TPRA 03

Chapter 3

You’ve Got the Wrong Person (2)

Only then did Irein realize that the fan wasn’t the only reason she stood out.

Noel—though she hated to admit it—was handsome, and the man destined to become the Duke of Macmillan.
Recently, he had even been promoted to Commander of the Imperial Knights, Sharon, drawing the attention of noblewomen everywhere.

Even the Emperor, Killian, was popular despite his cruel nature, but Noel, whose looks rivaled his and whose personality was actually kind, was the most sought-after man in the Empire.

So naturally, people’s attention gathered on the person seated boldly beside him.

‘At least it was good that we came together.’

With all the attention pouring onto Noel, she herself was bound to become a topic of conversation too.

“When the hell is this damned engagement ceremony starting?”
“It’s almost seven, so it should begin soon. Though there are a lot of eyes on us.”

Noel was well aware of the gazes and whispers directed at him.

Just in case people started saying unpleasant things about Irein, he had been listening carefully to the conversations around them. Fortunately, most of it was only curiosity about who she was.

No matter how kind Noel was, he had no intention of tolerating anyone speaking recklessly about Irein.

“Come to think of it, aren’t you the commander of Sharon? Shouldn’t you be on guard duty?”

Irein asked, half considering sending Noel off to the knights instead.

“The Imperial Guard is handling it today. Sharon will handle the wedding itself, though. Ah, I think it’s starting.”

As the appointed time arrived, priests and judges entered the hall in orderly rows.

The once noisy hall quickly became solemn as the engagement ceremony began.

Starting with the High Priest’s prayer, the ceremony was painfully elaborate.

Perhaps because it was the Emperor’s engagement ceremony, it seemed full of outdated formalities.

Only after the Chief Justice recited the Imperial marriage laws were Killian and Sierra finally allowed to stand together at the center of the platform.

“It’s just an engagement. Why are they reciting imperial law?”
“There are a lot of pointless procedures. Still, everyone’s probably trying to shorten things while watching His Majesty’s mood.”

At Noel’s words, Irein shifted her gaze toward Killian.

Since he stood with his back to the crowd, she could only see his broad shoulders and red hair.

‘Did he get taller than four years ago?’

Sierra was already fairly tall, yet Killian still towered over her by a whole head.

He felt distinctly different from how he had years ago, and the realization stirred strange emotions in her.

While staying in her territory, being the Marquis of Chaint had never truly felt real. But standing here now made it undeniable.

And seeing the Emperor again like this felt strange.

Until four years ago, the only time she and Killian would ever have met amid such splendor was during victory banquets.

“Your younger brother’s a priest, right? Where is he?”

Shaking off her thoughts, Irein suddenly remembered Noel’s brother, Mikael, and asked.

Since Mikael had entered the temple at such a young age, all she really remembered was that he had been exceptionally handsome. She couldn’t even remember his exact age anymore.

“Mikael’s a high-ranking priest now, so he’s probably near Duke Lucier.”
“Really?”
“I’ll introduce you during the reception later.”

‘Ah, the reception.’

This was why pretending to be sick and staying in her territory had been so much more comfortable.

Once the engagement ceremony ended, the reception would begin at nine in the evening.

In fact, the reason the engagement itself was held at seven was because the banquet and ball afterward were the real centerpiece.

The ceremony itself was manageable, but just thinking about enduring the reception made irritation rise in her chest.

Compared to that, even this boring, rigid ceremony suddenly seemed preferable—and before she knew it, it was already over.

At the final step, Killian and Sierra exchanged engagement rings.

Everyone in the hall rose to their feet and applauded in celebration of the couple’s engagement.

“I’m heading out first. Actually, I’ll just come back when the reception starts. Meet me in the west corridor ten minutes before nine.”

Taking advantage of the noisy celebration, Irein turned to leave the hall.

“Let’s go together.”
“No thanks. You should go see your father and mother. I don’t want to attract any more attention.”
“Alright. Then I’ll come get you later.”

Irein flatly refused when Noel tried to follow her.

Realizing just how irritated and annoyed she was, Noel obediently backed off.

