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Chapter 43
Spring Banquet (6)
“Th-there’s actually something I’d like to ask of you personally, Lady Wiltiella.”
Yes, I know.
Berenice barely managed to stop herself from snapping back — Your mother, the Empress, just said that a moment ago.
Instead, she smiled sweetly, pretending to listen attentively to his words.
Perhaps the irritation she’d been holding in ever since dealing with Naion had finally reached its breaking point when faced with the Empress’s insincere games.
“There’s… a book I’ve been searching for.”
The Empress frowned slightly at the sight of her son glancing at her for approval, but Berenice pretended not to notice.
“Is it a rare book?”
“It’s a history book from the Age of Magic… I tried to acquire it myself, but it’s been difficult. I heard that Wiltiella’s trading company has many contacts even beyond the Empire.”
“You wish for Wiltiella to find this book for you?”
“…Yes.”
“I don’t directly handle the merchant company’s affairs, so I can’t promise anything right now. But if you tell me the title and author, I’ll pass the request along to my father.”
“Ah, thank… you.”
Berenice sighed inwardly as she watched Ashard glance at his mother one last time before answering.
She didn’t like to compare people — but compared to Kaiden, Ashard fell short in every way.
Surely the Emperor knew that as well.
However, just as much as he distrusted Ashard, he was wary of Kaiden too. That must be why he couldn’t make a decision easily.
Berenice remembered how long it had taken for the Emperor to make his choice in her previous life and turned her gaze away from Ashard, who was watching the Empress anxiously.
In this meeting, the person who truly mattered was the Empress.
“Thank you, my lady.”
“It’s nothing.”
“Ashard has wanted that book for a long time. I’ve searched everywhere myself but couldn’t find it.”
“I see.”
“I feel relieved now that Wiltiella will handle it.”
“Thank you for your trust.”
“Ah, but even if you can’t find it, I won’t blame Wiltiella. Just… do your best.”
“I’m deeply grateful for Your Majesty’s consideration.”
The purpose of today’s meeting was obvious — to have Ashard and Berenice greet each other formally.
And this was meant to be the beginning of slowly building a connection between them.
This happened because I broke off the engagement, she thought bitterly.
It was obvious why the Empress now desired her, rather than the saint.
If Wiltiella sided with the Third Prince, the Empress could secure enormous wealth without having to rely on troublesome intermediaries like Count Blaise.
And by gaining the support of the neutral Marquis household, she could also sway the other nobles who had yet to choose a side.
The problem is that the Third Prince isn’t the kind of person who can move flexibly according to his mother’s will…
He was merely a fourteen-year-old child.
A boy who, unlike others his age, didn’t even know how to throw a tantrum — he just obeyed whatever his mother said. What could such a boy possibly accomplish?
For a brief moment, Berenice felt a pang of pity for him, but she quickly suppressed it and looked at the Empress again.
It seemed their business was over — she hoped the Empress would dismiss her soon.
Thinking about how her parents and her twin must be worrying about her made her even more uncomfortable in this place.
“I can’t just let you go after granting me such a favor, my lady.”
“…Pardon?”
“Once the banquet is over, I’ll send you an invitation.”
It was an invitation to the Empress’s tea party.
A coveted honor that every noble lady dreamed of receiving — but to Berenice, it was anything but welcome.
Still, she couldn’t possibly refuse the Empress’s invitation. Forcing her stiff facial muscles to move, she bowed deeply with the most gracious smile she could muster.
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“Then I’ll look forward to seeing you soon.”
Finally, I can get out of here!
This time, Berenice smiled for real — a bright, relieved smile — as she curtseyed to the Empress and the Third Prince before carefully walking out of the lounge without rushing her steps.
When the door closed behind her with a soft click, she glanced around the empty corridor and let out a long sigh.
The pleasant expression she had worn moments ago vanished, replaced by a cool, emotionless face illuminated by pale moonlight streaming through the window.
I can’t just force things to fit my suspicions. I have to find objective proof.
