🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter : 9
Up until the invitation arrived, I had been in an excellent mood.
My sword training had made considerable progress, and I was genuinely excited. This body was hopelessly weak and sluggish for swordsmanship, but it wasn’t completely without merit. My five senses were surprisingly sharp, and when combined with my foresight, I was no longer utterly useless in actual combat.
Of course, I could only barely hold my own by focusing on defense, but if I kept training like this, there was hope for improvement.
“Young Master! More mail has arrived today.”
“If they’re invitations again, decline every one of them.”
Now that my sword training was finally on track, I had no intention of wasting time attending meaningless social gatherings.
But today, the servants didn’t answer immediately.
Even Ian, the attendant who usually chattered beside me with half-mocking, half-suspicious remarks like, “Young Master, they say people die if they suddenly change too much. Are you sure you’re alright?” was strangely quiet.
“We’ll decline the others, Young Master. However… this one is an invitation to the banquet celebrating His Majesty’s birthday. I believe you should look at it.”
It was only natural for the Marquis household to receive an invitation to the Emperor’s birthday banquet. Every noble was expected to attend.
The strange part was that the invitation should have been addressed to the family, not to Ayla personally.
“That should be the invitation granted to the family. It belongs to Father. Why is it mixed in with my mail?”
“Well… besides the invitation sent to the family, another invitation arrived specifically for you, Young Master.”
Hearing that immediately made me uneasy.
Putting aside how rare it was for the Imperial Family to send a personal invitation, Ayla was still a knight.
Granted, he possessed none of the qualities expected of one, and his skills were so poor he couldn’t even deal with a third-rate assassin. Nevertheless, he was officially a member of the Imperial Third Knight Order.
Even if he’d only get in the way instead of being useful, he should normally be assigned to security duty.
Yet a separate invitation meant he was being instructed to set aside his duties as a knight and attend the banquet as a guest.
Now I finally understood why the servants had looked so anxious.
“Give it to me.”
After removing my gloves and examining the envelope, an involuntary sigh escaped me.
Instead of the official Imperial Palace seal, it bore the personal seal of the Crown Prince.
“Young Master… you didn’t do anything disrespectful to His Highness the Crown Prince, did you? N-No… that can’t be it. No matter how gentle His Highness is, he wouldn’t simply overlook something like that…”
Ian continued rambling in confusion.
I didn’t stop him.
I was just as bewildered as he was.
His suspicions were pointed in the wrong direction, but I actually had done something disrespectful to His Highness, so I couldn’t deny feeling guilty.
“What, do you think I’d be foolish enough to flirt with His Highness the Crown Prince? I’ll read it, so decline the rest of the invitations.”
“…Well…”
I couldn’t read minds, but his delayed reply and hesitant tone practically screamed,
“Young Master really is foolish enough.”
Honestly, after hearing everything Ayla had done from those around him, I’d wondered myself whether the man carried his head merely as decoration.
The greatest tragedy was that it happened to be an exceptionally beautiful decoration, enough to fool countless people.
“If you don’t want to do it, I’ll personally go through every invitation and reply to them.”
The contempt I received here differed from the neglect I’d experienced in the Seyrus family, but being ignored was nothing new.
I stretched out my hand for the mail without pointing out their rudeness.
I wasn’t being sarcastic—I meant it sincerely.
Yet the servants suddenly turned pale and frantically waved their hands.
“N-No, Young Master! We’ll handle all the invitations except that one!”
I hadn’t raised my voice or even frowned.
Seeing them react so dramatically made me feel oddly sorry for them.
Still, trying to explain myself would only make things more awkward.
“Very well. Thank you.”
“Then we’ll take our leave.”
“Alright. Good work.”
After the servants left, only Ian remained.
He stared intently at the envelope in my hand.
Over the past few days, I’d naturally realized something.
Ian wasn’t merely a personal attendant.
The Marquis had placed him beside Ayla to keep watch over his son—and to stop him whenever he tried to do something reckless.
At every meal, the Marquis always asked Ian whether I’d caused any trouble, and he constantly warned me never to do anything Ian tried to stop.
There was a reason Ian spoke to me so bluntly.
“Aren’t you going to open it?”
Even now, he questioned me like a watchdog determined to find out what was inside so he could report everything to the Marquis.
“I am.”
The contents and format were no different from an ordinary invitation.
The only addition was one sentence.
Attend not as a knight, but as the third son of the Marquis of Seyrus.
When I relayed that to Ian, he repeatedly pressed me, asking whether that was truly everything.
I answered yes every single time.
“Hmm… It’s much less serious than I expected. But why would they invite you separately?”
“I wonder.”
Although I sounded calm, I wasn’t calm at all.
There was nothing unusual about the contents.
The handwriting, however, was another matter.
Elegant.
Graceful.
Strong yet beautiful.
It was handwriting I had seen countless times.
His Highness wrote this himself.
Unless they were bestowed as an Imperial gift, handwritten letters from His Highness had to be burned immediately after being read by anyone who wasn’t royalty.
That rule had been established after incidents involving forged imperial handwriting in the past.
However, it would be strange for Ayla—someone with virtually no connection to the Imperial Family—to recognize the Crown Prince’s handwriting or to quietly follow that unspoken rule.
Still… there’s no helping it. If the servants somehow got hold of it and His Highness’s handwriting leaked, it could become a serious problem.
Without hesitation, I threw the invitation itself into the fireplace, keeping only the envelope and the seal.
“Young Master! What are you doing?”
“It bore His Highness’s personal seal. Documents personally written by His Highness aren’t supposed to remain outside the Imperial Palace.”