After giving a small wave in place of a reply, Irein slipped through the cheering nobles and left the hall.

“…Rain! Irein…!”

‘Who…?’

“Irein! Are you here?”

Realizing the voice calling her wasn’t part of a dream, Irein abruptly opened her eyes while perched atop a tree.

Directly below the tree stood Noel, looking around as he called for her.

Checking the pocket watch in his hand, she saw it was already past nine-thirty.

“Yeah, I’m here.”

Still half-asleep, Irein frowned and jumped down from the tree.

Seeing how calm she looked, Noel let out a dumbfounded laugh.

“We were supposed to meet at the west corridor ten minutes before nine. I searched everywhere when you didn’t show up even twenty minutes later.”
“I didn’t sleep well yesterday, so I accidentally passed out.”

Irein brushed leaves from her clothes and hair as she spoke.

“Still, how did you know I’d be here?”
“You used to fall asleep in trees back at the marquis estate too. But isn’t it uncomfortable?”
“I did this all the time during guild missions, so it doesn’t bother me anymore. Honestly, I felt more at ease on the battlefield. Suddenly I kind of miss Boss.”

Irein recalled the man she had recklessly sought out seven years ago to avenge her family.

The man had been the boss of an assassination information guild on a distant continent, and with only a few effortless movements, he had completely subdued her.

She had inherited her mother Vanessa’s talent and had already mastered swordsmanship under Vanessa’s direct disciple.

Even so, she had been utterly helpless against the unfamiliar fighting style that used two daggers.

Whenever she remembered lying there battered and broken, staring up into that man’s golden eyes, even the normally unshakable Irein would tremble faintly with fear.

“No. I’m insane. I don’t miss him at all.”

Hurriedly driving those chilling golden eyes from her mind, Irein shook her head as if trying to banish the thought entirely.

Meanwhile, Noel’s expression darkened.

“What? Why are you making that face?”
“…It’s nothing. Let’s go already. We’re late.”

Noel walked slightly ahead of her as he spoke.

Whenever Irein talked about the guild, the scars scattered across her body flashed through his mind.

If only he hadn’t told her seven years ago about the assassination guild on the Kunt continent that possessed vast amounts of information.

If only he had knelt before Killian himself and begged to take revenge in her place.

Meaningless assumptions tormented Noel endlessly.

The countless scars. The detached way she treated everything now.

It all felt like his fault.

“Ah.”

Irein, who had remained mostly silent on the way to the banquet hall, suddenly stopped with a short groan once they reached the entrance.

She checked every pocket on her clothes before muttering a quiet curse under her breath, too softly for the people around them to hear.

“What’s wrong? Did you forget something?”

After searching around frantically himself, Noel lightly poked the face of the now utterly dismayed Irein.

“My fan. It must’ve fallen out of my pocket earlier.”

Technically, there was no need for her to face the Emperor directly during the reception since all personal congratulations and gift presentations had been omitted.

Still, it felt as though a massive shield that gave her peace of mind had vanished.

As a temporary fix, Irein tugged her slightly curled bangs down as far as possible to cover half her eyes.

Now that she realized the fan was gone, she strangely felt naked. There was no way she could just walk in like this.

Others might think she was overreacting, but Irein’s instincts had always been sharp.

Even before joining the assassination guild, “The Secret,” her intuition had been exceptional. After becoming an assassin, it had become almost prophetic.

Ignoring the ominous feeling creeping over her now was impossible for her.

“Stay in front of me as much as possible. At least be useful at times like this.”

Positioning Noel in front of her, Irein patted his back several times.

Since Irein was average height for an imperial woman and Noel was tall, hiding behind him concealed her perfectly.

If she could just endure until midnight, then afterward she would be free to either continue enjoying the banquet or return to the estate.

Determined to remain hidden behind Noel until then, Irein forced herself to ignore the bad feeling and entered the banquet hall.

The nobles gathered in small groups with drinks in hand were all dressed in extravagant clothing and dazzling jewelry.

They looked almost like decorative ornaments filling the hall itself.

“Where did you disappear to until now?”