange of glances, the hidden expressions behind smiles, the invisible lines and subtle tensions flowing between them.
When the day came that she had to undertake a mission for the Grand Duchy, today's experience would surely prove useful.
‘Wow…’
As Irnel scanned the hall without so much as a blink, Lucillea marveled inwardly.
‘It seems Irnel plans to stay in the Grand Duchy.’
Her mindset was completely different from Lucillea's, who planned to leave the Grand Duchy as soon as she came of age.
Lucillea decided to respect Irnel's resolve.
“Well, I'm going alone then?”
“Okay, just don't wander off somewhere else without telling me.”
“Got it. I'll just be on the balcony.”
After replying, Lucillea headed for the balcony where Cookie was waiting.
[Lucy! Over here! Here, here!]
It's empty over here!!
‘I'm coming!’
Lucillea weaved through the crowd and stepped onto the balcony.
*Thud—.*
As the large balcony doors closed, the noise from the banquet hall vanished.
Instead, the chirping of insects filled the empty space.
Lucillea walked toward the railing, looking around.
‘So this is the Imperial Palace garden.’
Having rushed to the palace without a break and been swept up in a hectic time, she hadn't had a chance to properly see the gardens.
‘Even the night sky is beautiful!’
The capital's night sky was quite different from the North's.
It was pitch-black without a single gray cloud, making the densely packed starlight all the more clear and brilliant.
Perhaps because it was night, the air was quite cool, but it didn't feel particularly cold.
It seemed to be the time when spring was ending and summer was beginning.
Lucillea placed some fruits and nuts on the balcony railing for Cookie to eat.
‘It's nice and quiet.’
[I think so too! It was too hectic in there!]
‘I agree.’
Lucillea picked up a pie from her plate and took a huge bite.
‘So delicious!’
*Mmm,* Lucillea smiled in satisfaction as the sweetness spread through her mouth.
For a while, she blissfully devoured the food on her plate.
But then.
She sensed someone below the balcony.
‘What? Is someone down there?’
Still chewing, Lucillea peeked her head through the balcony railing.
Cookie followed suit, poking his head out to look down.
Huh?
Lucillea spotted someone moving stealthily through the dark garden maze.
‘That person is…’
It was the man she had seen inside the banquet hall just a little while ago.
‘That man who was wearing a cloak by himself?’