“There’s a rule like that?”
“I heard it in the Knight Order.”
After hearing that explanation, Ian finally stopped questioning me.
“Anyway, the banquet is only two days away. We should prepare something for you to wear. You can’t attend His Majesty’s birthday banquet in your usual party clothes.”
“There’s not much time left, so getting a perfectly tailored outfit will be difficult. I’ll have the finest one you own altered.”
“Alright.”
I watched the invitation burn to ashes while suppressing a sigh.
I could only hope this was nothing more than a warning not to let my tongue run wild again.
* * *
The atmosphere inside the carriage on the way to the banquet was not unpleasant.
The Marquis and his heir spent the journey discussing the family and the Imperial Household.
Occasionally, they spoke to me as well.
Almost all of it could be summarized in a single sentence:
“Please, just don’t cause any trouble today.”
Their concerns didn’t end after we got out of the carriage.
Still, seeing what I was wearing seemed to reassure them a little.
“Your clothes are presentable today. Dress like that from now on.”
“Understood.”
I had never intended to dress as flamboyantly as the original Ayla anyway, so I obediently agreed.
The outfit had originally looked extravagant enough for a wedding.
The lace had been removed, and every revealing section had been covered with expensive fabric.
The result looked respectable enough, though it fit so tightly it made moving uncomfortable.
Once this banquet is over, I should have several proper outfits made.
With that idle thought in mind, I headed toward the banquet hall.
The Marquis and his heir handed their invitations to the knights at the entrance and went inside.
Naturally, I tried to follow them.
A knight stepped in front of me.
“I’ll need your invitation.”
It was Sir Can, one of His Highness’s personal guards.
Even if the palace was short-handed, he wasn’t someone who should have been assigned to entrance duty.
It was rather strange.
“Here.”
Without revealing my surprise, I handed him the envelope I’d brought just in case.
His expression remained indifferent as he confirmed the envelope was empty before returning it to me.
“Confirmed. You may enter.”
It was an odd thing to check.
Still, perhaps he had simply been verifying that His Highness’s handwritten letter had already been disposed of.
Not thinking much of it, I entered the banquet hall.
As always, the magnificent sight spread before my eyes.
Its brilliance made me squint slightly.
At the highest seat stood the radiant, still-empty Imperial Throne.
I wanted to see His Highness seated there.
There was no clear answer to the question of how long a soul that had already died could remain in this world.
This second life hadn’t been granted because of my own wish.
For all I knew, it could be taken away at any moment.
For a moment, I tried to imagine His Highness sitting upon the throne.
Then I shook my head.
Growing sentimental wasn’t a good habit for a knight.
Looking for something else to occupy myself with, I glanced around.
The Marquis and his heir, who I had expected would stay beside me and keep an eye on me, were already engrossed in conversation with nobles belonging to the Crown Prince’s faction.
There was no reason for me to intrude.
So I quietly stood off in a corner.
I’ll just eat something.
Since this banquet celebrated His Majesty’s birthday, the food was unimaginably lavish.
The truly distinguished guests hadn’t arrived yet, so stuffing myself felt somewhat inappropriate.
Instead, I picked up a small piece of finger food.
The rich flavor of cream cheese spread across my tongue first.
The oily fish paired wonderfully with the popping roe.
I didn’t need anyone to tell me how much effort the palace chefs had put into preparing this.
Just as I absentmindedly reached for a second piece—
“It has been quite some time, Sir Ayla.”
Turning around, I recognized the face.
He was the second son of Count Duro’s family.
Unlike his elder brother, he was talented and ambitious.
I had no idea why someone like him would approach Ayla.
Nevertheless, I offered a slight bow.
“What a splendid evening.”
“Indeed. A dazzlingly splendid evening.”
I expected him to leave after exchanging greetings.
Instead, he casually settled beside me.
He’s standing awfully close.
Whenever I subtly stepped away, he closed the distance again.
Pointing it out felt awkward, so I simply continued eating while wondering whether I should move elsewhere.
Perhaps sensing my intention, he leaned in even closer.
Then he finally whispered into my ear.
“Seeing you dressed differently from usual has its own unique charm. Why don’t you spend tonight with me? I quite enjoyed our last encounter.”
So this was the reason.
Another mess left behind by this body’s original owner.
I was about to reject him outright—
But before I could speak, the herald’s announcement echoed through the hall.
“His Highness the Crown Prince enters!”
The massive doors swung open.
The moment that radiant figure stepped inside, shining as though wrapped in light itself—
I completely forgot the man standing beside me.
His Highness walked forward at a pace that was neither too fast nor too slow.
The perfected symbol of succession gleamed upon his chest.
It felt as though I were witnessing the triumphant ceremony I had never lived to see.
For a fleeting instant, I wondered if perhaps I had been reborn solely to witness this moment.
My heart pounded.
It was regrettable that I couldn’t scatter flowers to celebrate his victory.
Still, knowing I’d contributed—even if only a little—to creating the path he now walked was enough.
His Highness, who had been looking only ahead, slowly turned his head.
Did our eyes just meet?
Those eyes that had once burned like eternal flames had now burned away everything within them.
Only quiet satisfaction remained.
At the very moment I found myself unconsciously taking a step toward him—
A brilliant flash exploded before my eyes.
The future unfolded.
The full moon illuminated the path leading toward the Crown Prince’s Palace.
His Highness walked forward with noble dignity beneath that moonlight.
Then—
Assassins emerged, brazen beyond belief.
While every knight’s attention was drawn toward them—
I saw an archer hidden high within a tree draw back the string of his bow.
No!