She repeated this to herself, yet her conviction that the Empress was somehow connected to Bleddyn’s death refused to fade.
If I can just find evidence… if I can find it…!
Things are different now — I’m not powerless like before.
She had Kaiden.
Even if the Emperor hated and feared him, he was still a prince.
If she could uncover the truth behind Bleddyn’s and the Crown Prince’s deaths, Kaiden would have the power to confront the Emperor himself with that evidence.
Yes. As long as I find the proof…!
So she had to stay calm.
She had to move carefully.
After repeating this mantra to herself several times, Berenice exhaled slowly, steadying her heart, and turned to head back toward the ballroom —
— when a voice called out from the end of the dark hallway.
“Who’s there?”
Someone’s voice.
Who could it be? The banquet should still be in full swing. Who would be visiting the Empress at this hour?
For security reasons, each royal’s lounge occupied a separate wing, and the specific rooms used changed from event to event.
Each royal had their own section, so it was impossible to encounter another in the same area.
Meaning — whoever appeared here had come specifically to see the Empress.
“I’m Berenice of House Wiltiella.”
“Ah, so it’s the young lady of the Marquis family.”
A man slowly emerged from the shadows at the far end of the corridor.
Though she couldn’t yet see his face clearly, Berenice immediately knew who he was.
There was only one person in the entire Empire who walked through the palace halls with a limp, leaning on a cane.
“I greet Duke Dwayne.”
It was Duke Jamir M. Dwayne, the Emperor’s half-brother.
His long black hair, tied loosely behind his shoulders, shimmered faintly under the torchlight. Blinking his soft pink eyes, he spoke to her in an even tone.
“You’ve just come from meeting Her Majesty the Empress?”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Haha, good thing I took my time getting here. Otherwise, I might have had to wait my turn out here in the hall.”
He was the only surviving royal from the “Tragedy.”
While the Emperor had paved his path to the throne with his brothers’ blood, Jamir had been the one left to die, poisoned by yet another brother’s scheme — and miraculously survived after the Emperor’s coronation.
When nobles heard he had survived the poisoning, many thought the Emperor would surely finish the job.
But instead, perhaps weary of fratricide, the Emperor merely stripped him of his royal name, gave him the surname Dwayne, and banished him from the palace.
The “M” in his new name was a lingering trace of his old identity — a reminder that he had once borne the imperial name Manus.
Though he had survived the poison, it left him crippled.
He knew full well that his survival was nothing short of a miracle.
That’s why he bowed even lower before the Emperor — to stay alive.
Some mocked him, saying he was just like his lowborn mother, groveling without pride to save his skin.
But to Berenice, Duke Dwayne was terrifying.
A man who could smile and find a way to survive no matter what — if that wasn’t frightening, what was?
“The Empress must be rather impatient these days,” he said with a quiet chuckle.
It was clear he already knew why the Empress had summoned her.
But how?
The question flashed through Berenice’s mind and wouldn’t leave.
To the public, the Duke appeared to be a weak man who had survived this long only thanks to his cunning.
And yet… perhaps because she had just come from meeting the Empress, something about him felt far more dangerous than that.
Still, there’s no harm in being careful.
As Kaiden would say — he, too, was one of the “monsters” born of the royal bloodline.
“Pardon? A book… is this an urgent matter?”
Feigning innocence, Berenice tilted her head slightly.
The Duke raised an eyebrow.
“…A book?”
“Yes. Prince Ashard mentioned he was searching for one and hoped to borrow Wiltiella’s resources.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Yes.”
“I understand. In any case, you should return to the ballroom, my lady. You’re one of the evening’s guests of honor — it wouldn’t look good if you were absent for too long.”
So rumors were already spreading in the hall about the Empress calling for her.
“Thank you, Your Grace.”
“Think nothing of it.”
With a polite bow, Berenice turned and hurried back toward the ballroom — unaware that Duke Dwayne stood there for a long time afterward, silently watching her retreating figure.
