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Chapter : 13
“His Highness the Second Prince and His Highness the Third Prince, and… h-huff, a Spirit Mage from the Spirit Tower are entering!”
Because a spirit mage was not a presence commonly mentioned, the attendant’s voice trembled as he announced the two princes and me.
The large arched doors swung wide open, revealing the lavishly decorated banquet hall.
At the same time, countless gazes poured toward us.
Since the guest of honor was the host himself, there were far more nobles from the Second Prince’s faction than from the Crown Prince’s. Accordingly, most of the looks directed at me were friendly, though here and there I could feel gazes tinged with hostility, jealousy, or wary caution.
The bustling noise and conversations typical of a banquet, which had briefly died down at our entrance, soon returned—but a few people still hadn’t taken their eyes off me.
“Unni!”
When I turned my head, I saw Lilia—who had been elegantly fanning herself among the noble ladies—brighten and approach me with a middle-aged man.
“To the Second Prince, our hope and the second star of Lupium, I pay my respects. And….”
The man who approached with Lilia looked at me with a gentle gaze, lifted the back of my hand, and placed a kiss upon it.
“To think I would live to see another spirit mage besides Count Agnes—how remarkable.”
“Unni! This is my father!”
I blinked at the unexpected words as I looked at Lilia’s cheeks, flushed more than usual, practically floating with excitement.
The man laughed warmly.
The same golden hair as Lilia’s—and goodness, it was strange I hadn’t noticed sooner. He looked astonishingly similar to her.
No, rather, Lilia looked like him. Either way, if you shaved off a few years, you’d believe they were twins—a handsome middle-aged man who resembled her to that degree.
And if he was Lilia’s father, then…
“…Duke Shutrien?”
“That’s right. And this is the fiancée I mentioned last time, Uncle.”
I blinked at the unfamiliar honorific the prince used, then came to my senses and bowed my head.
“I am Rien, a spirit mage.”
“To witness Your Highness’s engagement, and now all that remains is to see Lilia marry—then I’d have no more wishes in life.”
“You should be thanking Rien for that.”
Though the prince kept his replies short, he looked more at ease talking with the duke than with anyone else we’d met so far.
While I chatted with Lilia and the prince spoke with the duke, someone who looked like a member of the orchestra approached the prince cautiously, whispered a few words, and withdrew.
The prince broke into a grin and pulled me into his arms.
“What—!”
The lights illuminating the banquet hall went out, and in an instant, everything was plunged into darkness.
The prince brushed aside the nobles who had been lining up to present gifts and strode toward Adriel, who had been glued to his side the whole time.
“It’s time, Rien.”
At the prince’s whisper, I nodded and lowered myself before Adriel, meeting his eyes.
By now, all the nobles in the hall were quietly standing, their attention fixed on me and Adriel.
“Your Highness the Third Prince, happy birthday. This is a small gift from me.”
Though he briefly made a sulky face at the formal address, Adriel’s eyes soon sparkled as they fixed on the small box in my hand.
“What is this…?”
Smiling softly, I wound the key at the back.
When I opened the box, low gasps echoed throughout the hall.
What I had chosen as Adriel’s birthday gift was a small music box.
But it was anything but ordinary.
I had stayed up almost two full nights engraving spirit mana into it.
As a result, the music box now turned while casting out wide swirls of beautiful light, like stars scattered across the night sky.
It worked by storing mana inside the box to recreate the light particles spirits left behind as they passed.
When the small melody played and the hall was sufficiently filled with shimmering light, I gestured to Sierra, who had made her way to the back of the hall.
In an instant, the fire spirits Sierra summoned began moving around, lighting the candles scattered throughout the hall. With a final breath of light infused into the chandelier, the music box’s melody and lights faded, and the hall brightened once more.
I closed the music box again and handed it to Adriel with a smile.
“Happy birthday, Adriel.”
After whispering so only he could hear, I straightened and walked with the prince toward the center of the hall.
The crowd of nobles parted like waves, clearing a path for the prince.
Even those who had been sending me hostile looks seemed too astonished by the music box to continue glaring.
And in that opening—
“Today is Adriel’s birthday banquet. Once again, I thank everyone for attending. And on this occasion, I have decided to announce a matter of great importance to myself—and to this empire.”
The prince glanced at me as if seeking my final consent. Naturally, I nodded.
Wrapping an arm around my waist, the prince continued.
“Some of you may have already heard the rumors, but I, Lihard von Lupium, hereby announce my engagement to the spirit mage of the Spirit Tower present here today—Rien. His Majesty has already granted permission, and in time, Rien will become a member of the imperial family.”
After a brief silence, applause first erupted from the nobles of the prince’s faction, then soon filled the entire hall.
“Now then, everyone—please enjoy the rest of the evening!”
The orchestra’s music, which had paused for a moment, began to play again. Letting out a quiet sigh, I felt a weight lift from my shoulders, thinking that I had finally taken the first step.
“Do you know how to dance?”
I looked up at the prince’s sudden question.
His violet eyes were fixed on me, holding an unreadable, peculiar light.
As if enchanted by that gaze, I nodded slightly, and the prince extended his hand.
“Let’s have one dance. We may not be in love, but since we’ve announced our engagement, let’s commemorate it.”
A slow waltz echoed through the hall.
Keeping time, the prince lightly took my hand and waist, guiding me.
One, two, three.
One, two, three.
As we danced, the prince’s 모습 naturally filled my vision.
Black hair.
Long lashes, luminous violet eyes, and a solid build befitting a swordsman.
Though rough, his posture and movements were graceful, as if proving his birth as royalty.
I wasn’t one to judge people by appearances, but as I moved my feet, I tilted my head at the thought that suddenly came to me.
Was he always this handsome?
He was wearing his formal uniform, but it didn’t seem all that different from usual.
“…Do I have something on my face?”
At the prince’s timely question, I blinked.
“…No. It’s just that, suddenly… I thought you were handsome.”
“…Do people usually say that to someone’s face?”
The prince hesitated briefly, then replied stiffly while averting his gaze.
He’s embarrassed.
Suppressing a chuckle at how cuter-than-expected the prince was, I matched my steps to his lead, entrusting my body to him.
Unaware of the few in the hall watching us with irritation on one hand and anxious tension on the other.
Late at night.
Several nobles slipped out of the estate, avoiding others’ eyes, and headed to a certain location.
“The plan has gone awry. Damn it—if only we’d had a little more time, we could’ve completely diverted the public’s attention…!”
“We can’t even threaten the Spirit Tower—damn it!”
“How on earth did they persuade a spirit mage? That makes no sense—it’s the ‘Spirit Tower’ we’re talking about!”
“Either way, with a spirit mage on their side, the plan is absolutely impossible. What are we supposed to do now…?”
Realizing that their once-stable future could suddenly twist out of shape, the nobles sat around a round table, loudly voicing their anxious thoughts.
“Everyone, calm yourselves.”
“Your Highness!”
“Your Highness, have you heard? A spirit mage has joined the Second Prince’s side…!”
“I should have listened properly when my daughter said it was just a rumor…!”
The commotion grew louder as a refined man entered the dim room, lit by only a few candles.
The man—the Crown Prince—settled into the seat of honor that had been left empty.
At the lift of his hand, the noise naturally died down.
“We’ll move up the hunting festival. It’s earlier than planned, but… that’s fine. There’s no need to worry. I have something in mind.”
Narrowing his eyes like a snake, the Crown Prince smiled slyly.
